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It's no secret that La Conner Weekly News Publisher Ken Stern wants to sell his newspaper. Stern is 69. He is ready to retire. Stern envisions younger, ambitious journalists buying the business, maybe with the community's help. But if that doesn't happen soon, the final La Conner Weekly News rolls off the press on Dec. 18. Finding Ken 2.0 has not been easy. There are plenty of journalists who can run this newspaper, but none have made an offer on Stern's asking price to buy a profitable...
Reporting at the Sept. 10 La Conner Town Council meeting, Sgt. Brad Holmes, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office La Conner detachment administrator, made a plea to residents and an apology to the council. He addressed concerns voiced at the Aug. 27 council meeting over deputies’ response times to a nighttime burglary and theft incident around North Third Street that month. Holmes said that deputies had arrived in La Conner within 20 minutes of the crimes being reported and immediately began patrolling for the suspect vehicle, which staff learned...
FINALLY! PIER 7’s DOCK REPLACED – Boats will remain afloat on the Swinomish Channel at Pier 7 due to the dock replacement completed by Marine Floats Corporation of Tacoma and Carlson Construction, of La Conner, Sept 3-6. One of the last wooden docks in La Conner has been updated for the 21st century by property managing partners Nikki Fallis and Laura Palmer....
SEATTLE – Washington gubernatorial candidates Bob Ferguson and Dave Reichert clashed over public safety, abortion rights, and Donald Trump throughout an acrimonious hour-long debate Sept. 10, starting after the Harris-Trump debate ended.. The first face-to-face meeting between the two men in the election was marked by sharp exchanges in which Ferguson, a Democrat and the state’s attorney general, and Reichert, a Republican and former congressman, accused one another of lying about their respective records. Reichert jabbed first, throwing sha...
Katryna Barber is closing the book on her latest adventure. After six years as the youth reading specialist, starting at the La Conner Swinomish Library when it bore the name La Conner Regional Library, Barber has announced she is ready for the epilogue stage of a wide-ranging working life. The former teacher, who once served on the library board in Woodstock, N.Y. – the town famous for the 1969 music festival – is retiring at the end of the month. Her last day is Sept. 27. "We will be cel...
Local firefighters who mobilized to battle the massive summerlong blaze in Chelan County near Stehekin had reason to be rattled. A Skagit County Fire District 13 crew on scene twice had rattlesnakes approach their tent. In addition, a bear was spotted in the area where the District 13 firefighters, led by Battalion Chief Jamie Jurdi, were assigned. Jurdi related his team’s three-week stay in the area around Lake Chelan during the District 13 Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 12. The District 13 firefighters were among those units from t...
The Leagues of Women Voters of Washington and Benton-Franklin Counties will host the candidates for the Commissioner of Public Lands in a live debate to be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at at WSU Tri-Cities in Richland. The 60-minute debate will be recorded and livestreamed by Northwest Public Broadcasting. Voters will hear the candidates respond to questions from the public about the office and how they would fulfill the role of Commissioner of Public Lands. Voters can submit questions for the candidates in advance by emailing...
Join your neighbors, deputies and area police officers for coffee and conversation at Coffee with a Cop, 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Sept. 30, at Stompin’ Grounds Coffee, 306 Morris St. The mission of Coffee with a Cop (coffeewithacop.com) is to break down the barriers between deputies, police officers and the citizens they serve by removing agendas and allowing opportunities to ask questions, voice concerns and get to know the deputies in your neighborhood. This event is presented by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. For questions, email Cpl...
Skagit County has lifted its seasonal outdoor burn ban, so residential yard and land-clearing fires are again permitted in unincorporated areas. Residential fires may contain leaves, grass and tree trimmings, but not garbage, household trash, lumber, construction waste or demolition debris. Burn permits are required for piles exceeding 4 feet by 4 feet. Request a burn permit by calling 360-416-1840....
On Aug. 5, 1964, a visionary resolution was signed to create the Skagit County Parks and Recreation Department. From those beginnings, with Advisory Board members Dr. Jack Papritz of Anacortes, School Superintendent Lanche Crow of Similk Bay, and Bay View resident Ann Wolford leading the charge, the department has blossomed into a cornerstone of our community. Parks and Recreation’s first flagship, Howard Miller Steelhead Park, set the stage for a flurry of activity in the late 1970s, as parks were acquired and constructed throughout Skagit C...
The La Conner Braves had extra motivation to defeat Vashon Island in its football season home opener at Whittaker Field Friday night. It wasn’t just because the Braves had suffered a 64-24 loss to Pomeroy in their 2024 eight-man grid debut a week earlier. Returning home, La Conner players were joined on their sideline by celebrated motivational speaker Curt Marsh, the former University of Washington All-American and Los Angeles Raiders Super Bowl champion. He now resides in Shelter Bay. “What I liked a lot about tonight is how you played for...
Coach Maddie Huscher and her staff marveled at how well the La Conner High School girls’ soccer team communicated during preseason workouts a couple weeks ago. Now the La Conner coaches can’t say enough about how well their players are executing attacks in the 2024 campaign’s early going. The Braves opened non-conference action with twin romps in which they scored in double digits against both Muckleshoot Tribal School and Forest Ridge Sacred Heart. La Conner blanked Muckleshoot 11-0 and defeated Forest Ridge 11-2 last week in a pair of impre...
The start of volleyball season was a red-letter day for the La Conner High School volleyball program. The Braves, a perennial 2B state powerhouse, beat visiting Class 1A Blaine in the Sept. 10 season debut for both teams. La Conner, under second year head coach Pam Keller, edged the Borderites in four sets, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 26-24, before a supportive home crowd. Freshman Reese Bird was named La Conner’s Player of the Match. She led the way with eight kills, 17 assists, 28 digs, one block and a service ace. Several of her La Conner t...
Much of La Conner’s emergency management commission’s Sept. 3 meeting explored neighborhood mapping – the method for collecting vital information that emergency responders can access when called into residential areas to aid those impacted by flooding, fires, earthquakes or other threats. Neighbors break down barriers and foster increased communication to better prepare themselves to survive emergency situations. Commission chair Jerry George led by example at a Sept. 7 meeting in his North Third Street neighborhood. (see Sept. 11 Weekly News,...
When planning your garden or landscape, choosing the right trees is crucial – not just for aesthetics, but for the long-term health of your yard. While many guides suggest the best trees for various sunlight, soil and moisture conditions, few address trees that should be avoided due to their vulnerability to invasive insects and pathogens. Several tree species are at risk due to non-native insects and diseases. These pests, which often go unnoticed until they cause significant damage, have made certain trees poor choices for planting in your ya...
A cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind new food waste prevention facility will be unveiled at the Washington State University Skagit County Extension Office next Wednesday, Sept. 25. It’s a Worm Chalet – the brain child of Extension staff committed to preventing food waste. In 2023, staff offered programs and a social media campaign, “Use Food Well,” to begin helping Skagit county residents learn how to keep food waste out of landfills. But this year, as they prepped another season of food waste prevention activities, Diane Smith of the Extensi...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival is Saturday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. It ends with pumpkin and squash entry weigh-offs for prices. It starts with fun for kids of all ages and food, drinks, a hay maze and plants, of course.Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon. Get out your bibs, it’s the Skagit Tidewater Boil! Celebrate the food, farming and fishing communities of Skagit Valley with fine food, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the La...
Select zucchini without large seeds. You can scrape the seeds out. I hand-grated one zucchini. I left the peel on. Ingredients Eggs, 3 Sugar, 2 cups Vegetable oil, 1 cup Vanilla, 2 teaspoons Zucchini, 2 cups grated Flour, 3 cups Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon Raisins, 1/2 cup Preparation Grease bottom of loaf pans. Use one large bowl to mix all ingredients. Whip eggs with wire whisk until...
NOT TO BE MISSED Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. It ends with pumpkin and squash entry weigh-offs for prizes. It starts with fun for kids of all ages and food, drinks, a hay maze and plants. Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon. Get out your bibs, it’s the Skagit Tidewater Boil! Celebrate the food, farming and fishing communities of Skagit Valley with fine food, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the La Conner Marina. Tickets on sale at genuineskagitvalley.com. COM...
Step into the Wayfinder Café on North First Street and the first thing you will see are freshly baked desserts on top of the deli case. That is, unless co-owner J.J. Grant is behind the counter. Not because he is a big guy – he is – but because his large bright smile will capture your attention. While the name change from former owner Scott Dean's Wayfinder Deli to Wayfinder Café, is one word, the word café captures the essence of Krista Ericson and Grant's business. Dean emphasized fresh,...
Sunday, Aug. 8 16:02 p.m.: Seems suspicious – Female reported to be running around the La Conner Marina parking lot who appeared to be on drugs. A deputy checked the area but did not locate the subject or any other crimes. North Second Street, La Conner. Wednesday, Sept. 11 5:09 a.m.: Run but can’t hide – Deputy checked on a suspected driving under the influence collision where subjects tried to flee and hide in Pioneer Park. Deputies searched the area and located the driver and a passenger hiding in the woods. The driver was arrested and p...
Cassius Landworth of La Conner's Lakin Construction youth soccer team advances the ball during second half action of a match in Sedro-Woolley on Saturday. The La Conner booters won 3-1....
STATE OF WASHINGTON SKAGIT COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT STATE OF WASHINGTON Petitioner, v. STEVEN M. RINDAL AND DOROTHY J. RINDAL, husband and wife; WAFD, INC., a Washington corporation; PUGET SOUND ENERGY, INC., a Washington public utility corporation; WAVEDIVISION HOLDINGS, LLC, a foreign limited liability company; ZIPLY FIBER NORTHWEST, LLC, a foreign limited liability company; JA77 TRUST OF CHARLESTOWN; and SKAGIT COUNTY, Respondents. NO. NOTICE AND SUMMONS IN CONDEMNATION TO: THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENTS A lawsuit has been started against you in...
The American Library Association’s 43rd annual Banned Books Week starts Sunday. It runs Sept. 22-28. This year’s theme is “Freed Between the Lines.” The ALA champions: “We can find freedom in the pages of a book – but book bans and censorship threaten that freedom, along with many other rights and institutions. ... (L)let’s share our love of the right to read and the freedom found in books. Let’s be Freed Between the Lines!” Opening a book, surfing the internet, even playing a video game offers all of us, children to elders, the opportunity t...
I want to thank Bill Reynolds for his kind and informative article about gathering our neighbors to “Map Our Neighborhood” as recommended by the state’s Department of Emergency Management. La Conner is a small community with a tiny group of dedicated public works employees who do an incredible job of maintaining the town’s complex infrastructure. If the town suffers a disaster like the tidal flood of 2022 or a major earthquake, one of magnitude 6.0 or more, our town staff may not be able to meet community needs. At that point dealing with th...
