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OLYMPIA – As our climate changes, the threat of wildfires looms larger. The Washington state Department of Health is urging the public to prepare for smoke that can make air unhealthy to breathe. Smoke Ready Week, June 12-16, is an opportunity to take proactive steps to protect yourself and your family. “We are expecting to have above normal fire activity in Washington by July,” said Kaitlyn Kelly, MPH, air quality policy specialist, DOH. “We have an outlook for below normal precipitation and that’s going to last into fall, so condition...
A few days ago, one of the people I was talking with at the coffee shop asked me whether a possible ban on gas stoves is real, or just another straw-man argument designed to rile up the public in search of television ratings. It’s a real issue. Several cities, starting with Berkeley, California in 2019, banned new natural gas connections to residential and commercial buildings. The primary purpose of these laws is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eliminating natural gas as a fuel supply f...
La Conner Schools, which is considering installation of a campus garden, knows it cannot plant a money tree to solve the district’s present fiscal crunch. But sometimes unexpected financial windfalls appear seemingly out of nowhere without anyone having gone out on a limb to shake loose the funds. The district has received such a surprise, receiving $258,000 in federal impact aid monies, designed to assist districts with tax-exempt federal property such as military bases or Indian trust lands. The allocation wasn’t anticipated at this tim...
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners hosted their annual Welcome Summer Plant Fair May 13. This was the 29th year the Master Gardeners have held the Plant Fair and again, it was a rousing success. Every year on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, the Skagit Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon transforms into a gardener and would be gardeners’ delight. More than 130 certified Master Gardeners and volunteers – plus about 20 family and friends – grew all the plants that were available for purchase, including over 3,000 tomato plants. Our greeter...
During the hectic, fluid and complex process of the 2023 legislative session, I wanted to keep our priorities front and center. I’ve been fighting to help our low-income and working families, support our veterans and military families, protect and preserve our environment, provide our students more opportunities and ensure our rural counties and cities have the resources they need to keep our communities strong. We’ve made significant progress and I wanted to share some successes we’ve had t...
Politics is by nature a social science. But, in Shelter Bay, questions have arisen over whether there should be a separation of politics and social gatherings, akin to that of church and state. The community’s social and recreation committee canceled a Cinco de Mayo celebration scheduled last Thursday afternoon following publication in the Weekly News the day before of an ad that invited those attending to meet candidates seeking election to the Shelter Bay Board of Directors while enjoying their favorite adult beverages. Shelter Bay Board P...
A true original has left us. Gordon Godfrey weighed anchor and headed for the 19th hole in the wee hours of March 28th, 2023. He was surrounded by his family, and we spent his last afternoon sharing with him an imaginary round of golf that was taking place in his head, mostly at the 4th and 5th hole of the Vashon Island golf course. His wit and sense of humor were intact until the last. His wife, Jane, announced that she had just hit a hole-in-one, and he informed her that she hit the ball into...
The annual Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Fair, an always exciting event, kicks off the Skagit Valley Gardener's summer with thousands of quality garden plants for sale, all locally grown and chosen for success in our Skagit Valley environment. When and where The Annual Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Fair is set for May 13, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Skagit County Fairgrounds, 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon. Parking is free – admission is free and the fun a...
Employers would be prohibited from denying a person a job for their non-work-related cannabis use in a bill passed by the state Senate 28-21 and the House of Representatives 57-41. There is one difference between the two bills. The House legislations excludes people seeking positions as a first responder, corrections officer, a law enforcement agency or a fire department. Both bills exclude applicants in the aviation and aerospace industries because of federal transportation rules. Beyond those exemptions, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5123...
The $40,187 reported in sales tax revenues to the La Conner Town Council for March by the state’s Department of Revenue is the second highest ever, only behind 2022’s record $44,210. It exceeds $40,000 for only the second time and is 20% above 2021, the third highest March report. The Special Use Fire Tax Revenues also dipped from 2022, by $314, 7.4%, below $4,000, barely, to $3,924, but still the second highest ever March total. Tourists still stayed overnight, creating record revenues for the Town’s hotel/motel tax, $8,083, the highest March...
The opportunity to be involved in a new library project in the community we chose to move to in 2007 has been a once in a lifetime experience. I’m grateful to have been able to work with so many who were dedicated to a shared vision that united our community. After a 20-year dream of the Friends of the Library, and an all-out effort over the past 10 years, our “little library that could” made it happen. Thank you to the La Conner Library board of trustees for your commitment to the new library. You held fast to the goal of a building design and...
The Skagit Valley’s environment and economy has been shaped over time by changes in our climate and land use. Some of these changes have resulted in devastating impacts to our communities, including floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires. In 2021, our farmers and farmworkers witnessed one of their driest years with record low rainfall in spring and a vicious heat wave in summer. By late July, the Washington Department of Ecology issued a drought emergency as farmers dealt with dry conditions...
SWINOMISH RESERVATION -The "active cleanup of the diesel spill caused by the early Thursday morning derailment of two BNSF locomotives" was ending early Saturday afternoon, Bill Dunbar, U.S. EPA public affairs staff reported. He gave estimates that approximately 2,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 4,300 gallons of groundwater were removed from the site, with fewer than 50 gallons of diesel fuel in the groundwater. No diesel reached the shoreline, and no impacts to fish or wildlife have...
Seems like banks and railroads are failing all around us. No one is really surprised, from corporate CEOs to congressional committees and Congress, period, to front line workers driving engines and managing branches or federal and state regulators at every agency. Train cars and locomotives jumping the tracks in East Palestine and Springfield, Ohio or nearby, behind the Swinomish Casino? Banks failing in California, New York and, now, Switzerland? The new normal is business as usual. Big companies are always failing. Big companies are always no...
The status of salmon in Washington state is not good and will not improve markedly without a substantial, sustained increase in funding, Gov. Jay Inslee’s Salmon Recovery Office State of Salmon in Watersheds report summarizes. The status: “Fourteen population groups of steelhead trout and Chinook, coho, chum, and sockeye salmon in Washington State are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.” The assessment is blunt: “No salmon species have been removed from the federal Endangered Species Act list in Washing...
To those who are concerned from a Skagitonian. Choosing an environment to enhance a business when you’re young, or to enrich each day when you’re old becomes a vital decision. My family members chose Washington state’s Skagit County and have never regretted it. Farms with verdant fields framed by magnificent mountain ranges enhance every outing. Space allows eyes to absorb and minds to respond to our natural beauty. To block the openness with a commercial sign threatening this healthy, developing opportunity is a travesty. I implore you to co...
Washington has a proud history of agricultural leadership. Here in Skagit County, we have one of the largest and most diverse agricultural communities west of the Cascade Mountains. Island County is home to an ecosystem of organic and school district farms, training programs and community supported agriculture. We have a lot to be proud of – and a lot to protect. Agriculture should be home-grown and family owned. Local farmers mean a stronger local food pipeline, more robust local economy and a...
La Conner area residents are invited to engage this week and next with the two local institutions that define and make a difference in our lives. This is where citizens can have the most impact, making self-governing a reality. Your participation is needed first Saturday in a Town community conversation for the development of a communication plan. La Conner’s Council seeks conversation with citizens to clearly define the priorities, strategies and tools the town will use to communicate with the community. Open communication facilitates p...
Normal lasted less than 24 hours last week after La Conner weathered heavy snowfall and thick ice before Christmas that brought the community to a virtual standstill. Winter king tides along with high westerly winds and low barometric pressure contributing to steady rain and rapid melt-off combined to produce flood conditions causing significant damage to more than a dozen homes and businesses in the town's low-lying areas from Sherman Street (south) to State Street (north) and downtown last...
We are Youth for the Environment and People – a cohort of Skagit County teens working to complete a climate action project. Our project will improve food composting at Sedro-Woolley High School and educate about the importance of composting. Here we discuss how food waste contributes to climate change and how composting can limit its negative impacts. Food waste is a big contributor to climate change. When people waste food, scraps usually end up in landfills, where they start to release methane, a greenhouse gas. Methane contributes to climate...
A growing legal movement seeks to recognize the rights of nature. Activists in the Northwest are celebrating a first here: the city of Port Townsend, Washington, recognized the inherent rights of Southern Resident orcas Dec. 5. The City’s mayor signed a proclamation Monday night, urging action by local, state, federal and tribal governments to protect those rights – and the ecosystems on which they depend. “Whereas the Southern Resident Orcas are culturally, spiritually and economically important to the people of Washington State and the world...
La Conner school board members approved a new district civility policy promoting mutual respect and a positive learning environment throughout the district at its Nov. 28 meeting. This builds on an earlier policy addressing student use of telecommunication devices as part of a campaign to curb bullying. Student school board representative Taylor-Rae Cayou said bullying issues related to uncivil behavior and mental health awareness were topics of discussion at the Washington State School Directors Association conference. “I’m excited you went (t...
By April Grossruck Come on down to Skagit Cellars Winery tasting room this week to view and bid on over 50 original artworks to benefit Predators of the Heart. Bid now and come to the auction on Dec. 10, 5-7pm. Predators of the Heart is a 501(c)3 nonprofit wildlife sanctuary and education and conservation center in Anacortes. Our mission is to educate children and adults about wildlife, to build a culture of respect and compassion towards wild animals and the environment. We strongly believe...
More than a year after her passing, the legacy of the late Lorraine Loomis continues to grow. Loomis, a longtime Swinomish Tribal Community fisheries manager who served seven years as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, will be honored posthumously Nov. 30 in Seattle as recipient of a Do Epic Award presented by Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. The memory of Loomis, who died in August of 2021 at age 81, will be celebrated at the Seattle Convention Center during a 12 p.m. ceremony next Wednesday....
Is it possible to reduce your energy bill and carbon dioxide emissions and get air conditioning for a home that didn't have it, all at the same time? Sometimes it is. Changing your home's climate control system to a heat pump, from the typical Washington combination of a gas furnace or electric resistance units and no air conditioner, may reduce your energy costs significantly even though doing this adds air conditioning. You are likely to save more energy during the heating season while the...
