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I would like to thank everyone who voiced their opinion in last week’s paper, against this sad situation that we’re in! I am also worried about the democracy in this country! It can be lost in no time, with the way things are going, and what do we do then? These situations have been happening over and over again in history, read about it and you’ll know! See the signs that show the process, and don’t support someone who thinks he is above the law. Anyone in a political office needs to work for the people, not the other way around. Look for the...
Thank you, Suzenna Kersikofski and Rick Shorten, for responding to Ms. Burlison’s letter in a temperate and thorough, detailed manner. I could not have done it so gracefully. Beverly Haywood La Conner...
In response to “A letter I should not need to write” Aug. 28: I have to admit, when I read the first paragraph, I thought to myself, as a flaming liberal, “Oh good, someone who agrees with me.” Here’s how that letter began: “My country is under attack. I cannot remain silent any longer. The words and actions of some of my fellow Americans are viciously tearing at the fabric of this Republic. Every day I hear, see, and read about the hatred, unfounded accusations, venomous attitudes, unfounded blame and distortions from citizens, including e...
Affordable housing has become the elephant in the room that we are repeatedly forced to address. However, the symbol of the issue seems more akin to the Asian Indian parable of the “Blind Men and the Elephant.” Is the affordable housing issue the elephant or just the tail? Historically, we have viewed this as a “first cost” problem. If we lower the initial cost of purchasing a home, people will be able to afford it. Unfortunately, this is a modest short-term fix. It doesn’t address rental markets or subsequent buyers. The market value of...
Sustained rain has been so rare since April that its sudden abundance sprouts an editorial. There hasn’t been three days of rain and two inches in that short stretch, much less a month, since spring. These rains have ended the County’s burn ban, but farmers know this is too little coming too late. Drought has been the region’s curse. While western Skagit County is in a moderate drought, the western foothills of the Cascades are classified as “severe drought” by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a multi-federal agency team. The surprise summer bl...
Last week offered abundant opportunities to muse about the weather. We had a thunderstorm Saturday night. A thunderstorm. A real rain. Lightening lit the sky. At 10 p.m. the thunder was distant from La Conner, but it came steadily close, out of the west. Fifteen minutes later the rumble had moved closer, centered over eastern Fidalgo island. It woke people up in Shelter Bay. The report from Seattle was of over 1,250 lightning strikes during the night. That probably included our local light show. Saturday offered a storm for the senses:...
Amy Moe and Byron Betts are bringing an old crop back to new life in the Skagit Valley. They are the first hop growers to surface in the valley in years. While most people think of eastern Washington as the hops capital of the state, Moe says hops were actually grown quite widely in Skagit Valley – before Prohibition. Fir Island was once filled with hops. No longer. But now, thanks to Moe and Betts, there’s Hop Skagit. Moe is a fourth-generation farmer using the land where she grew up. O...
There have been several instances of counterfeit bills circulating in La Conner! Please be aware as they have been in several denominations (not just large bills). The above is an email sent Monday afternoon by Heather Carter, director of the La Conner Chamber of Commerce. Submitted by: La Conner Chamber of Commerce...
There’s little doubt Kathy Herrera puts her heart into her career. But that’s just a figure of speech compared to the sacrifice she made away from work this summer. The La Conner Middle and High School athletic director and assistant principal donated a kidney to her brother-in-law, 41-year-old Fred Schori, of Seminole, Florida, in a five-hour surgery on July 31 – just five weeks before the start of school. Yet the former college athlete was in school hallways greeting students last Wed...
A few days ago while driving to Home Depot on the back road from La Conner, I saw several cars and people parking and looking towards the Mount Vernon/Burlington bridge. Some of them were filming with their smart phones and a couple even had binoculars. I took a quick glance to see what had caused such a sudden interest in the bridge and noticed fire and police vehicles on the bridge. I assumed there had been an auto accident and proceeded on to do my shopping. About twenty minutes later, I left by the same route and now a few dozen people...
Most Boy Scouts are pathfinders, but brothers Spencer and Joseph Arrington have taken trailblazing a step further. The Anacortes teens recently explored and surveyed long vacated and virtually hidden Fort Whitman on Goat Island three miles southwest of La Conner in Skagit Bay. Their extensive research has been displayed both digitally and on a traditional tri-fold project board at La Conner Regional Library this summer, a project that has proved a popular attraction with local patrons and...
