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Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1054 - 1078 of 1886
Dear Editor: Won’t you join the Skagit League of Women Voters as we celebrate the incredible work of the election clerks, staff, officials in our community? These heroes in our community have done the seemingly impossible: adapted to the challenges COVID-19 posed to our elections process and made voting this year safe, secure and accessible for all. Washington state is a national leader with a time-tested mail in ballot process which has been in place more than a decade. Over that time, the process is continuously analyzed and refined to i...
What is it that modern civilization most lacks? What are the fundamental deficiencies that ultimately could undermine it? This is mainly the question that Pope Francis wants to answer. In his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti – the phrase is from the writings of his namesake St. Francis of Assisi – the pope argues his case that social division, fragmentation and the friction they cause are the primary threats that humankind has to fear. And the cause is the absence of a sense that human beings all belong to the same family, and...
Angie Homola is a candidate for position 1 in our Legislative District 10. My career in government policy demonstrates to me the importance of articulate legislators who understand a broad range of issues, have been active in the communities they represent, and are committed to ensuring efficiency in government programs. That Is why I enthusiastically support Angie’s candidacy. Her experience in local government, in her small business and architectural practice, her Master in Environmental Law and Policy, and her commitment to listening to a...
Much of the coverage of Pope Francis’ expansive encyclical Fratelli Tutti, released Oct. 4, focused on its feel-good themes of unity, dialogue and peace. Who can argue against the notion that we are “brothers and sisters all?” But this document, the pope’s third encyclical and clearly a summary of his papacy so far, is no rote call for prayers and best wishes in the face of the pandemic. It is, foundationally, a pointed critique of nationalistic populism, of economic systems that exploit the poor and indeed, of democracy itself, as least a...
Greater La Conner residents are probably in the center of the surge of early Skagit County voters. Six days before election day over 50% of county residents have voted, by far a record. It is similarly likely that the percentage of registered voters casting ballots this election will be the highest in history, exceeding the 87% who came out when Barak Obama was first on the ballot in 2008. Skagit County and our state will almost certainly choose former Vice President Joe Biden, based on historical vote counts. But no matter who wins the...
I have known Mick Rosenthal since the day he came from the hospital after his birth. His parents are my close friends and they are political activists. His mother Nancy Stephens Rosenthal actually spent a Christmas with the Obamas. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Mick grew up with many challenges but instead of curbing his enthusiasm, they actually inspired him to do everything in his power to open doors for people like himself. Since the 2016 election, Mick has worked on a mobile voting app called...
Beginning in 2015 county taxes in the La Conner area increased by an average of $300.00 per tax parcel. This was caused by a tax shift generated by the Great Wolf decision. Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned, part of levy code 1580, were exempted from the tax rolls and their taxes were shifted to other levy codes in the La Conner School District. This was done by the County Assessor, without a vote of the people. The court gave taxing authority over Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned to the Swinomish Tribal Community. In 2020 the Tribe levied $2,12...
I remember a time when attack ads in political campaigns were not so commonplace that we failed to notice them. We have reached a point in our world that decency and restraint seem to be, at least in the world of politics, no longer virtues but rather liabilities. Last week while running errands I heard a radio spot attacking the character of a political rival. It would not have bothered me so much, except that I know and admire the individual under attack. For years I have worked alongside Mark Lundsten on various projects and have found him...
October 7 paper, A citizen’s view, by Maryon Attwood’s “A citizen’s view: Washington’s GOP is now the Party of Trump,” Oct. 7 Weekly News) was – very interesting. So, am I supposed to vote for Dems , or just not vote at all, if I live in the 10th district, and give credence to Ms. Attwood’s opinion and advice? Hmmm. When did the writer change from Republican to Democrat, and why? Personally, I was neither, and voted both sides until Bill and Hillary Clinton showed up. I then had to search the platforms of both parties to discern which...
I was impressed by Ken Stern’s excellent article about Bill Bruch. It was well researched, accurate, and documented. Keep up the good work Ken. Rick Dole La Conne...
Elections have consequences, the coming election more than any time in recent history. All of the country down to local levels will have a choice whether to continue on the same course or try something different. We know what the current majority of politicians want to do, continue spending, taxing, growing government, regulating (more bureaucracy). There is an alternate choice: turn the government back over to each one of us to run our own lives as we see fit. Nowhere is it more obvious than the current candidates in the first example:...
I have recently started reading the La Conner Weekly News and am very impressed by the editorial content, local news and letters to the editor. It is too bad the paper is not named the Skagit Valley Weekly, so more people would understand they too can read it. I am guilty of ignoring it for a long time because I thought it was written only for La Conner news. Your paper is doing the Skagit Valley a real service by publishing “the news” – like the article on the Republican candidate Bill Bruch stealing $1.7 million from unsuspecting eld...
This is it. Voting has started in Washington. People are taking heed and voting early. Great. Whether you have voted or not, neither the day you cast your ballot, nor Election Day, Nov. 3, nor the day when results are announced in our Washington state or nationwide will be the most important day. Not the day the presidential winner is declared nor Inauguration Day January 20, 2021 will bring peace to our sadly divided nation or local communities. Like the end of the coronavirus pandemic, we do not know what national healing, recovery from the p...
I believe a response to recurrent editorial comments and especially the “A citizen’s view” guest column of Sept. 30th, “A plea for the future” is warranted. You, dear reader, will not recognize your country, your government and what the future holds if the Democrats succeed in winning this next election! It is hard to believe that seemingly educated, well-informed people are regurgitating what they repeatedly hear and accept as fact in the patently biased mainstream media. Today, the media is blatantly protecting and overtly covering up for Jo...
Thank you, Ken, for the challenge to envision a non-partisan future, (Sept. 30th editorial). It reminded me of trying to carry a steaming hot cup of coffee filled to the rim back to the breakfast table. If you look at the coffee trying to control spillage, one over corrects to the right a bit then to the left and it sloshes back and forth until you have a half cup of coffee for breakfast. Whereas, if you keep your eye on the destination, one can easily walk it back to the table without spillage because with a sturdy base and vision, balance...
I have heard it said that all politics is local, and I believe that for sure after an encounter I just had with candidate Bill Bruch (last week – ed). My sister and I stopped in to our La Conner post office on our way home from her cancer surgeon’s appointment. She is healing well and got the go ahead for her chemo treatments to start next week. While we were inside the lobby commenting on all the political flyers clogging our boxes, in walked Bill Bruch without a mask. Clearly he ignored the large poster on the outside door requiring a...
Imagine you are the President of the United States. Imagine it is an election year. Imagine you learn there is a new and deadly virus loose in the world. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. Is your first and constant thought, “How do I keep this virus from hurting the 330 million people I was elected to serve?” Or is your first, constant and only thought, “How do I keep this virus from hurting my re-election?” Jim Airy La Conner...
I have been doing some research on the 10th Legislative District House race and have been impressed by Greg Gilday’s background and suggested policies on homelessness. I have lived in the 10th District for 30 years and I know the District well. Greg has stressed addressing homelessness as one of his priorities once elected. Greg has suggested providing strong state support for cities that have successful embedded social worker or navigator programs. Ways that the state can do this are by providing more detox and treatment facilities, d...
I fully agree with Maryon Attwood’s view, published on Oct. 7, that the Washington Republican party has been taken over by Donald Trump. Learning from four years of the Trump presidency, and considering a few of the historic figures in the history of the Republican Party, it is obvious that Mr. Trump is not a Republican, but rather an opportunistic demagogue who embodies the Trump Party. This is confirmed by the published Republican platform for the 2020 election: - continued support for the Trump “America-first agenda.” - the adoption of no...
Helen Price Johnson has the right stuff to be our state Senator. I have known Helen for over 30 years, since the days she campaigned for good government with her youngest child in a backpack. I worked with Helen while she was on the South Whidbey School Board and as an Island County Commissioner. Helen has always been a champion of the families, the local communities, small businesses, seniors, veterans and farmers that she represents. She has owned a small business with her husband for 25 years and knows what it takes to keep a business...
In our front yard we have a flagpole. It has the American flag, the 12th man flag and at the base of the flagpole is our Helen Price Johnson yard sign. We are voting for Helen Price Johnson Nov. 3 because of her leadership and experience. My roommate and I both experience disabilities. We live on our own with the support of caregivers and our caring families. We both have jobs and are very active in our community. One organization we are actively involved is People First of Island County. This is a non- profit organization that educates the...
I am writing to voice my support for Mark Lundsten for Skagit County Commissioner, District 1. It is time for new leadership in this critical public legislative role. Skagit County is facing a huge wave of change. We have incredible pressure upon our county to adjust to a growing population and to further development of the Cascadia corridor. The magnitude of the coming change is going to require more effective, less partisan leadership from our county commissioners. We must effectively plan for our future if we are going to control it rather...
Bill Bruch was quite a guy back in the late 90s! It amazes me how certain “financial managers” can build your trust and then steal you blind for $1.5 million! It amazes me even more when these types want to run for political office rather than running for the woods! I was appalled to read about all the money candidate Bill Bruch (running for LD 10 House Seat) stole from unsuspecting elderly people in Whatcom County back in the early to late 1990s! One theft, (from John Blackmore, case #98-2-01077-7) was for $1,044,225.38 and the other (Ly...
How many voters’ ballots will be discarded and who will be blamed in the claim of fraudulent results following Nov. 3rd? In counties across this country, property tax deadlines now fall on Monday, Nov. 2 and are sent by mail. The common denominator for ballots and taxes to be dated on time is the United States Post Office. Frontline postal workers and behind-the scenes, hard-at-it employees can handle a finite number of pieces of mail in a finite time period. Rejection of “late date” ballots will likely have dire consequences. The world is ke...
In his new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” Pope Francis affirms and applies the principles of Catholic social teaching to the “new things” of 2020: a global pandemic, an economic crisis, political polarization and social isolation and exclusion. The pope insists that those who are poor or vulnerable, those who live with disabilities or discrimination and immigrants and refugees are not issues or problems but sisters and brothers, part of one human family. Through the centuries, popes have written encyclicals on important issues, sometim...
