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Young and old alike are invited to Pioneer Park on Aug. 4 to attend the 118th annual Pioneer Picnic and honor the Nelson family for their leadership in Skagit County agriculture, industry and public service. The event begins at 11:15 a.m. with a barbecue salmon dinner prepared by the “Good Girls” and served by members of the Civic Garden Club. Coffee and beverage concessions will be provided by the Sunrise Food Bank, with proceeds supporting its service projects. Lunch is $20 and includes a comm...
In his July 20 decision on the Atkinson’s conditional use permit for their 306 Center Street project, hearing examiner David Lowell starts with a premise, that “the validity and potential applicability of the Contract Rezone [is] in question.” He cannot resolve it because his file is without needed “additional information in the Examiner’s record.” In remanding – sending it back – to the Town, he directs the administrative staff to pull the developer and his challengers into resolving the question by “allow[ing] the site owners and...
A few points in response to Randy Hageman’s pious screed in last week’s Weeky News: Men are responsible for 100% of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Every. Single. One. And, if they have sex 200 times in a year, they can cause 200 pregnancies, while a woman will only get pregnant once in that year, no matter how often she has sex. Yet, Hageman chose to lecture women about responsibility. Obviously, men don’t risk pregnancy when they are irresponsible. Every time they have sex with a woman, they have chosen to risk her health, her caree...
In Nov. 1982 Gerald Blades name is listed on the deed for parcel P74143, 306 Center Street, the 15,246 square feet, 0.35 acres on the north side of The Slider Café.. Blades sold it in 2003, with 313-315 Morris Street, parcel P74144, to Ntinos Trapalis for $600,000 Trapalis sold the two lots in 2005 to 313 Morris Street Ventures LLC for $593,802. Last August Brandon Atkinson, as KSA Investments LLC., bought the southern parcel, P74143, from that company for $570,000. Zoning history The July 9, 1985 La Conner Town Council meeting has this...
After reading Randy Hageman’s letter to the editor regarding Choice and Procreation. I’ve come up with a few good ideas that might reduce abortions. First, the MUTTTTTTs (Men Unable To Tame Their Testosterone Triggered Tendencies) could choose vasectomy. For those concerned about the reversibility of vasectomy, choosing to freeze semen is a viable option. This, of course, would be pre-vasectomy. MUTTTTTTs could also choose to use condoms. However, since accidents happen, a MUTTTTTT could choose to provide a bond equal to one half the cost of...
Like many friends and neighbors I have visited with, I was initially delighted to see the restoration of the Country Inn back to its natural cedar shakes and green and white trim, only to be disappointed watching it painted a charcoal gray. Color trends come and go – natural cedar shakes are timeless! And properly maintained, it will last for decades. In about five or six months, when we are in our cloudy rainy season, the Inn will likely blend right in and will not look very warm and inviting to guests. Also, as our climate crisis...
On July 18, the Skagit County commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on offsite compensatory mitigation of salmon habitat. “Offsite compensatory mitigation” means habitat restoration projects that mitigate for environmental impacts that are a considerable distance away. The moratorium expresses the commissioners’ concern that Seattle City Light (SCL) may go on a spending spree purchasing land in the lower estuary of the Skagit River. SCL is halfway through the five-year process of renewing its license for its three hydroelectric dams...
La Conner Town council members and meeting attendees felt the heat during the July 26 in-person session. This time, though, the heat was related more to weather than the various hot topics the council has dealt with this year. “Let’s get out of this heat,” Mary Wohleb implored immediately after Mayor Ramon Hayes gaveled adjournment. It was a unanimous sentiment. Before Hayes wielded his gavel, those in the audience chipped away at key issues that will not soon melt away. Gary Nelson, a local builder, lifelong La Conner resident and forme...
Rainbow Park in Shelter Bay, site of unauthorized tree-cutting in 2020 that led to over $90,000 in fines imposed upon the residential community by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community officials, appears poised for a facelift. The Shelter Bay board of directors agreed to a restoration plan for the park at their July 20 session, viewed as a key first step in tackling issues that headlined the community’s May board elections. “We’re working on settling out a couple of other important issues, with more to follow soon, hopefully,” newly elected board m...
For a quarter-century it has been a primary thread binding together the social and cultural fabric of La Conner. Located at historic Gaches Mansion on Second Street, the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum is now in its 25th year of exhibitions and educational programs designed to both celebrate traditions in the fiber arts and inspire the creative spirit going forward. Since opening in August 1997 as the La Conner Quilt Museum under the direction of the late Rita Hupy, it has displayed...
Getting railroaded usually isn’t a good thing. Unless, of course, you’re in Burlington – the “Hub City” of Skagit County – where getting railroaded means reflecting back on the passenger and freight trains that were instrumental in its evolution from a modest logging camp into a vibrant community. The pivotal year was 1890. That’s when the Great Northern and Seattle & Northern railways extended their lines through western Skagit County. The Great Northern tracks ran north and south. The S&N lines were laid east and west. They cros...
Two handfuls of greater La Conner artists are featured at the Juried Fine Art Show at the Port of Anacortes transit shed during the Anacortes Arts Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Aug.3-4 and during Festival hours Aug. 5-7. Over 120 works of a wide variety of fine art by 80 artists from as far away as Oregon and Montana are on display and for sale at the Juried Fine Art Show at the Port of Anacortes transit shed during the Anacortes Arts Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug.3-4 and during Festival hours Aug....
You may or may not know Amy Sible. Either way, there is a very good chance you have seen her around; she is the Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s mercantile manager and she celebrated her 13th Co-op work anniversary in June. Either way, it should be no surprise that her love language is gift-giving—there’s a reason Mercantile has been voted Best Gift Shop in Skagit. Sible carefully selects items in Mercantile with you and your gift recipients in mind. She also doles out amazing freebies to fel...
She’s a free bird again. And healthy, too. A five-year-old female bald eagle held in captivity for six weeks while being successfully treated for lead toxicity was released back into the wild near McGlinn Island south of La Conner July 28. The staff at PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) in Snohomish County got the lead out of the eagle – it was weakened to the point of having difficulty standing and not being able to fly – with a medical regimen specifically designed to a...
Sunday, July 24 11:42 a.m.: Padilla Bay prowl – A vehicle parked in the Padilla Bay North Trail entrance was broken into and a cell phone was taken. The vehicle owner was walking on the trail away from the car when it occurred. Bay View Edison Rd., Bay View. 12:48 p.m.: Dogs in hot car – Report of three dogs in a hot car parked behind the Retirement Inn. The vehicle was gone when the caller checked again. 2nd St., La Conner. 4:26 p.m.: Dogs bite – A bicyclist was bit by a dog...
