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Pink, yellow and white life vests bobbed through the gray waters of the Swinomish Channel as more than 100 people paddled kayaks, outrigger canoes, paddle boards and Hawaiian pontoon boats of equally diverse colors down the Swinomish Channel on Saturday. The three classes started at 9:45 a.m., 10 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. The shriek of a bullhorn siren marked the beginning of each race beneath the Rainbow Bridge. Racers swept down the channel, past Goat Island, around the "1" mark (the green...
Delivering a baby at roadside and rescuing kayakers in distress was all in a week’s work for Swinomish Indian Tribal Community police officer Brian Geer. Geer, who doubles as the Swinomish Emergency Management coordinator, was hailed last week for heroic actions by both Swinomish Tribal Police and Skagit County Fire District 13 leadership. Geer was first on the scene Jan. 30 when a kayak capsized in Skagit Bay south of Lone Tree Point. He quickly commandeered another kayak and was able to pull a person to shore who had been in the cold water fo...
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. It is the third straight year above $630,000, though $47,470 below the almost $678,000 collected in 2022. The Special Use Fire Tax was likewise flush, with the $4,345 pushing the year’s total to $61,350, 22.7% above the $50,000 budgeted. And while the hotel/motel tax on lodging finished 2023 47.2% abo...
La Conner became a landing spot for bird lovers last weekend. Drivers and pedestrians passing Maple Hall Saturday morning saw a roving raven drawing attention to the La Conner Birding Festival inside. That was Lisa Judy, her black costume complete with wings and a mask with a beak. Judy, La Conner Chamber of Commerce board chair, is lead organizer of the festival. Saturday she welcomed visitors to step inside and enjoy. "We got a really good response," said Judy. "I think it worked out really...
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 Jan. 12-14 and below 16 degrees Jan. 12-13. The month ended with three record highs for the day, Jan. 28-30, with 61.3 degrees Jan. 28, 64.3 degrees Jan 29 and 61.1 degrees Jan. 30. Jan. 27-31 the daily temperature averaged at least 54.4 degrees and was 58.6 degrees Jan. 29, when the high hit its r...
The United States was born out of conflict. Profound disagreement led to a war with tragic losses of life and property for the revolutionaries who put at stake their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. The promise of progress was worth the risk even as many of the fledgling nation’s potential citizens fled north to Canada or returned to the United Kingdom. Similarly, during the Civil War, it became apparent that the evils of slavery could not stand, and the Union’s moral certitude required imposing progress. From today’s vantage point, I can’t...
It’s heartbreaking to be updated on how many homeless people there are in Skagit County. Fortunately, they are no longer camping out on sidewalks in our towns. I can no longer visit my friend in San Francisco who has a nightclub because it is so upsetting for me to see so many homeless people camped out in the most expensive parts of that city. Skagit County has provided very nice grassy areas for people to pitch their tents. Some of the homeless people have addictions to alcohol and drugs, b... Full story
The La Conner School District is among hundreds of districts nationwide examining the feasibility and long-term cost advantages of switching from diesel to electric school buses. Key advantages include: reduced use of energy for bus power, accompanied by lower net emissions; stable and predictable energy prices; reduced maintenance costs; and greater student and driver comfort with the elimination of on-board emissions and nearly silent operation. Electric vehicles have far fewer moving parts...
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration announced $1 billion in funding for more than 2,700 electric and low-emission school buses across 37 states in January. This is a second part of funding of a $5 billion, five-year initiative from the bipartisan infrastructure law. In total, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion and funded approximately 5,000 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide. Washington schools will receive a combined $14.9 million through the program. That mon...
It occurred to me: If the Democratic Party is warning their membership not to vote for a specific candidate and the MAGA Republicans are pressuring other Republicans not to support that same individual, you likely have one of the most viable presidential candidates this country has seen in a very long time. Nikki Haley is the right person at the right time to unite this country around what really matters: We’re all Americans. And make no mistake, we will either rise or fall together. As a South Carolina lawmaker, highly popular governor and wit... Full story
The future is looking brighter for solar energy in La Conner. “You have a big advantage,” Markus Virta, managing partner and co-founder of Cascadia Renewables, told two dozen people attending a community solar storage feasibility study meeting at La Conner Swinomish Library last Saturday. Virta said collection and analysis of detailed energy usage data at La Conner Schools and the La Conner fire station, could lead to future state grant funding for installation of clean energy systems and backup generators at both venues This is his fir...
Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program permanently protected another 425 acres of prime agricultural soil, with five farmland preservation projects in 2023. Protected farmland in Skagit County now totals 14,750 acres. The largest commitment is Alex Ball’s 300 acres near La Conner. Richard H. Ball pioneered the land after serving in the Civil War; the acreage reaches back five generations. The land is actively farmed by Jerry Nelson of Double N Potatoes. The decision to sell specific property rights so the land remains farmland no matter who...
Want to spread love around Valentine’s Day? Save some lives and donate some blood. A community blood drive will be held at the La Conner High School gymnasium, 404 N. Sixth Street in collaboration between local volunteers and Bloodworks Northwest 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23. The blood drive is organized by high school students and the La Conner Kiwanis Club. Every donation can make a lifesaving difference and each donation only takes about 15 minutes of your time. Did you know that the blood you donate can save up to three lives? Blood d... Full story
A forum on how the process of Washington state’s presidential preference primary works, sponsored by the Local Journalism Committee of the League of Women Voters of Skagit County, is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 in Mount Vernon’s PUD conference room. Gabrielle Clay, supervisor of the Skagit County Elections Office, will be a presenter. Topics include how the ballot is created, how votes are counted and what parties do afterward. Democratic and Republican party representatives are invited to explain how they respond to the election results. The... Full story
C.J. Edwards scored a season-high 17 points to go along with his usual deft passing in leading La Conner to a convincing 56-39 NW2B/1B boys’ basketball win over Mount Vernon Christian at a packed DeKok Court on Jan. 30. Edwards, the reigning Skagit Valley Herald Boys’ Athlete of the Week, threw several dazzling overhand baseball passes from backcourt to ignite a lethal La Conner transition game that was especially effective in the decisive second half. The 5-10 junior point guard drained two of his three perimeter treys during a 16-7 fou...
C.J. Edwards is used to making his teammates look good, repeatedly feeding them for baskets as the La Conner High School boys’ basketball team’s assists leader. Edwards is looking pretty good himself these days as the Skagit Valley Herald’s Boys’ Athlete of the Week award recipient. Edwards, a 5-10 junior who runs the point for his team, received the SVH honor after scoring seven points and dishing off six assists in a 77-69 league triumph over Orcas Island on Jan. 23. He followed that up with a season-high 17-point effort Jan. 30 at Mount Vern...
Youth will be served. Sometimes, but not last week. The La Conner High School girls’ basketball team, with several eighth graders in key roles, fell 56-30 to a solid and veteran Mount Vernon Christian lineup before a large Jan. 30 Senior Night crowd at MVC’s DeKok Court. La Conner has no seniors. It started eighth graders and sophomores against the Lady Hurricanes, who enjoyed a considerable size advantage across the front line. MVC bolted to an 11-0 first quarter lead and never looked back enroute to the NW2B/1B triumph. Senior Allie Heino led...
In the Seattle suburb of Lake Forest Park, where Tony Angell lives, crows gather in great numbers before flying off to Bothell to roost by the thousands. One reason they do this is for the social benefits. When Angell spoke at the La Conner Birding Festival Saturday, Feb. 3, more than 100 curious bird lovers gathered to share an evening to remember that brought many benefits, too. Angell, a renowned author and artist, shared his lifelong experiences and expertise with a crowd that filled the...
Last week the Skagit River Poetry Foundation revealed its 2024 Poetry Festival poster art by Fidalgo Island artist Anne Schreivogl in a ceremony at the La Conner Rotary Club's weekly meeting (Weekly News, Jan. 31). The whimsical poster sets the stage for the festival and invites people to "feel that magic ... that spark is always right there when I've attended the festivals," Schreivogl says. The festival is community driven and not a standalone event. The Foundation puts into action learning...
The Museum of Northwest Art on first Street is brimming with newly opened exhibits and they are free. “Silva Cascadia: Under the Spell of the Forest” features noteworthy Northwest women artists whose works center around the fecund dialogue with trees and forests, rippling out in themes that encompass science and environmentalism, history, art practice, and spiritualism. The art includes two- and three-dimensional works by Northwest women artists inspired by forests and trees. The artists: Maria Cristalli, Linda Davidson, Kathleen Faulkner, Patt...
The annual WSU Extension Skagit Ag Summit is, Feb. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. No registration needed. Lunch included. This year’s themes are leadership, economic viability, innovation and water. The address: 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon. Information: extension.wsu.edu/skagit/event/...
Take extra time at the La Conner Swinomish Library this Saturday and find a seat to see and listen to a concert from the Skagit Brass Quintet, an ensemble culled from the Skagit Community Band. The free concert is 12-1:30 p.m. at the Morris Street library....
Classical music on classical instruments dating to the 17th century, including works of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, will be performed by Elizabeth Blumenstock on violin and Tamara Friedman on fortepiano at 7 p.m. Friday. The musicians are Duo Amadeus and this is an Anacortes Early Music concert at the Croatian Cultural Center NW, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes. Adult tickets are $30 at the door....
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town of La Conner will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 on the question of whether or not the La Conner Town Council will assume the powers, functions and obligation of the Transportation Benefit District for the Town of La Conner, as passed in Resolution 636 on January 9, 2024. The Public Hearing will be held during the 6:00 PM regular town council meeting located at 204 Commercial Street (Upper Maple Center). The Public Hearing shall be for the...
A bit of heat and greens here. Cook gently. Serve with rice or a bowl of beans. I found these shishito peppers reasonably priced at Costco. The Brussels sprouts from a CSA box. Ingredients Shishito peppers, 10 to 12 Brussels sprouts, 6 Olive oil, 2 tablespoons Preparation Rinse and dry the Shishito peppers. Leave whole. Rinse and remove the stem of the Brussels sprouts. Cut in half. Add olive oil to a frying pan. Set to medium heat. Add peppers. Turn heat to medium low. Using tongs, turn each...
