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The summer solstice occurs at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time June 20. It marks the sun’s most northerly point in Earth’s sky. Thursday will have the longest day and shortest night of the year. Most consider the day the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorological summer started June 1....
Another hearing has been scheduled in the ongoing discussion of how to permit agritourism in Skagit County. On June 24 at 2:30 p.m. the Skagit County Commissioners will discuss a resolution that will send back to the county planning commission the agritourism proposal the commission recommended to them in December for further study and evaluation by the planning commission. A county press release said that the remand resolution is in response to feedback the commissioners have received from local business and farm owners, community comments...
Town officials are guardedly optimistic that La Conner can weather a spring sales tax revenue slump. Citing wet, chilly weather as a possible factor, Mayor Marna Hanneman shared with town council at its June 11 meeting that La Conner’s total tax receipts are down $17,000 from this time last year. Reported town tax receipts totaled $230,770 through May 2023, compared to $213,974 through May 2024. “The weather’s not helping, but I believe people are coming to town,” said Hanneman. “They’re just not spending money.” May’s receipts of $46,949 are...
Drill, baby, drill. It’s not just a Sarah Palin slogan. Locally, it’s the approach Skagit County Fire District 13 is taking to prepare for emergency and disaster scenarios in greater La Conner. The fire district has planned two major training drills this month – a June 26 exercise at the La Conner Marina and a wildland fire practice session June 27 on the Swinomish Reservation. The district held a windstorm training exercise on March 30. The drills are designed to prepare fire district personnel and neighboring firefighters and emergency medic...
Preservation is close to the heart of Jeanne Youngquist – preserving agriculture, open space, secure elections and county history. The greater La Conner resident, of Mike and Jean's Berry Farm, was honored at last week's Our Valley Our Future awards breakfast hosted by Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. She received the Community Legacy in Agriculture award. Daniel Waltner earned the Achievement in Agriculture Award, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship. The Mount Vernon resident graduated f...
The best kept secret in La Conner, eight months in the making, was fueled by an appreciation for vintage cars. Jason Coughlin waved the checkered flag on a deeply personal covert mission with a classic Father's Day weekend surprise gift at Friday's annual La Conner Retirement Inn Invitational Car Show on N. First Street. From his childhood, Coughlin knew that his dad, Jim Coughlin, had always wanted a restored Chevrolet Chevelle. The younger Coughlin made that dream come true in dramatic...
NOT TO BE MISSED Shelter Bay Annual Garage Sale. With more than 100 participating homes, you can find bargains around every corner! Shelter Bay Chorus bake sale, coffee and hot dogs at the Clubhouse. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 22. 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. No experience necessary. Mount Vernon...
June 20, 2024 -- The La Conner Town Council will hold a special meeting Monday, June 24 that will consist of a council retreat from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The retreat, at the Waterfront Café, is open to the public staff reported at the June 18 council meeting.. Mayor Marna Hanneman called the meeting today, Thursday, June 20. The June 25 town council meeting is canceled. The Town of La Conner posted its Notice of Cancelation at the same time today. Information: 360-466-3125, https://w...
How do you eat your crab? Store-bought crab-leg crackers and picks or just your teeth and jaws with a dactyl ripped from the end of a crab leg? Do you crack open the crab, dig out the meat and place it in your mouth, fingers dripping with butter and garlic, or do you make a pile of meat and then eat it all at once with a fork? Are newspapers strewn all over the dining room table to catch the mess a tradition in your family? Do you buy it cooked, cleaned and ready to go or do you toss a crab...
If ever someone was destined to be harbormaster at La Conner Marina, it's Charlie Knapp. And not just because he has an uncanny knack of finding smooth sailing after entering uncharted waters. "I've always enjoyed challenges," said Knapp, who grew up in Atlanta and launched his current gig with the Port of Skagit in mid-March. "I like trying new things," he told the Weekly News on Saturday. "That's how you grow." Consider that the graduate of Samford University in Homewood, Ala., has taught...
After four years of struggles and challenges, most notably isolation and remote instruction imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Class of 2024 capped its high school experience with a picture-perfect day. La Conner High School's graduating seniors, an accomplished group comprised of talented scholars, artists, musicians, public speakers and athletes, received their diplomas during seamless and briskly paced commencement exercises held in warm, sunny conditions at Whittaker Field Thursday...
The $46,949 reported in sales tax revenues to the La Conner Town Council in May by the state's Department of Revenue is the second highest 2024 monthly total, but below 2023's May collection by $1,123, 2.3%. The special use fire tax revenues were similarly down, 4.2% below May 2023, now $4,594. Hotel/motel tax collection was $11,740, 7.6% behind 2023's record May total, but also the second highest 2024 month. The May totals represent March collections and are typically the last low, pre-tourist...
With U.S. post offices closed next Wednesday for the national Juneteenth holiday, the June 19 Weekly News will arrive on a one day delay in mailboxes. The paper will be printed Tuesday. Copies for retail sale will be distributed around La Conner Wednesday morning. Mail carriers will make deliveries Thursday in La Conner and Friday in Mount Vernon....
There’s food for thought, and food for survival. Both were addressed during the 75-minute La Conner Emergency Management Commission meeting at Maple Hall last week. During their June 4 public session, commissioners invested more thought into their ongoing development of a Community Emergency Management Plan and studied the role the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank could fill should a local disaster occur. Food Bank board chair John Petrich, who has an extensive background in housing and utilities management, was the commission’s guest speaker. He...
In terms of solving a longtime housing shortage here, the town is being asked to make the impossible possible. It will take about 20 years to tell if La Conner is successful. Town Planning Commission chair Bruce Bradburn had some gripes when reviewing state and county mandates that La Conner prepare to add 124 new housing units – one-third of which would serve low-income residents – between now and 2045. Bradburn called that a “pipe dream.” “It’s fine to say we have a goal to provide more family housing in town,” he said. Town Assistant Pla...
A burn ban begins 8 a.m. June 15. It is modified for all residential and land clearing fires in unincorporated Skagit County, until further notice. County staff will no longer issue permits and existing permits are suspended. La Conner residents must check at Town Hall for local burning restrictions. Recreational and cooking fires are allowed following restrictions when using charcoal, seasoned firewood, or propane-fueled firepits, with safety requirements. Outdoor burning will be prohibited when there is a “Red Flag Warning” issued by the Nat...
With wildfire season approaching, the Washington State Department of Ecology wants people to get #SmokeReady. This week its staff are posting on social media daily themes of identifying personal health risks, learning how to protect your indoor air and knowing where to find the most up-to-date information about the location and intensity of wildfire smoke. For June 12: Smoke and your health. June 13: Minimize exposure to smoke. June 14: Prevent smoke. View Ecology’s website, social media pages and the Washington Smoke Information blog – the...
Emergency management has been a hot topic in the La Conner area the past couple years. Tabletop disaster preparation exercises have become more frequent. An even more visible two-day emergency response activity staged from the Duane Berentson Twin Bridges boat launch on the north end of Swinomish Channel took place June 4 and 5. “The purpose of the exercise is to validate response equipment, practice our emergency response plan, confirm viable spill control points, and refresh personnel on response tactics,” a spokesperson with the Can...
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....
The La Conner Pub & Eatery was so busy Wednesday that people joked the fire department might be called to red tag the place for exceeding its occupancy limit. Turns out, members of La Conner Hook & Ladder and the local firefighters' association were already on scene – en masse. They took over the downtown tavern and diner that night for a major fundraiser, collecting half the food and beverage receipts and all of the gratuities. Nor did their five-hour serving shifts represent a hostile t...
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...
The countdown is on for La Conner High School seniors. Having wrapped up four years of classes, some of which were held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2024 will participate in the school's 130th annual commencement exercises at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Whittaker Field. Nine graduates received National Honor Society recognition for their scholarship, character, leadership and service: Class President Josi Straathof (school board student representative), valedictorian...
An early lesson taught in La Conner schools is that it's far better to give than receive. It's a value that Dean Swanson not only learned but has lived for much of his life. June 1, Swanson, a 1975 La Conner High School graduate, found himself on the receiving end for a change when presented with the school's Outstanding Alumnus award in recognition of his remarkably generous spirit. Swanson's giving nature was highlighted by his grandson, Kenai Zimmerman, Class of 2024, who formally introduced...
La Conner leaders saw a shining example of solar power's potential during a two-hour tour of a state-of-the-art production plant in Burlington Thursday morning. Mayor Marna Hanneman, town councilor Mary Wohleb and resident Terry Nelson, who along with Wohleb is a founding member of the Skagit Valley Clean Energy Cooperative, met with Silfab Solar officials inside the firm's 220,000-square-foot automated facility where residential and commercial solar panels are manufactured for a growing...
An inch of rain May 21 led a total of 2.2 inches of precipitation over nine days and pushed the month’s total to 2.9 inches. That provided seven of the 10 days of measurable downfall. It is a marked contrast to last year’s 0.6 inches of rain. May’s rain total is 31% above the century average. This is the seventh wettest May since 2000. The six wetter years were each 3 or more inches, with only 2020’s 3 inches in the last 10 years. For the year, the 15.3 inches of rain is half an inch above the average for 2000-2024 and 8.6 inches, 78%, above 2...