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Sorted by date Results 1302 - 1326 of 1886
Our newly appointed Senator is correct on being a good listener (Feb. 5 Statehouse view). Unfortunately, his voice as the will of people will be unanswered by the majority currently in charge. We should be working together to solve problems our families and communities face, but instead, our elected officials feel that we are uninformed, stupid and that they know better. I hope and pray that this November, the people of this state revolt against the current majority and elect representatives that put the people’s interest first and not t...
There is a different and special one percent in our midst: the very few among us who have sought out training and are ready to save themselves and reach out to help the rest of us in the aftermath of an earthquake, volcano or tsunami, a catastrophic event that will turn life as we know it upside down. This could happen any day in the next 200 years. The last Magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the region was around 1700. Researchers say one occurs every 300 to 500 years, so maybe tomorrow or maybe not in our lifetimes the earth will shake. If it is in...
The Legislature has only 25 days left in this session. I have been trying to get a bill passed that would stop the tax shift that has been going on for five years. That is the tax shift that occurred when Shelter Bay and Pull and Be Damned were removed from the tax rolls. Roughly $1.8 million in taxes were shifted to nine levy codes that make up the La Conner school district. In 2019 the average taxpayer in La Conner paid an extra $328 in taxes because of this shift. At the same time the Swinomish Tribal Community contributed money they had...
When I was young, there was a common joke told by comedians: “Everybody keeps talking about the weather, but nobody is doing anything about it.” This was also a sad reference to the politics of our democracy. That is, we spend a lot time talking about our problems, but much less time addressing them. The truth of this sentiment that is most alarming is the “climate change” debate. It is very much in keeping with the intent of the old joke. What is even more disconcerting is that the debate blinds us to a greater understanding of what we are...
R-Oak Harbor I am very familiar with the 10th Legislative District. I’m a fourth-generation family farmer on Whidbey Island who has been deeply involved in our community for years, serving as a firefighter and fire commissioner, and on community and business-related boards. However, I cannot read minds – so when I became state senator, my first priority was to travel around our district to get a sense of what you believe the legislature should be doing. We covered a lot of topics, from climate policy to transportation and the state’s res...
The Chamber of Commerce’s Director Heather Carter again delivered a successful La Conner Birding Showcase in Maple Hall in January. Vendors had brisk sales and environmental organizations shared information and concerns about matters great and small. A talk on raptors in the region keynoted the day. The past three years Carter has delivered on bringing people to town in the dead of winter for a day of inside birding bonding and then eating and shopping in town. Carter is succeeding admirably at bringing shoppers into town and deserves praise f...
The Library wanted to say “3 cheers” for our Public Works and the department’s awesome service for the Town. We called Thursday about potholes on Road Street that grew from the snow and rain these past few weeks. We learned that Public Works was going to be filling holes this afternoon and now they are gone! Now we have a clean edge between the street and parking stalls for library visitors. Thank you, Brian Lease and team! Susan Macek La Conner Regional Library...
Dear Ken, I am touched and honored by your recognition this month (as 2019’s unsung hero – ed.). Thank you. Many amazing unsung heroes in our community have come together over the years in support of the library. Our tiny town shares a big heart and a commitment to quality of life that is remarkable! When we planned our move to La Conner about 15 years ago, the presence of a library in town surprised me. Then I learned there has been a library here since the late 1920s. Volunteers made it all possible at the beginning with their time a...
Serving in the armed forces is one of the highest forms of service to our country. So, when veterans return home the last thing they should have to deal with is technical or bureaucratic hurdles. Our district is home to a large number of veterans. This past interim, after meeting with a number of constituents and hearing their concerns, I identified several areas where our state could do better for veterans and their families. I’m working with my colleagues across the aisle in the House and Senate to pass legislation to make sure that W...
Choose. Every day we make choices. I choose to get my news from NPR, National Public Radio. I read the local newspapers and, on Sunday, the Seattle Times. If there is a Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times,” I have heard it called a curse and not a blessing. To us, us frogs in a pot of water slowly warming on the stove, life might seem normal. Trust me, it is not. The impeachment of President Trump is historic, but it might take 10 years for the facts to all come out and sink in. More critical to our future is climate change, whi...
I’m writing to express my gratitude to our community on behalf of the La Conner Braves Club Fundraising Council. This past Saturday, so many people – those with kids who attend the club, and those who just wanted to support – showed up for a “Taste of India” to help keep the doors wide open for the 130-plus kids who attend the after school program each day. This unique fundraising event was made possible by people who said “yes” to donating a silent auction item, volunteering or just stopping by for some delicious curry. We are gr...
To the Editor: The inadequate fishway in the jetty between Goat Island and McGlinn Island should now be rectified. Its original design was to have three feet of water, for the passage of salmon fry at any minus tide and to allow small boat passage. The miles of sanctuary waters off the Swinomish Channel, north of La Conner, Telegraph Slough and others were key control areas for survival of young salmon in their transition from fresh water to the sea. The fishway was built too shallow and would not allow fry to swim through it at any tide less t...
The clouds broke and the sun made a rare appearance on Sunday and I texted my dog-walking buddies and we all showed up at the off-leash dog park. Just as we were leaving our cars in the parking lot, Betsy got a text and announced that Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash along with his four young daughters. We all went into an immediate funk, praying that his widow could somehow someday overcome this horrifying unimaginable grief. As we walked the dogs, we continued to get updates...
Dear Editor: I want to express both my frustration and concern because of the snow that was still on the sidewalks (by Friday). I walked through town both on Tuesday and again Friday, and was not impressed by the homeowners, business owners (and that would include the La Conner Weekly News), even the city (sidewalk on the west side of the public parking lot), who did not have the sidewalk clean. I found it so ironic that someone would shovel a path from their door to their mail/paper box, but wouldn’t shovel the sidewalk. This type of b...
I am reaching out to the people of La Conner to see if anyone knows who owns the border collie mix that I have seen walking along Snee Oosh and Indian Roads? This dog is an EXACT replica of my best friend – may she RIP – of which I have never seen an exact match of (mind you she was a mix of some sorts). I rarely visit La Conner and the last two times I was there (September and November, I believe) I saw this mystery dog walking along the road, which leads me to believe he/she frequents the area and someone may know of his/her...
Dear Friends and Neighbors – I am pleased to be able to share a few thoughts about the current activities of the Swinomish Tribe. Swinomish has grown in the past 20 years from approximately 500 to 1,000 tribal citizens. Our governing body, the Swinomish Senate, continues to be committed to improving the lives and well-being of our tribal members by providing the very best governmental services we can, including health and social programs, affordable housing, financial services, cultural programs, education (from early childhood through...
The drama playing out in the other Washington – the third impeachment trial in our nation’s history, though the second in 20 years – is being done for us, by our elected representatives. When the House of Representatives impeached President Trump in December, one person in our congressional district, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, voted. Larsen determined the president was not fit to hold office. Larsen judged that Trump’s disdain for the concept of citizenship through his trash talking against four women congressional representatives was...
What a night – thank you, La Conner! I was so overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our community on Saturday night, that I didn’t do a very good job thanking everyone who helped make the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank’s First Annual Fundraiser – “A Night of Music and Silent Auction” – the huge success it was. It all started nine weeks ago with our four people planning committee and graphic designer, Sandy Johnson. Sandy donated her time to create the fantastic posters and flyers you saw around town. I had people come up t...
It is hard to have an Eagle Festival without eagles. If the eagles don’t flock upriver, to the headwaters of the Skagit River at the dawn of the new year, people – birders, families, retirees and folks with free time on their weekends – will not follow. This January they have not. Neither eagles not tourists have been kind to the Skagit’s upriver communities. Hardly two handfuls of people were seated Saturday afternoon for Andy Koch’s, as Badd Dog, rhythm and blues set in Marblemount’s Community Hall for that community’s annual Sk...
In reading the Jan. 2 Weekly News, I couldn’t help but be filled with emotion. Every article kind of cut to the quick, from Tim Johnson’s state of the Salish Sea, to the stories of the sailing adventure of friend Linda Rumbolt, to Ken’s concern about our loss of community, to John’s discussion about our ever-changing personal landscape, to the town attempting to create affordable housing, to the great work of community activists, the pieces instilled a touch of both sadness and ecstasy to my soul. As a lifelong resident of the region, I know...
To the Community, Signs posted on the Library Thrift Shop advising donors that books are no longer being accepted have caused some questions and confusion. Please be assured that Shop remains open for business Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 - 3 p.m. It will remain open until we are advised to close for the construction of the new Library sometime in late spring. Meanwhile, your donations of furniture and household goods are very important to us and very much appreciated. Thanks for your continued support, Joan...
Well, 2019 has passed and we are all very fortunate to call our La Conner community home in 2020. With costs for services continuing to rise, the town must be ever vigilant to ensure that we are utilizing our resources as efficiently as possible. One of the administration’s main goals for 2019 was to assist the library foundation in its ardent pursuit of funding for a new facility. As many of you know, the library was successful in its endeavors, and we will see a groundbreaking for the new building in the 3rd quarter of 2020. The foundation d...
Looking at the calendar, long ago this early January editorial on 2020 vision was scheduled. The metaphor is too good to pass up. Getting past the cliches and rhetoric is worth the challenge. But no view is clear, whether on our home turf in and around La Conner, in Skagit County, Washington state or nationally. The vision is even more cloudy now, for assassinations escalate conflict, they do not end it. Rockets from drones blow up more than people. Bombs make huge craters withing as well as between nations, chasms that will not soon be...
While the top, if not currently hot, story of 2019 is the still real turmoil in La Conner Schools, the quiet story this past year, indeed the past two years, and more, is the steady march from quest to accomplishment of funding the building of a new La Conner Regional Library. Our library, like all libraries, is as much a foundation of the community as our school district. Libraries are as much a fundamental building block of our local democracy as is the weekly newspaper. The world might be at your fingertips with your phone in your other...
Last week I went into the Big K store in Burlington. My ten minutes there were quite an eye opener. I went looking for razor blades, still an in-person purchase item for most of us. That’s the type of thing for which I shop. And I don’t shop much period, being fortunate to be comfortable with few wants. I am more of a Luddite then an internet surfer. Still, I get the power of Amazon. My friends all have empty – or full – Amazon prime boxes in their homes. And, I can’t remember the last time I went shopping with anyone. Maybe walki...
