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Public safety in emergency situations was the talk of the town at the La Conner Retirement Inn Saturday morning. The latest in a series of quarterly public forums coordinated by La Conner Town Council communications committee members MaryLee Chamberlain and Rick Dole focused on December's flood and proposed measures to mitigate future episodes. The Dec. 27 flooding, a combination of factors – seasonal king tides, low barometric pressure, strong westerly winds and steady rainfall – struck rap...
In the first three weeks of January, 32 trillion gallons of rain and snow fell on California. I was there for an awful lot of them. Usually, when I make my holiday sojourn to Sacramento, I enjoy slightly warmer temperatures and a whole lot more sun than I get in Skagit County in the winter. Not this year. Rain began just a few days after I pulled up to my mom's house on Dec. 19. At first, it was refreshing and from what I saw on my drive south, badly needed. But one storm turned into one atmosph...
Even a U.S. representative can have trouble finding a parking place in La Conner. And not just during peak summer tourist season, but on a January weekday morning. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Arlington), top Democrat on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, knows that all too well. He had to park in a police zone Thursday before a full round of activities here, including speaking at the 24th annual Storming the Sound Conference at Maple Hall. The 11-term lawmaker avoided a ticket...
OLYMPIA — A federal appeals court reversed a last-minute Trump Administration decision to deny Medicaid funding for dental health aide therapists in Washington tribal communities, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Washington Health Care Authority announced Jan. 19. These dental aides help fill a void in tribal communities, which have a significant shortage of dentists and dental services. The state and Swinomish jointly filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after P...
A La Conner man's lifelong dream and five years of his hard work quickly went up in smoke last week. Tyrone McLeod lost to fire on Tuesday, Jan. 17 the house he had been building on family property off Indian Road. McLeod is perhaps best known for having built the elaborate rampway at the former Dorsten residence on Morris Street west of the Firehall Kitchen and Taphouse, "They weren't moved in yet, everyone is okay," McLeod's mother, retired La Conner Schools staff member Linda Rumbolt, told th...
Town of La Conner leaders continue to talk, plan and act in preparing flood control measures in the wake of Dec. 27’s flooding from the Swinomish Channel. Last night the town council created a flood commission by ordinance, cementing in place a group charged with developing responses to the next flood. Last Thursday Mayor Ramon Hayes, Councilmember Rick Dole and Administrator Scott Thomas met with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and gained his commitment to have his staff pay attention to Town entreaties to federal agencies. No magic bullets there, b...
In January of 2022, a record-high king tide, coupled with strong winds and unusually low barometric pressure, pushed the waters of Edison Slough to breach the west-side town dikes, causing substantial damage to some homes and a number of businesses in “downtown” Edison. At its regular monthly meeting that January, the Edison Women’s Club, an active community group formed over 100 years ago to maintain safety and improve life for the citizens of Edison, collectively made a decision to address the dikes. A subcommittee was created. It organ...
Am I proud to be an American? Yes. This is the country that gave my parents a wonderful place to live after they barely escaped from Nazi Germany. Am I happy with the direction this country is headed into? No. Politics have overruled governance. Turn on CNN or MSNBC or any national or local newscast and little of it is positive news that makes me proud to be an American. As a former newspaper reporter, I’m a news junkie and I am finding it very painful to see the direction our country is m...
The year is less than a month old, and Oregon has already lost three newspapers. The latest to shut down is the Lebanon Express, a weekly that’s served its namesake Linn County community for nearly 136 years. The final edition was published Jan. 18. It comes less than a week after two southern Oregon papers, the Medford Mail-Tribune and the Rogue Valley Messenger, announced their closures. The owner of the Lebanon Express is Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, which did not respond to a request for comment about why it shut down the paper. In a s...
What can Washington state do to avoid problems similar to those Texas experienced with its energy supply during February 2021? How should our grid and utility regulations be designed to maintain economic and reliable service, especially as the use of intermittent solar and wind generation, and electric vehicles, all increase? Let’s start with what our state can do to avoid the high electric prices Texas experienced. Two key lessons the public can learn from the Texas situation are: Electric p...
Sharon Kay Cutler Sept. 20, 1939 – Jan. 4, 2023 Sharon passed away on Wednesday Jan. 4, 2023. She was born on Sept. 20, 1939 and was 83 years old. Sharon was preceded in death by her dad, Sylvester Pulanco; her stepdad, Don; mother, Wanda Campbell and granddaughter, Janae Pew. Ironically, mom passed away on what would have been Janae's 30th birthday. Sharon carried the sacred gifts of crafts and hospitality. She was a devoted and loyal wife, sister, and mother. She was married to Bert Cutler f... Full story
Homelessness is still a big issue throughout Washington, and while the state has spent millions, the governor wants to invest more. In a press conference Jan. 19, Governor Jay Inslee said while some homeless encampments have been cleared as a result of past funding efforts, there are still not enough places to house the homeless. “Many of these people have chemical addiction problems that have to be treated if they’re going to succeed. Many of these people have mental health problems that have to be treated,” Inslee said. “Where we have fo...
Washington has a proud history of agricultural leadership. Here in Skagit County, we have one of the largest and most diverse agricultural communities west of the Cascade Mountains. Island County is home to an ecosystem of organic and school district farms, training programs and community supported agriculture. We have a lot to be proud of – and a lot to protect. Agriculture should be home-grown and family owned. Local farmers mean a stronger local food pipeline, more robust local economy and a...
Skagit County is seeking applicants for a seat in District 2 for a Citizens Advisory Committee, the Agricultural Advisory Board that makes recommendations to the county commissioners on land use, planning, programs and policy decisions relating to agriculture. Applicants need a demonstrated knowledge, experience and interest in one or more of the following areas: soil and water conservation, farming practices, food and feed processing, wholesale and retail marketing, produce buying, direct marketing, supply, agricultural real estate/land...
The La Conner Braves went from heartache to heartened in 48 hours last week. The high school team (7-7) rebounded from a tough 57-56 home loss to Coupeville Wednesday with a 64-14 blowout win over Darrington at Landy James Gym Friday night. With the two-game split, La Conner was 3-2 in NW1B/2B play before last night's conference action at Orcas Island. The lopsided Darrington triumph helped take the sting out of the last-second setback to the Wolves, which was no ordinary one-point defeat. It...
There was plenty of highlight reel material when the La Conner High School girls' basketball team swept conference foes Coupeville and Darrington at home last week. The Lady Braves routed Coupeville 72-16 Wednesday and romped past Darrington 69-9 Friday, extending their winning streak to four games and improving to 11-3 going into Tuesday's action at Orcas Island. "Those two games gave us the opportunity to get playing time for everyone," said head coach Joe Harper. "It was also a chance for us...
Rachel Haley, a senior at La Conner High School, is the January Honored Student of the Month for Soroptimist of La Conner. Rachel is a member of the McCauley family and attributes much of her artistic leanings to her family. The late Curt McCauley, her grandfather, was an artist and was very involved in MoNA, the Museum of Northwest Art, as both a docent and a supporter. Gretchen, her grandmother, served on the board. Her aunt Eve is an accomplished painter. Rachell wants to represent all of...
I have always had mixed feelings about swimming in cold water and my idea of paradise is floating in the warm waters of the Caribbean. But I grew up on the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound and spent most summer days on the beach and in the chilly water. (My mother's rule was that we had to come out and get warmed up if our lips turned blue.) After attending college far from my beloved beach and then living in Paris for five years, I moved to Seattle with my former husband. It was August...
Come check out the new interactive exhibit “Quilt Until You Wilt.” There are a variety of designs, including floral patterns in time for Tulip Season! Guests will get the opportunity to design their own paper quilts while being surrounded by different designs from the Skagit County Historical Museum’s collection. Take creative inspiration from the quilts and make a personal connection to a part of the county’s history. Make a paper quilt into June. Open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information:360.466.3365 or email museum@...
Ride free all day Jan. 26 on Skagit Transit buses. This supports the annual Point in Time Count and other efforts to end homelessness in Skagit County. Everyone can take the bus Thursday. Give it a try. The Skagit Transit Board of directors approved the fare-free day which applies to Skagit Transit’s local fixed routes. Children under eight-years old need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The free fares offer easy access to any of the host Continuums of Care locations in Anacortes, Mt Vernon, Burlington and Sedro Woolley. I...
When the La Conner and Mount Vernon Christian basketball teams tip off next Tuesday, winners will have already been determined. They being the La Conner High senior class and lucky raffle ticketholders. The seniors will be raffling over $1,000 in donated items at Landy James Gym that night to raise funds for their graduation trip in the spring. Tickets will be sold during the boys’ game, which gets under way at 5:15 p.m., with drawings held at halftime of the girls’ game that follows immediately afterward. Ticket prices are $5 each or five for...
Come celebrate the Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s partnership with Viva Farms at the Lincoln Theatre 6 p.m. Jan. 26 with snacks, prizes, beer and farmers. Learn more about Viva Farms and its incredible work. The Co-op has donated $100,000 to Viva Farms, investing in the future of local food. Not a Co-op member? Join when you come. Source: Skagit Valley Food Co-op...
Skagit Valley poet Georgia Johnson reads poetry at Pelican Bay Books accompanied by Roberto Ascalon and Natalie Lahr Jan. 28, 7 p.m. at the Anacortes bookstore, 520 Commercial Avenue....
Make plans for breakfast at The Slider Café Feb. 3 or later. The Morris Street restaurant is closed until then: the Slider family has caravanned to North Tahoe for Kimberly Bonilla and Levi Howell’s wedding. Congratulations newlyweds!...
I ventured out to our garden today, packing my scissors out in a grocery bag. I told Chili, our 5-year-old miniature Australian Shepherd that we were going out to the garden. As the day was rainy, I put on my waterproof boots. The pickings were slim but I saw plenty of life. I pulled one green onion and left about five. I cut several stems of English thyme. I cut one short stem of chocolate mint and the tops of several sage plants. Once back inside, I cleaned the onion and put the herbs in a...
