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There will be a community presentation about a feasibility study for a grant to allow solar and the storage of energy at the Town’s Fire Hall and at the La Conner School District campus Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. at the La Conner Swinomish Library. The presentation aims to explore solar and storage opportunities and how they can help build resilience and support community needs. The Town of La Conner Emergency Management Commission will share details on their work with emergency preparedness. I encourage you to attend. And if you haven’t alr...
Last week I visited Coupeville for lunch. While there, I decided to ask a bunch of business owners and workers what they thought of the angled parking on their First Street because there is talk about doing that here. I started on the parking side of the street. “I hate it,” they’d say. And they’d go on to list the problems that they perceived slanted parking caused. “The vehicle bumpers hang over the sidewalk”, they said – and there wasn’t enough room for strollers and wheelchairs; it’s ugly and parking backs up really fast” I crossed t...
Bravo for last week’s articles and letters regarding the pharmacy benefit managers and the unfortunate closure of La Conner Drug Store, which is such a tangible example of rural America being at the mercy of big money and corporate capitalism. I too had a small business in La Conner. Luckily it still prospers, but I remember fighting to get medical insurance companies to recognize a small independent physical therapy clinic. They kept telling me that they had enough service in Mt. Vernon and Anacortes. What happened to small individual capitali...
The complete weather, Swinomish senate election and school board meeting stories from the Jan. 24 issue can be read on the Weekly News website. Subscribers can call the Weekly News office and sign up for free online access, free with their subscriptions. The stories have been made free so Bill Reynolds’ full coverage is available for readers to finish. The editor apologizes for the Jan. 24 issue’s appearance....
The La Conner drugstore closed Monday, as reported in the Weekly News, a victim of the ongoing corporatization of the American economy, where small companies are forced out because – in ways too many people don’t see or care to understand – the books are cooked and the game is rigged. Small businesses in small towns closing is not a new story, of course. That has always been the American way, the thug-like pressure to get big or get out, or, more commonly, as Judy Booth writes this week on so-called pharmacy benefit managers, the press...
Last Thursday I reached out to Rep. Dave Paul (and our two other state reps as well) and shared my frustrations and asked for help over the La Conner Drug Store closing. Here is the core of my message to Rep. Paul: Don’t know if you can do anything about this but I feel you should know that Rite Aid just purchased our only local pharmacy – La Conner Drug. This little business was first established in 1877. The corporate chain operation made this acquisition only to close the store and transfer the prescription files to their store in Ana...
As a long-time (14 years) La Conner resident I have appreciated having certain local services such as a local bank branch, a grocery store, a pharmacy and a local newspaper. It has meant that I don’t need to travel far for services, supplies and information. I like personally knowing the people with whom I do business. This is the advantage of small-town living. Then I read the stunning news of the closure of the La Conner Drug Store! I have steadfastly used their pharmacy for my several prescriptions refusing mail-order offers of ...
On Jan. 16, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution in the. Senate calling on the State Department to investigate requesting accountability on Israel’s misuse of American weaponry in their current genocide of the people of Gaza and the West Bank. Unfortunately the resolution did not pass. It was voted down 72-11. Eleven senators, including one Republican, voted for the resolution. I googled the results: Low and behold, our state’s Democratic senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, helped shoot the resolution down. I then goo...
The American Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. In recent weeks, the Red Cross blood supply has fallen to critically low levels across the country. Blood products are currently going to hospitals faster than blood donations are coming in. Additional challenges lie ahead as winter weather and seasonal respiratory illnesses may create a more dire situation for the U.S. blood supply. A sufficient blood supply is critical to being able to provide timely care for...
Thanks to Ashley Sweeney for her letter in the Jan. 17 Weekly News encouraging people to read. I would add a short sentence: a person who doesn’t read is no better off than a person who can’t read. Beverly Haywood La Conner...
Safe and Sane Skagit members drove to Olympia last week to be present as five new legislative bills on gun responsibility were presented before the Legislature’s House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. Those bill are: HB 1902/SB6004: Permit-to Purchase that would ensure that background checks occur before a firearm purchase as well as at the point of sale; HB 1903: Lost and Stolen Reporting wherein stolen guns are often diverted to an underground market, making them more easily obtained without restriction; HB 2118: Dealer Responsibility e...
Our democracy is strongest with full and equal participation in free, fair and secure elections. This means protecting your right to vote and having your vote counted. That’s why I introduced House Bill 2023, which increases language assistance in our elections. Put simply, if an individual cannot understand the ballot, they’re less likely to vote. Even for proficient English speakers, the voting process is challenging to navigate. By expanding the language requirements in the Voting Rights Act, this bill will provide voting translation res...
Town of La Conner residents have two weeks to offer their two cents – or perhaps exceedingly more valuable recommendations – as possible amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan – and the development code, too. Submittals made through Jan. 31 are free. More important is the schedule, for proposals through January are considered this year, in the 2024 cycle by the staff, planning commission and council. Stay awake. This is important for the future of anyone planning to stay or move into La Conner. The Washington state Legislature mandate...
As we start off the 2024 year, I want to personally thank all of the parents and families of our students who every day navigate all of the obstacles in life while supporting their school-aged children. We strive to create a welcoming environment and love seeing your students every day! I am grateful for your belief and trust in our staff. All of our staff work hard to ensure that our students, your children, are safe, loved and cared for, respected and experience success every day. Finances are critical and necessary to ensure that students,...
“Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping.” The quote from Fred Rogers’ (Mr. Rogers) was his way of helping children find comfort when something bad happens. Over the last two weeks, my family experienced the truth and beauty in Mr. Rogers’ observation that people willingly and selflessly give of themselves to help others amid a tragedy to which they are merely bystanders. On Dec. 30, 2023, just six days shy of his four-month birthday, we unexpectedly lost our beloved grandson Kobe Lynn Zavala. The devastation of hear...
As a voracious reader, I was dismayed to read in the Jan. 9 edition of The Washington Post that 46% of Americans did not read a single book in 2023. Close to a million books are traditionally published each year in the U.S. Here in La Conner, we have an outstanding new library and a wonderful independent bookstore. With all the books available in a wide number of genres (non-fiction and fiction, including literary, historical, thriller/suspense, mystery/crime, science-fiction, romance, westerns, fantasy, young adult, graphic, etc.), there is...
For the past nine years I have complained in writing about the way the City of Anacortes reconciles the amount of money its wholesale (regional) customers owe for water. Last month, Anacortes billed the Town of La Conner $444 for 2021 and $5,540 for 2022. The truth is that the City of Anacortes owes the Town of La Conner a total of $49,631.52 for both years. Counting O&M alone and considering both years, the city made a profit of $8,173,301 on water. The accountant charged “Taxes and Assessments” to both Regional Expenses (RCC) and Admin Ove...
If you’ve been following my work in the state Senate, you’ve likely picked up on some themes. In all my work, I look at the state’s policy problems through a pragmatic lens of structure, discipline and accountability. But what’s the goal? In my view, legislators have an obligation to the public to use the resources they send to state government to do the most good for the most people. One area that touches all of our lives and pocketbooks is health care. Escalating costs are a big problem for patients in Washington. You may have heard me rattle...
New Town of La Conner Mayor Marna Hanneman chaired her first town council meeting yesterday, Jan. 9. The council packet she received the week before included a memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas. Its first point summarized for council the town’s need to plan for 124 housing units by 2045, required by the state’s Growth Management Act. Thomas writes “Of these units, 92 are expected to be occupied by low to moderate income families.” Looking at the data, 82 units, 66%, are to be priced for people making less than 80% of the area median...
How can we listen to each other and find common ground – and solutions that work for our community? I think it starts with listening to each other. The legislative session began on Jan. 8 and runs for 60 straight days, including weekends. I’d like to share two things with you this week: (1) comments and ideas from our recent 10th District survey and (2) some common-sense reforms I’m working on this session. First, your comments and ideas. Hearing directly from you is incredibly important to me...
We would like to express our gratitude and recognition for the invaluable service of our dedicated school board directors during School Board Recognition Month. By the proclamation of the governor, January is the time to acknowledge the selfless commitment and hard work of these elected community members. The La Conner School Board plays a vital role in shaping the lives of our community’s children, making decisions that impact the trajectory of public education in our district. These individuals, entrusted with the responsibility of m...
In his message for the 57th World Day of Peace this Jan. 1, Pope Francis reflected on the impact of artificial intelligence on world peace and urges the international community to adopt a binding international treaty that regulates its development and use. New technologies must always be directed to “the pursuit of peace and the common good, in the service of the integral development of individuals and communities.” Pope Francis urges world leaders to ensure that progress in developing forms of artificial intelligence “will ultimately serve...
Hello and Happy New Year! First and foremost, I hope you have been able to spend time with loved ones and had some time to reflect on 2023. Secondly, I wish you and yours a safe and prosperous New Year. May 2024 bring the necessities we need to make La Conner the best it can be. The following note represents my reflections of social, economic and environmental perspectives that impact our town as I take office. Think of it as a “State of La Conner” of sorts. One of the great things about our community is that it is a unique microcosm of a bro...
By Glen Johnson Agritourism, is it a good thing or bad? A wedding in a farmer’s backyard is a great place and time to congratulate the couple, while also putting the spready on the table. Foods from area farms could be shared, marketed and sold to these wedding attendees. Most smaller farms still have a farmyard with a barn and a storage shed or two with space between them that allows for parking that doesn’t encroach on or impede the production of crops in the field. I was in the business about two decades ago, or at least I gave it a try...
How does one thank a person who has unstintingly given 16 years of his life to our community? Ramon Hayes has been La Conner’s mayor twenty four hours a day for every one of those years. Many of us have had the pleasure of chatting with him on his daily walks, often accompanied by his smiling, gregarious wife. A useful way of taking the pulse of the town person to person, he seemed to genuinely enjoy his walks. But the mayor’s day was often much more than glad-handing. He chaired 16 years of town council meetings, some being quite con...
