La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Additional information from Dec. 13: The approximately 25,326 gallons of gasoline that spilled from the Olympic Pipeline in Conway early on Dec. 10 was “due to the failure of 3/8 inch tubing leading from the main pipeline to a pressure gauge within t...

The Bellingham Herald will reduce its print editions to two days weekly, Wednesdays and Sundays, starting Jan. 29. This is “the latest cutback stretching the definition of ‘daily newspaper,’ Brier Dudley wrote in his Seattle Times column “Save...

It’s never too early to focus on the past. That was the credo embraced by new Skagit County Pioneer Association President Loren Dahl, who last week received confirmation that the Wesen family, which operates a centennial dairy farm in the B...

It’s often said that crime doesn’t take a holiday. Nor did Washington state politics back in 1883. It was while Whatcom County lawmakers had gone home for the Thanksgiving holiday that Territorial Governor William A. Newell signed a bill lopping off...

For this last subscription drive mailing editorial, because I respect everyone reading this newspaper and take my work seriously, I went to “Deadline Artists,” an anthology of newspaper columns over the last 100 years. The point of reporting is to...

Look around: We live on the edge of the continent, less than 35 miles due east of Victoria Harbor in one of the most idyllic communities on the west coast. Positioned as a safe passage for marine travel and tied to the to the salt waters of the...

Well, once again we dodged a bullet, the atmospheric river hit mostly just south of us this time. Two years ago the atmospheric river hit the Skagit watershed pretty hard, but Whatcom County got hammered and towns along the Canadian border were...

Each year when I look for my unused Christmas cards and find the poem titled “The Work of Christmas” by Howard Thurman, a 20th century theologian, educator and civil rights leader, I am reminded of what is important about the season. While we cel...

The idea of making First Street in La Conner one way has been attempted before, over 25 years ago now. It didn’t work. The Town’s public works department used to change the traffic flow to one way during tulip festival, for a month during that tim...

The article from Nov. 15 about the Skagit County water outlook (“Skagit County water outlook complicated”) pointed out that the challenges related to low water flows on the Skagit River are becoming more complex. This is a big deal for both irrigatio...

Growing up in Seattle from the early ‘50’s until 1989 when I finally had a bellyful of the insanity and moved here, it seemed like the world had gone just nuts! Compared to today’s world, America in particular, it was the best of times! Between the m...

Seeing might be believing, but it’s collecting data that’s confirming. That’s the approach longtime resident and former planning commissioner Linda Talman is recommending officials take regarding remedies to La Conner’s downtown parking. A week af...

During his appearance before the Leadership Skagit class recently, Swinomish Tribal Senate Chair Steve Edwards cited environmental protection and dealing with climate change as key priorities for his administration. Federal lawmakers, most notably...

Cape Horn in central Skagit County seemed to fare worst of 10 communities from Marblemount to Day Creek that could be most affected from last week’s Skagit River flooding. The Skagit River’s crests Dec. 5 and 6 were lower than forecast. The Mou...

Sultan had trouble guarding one McCormick. Defending two proved impossible. Maeve McCormick scored a career-high 25 points, collected 11 steals and dished off a team-best three assists while Nora McCormick added 12 points, two steals and a pair of...

The La Conner Braves basketball team are true road warriors. The team followed its convincing 65-44 NW2B/1B triumph at Orcas Island Dec. 5 with another all-day trip on Saturday – this time to 2A Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula and likewise r...

The hardest piece is suspending your disbelief in watching TJ Fantini’s superb performance as Buddy the Elf, is not that a 30 year old believes he is an elf or that elves live and make toys in Christmas Town or that Santa (the real one) narrates a s...

NOT TO BE MISSED Town of La Conner Council Meeting Tuesday, Dec.12, 6:00 p.m. For current Agenda go to www.townoflaconner.org. Sign up for “Notify Me” to get current Town Information. Skagit Community Band Holiday Concert with the A’Town Big Band...