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It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. Having first blamed the sun and moon for the collapse of net pens at its fish farm off Cypress Island that allowed one quarter million Atlantic salmon to escape into area waters last August, Cooke Aquaculture was swept under by a recent State-led investigation and tidal wave of testimony in Olympia. The state Department of Ecology announced last week it is fining Cooke $332,000 – a little more than a buck per escaped fish –for alleged poor cleaning and maintenance that led to the buildup of t...
If the 21st century plays out as the 20th century did in terms of development, diminution of resources, unabated population growth and persistent pollution, we are doomed. Or, rather our grandchildren and their grandchildren are doomed. Toast. Our only recourse? Ensure owl habitat. Paul Bannick is not pessimistic. Many La Connerites were among the 350 people packing Maple Hall for his talk during the first birding showcase two weeks ago. Bannick’s message was hopeful: “just” appreciate owls and their habitats, and protect those habitats. It is...
The new semester at La Conner Schools picked up STEAM on several levels last week. Teacher Steve DeLeon’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) class was part of the equation at the 19th annual “Storming the Sound” conference here on Jan. 25. The regional event drew at least 177 environmental educators, journalists, artists, college faculty, students and state agency personnel to La Conner. An overflow crowd, including the La Conner High contingent, gathered at Maple Hall to hear keynote speaker Ginny Boadhurst, now the inaug...
An already short-handed Public Works Department was literally swamped last week when an aging Town water line on La Conner-Whitney Road north of Peth’s Corner ruptured in three places Jan. 8 and 9, leaving the area temporarily without service. The five-member work crew, including department head Brian Lease, toiled overtime between McLean and Young Roads to fix the leaks and restore water to affected homes. But more work remains to be done. The Town and a private contractor are tentatively s...
Active in the Skagit Valley and nationally Sister District, a grassroots, volunteer organization with local teams throughout the nation, including the Skagit Valley, has identified a pragmatic strategy that is helping win elections. Five women from the San Francisco Bay area started Sister District on the heels of the 2016 presidential election. Their goal is “to help Democrats win critical legislative seats” and their political strategy is unusual – Sister District pairs residents in “blue states,” those with elected officials who are...
Driving through California’s Sonoma County wine country with my brother and his wife, we weren’t tourists: we drive the main highway to their wine club membership winery. Five miles from their house, Cindy said, “this is as close as the fires came.” A half hour later Phil pointed out trees green on top and brown below, telltale sign where the fires had been. And then there were chimneys on concrete foundations, hulks of burnt out cars and banner signs thanking first responders. The first two seem post war zone, the last are from a grateful comm...
La Conner Schools are thriving. I feel so blessed to be in such an amazing school district surrounded by a caring, involved and supportive community. Thank you to everyone who is part of our success. As we look ahead to what we expect to focus on in 2018, a few themes come to mind. Relationships. We are a people business, and spending time strengthening our relationships is a critical priority. Both within our district as well as the larger community, we hope to build more connections. An excellent example of this is our new and improved after...
Scott Thomas’s first official day of work was Jan. 2, but he took time from moving into his third-floor office in Town Hall to speak with the Weekly News last week. Thomas, 58, was chosen by Mayor Ramon Hayes to be La Conner’s administrator and attorney in November. Thomas says “La Conner feels somewhat comfortable. In a lot of respects, it’s like coming home.” He grew up in Nebraska and reflected that his mother’s hometown held 300 to 400 people and his father’s town was less than 30. He’s...
It is true: government regulations save lives. Best to not mince words: Congress has blood on its hands. For 50 years, at the behest of their lobbyist puppet masters, they throttled regulations the National Transportation Safety Board meant for railroads to adopt. What did the lobbyists win? Reprieve from having to install automatic braking equipment, called positive train control. Again and again Congress extended the implementation deadline. The cost to the American people since 1970: 298 deaths, 6,763 injuries and some $385 million in...
“Year Zero” of “Birds of Winter: A Skagit Valley Experience” has officially fledged. Andrew Miller, from EDASC (Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County), is working with the county’s chambers of commerce and a wide variety of non-profits, institutions and citizens toward what he hopes will become an annual economic, educational, and environmental bonanza . Miller led a meeting attended by some 30 of these representatives Dec. 11. He told the group “An exciting aspect of the ‘Birds of Winter’ is that it spans the entire county –...
After reading the La Conner Weekly of November 29, 2017, I find it very compelling to respond. What makes you think that the citizens of La Conner are not content with the present environment? Visions can be ones own identity and not represent the body as a whole. Mr. Phillips, leave the town alone and enjoy what it offers, natural, unmolested beauty. I believe visitors are drawn to La Conner for what it doesn’t offer. Why must you alter our town? Terry Suit Class of 1960 Go Braves...
If life is complex – and it is – consider how much more complex ecosystems are. About those orcas not getting enough salmon, their primary food source, the editorial in last week’s paper. Scientific research finds fellow marine mammals, seals and sea lions, are feeding on salmon disproportionately. Yes, humans are taking salmon, but they are not the only mammals and maybe not the primary cause of salmon decline. So, thanks to a Facebook post responding to my editorial and a link to the Seattle Times article about ongoing research a...
Ward Phillips may be a prophet, but it is possible that his greatest role is that of a catalyst, moving the volatile mix of community and commerce forward at a faster pace than might naturally occur. If he is a prophet, offering a vision of making La Conner great-er, again, it is still up to us, the people, as elected officials, merchants, landlords, artists, teachers, parents and citizens – all of us – to take the prophet’s cry and shape it into a reality and future that is to our liking. And maybe Mr. Phillips is blowing in the w...
Exercise is just what the doctor ordered for Yvonne Naughton. It’s advice she doesn’t ignore because she literally wrote her own prescription. The 40-year-old Irish-born doctor, who had been an award-winning athlete in her youth, drifted off-track, so to speak, after a ruptured appendix and subsequent second surgery put her distance running on hold. So did life in general. “The next 13 years or so flashed past in a blur,” Naughton, who lives and trains in the SneeOosh area near La Conner,...
“Water and sky, mountain and forest, clad in sunshine and clouds, are composed in landscapes sublime in magnitude, yet exquisitely fine and fresh, and full of glad, rejoicing life.” A tender, gentle love note to Puget Sound delivered by perhaps the most deft hand possible: John Muir. He marveled in 1889 at the abundant wildlife, the “beautiful curves around bays,” and “the islands, with soft, waving outlines, lavishly adorned with spruces and cedars.” His words paint a picture of a land of ric...
Homeowners and businesses in Fire District 13 can lower their fire insurance premiums with the District earning a Protection Class 6 fire rating. This gain from its Class 7 rating became effective August 1. It is based on an audit last winter from the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau, WSRB, which underwrites property and provides fire protection ratings for the insurance industry. “Each rate dropping saves some $150, average, in insurance premiums,” said Roy Horn, chief of Skagit County Fire District 13. “We’ve dropped from eight to six i...
An attorney with the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office sent a letter to an attorney for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community seeking clarification on jurisdiction the tribe claims in proposed changes to its tribal constitution. An amendment to the Swinomish constitution states that the tribe will have jurisdiction “over all persons, subjects, property and activities occurring within … the Tribe’s usual and accustomed fishing grounds and stations and all open and unclaimed lands…” In other words, not just on the Swinomish Reserva...
Kwami Taha, a well-known La Conner resident and a former Son of Harlem, New York, died at age 79 on Thursday, February 17 at Abrazo Central Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Kwami was born April 11, 1937, and raised in Harlem, New York. A Golden Gloves competitor, Kwami served in the Korean War as a maintenance airman before returning home to a bourgeoning Civil Rights movement. His vision, leadership, and focus on young people were instrumental in developing a blueprint for Harlem’s response to rac...
The 15 fidgeting and excited 5-year-olds began their kindergarten through 12th-grade journey on Tuesday with La Conner Elementary teacher Judy Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known as “Mrs. Z,” corralled her rambunctious charges into a half circle, sitting quietly as she flipped through a picture book describing the story while animatedly explaining school rules. She covered the basics — how to use the classroom bathroom, with its high-tech light sensors and automatic soap dispensers. She told them they will have to listen attentively as the...
As I was mopping the library bathroom a few weeks ago after a storm, I bemoaned the fact we’re not yet building our new library. The bathroom flooding is just one symptom we’re dealing with in a building that lacks what we need in a 21st century library. In a hard rain the water backs up because of the drains and comes into the library through the bathroom fan vent. I fully expect to see mushrooms pop up in the carpet in front of the bathroom after all the times it has been soaked. The current building has a severe lack of space for acc...
Local drivers should avoid Highway 20 this weekend, and boaters should steer clear of Padilla and Fidalgo bays, as county officials are expecting long delays and congestion with thousands of protestors expected to converge on March’s Point. “Break Free PNW” has organized a three-day event centered on the refineries on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Besides the protest against fossil fuels by a gazillion kayakers, other groups are expected to join in. On Saturday the official protest schedule includes an Indigenous Day of Action, aimed at prote...
One thing was very obvious to the people attending the La Conner School District budget workshops — the school staff has been working very hard to find places the district can cut costs. Monday’s was the fourth in the seven-workshop series and like the others was attended mostly by school employees and a few taxpayers with no school ties. School Superintendent Tim Bruce told the group that nearly 80 percent of the school budget goes toward teacher and staff pay. “Think about keeping a quality teacher in every classroom,” he said. Shoul...
Preseason workouts are still a few weeks away, yet the La Conner High football team already has a heads-up on its foes. Literally. The Braves have adopted use of the Riddell InSite helmet, a sensor technology headgear with a monitor that alerts coaches and sideline staff when a player experiences a significant hit or multiple impacts during a game or practice. The La Conner football program, according to Super-intendent Tim Bruce and head football coach Johnny Lee, will be the first in Washingto...
A La Conner Town Council member has gone the extra mile — and then some — to meet folks from all walks of life. Jacques Brunisholz is home after having completed a 500-mile section of the scenic Pacific Crest Trail, part of America’s famed Triple Crown of Hiking. The 61-year-old Brunisholz says it’s the toughest thing he’s ever done. Even harder than hitting the campaign trail in La Conner. “It’s just an overwhelmingly difficult thing to do, physically and mentally,” Brunisholz...
Close to 100 people turned out for the ribbon-cutting celebrating the completion of the first phase of La Conner’s boardwalk, the dedication of a little park and pergola named for Fred Martin, and the start of the next phase that will take the waterfront feature the rest of the way through town. Elected officials and local dignitaries gathered on May 28 and patted each other on the back for their roles in a project aimed at boosting the local economy. “All of Skagit County is going to ben...
