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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...
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...
As office seekers and voters alike focused on which way political winds were blowing, it was a meteorological windstorm that grabbed attention in the La Conner area Monday afternoon. Gusts of up to 60 mph snapped off sections of trees in the Snee-Oosh Road area, occasionally bringing down power lines and causing short-term interruptions of electrical service. Power was out on at least some part of Pull and Be Damned Road till about 3 a.m. Tuesday. Some homes in Shelter Bay lost power for at least a couple of hours. Indian Road was closed to...
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Help get all ballots counted quickly: * Vote and return your ballot now * Sign your ballot return envelope * Mail your ballot by Oct. 30 so it’s postmarked no later than Nov. 5 Place ballots in a Skagit County drop box by 8 p.m. Nov. 5. La Conner-area election drop boxes: * 614 Morris St. (in front of the old library) * 17337 Reservation Road (Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Social Services Building) You can register to vote on Election Day. For voting information, check VoteWa.gov or call Skagit County E...
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Help get all ballots counted quickly: Vote and return your ballot now. Sign your ballot return envelope. Mail your ballot by Oct. 30 so it’s postmarked no later than Nov. 5. Use a county dropbox. Place ballots in a drop box by 8 p.m. Nov. 5. La Conner-area election drop boxes: 614 Morris Street (in front of the old library) 17337 Reservation Road (Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Social Services Building) You can register to vote on Election Day. Voting information: register at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County E...
Today’s small-scale renewable energy generation and storage systems don’t have to be placed exclusively at big, centralized locations. It’s easier than ever to distribute electric generation and energy storage systems near places where energy is actually used. Distributed energy resources (DERs) have advantages over legacy systems based on huge power generation plants. Installing small generation systems at multiple points, instead of big systems at a few locations, can improve relia...
Local firefighters who mobilized to battle the massive summerlong blaze in Chelan County near Stehekin had reason to be rattled. A Skagit County Fire District 13 crew on scene twice had rattlesnakes approach their tent. In addition, a bear was spotted in the area where the District 13 firefighters, led by Battalion Chief Jamie Jurdi, were assigned. Jurdi related his team’s three-week stay in the area around Lake Chelan during the District 13 Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 12. The District 13 firefighters were among those units from t...
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF SUMMARY ORDINANCE 1250 Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of La Conner, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 1250 at the August 27, 2024 Town Council meeting. A summary of Ordinance No. 1250 is as follows: An Ordinance amending Titles 5 of the La Conner’s Uniform Development Code Complete copies of Ordinance No. 1250 are available at La Conner Town Hall, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257 Dated this 29th Day of August, 2024 /s/ ____________ Maria DeGoede, Town Clerk Published in the La Conner W...
Dredging in the Swinomish Channel will begin Sept. 9 and continue until mid-February, says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Last dredged in 2018, the 11-mile long, 100-feet wide, 12-feet deep federal navigation channel is dredged every four to six years because “navigation through the channel is essential for commerce in the area,” said Sara Young, executive director of the Port of Skagit. Most of the work during the round-the-clock, six-days-a-week project will take place at the entrances of the channel. At the south end, the Skagit Rive...
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR SKAGIT COUNTY KEITH DEWEY, as his separate property Plaintiff vs. THE HEIRS & DEVISEES OF ROY E. HAGIN, Deceased; THE HEIRS & DEVISEES OF NELLIE E. HAGIN, Deceased; THE HEIRS & DEVISEES OF LEONARD E. HAGIN, Deceased; THE HEIRS & DEVISEES OF DOROTHY HAGIN, Deceased; AND ALL OTHER PERSONS UNKNOWN CLAIMING ANY INTEREST IN OR TO THE SUBJECT REAL PROPERTY Defendants № 24-2-00745-29 SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION THE STATE OF WASHINGTON TO: ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN CLAIMING ANY INTEREST IN OR TO THE SUBJECT REAL PROPERTY, D...
TOWN OF LA CONNER PUBLIC NOTICE FOR LODGING TAX FUNDING The Town of La Conner is accepting requests for Hotel/Motel tax distributions for budget year 2025. The 2025 Lodging Tax Fund Request for Proposal may be found on the Town website under the Finance Department at www.townoflaconner.org. All requests must be received (no postmarks) at La Conner Town Hall, 204 Douglas, PO Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257 by 3:30 p.m. on September 9, 2024. Please address any questions to Maria DeGoede, Finance Director, at [email protected]...
New hire, familiar face. John Tanaka, who was its assistant chief a decade ago, is returning to Skagit County Fire District 13 near La Conner as a paid consultant to help develop long-range plans for expanded services. Tanaka's resume is filled with fire service experience. Along with his stint with District 13, Tanaka has been a fire captain in Everett, a fire response lecturer and instructor, a consultant to several other departments and consulted on a project to rebuild statewide...
Perhaps the largest gathering yet met for the 10th March Against Addiction last Wednesday, a stirring and emotional four-mile trek through Swinomish Village neighborhoods to raise awareness and offer support to combat the opioid crisis. Federal lawmakers weren’t there but were clearly in step. Seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week co-sponsored bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, to give tribal courts and law enforcement agencies more tools and resources to battle the nation’s devastating opi...
Last week to vote: Aug. 6 is Election Day! Help get all ballots counted quickly: • Vote and return your ballot now • Sign your ballot envelope • Use a county drop box • Mail your ballot in time to get an Aug. 6 postmark Election drop boxes nearby: 614 Morris St. Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: Social Services Building, 17337 Reservation Road. Voting information and register to vote at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County Elections: 360-416-1702....
What a difference a year makes. Last summer, La Conner School District officials required a budget extension that forecasted a negative general fund balance, the result of declining student enrollment and loss of pandemic-related federal dollars. That dire scenario landed La Conner in binding conditions, essentially giving the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction oversight of La Conner’s finances. On Monday, the school board approved what it called a “lean” $13 million budget for 2024-25 that projects revenues exceeding expen...
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF ORDINANCE APPROVAL Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of La Conner, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 1248 at the July 23, 2024, Town Council meeting. A summary of Ordinance No. 1248 is as follows: An Ordinance revising Section 3.60.100 of the La Conner Municipal Code (Facility Rental Fees). Complete copies of Ordinance No. 1248 are available at La Conner Town Hall, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257 Dated this 24th Day of July, 2024. /s/___________ Maria DeGoede, Town Clerk Published in the La...
Seattle-area graduate students took a field trip to La Conner and the Swinomish Reservation last Wednesday and afterward gave the Swinomish Tribe high marks for its focus on environmental protection. Dubbed the Climate Impacts Group and led by University of Washington research scientist Rishi Sugla, the students met here with tribal leaders for a daylong tour that included a stop at the Swinomish Clam Garden, the first modern version in the country of an ancient form of aquaculture. The clam...
Time to cast your ballot! Help get all ballots counted quickly: • Vote and return your ballot now • Sign your ballot envelope • Use a county drop box • Mail your ballot by Aug. 1 Election drop boxes nearby: 614 Morris Street Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: Social Services Building, 17337 Reservation Road. Online voter registration deadline is July 30. Voting information and register to vote at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County Elections: 360-416-1702....
A month ago, Skagit County Fire District 13 Chief Wood Weiss assigned crews to cover two 12-hour shifts per week at the Summit Park station on a trial basis. Initial reviews are in. So far, so good. “We’ve had some really busy days,” Capt. Chris Olbu told fire commissioners during their July 18 public meeting. “There’s also an increased probability of getting more transports.” Weiss said early returns on the trial program merit its continuation. “The rapid response to the north end of the district has been of benefit to our citizens,” he said....
The August primary election is here. Ballots will be mailed by Friday, July 19. Last week, Skagit County voters received the county’s official local voter’s pamphlet, mailed by the county elections office. Voters will choose candidates for the Nov. 5 elections for a U.S. senator, Congressional District 2 representative, 11 statewide offices for governor through insurance commissioner and a state supreme court justice. La Conner area voters reside in state legislative district 10. The senate seat and LD 10 Position 1 are contested. Can...
If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, area firefighters and emergency responders are perfectly practiced and practically perfect. This after Swinomish Reservation and the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina were sites last week of major multi-department training exercises that participants lauded afterward for their realism and long-term value. Skagit County Fire District 13 Training Officer Capt. Chris Olbu scripted a drill for June 26 that challenged several agencies, led by La...
Last week the Federal District Court in Seattle entered a final decision in a case brought by the Swinomish Tribe against BNSF Railway and ordered the railway to pay $395 million to the tribe for illegal trespass across tribal lands from 2012 to 2021. This amount represents the net profit the railway made while it intentionally violated limitations contained in an easement agreement the railway signed in 1991. While the decision will likely be appealed and litigation will continue, it reflects t...
BNSF Railway Co. must pay the Swinomish tribe $395 million for violating the terms of an agreement that allowed the railroad to run trains across a strip of the tribe's land in northwest Washington, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled last year against the railroad for trespassing between 2012 and 2021 as it sent trains carrying crude oil from North Dakota through the Swinomish Reservation, en route to refineries near Anacortes. Determining what amount of money...
The public is invited to celebrate Pride Month with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community with events on Thursday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 26. At noon June 20, celebrate pride on the longest day of the year in the Cedar Hats Pavillions at swadabs Park on the Swinomish Channel. Pick up your Swinomish Pride Day shirt. Enjoy lunch, snow cones, a bouncy house, art and sign making. Listen to hip hop by “Reservation Dogs” composer Mato Wayuhi. On June 26, Swinomish Pride Day car parade and community dinner begins at 4:30 p.m. at John K. Bob Bal...
Drill, baby, drill. It’s not just a Sarah Palin slogan. Locally, it’s the approach Skagit County Fire District 13 is taking to prepare for emergency and disaster scenarios in greater La Conner. The fire district has planned two major training drills this month – a June 26 exercise at the La Conner Marina and a wildland fire practice session June 27 on the Swinomish Reservation. The district held a windstorm training exercise on March 30. The drills are designed to prepare fire district personnel and neighboring firefighters and emergency medic...
