Articles from the September 20, 2023 edition
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La Conner Schools need bus drivers
La Conner Schools Finance Director David Cram is confident the district’s new fiscal game plan is headed in the right direction after declining student enrollment and loss of COVID-19 emergency funds forced severe budget cuts for the 2023-24 a...
Drought persists, requires adjustments and acceptance
"We know we're contending with Mother Nature every year," said Michael Hughes, a partner in Hughes Farm. That knowledge does not make farming any easier, especially when the river is low and the...
John Roozen gets award at SPF annual auction-dinner
You may not know John Roozen – but you probably know his truck. On any given day, a red F250 Power Stroke diesel truck from the late 1990s may pass you on Calhoun or McLean roads – or may be par...
Sunny day for Christianson's Pumpkin Festival
Harvey Cardwell from Oregon City, Oregon grew the winning pumpkin at the 13th Annual Skagit Valley Pumpkin Festival at Christianson's Nursery Saturday. The pumpkin weighed 1,460 pounds. It was the...
Washington Supreme Court: State does not have to pay 100% of school construction costs
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Sept. 7 the state is not required to fully cover school construction costs, dealing a blow to districts unable to raise the local tax dollars they need for new buildings and other facility upgrades. In its... 
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Shortening short term rentals
La Conner staff and the planning commission are updating the Town’s short-term rental regulations. These rentals are only permitted in the commercial zone – in commercial buildings. What purpose will changing these regulations serve? Whom will ben...
Caring for creation
Pope Francis will release a follow-up document on the environment on Oct. 4, providing an update to his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’,” “On Care for Our Common Home” – a landmark papal letter that offered a rallying cry for global action in the figh...
Town Council approves purchases of key saltwater flood mitigation items
The sands of time have shifted from the hourglass to poly bags that will soon be strategically placed along the La Conner waterfront ahead of king tide season. Facing an Oct. 1 deadline to install sandbags and ecology blocks in areas prone to...
FD 13 Open House names units to honor Larry Kibbee
Contributions to local firefighting by retired Skagit County Fire District 13 Commissioner Larry Kibbee won’t soon – if ever – be forgotten. That is because Kibbee’s name will be associated with improvements at the district’s Snee-Oosh Road fire...
Fall and pirates ahoy
Did you talk like a pirate Tuesday, the 26th annual International Talk like a Pirate Day? Arrr you ready for fall? It starts Friday, Sept. 22 at 11:50 p.m....
La Conner School District laments Wahkiakum state Supreme Court funding decision
The Wahkiakum School District lost its two-year legal challenge seeking increased state funding for campus building and maintenance projects Washington state’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled Sept. 7. La Conner Schools officials feel the southwest Wa...
High school soccer teams making progress
The Lady Braves soccer team gained a win in town last Thursday. Lydia Grossglass and Maicy Bowles scored goals and Josi Straathof and Annika Keith recorded key saves for a home non-conference victory over Forest Ridge Sacred Heart High of Bellevue....
Football Braves fall to Friday Harbor's Wolverines
Friday Harbor converted three straight second quarter La Conner turnovers into touchdowns, securing a convincing 41-0 NW2B grid triumph at Whittaker Field on Thursday. Quarterback Whiley McCutcheon threw a pair of scoring tosses to Triston Bremer...
Volleyball team crushes Concrete on road
The new-look La Conner High School volleyball team, beset with heavy graduation losses, produced quite familiar results at NW2B foe Concrete Thursday night. The defending state 2B title winners forged a straight-sets triumph in their league debut,...
Ask a Master Gardener
For 30 years, I've been enamored with native plants from Asia – peony, azalea, camellia, hydrangea, wisteria, kerria, bamboo and chrysanthemum to name a few. But recently, after reading Douglas Tallamy's "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conserv...
Police Blotter
Monday, September 11 9:34 a.m. Phone scam – Caller received a collection notice saying that she owed $200 on a past due Verizon bill. The victim had never had an account with Verizon and found that someone had used her information to open one. T...
Town Council Agenda
TOWN OF LA CONNER TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA Sept. 26, 2023 Skagit County Washington Incorporated 1890 www.townoflaconner.org I.Call to Order II.Pledge of Allegiance III.Public Comments (Limit: 3 minutes per person) IV.Presentations: Anacortes Water Rates...
Legals
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF APPLICATION/NOTICE OF HEARING PRELIMINARY MITIGATED DETERMINATION OF NON-SIGNIFICANCE (PMDNS) Date: September 12, 2023 Application File #: LU23-30CU-IV, LU23-31SEPA Applicant: La Conner Maritime Services Owner: Port of...
Community Calendar
NOT TO BE MISSED Skagit Symphony begins its 2023-24 season with “Second Chances” on Oct. 21. The concert features Sandra Shen on piano playing “Stars” by Mary Howe, Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto and concludes with Mussorgsky’s legendary ...
Tidewater Boil and Skagit Farm to Pint Fest at La Conner Marina
Mark your calendars for a gourmet, connoisseur and fun weekend celebrating Skagit Valley grown, caught, brewed and prepared food and drinks Sept. 29 and 30. Genuine Skagit Valley is offering its first ever Tidewater Boil Friday evening at the La Conn...
Correction
Mikala Staples Hughes spoke for her own interests as an agricultural executive, passionate about the preservation of farm operations, at the Skagit County hearing on agritourism. She is not with Hughes Farms as the Sept. 6 correction in the Weekly...
BREAKING NEWS: Town council starts discussion of 2024 budget with presentations on public works, code enforcement and fire department programs Sept. 26
The La Conner Town Council will hold a special meeting 5 p.m. Sept. 26 to hear 2024 budget presentations on public works, code enforcement and fire department programs. Mayor Ramon Hayes called the meeting today, Friday, Sept. 22. The draft 2024...
