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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 Feb. 6 meeting. Staff recommended the increase. Director of Facilities and Marina Operations Brady Rowe reported it was based on a survey of moorage rates from the Ports of Everett, Anacortes, Bellingham, and the Oak Harbor Marina and considered the federal consumer price index. The Port has annual...
Salsa, waltz, swing, cha-cha – take your pick. The La Conner Retirement Inn was hopping on Valentine’s Day to ballroom dance. The most romantic day of the year – Valentine’s Day – is celebrated at the Inn most every year – viruses allowing. Taylor Winningham demonstrated the dances with local dance student Charlotte Decker accompanied by champagne, strawberries and chocolate. Over 30 residents sipped, tapped their feet and got up on the floor to swing and cha-cha. “One of the reasons I lik...
The high-speed passenger ferry MV Delphinus has joined the San Francisco Bay Ferry system after breezing through builder trials and two weeks of sea trials that tested speed, endurance and maneuverability in different marine conditions. The vessel left La Conner on Friday, Feb. 10 and arrived in San Francisco at 9 a.m. Feb. 12. It has been "accepted" by its new owner, Water Emergency Transportation Authority, the operator of the ferry fleet, and will be christened in early March. The trip down w...
Feisty National Book Award winner Timothy Egan writes about some of the most pressing issues of American life. He speaks at the Lincoln Theatre March 2 to raise funds for the new Mount Vernon library. Egan, a Pacific Northwest native, New York Times correspondent and best-selling author, will share his views on the importance of libraries. In an email last week, Egan responded, "Importance of libraries? Where do I start? They're gateways to citizenship for thousands of people learning about our...
The closure of the Transit Shed by the Port of Anacortes at the end of 2023 left this event-centered, artistic, music loving, car-show stopping town without a large-scale program venue. Anacortes City Councilmembers Ryan Walters, Christine Cleland-McGrath and Bruce McDougall proposed building a new event center at R Avenue and Ninth Street south of the dog park in a Feb 3 memorandum to the city council, mayor, city staff and Port of Anacortes commissioners. “We envision building a marine/industrial aesthetic, potentially similar to the C...
The one project and institution that, indisputably, all people in our community and on both sides of the channel rallied around and supported with time, ongoing work and money, was the building of the La Conner Swinomish Library. That became a dream realized over many years. It is now a reality being shaped into our future hopes. One step, one day, one hour reached for after another brought us to it’s opening in 2022. Now with that base built, more good deeds will be realized, continuously, on into the future. The library’s vision may be “a pla...
Here’s an inside look at how your democracy works in Olympia. We just passed the deadline for bills to make it out of the House of Origin, meaning House bills needed to pass the House and Senate bills had to get voted out of the Senate. That meant we spent all day debating bills for about a week. More than once, we voted until about 2 a.m. I’m proud to report that we actually agree far more often than we disagree. Of the 270 bills we passed this year in the House, 76% received strong bipartisan support and 54% were passed unanimously. Thos...
The Oxford English dictionary defines progressivism as “advocacy of progress, reform, change or innovation.” I think all of us can agree that these efforts are vital to our society if it is to succeed as time and circumstance proceed and change. Sen. Muzall’s (“The problem with Progressivism,” Feb. 7, Weekly New) characterization of progressivism is in most part purposely crafted to obscure and demonize those citizens that are attempting to identify and correct the social problems facing our country today. Progressives don’t seek to cast off...
On Feb 13, 2024, the Skagit Valley Herald printed a story titled “Effects of the Boldt Decision Felt 50 Years Later,” showing the same bias Judge Boldt had to begin with in 1974. Article 5 of the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty had one sentence dealing with fishing rights for Indians. There are twenty-six words in that sentence. The Herald chose to print the first 13 words which states “Tribes reserved the right to fish at usual and accustomed grounds and stations ... .” The last eight words the Herald wouldn’t print say, “... in common with all citi...
Viewing parts of the electric grid, such as transmission towers and substations as public art is actually a decades old concept. The colored glass used in high-rise buildings since the early 1960s isn’t just for aesthetics. That technology was initially developed to help control the heat in the buildings. The use of energy systems in art isn’t limited to very large structures like high-rises and transmission towers. Smaller pieces of energy infrastructure are visible to the public and offer sur...
The Washington state Department of Commerce seeks responses through a 10 questions survey on a new Salmon Grant Program to advance salmon recovery efforts across the state. Funds from the state’s Climate Commitment Act are launching a new grant program that incorporates salmon recovery efforts into local planning efforts. As Commerce develops this new program it requests input to incorporate into the design and implementation of the grant program. As cities, counties, and tribes update their plans and regulations, the new grant program will p...
If February's first town council meeting was any indication, new La Conner Mayor Marna Hanneman is in it for the long haul. The marathon Feb. 13 session covered new and old business and multiple discussion and action items before concluding with a closed executive session. "I thought after the first month," said Hanneman, who took office Jan. 1, "that things would be kind of calm. Then February came." The 95-minute meeting began on a pair of somber notes. Resident Debbie Aldrich shared that...
Fire District 13 emergency responders are used to pulling their weight – and then some. Now they’re getting much appreciated help. The added muscle is in the form of a new power loader gurney system purchased with funds from the HF Sinclair Refinery of Anacortes. “These run in the $30,000 range,” said Fire Chief Wood Weiss. “So, I reached out to Sinclair and Andrea Petrich found the funding for us.” Petrich is the refinery’s head of communications and external relations advisor. She and other HF Sinclair representatives attended the fire dist...
Shannon Lee Bowerman February 5, 1964 February 1, 2024 Shannon Lee Bowerman (O'Fallon) passed unexpectedly but peacefully on February 1, 2024, surrounded by her family. Shannon was the first born daughter of Thomas "Tom" Edward O'Fallon and Diane Marie O'Fallon (now Keller). She was born in Huntsville, Alabama, where her father worked for the Boeing Company. Tom's work with Boeing moved the family from Huntsville to Slidell, LA, and then to the Northwest. By the time the O'Fallon family settled...
The La Conner High School girls’ basketball team took two different routes last week to reach the same destination – Victory Lane at Coupeville. The Lady Braves netted top honors on the girls’ side of the NW2B bi-district tournament with a lopsided 52-15 win at home over Northwest Christian of Lacey on Feb. 13 followed by a tense 46-42 triumph over league rival Friday Harbor last Thursday in Coupeville. They were two totally different games that produced a single result. La Conner, 16-7 overall and with no seniors on its roster in an expect...
Home sweet home. That time-honored phrase perfectly served the La Conner Braves well at last week’s Northwest 2B bi-district basketball tournament where they sandwiched triumphs on their home floor over Northwest Christian of Lacey and Auburn Adventist Academy around a tough loss to league rival Coupeville on the Wolves’ court. The 68-57 win over Auburn Adventist last Saturday secured for La Conner (16-7) a berth in the regional round of the state playoffs. Junior guard Brayden Pedroza, who had erupted for 43 points in the Braves’ 74-29 bi-di...
It’s Sweet Sixteen time for La Conner High School’s basketball teams. Both boys and girls teams have qualified for the round of 16 of the state 2B hoops playoffs. The girls’ team drew a No. 13 seed and have drawn No. 12 Toutle Lake in a first round, loser-out regional pairing. The winner will advance to the Round of 12 at the Spokane Arena on Feb. 28. The boys’ team won two of three bi-district tests and is seeded 15th. It faces a loser-out contest with No. 10 Adna. The La Conner-Adna winner also moves on to Spokane for the round of 12. The...
The short-eared owls are migrating birds visiting this area from October through April. They are not nocturnal birds like other owls, but hunt during daytime hours. They look for voles and field mice in open fields with bordering or scattered shrubs and trees. Their short ear tufts are seldom visible, but their light colored face mask and yellow eyes are good identifiers. You can see them in the Samish Flats in an area that is known to birders as the East 90 and also sometimes on the Padilla...
Gardening is a wonderful way to connect with nature, and it's even better when you can use it to help support the local pollinator populations. Bees, butterflies and other insects play a crucial role in pollinating plants, which helps to ensure that we have a bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables and flowers each year. By creating a garden that is welcoming to these creatures, you can not only help support their populations but also enjoy the beauty of your very own pollinator garden. One of...
McIntyre Hall will ring with perhaps 76 trombones when the Skagit Valley College’s music department presents “The Music Man.” This is Meredith Willson’s 1957 story of the fast talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill and his stop in River City, Iowa, where Marion the librarian captures his heart became a six time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy. It plays weekends through March 3. Tickets and times: mcintyrehall.org....
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SKAGIT IN PROBATE No. 24-4-00025-29 PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS RCW 11.40.030 In the Matter of the Estate of JOHN STANLEY FURE, Deceased. The personal representative named below has been appointed as personal representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to...
My husband, Kevin, and I were recently at a conference in Portland, Oregon. Break times were catered. Something similar to this was served in a break. The ones we enjoyed tasted like a thick berry jam with a thick Greek yogurt on top. I decided to create them with fresh raspberries, honey and a silky vanilla yogurt. Ingredients Raspberries, 6 ounces plus 3 extra berries Honey, 4 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon Vanilla yogurt, 1 cup Preparation Rinse and mash the raspberries. Mix in the honey. I used...
The League of Women Voters of Skagit County dares to venture into the weeds of the democratic process while refusing to wallow in the mud that has stained American politics. Last week they hosted a public forum on the sometimes complex “ins and outs” of the 2024 Washington state presidential primary. The hour-long hybrid event at the Skagit PUD Meeting Room in Mount Vernon, billed specifically as a non-campaign event, featured four guest speakers – Skagit County Elections Manager Gabrielle Clay, Skagit County Republican Party Chair Bill Bruch...
Brodie Coyote, the winsome and engaging golden retriever who served as the town's goodwill ambassador and whose image graced calendar pages and numerous editions of the Weekly News, died Thursday, Feb. 15. Brodie passed away peacefully with his human, noted La Conner news and lifestyle photographer Don Zieger Coyote, at his side, according to a social media post by longtime local music promoter and former mayoral candidate Marc "Zappa" Daniel. Brodie Coyote was 14 and retired from being the...
Thursday, Feb. 15 11:19 a.m. Be cautious about calls – Medicare scam where someone called and stated they needed to issue a new card, but the victim would need to verify all the personal information first. The victim did not fall for this and did not provide any information. Finley Ln., La Conner. Friday, Feb. 16 4:59 a.m. Dog taken in – Deputy on patrol found a dog running loose that was dragging a leash. The deputy could not locate an owner and the dog was transported to the humane society. La Conner Whitney / Flats Rds., greaterLa Con...
