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David Cram pulled down his share of rebounds as a La Conner High basketball player in the 1980s. But perhaps his most impressive rebound has come in the financial arena over the past 15 months. Cram, now the La Conner Schools financial chief and interim superintendent, has overseen a fiscal bounce back resulting in notification from Olympia this week that the district is released from state financial oversight. During the fiscal year Sept. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2024, the school system grew its...
Like parents or counselors for a 900-member family, Mayor Marna Hanneman, the La Conner Town Council and staff, primarily Town Administrator Scott Thomas and Finance Director Maria DeGoede, are wrestling with short, medium and long term funding needs as they advance the town’s 2025 $8.4 million draft budget. Hanneman reflected on the challenges of the past five years in her Nov. 12 budget message: the COVID-19 “pandemic, flooding, extreme weather events and the highest inflation in half a century.” Hanneman, Thomas and DeGoede discussed the p...
DAWN OF A NEW LA CONNER DAY – The sun will not shine brightly on the Rainbow Bridge at 7:46 a.m. for some time, as it did on Oct. 11, but any morning and any time one walks La Conner's boardwalk is a good time to be out. Every day we can pause and reflect on where we are and what possibilities are before us....
The La Conner High School girls' soccer team lost its state tournament match last week. But head coach Maddie Huscher, her staff and players won the hearts of many across Washington. La Conner received much love on Thursday for hitting the road a second time for its playoff venue in Cle Elum. The team's Nov. 13 trip ended abruptly when its bus was struck by a pickup truck on I-405 in Bothell, forcing a 24-hour postponement of La Conner's date with third-seeded Cle Elum-Roslyn. No one on the bus...
A favorite La Conner Thanksgiving tradition is on the menu once again. The Waterfront Cafe will provide its free community Thanksgiving meal from noon-3 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. As always, it's an opportunity to dine with friends, family and neighbors in a relaxed holiday atmosphere. Those facing financial challenges, are alone or who simply want to celebrate Thanksgiving with Waterfront Cafe patrons and staff are invited. The cafe, located at 128 S. First Street, will provide a turkey dinner with...
State Sen. Ron Muzzall’s (R-Oak Harbor) has won re-election to his state Legislative District 10 senate seat. His margin after Monday’s ballot count is 2.1%, 51% to 48.9%, and 1,871 votes against Island County Commissioner Janet St. Clair. He has led by increasingly large margins since the third day of tally reports after the Nov. 5 elections. The election offices in the three-county district estimate 1,800 ballots remained to be counted. Tuesday, Skagit County staff were counting from an estimated 1,600 and Snohomish County staff were cou...
It is budget time again. Across Washington state and throughout the country, governments of towns, cities and countries with fiscal years starting January 1 are going through similar steps of developing their annual operating budgets. Big yawn, right? This is the time of year when newspaper subscribers really learn of – if not realize – the value of their subscriptions. For about $1.15 a week Weekly News readers get the advantage of reading stories by professional journalists summarizing and analyzing their local government’s budget proce...
Ken, regarding your last two editorials commenting on the presidential election results, your apparent inability to comprehend that for some people there are just as many logical, valid, righteous and positive reasons to vote for Donald Trump as you have for voting for Kamala Harris reflects an immense shallowness in your journalistic curiosity (see CNN’s Scott Jennings’ article latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-01/election-donald-trump-kamala-harris for a different perspective). Your further reflexive impulse to ascribe only the most hat...
The Moore Clark building and property is a blight and a danger with breaches to the chain link fence that does not secure it but prevents public access to right of way along the waterfront (photo sent to Weekly News). The derelict owner should pay a daily fine for this mess and be required to carry appropriate insurance for the hazard of collapse and injury to victims. I am a near neighbor to the property. Sincerely, Breta Malcolm La Conner...
Republican readers may be sitting back and ordering Christmas sweaters featuring newborns sitting on oil rigs ("Drill, baby, drill"), but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't remind everyone: If you're hoping that drilling for oil is sufficient to create low, stable energy prices and U.S. energy independence, your information about energy costs and alternatives is out of date. Even the reddest of red hat wearers has reasons to be in favor of more renewable energy development in the U.S. After...
Fire District 13 Chief Wood Weiss got the green light on Thursday to commit up to $700,000 toward purchase of a Pierce tender truck that would bolster an aging District 13 emergency response fleet. District commissioners authorized Weiss to pursue acquisition of a new tender shortly after approving a preliminary 2025 draft budget that projects a fund reserve exceeding $1 million. “That sounds like a lot of money, until you have to buy some equipment,” commission Chair Bruce Shellhamer cautioned when referring to the seven-figure bank bal...
The shorthanded La Conner Emergency Management Commission, which this year has juggled flood mitigation, neighborhood mapping and the crafting of a community disaster preparedness plan, received a much needed shot in the arm last week. Brianna Wilson, owner of Thrive Direct Health Care, was appointed by town council at its Nov. 12 Maple Hall meeting. A commission vacancy remains, said Mayor Marna Hanneman, who nominated Wilson. The Council unanimously approved Wilson, noting that her medical...
The Board of Skagit County Commissioners will hold a public hearing next week on the county’s comprehensive 2025-2030 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. The hearing will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25, in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon. It will give citizens an opportunity to comment on the plan. Copies of the 2025-2030 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program are on file for public review in the Public Works Department and online at www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/Publ...
Free COVID-19 test kits are available from the federal government. Go to COVIDTests.gov for up to four kits per household. Shipping is also free. The Federal Trade Commission warns that any website asking for more information than names and shipping address is a scammer. Free test kits are also at the kiosk at the Swinomish Medical Clinic on Reservation Road. The expiration date for many kits has changed. Before discarding a kit because the expiration date has passed, go to the FDA’s website to see if its expiration date has been extended. T...
Fate served up tough luck for the La Conner High School volleyball team at the Yakima SunDome last week. First, head coach Pam Keller’s charges drew top-seeded Adna in first round state 2B tournament action. Perhaps equally brutal was La Conner libero Addison Keller playing under the weather for Wednesday’s matches with the Pirates and Tri-Cities Prep. Still, La Conner battled. The NW2B/1B runners-up pushed Adna, which arrived in Yakima riding an 18-game winning streak, in a hard-fought opening set. But Adna, which finished 22-3 on the sea...
Praises continue to be sung for Sarah Cook at Skagit Valley College, much like when she was a La Conner H igh School multi-sports star. Cook, an SVC sophomore who has earned Northwest Athletic Conference honors in volleyball and basketball, is receiving more accolades this fall. A 5-foot-9 outside hitter for the Cardinal spikers, Cook was recently named to the 2024 NWAC All-Star team. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community member has been an integral part of an SVC volleyball squad that...
Emmitt Voorhees did some clever sidestepping during the cake walk as part of the La Conner Parent-Teacher-Student Association fundraiser at the elementary school gym Friday night. Bingo and a silent auction for home-baked desserts were also part of the fun. Proceeds from the event will help defray the costs of field trips and end-of-year playday activities....
It's always nice to have connections. Just ask the staff at La Conner Swinomish Library. Its connections extend not only across town with several local art partnerships but by extension to the other side of the world. The library this year has displayed in its children's section the popular "Path to La Conner" quilt comprised of panels, depicting familiar storefronts on First Street. The La Conner-centric imagery was inspired by "Path to Edo" quilt work created by Japanese students and part of...
As summer fades and the weather cools, the season for vibrant floral arrangements continues. Autumn and winter provide a unique palette of greenery, berries and branches, perfect for creating eye-catching displays. Whether for hosting holiday gatherings or crafting thoughtful gifts, fall and winter arrangements offer a natural, rustic charm that's easy to achieve with materials from your own backyard or local woods. Foraging essentials Fall is ideal for gathering evergreens, branches and other...
La Conner Swinomish Library presents Night Sky Photography with acclaimed local photographer Andy Porter, 5-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Learn how to capture the perfect night sky photograph. No camera necessary. La Conner Swinomish Library offers holiday ukulele classes, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursdays, Nov. 21, Dec. 5, 12, 19. Learn to play easy two- and three-chord songs with Simme Bobrosky. NITE Theater presents “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” through Nov. 24 at the Lincoln Theatre, based on the hit movie. Pay-what-you-can night Thursday, Nov...
TOWN OF LA CONNER SUMMARY ORDINANCE NO. 1251 Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of La Conner, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 1251 at the November 12, 2024 Town Council meeting. A summary of Ordinance No. 1251 is as follows: An Ordinance amending the 2024 Budget. Complete copies of Ordinance No. 1251 are available at La Conner Town Hall, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257 Dated this 13th Day of November, 2024 /s/____________ Maria DeGoede, Town Clerk Published in the La Conner Weekly News, Nov. 20, 2024. TOWN OF LA CONNER...
You make this with a homemade roux instead of canned soup. It requires several pots and pans. Take your time. Ingredients Elbow macaroni, 2 cups Water, 1 quart Salt, dash or two Olive oil,1 tablespoon Rotisserie chicken, 1 cup shredded Onion, 1/3 cup chopped Celery, 1/2 cup chopped Butter, 2 tablespoons Flour, 1/4 cup Milk,1/4 cup Cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese, 1 cup grated Preparation Add water to large pot with 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil and salt. As it heats to...
HEADS UP Kiwanis Annual Holiday Craft Show 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, Maple Hall, 104 Commercial St., La Conner. Christmas shop with locals. Ornaments, bags, stickers, jewelry, tablecloths, toys, cards, wall art, cookies and pies for sale. Come early for the Rotary Club Santa Breakfast and stop by the vendors on your way out. LIBRARIES La Conner Swinomish Library. 520 Morris St., La Conner. 360-466-3352. www.laconnerswinomishlibrary.org/events. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays....
The largest ugly sweater party in Skagit County was an evening of substance over style. About 200 people proudly donning garish holiday sweaters attended, officially designated the 2024 Anacortes Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff Program, at the Swinomish Casino & Lodge on Nov. 9. Because the Anacortes Salvation Army service area covers La Conner, local donors in attendance included Mayor Marna Hanneman and her husband, Leroy, and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community civic leader Janie Beasley....
Last Thursday the MV Karl departed La Conner's Mavrik Marine shipyard, where it was built, and was barged to Anacortes' Dakota Creek Industries, where it will be placed in the water. After local sea trials, and with cooperative weather, it will sail to San Francisco by the end of the year. This third of four Mavrik-built ferries will join the Water Emergency Transportation Authority Bay Area passenger ferry fleet....
