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Tulip Valley Farms proprietor Andrew Miller is back in Skagit County Superior Court, this time with farmer Larry Jensen, sued by Skagit County for Miller’s development on Jensen’s Bradshaw Road property last fall. The Aug. 8 lawsuit states that developments took place without “obtaining a single permit or necessary developmental review as required by state law and the Skagit County Code.” The County asks the court to confirm the violations are a public nuisance, to permanently enjoin them and order Jensen and Miller to abate them. When Tulip Va...
An adhoc Agritourism Stakeholder Working Group created in July has submitted agritourism policy concepts to the Skagit County Planning Commissioners. The group's goal is to help the county shape code that lets large and small farmers and venue operators thrive. The group was formed after the Planning Commission's July 25 public hearing on agritourism zoning recommendations made by the county's Agricultural Advisory Board. Those recommendations proposed changing the definition of "agritourism" to...
When I was the editor of the newspaper in Oak Harbor nearly 40 years ago, I was given a copy of a commencement address by author Tom Robbins that was delivered to a handful of graduates at the Off Campus School in Oak Harbor on June 7, 1974. The Off Campus School was an alternative for students who previously dropped out of regular high school. Press reports called the program “hotly controversial.” I tucked the speech away back then and recently found it in my files. I wondered how Robbins came to be on Whidbey Island that night. The Off Cam...
Some people, no matter how dire the situation, always see things with a glass half-full perspective. And then there's Tom Robbins. The acclaimed La Conner author, who famously quit his gig at the Seattle Times by calling in "well," has during his more than 50 years here earned repute as a joy hunter, always seeking and cherishing life's "cup runneth over" moments. That tireless devotion to optimism, regularly punctuated with wit and whimsy, will be saluted during "Tom Robbins Day" festivities in...
When saluted by La Conner Rotarians Saturday night at Maple Hall, Mayor Ramon Hayes didn't speak at length about accomplishments that have marked his unprecedented four terms in office. He instead chose to focus on a task left uncompleted until that very moment, when he was presented the Paul Harris Fellow recognition, a $1,000 contribution to the national Rotary Foundation in Hayes' name. Hayes, who is bringing his 16-year tenure to a close, used his remarks to shift attention from himself to f...
La Conner leaders continue to develop a saltwater flood mitigation plan before king tide season this fall. They will meet Sept. 1 with representatives of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe at their south end property to discuss placing flood barriers there. La Conner Town Councilmember Rick Dole relayed the news to council, which met after the commission concluded its business Aug. 22 in Maple Hall. Town Administrator Scott Thomas reported discussions have begun with north end business owners for...
Longtime La Conner Schools counselor Lori Buher has retired, but she is still offering timely advice. Buher suggested that the district resume its requirement that La Conner High students complete public service hours in order to graduate at the school board’s Aug. 14 study session. The board was listening. “We recognize that volunteering connects students to the community,” Board President Susie Deyo said then, noting that the board has retained its policy promoting student public service. The graduation requirement was set aside during the C...
New La Conner High School head volleyball coach Pam Keller is succeeding a legend and her young team is following in the footsteps of the four-time defending state 2B net champions. But optimism was clearly in the air – and on the freshly painted floor at Landy James Gym – when the Lady Braves opened pre-season workouts last week. "This crew is working pretty dang hard," Keller, who assisted retired state Hall of Fame coach Suzanne Marble for more than two decades, told the Weekly News pri...
Sweet Sixteen. A milestone birthday, for sure. But it has added significance for the La Conner High School football program. Sweet sixteen is the number of players on the Braves’ preseason roster this year. That’s about twice as many who turned out at this time last August. Ultimately, head coach Charlie Edwards and his staff were able to cobble together a young group with enough depth – though, barely – to complete its 2022 11-man grid schedule, forging a respectable 2-6 mark given the circumstances. Edwards, who began his third season...
In recent years, scrapbooking has become a popular hobby. But for a La Conner area resident it has long been more than that. Anne Waldron has over time filled several of her old-school hardcover photo albums – the ones reinforced by clear protective overlay pages – with an eclectic collection of local and national news articles, favorite cartoon strips, advertisements bearing images of celebrities and treasured family memorabilia. They are assembled in no particular order. Even so, none see...
The Washington state Department of Health has issued area lake and beach closures and closed recreational shellfish harvesting due to toxins. All waters around the entire San Juan archipelago from the southeast tip of Guemes Island west and north to Canadian waters and southwest to northern Whidbey Island is a Marine Biotoxin Closure Zone closed for harvesting all species including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates, but not crab or shrimp. Beaches closed for all species of shellfish harvesting include:...
Wednesday, Aug. 23 12:43 p.m. Hole opened – Manhole cover was open creating a traffic hazard for vehicles. La Conner public works staff were able to fix it. Maple Ave. / Caledonia St., La Conner. 8:12 p.m. California spending spree – Person called to report that his credit card information had been stolen and was being used in Southern California. Funds were replaced by the bank and there is no suspect information or idea how the credit information was obtained. Farm to Market Rd., Edison. 8:55 p.m. Designated driver – Deputies were calle...
As August draws to an end, we can start to take stock of a season of travels. We had several marina members travel to Canada and Alaska this summer. One couple I spoke with put their fourth marker on the saloon hatch, celebrating another summer lived with a lot of adventure. They boated, fished and hiked to every hot spring between here and Skagway. Others are just getting back and have not come into the office yet to tell me their highlights, but they will. This is the kind of thing a community likes to share and we are always happy to hear ab...
Look for blackberries growing away from busy roads. Bring garden clippers to cut back the thorny brambles. To clean, give two quick rinses and drain immediately. Measure and gently push the berries into the measuring cup. Ingredients Blackberries, 6 cups Sugar, 1 cup Flour, 1/2 cup Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon, fresh squeezed Butter, 1 tablespoon Pastry for two crust pie Tin foil Preparation Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a pie pan with one pie crust. In a small...
Monday is Labor Day. That is a quaint, almost 19th century holiday, a time when the picnics and lawn games came after boisterous downtown big city marches, the streets filled with row after row of salt-of-the-earth common men, Labor literally on the march. And, it was mostly men for most of the 20th century. Alas, the days of a powerful labor movement is a black and white newsreel out of the 1950s, when one in three workers belonged to a union and almost every one of them worked for companies, large and small. Today, unions in the private...
Since 1990 Skagit County has protected farmland with good planning and county codes. The current Skagit County code prohibits non-agricultural uses on the 90,000 acres of farmland zoned Agriculture-Natural Resource Lands (Ag-NRL). The proposed code changes strengthen farmland protection and do not affect farming and agricultural activities. The code permits farmstands, CSAs, U-pick, farm stays, farmers markets, farm to table meals, processing and sales of value added products, nursery sales, farm tours, hayrides, public education programs and...
This year’s tribal Canoe Journey brought sacred tribes to the shores of Swinomish from distant lands with their final landing at Muckleshoot, Alki Beach. The canoe journey is a tradition that has taken place for generations. The canoes were most often crafted from a single log that may have been several hundred years old. There is much honoring around the wood used, as their use has been integral for the tribe’s survival. This was their way of travel, their way of life was upon the water. It was relied upon heavily. Many of their resources cam...
Some of us are quicker than others, have our priorities in better order, are more in tune with the rhythms of the season. Partly, too, it is a matter of location and timing. For me, confined to a narrow course of home and office, it has only been since last week, Monday, Aug. 21 that I have heard and seen Canada geese returning to the Skagit. That first evening the sound of their honking followed me home. I did not see in the evening haze and smoke but heard the telltale sound somewhere over Hedlin farm fields. Honking brought me out of my offi...
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR LODGING TAX FUNDING The Town of La Conner is accepting requests for Hotel/Motel tax distributions for budget year 2024. The 2024 Lodging Tax Fund Request for Proposal may be found on the Town website under the Finance Department at www.townoflaconner.org. All requests must be received (no postmarks) at La Conner Town Hall, 204 Douglas, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257. by 3:30 p.m. on September 8, 2023. Please address any questions to Maria DeGoede, Finance Director, at [email protected] or call...
