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As students return to Washington classrooms, state education officials are closely monitoring how three cash-strapped public school districts are spending money. La Conner, Marysville and Mount Baker districts, all located in Western Washington and part of Northwest Educational Service District 189, are in this position because they are beginning the school year without a balanced budget as the state requires. In August, each inked an agreement with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction requiring the districts to regularly file bud... 
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There's no doubt Marna Hanneman has the resume to be La Conner's next mayor. Having served nearly a decade on the La Conner Planning Commission, a key advisory panel focused on land use and historic preservation, Hanneman comes with relevant academic and professional credentials. She holds a degree in business administration from the University of Maryland and has enjoyed wide-ranging careers in marketing, property management and insurance. And not to be overlooked is her long managerial stint...
Shopping at Trader Joe's in Bellingham recently, I ran into two young men who I could tell from their wardrobe were ultra-Orthodox Jews. We chatted briefly and they told me that a rabbi from Brooklyn was headed this way to start a Chabad in Skagit County. A Chabad is a congregation organized by members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty that was founded in 1775 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman in Lithuania. Chabad is a worldwide Hasidic movement known for its outreach activities. It is a system...
MOUNT VERNON - Nicole Roozen is the new executive director of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, its board announced Sept. 11. Roozen joined the Tulip Festival staff at the end of August. "Nicole's resume and marketing expertise is impressive," said incoming Board President Rachael Woods. "What really impressed the committee was her growth mindset and passion for innovation. We've been fortunate to have steadfast leadership for 20 years, so the operations and workflow for the festival are dialed... Full story
La Conner continues to dodge the bullets that so much of small-town America is getting hit by: loss of employers, employees and families moving away, empty storefronts and boarded up homes, loss of hospitals and school closures. No, instead the problems here are employers struggling to fill open positions, employees stuck with commuting long distances and the local government needing robust affordable housing planning, policies and funding. The school district reacts to a smaller student population, but the high cost of housing is a tragedy it... Full story
So, Sept. 2 came and went, there couldn’t have been a finer day in La Conner spent. There was a “King” in town, complete with a crown, and a shiny white old fire truck. Yeah, mega author Tom Robbins was kinda awestruck. The town was full of its regular crew and then there were the curious and people who didn’t have a clue. Who’s this fella anyways, what did he write, what did he say? Well he wrote words that he turned into novels and one into a movie! Yeah, he wrote about eclectic characters and notions that could raise your eyebrows and maybe... Full story
Here is a backwards rhetorical question: How do your improve on the town’s Tom Robbins celebration and day? Answer: You can’t. Don’t try. Do more and better by organizing something different. What is the necessary alternative roadside attraction? Let’s invent it by next summer. Hopefully this unexpected answer your just read will be embraced and accepted for the necessary challenge it is. More than one person has applauded the complete success of the Sept. 2 celebration, waxed on how wonderful it was to have a day focused on local people...
Tom and I were touched and grateful for everyone who participated in Tom Robbins Day. The event uplifted our community and reminded us to play, imagine and create. The costumes and parade participants were truly delightful. The day emphasized what a great town we are privileged to live in. This event would not have happened without our committee. Gina Torpey (aka lead fairy), Meg Holgate, Betsy Humphrey and Cherie Ware worked tirelessly for three months to make this day possible. Big thanks to Mayor Ramon Hayes for his beautiful proclamation.... Full story
Thank you for printing the Tom Robbins graduation address article. I graduated at about the same time and spent my formative years in the Skagit Valley. Although I experienced a traditional high school commencement speech, not a word of which I can remember, I clearly recall soaking up Tom’s books. I moved away from the Valley for graduate school and a satisfying career studying insects that eat trees. I’ve never tired of asking questions of the natural world, a fascination I attribute to having spent so much of my youth pondering the lim... Full story
On Sept. 2 La Conner got our soul back. In honor of Tom Robbins our town came out to honor one of its own. The energy was electric, the costumes outrageous and the best part of the entire day was the sense of community. Truly that is a feeling that has not been present in a very long time for whatever reason. The day was magical, La Conner sparkled in our uniqueness. So from one resident to another please let’s keep that spirit going. With joy and hope Marna Hanneman La Conner...
utheast of Lahaina on Maui with sticky-foot gekkoes and cockroaches for roommates and obnoxious rats as my nearest neighbors. As the embers cool and the tempers flair from the recent Maui wildfires, I can’t help admitting geologists are correct in calling this period of our planet’s history the Anthropocine. Humans not only lit the flames of Maui’s conflagration, Humans provided the fuel. When I first visited the Islands, non-native cane toads hopped through vast plantations of sugar cane that grew where venerable rain forests had been clear... Full story
It’s peak season for food here in La Conner. Let’s start with seafood, crab, oysters, prawns and I tasted some locally caught smoked salmon the other day, yum. La Conner is wonderfully positioned between the water and the farmland. There are so many stands offering sweet corn in our orbit it doesn’t pay to grow it yourself. I will admit the six ears for a buck and the honor stands have gone the way of the Dodo bird, well we can always blame the politicians. Sill, in the grand scheme of things locally grown food is cheap and supports our local... Full story
Short-term rentals have been the talk of the town. That isn’t going to change anytime soon. The community can participate at a 6 p.m. open house Oct. 17 at the La Conner Civic Garden Club. Encouraging input on revising short-term rentals regulations is the goal. The La Conner Planning Commission has been reviewing the issue this summer. “We want to hear from as many people as possible,” Assistant Planner Ajah Eills told the Weekly News Friday. “The Town is totally neutral on this.” Short-term rentals are permitted in La Conner’s commercial...
In Leavenworth, the owner must be present. Spokane separates them into two types. San Jaun County only allows 693 for their population of 18,662. Clyde Hill requires a business license, but no other permitting. Poulsbo states that an ADU cannot be used for it, but has no other regulations. Westport disallows more than one on a single parcel. What could result in such different standards and regulations around Washington state? Short-term rentals, typically defined as rentals of a residential unit for less than 30 days. Requirements for short-te...
The $60,820 in August sales tax revenue reported to the Town of La Conner from the state’s Department of Revenue is the third highest June total ever, though down $9,563 from 2022 and $1,900 from 2021. The $399,898 total year to date is 65.6% of the forecasted revenue, almost matching projections. The special use fire tax total of $6,064, as always, tracked sales tax totals and was also almost 10% below the same month last year. People are still staying overnight in La Conner. The $19,848 collected in hotel motel tax revenue set another m...
All wasn’t lost when the new-look La Conner High School girls’ soccer team dropped two tough non-league tests to open the 2023 campaign. First-year coach Maddie Huscher was encouraged by her club’s effort in an 8-1 setback to North Mason and 7-0 shutout defeat at Northwest House of Seattle last week. “It was tough competition playing a team not in our division,” Huscher told the Weekly News after the road trip to Northwest, “but it was a great learning experience. We played on a turf field, something we aren’t used to.” Huscher said the team’s...
C.J. Edwards reeled off a 53-yard touchdown run, Ivory Damien delivered a 45-yard scoring strike to Tommy Murdock and the La Conner High School defense recovered five fumbles, but the Braves still fell 28-12 to Evergreen of Seattle in their grid opener at Whittaker Field Friday night. The difference, even more than the Wolverines' 16-point margin of victory, was in roster depth. Evergreen is a 2A King County program that rolls out 57 players. The 2B Braves, by contrast, suit up 20, two of them f...
It's hard to take a photo of a fast-moving salmon – even when you are surrounded by them. They splash. They skitter. They hit your kayak and soak your shirt. One second they are a tiny ripple in the water and the next they speed past your camera, while you snap pictures of empty water. On Sunday morning at low tide, 10 of us welcomed chinook salmon back to the Samish River with the Skagit River Poetry Foundation. Our agenda: drift among the salmon, talk about salmon habitat and lifecycles, r...
Giant pumpkins from throughout Western Washington will be displayed and weighed this Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival at Christianson’s Nursery on Best Road. Enjoy family-friendly carnival games, face painting, toad observatory, bluegrass music and more from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The weigh-off competition for pumpkin-growing hobbyists and giant vegetable growers typically starts in the early afternoon. First prize is $2,000 with 10 prizes going down to $25. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest and ugliest p... Website
Skagit Fire District 13 invites everyone to an open house to tour its new building, fire hall and fire truck Saturday, Sept. 23, 12-2 p.m. at its Snee Oosh Rd fire station. The Red Cross will pass out smoke alarms and the Swinomish Police Department will give out bicycle helmets. Kids will be able to shoot water from a fire hose at a house prop. There will be food. Source: Skagit FD 13... Full story
The Skagit County’s Planning Commission is seeking applicants for a vacancy in Skagit County commissioner district 1, the area of greater La Conner. The term is through August 2024. The Planning Commission works with the Planning and Development Services Department and advises the Department and the Board of County Commissioners on proposed land use plans and regulations in unincorporated Skagit County. The Planning Commission has nine members and usually meets twice monthly in Mount Vernon. Information about the Planning Commission is a... Full story
Among its many devotees, the annual Pioneer Picnic in La Conner is always a winner. Especially by the staff and volunteers at the Skagit County Historical Museum. This year was no exception as proceeds from the annual picnic in August allowed the La Conner Civic Garden Club and Skagit County Pioneer Association to contribute a total of $4,000 to the museum last week. The joint contribution by the organizations to the museum was approved during the association’s board meeting at the Skagit City School Building on Fir Island Friday afternoon. T...
In the “Agritourism stakeholders” story Aug. 30, it was Mikala Staples Hughes of Hughes Family Farm who said, “Farmers lose operational hours to individual requests by neighbors to not spray when they are home, or they choose to skip an area of a field when digging spuds because the dust could ruin the neighbor’s barbeque,” she said. “Or maybe they have to skip a pole with a big gun when they’re irrigating because vendors are setting up chairs at the neighboring wedding venue. These challenges are paired with the already complicated n... Full story
A typical home in western Washington uses about 10,800 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. If you add in an electric car, that will increase to about 14,400 kWh. Solar panels in western Washington produce about 1,100 kWh per year, per installed kilowatt (kW) of capacity. To fully power a house and a car, you’d need to install about 13 kW of solar generation capacity. Here in Washington, net metering utility rate tariffs allow you to feed excess power to the grid and be paid for it, s...
