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Mr. Doerflinger last week accused the editor of this paper of “outrage and personal insults against some (Supreme Court) justices” (“More light, less heat on court,” letter, May 8). I looked back and could not find examples that would justify his accusations. Yes, the editor has found fault with the court, for good reason. Certain justices appear to have been influenced by gifts and associations. The taint of corruption has stained the image of the current court. Add to that the fact that, while president, Donald Trump appointed three of the ju...
I am heartsick every time I see a wounded or dead child injured in the Israeli attack on Hamas. I sit in sorrow for a time, then I realize why they are suffering just like the children in Germany in World War II. The residents of Germany supported murderous leaders like Hamas who taught hate for Jews and dedicated their lives to killing every Jew and driving them from the face of the earth. The so-called Palestinians unequivocally support Hamas in their efforts. Hamas fighters slaughtered, raped tortured and killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and...
For most of the last 10 years, electric consumption in Washington has been relatively flat or even falling. Innovative technologies like LED lighting and heat pumps have been replacing less efficient incandescent lighting and the older generation of HVAC systems. Moderate weather, on average, in both winter and summer has also flattened electric loads. Some Washington utilities have been concerned that falling demand would affect their ability maintain their systems without substantial rate...
Last Saturday some 13 people – mostly La Conner residents, along with Channel Drive and Pull and Be Damned neighbors and the Home Trust of Skagit executive director – met Mayor Marna Hanneman at the La Conner Swinomish Library for her monthly community check-in. There were mostly familiar faces around the conference room table. These residents have attended Hanneman’s earlier library gatherings, as many of them joined in town-organized community mingles on short-term rentals, First Street parking and the town-acquired Jenson property. That...
A leading theme of the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council has been “reading the signs of the times.” The signs of the times are clear: human dignity is under grave threat. The Vatican has issued an important new declaration on human dignity. “Dignitas Infinita” is the title of this 23-page document. In its preface, Pope Francis explicitly asked that the document “highlight topics closely connected to the theme of dignity, such as poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, war and other the...
I have been living here just a year now, but my neighbors and the community as a whole have been so open, friendly and inviting that I feel totally at home here. One of the things I truly love about our town is its “walkability.” The beautiful new Swinomish La Conner Library is just a few blocks away, with a steep hill to get my heart rate up on the return trip. And what a wonderful place it is to visit. Not only do they offer a lifetime of fiction and non-fiction books to read, but magazines, DVDs, events and programs for all ages. A new exp...
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent questioning of attorneys on both sides in the Trump immunity case has provoked outrage, and personal insults against some justices, by our esteemed editor (Weekly News, May 1). But the Court made it clear months ago that it may not give an outright “win” to either side, by framing the question before it as “whether, and to what extent,” a president is immune from criminal prosecution for acts while holding office. One appellate court said Trump was not immune from prosecution for any of the acts cited by prosec...
This moment, Superintendent Will Nelson’s resignation is an opportunity for the La Conner Schools. I am in full agreement with the assessment by the school board, to focus within the district instead of initiating a search for a replacement. With school funds low, the financial outlay of a search and the salary of a superintendent are funds better spent focused on what already exists and lessening the load placed on staff members due to the funding shortage. Experts in their fields; David Cram, director of finance and operations, and Beth C...
I was sorry to read in last week’s Weekly News concerning the Jenson property (“Residents engage,” May 1) that there was only minimal interest in housing. What worries me is that without diversity La Conner wouldn’t be the rich connection community it is today. People who have received a hand up from supporters of the arts and the appreciation of that diversity. Creative, brilliant people that gave La Conner its diversity and flavor. La Conner is built on the history of our heroes: People who lived on Pull and Be Damned, Fishtown, the marsh....
A bedrock principle of our society is the rule of law. The cliches are true because they are fundamental to justice: A nation of laws, not of men. And, of course, no man is above the law. But every red-blooded American knows that everyone gets the amount of justice that they can pay for. And when you are a billionaire ex-president who has appointed three Supreme Court justices, not only are the books cooked, but the defendant has aces in his back pocket as well as up his sleeve. Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments over former President...
A little perspective: In 1869 bearded men in tall black hats whacked in a golden spike completing the Transcontinental Railway at Provo, Utah, establishing the first sit-down transportation between the East Coast and San Francisco. In January of the following year a magnitude 9 earthquake set off a flood that drowned Native coastal villages from mid California to the northern tip of Vancouveer Island. In short, it was a whopper; but almost completely unrecognized for over 100 years. In January 1700, the offshore portion of that fault fractured...
At its recent convention in Spokane, the Republican Party’s endorsement committee removed gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird’s name from consideration due to Mr. Bird’s failure to disclose a prior federal conviction for bank larceny. This action by the state committee resulted in such a chaotic uproar from the Bird supporters in attendance that the committee removed the governor’s endorsement entirely from consideration. Once again, Bird’s supporters vociferously objected. As a result, former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, the leading contender...
Dear Editor, Skagit County Emergency Medical Services and the Board of Skagit County Commissioners want to thank residents for supporting the recent ballot measure to renew the emergency medical services levy. The levy funds a county-wide coordinated EMS system through contracts with cities, towns, fire districts and other agencies that serve all county residents. Our EMS system consists of Basic and Advanced Life Support for county residents and visitors, which is the highest level and quality of service possible when it comes to a medical...
If they were protesting Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses would they be branded anti Islamic? History has shown that the students were right about the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Listen to the students. Jai Boreen La Conner...
As longtime readers know, Jenelle bought an all-electric Chevy Bolt a couple of years ago. We’ve driven it about 18,000 miles. It replaced a Buick SUV that had about 85,000 miles on it. The total cost of the Bolt out of pocket, after the trade-in and the electric-vehicle rebate, plus the cost of adding a 240-volt (Level 2) charger to our garage, was about $25,000. The Buick got about 20 mpg, so we’ve saved 900 gallons of gas. Gas has been around $4 a gallon here for most of that time, so tha...
Monday was the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, organized in 1970 as a teach-in on college campuses to emphasize the harm out-of-control pollution has on human health as well as the environment. In typical homo sapiens fashion, giant inflatable earth balls got tossed around, guitars were played and laughter and music filled the air. So, for 50 years the seriousness of human-fueled devastation danced with the joy of opening our eyes to the beauty and wonders of the natural world. “It is only a little planet / but how beautiful it is” the poet Rob...
Tsunami is a Japanese word for what used to be more appropriately called a “tidal wave.” In movies and television dramas, tsunamis are portrayed as monster ocean waves cresting over the likes of New York City or Los Angeles. A bit misleading to say the least. Tsunamis are huge bursts of energy being transported in water. In reality, when a tsunami reaches land it’s much more like the tidal flood that invaded La Conner a few years ago, only bigger, much bigger. As most folks have seen in YouTube videos of Japan’s 2011 flooding, a tsunami...
The Swinomish Tax Authority uses the same levy rate for 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021: $11.98 per $1,000. The assessed value of homes in Shelter Bay, Pull & Be Damned and Thousand Trails increased from $206,399,050 to $262,085,926. The Swinomish Tribal Community has the right to collect $3,139,456 in taxes from Shelter Bay, Pull & Be Damned and Thousand Trails in 2024. Last year they collected $2,440,832. After deducting contributions, exemptions, uncollectable taxes and taxes shared with the county, the Tribe will have an estimated $1,958,197...
Make housing a Jensen priority The population of La Conner is aged and aging. In-migration or family formation by families of low and moderate incomes hasn’t been the case for a decade or more. There is little to no housing available for young families who would like to live here and send their children to La Conner schools. This has led to frequent calls for “affordable” housing. The prior mayor and town council had a promising opportunity to turn those calls into action when it purchased (and immediately sold) two-thirds of the Maple Avenue b...
The energy infrastructure we have today is the result of thousands of years of technological development, during which the systems evolved based on what had and hadn’t been invented, and where. The Romans had everything they needed to develop a steam engine, but they didn’t. Where would humanity be today if we had almost 2,000 more years of industrialization? The existence of legacy systems significantly affects the speed with which we design and install energy systems based on the latest tec...
Earth Day is Monday, April 22. This is not an Earth Day editorial and not because the almost holiday atmosphere and platitudes reverently uttered by politicians and corporate heads have hijacked the original intent. It is the same with Mother’s Day, which started after the Civil War. In 1870 Julia Ward Howe called for a “Mother’s Day for Peace” dedicated to the celebration of peace and the eradication of war. Howe hoped mothers could prevent the cruelty of war and the waste of life since mothers alone bear and know the cost. That is from al...
A few years ago I was managing an experiment aimed at determining whether it was practical to power cars with hydrogen, instead of gasoline. Most of the cars were small gasoline-engine SUVs which had been modified to burn hydrogen. Hydrogen, at automotive operating temperatures, is a gas that must be compressed and stored in high-pressure tanks. The tanks are made of carbon fiber. They look a lot like very large scuba tanks. A hydrogen storage system small enough to store aboard a car can only...
Do you know fact from propaganda when see or hear it? Learn more at the April 29 forum “News & Media Literacy: Informed or Influenced?” The League of Women Voters of Skagit County offers its second program in their series of voter education, part of their ongoing commitment to community engagement and understanding of key electoral issues. Speakers are Andrew Paxton, Skagit Valley Herald executive editor and Skagit Valley College librarians Elena Bianco and Libby Sullivan. Join them Monday, April 29, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Public Utility Dis...
My name is Wood Weiss and I am the Chief of Skagit Fire District 13. Recently people have been asking me about the upcoming ballot measure for the countywide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy renewal. I thought it might help to clarify who we are as a fire district and how the EMS levy impacts us and the people we serve. Our district provides Fire and EMS protection for a 71 square mile area, which includes the Swinomish Tribal Reservation (Tribal village, Shelter Bay, Snee Oosh beach area, Casino), farmlands east of the Swinomish channel,...
About that cute little 0.53-acre plot known as the “Jensen Parcel?” As a resident of Channel Cove for a couple of years, I spent a lot of time thinking about it, from my permaculturalist perspective. How many wants and wishes could be achieved if the parcel could be creatively developed. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the Jensen family makes an enticing offering of the challenged property for the town. It’s not big enough for a ball field, it’s very low and wet, just ask Maggie, for she lives next to it and wrote last week of her thoughts...
