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La Conner High was more than a cut above the Darrington Loggers on Friday. The Braves were actually well past the tree line – in uncharted territory, so to speak – as they stumped many longtime sideliners as to whether La Conner’s 75-0 home drubbing of the rebuilding Loggers set new school football marks. The hosts, with Killer B’s Budda Luna and Brady Nelson leading the way, were credited with 503 yards rushing on the night’s initial stat sheet. That total could be a new La Conne...
The La Conner School Board selected Lynette Cram as its new member, after she applied for the open position and completed a public interview on Monday. She fills the remainder of the term of Rick Thompson, who retired after serving on the board for 22 years. The search to fill his vacant seat finished with only a single applicant, but the remaining board members were visibly pleased with Cram, as they voted to approve her. She will be officially sworn in on Sept. 19 at the regular meeting. In the interview, she described herself and answered...
The 15 fidgeting and excited 5-year-olds began their kindergarten through 12th-grade journey on Tuesday with La Conner Elementary teacher Judy Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known as “Mrs. Z,” corralled her rambunctious charges into a half circle, sitting quietly as she flipped through a picture book describing the story while animatedly explaining school rules. She covered the basics — how to use the classroom bathroom, with its high-tech light sensors and automatic soap dispensers. She told them they will have to listen attentively as the...
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s the mantra of the silver medalist La Conner High volleyball team, which despite the loss to graduation of six seniors — Skagit Valley College newcomer Kamea Luna, among them — is again part of the State 2B title conversation. A big part, it turns out. The buzz this time around is about La Conner’s power game at the net, one the Lady Braves unveiled during a whirlwind summer camp and tournament schedule. “We have some big h...
The La Conner High football team will have its work cut out for it on Labor Day weekend. The Braves, under new head coach Peter Voorhees, open the 2016 grid campaign on the road against NW2B rival Friday Harbor. Kickoff for the much-anticipated Sept. 2 pairing is set for 6:30 p.m. Voorhees previously served as offensive coordinator under former La Conner mentor Johnny Lee, who stepped down last summer after having led the Braves to five straight post-season appearances. Lee compiled a 50-19 mark at La Conner. He left to accept a teaching post...
Michael Paul Stickels, Sr., a 44-year resident of La Conner, died at home on Monday, Aug. 1, after a long illness. He was 63. The second child of Saera Mae and John Stickels, Mike and his sisters, Meredith and Marti, grew up on Lopez Island, the place his land developer dad loved best. When Mike was just a kid and his friends were keeping maybe hamsters or parakeets, Saera Mae and John presented Mike with a singular pet to call his own: a calf — yes, you read that correctly. They called...
The games haven’t begun, but one La Conner High team has already made its point. And quite effectively, at that. The school’s cheer squad is ready — more than ready, actually — to work the sidelines this fall and winter. The key word here is work. This, after a busy, rather than lazy, summer in which La Conner cheerleaders scored points with judges during fast-paced training sessions on the Central Washington University campus. Two team members — captain Zanetta Cayou and Emma...
Robert Eugene Winters died at his home at age 89, surrounded by his family on Sunday, July 31. Bob was born January 7, 1927 to Herman and Grace Winters in Lynden, Washington. When Bob was 17, he joined the Navy to serve his country during World War II. He was stationed in Hawaii and Japan, where he served as a signalman. After an honorable discharge, he worked as a Seabee. Later in his life he was honored for his military service by being chosen to participate in the honor flight to Washington...
As she slides into her role as La Conner Schools interim superintendent, Peg Seeling has one final task to tackle as district athletic director. She must conduct interviews to fill a slew of new coaching vacancies at La Conner High. Including her own. Seeling, who has held various coaching posts here since the early 1980s, last month announced she was stepping away from the helm of the Lady Braves softball team, a stint highlighted by a string of State 2B Tournament berths through 2015. Seeling was honored on her “retirement” with an out...
Long-time Skagit Valley resident, Ken Staffanson, gave way to death on May 22, 2016 at the age of 87. Ken was born in 1928 in Mount Vernon to Swedish immigrants, John and Elizabeth Staffanson. Swedish was Ken’s first language. Ken graduated from Burlington-Edison High School. He lived in Skagit Valley his entire life except for 3 years spent in the U.S. Army, most of which time was in Germany. Ken married the love of his life, Phyllis Jones, on Feb. 20, 1956. They were married 58 years, until P...
Longtime La Conner resident Fred Martin died peacefully of natural causes at age 97 on Tuesday, June 14, in Mount Vernon. Fred was born in Burlington on November 1, 1918, with the name Fredrick L. Saunders. In 1921, when the family fell on hard times, Fred was given to the Seattle Children’s Home. In 1927, Fred was taken to the Martin’s home on Orcas Island to be their laborer because of the couples declining health. At this time Fred became known as Fredrick S. Martin. At the age of 18, Fre...
Five Spanish-speaking families are being featured at the Skagit County Historical Museum with its new exhibit, “Voces Del Valle,” which means, “Voices of the Valley.” One, the Hernandez family, established themselves in the 1940s in La Conner, raising nine children, all of whom graduated from La Conner High School. Mercedes DeJesus Lopez and Morris Hernandez moved to Skagit County from Eastern Washington in 1948, following her father, Miguel Lopez, who had come here the year before. Morris...
Country star Johnny Lee sings about looking for love in all the wrong places. Not so for the La Conner High head football coach of the same name. Braves mentor Johnny Lee has loved his six-year run on the local campus, a stint most agree has been a case of him being the right man in the right place at the right time. Which has made it all the more difficult for coach Lee, 33, to accept a teaching post with the Sedro-Woolley School District starting next fall. “It’s very hard to leave,” Lee,...
Maxine M. O’Leary, of La Conner, died peacefully on Sunday, June 12, the day after being honored on her 98th birthday by family, residents and staff at the La Conner Retirement Inn. Born in Spokane on June 11, 1918 to George and Martha Bourgois Schmidt, Maxine was the third of four children. Her siblings, all deceased, were: Alice, Elizabeth and Martin Schmidt. In her early grade school years, the family moved to south Whidbey Island, where Maxine attended school, graduating from Langley High Sc...
The La Conner High girls’ track team made a strong run for the State 2B title in Cheney last week. And freshman Matty Lagerwey, who earlier this year made great strides for the Lady Braves volleyball and basketball teams, was — by leaps and bounds — a top competitor at the Eastern Washington University campus. Lagerwey easily won the gold medal in the long jump at 17’-11”, more than a foot longer than runnerup Maggie Nelson of Liberty-Spangle. And then she ran legs of La Conne...
Maureen Harlan, who was a counselor at La Conner High School, instituted the first organized student exchange between La Conner and Denmark 30 years ago. We scooted our students to Denmark while a dozen kids from Denmark invaded our somewhat prudish, to them, town of La Conner, bringing with them European values and spunky kidishness to open our horizons. While he was in Denmark, La Conner 10th-grader Abe McDonald’s mother, Joreen, died. Abe returned to La Conner for her funeral and then went r...
Completing life’s mountainous journey, Charley Melvin Morgan, who was known in La Conner for years as “Charley the Shrimp Man,” died peacefully at his home on Saturday, May 7 at age 68. Charley was born on Aug. 30, 1947 in Torrington, Wyoming to Charley and Christina Morgan. His family moved to Soap Lake when he was 2 years old and ended in Seattle when he was seven. There he met his life-long fishing and hunting buddies along with his first wife, Theresa. He graduated from Franklin High Schoo...
Monday May 9 7:43 p.m.: Cart theft – A turquoise colored Bombardier brand golf cart and trailer were taken from a business at La Conner Whitney and McLean roads north of La Conner during the previous weekend. Tuesday May 10 8:30 a.m. Suspicious – A La Conner Schools crossing guard reported a suspicious person hanging around Sixth and Morris streets. It turned out to be a 65-year-old homeless person, who was transported toMount Vernon. 2:52 p.m.: Bad parking – A motorcycle parked improperly near La Conner Brewery. It was gone...
The La Conner School Board on Monday adopted a resolution to cut the equivalent of 2.7 full-time certificated positions to save a total of $330,000. At the same time, the district must fill the equivalent of 3.363 full-time teaching positions which have come open due to resignations and retirements. Thus, a teacher whose job is being eliminated at the high school can apply for one of the positions open at the elementary school, said the district’s Business Manager Bonnie Haley. Certificated positions being cut include the administrative post pr...
Betty June Reece White, who lived in La Conner for many years, died on Saturday, April 16, at age 94 in Beaverton, Oregon, where she moved 10 years ago to be near her sons. Betty was born September 17, 1921 in Fresno, California, where she grew up and graduated from Fresno High School with the Class of 1939. She married the late Ralph Petty, Sr. and was a homemaker, raising her family of two sons, Ralph, Jr. and Randy, in Fresno, where she was active in PTA and St. James Episcopal Cathedral....
One thing was very obvious to the people attending the La Conner School District budget workshops — the school staff has been working very hard to find places the district can cut costs. Monday’s was the fourth in the seven-workshop series and like the others was attended mostly by school employees and a few taxpayers with no school ties. School Superintendent Tim Bruce told the group that nearly 80 percent of the school budget goes toward teacher and staff pay. “Think about keeping a quality teacher in every classroom,” he said. Shoul...
Monday April 11 5:28 p.m.: Alarm – False alarm at the post office inConway. 5:34 p.m.: Dinghy drama – There was a dispute between two people on the sale of a dinghy at the La Conner Marina. If it is not settled, they will go to small claims court. 9:42 p.m.: Alarm – Another false alarm at the post office inConway. Tuesday April 12 8:31 p.m.: Shower stop – A property owner found a couple taking a shower in a vacant condo she owned onWhatcom Street in La Conner. The pair was located down the street, and the owner wanted...
The 30 or so community members participating in the La Conner School District’s crash course in school finance started listing things to slice out of the budget during Monday’s session. The district is asking voters to approve a one-year levy of $995,000. Ballots, in voters’ hands right now, will be counted on April 26. In February, voters rejected two levies totaling about $1.5 million. The scaled-down version being put before them now, will require the district to find $500,000 in savings, even if it passes. Should it fail, another $1 milli...
Monday April 4 11:35 a.m.: Information – A La Conner resident called for information on his recreational property near Anacortes. 12:56 p.m.: Check up – Someone reported a dog locked in a vehicle at Pioneer Market in La Conner. An animal control officer responded and determined that the dog was safe, windows were down, the temperatures were down and the vehicle was parked in the shade. Tuesday April 5 9:17 a.m.: No free speech – Five “Vote No La Conner School Levy” signs were knocked over and six were stolen onMaple Ave...
About 30 people, including several who are not school employees, were poring over the La Conner School District budget again last Wednesday. It was the second in a series of seven workshops for the public put together by school Finance Director Bonnie Haley, Superintendent Tim Bruce and senior administrator Peg Seeling, who will take the helm as interim superintendent in July. At the workshop, people on both the “yes” and “no” sides of the levy peacefully sat side by side, working to familiarize themselves with the school funding process...