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Enthusiasm wasn't squashed at Christianson's Nursery northeast of La Conner Saturday. The opposite was the case. Squash, in the form of giant pumpkins, enthused throngs of people who descended upon Christianson's on a beautiful warm and sun-splashed afternoon the last day of summer. Christianson's Nursery held its annual Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, drawing growers and fans alike from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of parked cars made for a jam-packed Saturday afternoon,...
La Conner's once bustling but long dormant south end industrial hub is again a center of attention. The Beckwith Consulting Group walked through the area, including the former Moore-Clark property and engaged with the Town of La Conner's advisory commissions in developing a revitalization plan. Residents will also be enlisted to review the scope and objectives of the grant-funded planning project, which runs through December at a Sept. 30 public meeting and through a survey that is on the...
Members of the Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board launched their whirlwind two-day tour of Skagit County businesses last Wednesday at Mavrik Marine in La Conner. CERB, whose membership includes Island County Commissioner and 10th District State Senate candidate Janet St. Clair, spent an hour visiting Mavrik facilities at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina, where the aluminum boat manufacturer is building the third in a series of 137-foot, 325-passenger ferries serving t...
Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler and Democrat Dave Upthegrove faced off Sept. 18 in Spokane in a debate that highlighted the public lands commissioner candidates' different views on land management, forest health and the future of timber harvests in Washington. The debate, hosted by the Association of Washington Business, was the first between Upthegrove, a King County Council member and former state lawmaker, and Herrera Beutler, a former state lawmaker and congresswoman. It comes after...
At 7 p.m. tonight, people wanting the La Conner Weekly News to exist in 2025 are meeting in the La Conner Civic Garden Club on South Second Street. The possible audience extends to anyone reading these words. Perhaps that includes you. The newspaper you are holding, whether reading a paper copy or reading on your phone or computer, what is your weekly news? Is it highlighting last week's events in our community, from the winners of the giant pumpkin contest at Christianson's to a state economic...
I have always loved the fall. Even though it meant the end of carefree summer days and working for Hedlin Farms, I enjoyed the way the light and air temperature changed, and I enjoyed the anticipation of starting a new school year and establishing a new routine in La Conner Schools. I am pleased that the start to our 2024-25 school year has been very positive and successful overall. The roll-out of the Yonder cell phone pouches has gone very well, and I have my staff to thank for their work in making this a smooth process. Teachers have...
Last week I reread an article in the Weekly News from Sept. 4 regarding various news in town including First Street going one-way (about time) and the town working with the fire department to obtain a new fire boat and a new ladder truck. The one that really got my attention was news of burglaries in the north end of town and LATE arrival by the sheriff’s office. My view: Fire boat and ladder truck: Absolutely agree the fire department should have the right equipment to fight fires in or near our town. However, as I stated at a council m...
They are just kids. For most kids, their anatomy matches how they feel, but for some it is not that way. The adherence to a binary male/female dichotomy is not accurate. Chromosomes differ, genes go their own way, hormones have different results in different kids. A child is born. Unpredictability is a predictable outcome. No two of us is the same. Some of us are transgender. So, at age 3, 4 and 5, personality emerges. This is the child you have. To understand this person, you need to observe and listen. If this child has a gender identity...
My name is Jeannette DeGoede and have had the privilege of living in Skagit County for 64 years. In 1959 I married Anthony DeGoede who was a bulb grower. The farm was called Tulip Town. Our lives consisted of hard work and wonderful opportunities for our children, Anthony passed away five years ago. I sold the farm, and now, living on the channel in La Conner, most of my neighbors are seniors. The Senior Center is a part of my life that I truly enjoy. In conversations with my senior friends, most of us are 80 and older. We all have our homes...
Here are some facts about Donald trump. Not emotions, opinions or internet conspiracies, but hard, cold incontrovertible facts. Trump is a sexual predator. At least 26 women have accused him of sexual misconduct from unwanted kissing to rape. Their stories bear a chilling resemblance to his “grab them by the …” Access Hollywood tape. With men like Trump, if 26 women came forward, there are many more too frightened to do so. Trump is a criminal convicted last May of 34 felonies. His company was convicted of 17 felonies in 2023. His accou...
Much has been said the past three decades about the former Moore-Clark property on La Conner's south waterfront. Additional input is still being sought. And this time it promises to carry more weight than ever. Comments on and ideas for the former south end industrial area will be welcomed at a 6-9 p.m. Sept. 30 public workshop at Maple Hall facilitated by consultant Tom Beckwith. "It's designed to get community input on the best possible use of the area," Assistant Planner Ajah Eills said....
Starting this month, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 test kits that will be mailed to their homes. U.S. households will be able to order as many as four nasal swab tests at COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program has not yet given an exact date when ordering can begin. An agency spokesperson has said the tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather for celebrations. U.S. regulators...
The League of Women Voters of Skagit County will host a Skagit County Commissioner candidates forum from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7. All interested community members are invited to attend the forum at Skagit PUD, 1415 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon. The audience will hear from: Commission District 1 candidates Rylee Fleury and Ron Wesen Commission District 2 candidates Richard Brocksmith and Peter Browning The County Commissioners play a crucial role in shaping the future of Skagit County. County government is responsible for decisions that...
Glass will no longer be accepted for recycling at Skagit County transfer stations starting Oct. 1. No regional market exists since a Seattle glass manufacturer unexpectedly closed this summer. Skagit County public works staff advises residents to dispose of glass containers with household garbage. Glass brought to the transfer stations will be disposed of in the landfill. A regional bottle manufacturer in Seattle going out of business abruptly decreased demand for recycled glass. Typically,...
Skagit County Planning and Development Services invites the community to an open house to discuss the Climate Element of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan update from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Jefferson Elementary School 1801 E. Blackburn Road, Mount Vernon. The comprehensive plan is a vital roadmap for county growth and development over the next 20 years. It is a framework guiding the day-to-day land use decisions of elected officials and local government staff. Washington House Bill 1181, passed in 2023, amended the Growth Management Act to...
Lydia Grossglass and Bailey Smith combined for three first-half goals and the La Conner High School girls' soccer team withstood a late Providence Classical Christian rally to post a 3-2 NW2B/1B triumph at Whittaker Field Friday afternoon. Smith delivered a goal 14 minutes into the contest to give La Conner an early lead. Grossglass then extended the hosts' advantage with two scores before intermission. A senior, Grossglass scored with 7:45 left in the opening half off a free kick by Angie Pena,...
The difference in enrollment between La Conner and Mount Vernon high schools is enormous. The difference between the two on the volleyball court – not so much. La Conner, a perennial state 2B power, played two close sets at 3A Mount Vernon Sept. 19 before falling in a hard-fought 3-0 non-conference pairing. The Braves (4-3), who were coming off straight-sets neutral site triumphs in Yakima over West Valley and DeSales, fought host Mount Vernon on near equal terms in the early going of their match. The Bulldogs edged La Conner 27-25 and 25-22 i...
The La Conner School District is making headlines this fall – in a good way. The strides its students have made improving math scores the last two years is the cover story in the current edition of the Washington State School Directors Association quarterly newsmagazine. President Susie Deyo announced at the close of the Sept. 23 board meeting that the district’s success implementing its new K-12 math curricula – along with several other supportive initiatives – is featured in the fall issue of Direct, the WSSDA publication. La Conner element...
Fall is definitely in the air! The kids are back in school, the weather is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to change color; all signs that the season is turning and it’s time to curl up with a good book from the library. Fall is also a season of change for the library, with Katryna retiring. We will miss her a great deal, as she has truly been the heart of our library and has touched the lives of so many in our community. We wish her the best and hope she comes back to visit often. We say hello to our newest employee, Jinda, who s...
Theater Arts Guild offers "Arsenic and Old Lace" for three weekends starting Sept. 27. A 1944 film, famously directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, the play opened on Broadway in 1941. The show is cast as "a spooky (and hilarious) tale" for the Halloween season. What is drama critic Mortimer Brewster to make of the corpse in his elderly aunts' window seat? Then he learns – spoiler alert – they killed him! There is the brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt and the brother using pla...
These jays are often liked for their bright blue color, which is created by iridescent feathers. They also can be disliked for their noisiness in backyards. Sometimes there might be a reason for their loud screeches, because they warn others if there is a predator around, for instance, a hawk trying to get a small bird or mammal. They themselves are omnivores. While liking nuts and berries, they also eat nestlings and eggs. When feeding on bird feeders in yards, Steller's jays use their...
The monthly Madrona Poetry readings at Pelican Bay Books resumes 7 p.m. Saturday at 520 Commercial Avenue, Anacortes. Reading are Bill Ransom and Jory Mickelson. Ransom is the author of the short stories, poetry collections and science fiction novels and wrote "The Pandora Sequence" with Frank Herbert. Mickelson has published three collections of poetry and received an Academy of American Poets Prize. Source: Madrona Poetry Series...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. 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. Joseph Gregory Rossano Artist Talk: “Portraits of the Divine” at MoNA, a 30-minute guided walkthrough of the exhibition followed by 15 minutes of Q&A with the artist. 12-12:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 121 S. First St. La Conner. Skagi...
They have adjoining desks and confer regularly each day, but Jennifer Herring and Anji Viola, who were hired within three months of each other this year, took far different paths to La Conner's Town Hall. Herring is a native Virginian who earned a bachelor's degree in government and international politics from George Mason University near Washington, D.C., served with the Peace Corps in West Africa, and previously worked as a children's librarian in the San Diego suburb of Coronado, Calif. Viola...
Sunday, Sept. 15 4:34 p.m.: Hit and got away – Hit and Run MVA with the suspect backing into the caller’s car while parked at Snow Goose Produce. No plate was obtained, and no cameras captured the incident. Fir Island Rd., Conway. Wednesday, Sept. 18 9:04 p.m.: Inside job? – Caller advised that his trailer had been broken into and ransacked. A deputy responded and took a list of stolen items but did not find any evidence on who the suspect may be. Caller is going through a break-up and believes this may have something to do with what happe...
