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Mayor Ramon Hayes unveiled the Town of La Conner’s proposed 2022 budget at Tuesday’s town council meeting. Taking a very cautious approach and calling this “a time of uncertainty” in his budget message to council and the community, Hayes frames “adaptability and flexibility (as the) … guiding principles in preparing this budget.” The $4,743,298 projected revenues are almost $530,000 below the 2021 budget, 10% less. Expenditures are also reduced 10%, down $602,000 to almost $5,386,000 for 2022. The budget is in deficit of $642,695 an...
No lunch at The Fork at Skagit Bay. No summer patio service at the Calico Cupboard. One person filling parts orders at the Morris Street NAPA store. A dozen-plus openings on the La Conner School District website. These are among the local impacts of a national scenario that in July saw 10.1 million job openings and 9.5 million unemployed people. “That’s backwards,” said Scott Price of Edward Jones in La Conner. “Now we are at about 4.8 million unemployed, but there are still a lot of job openings out there, especially in the restaurant and ser...
Jo Mitchelle is petite, an imp or a elf. But she is executing big ideas, conjuring up a 1970s La Conner Halloween by placing corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds at light posts up and down Morris and Streets. Those are minor decorations compared to the “fake people” with which she has populated the downtown: Bob and his dog by the boardwalk at Dirty Biter Park, Suzie on her bench near Step Outside and Lolita the fortune teller by the post office. Get up close and see that they are stuffed with str...
Ballots went out in the mail today for November’s election. Locally three La Conner council seats are contested. At least a couple of candidates are going door-to-door and half of them have signs in neighbors yards. Out of town, on both sides of the Swinomish Channel, both Eric Day and John Doyle want to represent residents living in Fire District 13. This is a small town and a rural fire district. The decisions on whom to vote for are important for residents, more so than the candidates. The council members and the fire district commissioner g...
To the people of La Conner: I have known Ivan Carlson his entire life. He is a volunteer for the La Conner Fire Department, he was raised here, went to school here and is raising his family here. In this time, he has proved himself a capable and reliable fireman with compassion, selflessness and his care for the community. It has been a privilege to watch him grow into the hard-working, honest, and caring person he is today. Sincerely, Aaron Reinstra La Conner...
I was disappointed to find that La Conner School Board candidates Amanda Bourgeois and Susan Deyo neglected to submit information for the voters pamphlet, which came in the mail recently. Many thanks to J.J. Wilbur for submitting his information. I don’t care if you are running unopposed, there is no excuse for not giving voters every chance to know more about you. For me, this lack of participation by Bourgeois and Deyo casts doubts on the transparency of their work on the school board and their organizational skills. Gale Fiege Pleasant R...
In late 2014, I advocated on behalf of two dogs in the town who were suffering tremendously at the hands of their owners due to inadequate protection from the elements. The dogs belonged to the town’s code enforcement officer at the time. No one in the town would help them. In fact, anyone who had the authority to do so backed off because of the interference by town officials. Because of this, I intervened by taking the dogs, trying to get them away from these owners – to no avail – although one was euthanized due to significant m...
There was little earth-shattering on the Fire District 13 Commissioners meeting agenda last Friday, but the department will drill next week to prepare for a quake or tsunami. Capt. Ted Taylor told commissioners that staff will participate in the Oct. 21 Great Shake Out event to prepare the public for safe and orderly responses to major earthquakes, with La Conner area emergency sirens sounding at 10:21 a.m.. Taylor said District 13 personnel will focus on quick mobilization of emergency equipment. “Our challenge,” he said, “will be to get a...
Calvin “Robot” Edwards, Sr. 62, a lifetime resident of Swinomish, passed away Thursday October 7, 2021 at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Washington. Calvin was born July 20, 1959 in Mount Vernon, Washington to Reggie Edwards and Dodie John. He attended La Conner schools. He later became involved with the fishing commission and became skilled at hanging nets. Calvin was a lifelong commercial fisherman who found himself a member of the St. Paul’s Catholic Church, as well as the Swinomish Smoke...
William (Bill) Joseph Pliska, Major USAF, Retired, died September 30, 2021 at his home in La Conner, Washington. William (Bill) Joseph Pliska, Major USAF, Retired, died September 30, 2021 at his home in La Conner, Washington. Please read Bill’s full obituary and share your memories at www.molesfarewelltributes.com....
Anna (Nan) Fritzler, 104, died peaceful at Mountain Glen in Mount Vernon, WA, on September 28, 2021. She was born in Portland, OR, on June 26, 1917 to Katie and William Brozitus. Anna married Henry Fritzler on October 27, 1934, and lived in Portland until 1967 when they moved to Seattle. She dedicated her life to her family. Anna is survived by one son, Tom (Diane), 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husband Henry, son Paul, 3 sisters and one brother. There will be no service. Please spend that hour with...
The two-time defending state champion La Conner High School volleyball team took a break from NW2B play last week for matches against teams from larger enrollment schools. And the Lady Braves showed they clearly weren’t out of their league. The team, which had not lost a single set to open the 2021 campaign, defeated 4A Glacier Peak 3-1 in a key road test on Thursday, then placed third overall Saturday among 17 larger school entrants at the Capital City Invitational Tournament in Olympia. “It was so great for us to compete against larger sch...
There were no net gains for La Conner High soccer teams last week. But all was not lost, either. The boys came very close to upending unbeaten NW2B frontrunner Orcas before falling 3-1 on the island Saturday afternoon to a team which has opened the fall with seven straight wins. The team was locked in a 1-1 tie late in the second half after Christian Fix scored on an assist from Spencer Olson. But the Vikings closed with two goals in the final 10 minutes to extend La Conner’s losing skid to three games, each by identical 3-1 scores. The B...
Blue and white are the official colors of La Conner Schools – except two weeks ago, on Sept. 30, when orange shirts were worn instead. And, very likely, annually going forward. The change in garb was no mere fashion statement. It was intended to build public awareness of the atrocities and ensuing historical trauma linked to prior forced attendance and assimilation to white culture imposed upon Indigenous students at residential schools in the U.S. and Canada. The La Conner School Board, following an impassioned presentation last month...
I am back at the Wylie Game Range, where I take regular walks for exercise as well as to assess the changing environment. Each time there are different animal participants. In mid-September I was walking over the culvert road going to the wildlife parking lot and office. There were four gadwall ducks on the left side between the two road culverts. They acted upset and swam towards me which is unusual. I noticed behind them an obvious line of surface ripples made by something pursuing them. All...
A modern trend is the vehicle helping drive a Shelter Bay couple’s deeply rooted interest in genealogy. Garry and Zayna Cline, who formerly owned The Seabird Shop candy and ice cream store on First Street, are again living the sweet life, having joined the growing ranks of recreational vehicle enthusiasts traveling America’s highways and back roads, often while on the trail of clues related to their family histories. The Clines, longtime RVers, recently purchased a Jayco travel trailer they use while visiting museums, libraries and locales whe...
The beat goes on – thankfully – for young Nani Luna after surgeons at Seattle Children’s Hospital successfully completed a lengthy procedure on the two-month-old baby’s aortic valve Sept. 29. Their timing couldn’t have been better. It was World Heart Day, which each year draws attention to heart illness and its range of associated issues. On that day doctors closed baby Nani’s chest, about 48 hours after she had undergone the Ross Procedure to replace her aortic valve, the main outflow valve between the heart and the body. Other sur...
Monday, October 4 3:38 p.m.: What the crap? – Caller reported someone had smeared feces on her door. The caller believes it is her old tenants. McLean Rd., Greater La Conner. Tuesday, October 5 7:55 a.m.: Happened last night – Caller reported a cold vehicle prowl. Channel Dr., La Conner. 10:46 a.m.: Bike theft – Caller reported a shed had been entered and a $500 bike stolen. The bike is described as being green with black trim. Morris St., La Conner. 3:03 p.m.: Trick, not treat – Caller reported a junk vehicle left on...
When Pat Ball of the Slider Café visited the wholesale US Food warehouse store in Burlington last summer, all he saw were empty shelves. “It looked like they were going out of business,” he said. Ball and David Kas of The Fork at Skagit Bay are two among millions of restaurant owners at the receiving end of COVID-19-induced supply chain and transportation problems. Mustard, catsup and caramel are out of stock one week. The next it’s toilet paper, pizza boxes and straws. Or they are on bac...
Do you stockpile squash? I do. I visit farm stands and buy different varieties to enjoy into the winter months. I was recently at La Conner Gardens and selected two small Kabocha squash for $1. The curry in this recipe will warm you up. I order Madras curry powder online from an organic food source called Misfits Market. The tomato, from our garden, adds moisture to a rice dish. Ingredients Small Kabocha squash, 2 Madras Curry Powder, 2 teaspoons Onion, ¼ chopped Small tomato, 1, chopped...
Background and experiences I was raised in La Conner and in turn am raising my family here with my wife, Tawsha. Together we started a local business named Carlson Painting Company. I have worked on the water for twelve years in a variety of positions from ordinary seaman to chief mate. I am also a fourth generation La Conner volunteer firefighter. I believe I would be a good fit for the La Conner Town Council because I have a younger perspective with a bedrock of local history. Residents’ p...
Background and experiences Ex-New Yorker; Located La Conner 2011; Two adult sons; served U.S. Navy medical corpsman; Career: aviation field, Japan Airlines, Alaska, including service manager, project mgr. (JFK Terminal), Sales: snowplows, seating and revenue consultant. Operate (permitted) Airbnb “Super-host,” animal lover. Hobbies: Classic cars, biking and military miniatures. Appointed town council 2012. I love the town and want to contribute. Council accomplishments: Initiated “Sister Citie...
Background and experiences La Conner Planning Commissioner La Conner First on 1st committee member Retired U. S. Navy master chief (27 Years) Combat aircrew Disabled veteran Teaches ukulele at the Retirement Inn College graduate Skagit Valley College U. S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy University of Phoenix President and board member of 1,300 home HOA: Same government model as La Conner Retired Boeing engineer Attended over 80 La Conner council meetings. A lifetime of service and caring....
Background and experiences Member of the Town Council since 2013, former chair of the Planning Commission, on which I served for seven years and a former code enforcement officer. Served with Skagit Bay Search & Rescue and the Skagit Watershed Council. I have also volunteered in many capacities in town and in the schools. I have experience in construction, auto mechanics and had a career as a certified holistic health practitioner and clinical hypnotherapist and massage instructor. Residents’ pe...
Background and experiences Glen Johnson has lived and worked in the valley for over 60 of his 66 years, attending Conway and Mount Vernon schools and Skagit Valley Community College. Glen spent three years in the army during the mid-seventies, in Germany, when he traveled extensively in Europe. He studied the humanities, or inhumanity, as the case may be. He returned to his agricultural roots, working as a pesticide applicator, dairy worker/milker, food processing, plant worker, student...
