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La Conner School board members did something Monday night that they haven't done in a very long time: They approved hiring a new counselor for the middle and high school campus. Eric Crinklaw, most recently with Bonney Lake High School in the Sumner School District, will succeed Lori Buher, who is retiring after 27 years. The decision took place during a 75-minute hybrid session ahead of its annual retreat scheduled from 2-8 p.m. today. "It's an honor to be here," said Crinklaw, who has ties to the Concrete and Friday Harbor school districts....
Barbara Birkeland Hulbert died peacefully at home in La Conner on June 17. She was 96. "Barb" was born March 25, 1927, in Fort Benton, Mont., to Ingolf and Elizabeth (Flagler) Birkeland. She was one of seven children, which included Francis, Helen, Margaret, Beverly, Phyllis, and Thomas. Barb grew up a self-described "tomboy" on the family ranch, where she drove grain trucks and tractors and ran a combine. Upon earning her degree in Microbiology from Montana State College, an adventurous Barb...
A major sports website has confirmed what La Conner fans have known for months. That being Ellie Marble, who just graduated from La Conner High School and will attend Central Washington University on a volleyball scholarship in the fall, was the best girls' 2B senior athlete in the state this past year. Marble, who played in a combined six volleyball and basketball state tournaments – it likely would have been eight had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic – has been named the SBLive WaFd Ban...
After 20 years, Juli Olson is finally graduating from middle school. The La Conner middle and high school administrative assistant retires at the end of June after working under six principals and through a school remodel and a pandemic. Besides keeping attendance and other critical records, she has helped plan the 8th grade promotion and filled in as school nurse, lunch lady and field trip chaperone. Driving the school bus is the only job she hasn’t tackled. Not all of her records have been official. During the years when middle school c...
La Conner will again act locally while thinking nationally on July 4. The town is site once more of Independence Day festivities with something for everyone – from a holiday parade to food and beverages to live music to a fireworks display over Swinomish Channel. The fun starts with the always popular 12 p.m. parade down First Street. Parade staging is set for 11 a.m. on State Street, in front of the Port of Skagit’s La Conner Marina south basin parking area. The parade traditionally draws an array of motorized, non-motorized and even fam...
There's one excuse that will not fly for anyone parking in front of about two dozen fire hydrants on Swinomish Reservation. That being they weren't visible. Instead, you can hardly miss those hydrants anymore. By Saturday afternoon 22 fire hydrants had been adopted and most repainted – many with distinctive bright colors and designs – as part of a Skagit County Fire District 13 fundraiser. The district's Adopt-A-Hydrant campaign was coordinated by firefighter Logan James. Participants paid $10...
The Kiwanis Club of La Conner May High School Student of the Month is Hadley Shears. She graduated in June and is the daughter of Cory and Jen Shears. Hadley has been active in school cheer, varsity volunteerism and Knowledge Bowl. Outside of school she likes to be outdoors, ski, hike and be out on the family boat. She is passionate about music, movies and art. Hadley was valedictorian of her graduating class. She will be attending Western Washington University this fall. She has not determined...
La Conner Schools administrator Andy Wheeler has quietly tended to his heavy workload here for the past nine years. But now, as he transitions to retirement, Wheeler will finally be able to toot his own horn. Never one to boast, the soft-spoken Wheeler – an enthusiastic trombonist – is headed next month to the Humboldt State College Brass Chamber Music Workshop in northern California. It's a fitting sendoff for Wheeler, who has been something of a one-man band during his tenure here, han...
The first day of summer vacation was a time of reflection for La Conner School board members, who while grappling with difficult budget issues going forward, found time at their June 12 study session to honor the achievements of student leaders and athletes and middle school science teacher Maddie Huscher. Huscher was recognized as a Regional Teacher of the Year, one of nine finalists for top state teacher accolades. “It’s a really big deal,” La Conner Superintendent of Schools Will Nelson said of Huscher’s selection. “She’s getting a l...
Change has defined the La Conner Schools Transportation Department the past year. But one thing hasn’t changed. The department continues to earn high grades from the Washington State Patrol and Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. State schools chief Chris Reykdal’s June 15 letter states the district “has again completed the inspection of school buses with exceptional results. For the past two years the results in your district have been outstanding.” La Conner Schools Director of Operations and Planning Bobby Vaughn, over...
A class that weathered a slew of obstacles, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic, was blessed with warm, sunny conditions and a clear view of snow-capped Mount Baker for La Conner High School's 129th annual commencement exercises Thursday evening at Whittaker Field. That scenario of emerging from clouds of uncertainty into the bright sunshine of hope and optimism was emphasized in remarks by Class of 2023 Valedictorian Hadley Shears, among a handful of graduating seniors speaking at the...
Gov. Jay Inslee enjoyed a taste of Skagit Valley on several levels when he toured the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative near La Conner last Tuesday. The state's three-term chief executive, who recently announced he would not seek re-election, nonetheless modeled all the ingredients of a campaigner as he spoke with and listened to area farmers and food hub General Manager Andrew Yokom. Inslee repeatedly praised the cleanliness and efficiency of the warehouse site, a former potato shed located...
Elizabeth "Betty" Grace Gordon died on Monday, May 22, 2023 at the age of 97. She passed in the home where she had spent most of her life, looking out the windows, the rays of her final golden hour reflected in her eyes. Betty was born to Samuel and Tiena (Drost) Mesman on May 19, 1926, in Rocky Point, Washington. Growing up in the 1930s and 40s, she would share stories of her life on the beaches of the island picking wild strawberries, looking for agates, and finding lady slipper orchids bloomi...
A good idea never goes out of style. Thirty-four years after its inception, the concept of an inclusive scholarship program supporting La Conner High School graduates still remains a perfect fit for a community that values education. The La Conner Community Scholarship Foundation, which evolved from a 1989 Dollars for Scholars campaign launched by then-school administrators Ken Winkes and Norm Hoffman, the local Parent-Teacher-Student Association and civic leaders, including Gail Thulen, Maureen Harlan, John Hastings, Maude Misner and Melphine...
A La Conner High School senior class that was separated and isolated for parts of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic will join together for the school's 129th annual commencement exercises tomorrow (Thursday) at 5 p.m. at Whittaker Field. The class, which adapted to remote learning during the early portion of its high school sojourn, features 10 National Honor Society members, including valedictorian Hadley Shears and salutatorian Josie Harper. "We continue to be proud of these students for...
The La Conner Middle School Rock Climbing Club sponsor is also rock solid in the classroom. Madison Huscher, whose carefully crafted science lesson plans take students beyond the traditional boundaries of textbooks and lectures, has been named the Northwest Educational Service District 189 regional teacher of the year. The award recognizes Huscher's outstanding commitment to teaching and her many contributions to the educational community. As a regional winner, Huscher will compete against...
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein Thursday La Conner High School seniors graduate, 47 of them. Local merchants and institutions recognize them by sponsoring the seniors’ photographs on today's back page. Take a look at these young, confident, about-to-be adults heading into their futures. That future is our future, to be shared with them but so far shaped by us, the elders reading these words. The graduates step into a world not of their making nor choosing. As they start to make choices, we already hear them voic...
The La Conner Community Scholarship Foundation is undertaking a six-month fundraising drive that will provide scholarship aid to the high school’s graduates seeking support. The foundation’s goal is to raise $100,000 between June 1 and Nov. 30. A downturn in bond yields has had a negative impact on the foundation’s investment income, necessitating a bolstering of its portfolio. The Foundation grew from a 1989 Dollars for Scholars campaign launched here by then-school administrators Ken Winkes and Norm Hoffman, the local Paren...
The newest members of the oldest active high school alumni association in Washington state were welcomed into the fold Saturday night in La Conner. Members of the Class of 2023 were feted during the 109th annual La Conner Alumni Banquet and Program at the middle school, just hours prior to departing on their senior trip to Knott's Berry Farm. "La Conner is just so special," said 2022-23 high school student body president Rachel Haley, speaking on behalf of her classmates. "We're proud to graduat...
Tommy Murdock had a leg up on the competition throughout the high school track and field campaign this spring. And a big reason the La Conner High School junior was head and shoulders above all comers was his mental toughness, Braves' head coach Peter Voorhees told the Weekly News after Murdock swept the state 2B boys' 110 and 300-meter hurdles contests at Yakima in May. A case in point, Voorhees noted, was how Murdock handled a late start time for his preliminary heat in the 110s. "In the heat...
The past intersected with present and future during Memorial Day services at two local cemeteries Monday morning. The memories of departed veterans, pioneers and tribal members were honored during separate programs at Pleasant Ridge and Swinomish cemeteries, each of which also stressed the blessings of freedoms enjoyed today and offered words of wisdom and optimism going forward. "We remember with thanks our loved ones who are buried here," Rev. Don Robinson said in remarks at Pleasant Ridge,...
Change and continuity were celebrated simultaneously at La Conner Schools last week. School district retirees and those not returning in the fall as well as the volunteers who invest hours of their time on campus were honored May 23 during a 75-minute open house reception in the middle school gymnasium. Six retirees who have served for a combined total of 124 years were formally recognized. So, too, were over 100 volunteers who assist with tutoring chaperoning, monitoring, speaking, reading and...
La Conner Town Council members were akin to traffic cops during their May 23 nearly 90-minute hybrid meeting at Maple Hall. The council forwarded proposed local restrictions on adult businesses to state officials in Olympia while remanding for review to the town planning commission a bid by developer Greg Ellis to site tiny homes on the lots behind Pioneer Market at Whatcom and Washington streets. Mayor Ramon Hayes echoed what planning staff have previously said for restricting such businesses. “If we don’t regulate them,” said Hayes, “we o...
Lightning struck twice at the Washington state 2B track and field championships on Saturday. First, an actual lightning storm delayed the final round of action. Then, La Conner High School junior Tommy Murdock repeated as a state hurdles champion. Murdock, who captured one state hurdles title in 2022, swept the 110 and 300-meter hurdles in lightning fast fashion this time around, leading the team at Yakima. Murdock ran a personal best 15.01 in the 110s, which he needed to edge Raymond senior Mor...
