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Creating one of La Conner's most popular works of public art back in the day was no walk in the park. But it began with one. The idea for sprucing up the walking trail beneath the Rainbow Bridge with a colorful thematic mural project evolved from a hike there by La Conner resident Jane Stephens nearly a quarter-century ago. "I've always walked there," Stephens told the Weekly News Sept. 1 during a phone interview from Corvallis, Oregon, where she was visiting family. "Our son Andy, was going to...
August was a dry month in an increasingly dry, and warm, year. It rained once – like July – this time 0.2 inches on the 4th. The real news was the six record-setting daily temperatures. The five record highs were the month’s hottest day, Aug 18, 86.1 degrees, and the month’s last week: Aug 24, 81.4 degrees; Aug. 25, 84.6 degrees; Aug. 30, 82.6; and Aug. 31, 85.3 degrees. This followed three record high days in July. Twelve days topped 80 degrees, 39% of the month The average daily maximum temperature of 77.8 was the highest this century...
The Port of Skagit’s plans for redeveloping its La Conner Marina will be discussed at the Town of La Conner Planning Commission public hearing Sept. 20. A new zoning district, Port Industrial, will be unveiled as part of 27 pages of “suggested 2022 code changes” planner Michael Davolio and town staff have been developing based on proposals from Port staff. If the planning commission agrees and the town council adopts the recommendation, a new chapter will be added to Title 15 of the town’s uniform development code: Chapter 15.42, Port Industr...
On the foggy morning of Friday, Sept. 2, Washington State Patrol responded to a fatal car crash at the intersection of State Route 20 and Avon Allen Road. The Washington State Patrol press release states that at 7:55 a.m. 28-year-old La Conner resident Julie Johnson was driving east on SR-20 and ran the red light, causing a collision with a southbound vehicle. That vehicle's driver, 42-year-old Burlington resident John Burke, was not wearing his seatbelt and ejected from his vehicle upon impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No drugs or...
What about Langley? Mayor Scott Chaplin is bullish on this seaside town of just over 1,100 residents. Like La Conner, it is a magnet for tourists seeking fine art, eating and shopping. Unlike La Conner, Langley has Langley Creates," one of 11 certified Washington Creative Districts, a program that helps communities turn their artistic, artisanal and cultural/historical assets into economic growth. During conversation with Chaplin in August, he championed his "village-by-the sea." "Our...
All mayors love their towns and champion them. Surely that is the case in La Conner. The same with Langley, that “village by the sea,” a 90 minute drive from our town on the Swinomish Channel. Comparisons abound. There will be a side-by-side table in a future issue. Did you know their 1,200 residents fit in one mile footprint while La Conner’s 974 residents squeeze into 0.4 square miles? Those numbers come from censusreporter.org. While Mayor Ramon Hayes was first elected in 2007, Langley Mayor Scott Chaplin was appointed in 2021 when the t...
An open letter to the town planner: Dear Planner: No more administrative permits. No more administrative conditional uses and no more administrative variances. These give too much power to the planner and too little oversight from the community. The code should be: 15.10.043 Conditional use Conditional use” means a use addressing a limited or specific need but, due to a potential adverse effect upon permitted uses or public services and facilities, is only allowed subject to the review AND APPROVAL OF the planning COMMISSION AND the criteria i...
By Frank Liddell La Conner is rich with generational wealth. I have neighbors that have spent their entire lives in this community and are descendants of families that practically built this town. I have been a La Conner resident for almost 20 years. I’m lucky to have lived here this long. I pull it off because the people I have rented from actually believe in fair, affordable rent. All of my kids have attended La Conner schools. My youngest is starting middle school this year and by the time he graduates I will have been involved with the s...
Recent news publicity has announced that a state-legislature appointed ad hoc committee, the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission that was tasked with identifying potential regional airport sites to accommodate anticipated future regional growth, recommended two potential sites in Skagit County. The primary impetus for seeking future airport sites for development is that the primary airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, is already at capacity and other, alternative airport sites will be needed. The Greater Seattle region is currently...
By Greg Whiting Do you want more control over your electric, heat and fuel bills? More stable energy bills? A more reliable and resilient power grid? Less dependence on foreign oil? Less acid rain? Reduced emissions of particulates and carbon soot (which cause lung issues)? Reduced carbon dioxide (which is a factor in climate and ocean acidification issues)? Such outcomes are nOt science fiction or an environmentalist's fantasy. They are attainable now, using existing, proven, cost-effective...
New reported coronavirus cases in Skagit County dropped dramatically in August, to 578, 55.7% of July’s 1,078 reported cases. Fewer cases were reported weekly, from 148 infections Aug. 1-7 to 105 new cases Aug. 22-28. While not all people infected get tested or report results, only 27 people were hospitalized in the county’s three hospitals last month. There were two deaths the entire month, both Aug. 1. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 were declining at month’s end. After 21 the first three weeks, with 10 of those Aug. 15-21, there were six n...
By Ken Stern Since last Wednesday, divers contracted with the Washington Department of Ecology or the U.S. Coast Guard made dives to the sunken Aleutian Isle, probably daily, according to posts on Ecology's website. Removing netting has been a primary project to both ensure the divers safety and to prevent fouling when the vessel is lifted. By the end of their shift on Sunday, Sept. 4, the "dive crews finished cutting away free-floating netting from the vessel and securing all remaining entangle...
La Conner residents have till Sept. 28 to comment on the Notice of Application and Proposed Determination of Non-Significance that the Town of La Conner published on page 6 of today’s Weekly News. The Town is conducting its annual update of its Uniform Development Code and will proposes amendments. State law requires staff to determine and announce that significant environmental impacts are unlikely to result from amendments. The public, and institutions, may comment on the application, receive notice and request a copy of the decision once i...
Volunteers for the 2022-23 Skagit Stream Team Program are needed. This is a citizen science opportunity for adults, age 18 and up, to participate in “hands on” water quality monitoring and to gain an understanding of the relationship between natural factors, land use impacts and a stream’s health. Participants will work in the Samish Bay, Padilla Bay, Kulshan Creek, Trumpeter Basin, Gages Slough, Ace of Hearts or Nookachamps watersheds. The time commitment is approximately two to four hours a month through June 2023. Training, equipment and s...
Lord knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing to celebrate. But what can be celebrated is what has proved immune to the virus crisis: The sustaining nature of public art. Since early 2022, the Town of La Conner has received donations of new public artwork designed to enhance the creative spirit for which the community is known. Those donations were formally celebrated during ceremonies held by the arts commission at Maple Hall Saturday, Sept. 3. A one-hour program coordinated by arts panel...
Christian Warman is rarely at a loss for words but the veteran La Conner High School girls’ soccer coach says he cannot say enough about the players on this year’s roster. “I could say something about all of them,” he told the Weekly News during one of the team’s preseason workouts Aug. 25. “Our numbers are small, we have a lot of players who are young and inexperienced, but they bring a lot of energy.” There might be times this fall when La Conner is forced to play what Warman calls “Ironman Soccer” with few or no subs to call upon, yet th...
The La Conner High School football team has its season debut against Forks at Whittaker Field Saturday, Sept. 10. Second-year mentor Charlie Edwards’ team will spread the field and rely on speed and athleticism. The home team will be looking to capitalize on potential game-breakers like junior Tommy Murdock, the reigning state 300-meter hurdles champion. The Braves are looking to benefit from an extra week of preparation as their Sept. 3 non-conference home opener with Morton-White Pass was taken off the schedule. Kickoff is 2 p...
La Conner Schools leaders want to meet you and hear your questions, concerns and suggestions starting Sept. 15 at 7 a.m. at Stompin’ Grounds Coffee, on Morris Street. Join Superintendent Will Nelson, Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler, Business Manager Brian Gianello, Teaching and Learning Director Beth Clothier and Director of Operations and Planning Bobby Vaughn, the district’s five-member cabinet. The Oct. 14 outreach will be at 12 p.m. at the Swinomish Education tents at John K. Bob Ball Park. After the Nov. 15 (2:30 p.m.) mee...
Life too serious? The 21st century too complex? Take a break from it, by traveling to Oak Harbor and back to the 1950s and Rydell High School and relax with Whidbey Playhouse’s production of “Grease,” opening the in-person 2022-2023 season Friday, Sept. 9. The large, generally teenage cast holds its own, singing and dancing through the 18 numbers, several which you know and will want to sing. The story is simple, opening at the start of a school year, with boy, gang leader Danny Zuko (Chris King), bragging to his cohorts of his summer beach...
“When you are poeting, you are making the world, creating the universe out of nothing,” Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest said last Saturday at the Lincoln Theatre. That’s because the word poet comes from the Greek word poesis or “maker,” she explained. During the 90-minute reading and workshop, Priest introduced herself and her work to an audience of about 50. Several La Conner-area residents were among those listening as she shared stories from her own life, wisdom from other poets and her own work. Dr. Seuss’s “Red Fish Blue Fish” w...
Fresh vegetables are the main ingredients to this recipe. I chopped them fairly small and uniform in size. The beef selections are stew meat, steak tips, cut-up steak or roast. Browning the beef adds to the overall flavor. When selecting a beef broth, take care to shop for a low sodium brand. Nothing spoils the taste of a soup, as being too salty. The fava beans are optional. I grow and pre-cook them to add to recipes. When I select vegetables, I think of color, texture and nutrients. I...
Sunday, August 28 11:49 p.m.: Seahawks fan prowling – Report of a male wearing a Seahawks jersey jumping a fence and prowling the area. A deputy checked the area but could not find him. 3rd St., La Conner. Monday, August 29 9:47 a.m.: Catalytic converter theft – A vehicle was parked at the boat launch for two days while the owner was on a boating trip. When they returned the catalytic converter was removed from their vehicle. It appeared a saw was used to cut the converter away from the veh...
Labor Day is traditionally a busy boating weekend, and this year is no exception. The inside of F dock is reserved for a yacht club and the outside was filling up by mid-afternoon Friday. G dock is almost entirely reserved, both inside and out. This is probably the busiest weekend of the year. One of the reasons G dock is so heavily reserved is the presence of the largest vessel of the year calling on La Conner. The Sea Jewel has 114 feet reserved for a single night, taking up over 20% of the dock. This is the largest vessel to dock at the...
