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For the past few months, I’ve shared stories about the perilous state of the local free press in these columns. I’ve written about what the decline of strong local reporting will mean for democracy. And I’ve suggested ways that newspapers might reinvent themselves and the government might help save this struggling industry. An astute email from reader Hilary Hilscher reminded me that I’d left out a big piece of the puzzle. “I’ve read your columns in The Seattle Times with great interest and, of course, total agreement with the need to preserve...
Last week Mel Damski stopped by the La Conner Weekly News office. He talked about his “If I Ran the Zoo” column idea for this week’s paper: “Giving Thanks.” I wear many different hats in my life and don’t always slow down and take the time to express my gratitude for everything that I am so thankful for: Here is how I would like to Give Thanks this year: La Conner Sunrise Food Bank: I am thankful for our donors and their overwhelming support that allowed us to continue to provide food to community members in need. I am thankful that our vo...
My flight to L.A. has been booked for a month. I get to see my kids, whom I have not seen in many months, and I get to have Thanksgiving Dinner with my sister and her large family in Palm Springs and I get to play golf and tennis without the threat of rain. Sounds great with one tiny exception: COVID-19! The virus is spiraling out of control in the U.S. and the governors of California, Oregon and Washington have asked people to stay home and avoid crowds. Chances are I will be okay. Allegiant...
The dictionary describes tenderness as being acutely sensitive to pain and the feelings of others. Pope Francis, in his new message to all people, said, “Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women.” America presents us many examples of such people. One is Abraham Lincoln, who said, “I have not willingly planted a thorn in any man’s bosom.” His whole life revealed great tenderness. After the civil war he declared, “Rebel leaders need not expect he would take any part in hanging or killing even the worst o...
Fraud depends on facts to prove the accuser’s case. Everyone has the freedom to believe what they want. At home, in a bar, on a ball field, in the stands, at church, wherever we gather people can tell each other their beliefs and call them truth. A 10,000 year old planet, angels dancing on the head of a pin, dead people voting, mailboxes stuffed with ballots, all of these can be true in a person’s or a congregation’s mind. Folks are entitled to hold on tightly to any belief and take it to their graves with them as gospel. Anyone can tell their...
As of the moment of this writing, Jay Inslee is the clear re-election winner of the race for governor, and Joe Biden is the declared winner of the presidential race. There are striking and very telling similarities in each of the results which shed some light on the fundamental reasons for our social and political divide. Inslee’s credentials as a candidate for governor were: a degree from the University of Washington, and a law degree; four years in our state House of Representatives; two years as a representative for central Washington in t...
In every election supporters – voters – of the winning side shout, blow their horns, ring cowbells and light firecrackers. That happened in La Conner as well as around the country Saturday morning with the news that Pennsylvania had been called for former Vice President Joe Biden. He will become the nation’s 46th president. Kamala Harris joins him as vice president with a string of firsts: as a woman, an African American and of south Asian heritage, a child of immigrants. Their victory is substantial and will have a larger margin b...
Dear Reps. Rick Larsen and Dave Paul, Congratulations! You have each won reelection. Now your real work begins. For each of you in Congress and with federal legislation, Rep. Larsen and for you in Washington state, Rep. Paul, your campaign victories are poster child cases for the drastic changes needed in campaign finance laws. Rep. Larsen, you return to the nation’s capital having spent $1.3 million to get re-elected. Wow! You spent about fifty-fve cents for each of the over 700,000 people living in District 2. Rep. Paul, you raised and s...
Hooray! Most of us have survived both the virus, and the election. Life is not easy when we divide ourselves the way we do, some of us believe the science, some believe the storyteller. Some folks think we do not much affect the climate, while another bunch of us thinks that we do. Some of us study what makes us live, some of us study what kills us dead. Bulbs that grow beautiful blooms, bombs that kill us when they go boom! We are as diverse as this, there is no wonder we struggle to get us to come to the center of the room. It is there where...
How quickly the joy shared by those at La Conner United Methodist Church, those who knew and loved Mark Stephens, turned to grief and sorrow. It was only one year ago, last November, when many church members, overcome with emotion, pulled out tissues as they (and even Mark) shed tears of joy during a message Mark delivered about how this small church he had joined had become his “Home,” the place where “belonging” to a church had taken on new meaning in the lifelong process of his faith as a Christian. Today, that same church community is now...
The La Conner High School Green Club was formed last year by several of us. Our mission statement is to educate our classmates, family and community about the importance of being a caretaker for our planet and to support others who feel the same. We are excited to start a fundraising project, and we need your help. We are asking for donations of empty animal feed bags. We will be using them to create reusable shopping bags. We plan to sell the bags throughout the Skagit Valley. Funds collected will be used to support club activities. If you...
I would like to encourage people to eat and shop here in La Conner. Two restaurants in particular that I enjoy are The Slider Cafe (excellent food and such nice staff) and La Conner Thai Gardens (wonderful Thai food). Also, I go to COA for Mexican food. I know there are many other great places to eat and the shopping here is good. If we do not use them, we will lose them. We are losing them. Businesses are closing permanently. So please, eat out and shop La Conner first. Carmen Ginn Shelter Bay...
As someone who wants more civil, issues focused elections, I agree with the editor that we need to reconsider the way we vote. When our officials need to spend their time raising money instead of governing, they are beholden to big money. When our districts are created in a bi-partisan gerrymander, healthy competition is lost. When vote-splitting means we elect candidates with a minority of the vote, the majority does not get what they want. Washington leads in many election procedures: easy voter registration, open primaries, no arbitrary...
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...
