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A state-managed program to help prevent vessels from becoming derelict or abandoned in Puget Sound waterways and along sensitive shoreline areas was unveiled in La Conner last Thursday. By all accounts it was a smashing success. Partners engaged in the free vessel turn-in and recycle day event gathered at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina for a 90-minute program including a demonstration dismantling a boats no longer in service and which otherwise could pose threats to the state's marine...
Skagit Transit has completed the agency’s annual draft Transit Development Plan. Public comment is open through Aug. 21. The TDP is a visioning document to help plan the future of Skagit Transit. Transportation services are vital to ensuring residents are connected to jobs and recreation in the region. Public input is invaluable as Skagit Transit plans improving the mobility, connectivity and sustainability of Skagit County. A public hearing on the Transit Development Plan is 11 a.m. Aug. 21 at Burlington City Hall, 833 S Spruce Street or v...
Let the battle over the future of natural gas in Washington begin. State election officials certified an initiative for the November ballot that seeks to reverse Washington’s controversial tactics to phase out natural gas use in homes and other buildings on July 24. Supporters of Initiative 2066 began gathering signatures in mid-May and turned in 533,005 signatures earlier this month. State law required at least 324,516 be from registered voters. “We knew the people of Washington opposed the idea of banning natural gas, but the support for thi...
Last week to vote: Aug. 6 is Election Day! Help get all ballots counted quickly: • Vote and return your ballot now • Sign your ballot envelope • Use a county drop box • Mail your ballot in time to get an Aug. 6 postmark Election drop boxes nearby: 614 Morris St. Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: Social Services Building, 17337 Reservation Road. Voting information and register to vote at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County Elections: 360-416-1702....
7 Maple Street is the site of what many call the old COA restaurant. This letter is an attempt to make La Conner’s conditional use procedure process clearer. The property’s current zoning is residential. This means that residences can be located on the property. The residences can be single family or multifamily. Residences are not a conditional use. No conditional use permit would be needed to locate new residences there. Most of Maple Street is residential. Is there anything else that can go on 214 Maple Street? Yes, The code specifies a nu... Full story
Skagit County has awarded $500,000 to the Port of Skagit and NW Innovation Resource Center's TheLab@SWIFT, an innovation center for start-ups and entrepreneurs. The SWIFT Center, which stands for Sedro-Woolley Innovation for Tomorrow, is the former Northern State Hospital campus owned by the Port of Skagit. Many of the remaining buildings on the campus were used to treat and house people with mental illnesses until it closed in the early 1970s. NWIRC has already received $750,000 in state and...
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has been awarded $2.8 million in three grants by the state's Department of Commerce. The Samish Indian Nation will get $1.4 million and the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe $750,000. In total Commerce awarded $52 million in grant funding to support climate resilience for 28 federally recognized tribes within Washington, as well as four federally recognized tribes with lands within the state. The funding is from Washington's Climate Commitment Act.Tribes...
La Conner Rotarians thanked the guest speaker at their Monday meeting for being right on the money. Mike Pellicciotti said doing so is merely part of his job as the state's banker. Pellicciotti, who was elected Washington state Treasurer in 2020, shared his roles and goals during a briskly paced La Conner Rotary Club program at Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill & Irish Pub. For Pellicciotti, it was his 55th Rotary Club appearance. "I think it's important to get around to local Rotary clubs," Pell...
Time to cast your ballot! Help get all ballots counted quickly: • Vote and return your ballot now • Sign your ballot envelope • Use a county drop box • Mail your ballot by Aug. 1 Election drop boxes nearby: 614 Morris Street Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: Social Services Building, 17337 Reservation Road. Online voter registration deadline is July 30. Voting information and register to vote at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County Elections: 360-416-1702....
A month ago, Skagit County Fire District 13 Chief Wood Weiss assigned crews to cover two 12-hour shifts per week at the Summit Park station on a trial basis. Initial reviews are in. So far, so good. “We’ve had some really busy days,” Capt. Chris Olbu told fire commissioners during their July 18 public meeting. “There’s also an increased probability of getting more transports.” Weiss said early returns on the trial program merit its continuation. “The rapid response to the north end of the district has been of benefit to our citizens,” he said....
There are three Skagit County Planning Commissioner terms expiring on August 31, 2024, one in each county commissioner district. The County seeks residents to apply for commissioner seats in their respective districts. Planning commissioners serve four-year terms. The planning commission works with the county’s Planning and Development Services Department and advises the department and the County Commissioners on proposed land use plans and regulations in unincorporated Skagit County. The nine-member planning commission has three appointed f...
YVONNE GALLARDO Why are you seeking office? I am a woman of action with a track record of doing what I preach since 1999. My passion for service has led me to be involved with many organizations that work to support public safety and child welfare, economic development and veterans, like myself and my husband. I believe I am the best candidate for state representative based on my active, extensive and diverse background in public service, notably as a city councilmember, chamber director and... Full story
A small Notice of Development Application sign in a field on Calhoun Road could signal big changes. Cloudbreak Energy Washington LLC, the Washington state arm of a privately held, national developer of distributed and utility-scale solar and storage projects, enquired with Skagit County about the potential for developing a 15.75-acre solar energy generation facility on land owned by Water & Wastewater Services, LLC owner Kelly Wynn. This is not a use permitted on lands designated...
Did you register for the Skagit County free vessel turn-in recycling day on July 22? If not, that ship has sailed. Boat recycling day is hosted by the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Skagit County, Port of Skagit, La Conner Maritime Services, Northwest Straits Commission and Washington Department of Natural Resources. Boat recycling requires prior approval. La Conner Maritime Services, in the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina, is the collection...
The August primary election is here. Ballots will be mailed by Friday, July 19. Last week, Skagit County voters received the county’s official local voter’s pamphlet, mailed by the county elections office. Voters will choose candidates for the Nov. 5 elections for a U.S. senator, Congressional District 2 representative, 11 statewide offices for governor through insurance commissioner and a state supreme court justice. La Conner area voters reside in state legislative district 10. The senate seat and LD 10 Position 1 are contested. Can...
I would like to share some clarifying information about the closure of Little Braves Preschool in La Conner. Skagit/Islands Head Start (SIHS) partnered in quality preschool programming in La Conner for many years. We continue to believe it could be an important contribution to the community. It may have been unclear to the contributors writing the Weekly News this spring, but the funding model for the Little Braves preschool was never intended to rely solely on SIHS funding. SIHS agreed to provide a contracted amount to the district preschool f...
A recent article in your paper reviewed the new exhibitions at MoNA, the powerful paintings and glass work of Joseph Gregory Rossano’s “Portrait of the Divine,” and “Early Rituals,” the iconic creations of a master in glass, William Morris (June 19, 2024). However, two upstairs exhibitions were not mentioned. The first is a beautiful exhibition from MoNA’s permanent collection, “At the Seam,” including new acquisitions and the last is “SOMOS (WE ARE)” in the small Outside/In Gallery. It is the latter upon which I would like to comment. The art...
SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR SKAGIT COUNTY No. 24-4-00309-29 PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS (RCW 11.40.030) In the Matter of the Estate of Clark Tullis Scarboro, Deceased The personal representative named below has been appointed as personal representative of this estate. Any person having claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the personal representative or the...
The prayers of a La Conner priest have been answered. Father Paul Magnano, 83, won’t be relocating to Seattle full-time after all. Magnano will continue serving historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church in La Conner and other Skagit County parishes with a new schedule allowing him to divide his time with Christ Our Hope Catholic Church in downtown Seattle, which he founded. It’s truly a “best of both worlds” arrangement for Magnano, who feels equally at home here and in the city. Perhaps best of...
On June 18, the State of Washington’s Department of Commerce announced that the La Conner School District has won a $1.96 million Community Decarbonization Grant. This new grant will pay for the development, at the La Conner Middle School, of a grid-interconnected solar electric generation system with a capacity of 138.2 kilowatts. Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s solar generation model, the electricity produced by this system during an average year will be about 140,000 kilowatt-hours....
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: June 18, 2024 Application File #: LU24-28CU-IV Applicant: Sarah Cram Town Contact Person: Michael Davolio AICP, Planning Director; P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257; 360-466-3125 Project Location: 413 Morris Street A, La Conner WA, P74161 Project Description: Change of use to long-term residential use. Public Hearing: Hearing Examiner Date/Time/Location: July 16, 5:00 pm, Maple Center....
Renewable energy is a key issue for state Senate hopeful Janet St. Clair, a two-term Island County commissioner with an extensive background in public education and social work. Renewable energy also defines her campaign style. St. Clair brought her energetic, bilingual approach to La Conner on June 3, meeting at the Civic Garden Club with local Democrats. State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, attended and offered a ringing endorsement of her candidacy for the 10th Legislative District seat. St....
It was hats off to La Conner High School's tribal seniors Thursday, May 30. And hats on, too. That's because those members of the school's Class of 2024 were honored during the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community's annual Cedar Hat Ceremony at Swedebs Park, an upbeat outdoor evening event featuring tributes from speakers that included four Swinomish senators and departing La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson, a member of the Blackfeet Nation. The grads, donning their finely woven...
Busy lives paused Monday as local residents took time to reflect on the past during annual Memorial Day services at two area cemeteries. Somber holiday programs drew large turnouts to the Pleasant Ridge and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community cemeteries despite cloudy and chilly conditions. Rev. Don Robinson and Anne Basye keynoted the one-hour gathering at Pleasant Ridge, site of the oldest cemetery in Skagit County and where the accomplishments and sacrifices of veterans, pioneers and Native Ame...
When national Head Start budget cuts announced earlier this year spelled the imminent demise of the Little Braves preschool program, La Conner Elementary School Principal Heather Fakkema reacted with sadness. But not panic. Fakkema was among those who first floated the idea of following up the Little Braves mission with a new educational concept – transitional kindergarten. Transitional kindergarten, which serves students who are at least 4 years old, has been implemented in Washington state and elsewhere to help eligible children prepare fo...
