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Ken, regarding your last two editorials commenting on the presidential election results, your apparent inability to comprehend that for some people there are just as many logical, valid, righteous and positive reasons to vote for Donald Trump as you have for voting for Kamala Harris reflects an immense shallowness in your journalistic curiosity (see CNN’s Scott Jennings’ article latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-11-01/election-donald-trump-kamala-harris for a different perspective). Your further reflexive impulse to ascribe only the most hat...
The Moore Clark building and property is a blight and a danger with breaches to the chain link fence that does not secure it but prevents public access to right of way along the waterfront (photo sent to Weekly News). The derelict owner should pay a daily fine for this mess and be required to carry appropriate insurance for the hazard of collapse and injury to victims. I am a near neighbor to the property. Sincerely, Breta Malcolm La Conner...
My fellow mammal mates, the Earth has been struck with the equivalent of the comet that took out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Yet life did not give up. The Earth has suffered many extinctions (five major ones). We are now living in the sixth extinction referred to as the Anthropocene. In geological history, 99 percent of everything that has lived has been wiped out. The tree of life is not a towering, lofty oak tree or redwood. The tree of life is a crust that has been beaten and burned and stumped on. Yet life goes on. Some think...
Yeah, I’m still alive and well, or so it seems, given my operation of this sophisticated piece of machinery, two moving parts. The small ball swirling at the end of the plastic tube full of ink moves nearly constantly in the hand of a decent writer, one who usually has a few words out, already thought, at the beginning of a sentence. The ball stops when the mind stops, to either consider the next best word, or maybe a whole new twist to the plot. Each consideration deserves its own mental slot. Who knows, in the future a thought may find a s...
Flabbergasted, astounded, staggered and dumbfounded, I find it hard to wrap my head around it. The privatization of war, once called the condottieri, now referred to as mercenaries, these private military companies, really hired killers is what they are. Moving on to another topic we learn of a philanthropic billionaire behaving quite neurotic, attempting to buy our vote. At a million a day he’s hoping to sway the election his way, to the candidate he promotes. AI powered by nukes seems like one for the books thought up by a bunch of kooks o...
Calling all patriots, the polls have opened, the mail in ballots are already delivered and it’s down to the wire, crunch time! My last letter established the basic criteria for selecting your representatives and now I’ll mention some tools for research: 1) Google each candidate and their statements. 2) go to Ballotpedia.org, for in depth coverage of each candidate and their responses. 3) go to Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, www.pdc.wa.gov, to which every candidate must be accountable and disclose their actual financial rec...
The choice is ours. Life or death. Freedom of religion or suppression of religion. Borders or no borders. Liberty or socialism/ Marxism/communism. The American Dream or rampant inflation. Constitutional republic or tyranny. Respected by the world powers or laughed at and used. Rule of law or lawlessness. Protection of our innocent children or brain washing our children in America’s schools and colleges. Respect for the Supreme Court or challenging the authority of the Supreme Court. Peace in our country or criminal chaos in our cities and st...
PEO Chapter JG of La Conner held “Gifts Galore,” an auction and brunch in Maple Hall on Oct. 19 to raise money to support women’s education. We offer financial help in the form of educational grants and scholarships to qualified women. We can only do this with the support of family, friends and donations from merchants. We thank the following merchants of La Conner for the donations to our auction: Red Door, Hellams, Waterfront Café, Apothecary, Skagit Cellers, Tim Winstrom, Stompin’ Grounds, Country Lady, Nell Thorn, The Stall, Ginger G...
The Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific and Guemes Island Ferry Workers, a bargaining unit of the IBU, urge voters to vote no on Initiative 2117. If approved, I-2117 would remove 25% of the funding for new ferries to replace Washington State Ferries’ aging fleet; and would eliminate 100% of the shore power project funding for the new Mark II ferries. I-2117 would also eliminate funding for the Guemes Island Ferry replacement project. As stated in materials IBU members have been distributing, chronic underfunding of the state ferry system for...
I am writing as a Skagit County farmer who is eager to see new energy and fresh ideas in our local government. The upcoming election has given us an exciting opportunity, particularly with Rylee Fleury running for county commissioner. It’s not just about electing a younger candidate – it’s about bringing a much-needed change to the way our county addresses key issues like farming and housing. For 16 years, we’ve seen the same face making the same decisions and frankly, the status quo isn’t working for many of us. Our farms, which are the backb...
Thank you, Ken for last week’s editorial concerning the massacre of Israeli innocents on Oct. 7, 2023 and the horrifying war on Hamas and the people of Gaza that is being waged by the present government of Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces (“After a Year of Slaughters,” Oct. 9). Though I appreciate parts of your editorial, it’s very important especially at this time to portray Israel as a country with many different voices. Yes, the present government is waging this war, but the present government doesn’t speak for the majority of Israel...
I’d just like to say I’ve bought at least one copy of the La Conner Weekly News every time I’ve been to La Conner. Lunch at Slider’s just wouldn’t be the same without it. I sincerely hope that if the paper is sold that the community be the ones to own it, what a great idea. Thanks for all the good work Ken and company. Corey Coffell via email...
I woke in the middle of the night, terrified Donald Trump could be elected; mystified that even his recent, repeated lies about Democrats, hurricanes and FEMA, toward his own political ends, have not outraged his followers. The word, fealty, has been used to describe a loyal Trumpist, like number two in the Republican leadership, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who has repeated (!) Trump’s lie, “They (Democrats) use that (FEMA) money helping illegals here that they brought into America” (The Guardian). The word fealty is defined historically as, ...
Southern Resident Orcas are intelligent, social, biologically important as apex predators – and critically endangered. Only some 75 remain and recent research published in the journal Nature highlighted that human-produced noise is a key to the decline of the orcas – the noise from boats interferes with their ability to hunt, reproduce and survive. The same research foresees extinction for the Southern Resident Orcas. I’m thrilled that Janet St. Clair, running to be our state senator, says “I’m a fierce protector of salmon and our iconic or...
We have many things on our minds at this time, the fate of our newspaper and La Conner’s south end industrial area, the critically important elections locally and nationally, the Russian incursion in Ukraine, the climate crisis, hurricanes and more. But I would like to draw your attention to the war in the Middle East where Israel is reacting to the Hamas attack last October that killed 1,200 and took 240 hostages. Israel has so far killed, at a minimum, 42,000-plus Palestinians in Gaza, more on the West Bank and now is proceeding into L...
Thanks for your review of “Arsenic and Old Lace” at the Lincoln Theatre. I just want to offer a clarification on names and dates associated with the play. Written in 1939, the play opened on Broadway in 1941 and was a big hit. Boris Karloff played the murderous brother Jonathan, who in the play keeps getting told by other characters that he looks like Boris Karloff. When Frank Capra prepared to make the movie, he asked for the play’s cast members to be given temporary leave so they could repeat their performances on screen. This was grant...
To our La Conner Community: To benefit others, the La Conner Kiwanis and the La Conner High School student body are asking for your help please. Together, they are sponsoring a volunteer-based Halloween blood drive on Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Landy James Gym on the school campus (last building on your right). Your donating will absolutely change and preserve a life! Search: bloodworksnw.org, then go to its donor portal and La Conner please. Please call if you have clinical questions: Dorothy, RN, 360-431-9234, or about...
I was so looking forward to learning more about the proposed revitalization of the industrial dead zone at the south end of town. I had submitted my two bits on the town survey and had great expectations. However, the turnout was not impressive and the acoustics in the room seemed to absorb the presenter’s voice. Granted, my hearing is impaired, but others also raised their hands stating they could not hear him. There was no microphone available. Unable to hear, I left. Perhaps I am unfairly comparing this event to the recent one at the Civic G...
My name is Randi Perlman and I live in Alaska, but that is another story … . A dear friend of mine relocated from Alaska to Shelter Bay several years back to care for her aging mom. During the next eight years, my friend found a beautiful lot on a bluff overlooking the Swinomish Channel, built a new home with a spectacular view and firmly ensconced herself in lovely La Conner. For each of the last two years, it has been my good fortune to spend a month here house-sitting and caring for her aging dog while she travels. After spending a c...
Well patriots, it’s that time again! Time to select the men and women who represent us in the offices of governance, for better or worse! You know, like the marriage vows, “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” and we’ve been witnessing the downside of each vow for the past four years! We’ve had the “worst” economy, we’ve become “poorer” and “sicker” as well, due to government shutdown policies! 1: What do you look for in the person who will represent you? I look for strong constitutionalists who...
Thank you to everyone who participated in the “Save the La Conner Weekly News” meeting last Wednesday at the Garden Club. The outpouring of community support for our local newspaper was overwhelming. For me this reinforces what a special place La Conner is. Andrew Ashmore La Conner...
They are just kids. For most kids, their anatomy matches how they feel, but for some it is not that way. The adherence to a binary male/female dichotomy is not accurate. Chromosomes differ, genes go their own way, hormones have different results in different kids. A child is born. Unpredictability is a predictable outcome. No two of us is the same. Some of us are transgender. So, at age 3, 4 and 5, personality emerges. This is the child you have. To understand this person, you need to observe and listen. If this child has a gender identity...
My name is Jeannette DeGoede and have had the privilege of living in Skagit County for 64 years. In 1959 I married Anthony DeGoede who was a bulb grower. The farm was called Tulip Town. Our lives consisted of hard work and wonderful opportunities for our children, Anthony passed away five years ago. I sold the farm, and now, living on the channel in La Conner, most of my neighbors are seniors. The Senior Center is a part of my life that I truly enjoy. In conversations with my senior friends, most of us are 80 and older. We all have our homes...
Here are some facts about Donald trump. Not emotions, opinions or internet conspiracies, but hard, cold incontrovertible facts. Trump is a sexual predator. At least 26 women have accused him of sexual misconduct from unwanted kissing to rape. Their stories bear a chilling resemblance to his “grab them by the …” Access Hollywood tape. With men like Trump, if 26 women came forward, there are many more too frightened to do so. Trump is a criminal convicted last May of 34 felonies. His company was convicted of 17 felonies in 2023. His accou...
I want to thank Bill Reynolds for his kind and informative article about gathering our neighbors to “Map Our Neighborhood” as recommended by the state’s Department of Emergency Management. La Conner is a small community with a tiny group of dedicated public works employees who do an incredible job of maintaining the town’s complex infrastructure. If the town suffers a disaster like the tidal flood of 2022 or a major earthquake, one of magnitude 6.0 or more, our town staff may not be able to meet community needs. At that point dealing with th...
