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Fire District 13 Commission Chairman Larry Kibbee, under whose leadership the department has made key strides in his 15 months as chair, will be stepping away from public service next month. Kibbee announced during the Fire District’s Zoom meeting Jan. 28 that he will vacate his commission seat effective March 1. He has already resigned as Region 5 representative with the Washington Fire Commissioners Association. Kibbee plans to move outside the Fire District. He said he will elaborate more on his decision at the Feb. 25 commission meeting. Co...
Joseph Carroll Pratt, Jr. (aka Jim), husband of Virginia Sanford, passed away on February 2nd, 2021 at their Dan Street home in La Conner. Jim had been ill from cancer for some time. His two sons, Steven and Matthew, were with him for several days. By his choice, there will be no local services. He will be laid to rest next to his parents at Riverview Heights Cemetery in Kennewick WA. Joseph was born to J.C. Pratt Sr. and Blanche Pratt in Kennewick in 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy during and...
“In 1960, all the people in Washington (state) could fit into King County today. That’s how much we’ve grown.” Director of Skagit County Planning and Development Services Hal Hart was addressing the 50 participants in the sixth annual – and first virtual – Skagit Ag Summit. The Jan. 29 event’s 16 presentations focused on water, opportunities and threats facing agriculture and economic viability and development. Threats first. While the pressure of growth and development on agricultu...
Ferries are not just green-and-white boats to the families and businesses of the 10th District. To us, those boats are vital connections to work, school, and services like doctors and dentists. Reliable ferries are essential to our local economy and quality of life. So how can we improve ferry service today – and build a system that will work for the next 100 years? Part of the answer is we have to work together. I formed the Ferry Caucus alongside Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), creating...
ELMYRA POWELL NELSON DALTON ZEHNER Born Elmyra Marie Powell on October 16, 1922, Elmyra Zehner died from heart failure in early August 2020 at her home overlooking the Cascade foothills in Mt. Vernon, Washington. She was much beloved by family and friends, and will be sorely missed. Her indomitable spirit inspired us all! She was 97 and had hoped to live until her 98th birthday to vote for President-Elect Joe Biden. She is survived by her sisters Inez (Bud) of Burlington, Washington, and Hallie...
The Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA) has a reputation throughout the region for its many must-see exhibits. Now the downtown cultural center is itself being eyed for a new look. MoNA officials last week outlined for La Conner Planning Commissioners preliminary plans to expand services, address lingering structural issues and acquire nearby office space to continue its mission of connecting the public with Northwest art, cultures and environments. MoNA Executive Director Joanna Sikes, board chair...
Ann Wilder, a long-time resident of La Conner, WA and formerly of Grapeview, WA passed away in Anacortes, WA on Friday, January 15, 2021. She was born in St. Louis, MO, on June 20, 1932, to Paul and Norma Burgoldt. As a young child, Ann went to Catholic boarding school with her sister Jean, and later went to elementary/middle school in Minneapolis. They embraced wintertime and used to skate the river between towns. By high school, Ann was living in Connecticut and graduated from Greenwich High...
That motorhome parked in the Retirement Inn parking lot Sunday was not from an out of town family but a more important visitor: a crew from Consonus Pharmacy bringing a supply of the first of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine to Inn residents and staff. By 3 p.m., the end of the six hour vaccination clinic, almost all residents and staff had been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. The Inn’s lobby was refashioned, with Executive Director Christina James registering people and getting consent f...
Before Feb. 9 we have a chance to improve La Conner Schools. The La Conner School District replacement levy vote will provide for educational programs and operations that are either not funded or seriously underfunded by the state. The renewal of this levy will focus on enhanced offerings in STEAM classwork (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). Also included will be extra-curricular activities and athletics, extended day learning, special education services and safety improvements for the schools. The proposed four year...
The La Conner Planning Commission has been around for more than a half-century yet has no qualms about sporting new wrinkles. It enters 2021 with replacements in its lineup. These were unveiled at the Town Council’s Jan. 12 meeting, once again teleconferenced on Zoom. For starters, the commission will be led by a new Town Planner. Kevin Cricchio has been tabbed by Town Council members to succeed Town Planner Marianne Manville-Ailles, who has accepted a full-time position with the City of Mount Vernon. Cricchio has prior planning experience w...
Interim superintendent Rich Stewart has been a virtual presence around greater La Conner in recent days. Stewart, who assumed the district helm last July, has given a series of Zoom presentations to the Town Council, Swinomish Tribal Senate and local service organizations and residents, outlining the upcoming La Conner Schools replacement levy proposal. The Feb. 9 ballot measure seeks to collect $1.45 per $1,000 assessed taxable property value, a five-cent decrease from the rate district voters approved in 2019, Stewart explained to Council...
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the “Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery” proclamation he introduced last week on Monday, Jan. 11. The plan uses a two phase and regional approach to evaluate progress in reducing the coronavirus pandemic and opening the state’s economy. All regions start in Phase 1. Skagit County is in the North Region with Island, San Juan and Whatcom counties. Phase 1 continues the governor’s limits on people’s abilities to engage in economic and social activities. Restaurants cannot have indoor dining and limits are placed on...
My focus for the 2021 session is simple: how can we help families, schools and businesses recover from this pandemic? It is critical that we support a sustainable economy that allows all members of our community to thrive. The Legislature and our state must prioritize economic development and recovery in rural communities, sustained environmental and economic health, and better access to higher education and family-wage jobs. Here are my top legislative priorities: Jobs – I am working on legislation that will continue to champion key K-12...
Monday, Jan. 5 11:37 a.m.: Went which way? – Report of a speeding vehicle. Deputies conducted a patrol check. Maple Ave. / Morris St., La Conner. 12:18 p.m.: Not left behind – Report of an abandoned truck towing an RV. Deputies tagged the vehicle for removal. Deputies returned the next day to check on the vehicle and it was gone. Fir Island / Dike Rds., Conway. Tuesday, Jan. 6 7:59 a.m.: Right with God – Deputies responded to a report of a suspicious “Environmental Services” van. The van was last seen in the parking lot of...
Davis will turn lights off for last time Mary Davis Vintage Lighting is the brick-and-mortar embodiment of a four decades-long passion. By day, in her younger years, Davis pursued a retail management career. By night she tracked down vintage lighting for herself and her friends from the basement of her home in Seattle. Moving to La Conner and opening her store sharpened her eye for lighting design. It is a gift she has shared with customers who want a single lamp and those who involve her in a...
Residents from the La Conner, Concrete and Mount Vernon school districts have a Feb. 9 special election to renew school levies. The districts need to continue local funding for educational programs and operations (EPO). The La Conner School Board voted in November to ask voters to approve a four-year, $1.45 per $1,000 in assessed valuation, a decrease from the $1.50 per $1,000 collected under the two-year levy voters passed in 2019. The funds will pay for school programs and services and non-capital expenses not fully funded by the state,...
If the novel coronavirus pandemic is an attack against every person, potentially, Skagit Public Health is the defending force in Skagit County. The health department, led by Director Jennifer Johnson, and advised by Dr. Howard Leibrand, County Health Officer, become the frontline troops seeking to minimize infections and the severity of COVID-19 cases of the virus last March. Gov. Jay Inslee issued his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order March 24, banning all gatherings and closing non-essential businesses as COVID-19 cases grew above 2,000 in Was...
The Christian Christmas story starts with a young traveling couple, Mary heavy with child, Joseph carrying the burden of knowing the baby is not his. Jesus was born on the road, in a barn, homeless. There are over 1,800 homeless in Skagit County this Christmas season. Close to 75% of them are Skagitonians, neighbors, friends and family. The apartment vacancy rate is effectively zero here for low income people. The Skagit County Public Health Department reports that one-fourth of renter households pay more than 50% of their income for housing...
Over the years, Hedlin’s Ballfield has been site of countless close games. Another tight contest played out Dec. 15 when Town officials weighed the future status of the nearly two-acre public-use property abutting Maple Avenue during a tele-conferenced public hearing. By a 2-1 margin, with one abstention and a recusal, the La Conner Planning Commission forwarded to the Town Council its recommendation that the ballfield be rezoned to make possible a mixed-use development of new residences and park area. Commission Chair Liz Theaker and member B...
BURLINGTON —The City of Burlington’s heart has grown three sizes larger with Mayor Steve Sexton’s decision to commit to building permanent shelters and offer social services for perhaps 125 unhoused people on city-owned property on Pease Road. It will be the first facility providing permanent shelter in Skagit County. In a call with the Weekly News Friday, Sexton noted there is no cold-weather shelter in the county. “We have done too little for too long,” he said, referencing governments and community organizations. He termed the 1-acre...
While closing the books on 2020 during a briskly paced hour-long teleconferenced meeting Thursday morning, Fire District 13 officials took time to salute a La Conner native whose career in emergency services spanned more than three decades. Skagit 9-1-1 Project Coordinator Faye Whitney, a 1976 La Conner High grad, is retiring after 34 years, during which time she filled roles ranging from dispatching to management, said Fire District Chief Wood Weiss . “Faye has been a huge help to us,” Weiss said. “She is going to be sorely missed.” Whitney...
Though La Conner rests along the well-traveled Swinomish Channel, its town government is entering uncharted waters in terms of mapping a financial game plan for 2021. The reason is COVID-19. Despite prospects of a much-anticipated vaccine being available next year, the coronavirus pandemic has cast its shadow on municipal budgeting, Mayor Ramon Hayes noted in a year-end message to the Town Council last week. Hayes shared his thoughts prior to the Dec. 8 adoption by Council members of a 2021 budget leaner than what was approved a year ago....
The Swinomish Tribal Community has gone the extra mile to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Make that 259 miles. Swinomish has joined together administrative office units transported from the Salem, Oregon area that will provide safer and more socially distanced work spaces for tribal employees. A local contractor, Colacurcio Brothers, began installing the units on site at Pioneer Parkway and Moorage Way, just north of the Rainbow Bridge, in November. Project manager Robert Pell has overseen the...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress has included funding extending real-time noise monitoring at two West Coast Navy installations and making the data publicly available in 2021 as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The provision extends the program, first created after Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett) secured its passage in last year’s NDAA, for an additional 12 months. “Real-time noise monitoring of Growler activity over Whidbey Island and Olympic National Park is crucial to ensure loc...
A wind-blown tree didn’t just crash onto the covered picnic area at Pioneer Park last week. It also crashed plans the public might have had to access park facilities for a while. The Town has closed off much of the park and its hiking trails while hazard and damage assessments are conducted following a severe windstorm that brought gale force gusts to the La Conner area a week ago Monday. The most obvious point of concern is the status of the park’s log-framed pavilion, which caught the brunt of a fallen tree snapped off during the storm. “We...
