News
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 2629
By 
Excavation begins for Center Street project
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...
Managing food insecurity key to a strong local food system
Local grocery shoppers pause and compare prices. They add up the rising costs of food and wonder how they will afford their next meal. This is how Arin Magill, director of the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank, defines food insecurity: concern about where...
November felt cold and was damp but not much rain fell
Don’t let December’s rain, gray skies or fields of standing water distract you into thinking it has rained a lot. November maintained 2023’s pattern of rainfall below the monthly century’s norms. While precipitation came down 22 days, half of thos...
Shelter Bay board loses its treasurer
Jan Paul, Shelter Bay board of directors treasurer since July 2023, announced her resignation in a way that was as surprising as it was low key at the end of the monthly board meeting last Wednesday, April 17, at the organization’s clubhouse. W...
Swinomish Casino reopens for gaming after cyberattack
Good things come to those who wait. Patrons of the Swinomish Casino & Lodge north of La Conner are being treated to increased promotional play offers and other incentives through the end of May after its reopening on Wednesday. The tribal gaming...
Residents visit Jensen field property
Some dozen residents, primarily community elders, responded to an open invitation to walk the former Jensen property last Thursday, April 18, ahead of tomorrow's community mingle seeking discernment...
School board urged to look within for next leader
The La Conner School Board may not have to look far to find a successor to Dr. Will Nelson. Board president Susie Deyo last week raised the prospect of the school district hiring from within its ranks an acting interim superintendent to succeed...
Larsen votes for military aid to Israel
When the U.S. House of Representative voted 366 to 58 to approve military aid to Israel Saturday, April 20, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Arlington) voted yes. The Israel package totals $26.4 billion. It provides $13 billion to the U.S. Defense Department to...
Topped status of tulip fields
At 1 p.m. Sunday, April 21, fields of red and yellow tulip flowers were being photographed by tourists in the field on Best Road north of the McLean Road roundabout. The Best Road field south of and...
Town policy on homeless camping awaits U.S. Supreme Court ruling
Because of its desirability and geographic constraints limiting growth, La Conner has long dealt with a housing crunch, especially with affordable housing. Those conditions have now contributed to a pressing side effect: homelessness. In his written...
Planning Commission again discusses First Street traffic, parking
Town planning commissioners trod a familiar path at their April 16 public meeting. The five-member advisory panel, which is in the process of drafting updates to the transportation element of the La Conner Comprehensive Plan, revisited options for...
Town Hall starts 4-day week April 29
A new schedule starts at Town Hall next week. Beginning April 29, the building will be open for town business from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It will be closed on Fridays so that staff can work on various projects without...
School board hears how math improves student confidence
Math is cool again. That’s the message La Conner School Board members heard during their one-hour public meeting Monday night. Math teachers Dan Hansen and Julia Johnson shared with the board via Zoom how the district’s new curriculum has con...
Agency declares drought across entire state
The Washington state Department of Ecology declared a statewide drought emergency April 16, citing the state’s low snowpack, the forecasts for a dry and warm spring and summer and the end of winter snowstorms. The only exceptions are for the S...
Open now, bigger and better
Anacortes Mayor Matt Miller, center left, joined Anacortes Food Co-op Board Chair Phil Cohen for the store's ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon, April 10. Hundreds of members and friends came...
Ban on foam takeout containers in Washington starts June 1
Those foam clamshell containers long used by restaurants for takeout food will soon be illegal statewide in Washington. Coffee cups, plates, trays and other food and drink carriers made from the same material – known as expanded polystyrene – will al...
Corrections
The April 10 story on Langley did not correctly state that city’s 2024 operating budget is $5 million, with another $8 million capital expense for a long-term stormwater and sewer infrastructure project. In the April 17 Master Gardeners column, p...
Swinomish Casino reopens after cybersecurity breach
Swinomish Casino & Lodge is open following an 18-day closure due to a cybersecurity incident. The casino closed April 6 for the duration of the investigation. An announcement on the casino's homepage reads: "Our casino, dining, and lodge facilities...
Cyberattack probe shuts down casino
The Swinomish Casino & Lodge has had a run of bad luck lately. Having braced for a busy April and heavy traffic volumes from the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the gaming center and dining venue 8 miles north of La Conner has been closed since...
New agreement with Skagit PUD will let farmers irrigate all summer
With the snowpack at 69% of normal and spring precipitation uncertain, local farmers have one piece of good news: if a drought develops, they can count on water from the Skagit Public Utility...
Winter snowpack low as spring starts to heat up
At winter's end, the North Puget Sound basin snowpack is 56% of median, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service states in its April 1 Washington Water Supply Outlook Report. This is lower than the...
Little rain fell in March; fourth driest since 2000
Remember the inch of rain in eight days at March's end? That was one-half the month's total, not enough, as the 2 inches was one-third below March' century average of 3 inches. It was the first month...
Give your input to school board on new superintendent
La Conner School Board members want input on what approach should be taken as they seek a successor to Superintendent Will Nelson, who is stepping down after three years. Nelson announced earlier this month that he will be leaving June 30 to accept...
First-quarter town tax revenue lags
La Conner Town Council members and residents attending the April 9 meeting heard the down news: March's sales tax revenues are 15% below 2023. Year to date, sales tax revenue is down 15%, $124,353,...
