Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1027 - 1051 of 1886
In his letter of December 9, Dennis Sather speculates what will happen ‘when Joe Biden and his anti-gun cohorts start knocking on doors to confiscate firearms from legal gun owners.’ The last time we heard this hysterical rhetoric was after the elections of 2008 and 2012, only then it was Obama and his cohorts taking the guns away. That hyperventilation amounted to a windfall for the NRA in donations and for sporting goods stores in gun and ammo sales. But: no guns were taken from lawful gun-owners under the Obama administration, and none wil...
I find myself counting down the days at this time of year. Not in anticipation of the end of the pandemic, the New Year, or in the hopes of getting “the perfect gift” driven by consumerism. Though I have lived in this region for almost 20 years, it is not the gray or rain that overwhelms me, but the dark. That third week in December that augurs the Winter Solstice, and thus the darkest day of the year, marks the nadir of my energy, my focus and even my broader perspective on life and the world. I do not clinically suffer from SAD (Seasonal Aff...
To the Editor: We were taken aback at the recent letter to the editor, Dec. 9, titled “Biden: seizing guns is dangerous.” The first sentence asks the question, regarding those who knock on doors to confiscate firearms: “...what percent of those doing the knocking will find themselves ducking for cover?” And this; “The Second Amendment ...was written with such door knockers in mind.” He finishes with the implication, based on imagined history, that those who advocate gun registration risk being executed. So much violence in such a short lette...
Another week, another free issue of the La Conner Weekly News provided to every home in the La Conner school district. This is the third invitation for you to subscribe, but more: to become more engaged with your neighbors and increase your participation in, yes, the school district, which will be asking for your support of a school levy in February. Last week you were invited to watch – virtually – the annual lighting of the Town Christmas tree in Gilkey Square. And Santa wrote to everyone in the community, child and parent alike....
I also want to put out a request for people to help our local businesses who have had to shut their doors once again, in particular the local restaurants. We have a small group who attend a Friday morning service at Sacred Heart, and then we generally go to have breakfast at Sliders. Now they are only open for take-out or outdoor dining. Outdoor dining was fine in the spring, but now it is December, so I ordered a couple of breakfasts by phone for take-out. They will bring the meals out or you can go in to pick them up, which is what I did. I...
I always enjoy Mel Damski’s thinking but rarely agree with him politically. His letter to the editor was a rare time that I agreed with him that presidential pardons should be eliminated. I don’t recall Mel writing such a letter when Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, who was convicted of 35 counts of tax evasion and was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. All of a sudden he now wants to eliminate the pardon, it is a real head scratcher why Mel would write such a letter now, isn’t it? Mike Morrell La Conner...
When Joe Biden and his anti-gun cohorts start knocking on doors to confiscate firearms from legal gun owners, what percent of those doing the knocking will find themselves ducking for cover? It is a serious question and should be thought about long and hard before applying for the job. The Second Amendment of our Constitution was not written with hunters in mind. It was written with those door knockers in mind. Hopefully, people on the left who agree with the anti-gun movement and want (somebody) – no volunteers! – to seize weapons...
Last week was Thanksgiving. Normally, you would expect a guy to stay at home, but Brian Lease, our public works director, was out fixing a pressure reducing valve on North Third Street. It had been worked on, but not finished. “I like to get things done,” he said. What a guy! Dan O’Donnell La Conner...
I cannot think of anything less democratic than the ability of a sitting President to be able to pardon people who have been found guilty of crimes. Feels very monarchic to me. President Trump has added to his sad legacy by pardoning a disgusting man, General Michael Flynn, who consorted with our enemies to undermine our democracy and was serving a well -deserved sentence. How can it make sense for this president or any president to have the ability to pardon criminals, especially when the crimes involved that president, as he has done with...
In the big picture, newspapers are as fundamental to our democracy as the Constitutional separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Referred to as the Fourth Estate, newspapers function to not only inform the public, but to hold governmental leaders and institutions accountable for their actions. Even though the Founding Fathers often complained of bias, untruths, vulgarities and a stench of “putrefaction” in press reporting, they ironically regarded the press as crucial to the preservation of our form of...
The holidays are upon us. Ornaments, stockings and lights are already unpacked and being strung and hung, respectively, on fences and chimney mantles. Records – well CDs – are being played and favorite Christmas books are being read again. As a society we have many traditions and reflect back on a shared culture and history -- or introduce new generations and newcomers to aspects of the past we love. For newspaper editors, the “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial is the all-time, worldwide, most often printed edi...
Dear Greater La Conner Community, Welcome to the La Conner Weekly News. If you are getting the paper for the first time, I hope you will find your community newspaper an enjoyable and worthwhile read. Valued subscribers, I hope this issue meets your expectations and needs. Thank you, subscribers, for your ongoing engagement with the community through these pages. This newspaper exists for the community. That is you. Decades ago, when the local paper was The Puget Sound Mail, every issue said “Co...
Let our search begin with Abraham Lincoln. At his first inauguration he saw the danger of civil war on the horizon. He revealed his feelings as follows: “We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched as surely as they will be by the better angels of our n...
I know the suspense is killing you if you read my piece last week about whether to fly or not to fly to California to have Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her extended family. Wisely, I listened to the experts and opted to stay here, where I am re-designing Thanksgiving and calling it Thankful Giving. Because of the COVID-19 crisis and a federal government stymied by partisanship, we have a growing number of fellow Americans who are homeless and hungry. For those of us who are blessed to...
For the past few months, I’ve shared stories about the perilous state of the local free press in these columns. I’ve written about what the decline of strong local reporting will mean for democracy. And I’ve suggested ways that newspapers might reinvent themselves and the government might help save this struggling industry. An astute email from reader Hilary Hilscher reminded me that I’d left out a big piece of the puzzle. “I’ve read your columns in The Seattle Times with great interest and, of course, total agreement with the need to preserve...
Last week Mel Damski stopped by the La Conner Weekly News office. He talked about his “If I Ran the Zoo” column idea for this week’s paper: “Giving Thanks.” I wear many different hats in my life and don’t always slow down and take the time to express my gratitude for everything that I am so thankful for: Here is how I would like to Give Thanks this year: La Conner Sunrise Food Bank: I am thankful for our donors and their overwhelming support that allowed us to continue to provide food to community members in need. I am thankful that our vo...
My flight to L.A. has been booked for a month. I get to see my kids, whom I have not seen in many months, and I get to have Thanksgiving Dinner with my sister and her large family in Palm Springs and I get to play golf and tennis without the threat of rain. Sounds great with one tiny exception: COVID-19! The virus is spiraling out of control in the U.S. and the governors of California, Oregon and Washington have asked people to stay home and avoid crowds. Chances are I will be okay. Allegiant...
The dictionary describes tenderness as being acutely sensitive to pain and the feelings of others. Pope Francis, in his new message to all people, said, “Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women.” America presents us many examples of such people. One is Abraham Lincoln, who said, “I have not willingly planted a thorn in any man’s bosom.” His whole life revealed great tenderness. After the civil war he declared, “Rebel leaders need not expect he would take any part in hanging or killing even the worst o...
Fraud depends on facts to prove the accuser’s case. Everyone has the freedom to believe what they want. At home, in a bar, on a ball field, in the stands, at church, wherever we gather people can tell each other their beliefs and call them truth. A 10,000 year old planet, angels dancing on the head of a pin, dead people voting, mailboxes stuffed with ballots, all of these can be true in a person’s or a congregation’s mind. Folks are entitled to hold on tightly to any belief and take it to their graves with them as gospel. Anyone can tell their...
As of the moment of this writing, Jay Inslee is the clear re-election winner of the race for governor, and Joe Biden is the declared winner of the presidential race. There are striking and very telling similarities in each of the results which shed some light on the fundamental reasons for our social and political divide. Inslee’s credentials as a candidate for governor were: a degree from the University of Washington, and a law degree; four years in our state House of Representatives; two years as a representative for central Washington in t...
In every election supporters – voters – of the winning side shout, blow their horns, ring cowbells and light firecrackers. That happened in La Conner as well as around the country Saturday morning with the news that Pennsylvania had been called for former Vice President Joe Biden. He will become the nation’s 46th president. Kamala Harris joins him as vice president with a string of firsts: as a woman, an African American and of south Asian heritage, a child of immigrants. Their victory is substantial and will have a larger margin b...
Dear Reps. Rick Larsen and Dave Paul, Congratulations! You have each won reelection. Now your real work begins. For each of you in Congress and with federal legislation, Rep. Larsen and for you in Washington state, Rep. Paul, your campaign victories are poster child cases for the drastic changes needed in campaign finance laws. Rep. Larsen, you return to the nation’s capital having spent $1.3 million to get re-elected. Wow! You spent about fifty-fve cents for each of the over 700,000 people living in District 2. Rep. Paul, you raised and s...
Hooray! Most of us have survived both the virus, and the election. Life is not easy when we divide ourselves the way we do, some of us believe the science, some believe the storyteller. Some folks think we do not much affect the climate, while another bunch of us thinks that we do. Some of us study what makes us live, some of us study what kills us dead. Bulbs that grow beautiful blooms, bombs that kill us when they go boom! We are as diverse as this, there is no wonder we struggle to get us to come to the center of the room. It is there where...
How quickly the joy shared by those at La Conner United Methodist Church, those who knew and loved Mark Stephens, turned to grief and sorrow. It was only one year ago, last November, when many church members, overcome with emotion, pulled out tissues as they (and even Mark) shed tears of joy during a message Mark delivered about how this small church he had joined had become his “Home,” the place where “belonging” to a church had taken on new meaning in the lifelong process of his faith as a Christian. Today, that same church community is now...
The La Conner High School Green Club was formed last year by several of us. Our mission statement is to educate our classmates, family and community about the importance of being a caretaker for our planet and to support others who feel the same. We are excited to start a fundraising project, and we need your help. We are asking for donations of empty animal feed bags. We will be using them to create reusable shopping bags. We plan to sell the bags throughout the Skagit Valley. Funds collected will be used to support club activities. If you...
