Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 36
The 36th annual La Conner Kiwanis Not-So-Impromptu Tulip Festival Parade Saturday did not lay an egg. That chore was left to the Easter Bunny, who did his usual egg-ceptional job at Pioneer Park a few hours before the downtown serpentine, which many onlookers afterward ranked among the best tulip parades since the late Kiwanian Luke Long first invited his Nile Temple cohorts to march down First Street without a permit in the 1980s. Parade spectators included some who started in the Park at the...
Will Judy Kontos be a Shelter Bay Community director tomorrow? Community leasehold members voted through 12:30 p.m. today “whether or not you approve the recall,” with “yes” a vote to remove her. Kontos was sanctioned and suspended Feb. 15 based on four code of conduct complaints filed against her in the fall. A special membership meeting was held April 12, starting at 11 a.m., recessing at 11:45 a.m. and reconvening at 5:30 p.m. The sole agenda item was Kontos recall for “four violations of rules and regulations of the associati...
Fewer homes sold in Skagit County in March, keeping the average median price high, $556,250 for the 105 homes that closed countywide. Anacortes remains the most expensive housing market in the county, by far: The 23 homes that closed had an average median price of $730,000. Sold home prices in the Burlington and Mount Vernon markets were also high, with $587,500 the average median price for the 20 homes that closed in the smaller city,. The 33 homes that closed in Mount Vernon had an average median price of $585,000. These three markets kept...
Thirty thousand doses of the pregnancy -ending drug mifepristone was purchased by the state under an order by Gov. Jay Inslee. The abortion-related drug is legal in the state of Washington to end pregnancy up to 10 weeks. The drug was approved for use by the Federal Food and Drug Administration 20 years ago and studies show the drug is safe to use. But, a federal judge in Texas is presiding over a case that challenges the FDA’s approval, and that could impact the ability of women in the state of Washington to have access to the drug, Inslee s...
Peace will come to Ukraine, but how and when? Fourteen months after Russia's invasion and nine years after their occupation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, the largest European conflict since Hitler's 1939 invasion of Poland is an intractable tragedy destroying two societies. The horrific loss of soldiers on both sides continues. In Ukraine civilians are in danger in war zones and from targeted attacks throughout the country. Look to AP – Associated Press – or other analyses to learn of the probably over 70,000 Russian-side combat deaths and...
In your editorial (“Free Speech in Shelter Bay,” April 5) you state “Public governments are regulated by the revised Code of Washington, or RCW.” You neglected to mention that Home Owners Associations (HOAs) are also regulated by the RCW, specifically RCW 64.38. I agree with you that Weekly News coverage of Shelter Bay should be allowed unless restricted by RCW 64.38. I also feel, as stated before, that the Weekly News should be a valuable resource in assisting our three interwoven communities better understand each other – warts and all. So,...
The facts about health care in the United States are eye opening. How can a nation that spends nearly twice as much as our economic peers still have so many problems? As the former ranking member of the state Senate Health Care Committee and current assistant ranking member, I spent some considerable time trying to unpack our rising health care cost challenge. Like other complex, human problems, this one won’t be solved with a silver bullet either. Let’s start with the biggest problem in our...
A Skagit County Superior Court judge will rule Friday on a motion to continue Shelter Bay leaseholder and resident Jan Henrie’s civil complaint accusing five Shelter Bay Community board of directors of violating their statutory fiduciary duty and malfeasance. The lawsuit, filed March 15, Jan Henrie vs. Wendy Poulton, Elaine Dixon Monte Hicks, Joseph Hurley and Louise Kari, is on the April 14 civil motions docket. The case number is 23-2-00221-29. To participate remotely: zoom.us/my/skagitsuperior2; 253-215-8782; Meeting ID: 667 929 1013; P...
Recycling three typical 12 ounce aluminum beverage cans, to create an aluminum sheet for making a new can, saves about a kilowatt-hour of electricity compared to the electricity it would take to make a sheet from aluminum ore. Glass, steel, plastics, car batteries and paper recycling can also create energy savings. Waste materials that are recycled are not sent to landfills, and thus do not contribute to the use of land for landfills. Recyclable materials are typically mixed at the initial...
Employers would be prohibited from denying a person a job for their non-work-related cannabis use in a bill passed by the state Senate 28-21 and the House of Representatives 57-41. There is one difference between the two bills. The House legislations excludes people seeking positions as a first responder, corrections officer, a law enforcement agency or a fire department. Both bills exclude applicants in the aviation and aerospace industries because of federal transportation rules. Beyond those exemptions, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5123...
The $40,187 reported in sales tax revenues to the La Conner Town Council for March by the state’s Department of Revenue is the second highest ever, only behind 2022’s record $44,210. It exceeds $40,000 for only the second time and is 20% above 2021, the third highest March report. The Special Use Fire Tax Revenues also dipped from 2022, by $314, 7.4%, below $4,000, barely, to $3,924, but still the second highest ever March total. Tourists still stayed overnight, creating record revenues for the Town’s hotel/motel tax, $8,083, the highest March...
While historic preservation is a major concern of the Town of La Conner Planning Commission and planning staff are intent on fending off any future character-changing developments that may arise. Adult businesses locating here is one. Town planner Michael Davolio and Assistant Planner Ajah Eills have repeatedly cited court decisions ruling those businesses can be regulated but only if specific parameters are on the books prior to permits being sought. Without regulation beforehand, adult business proposals must be treated the same as other ente...
Much worse than metaphorical slings and arrows are being fired on Shelter Bay social media community platforms, including their Next Door community. A handful of residents who have criticized sanctioned Shelter Bay Community Director Judy Kontos for her postings have called on the Weekly News to investigate, alleging she continues to violate association rules and regulations of confidentiality as a board member. They criticize as not true, as she told residents attending the April 2 town hall meeting - and as the Weekly News summarized in its...
The sailing schedule for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route needs to be updated to improve on-time performance and reliability. The run’s four-season timetables will be revised. They have not been changed in more than a decade. Apply to be on the schedule update task force by 5 p.m. Friday, April 21. The advisory group will examine sailing schedules, review options and make recommendations on using community input. The task force will implement a new sailing schedule before the 2024 summer season. Questions: 206-515-3731; f...
Get out to park, trail or beach everywhere in Washington on Earth Day, April 22. Day entrance is free on lands managed by Washington State Parks, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Park Service parks for first day of National Park Week. A Discover Pass is not required....
Laverne Schroeder Campbell Laverne Schroeder Campbell born to Bill and Alice Schroeder on October 8, 1938, in Mount Vernon passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on April 8, 2023. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 1:00 PM at Bayview Cemetery, followed by a reception at the La Conner Civic Garden Club, 622 South 2nd. St. at 3:00 PM. You may offer your condolences and share memories of Laverne online at www.kernfuneralhome.com....
Divide and conquer is usually a winning strategy. But it didn't work this past winter for foes of the La Conner Middle School girls' basketball program, which split into two teams and collectively won 18 of 20 contests with one squad going undefeated in its 10 games. Coaches Joel Hingston and Ryan Pino weren't surprised at that level of success. "This is a very good group," Hingston, who teaches Spanish at La Conner Schools and works summers as a hornet hive remover, told the Weekly News....
Josi Straathof is the Kiwanis Club of La Conner March High School Student of the Month. Josi is a junior. She is the daughter of Brian Straathof and DeAnna Young. She enjoys her science and history classes. She is active in school activities playing soccer and softball. She has a part in the upcoming school play, "The Odd Couple." Outside of school she is involved in art. Josi is not sure what she will study after graduation, however she is interested in animal science. Kaleb Otis is March's...
Home or away, it didn't matter. Matching up with Friday Harbor and Orcas were tough tasks last week for the La Conner High School baseball and softball teams. The Braves (1-6) fell 16-1 at Friday Harbor last Tuesday and were defeated 20-4 by the Wolverines in a rematch at home Friday. The boys dropped a 11-6 decision at Orcas Saturday afternoon. The Lady Braves (0-9), whose roster features several first-year players, lost 21-1 at Friday Harbor April 4 and came up short 9-4 at Orcas Saturday....
“Pioneers of the Upper Skagit,” exploring early characters who eked out a living in the mountains of the North Cascades, will be presented by local historian Dr. Jesse Kennedy III Saturday, April 24, 2-4 p.m. at Skagit City School. It is the second of three presentations he is giving this spring under the theme of “Denizens of the North Cascades and the Salish Sea,” histories of unique Skagit characters. “Living and Dying in the North Cascades” offers stories of survival and death in the mountains where they lived and toiled, May 21. The tal...
Four artists, including La Conner's Eve McCauley, painted vivid word pictures describing the career journeys each has taken during a 90-minute discussion at GalleryW on North First Street Thursday night. McCauley was joined by Susan Cohen Thompson, Heather Martin and gallery co-owner Don Wesley for a briskly paced Q&A session that dealt with the artists' perspectives on creativity, motivation, commercial pressures and means of measuring professional success. Wesley and Parisa Sadeghi opened the...
Let me tell you why I am looking forward to seeing you Friday supporting the McLeod Family at a 5-7 p.m. spaghetti dinner fundraiser at La Conner Elementary School cafeteria. Thirteen years ago when I stumbled upon what I thought was the ideal house in the perfect neighborhood, my kids were somewhat skeptical. So, they came up to La Conner and Shelter Bay, unbeknownst to me, and checked it out by driving randomly around several streets. They were greeted with smiles and waves everywhere they...
The April 15 poets reading in celebration of National Poetry Month at 7 p.m. at Pelican Bay Books are Claudia Castro Luna, Kathleen Flenniken, former Washington poet laureates, and the wonderful Susan Rich, all coming up from Seattle. They participated in last October’s Skagit River Poetry Festival in La Conner. If you missed that you have a great chance to hear them here. Pelican Bay Books: 520 Commercial Avenue, Anacortes. Source: Madrona Last Saturday Series...
Maggie Wilder's new work is appearing for the month of April at Perry and Carlson gallery, 508 1st Street in downtown Mount Vernon. Oil on canvas works explore a possible relationship to the Salish Sea and its watersheds....
