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The coronavirus pandemic roared into 2022 but vaccinations slowed its spread and the story faded from the public consciousness. Fewer people reported their positive tests and infections. People are still getting infected and hospitalized, however. Skagit Count now over 15,000 COVID-19 cases Jan.12 New COVID-19 hospitalizations swamping county Jan. 26 Indoor mask mandate ends statewide March 21 Feb. 23 Skagit one of 12 state counties with high COVID-19 transmission Jul. 6 New Skagit COVID-19 cases drop dramatically Sep. 7 Wearing masks indoors...
I am pleased to add my appreciation to the many other thankful letters you received, hopefully, after reading the editorial of our “Local heroes of democracy. This is some of the “village” that it “takes” to keep a town honest to itself while moving forward as it must. It is many people, offering their talents, time, and tenacity, to make La Conner unique. Thank you, Ken, for recognizing those you did by name and recognizing that there are even more, unnamed. It is a big village for a small town. In peace, Irene Blanchard Greater La Conner...
When considering activists watching over the community's governance and vocally championing the better future we all want, the dedicated and sometimes seemingly too quiet La Conner Town Council and local school board may not come first to mind. But, as with Mayor Ramon Hayes and the Town's arts, parks and planning commissions, these individuals deserve every resident's thanks for diligently showing up meeting after meeting, taking on assignments, initiating projects, crunching numbers, balancing budgets, fielding questions and agreeing to a...
The Weekly News multi part series on energy transitions has spent many words telling us how we need to wean ourselves off of oil and go green. Admittedly I am no expert on these matters, but after nearly 70 years on this planet I have learned a thing or two. The author stated early on that "we can’t drill our way out of the energy crunch" or words to that effect. To this I say Baloney! We can and have drilled our way out of similar situations. Jimmy Carter pretty much said the same thing in the '70s. Must conserve, turn down the thermostat, put...
As I drive around the Skagit Valley, I am blown away by the beautiful cloud formations I am seeing. If I am able to pull over in a safe place along the road, I stop and take a cloud photo. I am inviting my readers to do the same thing and share their pictures with me at [email protected] and we will publish the winning photo in next month's column....
Dear Editor — I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O’Hanlon 115 West Ninety Fifth Street, New York Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great...
Once again our community responded generously and warmly to this year’s Festival of Tiny Trees. More than $8,000 was raised to support additional furnishings for the new La Conner Swinomish Library. It was wonderful to be able to host everyone in our new library and to recognize the amazing efforts that made it possible. We applaud and appreciate all who made this year’s event a success! Tam Mason from WaFd Bank who stepped up to coordinate the event. What a hero! Our creative tree donors & designers: Local businesses and museums: Linda Ban...
Thanks for the free paper, Mr. Editor, even if I’d read it before. I think I’ve missed maybe one, since your arrival as publisher all those years ago. I like to think of myself as a La Connerite, but perhaps I’m not. The Beaver Marsh and Fir Island are formally Mount Vernon, but here is where I hang out. I fished the channel when there were some fish here and I fished the Skagit River when fish were there. Now I fish neither, nope, not enough fish anywhere! Now I grit my teeth and look a bit pitiful, with my steely glare and my mostly missi...
This is the last week of sending the Weekly News to every address in the La Conner School District. This annual subscription drive is an economic venture: La Conner News Publishing, LLC is a single person corporation, owned by its publisher. The Weekly News is a business, aiming to be profit-making. It is not its owner’s “boat,” not a hobby business. What an odd duck industry newspapers are. Back in 1789 newspapers were so essential, so vital to the fabric of the nation that our Founding Fathers wove them into the Constitution, the only priva...
In February of 2022, I took the CEO position at Skagit Habitat for Humanity after working for eight years in homeless services. I had once been homeless and hopeless myself. I joined Habitat because I felt like I could make more of a difference by helping with the root causes of homelessness rather than just providing a band-aid. Homelessness is a housing issue. In November of 2013, I bought my very first home and it changed my life forever, so I know what a blessing being a homeowner is. Affordable housing has been at crisis levels for...
Last week was quite the start of holiday activities throughout the Skagit Valley. From Friday evening’s Tiny Tree silent auction at the La Conner Swinomish Library through a myriad of events Saturday in La Conner and holiday markets Sunday at the Vinery next to Christianson’s Nursery and at the La Conner Pub and Eatery, people were out and about, shopping and singing – a lot of singing. Did you know that the La Conner Schools volunteer students from the middle and high school music program played on Gilkey Square at 1 p.m. Saturday? Did you s...
The all-volunteer Forgotten Children’s Fund is collecting new unwrapped toys, children’s jackets and cash donations for Skagit Valley families as well as 60 families with children in the Nooksack School District that are still displaced from their homes as a result of last Novembers devastating floods. In the 47-year history of the Forgotten Children’s Fund, 2022 may prove to be the most challenging for our communities' less fortunate. Many families are now having to make the choice of rent, heat, gas or groceries. Please help us make a diffe...
By Paul Magnano Many of us have trouble speaking about the ultimate but mysterious dimensions of life. We need to rediscover the transcendent – the dimension beyond the physical, the dimension so many of us now struggle to name. For most of us these days, our only contact with the language of grace is through Bible readings at weddings and funerals. Language can be a vehicle for grace, or for disgrace, the most extreme example being the ease with which social media conveys insult and injury. I myself am not by nature pious. I write with sympath...
Although my heart aches at saying good-bye to my best friend and husband of 45 years, I am grateful for the incredible support you all have been to Jon, me and our children, over the past few months. Thank you for all the encouragement through cards, flowers, texts, phone calls and visits that were full of love, scriptures, prayers and hugs. For those who helped mow, weed-eat, blow leaves, spread bark, haul garbage, provide meals, hotel rooms and gas cards: thank you. This allowed us to enjoy every minute with Jon. Special thanks to La Conner...
Happy holiday season! Along with lights, trees and lawn displays comes this more recent tradition: the annual La Conner Weekly News subscription drive. These next three weeks your community newspaper will be delivered to every address in our local school district. Friends, neighbors and relatives of subscribers are invited to join the close to 900 households in greater La Conner who have decided that they are better off – and the community itself benefits – by their investment in their subscription to their local newspaper. This is their – y...
Art’s Alive! 2022 wishes to thank the townspeople of La Conner for their continuing support of the fine arts show. Our town attended this year’s Art’s Alive! in record numbers. Many were inspired by the perfect pieces of art now gracing their homes and businesses and we appreciate their critical eye and support. Other support came from La Conner artists. Not only was their art acquired, but local artists were the resounding People’s Choice Awards winners – Coizie Bettinger, Keith Clements, Margaret Arnett and Mark Bistranin. Thank you. Ther...
Dear Friends, I would like to provide an update for town issues from my side of the table. Regarding the north end issue, an appeal of the 306 Center Street project permit is working its way through the steps in the process. The issues are the Contract Rezone which was not honored and the Administrative Determination that we perceive to have errors. The oral arguments are Dec. 1. These arguments are the second last step. Code: Code change suggestions are being sent or already have been sent to the planner to be placed on the docket for 2023...
The spot re-zone being requested by Bertlesen Farm LLC on sixty acres north of its winery on Starbird Road is what leads to urban sprawl as urban services are extended to rural land. Both the Growth Management Act and Skagit County’s Comprehensive Plan were created by citizens and planners to stop sprawl. The goal is to not end up as Lynnwood everywhere. Be clear that the zoning request is not “like” the winery to the south – it includes a gas station, general store, campground, farmers market, equipment rental business, dog park, etc. To get...
Okay, are you sitting down? You are about to be very surprised by what this progressive liberal is about to say. I am very much in favor of the death penalty for murderers who are absolutely guilty of their crimes. Mark David Chapman murdered John Lennon in 1980 as Lennon was walking into his apartment at The Dakota in Manhattan. Chapman remained at the scene reading J.D. Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” until he was arrested by police. Chapman is still alive. He has been interviewed by...
Thanksgiving is Thursday. Feasts will take place at dining tables across the country as family and friends gather in celebration and care for each other. There will be few masks and little social distancing. Everyone wants the coronavirus pandemic to be over and most Americans are acting like it is, not paying attention to the almost 100 million cases and over one million deaths the past three years. Our small individual gatherings bind families together. That is not the reason that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of...
This letter is written by four women. Two of us are professional, working artists. One is a long-time collector of fine art, who recently donated a major sculpture to the town of La Conner. The fourth is a long time gallery owner and the director of the La Conner Arts Foundation. We write out of concern for the proposed Love La Conner sign. We feel that the town is not being well represented by this ill-conceived project. While perhaps good intentioned, these kinds of projects actually degrade La Conner’s image. Attempts to promote La Conner t...
My daughter treated me to the last performance of the opera, Otello, at McIntyre Hall two weeks ago. This moving and beautifully performed tragedy dealt the cards of viciously spread “misinformation,” lies, deceit and racism in order to overthrow the Moor, Otello, to discredit his victories, honorably won, his position of power and deep domestic happiness, all for the goal personal power. Iago, our lying villain (beautifully and compelling sung), personifies, not only the evil of the 1500s in Cyprus, but of the recent political reality in this...
I attended the Nov. 8 town council meeting. There was a lot on the agenda, including proposed changes to the municipal code. I would like to suggest that in the future when there are detailed material to present and discuss, especially when language precision is important, such as amending code language, using a screen and Power Point or similar desktop publishing software that has redline and strikeout functions. There were several instances of council members having difficulty tracking the changes that the planner was discussing, even though...
Dear La Connerites, I want to thank everyone who was concerned about me and trying to help me find a home. This is my community and I did not want to leave here. Thanks to my family, who are helping me buy a house in Shelter Bay. It is a safe place to be and close to my work. Now I can continue giving people touch and helping people have better health along with bringing color into their lives through plants. Thank you to all of you who have supported me through the years. May the holiday season bring you all much joy. Joanne Mitchelle La...
Just like that, the La Conner Town Council is four weeks away from approving the 2023 municipal budget. Discussions started in September. Council has already approved $173,260 for tourism promotion, awarding $112,800 to nine groups and sending $60,450 to public works for restroom and landscaping maintenance. These are the mundane, specific line items in your – if you are a town resident – $6.5 million 2023 expense budget. At council’s Nov. 8 meeting Mayor Ramon Hayes said, as he does annually, that he is being cautious, saving for coming large...
