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La Conner, Salish seaside town, little, short and sweet, perfect for a Summer Sidewalk Saunter, just keep a sharp eye out for that silly Sloughmander clown. It mostly stays hidden in the minds of those that remember when it more frequently slithered around. It learned how to dance to darn near any music that came, with its own sound. It was sparkly green and blue, with an orange belly, and big bulging yellow eyes! There was no missing it, until it was gone, then the Summer Sidewalk Saunter simmered down. It was thought it might be lonely, the...
Yes, we have a clear choice between the currently right leaning and autocratic Republican offerings and the more centrist Democrats, but in many ways, they offer little choice. They share the “firm commitment” to Israel in spite of its horrific abuse of Palestinians which borders on genocide. They both cater to the ultra rich, the Republicans more openly, but the Democrats in more subtle ways. Trump pontificates about draining the swamp while he wallows in it. The Democrats talk of taxing the rich, but serious action is seldom seen. And bot...
I can recommend two books: The Bible and “The Anti-Communist Manifesto” by Jesse Kelly. Because our homeland is in such crises, it is difficult to know how to briefly say what is in my head and heart. So, just this: Truth is under attack. Deception is the name of the game today. Lies are repeated and repeated and many Americans are deceived by those who are working to change, destroy this constitutional republic. If we can’t discern truth from lies, we are easily deceived. Also, platforms are available for us to read. What does the Repub...
Town Council of La Conner: Regarding my 18’ artisan fence donation, accepted by the Town Arts Commission Sept. 3, 2022 for installation in the Butterfly Garden adjoining the Civic Garden Club, South Second Street: 1. After thirteen contractors quickly or lengthily turned down the project, many no with reason given. 2. Note: I am paying for the total installation which Public Works Director Brian Lease advised, “would be not more than $15,000.” (I’ll pay more if needed). 3. Director Lease said his crew is capable of doing the work only if time...
Just a couple of weeks before the primary election County Commissioner Peter Browning had a letter in the Skagit Valley Herald complaining he had been unfairly described as supporting Fully Contained Communities. Anyone who followed the Board of County Commissioners’ 2021 consideration of a comprehensive plan amendment to allow FCCs in Skagit County knows Browning was indeed a supporter. Browning spoke in favor of FCCs at commissioner meetings on April 28 and May 11, 2021. At that second meeting, he offered the motion to establish the 2021 c...
A recent federal court ruling suggests sending at least some of the NAS Whidbey Growlers to NAF El Centro. Yes! Send ‘em south to California, where they can deafen and intimidate the immigrant hordes trying to scale the wall. Ha! The Navy rebuts with, “But it will cost $800 million.” Take it out of the $38 BILLION we have promised to Israel in the next 10 years that will be largely used in their unconscionable attack on Palestine. If interested in this issue, check out recent articles in Task & Purpose and Simple Flying. Jai Boreen La Conne...
The Hearing Examiner’s decisions shouldn’t be a popularity contest. The code, the council, and administration shouldn’t leave it up to a hearing examiner’s decision to ensure a future with adequate housing! If the Municipal Code isn’t strong enough to preference housing over commercial use...especially in already residentially- zoned areas!... what has to change? This is not a new problem. Is it the municipal code? Or the council’s or administration’s or planning department’s commitments to housing? (Especially affordable housing... whet...
There are two candidates for Skagit County Commissioner, District 1, Ron Wesen and Rylee Fleury. I support neither, but I wish to know who will be representing the affairs of this county for the next term. Unfortunately Fleury is vague on professional experience, education and community service in the voters’ pamphlet and his personal statement sounds like it was written by someone else for him. He has a billboard on Hwy 20 as well as many yard signs and a large box truck plastered with large campaign signage on its sides. These cost a lot o...
Those who support the reelection of Mr. Donald Trump remind us that none of us are perfect, that to lash out at one over another is unfair, that we all have our faults. It must be said, however, that some individuals appear to be more imperfect than others, especially those in high places. “The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from COVID-19,” according to a Lancet commission (England) tasked with assessing Donald Trump’s health policy record. In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for “not taking the pan...
I met with the mayor and the administrator of La Conner on Aug. 21. The purpose of the meeting was to see if the Town was going to contest the amount of money the Town of La Conner paid to the City of Anacortes for water for 2021 and 2022. The answer was “no.” The agreement between the town and the city calls for arbitration if there is a disagreement, but the mayor and the administrator found no problem, no need to sit down with the mayor of Anacortes. This, in spite of the fact that Anacortes, by my calculation, owes us $46,858 for 2021 and...
I am sympathetic to your recent view article questioning the value of our present two-party system to our election process. The criticism can apply to either side. The parties gain total control by holding the purse strings and thus keep things in uproar as an easy way to generate funds. In this game, money talks loudly. The whistlestop train campaigning may be too outdated, but the undergirding of what we stand for may still be there. Namely: 1. That truth is the most sustainable way to keep us free, safe and fair in our interactions. 2. That...
I just read an e-mail blurb from a Tunde Wackman who is staff at World Central Kitchens. The New York based non-profit who is working non-stop in Ukraine, Sudan and other troubled locales around the world, including Gaza and the West Bank. You may recall that World Central Kitchens is the organization that Jeannie Wedin, myself and others raised $18,000 for a few years back feeding refugees in Ukraine. Now they are distributing much-needed food to starving Palestinians. A month or so back they were in the news resulting from Israeli Prime...
The public hearing held on July 29 by the La Conner school board revealed that next year the district is going to levy $1,434,000 for debt service on the bond that built the middle school. That will be paid by about 4,400 non-Native American taxpayers who live in the school district. The Swinomish do not pay taxes. Yet, they account for 38.7% of the student body. They should contribute $554,958. The tribe can afford it. They will collect $1,958,197 extra cash from their tax on Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned residents this year. One of the...
The Federal H-2A Temporary Farmworker Program was designed to provide “temporary workers/guest workers” in areas where industrial agriculture can request a cheap, flexible and deportable workforce with no labor rights. This program relies on cheap and exploitable temporary workers working on farms at the expense of local farmworker communities displaced from secure jobs to support their families. Local workers work/live in Skagit County (some for decades), have families, pay taxes, pay for housing, buy clothing and groceries, and support the...
Photosynthetic power, that that falls freely from the sun, is captured by the oceans, trees, rocks, leaves, cities, sidewalks and streets. Yeah, the last three are as unnatural as covering perfectly good farmland with solar panels. Solar panels are more appropriate on slopes, like roofs and open rocky south-facing places. Of course, there are farmland ditches that could be creatively covered with them and as you might have guessed, I’ve designed a few different concepts about how to get it done. Our south-sloping dike between La Conner and Plea...
My old MacBook died so I have relied on those pesky PCs at the library. The difference is vast and I stumble at the task, but get by with the aid of the librarians. Then on down the street, Rico and I seek a head of lettuce and find a bib type to blow your mind, Hedlin grown to perfection. As Rico rolls in the grass, scratching his back, I gaze to the north across the flats, a view to enchant the poet or painter, or me and you, my lucky neighbor. Jai Boreen La Conner...
I am sad that the Skagit County Pioneer Association chose a year when Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen is up for reelection to honor the Wesen family. Not a good look. And Commissioner Wesen should know better. The Wesen family deserves the honor, but next year would have been better. And, by the way, I am not supporting Wesen’s opponent. Gale Fiege Pleasant Ridge...
In February of 2024 former President Donald Trump called himself “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House,” and said that during his presidency he had “done nothing. We didn’t yield” (all quotes, U.S. News and World Report). Perhaps Chambers of Commerce across America are noting reduced international tourism since 2006 since there have been over 570 (and counting-up) mass killings in the United States. Perhaps, for those living outside America and planning a trip, they are simply afraid to come for fear of being shot. Yet...
As an active community member, I read almost every article in the La Conner Weekly News, usually by early Wednesday afternoon, so I typically find things about which to write. Sometimes I just sit and let the soup simmer, see if it needs some seasoning, maybe some seasoned reasoning should come to bare. I found the town council’s priorities (“La Conner council sets priorities at retreat,” July 3) very interesting. One member of the council brought up the importance of community involvement, another stressed volunteerism, communication and s...
A recent article in your paper reviewed the new exhibitions at MoNA, the powerful paintings and glass work of Joseph Gregory Rossano’s “Portrait of the Divine,” and “Early Rituals,” the iconic creations of a master in glass, William Morris (June 19, 2024). However, two upstairs exhibitions were not mentioned. The first is a beautiful exhibition from MoNA’s permanent collection, “At the Seam,” including new acquisitions and the last is “SOMOS (WE ARE)” in the small Outside/In Gallery. It is the latter upon which I would like to comment. The art...
On June 5, the La Conner Firefighters Association took over the La Conner Pub and Eatery. Firefighters, EMTs and association members ran the restaurant with the help of John, Jada and a few pub employees: Julie, Jasmine, Adolfo, Blythe and Estella. We wanted to thank our community for all of the support and for joining us for such a fun event! We’re looking forward to seeing all of you at our Golf Tournament on Sept. 7. Natalie Baker La Conner...
It was fun to see that a photo of what some call the “La Conner Loopers” on their bikes and trikes in “A view from the editor’s eye,” the centerfold in last week’s La Conner Weekly News. Much ado has been made about this old dude crossing mileage milestones, when the attention really should be about all of the other characters that have been the inspiration to get me up and rolling every morning. Weather permitting. Fred, the recognized leader of the Loopers, caught me tooling around on my new trike shortly after Barb and I moved to Center S...
I was greatly moved by last week’s editorial, in which Ken Stern ponders the fate of our truly local newspaper, the La Conner Weekly News. I would urge you to read it if you have not, or to re-read it if you have. We are in danger of losing a critically important component of our community. Social media and individual websites are not adequate replacements. We are uniquely blessed to have a locally owned paper dedicated to the interests of our community, with reporters actually reporting what is going on, often in depth, which you would n...
Describing the thoughts and feelings over these last two weeks is challenging, to say the least. A house fire is one of those things that you always think will never happen to you. It’s such a surreal experience that we are still trying to fully process our new reality. Having gone through this trauma, we should be feeling despondent and defeated. In every right, we should be miserable and yet, we find ourselves optimistic with smiles on our faces looking toward the future. There is one clear cause of our positive outlook: this extraordinary c...
La Conner Weekly News Team: Thank you for the wonderful story and photo last week, reporting about our dedication/blessing of the new pavilion at Conner Waterfront Park (June 19, page 1). One thing I said that day and would like to see reported is the idea for the park started with Parks Commissioner Brian Scheuch, who I said was the father of the park, along with his friend BJ Carol. Thank you, Ollie Iversen La Conner Parks Commissioner...
