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Rising tides have in turn given rise to a renewed focus on flood control and long-term effects of climate change here. The Town of La Conner is looking to form a five-member commission with regular monthly meetings where data will be studied and experts consulted to stay ahead of future significant flood events such as the town experienced last month. Mayor Ramon Hayes last week announced an intent to convert the present two-member Town Council flood committee to a full-fledged commission....
The Swinomish Channel flooding of La Conner homes and businesses Dec. 27 created at least $1.8 million in damage. A total of $2.6 million in self-assessments was filed countywide with the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management by the Jan. 11 deadline. Twenty-four La Conner home owners reported damage, as did six businesses. Emergency Management staff defined four of the homes as “affected,” based on the forms, classifying them as damaged but still inhabitable. Department staff will forward the data to state agencies, which will dec...
A sudden shortage of bus drivers at La Conner Schools is forcing daily routes to be combined while threatening cancellation of student field trips and overnight travel to athletic events. Randy Swift of the schools short-handed transportation department apprised school board members of the troubling situation during their two-hour meeting Jan. 9. Swift said one driver retired over winter break. In November supervisor Kim Pedroza left for a similar post with the Stanwood School District. “We don’t have enough drivers to do our regular rou...
More than once during a lifetime that spanned nearly a century the late Fred Mesman was referred to as a Renaissance Man – a person with wide interests and expertise in numerous areas. So it was only fitting that Mesman, who died in December at age 98, would be remembered as such during graveside services Saturday afternoon at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery attended by a wide cross-section of the La Conner community. Gathering on a picture-perfect sunlit day – one in which Mesman, an outdoors ent...
La Conner area residents are invited to engage this week and next with the two local institutions that define and make a difference in our lives. This is where citizens can have the most impact, making self-governing a reality. Your participation is needed first Saturday in a Town community conversation for the development of a communication plan. La Conner’s Council seeks conversation with citizens to clearly define the priorities, strategies and tools the town will use to communicate with the community. Open communication facilitates p...
In my 16th and final year as mayor, I would like to thank the La Conner community for the opportunity to serve as your representative. Although our resources are limited, La Conner has been fortunate to attract and retain staff who are dedicated to the community and whose work ethic, in many cases, far exceeds a 40-hour work week. La Conner is also blessed with a plethora of volunteers who participate in everything from our town council, planning commission, arts and parks commissions and, with 23 active volunteers, our fire department. Its...
By proclamation of the governor, January is School Board Recognition Month. It’s a great time to recognize our elected community members who selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public schooling for our youth. School board members in La Conner are entrusted by this community with responsibility for an annual budget of $13,856,000 in 2022-2023, with an average of 527 students, 116 employees and nine buildings. School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be quite difficult, or require sifting t...
A letter responding to one of my columns recently suggested that this column is trying to force green energy down people’s throats. Typically, I wouldn’t reply, but I think it’s important to reassure readers that I’m very specifically trying to not do that. I’m trying to present rapidly changing facts about advanced energy technologies in as non-technical a manner as possible, and to explain energy economics in accessible terms. The column’s regular readers will have current information...
The past year was a busy one at Fire District 13. That trend will likely continue this year as the La Conner area district prepares to launch a community paramedicine program while adding a modular residential unit at its Snee-Oosh Road station. Fire Chief Wood Weiss noted 2022 statistics set new marks for annual demands for service at the commissioners Jan. 12 meeting. “It was a very big year,” Weiss reported. “Our biggest year pre-COVID was 2019 when we had 1,340 incident calls. We surpassed that in 2022 with 1,413 calls,” with Decembe...
We deserve better, even if we don't demand it. The latest findings from the Washington state auditor's office are unfortunately just a snapshot of an obscure yet growing problem in our state government, one that has only been made worse by large influxes of funding from the federal government and unprecedented economic growth in our state. In a time of scarcity, when many of our neighbors have been left behind, not only is state government failing to provide necessary and promised services, but...
La Conner Town Council and La Conner Schools officials addressed common goals and interests at their respective meetings last week. Councilmembers Mary Wohleb and MaryLee Chamberlain joined the Jan. 9 school board session via Zoom to share tips for the district best applying for state Department of Commerce grants that fund solar energy projects. Superintendent Will Nelson and Bobby Vaughn, director of operations and planning, returned the favor by attending the Jan. 10 Council meeting to weigh in on a possible joint venture to install a new...
1/21/55-1/11/23 Robert lived and died HIS WAY. We loved him dearly and will miss him dearly. Life Celebration to be held at Stompin Grounds, Sunday Jan. 29 from 2-4 p.m. Bring a story in mind to share about your friendship with Robert.... Full story
Patsy Jo Elliott, 80 of Anacortes, died at her residence on January 10, 2023. To share memories of Patsy please visit www.evanschapel.com/obituary/patsy-jo-elliott. Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel & Onsite Crematory Inc of Anacortes.... Full story
Feb. 25 1946-Jan. 7 2023... Full story
They had to shuffle their lineup, but a league hoops triumph was still in the cards for the La Conner High School Lady Braves at Friday Harbor Saturday afternoon. Minus two starters, including Skagit County leading scorer Ellie Marble, the visitors dealt the hosts a lopsided 76-31 NW1B/2B defeat. Seniors Makayla Herrera and Josie Harper each matched Friday Harbor's team point total with career best 31-point outings. Herrera's point production included her first two perimeter treys of the...
There's no doubting Thomas regarding the La Conner High School boys' basketball team's resurrected post-season hopes. Senior transfer Braden Thoma confirmed that in a big way at Friday Harbor Saturday, scoring a game-high 19 points to pace La Conner in a key 61-45 NW1B/2B win at Turnbull Gym. Thomas, making his sixth start after transferring from Anacortes, delivered two of the team's nine outside treys as they won their third straight game and squared their season mark at 6-6. La Conner has...
With the Skagit Climate Change Consortium, MoNA is bringing back “Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement, and Agency in Times of Climate Change,” an exhibition drawing attention to climate change and its tangible effects on the Northwest’s coastal communities. The Museum of Northwest Art is accepting proposals from artists until Jan. 3. Information: monamuseum.org/surge-2023-call-to-artists. Source: MoNA...
The La Conner School District is hosting a community dinner and Community Engagement night Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. in the Elementary School Gym. Please visit our schools, meet our amazing teachers and learn about the state of the district. Source: La Conner Schools...
There will not be a “Birds of Winter” end of January celebration of migratory birds in the Skagit Valley organized by the La Conner Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber plans on organizing and presenting its Birds of Winter 2024 next year....
Join a community conversation with your neighbors Jan. 21 at the La Conner Retirement Inn, 9-11 a.m. The Town Council’s communication committee, an ad hoc group, offers an opportunity for residents to gather and discuss how to best make a communication plan. The communication plan is to clearly define the priorities, strategies and tools the town will use to communicate with the community. The slogan is “Town Talks: Learning from the past, living in the present and planning for the future.” Source: Town of La Conner...
Or maybe this recipe might more accurately be called butter and brown sugar brownies. It has a lot of butter and brown sugar. That combination creates a chewy soft brownie. This brownie keeps well on the kitchen counter. It begins soft and chewy, then slowly dries out and becomes crunchy. I prefer a semi-sweet chocolate but you could substitute dark chocolate. Ingredients Semi-sweet baking chocolate, 2 oz Butter, ½ cup, plus ½ tsp Dark brown sugar, 1 cup packed Eggs, 2 Ground...
Sunday, January 8 10:03 p.m.: DUI – The driver of a vehicle drove off the road into a ditch and got stuck. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Downey Rd., La Conner. Tuesday, January 9 2:37 p.m.: Found Husky – A Husky breed dog that was found by a citizen on Jan. 7 was taken to the Humane Society of Skagit Valley. La Conner Whitney Rd., Greater La Conner. 3:35 p.m.: Found wallet – A wallet with ID, credit cards and cash was found in a business. The wallet was g...
When Taylor Brink visited La Conner High School last Thursday, he was fully armed – and armored. The butcher/meat cutter for Northwest Local Meats, the retail butcher shop for the Island Grown Farmers Cooperative, used all the tools of his trade to break down two quarters of a steer in teacher Peter Voorhees' cooking classes. Before employing his knives and saws, Brink put on a chain mail apron to prevent accidental stabs and a Kevlar arm band and glove to ward off cuts. Then he tackled the s...
Skagit Valley poet Georgia Johnson reads poetry at Pelican Bay Books accompanied by Roberto Ascalon and Natalie Lahr Friday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. Johnson has published “Just Past Dew Point” and other volumes of poetry. Ascalon, winner of the 2012 Rattle Poetry Prize, is program manager of the Bureau of Fearless Ideas. Lahr is the Skagit River Poetry Festival student poet laureate. Other poet friends may also perform....
Newly up is “Quilt Until You Wilt” at the Skagit County Historical Museum. Featured are a variety of quilt designs from the collection, including floral patterns, timed for Tulip season. The exhibit is interactive. Visitors can design their own paper “quilts.” The museum is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursdays-Sundays. Information: 360.466.3365, [email protected]....
