Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
This is it. Voting has started in Washington. People are taking heed and voting early. Great. Whether you have voted or not, neither the day you cast your ballot, nor Election Day, Nov. 3, nor the day when results are announced in our Washington state or nationwide will be the most important day. Not the day the presidential winner is declared nor Inauguration Day January 20, 2021 will bring peace to our sadly divided nation or local communities. Like the end of the coronavirus pandemic, we do not know what national healing, recovery from the p...
I believe a response to recurrent editorial comments and especially the “A citizen’s view” guest column of Sept. 30th, “A plea for the future” is warranted. You, dear reader, will not recognize your country, your government and what the future holds if the Democrats succeed in winning this next election! It is hard to believe that seemingly educated, well-informed people are regurgitating what they repeatedly hear and accept as fact in the patently biased mainstream media. Today, the media is blatantly protecting and overtly covering up for Jo...
Thank you, Ken, for the challenge to envision a non-partisan future, (Sept. 30th editorial). It reminded me of trying to carry a steaming hot cup of coffee filled to the rim back to the breakfast table. If you look at the coffee trying to control spillage, one over corrects to the right a bit then to the left and it sloshes back and forth until you have a half cup of coffee for breakfast. Whereas, if you keep your eye on the destination, one can easily walk it back to the table without spillage because with a sturdy base and vision, balance...
I have heard it said that all politics is local, and I believe that for sure after an encounter I just had with candidate Bill Bruch (last week – ed). My sister and I stopped in to our La Conner post office on our way home from her cancer surgeon’s appointment. She is healing well and got the go ahead for her chemo treatments to start next week. While we were inside the lobby commenting on all the political flyers clogging our boxes, in walked Bill Bruch without a mask. Clearly he ignored the large poster on the outside door requiring a...
Imagine you are the President of the United States. Imagine it is an election year. Imagine you learn there is a new and deadly virus loose in the world. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. Is your first and constant thought, “How do I keep this virus from hurting the 330 million people I was elected to serve?” Or is your first, constant and only thought, “How do I keep this virus from hurting my re-election?” Jim Airy La Conner...
I have been doing some research on the 10th Legislative District House race and have been impressed by Greg Gilday’s background and suggested policies on homelessness. I have lived in the 10th District for 30 years and I know the District well. Greg has stressed addressing homelessness as one of his priorities once elected. Greg has suggested providing strong state support for cities that have successful embedded social worker or navigator programs. Ways that the state can do this are by providing more detox and treatment facilities, d...
I fully agree with Maryon Attwood’s view, published on Oct. 7, that the Washington Republican party has been taken over by Donald Trump. Learning from four years of the Trump presidency, and considering a few of the historic figures in the history of the Republican Party, it is obvious that Mr. Trump is not a Republican, but rather an opportunistic demagogue who embodies the Trump Party. This is confirmed by the published Republican platform for the 2020 election: - continued support for the Trump “America-first agenda.” - the adoption of no...
Helen Price Johnson has the right stuff to be our state Senator. I have known Helen for over 30 years, since the days she campaigned for good government with her youngest child in a backpack. I worked with Helen while she was on the South Whidbey School Board and as an Island County Commissioner. Helen has always been a champion of the families, the local communities, small businesses, seniors, veterans and farmers that she represents. She has owned a small business with her husband for 25 years and knows what it takes to keep a business...
In our front yard we have a flagpole. It has the American flag, the 12th man flag and at the base of the flagpole is our Helen Price Johnson yard sign. We are voting for Helen Price Johnson Nov. 3 because of her leadership and experience. My roommate and I both experience disabilities. We live on our own with the support of caregivers and our caring families. We both have jobs and are very active in our community. One organization we are actively involved is People First of Island County. This is a non- profit organization that educates the...
I am writing to voice my support for Mark Lundsten for Skagit County Commissioner, District 1. It is time for new leadership in this critical public legislative role. Skagit County is facing a huge wave of change. We have incredible pressure upon our county to adjust to a growing population and to further development of the Cascadia corridor. The magnitude of the coming change is going to require more effective, less partisan leadership from our county commissioners. We must effectively plan for our future if we are going to control it rather...
Bill Bruch was quite a guy back in the late 90s! It amazes me how certain “financial managers” can build your trust and then steal you blind for $1.5 million! It amazes me even more when these types want to run for political office rather than running for the woods! I was appalled to read about all the money candidate Bill Bruch (running for LD 10 House Seat) stole from unsuspecting elderly people in Whatcom County back in the early to late 1990s! One theft, (from John Blackmore, case #98-2-01077-7) was for $1,044,225.38 and the other (Ly...
How many voters’ ballots will be discarded and who will be blamed in the claim of fraudulent results following Nov. 3rd? In counties across this country, property tax deadlines now fall on Monday, Nov. 2 and are sent by mail. The common denominator for ballots and taxes to be dated on time is the United States Post Office. Frontline postal workers and behind-the scenes, hard-at-it employees can handle a finite number of pieces of mail in a finite time period. Rejection of “late date” ballots will likely have dire consequences. The world is ke...
Monday, October 12 1:49 p.m.: Bad owner – Bicycle rider was chased and bit by a loose dog. Best Rd., Greater La Conner. 4:45 p.m.: Made noise and ran – Report of a male and female lighting fireworks in the park. Deputies checked the park, but were unable to locate them. S. 4th St., La Conner. Tuesday, October 13 6:36 a.m.: Pregnancy pressures – Deputies responded to a motor vehicle accident where the pregnant driver said she passed out and drove off the roadway. No injuries. Best Rd., Greater La Conner. 4:34 p.m.: Give me...
I have three sage plants growing in our raised bed garden. The oldest is a Purple Sage which has tiny flowers that are a light purple. Early mornings in the garden, this summer, was so relaxing, looking at individual sage leaves to hand pick. It’s easy to cut stems of herbs, to tie together and hang to dry. I do that often. To hand pick, I looked for the beautiful leaves. Most of the leaves were beautiful. Ingredients Sage leaves Preparation Rinse the leaves and blot dry with either a kitchen t...
Wesley Royal Nelson, age 79, passed away peacefully at his home at Warm Beach Senior Community, WA on Sept. 24, 2020. Wes was born on June 15, 1941 in Nampa, Idaho, to Royal S. Nelson and Lola Lingle Nelson. Wes graduated from Warsaw High School near Winona Lake, IN. He attended Seattle Pacific College where he met Leona, both enrolled as speech majors. They were married on July 5, 1963. While in college, Wes felt a definite call to be a pastor. In his senior year, he was asked to plant a new...
La Conner, WA (formerly of Everett, WA) Gordon Craig Kimbell, 85, peacefully went to be with his Lord and Savior on October 9, 2020. Dad was born to Carl and Mildred (King) Kimbell on September 18, 1935 in Everett, WA. As their only child, he was their pride and joy. Dad graduated from Everett High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Western Washington College (now University) in Bellingham. During this time, he started courting another Everett native, Arlene G...
Betty Mae Nielsen (June 20, 1929-October 11, 2020) passed away in Burlington on Sunday, October 11, 2020. She graduated from Burlington-Edison High School and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington State University; she remained a lifelong staunch Cougar fan. She spent several years working and traveling in Europe. She married in Basel, Switzerland and then returned home to raise her daughter. She went back to school to complete a teaching degree and loved to engage young minds. She...
Mark Lee Stephens, 72, went to sleep and woke up with the Lord on October 10, 2020. He was many things- a storyteller, patriot, a corporate executive, a collector, a woodworker, a car guy, most recently, a novice crabber – but, above all, he was a loyal friend, a loving father and grandfather, and a devoted husband to his one true love. Mark was born in Ventura, CA on November 14, 1947 and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. As an only child, he had fond memories of running around...
Despite an ongoing global pandemic, La Conner area residents can still look on the bright side. The bright side of the Rainbow Bridge, that is. This after the Town Council last week inked an interlocal pact with Skagit County officials allowing the north side of the visually striking and popular arched span above Swinomish Channel to once again be lit. The long-sought town-county agreement is being hailed as a literal bright spot here during the virus crisis. “This is (an example of) economic de...
Location. Location. Location. That is the familiar mantra deemed a key to valuable real estate. But prime location can be the scene of unintended consequences. Such was the case late last Tuesday afternoon when an armed robber stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled on foot from the Amaryllis women’s clothing boutique in the historic Hotel Planter Building on First Street. “He probably picked me,” store owner and local artist Charlotte Decker told the Weekly News afterward, “because I’m at the end of the street.” The incident led to an i...
LA CONNER — Republican Bill Bruch, a candidate for the state Legislature representing District 10 who is seeking to unseat incumbent Democrat Dave Paul, was the subject of two lawsuits in 1998 that found him liable for judgments totaling nearly $1.7 million. The judgments were made public by Skagit County Democrats on Oct. 14 and posted on their website under the headline “Bill Bruch sued for swindling seniors in 1998.” Bruch posted a statement on his own campaign website in response. “Whe...
The La Conner Weekly News keeps getting better in its efforts to bring news to the community. The staff earned 15 awards at the annual Better Newspaper Contest for Washington’s community newspapers, led by Bill Reynolds’ seven. Reynolds almost swept the “personality profile, long category,” getting second place for his story on Mike Carrigan retiring after 25 years at La Conner High School. His Fisher Family tribute ahead of the 2019 Pioneer Picnic took third. Reynold gained firsts for his cov...
OLYMPIA — Over 100 state parks are open for camping or day-use activities this winter Washington State Parks announced with its 2020-21 winter schedule. The winter schedule is available online. State parks offer ample opportunities for those who enjoy camping in the winter months. Campgrounds that remain open are less crowded, and more campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, most parks offer off-season rates. Specific areas within a park may be closed, and some parks are open only on weekends and...
At its mid-month study session the La Conner School Board chose Northwest Leadership Associates as the consulting firm to lead the search for a new district superintendent. The in-state firm received the nod over McPherson & Jacobson, a leading national consulting company. “This is our number one job, to select a new superintendent,” board president Susie Gardner Deyo stressed during the panel’s video-conferenced study session on Oct. 12. Deyo was joined by board members Lynette Cram, John Agen, and Amanda Bourgeois. J.J. Wilbur missed the s...
The La Conner Town Council approved Planning Commission recommendations liberalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) terms at its video-conference Oct. 13 meeting. The 4-1 vote caps a year of work by the Commission to upgrade ADUs from conditional to permitted uses and allow more space in commercial structures for residential purposes. The goal is to add housing units in town. Town Planner Marianne Manville-Ailles called the ADU change “low-hanging fruit” at the start of a lengthy public hearing. Councilmember Jacques Brunisholz, que...
