La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

I guess we should have expected it, but it’s disappointing none the less. Since “affordable housing” is a critical issue for all our communities, it is now being used as a cudgel or enticement for what would otherwise be an unacceptable devel...

When I was young, there was a common joke told by comedians: “Everybody keeps talking about the weather, but nobody is doing anything about it.” This was also a sad reference to the politics of our democracy. That is, we spend a lot time talking abo...

In my previous article (Nov. 6), “The History of the Flaw-Part I,” I outlined a view of our nature as a species; our tendency to choose self-interest over community-interest; and our lack of common perspective. This discussion was brought to my att...

It is not easy to accept that there may be a flaw in our nature that may be the underlying source of our difficulties. In our culture, it is even more difficult to accept the idea that there is “no technical solution” to problems that arise. Be it...

Affordable housing has become the elephant in the room that we are repeatedly forced to address. However, the symbol of the issue seems more akin to the Asian Indian parable of the “Blind Men and the Elephant.” Is the affordable housing issue the...

We all love to complain about petty bureaucrats and regulations. They are quite annoying sometimes. I have been on both sides of the counter on this issue. I can tell you that it is sometimes not easy or pleasant to enforce standards, code and...

The Kirsch property has come back on the agenda for the Mayor and Council. This property has been on and off the agenda for several years now. There are several issues that surround this property that lead to significant misunderstandings. Its role...

Just imagine yourself sitting on a bench in front of an old fire station with a bunch of older men and women reminiscing about the “old days” in the “department.” That’s about what it feels like to read Roy Horn’s new book, “The Story of the Men an...

Our current public discussion on a variety of issues reveals a flaw in our nature. It’s not a new revelation. The flaw is that we are willing to benefit ourselves individually at the expense of others. While this is not new, it does have a new u...

In the late 1970s, when I first came to live in Skagit County, it felt like coming home. That first view coming off the Conway Hill going north on I-5 brings that feeling. I have to admit that what brought me to that view point was a little more scie...

Beginning next week, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, and people from the Department of Ecology and the National Marine Fisheries will be visiting La Conner to evaluate how well we are managing...

There has been significant press coverage lately, both locally and nationally, regarding flood hazards. The Oso landslide reminds us that catastrophic events are usually infrequent, often unexpected in the moment they occur but predictable. While it...