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City of Mount Vernon staff and businesses prepared for near historic flooding of the Skagit River in the downtown area Monday, with the City of Mount Vernon declaring a civil emergency as of 6 a.m. The river measured 35.3’ at 9:45 p.m. at the USGS (United States Geological Service) gauge at the Riverside bridge. It more than doubled in height, rising 18.8’ from its 5:30 p.m. Nov. 10 measurement of 16.5’. Phase 2 flood stage is 32.0-35.6’. The City of Mount Vernon termed it “serious and histo...
Democracy was in action at the La Conner town council meeting Nov. 9. Following robust and diverse participation by residents urging Annie Taylor’s and, alternatively, applicant Bill Bruch’s selection, the council voted 3-1 to place Taylor in the council position vacated by Jacques Brunisholz’s August resignation. Residents did most of the talking: When Councilmember Bill Stokes motion for an executive session to discuss the choice in private among the council failed for lack of a second, Councilmember John Leaver nominated Taylor. Counc...
The Museum of Northwest Art has a new executive director, Stefano Catalani, starting in January 2022, a museum press release announced Nov. 10. It is hard to know who is more excited, Catalani, C.J. Ebert, chair of MoNA’s board of directors or Joanna Sikes, who will transition to director of development after over 30 months as executive director, first stepping in as interim director in April 2018. Catalani was energetic in a phone interview Monday. MoNA has energized, refreshed and transported him since he was asked to jury the art for the 201...
Mayor Ramon Hayes presented the preliminary 2022 town budget to the council and community two weeks ago, Nov. 4, and all of a sudden there is a surfeit – a lot – of riches and commitment to law enforcement. It is a bit late in the process, with council scheduled to pass the budget Dec. 14, but will the council pause, if not ask for a do over? First, both departing Councilmember Bill Stokes and Rick Dole, elected to replace him, agree on a strong law enforcement presence and filling the long vacant code enforcement officer position....
In last year’s Pew Research Center survey on religion in America, we learned that the COVID-19 pandemic actually bolstered one’s religious faith. Nearly 30% of those surveyed reported a strengthening of their faith because of the pandemic. This number was almost double that of most other developed countries. In the early days of the pandemic my congregation saw an uptick in our Friday night sabbath observance numbers, even though we had gone entirely virtual. It was clear that people wanted to feel connection even if they were not able to sta...
Dear People of La Conner, Thank you for your support, counsel, and criticism during my recent successful campaign for Town Council Position 3. I met so many people during my door-to-door campaign who inspired and educated me. My goal is to listen to your voices whether you voted for me or not, you will be heard. I encourage you all to become active participants in our local community as well as our government. Again, thank you all. Rick Dole La Conner...
About “Presidential dereliction of duty,” the guest view in the Nov. 10 Weekly News: Spouting off bigoted uneducated and unfounded remarks does not belong in our small town newspaper. It only proves to show how narrow minded and angry a small number of people in our community are. Please keep your mean and angry and unfounded thoughts to your small circle of friends. Linda Peterson La Conner...
Skagit County’s new coronavirus infection rate of 611.7 per 100,000 residents in the 14 day period ending Nov. 14 is by far the highest in the state. It remains the only county with a two week infection rate of over 600 per 100,000 residents, far outpacing the next four highest counties with rates of 503.4 (Lewis County) to 551.1 (Chelan County). Whatcom County recorded 361.4 new cases per 100,000 residents in the same 14 day period and Snohomish County has climbed to 301 new infections by the same metric. Skagit County’s 7-day hos...
Big changes are coming for law enforcement in La Conner in 2022. The town council will decide about whether to sign a five-year agreement with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office when it agrees on the police contract embedded in the annual budget. Mayor Ramon Hayes introduced the topic at the Nov. 9 council meeting, telling its members that he and Administrator Scott Thomas had a draft agreement following a meeting with sheriff’s office staff. Thomas had provided a two-page memo to the council in their meeting packets. The sheriff’s offic...
There wasn’t a shaky response to earthquake preparation drills here last month. Far from it, in fact, Fire District 13 Capt. Ted Taylor told fire district commissioners at their monthly hybrid meeting Friday, Nov. 11. The annual Great ShakeOut exercises Oct. 21 went according to plan and in some cases exceeded expectations. He said district personnel were able to roll emergency equipment and vehicles out of the Snee Oosh Road station in under three minutes, raising some bay doors electrically and others manually, a task that would be e...
William Kenneth “Ken” Baker passed away peacefully at his home in La Conner, WA on November 6, 2021. He was born in Washington, DC on February 18, 1947, and raised in Camp Springs, MD. Ken graduated from Massanutten Military Academy, Woodstock, VA, and attended Concord College, Athens WV, before marrying Marcella “Marcy” Manken, his high school sweetheart. Ken had many athletic abilities including football, baseball, tennis, and golf. At Tahoma Valley Golf Course, Ken hit a “hole-in-one” while p...
Gary died suddenly at his home in Shelter Bay. In his early years he served in the Coast Guard and then worked for United Airlines in Operations until retirement. It was while with United Airlines that he met his second wife “D”, who managed the airport at night. They were married over 25 years. Gary participated in La Conner with a group for spouses of dementia partners for a number of years. This was a great support for him. Also, Gary was a regular on Wednesday nights at The La Conner Tav...
The lights were bright inside the Yakima Sun Dome last week, but none shone more than the La Conner High School volleyball team. La Conner (22-0) kept its unbeaten mark intact by sweeping four matches over two days to capture the 2021 Washington state 2B championship behind several stellar performances. Head coach Suzanne Marble’s charges posted straight-sets tourney victories over Rainier, Okanogan, Manson and Walla Walla Valley Academy enroute to the sixth state title in program history. H...
La Conner High School students have gone on to make their marks all over the globe, attaining achievements not soon to be forgotten. Perhaps none more so than John K. Bob, a U.S. Army medic killed in action near the end of World War II while trying to remove wounded American soldiers from a German battlefield. Bob, a member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and a student leader, athlete and musician prior to enlisting for military service, has been memorialized locally in numerous ways,...
Local art lovers turned out in force for Art’s Alive 2021. Almost 1,100 people attended the four-day event in Maple Hall Nov. 5-8. This was the 36th annual show since Black Swan Café owner Martin Hahn, Art Hupy and a group of artists that included Ed Kamuda and Michael Clough held the first Art’s Alive in the Gaches Mansion in 1985. Since then, the show has been organized by town merchants, the La Conner Chamber of Commerce and the La Conner Arts Commission. “The town literally rescued th...
Gene Helfman has a whale of a story to tell. It is one the Lopez Island author is literally putting into the hands of the public – especially those concerned with the plight of threatened Southern Resident orcas. His novel, “Beyond the Human Realm,” follows the life of, Makai, a captive male orca saved from euthanasia and released into the wild. Makai then encounters whales and people instrumental in helping him gain acceptance into orca society. “I think the book will be of interest to your readership because of the intense local, regio...
Few people enjoy as strong a command of language as John Stephens: In four decades of public speaking gigs representing the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Town of La Conner, La Conner schools and Skagit Valley College he has been aptly described as a walking thesaurus. Or, putting it in more modern terms, Stephens was Google before there was Google. But more recently, in the week since his retirement from Swinomish, where he filled several administrative roles, Stephens is the one who has...
Monday, November 8 3:38 p.m.: Car be gone – Reporting person’s vehicle abandoned on private property. Property owner notified and making arrangements for removal. S. 3rd St., La Conner. 4:12 p.m.: Painful call – Report that a dog sounded like it was in distress throughout the day. County Animal Control notified. Calhoun Rd., Greater La Conner. Tuesday, November 9 6:03 p.m.: Got away – Report of a vehicle driving over the lines. Deputies checked for the vehicle, but were unable to locate it. Maple Ave. / Park St., La Conner. 7...
This year the La Conner Rotary Club is bringing back an old favorite – the Santa Breakfast. Add a craft fair the same day and selfie photo opportunities at the boardwalk gazebo, and you have a formula for fun. The ever-popular Santa Breakfast will be held 8:30-11a.m. Dec. 4 at Maple Hall. Come join us for eggs, sausage and pancakes. Santa will be there for photos with families and/or pets. We will help you take photos of your loved ones using your own cell phone, no waiting for us to send you finished prints. Our thanks in advance to the...
This is a recipe for the Instant Pot. It can be adapted for stove top or for the slow cooker. I used fresh organic cranberries. Fresh cranberries are available at the grocery stores this time of year. I used an unsweetened apple juice I bought at Costco. This recipe has no added sugar, honey or spices. It is refreshingly tart warm or refrigerateto cool. Ingredients Cranberries, 1 cup, fresh Apple juice, 4 quarts, unsweetened Preparation Rinse the cranberries. Place in the inner lining of the...
