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Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1933
No building permit has yet been issued, but excavation began at the 306 Center Street condominium project site last week to find the water table on the property so that paperwork could be completed for removal of contaminated soil. Following that initial dig, a soil removal plan was drafted and submitted, according to Town of La Conner Assistant Planner Ajah Eills. Public Works Director Brian Lease approved the plan and soil removal commenced, Eills said. That work was completed and by early Friday afternoon all equipment had left the site....
Few have taken a longer road to historic La Conner United Methodist Church than its new pastor. The Rev. Dr. Jacob Kanake, who assumed pastoral duties here this month, hails from the Kenya Methodist Church, where he served before moving with his family to the United States. The Methodist Church was planted in Kenya, an East African nation and former British colony, in the early 1860s. The Kanakes feel quite at home in Washington, where he has pastored at Colfax and St. John east of the...
In the 23 years I have lived in Shelter Bay there have been many notable improvements in La Conner, such as the roundabout, the fire station, the La Conner Swinomish Library, Channel Cove, Gilkey Square, the boardwalk and Conner Waterfront Park. However, I have noticed that many projects seem to reach a certain stage and then just stop. Whether this is because of money, permits or lack of will, us common folk don’t know the reason. Maybe others could help me understand why so many projects stall. Here are a few examples of what I am talking a...
Photosynthetic power, that that falls freely from the sun, is captured by the oceans, trees, rocks, leaves, cities, sidewalks and streets. Yeah, the last three are as unnatural as covering perfectly good farmland with solar panels. Solar panels are more appropriate on slopes, like roofs and open rocky south-facing places. Of course, there are farmland ditches that could be creatively covered with them and as you might have guessed, I’ve designed a few different concepts about how to get it done. Our south-sloping dike between La Conner and Plea...
A new entrée is part of the menu planned for the former COA restaurant building at Maple and Washington avenues. The site has been home to various eateries over the past half-century, all of them operating as a non-conforming residential use. That could change. The planning commission learned at its July 16 meeting that the new owners of what old-timers call “the old Joe’s Drive-In” want a private fitness club and martial arts studio there. Getting those plans approved could test the applicants’ strength and stamina. Assistant Planner Ajah Eil...
NOT TO BE MISSED Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau at Museum of Northwest Art: We All Transition with Mac Scotty McGregor. 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. What is it like to see and walk in the world from both the male and female perspectives? Mac will share his gender journey and what it taught him about life, our culture and how it affects our interactions with others. Free. RSVP to monamuseum.org/events/wealltransition. Anacortes Arts Festival, Aug. 2-4. More than 220 artisans will have booths filling Commercial Avenue in downtown...
Tuesday, July 16 9:03 a.m.: Hit and run – Caller said her car was hit while parked on S. First Street. There was a dent and white paint transfer but there were no witnesses or suspect vehicles. S. First Street, La Conner 4:32 p.m.: Hit and run again – Employee reported someone hit the rear of his car. There was a broken taillight and some paint transfer to the rear panel. A deputy checked around town but did not find a vehicle with similar damage or cameras that faced the area. Morris Street, La Conner 10:43 p.m.: Hit and float – A sailb...
LA CONNER SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 311 NOTICE OF BUDGET COMPLETION AND HEARING La Conner School District No. 311 NOTICE OF MEETING TO ADOPT 2024-25 BUDGET AND CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE is hereby given, pursuant to RCW 28A.505.050 and RCW 28A.505.060, that the Board of Directors of La Conner School District No. 311, Skagit County, Washington will hold a regular meeting on July 29th, 2024 commencing at 7:15pm in the District Office Board Room, located at 305 North Sixth St, La Conner, Washington or via remote tele- and video-conference. The...
La Conner fire chief Aaron Reinstra and a Sedro-Woolley builder have presented Town officials with a new option for purchase of a fire boat to safeguard the historic La Conner waterfront. “This is food for thought, another option for the fire boat,” Reinstra said as he provided copies of a proposal from TJ Lowry of Full-Time Custom Fabrication & Machine Shop to Town Council members during their 70-minute July 10 meeting at Maple Hall. Lowry is proposing to build a hull, house, and trailer for $150,000, about one-fourth the cost of a com...
Town leaders have their eyes on the future. This after having given La Conner's current five-year strategic plan a second look during the town's annual summer retreat at the Waterfront Café last month. Mayor Marna Hanneman, Town Council members, and the town's staff and department heads huddled June 24 to address current issues and long-range planning. The strategic plan, crafted in 2023 and comprised of five focal points, was the centerpiece of the retreat's afternoon session. Each of the...
The late Clem Thein set the ceiling high when it came to extending goodwill and sharing camaraderie among his many friends here. He did the same when it came to masterful handiwork, a trait handed down to his son, Steve, and still much in evidence more than 15 years after Clem Thein's passing. For confirmation, look at the roofs of historic Magnus Anderson Cabin and the covered Native American canoe shelter below Town Hall. Clem Thein hand-split the cedar shakes protecting both structures using...
NOT TO BE MISSED The 20th annual NW Art Beat Studio Tour sees 22 artists showing their works in 16 studios in a free, self-guided Skagit Valley art studio tour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 20 and 21. NW Art Beat is presented by Skagit Artists. Learn more at NWArtBeat.com. LIBRARIES La Conner Swinomish Library. 520 Morris St., La Conner. 360-466-3352. www.lclib.lib.wa.us. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Storytime for Children. 11 a.m. Fridays. Tech Help. 3-5 p.m. Mondays. Dungeons & Dragons Club. 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays....
TOWN OF LA CONNER NOTICE OF APPLICATION/NOTICE OF HEARING The Town of La Conner is processing a permit application that may be of public interest Date: July 15, 2024 Application File #: LU24-32HDR Applicant: April and Nicholas Seegert Town Contact Person: Michael Davolio AICP, Planning Director; P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257; 360-466-3125 Project Location: 505 S. 1st Street, La Conner WA, P74077 Project Description: Replacement and change of paint color to Branchport Brown and Grant Beige. Public Hearing: Planning Commission...
This year's July 4 celebration in La Conner was a double feature times two. Several entries in the town's Independence Day parade looped downtown a second time. That evening, tribal vendors led by Rodney John filled the sky with fireworks for hours following the official pyrotechnics show over Swinomish Channel. Both the parade and fireworks received positive reviews as did the two-band holiday evening concert at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina. Social media was filled Thursday night and...
Amy Green has for the past decade been the very uncommon thread binding together diverse exhibits and educational programs at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum at historic Gaches Mansion. Her focus has been uncommon in that Green brought with her to La Conner in 2013 an extensive background in a wide range of artistic impression and managerial experience, including six years as director of operations at the famed Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M. Now Green is returning to...
Mayor Marna Hanneman said the blaze that destroyed one house and threatened others last month is a wake-up call for the town during a July 6 forum at La Conner Swinomish Library. She asked Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra and fire department community outreach officer Natalie Baker to reflect on the incident and share safety tips. The ensuing discussion was robust at times and informative. "I feel it's important for us to communicate with one another in an open and transparent manner," Hanneman said...
As an active community member, I read almost every article in the La Conner Weekly News, usually by early Wednesday afternoon, so I typically find things about which to write. Sometimes I just sit and let the soup simmer, see if it needs some seasoning, maybe some seasoned reasoning should come to bare. I found the town council’s priorities (“La Conner council sets priorities at retreat,” July 3) very interesting. One member of the council brought up the importance of community involvement, another stressed volunteerism, communication and s...
In the aftermath of a June 20 house fire that threatened neighboring homes, La Conner residents questioned growth management population projections for the town that have increased residential density as vacant lots fill in. “As everybody here knows, we’ve had a tragic fire here on Fifth Street,” Town Emergency Management Commission chair Jerry George said during that board’s July 2 meeting at Maple Hall. “That fire was hot and fast.” George lives a few paces from the home that was engulfed in flames and was among neighbors who helped wate...
The La Conner tourist economy may be back on track. The June sales tax revenues of $58,778 reported to town council by the state’s Department of Revenue, are the second highest total for the month, only below 2022’s record. It is 10.6% above last June’s. This is April’s tax collection, the month of the Tulip Festival. The Special Use Fire Tax revenues, at $5,870 is 10.8% above last year’s and also the second best June. For the first half of 2023, sales tax revenues are at 44.8% of the year’s projected total while the fire truck tax is at 54.2%...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming fun activities. Skagit City School Picnic, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 14, 17508 Moore Road, Mount Vernon. Join us for this time-honored tradition of celebrating community. Food will be available from the La Conner Rotary Club. The 20th annual NW Art Beat Studio Tour sees 22 artists showing their works in 16 studios in a free, self-guided Skagit Valley art studio tour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 20 and 21. NW Art Beat is presented by Skagit Artists. Get the map guide and learn more at NWArtBeat.com. La Conner...
Sunday, June 30 11:28 p.m.: Dog bites dog – Caller reported that a neighbor’s dog attacked his dog and this led to an $1,800 bill at pet emergency. This is not the first time this dog has bit a person or animal and the case is being investigated by animal control. Young Road, greater La Conner. Monday, July 1 10:55 a.m.: Here’s a story – Caller found a set of carpet installing tools hidden in the bushes and believed they may be stolen. A deputy collected the found items and saw it was labeled with a company name out of Kent. The items were co...
La Conner's underground – at least on S. Maple Avenue – has been in plain sight the past few days. Welch Brothers Construction has cut deeply into and through the heavily traveled roadway's surface to extend a water main that will serve the future Didgwalic Wellness Center transitional housing and staff office facility on Maple Avenue near the east approach to the Rainbow Bridge. La Conner Public Works Director Brian Lease said on Monday that the work upgrades an existing water main to imp...
If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, area firefighters and emergency responders are perfectly practiced and practically perfect. This after Swinomish Reservation and the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina were sites last week of major multi-department training exercises that participants lauded afterward for their realism and long-term value. Skagit County Fire District 13 Training Officer Capt. Chris Olbu scripted a drill for June 26 that challenged several agencies, led by La...
Town and school district officials were in full retreat June 24, though both panels spent the day charging forward with reviews of their respective five-year strategic plans. The La Conner Town Council met for seven hours at the Waterfront Café. Councilmembers, staff and Mayor Marna Hanneman addressed five focus areas – public safety, climate and environmental sustainability, capital projects and utilities, economic vibrancy and governmental organization. Council members and department heads al...
Lynda Murphy O'Brien, born June 3, 1944, peacefully entered into eternal rest June 12, 2024, surrounded by her beloved family at their Edmonds home. Lynda was a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law and friend. Lynda will be especially remembered for her kind, caring and soft-spoken manner and for her unlimited devotion to family and friends. She loved family gatherings and celebrated each and every holiday, birthday and special occasion. Lynda was a devoted Camp Fire...
