Articles written by ken stern
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 1289
How might First St. travel and parking transition?
What is the process, procedure, requirements and schedule to make South First Street one way? First, it will not happen in a hurry. Town Administrator Scott Thomas, Planning Director Michael Davolio and Mayor Marna Hanneman’s responses to emailed q...
From the editor: La Conner's parking problem
If the 30 residents at the Feb. 20 community mingle on what was billed as a forum to discuss parking on South First Street had their way, the clear sentiment was to improve safety in the downtown by making it a one-way street south of Washington...
Presidential primary requires party declaration
Voting in Washington state’s presidential primary is underway for voters willing to declare their party on their ballot. The ballot instructions state “The major political parties require voters to mark a party box” and then vote for a candi...
Town's January tax receipts are solid
Lots of tourists stayed overnight in La Conner last November. The town council’s January packet summarizing revenues reported $9,464 was collected in hotel/motel taxes, above 2023 and the second highest ever. The visitors did not spend a record a...
Port hikes moorage rates at marina
Boaters and campers tying up their boats or parking their RVs at the La Conner Marina will be paying 5% and 10% more starting in April. Port of Skagit Commissioners passed a resolution updating Marina moorage fees and “miscellaneous charges” at their...
Black Press, owner of Everett Herald, files for bankruptcy
Black Press Ltd., owner of the Everett Herald’s parent company, Sound Publishing, is seeking a sale to new ownership as part of a corporate restructuring transaction, Black Press announced Jan. 15 and reported in the Lynnwood Times. That day Black P...
Conway gas spill update
Some 50 area residents attended the Conway School community meeting Feb. 6 to gain more information about the Dec. 10 Olympic Pipeline gasoline spill near Conway and the ongoing cleanup, local media reported. Billed as an open house, residents could...
Town ends 2023 with record surplus
Largest ever, that is the Town of La Conner $971,884 2023 budget surplus. Councilmembers opened their January packets to find that the $43,947 in sales tax revenue pushed the year’s total to $630,453, 3.5% and $21,272 above budgeted projections. I...
That hot mess of January: Very wet, very cold, very warm
January’s weather was full of extremes and records. There were four record lows for the day of the month: 10.4 degrees Jan. 12, 9.8 degrees Jan. 13, 14 degrees Jan. 15 and 16.4 degrees Jan. 16. The average daily temperature was below 20 degrees J...
Poster reveal at Rotary meeting means 2024 Skagit River Poetry Festival is October bound
Monday's weekly La Conner Rotary Club meeting at the Farmhouse Restaurant was brightened from its bleak midwinter darkness by its guests and the occasion: The poster reveal for the 2024 Skagit River P...
The last day of the La Conner Drug Store
The La Conner Drug Store opened for the last time Monday, Jan. 22, but there were few customers shopping and not much on the shelves to purchase – though that was a years long reality. Late m...
Agreeing on time, for a change
This editorial is as timely and critical as when a version was published in 2022, during the last short session of our state legislature. It is updated. Your actions are still needed and needed today. Here is a nonpartisan issue that this community...
Searchers recover body Tuesday in Swinomish Channel
It will be cold comfort to the family whose relative was found in the Swinomish Channel mid-day Tuesday, Jan. 23 but perhaps allow the start of a grieving and healing process. Employing a remote operated underwater vehicle supplied by the Seattle Har...
Conway gas spill site cleanup continues
CONWAY — Last week’s weather paused cleanup operations of the December Olympic Pipeline gasoline spill east of Conway. By Jan. 20 excavation of impacted soil at the spill site north of SR 534 resumed. This update is from United Command press releases...
BREAKING: Friday 1 p.m. special town council meeting
Mayor Marna Hanneman called a special meeting of the La Conner Town Council for Friday, Jan. 26 at 1p.m. held through Microsoft Teams. The meeting purpose is: discussion of the 2021 and 2022 state...
Building housing in the comp plan
Town of La Conner residents have two weeks to offer their two cents – or perhaps exceedingly more valuable recommendations – as possible amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan – and the development code, too. Submittals made through Jan. 31...
Opportunities for building in the new year
New Town of La Conner Mayor Marna Hanneman chaired her first town council meeting yesterday, Jan. 9. The council packet she received the week before included a memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas. Its first point summarized for council the...
Snow and cold forecast for Thursday
You might have woken to rain today, Wednesday. Cold temperatures and snow will follow, the National Weather Service predicts. Snow is likely Thursday, with up to half an inch accumulating at the Burlington airport after a possible low of 31 degrees...
SR 534 open 2-way near leak
CONWAY — SR 534 opened to two-way traffic Monday morning, making it easier for parents to take their children to Conway Elementary School. Traffic had been restricted since the Olympic Pipeline vault gasoline leak Dec. 10. Cleanup crews have been a...
December: lots of rain but too warm for snow
Finally, rain, lots of it. December's rains were near record high, 4.6 inches, and 2023's first month of precipitation exceeding the century's average. Rain fell 10 of the first 11 days, totaling 3.1...
289 trees removed in gas pipeline leak cleanup
CONWAY — Crews cleaning up the Olympic Pipeline gas leak southwest of SR 534 in Conway cut down 289 trees Dec. 27-28 in order to remove underlying contaminated soil, the cleanup project’s unified command reported in a Dec.29 update. The area bor...
COVID-19 is still here
The coronavirus is still here and lurks in La Conner, in nearby movie houses, in dance halls and auditoriums and wherever people gather and however they travel. The year ended and 2024 began with Weekly News staff and freelancers, critical people...
2023: The year reviewed in its headlines
December was frosty and frozen 4-Jan La Conner Community combats wave of saltwater flooding 4-Jan Flood damage cost estimate $1.8 million 11-Jan Council creates emergency management commission 1-Feb...
November homes sales down in Skagit County
The 88 homes sold in Skagit County in November was a drop of 22.8% from 2022. The La Conner school district market had seven home sales close, the same as last year, bucking the statewide trend. The two homes sold in the town of La Conner, as...
Channel Cove residents meet new director
A smattering of Channel Cove residents took new Home Trust of Skagit Director Felicia Minot up on her offer to meet and greet them at the complex's community room Dec. 16. Each of the four residents...