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A recent training exercise was so well-received that Skagit County Fire District 13 officials are considering another such drill in the La Conner area later this year. The March 30 windstorm scenario was so successful that the local fire district, which serves rural La Conner and the Swinomish Reservation, may stage a wildland fire training event during the peak of dry summer conditions here. “I suggest we have a similar drill for a wildland fire on the reservation,” Capt. Ted Taylor told fire district commissioners during their meeting at the...
Town council members last week paved the way to pay for future work on La Conner’s streets, sidewalks and trails. The panel during its April 9 public meeting unanimously approved a 0.1% sales tax to fund the town’s new Transportation Benefit District. The council action is tentatively set to take effect July 1. Council members opted for the sales tax rather than an increase in local vehicle license fees to provide revenue for the TBD. Town Administrator Scott Thomas said the sales tax will be paid in part by those who drive to La Conner to sho...
Earth Day is a global event that encourages people to act locally. And those activities don’t have to be limited to April 22, the 54th anniversary of the day universally recognized as the start of the modern environmental movement. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is a prime example. On April 25, Earth Day initiatives start at 8 a.m., including a plant project at John K. Bob Ball Park, fish net recycling by the web shed off Moorage Way, tidying up at the rain garden and a general clean-up at Swedebs Park. There will also be a noon potluck...
“The Langley Chamber of Commerce is supported through grants that are specific to tourism,” notes Nicole Whittington-Johnson, the Chamber’s executive director. Additionally, there is Langley Creates, a state-designated creative district, part of a Washington state program that helps communities turn their cultural and historical assets into economic growth, a non-profit created by the Langley Chamber of Commerce. Plus, there is the Langley Main Street Association championing the downtown’s economic revitalization and historic preservation. “The...
The public can bring leftover or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs to the Swinomish Police Department for disposal 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 27. Liquids up to four ounces in their original containers are accepted. The Swinomish Police Department is located at 17353 Reservation Road. There are three other drop-off locations in Anacortes, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley. Free Naloxone, also known as Narcan, will be available. Do not bring intravenous solutions, injectables, inhalers, syringes, chemotherapy medications, medical waste,...
Skagit County will host a community meeting open to all in Anacortes Monday, April 22, 5-7 p.m. at the Anacortes Senior Activity Center 1701 22nd St.. The county commissioners and representatives from Planning and Development Services, Public Health, Public Works, the Department of Emergency Management, Facilities Management and the Sheriff’s Office will respond to community questions. Information: 360 416-1300; jrogers@co.skagit.wa.us. Source: Skagit County...
In honor of Earth Day, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is offering a free day at all state parks Monday, April 22. Visitors will not need to display a Discover Pass for day-use visits. The next free day is June 8, for National Get Outdoors Day, another of the 12 free days annually. State legislation creating the Discover Pass allows State Parks up to 12 free days each year when the pass would not be required. Source: Washington State Parks...
The Town of La Conner will show residents the Jensen property at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 18. Meet at the Channel Cove south end parking lot. A community mingle “regarding uses” of the Jensen property will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Civic Garden Club on South Second Street....
It was an astounding Saturday afternoon in La Conner on several levels. That's thanks to the annual downtown Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Parade presented by Astound Broadband. A large crowd descended on First Street – cars were parked as far away as S. Fourth and Caledonia – to take in the now not-so-impromptu serpentine, which has evolved over four decades into a well-organized, half-hour, must-see event. The 2024 edition featured emergency vehicles entered by La Conner Hook & Ladder, Ska...
Learn more about the Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Department EMS levy renewal at Q&A sessions Thursday, April 11, and Saturday, April 13. Special-election ballots have been mailed to registered voters and voting has started for the April 23 special election. The EMS levy must be renewed by voters every six years, with the current levy expiring at the end of 2024. Skagit County EMS is a countywide EMS system providing 24/7 lifesaving medical response and ambulance transport to area hospitals. Call volumes have increased by 25...
Brandon and Kate Atkinson, owners of the 306 Center Street La Conner property, got the letter they have long wanted: An administrative determination on April 4 from the Town of La Conner planning department approves their application for their three-story 20-unit building with “six first- floor motel-type units and 14 second and third floor long-term residential dwelling units that may be developed as apartments or condominiums.” Planning Director Michael Davolio’s letter lists 15 conditions under which the developers can proceed to apply...
The La Conner School Board took its first small steps Monday toward finding a new district superintendent. A shorthanded board met for about 15 minutes in closed executive session to discuss the process for hiring a successor to Dr. Will Nelson, who announced his resignation March 29 after three years as the district’s lead administrator. He accepted a teaching post at Western Washington University in Bellingham. No action was taken during the closed portion of the meeting, in part because only School Board President Susie Deyo and board m...
A woman is elected the new mayor of a small town on the edge of the Pacific Ocean in November 2023. “I think Langley is a very sweet, quaint town. It is not homogenous. (That’s) my experience,” Mayor Kennedy Horstman told the Weekly News in a joint interview with Director of Community Planning Meredith Penny March 21. The city’s residents “are very different people passionate about a lot of things. They are not all in agreement. … We are all one community but there is a lot of diversity on views of the future,” Horstman believes. Langley, a ci...
Working with several documents the past few weeks, members of the Town Emergency Management Commission are now on the same page. The local advisory board, which is developing a Community Emergency Management Plan for La Conner, has moved closer to completing the ambitious project after reviewing similar plans from Skagit County, the City of Anacortes, Shelter Bay, the Swinomish Tribal Community and other entities. Commissioners indicated during their April 2 public meeting that they’re ready to consolidate those outside resource materials i...
There’s no dead end when it comes to debating the future of S. First Street. The oft-discussed topic was again the focal point among town residents and planning commissioners during a 90-minute public meeting April 2. The last word on the subject still appears a long way off. The panel and audience discussed one-way traffic, angled parking and retaining the status quo for the narrow street that accesses the historic waterfront and retail core. They agreed that more data is needed before forwarding recommendations to the town council. To that e...
The Skagit County Pioneer Association has cemented the lineup of honorees for its annual summer picnic in La Conner, one weighed heavily with civic leaders based in Concrete. Concrete Herald editor-publisher Jason Miller, Valerie Stafford of the Concrete Theatre, John Boggs of the Concrete Heritage Museum, and longtime Concrete Food Bank coordinators Marty and Adrienne Smith are this year’s recipients of the Pioneer Spirit Award. All will be formally recognized at the annual Pioneer Picnic here on Aug. 1. Their selections were confirmed during...
OLYMPIA — Parking at Deception Pass State Park is reduced while it is under repair from winter storm damage. In January, the West Beach parking lot was damaged in several areas and littered with large debris. There will be limited day-use parking availability in an undamaged area of the lot. The repair work is projected to be completed in early May, permit timelines allowing. The reduced lot will have a small drop-off area. RVs, trucks with trailers and boats will not be able to enter the lot and must use other parking areas. Alternative p...
Skagit County is soliciting public comment on the draft 2024 Stormwater Management Program Plan through 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 19. The Stormwater Management Program Plan, which is updated annually, informs the public on the county’s Stormwater Management Program plan for the current calendar year. The public comment period gives the public an opportunity to provide feedback on current and future actions being taken by the county’s stormwater program. The draft plan can be found online on the Skagit County Stormwater Management Program pag...
The Town of La Conner seeks input from community members about South First Street. A survey is on its website at townoflaconner.org. Click on “Alert” at the top of the page. The nine questions will take about five minutes to complete. www.townoflaconner.org/...
Spill responders have completed the emergency response to the Dec. 10, 2023, gasoline spill from the Olympic Pipeline in Conway. The Unified Command leading the operation has ensured that no additional gasoline is seeping into nearby Hill Ditch, and is confident in turning the site over to the Washington Department of Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program. That agency will oversee any remaining remediation work. The Unified Command includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington...
In honor of Earth Day, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission offers a free day at all state parks Monday, April 22. Visitors will not need a Discover Pass for day-use visits. A Discover Pass will be required to access lands managed by the state departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife. The next free days are June 8, 9 and 19. State legislation creating the Discover Pass allows State Parks up to 12 free days each year when the pass is not required. Source: Washington State Parks...
The Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club Salmon Barbecue is always a popular event during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The club serves a salmon dinner six days a week during the Tulip Festival....
Do you know fact from propaganda when you see or hear it? Learn more at the April 29 forum “News & Media Literacy: Informed or Influenced?” The League of Women Voters of Skagit County offers its second program in their series of voter education, part of their ongoing commitment to community engagement and understanding of key electoral issues. Speakers are Skagit Valley Herald Executive Editor Andrew Paxton and Skagit Valley College librarians Elena Bianco and Libby Sullivan. Join them from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, April 29, at the Skagit Pub...
Town of La Conner staff are planning a community mingle about the best use for the Jenson property. The date may be April 25 but no information has been posted on the town website as of April 8. “Town officials over the next few months will begin examining potential options for the Jenson property located south of Channel Cove near the Maple Avenue approach to Pioneer Park,” Planning Director Michael Davolio wrote to the town council in their April 9 packet in his March monthly planner’s report These forums have typically started at 6 p.m....