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Ted Taylor is fondly dubbed “Captain Catastrophe” because of his persistent calls for local emergency preparedness. But the Skagit County Fire District 13 captain and emergency management coordinator might more accurately be called a realist. That is especially true this week after the magnitude 4.3 earthquake centered south of Port Townsend that struck Sunday night and was felt in La Conner households and other locales throughout Western Washington. Numerous La Conner area residents reported that the quake rattled furniture, some likening it...
Staff at the La Conner Weekly News continue to be recognized for their excellent work. They received 29 WNPA best newspaper awards at the annual Better Newspaper Contest of Washington’s community newspapers in Kennewick Oct. 7. News editor Bill Reynolds led with 10, including first for his “Rehabbed bald eagle released near McGlinn Island” in the animal features story category. Reynolds added five seconds and four thirds across categories ranging from an arts feature story on Maggie Wilder leading the repainting of the mural under the Rainbow B...
Up. The Town of La Conner’s sales tax revenue is $63,276 for September, reported by the state Department of Revenue for July sales. It is the highest report for the month, the highest 2023 monthly total and the third highest monthly total ever, behind two 2022 summer months. It brings the year-to-date revenue to 76% of budget projections. This is the first 2023 month to top a 2022 same month total. As always, the special use fire tax tracks sales tax. The $6,284 matches in most ways: it is the highest 2023 monthly total, and a record for the c...
The eyes of Olympia were on La Conner Schools last week focusing on the district's innovative approach to assessing student learning. And state leaders visiting the local campus liked what they saw. State Sen. Lisa Wellman, chair of its early learning and K-12 education committee and Alissa Muller, director of the state board of education's mastery-based learning collaborative, met with students and staff here Oct. 4 to view and receive feedback on the La Conner district's mastery-based...
All of a sudden there are a slew of opportunities to be active civically – democratically – in the community. You do not have to live in La Conner to involve yourself. And the October activities end, appropriately, with our school children – indeed anyone with a costume, with or without a child – parading up First Street for the Halloween parade. Come on out for that, for sure. Activities extend into Nov. 7 election day. Because only one area resident chose to contest only one of the La Conner school board or Town of La Conner council seats,...
This Saturday, October 14, millions of viewers across the United States will be treated to an unusual sight. An annular solar “ring of fire” eclipse will occur across a narrow path from Oregon to Brazil. We may be able to see it in Western Washington, weather permitting. The event will start about 8:00 a.m PDT and will peak about an hour later. The event will last for about four minutes. There won’t be another annular eclipse until 2046, although you may be aware of the total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024. The difference between a tot...
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the possibility of buying a second electric car. I’m still giving that some consideration. However, before making a final decision, I’m going to wait till the recently-announced process is finalized for the (up to $7,500) federal tax rebate to be directly deducted from the price at the time of purchase is in place. That’s expected by January. While looking at the state of the art of electric cars, I found out that another electric vehicle type has been getti...
So the slough slowly flows, back and forth it goes, out to the Salish Sea and Pacific Ocean, before it returns as rain and tidal slosh. So effortless and timeless, it stimulates the phosphorous’ sparkly glow. It’s quite simple really, we just have to have a spinning orb, that tilts this way and that. Yeah, one with a moon and numerous planets, affecting how our waters cycle and flow. Wind whipped waves lap and lash at our shores, sometimes smashing, sometimes as smooth as glass, giving us glimpses of our past, before we crashed ashore. Wha...
To the Editor, Your article this past week related to Habitat for Humanity’s purchase of property in La Conner (“Skagit Habitat for Humanity buys La Conner property,” Oct. 4) is factually incorrect. While representatives of Habitat for Humanity have met with town staff regarding their purchase of this property, the town has made no indication regarding the zoning of this property to enable the development described in your article. Moreover, no application has been made to the town requesting any such amendment to our Comprehensive Plan. As yo...
The La Conner Town Council almost doubled its hotel-motel allocation in the 2024 budget, voting to spend $342,111 at its Sept. 26 meeting. Almost 64%, $217,461 are internal expenditures, mostly for Maple Hall improvements, $132,866, up from $6,000 for security cameras for 2023. The Morris and First street restrooms and landscaping will get $63,995, a $10,139 increase. And the Town advertising budget jumped to $20,600 from $600. Grants to community organizations total $124,650. The La Conner...
Emergency management is more than a hot current topic. It will have great significance in the future as well. Which is why Skagit County Fire District 13 Capt. Ted Taylor is proposing that local schools consider teaching their students important community emergency response skills. Taylor floated the idea during the fire district’s 90-minute monthly meeting at the Snee-Oosh Road station Oct. 5. He reported on a well-received presentation he gave in September as the district’s emergency management coordinator on preparedness for natural dis...
The status of short-term rentals in La Conner tops the agenda of a special 6 p.m. Oct. 17 public forum at the La Conner Civic Garden Club. “It will be a specific and targeted meeting,” Town Assistant Planner Ajah Eills said at the planning commission’s meeting Oct. 3 in Maple Hall. The meeting addressing short-term rentals will not be hybrid since there is no WiFi service at the Second Street building. “We think it will be more of a conversational setting,” Eills said. “We’re hoping for a more intimate conversation.” The question of whe...
The traffic volume in town last weekend teased that it was the height of tourist season. That wasn't the case, of course.. But it was a peak weekend in terms of La Conner High School's fall sports schedule. The football and volleyball teams played simultaneously on campus Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Braves' boys soccer team hosted league rival Mount Vernon Christian. Results were mixed. The La Conner grid program broke into the win column with a convincing 30-0 shutout win...
We know about climate change through science; we feel it through art. The combination is a powerful one and is on display at the Museum of Northwest Art starting Saturday as "Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement and Agency in Times of Climate Change." It opens Oct 14, 1-4 p.m. This is the fourth iteration of "Surge." Each one has grown, from a one-day event in 2015 to a year-long collaboration this year with artists pairing with scientists to study and create climate change-inspired art. The...
“The Mousetrap” is running through Saturday at the Anacortes Community Theatre and it has been selling out every show. It is a wonderful murder mystery by Agatha Christie, her first play. It opened in London’s West End in 1952 and has run successfully around the world since. Paul Fadoul is the director. He has worked around the country in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and has happily settled into Shelter Bay with his husband after 25 years in film and television. He fi...
Ed Marlow brought some old photos into his barbershop many decades ago. People starting adding to his collection. Even when he changed locations, customers kept bringing them; he pinned them to the wall. “It just mushroomed,” said Marlow. He thinks he has “probably the biggest collection around.” Some of those historical photographs are displayed in the Skagit County Historical Museum’s new exhibit, “More than Just a Little Off the Top: Barbershop Historians,” which opened Oct. 5. Marlow was an honored guest Thursday. He greeted old friends,...
OLYMPIA — Following the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools Sept. 30, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the five members of his office’s Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee on Oct. 4. The committee will study how Washington state can address the harms caused by the government’s historical role in the shameful legacy of Indian boarding schools. The National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, also known as “orange shirt day,” is observed on Sept. 30 to raise awareness about residenti...
Made with locally grown produce. This is a hearty dish as a stand-alone vegetarian meal. Give yourself some time as this recipe takes over an hour of preparation. But worth it! Ingredients Eggplants, 2 medium Water 2 quarts Salt, 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 3 tablespoons Tomatoes, 2 medium Onion, two thick slices Preparation Rinse the eggplant and slice into ½ inches pieces. Do not peel. Place in bowl, cover with water, add salt and swish around. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Prepare baking...
As a youth whose World War II veteran father was a booking agent in the entertainment industry, Ramon Hayes grew up familiar with the celebrities who gained fame amid the emerging new world of television. "I was invited to Liberace's birthday party," Hayes, 54, recently recalled with a chuckle. "I didn't attend." Hayes was perhaps reflecting on how later in life as a long-serving public official, he would be called upon to make decisions of far greater importance. "I like to think of myself as...
Sunday, October 1 12:26 p.m. Dog watcher – Report of a dog left in a vehicle that the caller thought might be in distress. The dog was checked on and found to be in good health and was ok in the car. S. 1st St., La Conner. 12:59 p.m. No longer lost – A subject who appeared to be confused and possibly on drugs was walking up people’s driveways and seemed to be lost. A deputy contacted the subject who thought he was in Mount Vernon and did not know what he was doing. Warrants were confirmed on the subject and he was arrested and trans...
The Port of Skagit hosted two massive events on the last weekend of September to benefit and promote the Genuine Skagit Valley program. The Tidewater Boil and Skagit Farm to Pint Fest were, as reported in this paper, both big successes. More than 150 people for dinner the first night and about 600 for the Farm to Pint Fest made for a busy and exciting weekend, especially for the La Conner Marina’s first time hosting. The Genuine Skagit Valley program does outstanding work showcasing local f...
The Sept. 27 story “Skagit Habitat for Humanity buys La Conner lot” incorrectly stated “The Town of La Conner plans to change its comprehensive plan to allow multifamily housing … .” That is an aspiration of Skagit Habitat for Humanity. The sentence: “If all goes as planned, the city will change its comprehensive plan to allow multifamily housing” was edited and revised from the reporter’s submittal. The editor is responsible for accurate editing. The publisher regrets the poor editing....
The La Conner Arts Foundation donated 11 ukeleles to the La Conner School District, not the Town of La Conner’s art commission, as incorrectly reported in the Sept. 27 story “School board reviews service graduation requirement.” The Arts Foundation is a nonprofit doing “Good Deeds Through the Arts.” The editor regrets the error....
