Articles from the September 13, 2023 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 34
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School budget deficit triggers state oversight
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 p... 
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Hanneman takes steps to be next mayor
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...
Jewish congregation starting in Skagit Valley
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...
Nicole Roozen is new Tulip Festival executive director
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... Full story
From the editor - Our small-town living woes
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... Full story
A citizen's view - Tom Robbins deserved his King for a Day
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 r... Full story
Musings - on the editor's mind
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 attra...
Letter to the editor: Tom Robbins celebration is community at its best
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... Full story
Letter to the editor: Tom Robbins has been a longtime inspiration
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... Full story
Letter to the editor: Tom's day showed soul
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...
Letter to the editor: Maui fire human caused
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 c... Full story
Letter to the editor: Great local foods abound
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 man... Full story
Oct. 17 open house set for short-term rentals
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 r...
Here's a primer on La Conner's short-term rental regulations
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 us...
Town sales tax revenue muddling along
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 t...
Soccer, volleyball girls fall in opening rounds
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 s...
Braves play tough against 2A foe but come up short, 28-12
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 fel...
Singing the salmon home
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 t...
Giant Pumpkin Festival Saturday
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 o... Website
FD 13 fire hall open house Sept. 23
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... Full story
Be a county planning commissioner
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 S... Full story
Picnic nets $4,000 for museum
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...
Correction
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... Full story
EV costs are predictable; that cannot be said about gas powered vehicles
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...
