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La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson, the face of the local district for the past three years, is about to do an about face in terms of his professional career path. Nelson announced in an email to district staff last Friday that he will leave his position in June as lead administrator at La Conner Schools to accept a teaching post with Western Washington University in Bellingham. In an email delivered as students and staff embarked on their weeklong spring break, Nelson did not divulge a specific reason for his departure other...
A complex building project requiring the necessary permits from two separate permitting entities, a geology study, weather and possible staffing shortages – to say nothing of carving out a rock wall – has contributed to the slow progress of the Snapdragon Flats project at Maple Avenue and Park Street in La Conner. This is not the development of La Conner Heights on High Street, rather it is the start of construction for two apartment triplexes at the base of the rock outcropping. On Feb. 1, 202...
The public is getting a chance to tell Skagit Transit where to go – in a polite way, of course. The area's public transportation system, which last year celebrated its 30th anniversary, is hosting a series of open houses through April 10 designed to gather input for SKAT's long-range service plans. Skagit Transit Marketing and Public Affairs Liaison Cheryl Willis said a key component of the current open house series is to determine if there is demand for a micro-transit option on Fidalgo I...
Food co-ops in our communities offer amazing examples of thinking globally while acting locally to create a more sustainable world in people’s home towns. The Anacortes Food Co-op is doing exactly that. Come to the grand opening of their new store from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at 2403 Commercial Ave. and see – and taste – community optimism for yourself. The story, which naturally starts with a small group in late 2015 incorporating as Woven Dream Anacortes Food Coop (its legal name)...
Five years ago, 10th District State Rep. Dave Paul successfully lobbied his colleagues in Olympia to provide funding to build the La Conner Swinomish Library. Paul was at the library for a March 27 town hall that included several of La Conner's appointed and elected officials, including Mayor Marna Hanneman. Those attending the forum asked Paul questions related to education, housing and Washington State Ferries. Perhaps most important, they secured Paul's commitment to back La Conner's...
It was only fitting that town officials would meet at the La Conner Civic Garden Club building for a report on the 2024 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The local floral extravaganza, which enjoys global popularity, was previewed by Nicole Roozen, the festival’s new executive director, as part of the town council’s March 26 public session. The council met at the historic garden club venue instead of its regular meeting site at Maple Hall because of updates to its heating and air conditioning system. Roozen, who bears an iconic name in the world of...
The La Conner Parks Commission wants to do more than plant seeds for La Conner’s future landscape. The five-member advisory board wants to plant trees, more than a dozen of them along Morris Street, at no cost to the town. Commission members Ollie Iversen, Martin Howard and Mike Bucy shared plans for the beautification project during the March 26 Town Council meeting at the Civic Garden Club. Bucy served as project spokesperson. The council endorsed the initiative. “Our proposal is to raise donations to plant trees on Morris Street with no cit...
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has received a $701,000 grant through the 2023 National Fish and Wildlife National Coastal Resilience Fund to plan for Skagit River salmon habitat improvement and flood resilience. The Tribal Community will partner with the Skagit River System Cooperative, the Skagit Climate Science Consortium and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group to develop a revised hydraulic model for the lower Skagit River floodplain to enhance understanding of coastal and riverine flood risks. “With this grant a...
Reigning state hurdles champion Tommy Murdock won three solo events, Morgan Huizenga climbed atop the medal podium twice, and the Lady Braves captured two relay crowns as La Conner High School’s track-and-field teams finished near the top of the leaderboard at an 11-school meet hosted by Mount Vernon Christian on March 28. Murdock claimed one of his signature events – the 110-meter hurdles – and placed first in the 100- and 400-meter sprints to help lead La Conner to a third-place finish on the boys’ side of the March 28 trials. MVC edged C...
If it wasn’t for bad luck, the La Conner High School’s softball team wouldn’t have any luck at all. For the second time in four outings, head coach Loran James’ young club came up on the short end of a one-run contest. The Lady Braves (0-4 overall; 0-2 in league) lost 7-6 March 29 to visiting NW2B/1B rival Orcas Island. La Conner had earlier dropped a 15-14 non-conference slugfest at Muckleshoot. After escaping town with its narrow triumph, Orcas (2-8 overall; 2-2 in league) pounded league foe Concrete 29-11. La Conner travels to Concret...
La Conner High School senior Hallie Walls has been selected as the Soroptimist International of La Conner Honored Student for the month of April. It's easy to see why when you look at all the activities she is involved in. Most recently Walls narrated the school play. She enjoys drama and participated in the play her freshman year. She just finished up her fourth year on the Knowledge Bowl team, this year as co-captain. Walls has played golf on the school team since her sophomore year. It is a...
Authors will read excerpts from the “Madrona Poetry Project Empty Bowl Cookbook” at Village Books in Bellingham, April 8, 6-7 p.m. Readers include Tele Aadsen, Luther Allen, Jane Alynn, Michael Daley, Jessica Gigot, Georgia Johnson, Charles Chuck Luckmann and Bill Weissinger. Information: villagebooks.com/ Poets Nancy Pagh and Michael Dylan Welch will read as part of the Madrona Poetry Series April 13 at 7 p.m. at Pelican Bay Books, 520 Commercial Avenue in Anacortes....
A dreamy, bluesy Frank Sinatra crooned the air at the 5-star Saratoga Inn in Langley as I entered the dining area for the complimentary breakfast last week. And after that, an Amy Winehouse song. Just another sweet touch to the Inn's island hospitality. Classy. A scrumptious coffee cake, laden with cinnamon and sugar, served with orange juice was the first course. Followed by a Mediterranean Strada made from sourdough bread, eggs, peppers, olives and feta cheese with a side of fresh fruit, it...
Keeping it real is a popular phrase that movie director Stuart Rosenberg coined in the 1980s. But these days, there’s a question as to whether general reality even exists. That uncertainty was explored by Everett Community College philosophy professor Mike VanQuickenborne during a one-hour presentation at La Conner Swinomish Library last week. VanQuickenborne appeared here as part of the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau. His interactive program included several references to “The Matrix,” the classic 1999 science fiction action film that...
Linemen for the county? Well, not exactly. When the Pedrozas and their neighbor on S. Second Street noticed the power pole outside their house was looking suspect in mid-March, Rene called Puget Sound Energy. Upon closer inspection, PSE decided the pole needed to be replaced. By March 22, contractor Potelco Inc. had dropped off a bright shiny new black pole beside the Pedroza and Eitner homes. The next Monday morning, shortly after the crack of dawn, the crew arrived with their lift, boom and...
Residents can support the La Conner Swinomish Library through April 4 as part of Library Giving Day. Contributors join a national community that comes together annually to keep libraries vibrant. Gifts go directly to your library, making possible the youth summer reading program, a wide variety of groups and individuals in our meeting space, exciting programs like author readings and musical events, and much more. The La Conner Library Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Mail checks to P.O. Box 1025, La Conner, WA 98257. Donate online:...
Sunday, March 24 11:04 a.m.: Home, home on the range – Report of loose cows in the road. A deputy checked the area but was unable to locate them. Skagit City Road, Conway area. Tuesday, March 26 7:23 p.m.: They’ll go racin’ in the street – Report of cars racing on McLean Road. A deputy responded but found no cars racing and no suspects. No other reports came in. McLean Road, Mount Vernon area. Thursday, March 28 12:41 p.m.: Free rides for owner and dog – An arrest was made on a suspect who also possessed an aggressive and injured dog. The subje...
If there is one thing that is certain in the dominant culture of the United States, it is that we are number one. The best. The greatest. Back in the halcyon days of certainty portrayed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, the metaphor was that we were the shining city on the hill, the beacon of light and hope, the place where everyone in the world wanted to be. Our citizens were the envy of mankind. We were all born with silver spoons in our mouths and our streets were paved with gold. That is why people from all over the world strive to... Full story
If this was an editorial, it would be titled "Journalists to the ramparts to save democracy: Buy small newspapers" Journalists, self-reflective navel gazers, are quoting studies that 2.5 newspapers a week – 10 a month and 130 annually – closed in 2023. Is there a future for small newspapers? Yes there is. Here is one way to succeed. In the March issue of the national political magazine, The Nation, D.D. Guttenplan offers a brief lament on the continued collapse of local newspapers, a tragedy stretching back 30-plus years. He follows Nation con... Full story
Just beyond the deer fencing, lying between this old rotting house with fruit trees just as old, between these and a dense development, lies what used to be called a “vacant lot.” It might have been called a “swamp,” also, rather than a vestige of an estuary. It did take on some water in the 2022 flood. One engineer called it a “natural catch basin.” But all that belies an amazing feature: it’s ability to grow food. Eons of decomposing salmon bodies makes this soil, like much of the Skagit Valley where I live, among the top 1% of agricultural...
We live at the bottom of Snapdragon hill, one of those beautiful, quiet islands of wildlife in town, that made La Conner’s charm. It was covered in summer with wildflowers, people would come pick blackberries, deer liked to climb up the hill, there were rabbits and once I saw a family of raccoons feasting on berries. You could hike to the top. I once had a picnic there. When I saw the contractors break and deface part of the hill or when they sprayed the hill across the street from us to kill the vegetation, I was horrified. They did, after h...
On Dec. 27, 2022, a predicted 11-foot tide in La Conner Channel was met with low atmospheric pressure, high river flow and a western wind. As a result the channel rose to over 14 feet and spilled over along lower places on the eastern bank, flooding parts of town and causing more than $1 million damage before receding. The mayor and town council created an Emergency Management Commission to deal with any future floods or other natural disasters. The sandbags that have recently been removed were placed by our incredible town public works...
One probably wouldn’t think that El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, would be particularly influential as regards the future of electric generation in the Pacific Northwest. Surprisingly, he might. Before Bukele took office, a currency experiment called Bitcoin Beach was underway in the El Salvadoran town of El Zonte. That experiment, which is ongoing, is aimed at demonstrating that it’s possible to use Bitcoin, or a Bitcoin derivative, as a day-to-day currency. The Bitcoin Beach proje...
This asparagus zucchini dish is ready in 10 minutes. So delicious! There were no leftovers! Cooked in olive oil with a bit of butter added at the end of cooking, for added flavor. The butter is optional, as your diet allows. Ingredients Zucchini, one, 8-inch Asparagus, 6 spears Garlic, 3 cloves Olive oil, 2 tablespoons Butter, 1 tablespoon Preparation Rinse the zucchini. Slice into rounds, cutting larger ones in half. Place asparagus in a bowl of water and swish around. Drain. Remove hard end....
