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Summer has been anything but vacation time for Fire District 13 personnel. Service calls, including hospital transports, have continued to follow a six-month upward trend, chief Wood Weiss told fire commissioners during their regular hybrid meeting July 14. Weiss’ mid-year statistics showed that the district had received 636 calls for service since January 1, a significant increase over the same period in 2020 and 2021. The fire district had fielded 538 calls during the first six months of 2020. In 2021, the mid-year count was 567 calls. T...
Town Administrator Scott Thomas is one of five finalists for the top managerial post in Ketchikan, Alaska, the Weekly News learned on Monday. Thomas, an attorney who for more than two decades has served as city attorney for four cities in Washington state, succeeded John Doyle as La Conner’s chief administrator in January 2018. He is interviewing for the dual jobs of city administrator and general manager of the southeast Alaska community’s publicly owned utility, according to Ketchikan radio station KRBD. It posted the city’s news relea...
Danny Hagen’s race for Skagit County Assessor is not his only pursuit these days. The Shelter Bay resident competed in this year’s Skagit Valley Highland Games at Edgewater Park in Mount Vernon on Saturday, July 9. Sport truly trumped politics last weekend for Hagen, an independent who will face Republican Karie Storle in the November general election. As evidence, Hagen donned a kilt and tee-shirt rather than a candidate’s business suit. Hagen has made the local Highland Games compe...
Five years. Two-hundred-sixty issues. Today’s Weekly News is the 261st printed since I bought this newspaper in 2017. Thank you for reading your community newspaper. This issue starts my sixth year as publisher and editor. Still, as I have written before, I own it, but it is your newspaper. What have I learned, covering the community through good times and bad? I am biased as I view our most important institutions, binding greater La Conner together, as the La Conner School District, the Town of La Conner government, the La Conner Regional L...
With your June 26 editorial, you crossed a line Mr. Stern. Referring to former President Trump's supporters, you wrote: "They want a white nation. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans, they want them at least out of the country if not dead." With that one line, you yourself crossed a line. A line of civility, with a strong push towards divisiveness. As I sat somewhat stunned after rereading that line (twice), I began to wonder why you would print such a thing (?). George Soros, BLM and Antifa are hell-bent to divide this country. Are...
New members of the Shelter Bay Board of Directors were issued their oaths of office during a special hybrid meeting July 1. Nancy Shimeall, Dan McCaughan and Judy Kontos, the top three vote-getters in the residential community’s balloting this spring, were sworn into office. The trio of challengers were joined by incumbent Louise Kari, who placed fourth in the May election, but returns to the panel with the June 8 resignation of board chair Jack Galbraith, announced at the board’s June 15 meeting. Elaine Dixon was appointed to fill the boa...
There’s a strong current of support for the Town to order a new fireboat to better protect La Conner’s historic waterfront and local marinas. During the June 28 town council meeting, La Conner Hook & Ladder chief Aaron Reinstra and assistant chief Adam Avery addressed the fire department’s goal to replace its aging fireboat that has been out of service for more than a year. “Having a fireboat on the water,” stressed Avery, “would be a huge advantage for us. You need multiple points of contact.” Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator...
While travel – especially on water – has long been a passion for new Shelter Bay manager Rick Tanner, the Idaho native is thankful to now lay his anchor in La Conner. “La Conner is among the most beautiful places we have ever lived, partly because it offers coastline, small town feel and some of the most beautiful farms and land I have ever seen,” Tanner, who has worked and lived in more than a dozen states, said. Shelter Bay, the 900-home residential community on land leased fro...
I see you're still at it Mr. Stern! Oh, how the liberals love the blame game. Obama blamed Bush. Biden blames Trump. And you sir, as recently as your diatribe June 15, continue to blame Trump for the January 6 incident: "... attempted coup unleashed by then-president Donald Trump." And "... Donald Trump worked to overthrow the government ... ." And "There is the United States flag or the Trump nation flag.” Oh my. Mr. Stern, our current worst-ever president and his handlers have given us the following "achievements" including: Record high a...
Regarding your “Rule of Law or Mob Rule” column, come on man! Your lack of self-awareness and proportionality is simply stunning. Such myopic shrillness and clumsy stereotyping of Republicans is truly beneath a publication that portends to be competent and inclusive. You are better than that. Democracy and the rule of law are indeed under great threat in our country. But a reasonable argument can be made that these threats are much more resident in the ongoing mayhem released upon the American citizenry by Democrats’ embrace of open borde...
School’s out for summer. The next La Conner School District board director elections are in 2023, but this spring the district’s school board made slight adjustments to the five director district boundaries. The 2020 census obliged adjusting director boundaries to match population growth, now over 5,000 residents. The school board voted on new boundaries at its May meeting, adopting maps that adjusted the five district boundaries distributing residents as equally as possible to fairly rep...
Jim peacefully entered heaven on May 8, 2022 at the age of 80 with his wife by his side. He was born on February 12, 1942 to Lucy and Andrew Valenzuela of Madera, CA. He married Mary Alice Rameriz in Coachella, CA at the young age of 17. They were married for 62 years at the time of his death. Jim’s hobbies included wood carving, fishing, football and travel. He took many deep-sea fishing trips with family and was a loyal Seahawk fan to the end, which made for healthy family rivalry, e... Full story
Swinomish and Fire District 13 officials have begun taking steps for a joint community paramedicine program. “It’s still in its infancy stages,” said FD 13 Commissioner J.J. Wilbur at their monthly meeting June 9. He is also a Swinomish Indian Tribal Community senator. “We’ve had preliminary discussions about a potential partnership between Fire District 13 and Swinomish,” said Wilbur, “but it hasn’t gone to the full Senate yet. We’re still doing our homework.” Fire Chief Wood Weiss, firefighter Andrew Schram and the Swinomish Tribal po...
The people have spoken and three newly elected Shelter Bay Homeowners Association board members vow to continue listening. Judy Kontos, Dan McCaughan and Nancy Shimeall were announced as winners at the association’s annual meeting May 21, following the tally of electronic and mail-in ballots. All three committed to fostering sustained dialogue and assuring transparency in decision making, a continuation of the examples they set in their campaigns. Then they met frequently at small neighborhood gatherings. “I’m a good listener,” McCaughan, a two...
For J.J. Wilbur and Skagit County Fire District 13, what is old is new again. Wilbur was appointed to the fire district panel May 12 after a four-month hiatus. He had served as a commission appointee through 2021 but was ineligible to stand for the seat during last year’s election because he was also on the ballot for a La Conner school board position. Veteran firefighter Bobbie Scopa ran unopposed for the open seat. But Scopa resigned as a fire commissioner last winter, due to moving to Arizona. That opened the door for Wilbur – who is a...
It did not rain on the Swinomish Yacht Club’s boat parade Saturday afternoon. But it sure was windy. Fortunately, the dozen or so vessels comprising the opening day flotilla on Swinomish Channel were ready for a wild and woolly ride. The event’s theme, “Jungle Cruise,” showed on several levels. Entries sported décor reflecting the popular 2021 Disney retro action-adventure film of the same name. The handfuls of spectators on both sides of the channel braved chilly gusts to view various si...
La Conner resident Marian Roper passed away peacefully after a very full life, at age 96. Born at home in Camas, Washington, she grew up on a farm next to Lacamas Lake, was an avid swimmer and became a lifeguard at 15, receiving local praise for saving a drowning boy. She was also passionate about music from a young age. She took voice lessons as a young girl and later studied classical voice at Lewis and Clark College. Though her musical training was interrupted by marriage and motherhood,... Full story
Shelter Bay board of director candidates offered a daunting mix of current issues and future goals requiring creative problem-solving and long-range planning during a two-hour April 27 virtual forum. About 100 homeowners from the residential community logged onto the town hall-type format, which featured a briskly paced question-and-answer session with six of the seven candidates. Nancy Shimeall, Judy Kontos, Brad Voorhees, Dan McCaughan, Joe Harper and board treasurer Louise Kari fielded questions relayed through board executive secretary Ann...
On April 13 a meeting of Shelter Bay homeowners was held at Summit Park Grange Hall. It was well attended and all homeowners welcomed. No elected board members chose to attend. The group sponsoring the meeting is called the Rainbow Action Committee (RAC); the name may change as the focus shifts over time. Initial concerns reflected the devastating tree clearing that occurred at Rainbow Park, the excavation of the tree stumps, potentially damaging tribal archaeological artifacts, potential environmental impact (runoff), followed by the...
I would like to thank the La Conner Middle & High School for the wonderful 2022 spring concert on the evening of April 19. It was truly a tribute to the hard work of two teachers, Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Clark and their students! We were amazed at the complexity of some of the numbers! It is great to be able to sit in the audience and hear the music in person once again. I am looking forward to the future and more outstanding concerts. Kay York Shelter Bay...
Thank you for continuing to talk about our existential crisis in your last editorial, “The world after Earth Day.” I am sorry that you have not had anyone else saying that you were not radical enough but let me say it now: you were not radical enough. I have always been a nature-lover and concerned about the environment, but only began really learning about oncoming climate chaos when I retired seven years ago. I cannot believe we have only taken baby steps, and many people are still kicking and screaming about any policy that might appear to...
The La Conner Guitar Festival is back after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Friday, May 13 and ending that Sunday evening, music enthusiasts from La Conner and well beyond will gather in Maple Hall and the Civic Garden Club to experience the festival’s world-class luthier exhibits, workshops and concerts. Luthiers are craftsmen that build or repair guitars and other stringed instruments. Single day tickets and weekend passes can be purchased online or at the door. The box office at Maple Hall will open 9:30 a...
Today, April 27, at 5 p.m Shelter Bay Community residents can attend a Zoom candidates forum to evaluate seven candidates running to fill three positions on their board of directors. Elections are May 21, during the annual membership meeting. Board members have been criticized for their decisions to protect Director Steve Swigert after he clearcut trees in the community’s Rainbow Park in September 2020, improving his property’s view of the Swinomish Channel. The board paid the Swinomish Tribe a $92,513 fine and penalty after indemnifying him. R...
Cindy Vest was in the truest sense born with ink in her veins, to an Everett family long established in the printing business. Her own legacy would be that of serving as the lifeblood of La Conner newspapering through parts of six decades, from the 1970s until her retirement last year. The remarkable impact made in local journalism by Vest, who died April 10 after a brief illness, is best summed up by her friend and former business partner Sandy Stokes. They founded the Weekly News in 2006 with the late Wayne Everton. “There would not be a p...
Judi Slajer passed away peacefully on April 21, 2022, with her husband Tom Rosadiuk, her daughters, and granddaughter by her side.? Judi was born on July 29, 1941 in Grayling, MI to parents Horace Gray Sabine and Margaret Veronica Scherer. The U.S. Forest Service transferred her father to Leavenworth, WA where Gray worked as a forester and Margaret was a teacher at the local school. Judi and her big brother Robert spent their summers in the woods around Lake Wenatchee camping, winter skiing and... Full story
