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Winter officially started Dec. 21 – except on the calendar used by Town of La Conner Public Works Director Brian Lease. Lease and his staff began winterizing in October. No one can fault their timing, either, given the rash of snowstorms and tidal flooding conditions they have had to deal with the past couple weeks. “We prepped everything in October, from filling sandbags to getting our equipment ready,” Lease told the Weekly News during a rare break Friday. It was three months ago, for...
Last Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Washington state Department of Health reported the 10,000th death in the state from COVID-19 since record keeping began in early 2020. In Skagit County, 156 people have died in that period. There were 14 county resident deaths in December; 27 died in November. No deaths have been reported in 2022 through Jan. 6. Since Nov. 1, 184 Skagitonians have been hospitalized, 24 since Jan. 1, 63 in December and 97 in November. Experts are emphasizing increased hospitalizations and the stress put on healthcare systems over new...
Some 50 Skagitonians brought their flags, their signs and their concern for the present and future state of democracy in this country to the intersection of Commercial Avenue and 13th Street in Anacortes last Thursday. The preprinted signs read “Remember Jan. 6. Senators Protect Our Democracy Now.” As across the country, citizens on Commercial Avenue gathered in recognition of and against the attempted Jan. 6, 2021 riot summed up by an Associated Press reporter writing last Thursday: “The viole...
Almost everyone I know considers themselves a friend, family member – parent, spouse, sibling, child, cousin or other relative – an employee, teammate, buddy, sewing circle or book club member or coffee klatch participant. Very few people define themselves as citizens or patriots. Most of us are reluctant Republicans or Democrats, too often wedged into choosing the lesser of two evils or, as Ralph Nader famously put it, picking between Tweedledee and Tweedledum come election time. Almost none of us think government at any level is...
In my work as your representative over the last three years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many of you and your neighbors, listen to your concerns and learn about what issues affect your daily lives. From those conversations, it is clear the Legislature should support?a sustainable economy that?allows?all members of our community?to thrive.? Our?state must?improve access to higher education and family-wage jobs, foster?economic development and recovery in rural communities and prioritize healthcare and our quality of life. This s...
Seattle — A half-day supply is all that remains on the near-empty shelves at Bloodworks Northwest. It has again declared a “Code Red” alarm to combat the “most prolonged, most severe blood shortage in recent years,” affecting local hospitals and trauma centers across the Pacific Northwest. Bloodworks cannot fill all hospital orders with dangerously low supplies of Type O and A. Hospitals are conserving their limited onsite supplies to maintain a supply for emergencies. Donors in Western Washington and Oregon may respond to this emergen...
Scott Stephan Wilme died peacefully in his home with his family close by on December 30, 2021 in La Conner, Washington after a long hard battle with cancer. He was 53 years old. Scott grew up predominantly in Kirkland, Washington and Ocean Shores, Washington. As a teenager in Ocean Shores, he enjoyed riding his motorcycle in the sand dunes and was a volunteer fireman. He graduated from Hoquiam High School then attended Washington State University. At WSU, Scott became a member of the Pi Kappa Al...
It was billed as a special meeting but played out much like similar Town of La Conner audit exit sessions of the past. And that was good news for town leaders. The one difference is the 35-minute Zoom discussion between La Conner representatives and the state auditor’s office Monday afternoon, which was conducted remotely, same as the two-year audit itself. Audit Lead Christy Fazio, and Supervisor Karyna Orcutt announced clean Accountability and Financial Statement Reports, which they and Mayor Ramon Hayes confirmed included reviews of m...
Washington State Journal On the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he will support legislation criminalizing lying about election results. “It should not be legal in the state of Washington for elected officials or candidates for office to willfully lie about these election results,” he said, speaking to reporters in Olympia Jan. 6. Making false statements about election results without evidence would be classified as a gross misdemeanor under his proposal, Inslee said. A draft is und...
Though idle for two weeks beforehand, the unbeaten La Conner High School girls’ basketball team had no trouble shaking off the rust at Coupeville last Tuesday, Jan 4. La Conner returned to action showing machine-like precision in its half-court offense while also scoring repeatedly off its high-octane transition game enroute to a convincing 69-13 NW2B road triumph. With icy road conditions having nixed a much-anticipated Dec. 30 matchup with 4A Kamiak, La Conner was revved up for this tipoff. “This was our first game in two weeks and we pla...
It was a good news, bad news kind of night for Braves boy basketball at Coupeville last Tuesday. The good news is La Conner held unbeaten Coupeville, ranked No. 4 in state 2B boys’ polls, to nearly 20 points under their per game scoring average. The bad news is the Braves still found themselves on the short end of a 54-29 conference verdict Jan. 4, falling to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in NW2B play, La Conner played the Wolves on equal terms over the final three quarters but couldn’t overcome an early 27-2 Coupeville run fueled by three-point spe...
Concrete took a novel approach to slow down La Conner’s vaunted transition game during NW2B girls’ hoop action at Landy James Gym Saturday night. The visitors kept two players at the defensive end of the floor, only bringing three potential scorers across midcourt to run their offensive sets. The ploy did little to change the game’s anticipated storyline. Far from it, actually. Even with two full-time defenders Concrete saw La Conner blister the nets at a 58 percent (45 of 77) clip. The victors converted nine of 23 attempts beyond the trey...
Maybe you saw, as you drove down Maple Avenue last month, an Alexander Calder-like array of giant ornaments spinning on arms held in place by a giant magnet on a giant metal ball in a small front yard two houses south of the old Hedlin ballfield. That was the holiday version of Chris McCarthy’s garden buoy, which she decorates about 10 times a year. McCarthy got the ball-shaped buoy at an estate sale 15 years ago. “I knew I was going to roll it into the front yard and paint ‘Go Braves’ on it,...
Stories of kids walking miles to get to and from school rain or shine are the stuff of which legends are made. But for Roy Pearmain it is a story that is both true and represents the first step in what would be his pursuit of careers from nearly all walks of life. Since graduating in 1960 as La Conner High School’s student body president, Pearmain has gone on to be a college graduate, public school teacher, aerospace scientist, writer, weather watcher and reporter, firefighter/EMT, civic l...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of December 14, roughly 85% of adults ages 18 and over in the United States had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but 15% remained unvaccinated. About 42% reported that they “don’t trust the COVID-19 vaccine.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s newest phase of the experimental Household Pulse Survey, those who were unvaccinated against COVID in early December 2021, reported a variety of reasons why. “Vaccinated” here refers to adults who have received at least on...
When the La Conner Rotary Club invited Father William Treacy to speak at their Jan. 3 meeting, members could expect a good tale from the 102-year-old Irish priest. The spry pastor did not disappoint the 25 or so members at their weekly Farmhouse Restaurant dinner meeting. He did not have time to tell all of his life’s story, but the chapters he shared revealed the long way he has come since leaving Ireland in 1945 for a temporary assignment in Seattle, which needed priests because of World W...
Monday, January 3 5:58 p.m.: Nip from a stray – Caller calling about a stray dog he took in that had tried to bite him. The caller was advised he could surrender the dog to the Humane Society. N. 2nd St., La Conner. Tuesday, January 4 1:08 p.m.: Tracking a thief – Caller reported a retail theft from the same suspect in a prior retail theft at their store. The caller was advised to call 911 if the suspect attempted to return to her store. S. 1st St., La Conner. 6:14 p.m.: Cautious caller – Report of a suspicious vehicle in...
This is a throw together recipe using fresh fruit on hand plus utilizing that extra pre-made, refrigerated pie crust. Take care not to add too much cinnamon or brown sugar. That allows you to taste the richness of the fruit. The only butter used was in the crumble topping. I used a 7 inch springform pan which I originally purchased to use in my 6 quart Instant Pot. I recommend placing the springform pan, in the oven, on top of a baking sheet to catch fruit drips, for the cranberries, when...
