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About 60 La Conner area residents filled the Civic Garden Club Sept. 25 to consider the future of the La Conner Weekly News. Publisher Ken Stern, 69, has made clear his plans to retire in December, after seven-and-a-half years of ownership. In his efforts to sell the newspaper over the last two years, he's had several nibbles from prospective buyers, but "it hasn't gone very far," he said. None has made an offer for the business, priced at $250,000, which is less than its 2023 gross revenue of m...
Residents and tourists alike will find that vehicles only travel south on La Conner's First Street starting next Wednesday, Oct. 9. Since early September, Town of La Conner staff have been promoting First Street will become one way southbound, and Commercial Street will become one way eastbound. The change was made from widespread concern for public safety. The larger size of today's vehicles that park on both sides of the street impede first responders' equipment in emergencies. This week La...
Well over 500 Mount Vernon and Skagit County residents cheered the ribbon cutting ceremony of the $61 million Mount Vernon Library Commons building Saturday morning. The loudest acclaim and applause throughout the program were recognizing city and HKP architectural firm and other contractors' staff. Jill Boudreau, Mount Vernon mayor from 2011-2023 and project administrator for the Mount Vernon Library Commons since 2023, was the master of ceremonies. She received a standing ovation as well as a...
A Louisiana-style dinner served in La Conner last Thursday boasted a distinctly Skagit Valley flavor. The second annual Genuine Skagit Valley Tidewater Boil at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina featured many of the area's favorite farm and sea-based foods and beverages in a setting akin to a Gulf Coast shindig. Held under a large tent on a damp and chilly late September night, the event served as a celebration of Skagit cuisine and formally honored the valley's food producers. The Tidewater...
Tom Beckwith warmed up for the past Monday night public workshop on the south-end revitalization project with a 20-minute presentation at the Sept. 24 Town Council meeting at Maple Hall. Beckwith, hired to craft a blueprint for rezoning and development of the formerly bustling 4-acre industrial area, having shared his insights with the town's planning, parks, arts and emergency management commissions, again stressed that his team will address market potential and feasibility for the area,...
La Conner’s housing crunch is longstanding, but apparently not yet so severe that town officials approve all potential remedies. The town planning staff had recommended denial of a bid by applicant Jason Lindeman to convert part of the Slider’s Cafe building on Morris Street, formerly a full-service fuel station, to long-term residential use before the proposal was to be considered by hearing examiner David Lowell. The applicant subsequently withdrew the application. “Applicants always have the choice whether to continue or rescind an appli...
The Leagues of Women Voters of Washington and Seattle-King County will present the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction in a public debate at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. This debate will be held at the Bellevue Public Library, 1111 110th Ave. NE, Bellevue. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. The debate will be in person and will be recorded and livestreamed by TVW. The public is invited to attend. The debate offers voters a chance to ask the candidates questions and hear their answers regarding how they would do the job of Superintendent of...
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs opened a secure portal for all Washington residents, public employees, and state retirees to donate to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The Disaster Relief Center, a special function of the Secretary of State’s Combined Fund Drive, provides links for one-time donations to verified and registered crisis-relief charities during periods of natural or humanitarian disasters that exceed a region’s capacity to provide help. Hurricane Helene left catastrophic destruction in its wake across the southern Uni...
HEADS UP DON’T FORGET! First Street south of Morris Street to Maple Hall will change to one-way southbound traffic on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Watch for traffic signs going up this week. NOT TO BE MISSED Skagit River Poetry Festival 2024: The 12th biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival will be held Oct. 3-5 in La Conner at Maple Hall and other venues. Ticket prices $25, $50, $100, available at tinyurl.com/SRPFestTix24. All students free with ID. Volunteers are also needed. Sign up at skagitriverpoetry.org/About/Volunteer. LIBRARIES La Conner S...
It was a hit! A couple dozen people filtered in and out of Stompin' Grounds Coffee Co. on Monday morning for what may become an annual Coffee and Cops meeting. Skagit County sheriff's deputies Gary Huehnerhoff and Trevor Waller "hosted" the gathering while area residents sipped coffee and asked questions in the warm and friendly atmosphere. Huehnerhoff has been with the Skagit County Sheriff's Office for eight years. "My goal is to be out in the community. I enjoy being around and helping...
Enthusiasm wasn't squashed at Christianson's Nursery northeast of La Conner Saturday. The opposite was the case. Squash, in the form of giant pumpkins, enthused throngs of people who descended upon Christianson's on a beautiful warm and sun-splashed afternoon the last day of summer. Christianson's Nursery held its annual Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, drawing growers and fans alike from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of parked cars made for a jam-packed Saturday afternoon,...
La Conner's once bustling but long dormant south end industrial hub is again a center of attention. The Beckwith Consulting Group walked through the area, including the former Moore-Clark property and engaged with the Town of La Conner's advisory commissions in developing a revitalization plan. Residents will also be enlisted to review the scope and objectives of the grant-funded planning project, which runs through December at a Sept. 30 public meeting and through a survey that is on the...
Members of the Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board launched their whirlwind two-day tour of Skagit County businesses last Wednesday at Mavrik Marine in La Conner. CERB, whose membership includes Island County Commissioner and 10th District State Senate candidate Janet St. Clair, spent an hour visiting Mavrik facilities at the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina, where the aluminum boat manufacturer is building the third in a series of 137-foot, 325-passenger ferries serving t...
Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler and Democrat Dave Upthegrove faced off Sept. 18 in Spokane in a debate that highlighted the public lands commissioner candidates' different views on land management, forest health and the future of timber harvests in Washington. The debate, hosted by the Association of Washington Business, was the first between Upthegrove, a King County Council member and former state lawmaker, and Herrera Beutler, a former state lawmaker and congresswoman. It comes after...
Much has been said the past three decades about the former Moore-Clark property on La Conner's south waterfront. Additional input is still being sought. And this time it promises to carry more weight than ever. Comments on and ideas for the former south end industrial area will be welcomed at a 6-9 p.m. Sept. 30 public workshop at Maple Hall facilitated by consultant Tom Beckwith. "It's designed to get community input on the best possible use of the area," Assistant Planner Ajah Eills said....
Starting this month, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 test kits that will be mailed to their homes. U.S. households will be able to order as many as four nasal swab tests at COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program has not yet given an exact date when ordering can begin. An agency spokesperson has said the tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather for celebrations. U.S. regulators...
The League of Women Voters of Skagit County will host a Skagit County Commissioner candidates forum from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7. All interested community members are invited to attend the forum at Skagit PUD, 1415 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon. The audience will hear from: Commission District 1 candidates Rylee Fleury and Ron Wesen Commission District 2 candidates Richard Brocksmith and Peter Browning The County Commissioners play a crucial role in shaping the future of Skagit County. County government is responsible for decisions that...
Glass will no longer be accepted for recycling at Skagit County transfer stations starting Oct. 1. No regional market exists since a Seattle glass manufacturer unexpectedly closed this summer. Skagit County public works staff advises residents to dispose of glass containers with household garbage. Glass brought to the transfer stations will be disposed of in the landfill. A regional bottle manufacturer in Seattle going out of business abruptly decreased demand for recycled glass. Typically,...
Skagit County Planning and Development Services invites the community to an open house to discuss the Climate Element of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan update from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Jefferson Elementary School 1801 E. Blackburn Road, Mount Vernon. The comprehensive plan is a vital roadmap for county growth and development over the next 20 years. It is a framework guiding the day-to-day land use decisions of elected officials and local government staff. Washington House Bill 1181, passed in 2023, amended the Growth Management Act to...
They have adjoining desks and confer regularly each day, but Jennifer Herring and Anji Viola, who were hired within three months of each other this year, took far different paths to La Conner's Town Hall. Herring is a native Virginian who earned a bachelor's degree in government and international politics from George Mason University near Washington, D.C., served with the Peace Corps in West Africa, and previously worked as a children's librarian in the San Diego suburb of Coronado, Calif. Viola...
The 84th annual National Newspaper Week is Oct. 6-12. It is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers, Inc., the consortium of North American newspaper trade associations. But it is always the right time for a good political cartoon....
NOT TO BE MISSED Have coffee, learn what police do. Join your neighbors and talk with deputies and area police officers at Coffee with a Cop, 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Sept. 30, at Stompin’ Grounds Coffee, 306 Morris St., La Conner. Coffee with a Cop breaks down the barriers between law enforcement and citizens with conversation. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The Town of La Conner will hold a public workshop on the Commercial Transition (Moore-Clark) sub-area plan at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in Maple Center. Come share your thoughts with town staff and p...
It's no secret that La Conner Weekly News Publisher Ken Stern wants to sell his newspaper. Stern is 69. He is ready to retire. Stern envisions younger, ambitious journalists buying the business, maybe with the community's help. But if that doesn't happen soon, the final La Conner Weekly News rolls off the press on Dec. 18. Finding Ken 2.0 has not been easy. There are plenty of journalists who can run this newspaper, but none have made an offer on Stern's asking price to buy a profitable...
Reporting at the Sept. 10 La Conner Town Council meeting, Sgt. Brad Holmes, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office La Conner detachment administrator, made a plea to residents and an apology to the council. He addressed concerns voiced at the Aug. 27 council meeting over deputies’ response times to a nighttime burglary and theft incident around North Third Street that month. Holmes said that deputies had arrived in La Conner within 20 minutes of the crimes being reported and immediately began patrolling for the suspect vehicle, which staff learned...
FINALLY! PIER 7’s DOCK REPLACED – Boats will remain afloat on the Swinomish Channel at Pier 7 due to the dock replacement completed by Marine Floats Corporation of Tacoma and Carlson Construction, of La Conner, Sept 3-6. One of the last wooden docks in La Conner has been updated for the 21st century by property managing partners Nikki Fallis and Laura Palmer....
