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La Conner was once again on the map last Saturday, this time as the site of a Rally for Abortion Justice, one of over 600 taking place nationally Oct. 2, with the major gathering in Washington, D.C. The Women’s March website map location was submitted by Shelter Bay resident Deana Rindy and the date listed on local social media and in the Weekly News. Saturday’s La Conner march gathered over 20 people at handmade. La Conner on First Street at 1:30 p.m. Some brought signs, others made signs whi...
October is here. It is an odd year, 2021. That is true in a lot of ways. One local fact is town council elections occur in odd-numbered years. For the first time since 2015 council seats are contested in La Conner. Residents are fortunate that they have a choice for each position: Ivan Carlson is challenging John Leaver. Rick Dole seeks to unseat Bill Stokes. Glen Johnson wants to replace MaryLee Chamberlain. Some candidates have been knocking on doors to introduce themselves and discuss their positions. Good for them. In this pandemic year,...
If La Conner is building another park for the use of families with children, let’s not make a mistake that exists in the two other parks. Neither of the existing parks have adequate toilet facilities, especially for children. Port a Pottys should not be the norm for a park. It is embarrassing that we allowed this for our parks. As an adult, I detest them, and avoid using them. Children should not be forced to go to that smelly and scary box. Please find funding for these parks to have suitable toilets for families....
My concern: If I need to call 911 and I can get to my phone to dial I don’t want to have to guess and wonder if or when the police are going to show up. I expect it in a reasonable amount of time. I attended the council meeting Sept. 28 and expressed this concern to the sheriff’s representatives there. They stated that there is an existing contract to provide 80 hours of service … to La Conner? My unanswered question: Is that 80 hours in La Conner or “Zone 1,” which includes Conway, Bayview, etc.? I think everyone at the meeting agreed...
In the state’s online voter pamphlet, Rick Dole lists his experience as being a member of an HOA board in San Diego and says the HOA government “was almost identical to that of the Town of La Conner.” Many town residents would like to keep La Conner like it is, and it is not anything like a Homeowners Association. In the Action Ideas in his flyer, Rick Dole says he would “Explore Options for the Moore-Clark Property on South 1st St.” What is done with this building is strictly up to the property owner. Rick Dole has no control or influence...
I totally agree with contributor Doreen Sadler’s point that it was definitely time for the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, to gloss-over the stunningly poor execution of that withdrawal and the perverse political dynamics that drove it is a huge disservice to all Americans, particularly those of us who are Afghan war veterans and those who lost loved ones there. In a 27-year career as a pilot in the Air Force Special Operations community I spent a lot of time fighting in Afghanistan, as well as leading organizations that sent a l...
Faye Martin, who grew up in La Conner, WA, died at age 66 on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, in Port Angeles, Washington at the Olympic Medical Center. She died peacefully while being treated for Covid-Pneumonia. Though vaccinated, Faye’s immune system was too compromised. Faye Ellen Martin was born in Seattle, on August 11, 1955. The family moved to La Conner in 1956. She attended La Conner Grade School and La Conner High School, graduating in 1973. She then attended Skagit Valley College and r...
In a sign of normalcy and optimism, the La Conner Town Council Sept. 28 agreed without comment to provide $183,450 to local nonprofits next year from Town Hotel Motel Tax revenues. Councilmember Bill Stokes, speaking for the finance committee, told council “We made full recommendations this year. Everyone got their full budget.” The La Conner Chamber of Commerce’s $80,000 is the bulk of the grants, 43.6%. Seven tourist-focused organizations will get $19,200, with the Museum of Northwest Arts $5,000, the largest request. Grants ranging from...
The Swinomish police department will not bid for providing law enforcement to the Town of La Conner in 2022, Mayor Ramon Hayes told council members at their Sept. 28 budget hearing on law enforcement. Hayes told a full room in Lower Maple Hall that he and Town Administrator Scott Thomas met with Steve Edwards, chair of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Senate and Swinomish police Chief Earl Cowan earlier that afternoon. “We came to the conclusion that this year there is not time to do a transition. There is no time,” Thomas reported. “Th...
For the La Conner High School boys’ soccer program, wins over league power Mount Vernon Christian have come about as often as the U.S. Census in recent seasons. Which means La Conner’s 4-1 win via penalty kicks at MVC Friday counts for a lot. “This was a huge win for us, beating Mount Vernon Christian for the first time in 10 years,” Braves head coach Galen McKnight told the Weekly News afterwards. “Some of the boys have been playing for five years – since eighth grade – and it really meant a lot to them.” La Conner’s Christian Fix...
It’s true that practice makes perfect. But the La Conner High School volleyball team remained perfect last week without any practice. After having had several playing dates shelved earlier due to COVID-19 infections, the two-time defending state champions were faced with a heavy makeup schedule featuring four league matches in as many days. The Lady Braves (6-0) won each in straight sets, completing a Monday through Thursday sweep of NW2B foes Concrete, Orcas Island, Friday Harbor and Mount Vernon Christian. Ellie Marble dominated the net at M...
All football players are faced with adversity at one time or another and in many cases the most difficult challenges come after their playing careers are over. That was the message delivered to the La Conner High School football team last week by someone who has tackled big tests on and off the field. Former NFL defensive end and linebacker Joe Tafoya, a member of the Seattle Seahawks’ 2006 Super Bowl team, has since gone on to become a successful entrepreneur. He met with La Conner players to offer them encouragement as they struggle through a...
Katherine Paul is pretty good at pulling strings. After all, she does it for a living. A very good living, at that. The local singer-songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist who is the face of rising band Black Belt Eagle Scout, was back to doing what she does best in late September, helping headline the virtual Love the Land concert that netted over $250,000 for startup Skagit farmers. Paul, who learned to play the guitar, piano and drums while growing up on Swinomish Reservation, was among top regional musicians who took part in Love the Land,...
If Skagit Valley’s community of artists could be considered a family, and if the family had a mother figure, she would be Lavone Newell-Reim. From 1987 to 2003 she annually hosted and supported this large, familial group at an event that brought the arts to the public in a reunion, celebration and sale. Newell-Reim, an abstract painter, together with fellow artist John Simon, hosted the annual Barn Show. In fact much of what kept the art scene moving forward over the past four-plus decades h...
They say good friends are hard to find. But for those associated through the years with La Conner Regional Library, that hasn’t been the case at all. Quite the opposite, it turns out. Ground was broken last week for a long-sought new building. That moment has benefited greatly from a sizeable volunteer group considered friends in both deed and name. Since its inception in the late 1980s, the Friends of the Library has actively participated in a wide range of key fundraising activities while its members made significant donations in support o...
Two weeks after approving a new labor contract with the La Conner Education Association, La Conner School District board members rolled up their sleeves and got to work on several key tasks marking the start of the 2021-22 academic year. The first of those at their Sept. 27 meeting was to unanimously approve a proclamation designating Sept. 30 as Orange Shirt-Residential School Awareness Day during their 90-minute hybrid public session. The board action followed a presentation by district...
Monday, September 27 1:09 p.m.: Trash call – Deputies responded to a report of a suspicious package on the side of the roadway. Deputies inspected the packager and determined it was dumped garbage. Young Rd., Greater La Conner. 2:45 p.m.: Five finger discount – Caller reported a theft of a $90 hanging basket from in front of her business. S. 1st St., La Conner. Tuesday, September 28 2:12 p.m.: What it is – Report of an abandoned vehicle. Deputies marked the vehicle as abandoned. Whatcom St., La Conner. Wednesday, September 29...
How safe is living in La Conner? What calls are Skagit County Sheriff Office staff responding to over the course of a year? How often? What type of crimes, personal or property? How serious are the incidents? What is the final assessment versus the initial call for help? And, what is the response time? Town Administrator Scott Thomas requested selected annual crime categories statistics from the sheriff’s office for most frequent in-town crime calls responded to by deputies. He provided a 2...
This is the season for apples in our community, with trees producing a hearty harvest. Boxes of apples sit at the end of driveways with “Free” written on a piece of cardboard. Friends text and offer boxes of apples. Apples are available at farm stands. My husband enjoys a fresh apple every day. I enjoy baking with apples. This recipe I made for my children when they were young. It is delicious warm but can also be eaten the next day, served at room temperature. I select larger, firm apples for t...
During the public portion of the board meeting, La Conner resident and former Skagit County Treasurer Dan O’Donnell asked members to address debt service issues at their next meeting. Board president Susie Gardner Deyo, without further comment, thanked O’Donnell for addressing the panel and having submitted correspondence earlier. District Business Manager Brian Gianello said that in September La Conner Schools has recorded a head count of 579 students, with a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) total of 563. “That’s up from what we budgeted, from ou...
Thank yous were in abundance last Wednesday afternoon at the Sept. 29 groundbreaking ceremony for the new La Conner Swinomish Library that will be built on the southwest corner of Morris and Sixth streets. And while there was not an orange and black striped Tiger Construction shovel for everyone, Library Director Jared Fair offered everyone the opportunity to pick one up, so all could be a part of the historic moment. As emcee, and library director since spring 2020, Fair told the almost 100...
