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Sold home prices in Skagit County remained strong in September, with 180 homes and condominiums closing, the same as in August, and the median sold price rising to $552,250, Northwest Multiple Listing Service data show. Anacortes again led the county’s markets, with 32 sales at a median price of $737,500, a 4% increase. The La Conner market slipped to third, at $555,000 median price for the nine homes sold last month. Burlington rose to second. Their 24 homes sold had a median price of $602,500, a 32% rise from August. September sales data m...
TV ratings in Shelter Bay were down a lot Sunday night. A significant number of residents turned off their remotes during prime time, opting instead to attend a one-hour town hall meeting called by the Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors to address issues affecting the residential community. A standing room only crowd of perhaps 75 gathered in their clubhouse for a briskly paced question-and-answer session on topics ranging from aging infrastructure and increased homeowners’ association fees to the status of ongoing master lease neg...
Skagit Bay Search and Rescue volunteers are trained to locate people in distress. These days they are also in search of others to join their ranks. "We're actively looking for new members in the La Conner area who can respond to calls in a short amount of time," SBSAR President Sue White confirmed to the Weekly News. " Established in 2002, SBSAR is a non-profit organization that provides marine-based support to the Skagit County Sheriff's Office and is a familiar presence at such iconic local ma...
What would happen if Shelter Bay didn’t pursue a new lease with the Swinomish Tribe? I think that we should start looking at the possibility that in 2044 the Tribe will take over the community and possibly the management of the community. Why wouldn’t they want to? They have proven themselves to be good managers of businesses and can probably do a very good job. One problem between now and 2044 is getting 30 year fixed rate mortgage loans. I don’t know what the mechanism would be for securing that but maybe a letter from the Tribal Senat...
Oct 6. 2022 was a landmark day in La Conner. It was truly unprecedented and unlike any other in the Americas in the last 500 years that we know of. It was brought to our attention by Mr. Jay Bowen, who was gracious in his explanation that this March from the people of the Shelter Bay Community was the first of its kind: An Anglo-Saxon community walking on foot in humility to another co-host government, a native culture. Jay was gracious and spoke to us about our walk and its significance. A huge heartfelt talk was presented by Eric Day. We...
My Mondays are a treasure these days thanks to two gentlemen I have met. Both are named Colin and both are from England. While technically neither one lives in La Conner, they meet Monday afternoons from 3-5 p.m. for a “pint or two” at their “local boozer” (The Brewing Company in this case). I don’t remember how I fell in with them but it has become a delight I look forward to. They are teaching me English as well. You might hear an Oi Mush! (sort of like hello!) upon joining the table. Colin #1, as we have designated him, grew up in a village...
Come to Seaport Books Thursday, Oct. 20 to buy and have Shelter Bay novelist Ashley Sweeney sign her newly released third novel, “Hardland,” a western set in the Arizona Territory at the dawn of the 20th century. In it you will meet protagonist Ruby Fortune, a strong, independent, yes, feminist....
I wish Ms. Fontenot would have sought accurate information before leveling broad accusations and innuendo left and right in her Oct. 5 guest column. Her tone of condescension is offensive. Our volunteers, on the Shelter Bay Community board or directors and its committees give of their time and expertise to us. They deserve our support. Let me add my support for our hardworking staff. I assume Ms. Fontenot studied Shelter Bay lease history before buying a home here and therefore knew to expect rent increases every ten years. All residents have...
We all know in our hearts that America's children are at risk. We all know in our hearts that if God made a girl, she is a girl; and if He made a boy, he is a boy. Please, please, let us pray for this country's children to be protected from those who are changing our children from the God given natural to that which is false and deeply harmful. Let us pray for forgiveness as a nation. We have lost our moral compass on many fronts. What was once celebrated is now condemned! What was once condemned is now celebrated! Those refusing to celebrate...
It is a rare day when you can be loud in a library. Saturday, in La Conner, was one of those days. The new La Conner Swinomish Library on Morris Street was the site of what was fondly dubbed "organized chaos that morning and afternoon." Noise, laughter and joy filled the spacious new facility, a long sought gleaming addition to the town's landscape. Enthusiasm was the word of the day, as it had been since Thursday when children, parents and grandparents began pitching in to move books from the...
By Roberta Fontenot This isn’t just about the clearcut of Shelter Bay’s Rainbow Park. This is about a legal obligation imposed upon the community’s board of directors by the state of Washington to meet certain legal standards of care when acting as representatives of the homeowners. Under the Revised Code of Washington, homeowner association board members are bound by law to act in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern the actions of officers of a corporation. This isn’t about feelings. It’s about a board that lacks the skill...
Gary Ladd was appointed to the Shelter Bay board of directors in September, selected to fill the seat of Rod Proctor. Ladd was chosen from four candidates to finish Proctor’s term, through June 30, 2023. Ladd has been a resident of Shelter Bay since 2014 and chaired the Safety Committee for six years. He volunteers as community relations officer and Good Morning District 13 coordinator with Fire District 13. Source: Shelter Bay Community....
Remember the Birdman of Alcatraz? I am introducing you to the Birdman of Shelter Bay. I'm buying a house in Shelter Bay with different feeding areas, including a bird watering hole. I'm converting one of my patios to a seed station. About 55 years ago, give or take, I was hired to work at a sleep-away camp in New Hampshire. It was a big deal because I was the only one of my friends who could not afford to be a camper, but now I was going as a counselor. The only opening was to be the rifle...
Unpredictable gasoline and heating costs. Reliable electricity. Wars in the middle east and Ukraine. Energy independence. The environment. And more. The energy industry affects almost everything, from the price of groceries to geopolitics. People have reacted to energy issues by developing new technologies and policies for the production, delivery and use of energy. These innovations are being adopted faster than energy professionals believed possible 20 years ago. You are probably aware of...
Will there be any close races in November’s Skagit County elections? The closest primary result, County Commissioner’s Lisa Janicki’s 225 vote, 2.3 percentage margin in her district 3 position, was the biggest August surprise. Republican challenger Christian Burns will have to gain votes countrywide. This is the opposite of Republican Commissioner’s Ron Wesen’s 2020 victory against Mark Lundsten. The Democrat won that August’s primary. Lundsten was beaten by eastern county votes, swamped by then President Trump’s red tide turnout. Jani...
First time candidate Clyde Shavers has won once, topping State Rep. Greg Gilday (R-Camano Island) for his legislative district 10 position 1 seat in the Aug. 2 primary election. Shavers won convincingly in Skagit County, with 58.5% of the vote. Districtwide, it was close, 51.9-47.9% and an almost 2,000 vote margin. Tuesday the remaining 250 or so votes in the three county district were counted and each county’s totals certified. Not all outstanding ballots were in the 10th district. This race is competitive. Gilday can win in November, as D...
Danny Hagen is handily winning his primary race for Skagit County Assessor, replacing his boss, Dave Thomas, who is retiring. The Shelter Bay resident, running as an independent, leads Republican Karie Storle by almost 3,000 ballots and over nine percentage points after Monday’s Aug. 8 vote count. Hagen and Storle will face each other on the November ballot. All county races were between two candidates or had officeholders unopposed. Incumbents were winning handily in every contest. Auditor Sandy Perkins’ portion has dropped to 57.5% of the...
I found the burn ban article (Weekly News Aug. 3) to be poor journalism. Although you admitted professionals "will not speculate," you named a local family and all but accused them of arson. Everything from the title of the article to the description of the scene was speculative and sensationalist. I feel like a legitimate newspaper should take a cue from said professionals and report back to the community when you have actual findings, not feelings. Austin Kinney Shelter Bay...
Danny Hagen is handily winning his race for Skagit County Assessor, replacing his boss, Dave Thomas, who is retiring. The Shelter Bay resident, running as an independent, leads Republican Karie Storle by almost 3,000 ballots and over 11 percentage points after votes were tallied daily Aug. 2-5. Hagen and Storle will face each other on the November ballot. All county races were between two candidates or had officeholders unopposed. Incumbents were winning handily in every contest. Auditor Sandy Perkins continues to have over 59% of the vote and...
A few points in response to Randy Hageman’s pious screed in last week’s Weeky News: Men are responsible for 100% of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Every. Single. One. And, if they have sex 200 times in a year, they can cause 200 pregnancies, while a woman will only get pregnant once in that year, no matter how often she has sex. Yet, Hageman chose to lecture women about responsibility. Obviously, men don’t risk pregnancy when they are irresponsible. Every time they have sex with a woman, they have chosen to risk her health, her caree...
Rainbow Park in Shelter Bay, site of unauthorized tree-cutting in 2020 that led to over $90,000 in fines imposed upon the residential community by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community officials, appears poised for a facelift. The Shelter Bay board of directors agreed to a restoration plan for the park at their July 20 session, viewed as a key first step in tackling issues that headlined the community’s May board elections. “We’re working on settling out a couple of other important issues, with more to follow soon, hopefully,” newly elected board m...
The actress Bo Derek was famous in the 1970s for being considered a perfect 10. Shelter Bay’s Jean Collins has her beat 10-fold. She’s a perfect 100. Collins, famed for her regular one-mile walks at Whitaker Field, was honored Thursday, July 21 at Maple Hall on her 100th birthday. She didn’t get her laps in at the track, but Collins kept up her step count circling the room, greeting the many well-wishers who gathered from near and far to share her special milestone. As proof, shortly after enjoy...
Residents of the La Conner Retirement Inn celebrated life in the fast lane Friday, July 22. The seniors were treated to a three-hour classic car show that featured a dozen vintage vehicles. The event’s People’s Choice Award winner was a 1930 Ford Model A entered by Shelter Bay resident Colin Banks. Balloting was by Retirement Inn residents, said show coordinator Bob Ferari, also of Shelter Bay, who entered “Bella,” his 1957 Chevy Bel-Air. “Since it was the residents who voted,” Ferari told the W...
Nancy Shimeall We thank the Weekly News for its coverage over the past few months of Shelter Bay events, including several topics of interest and concern to the residents. Your editorial of July 13 regarding elections and the importance of voting prompts us to write this letter. Shelter Bay had a 53% turnout for our annual Board of Directors election, more than in recent memory and electing these three new directors was the first step in effecting changes. Through multiple neighborhood gatherings, comments at board meetings and personal...
Here the Magic Skagit mingles into the Bay, sheltered yet centrally located; Swinomish is a place of great healing. People here enjoy a diverse, continuous and bountiful ecosystem. The soil is rich. Water is always accessible. Food is found easily in plentiful amounts. The climate is mild. People are drawn here. Some may realize a portion of why they are drawn here, yet few are fortunate enough to have experienced the full spectrum of its gift. In a field of rich and intoxicatingly beautiful diversity it is easy to loose perspective and take...
