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OLYMPIA — Public input on a draft management plan for the Skagit Wildlife Area is sought through 5 p.m. Monday, April 22, by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Once finalized, the Skagit Wildlife Area plan will guide stewardship for the 17,968-acre wildlife area for the next 10 years. The Skagit Wildlife Area is made up of 21 units. Most of the units are located on the Skagit River Delta and Skagit Bay Estuary between La Conner, Conway and northwestern Snohomish County. To the west are isolated parcels in the San Juan Islands. I...
La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson, the face of the local district for the past three years, is about to do an about face in terms of his professional career path. Nelson announced in an email to district staff last Friday that he will leave his position in June as lead administrator at La Conner Schools to accept a teaching post with Western Washington University in Bellingham. In an email delivered as students and staff embarked on their weeklong spring break, Nelson did not divulge a specific reason for his departure other...
A complex building project requiring the necessary permits from two separate permitting entities, a geology study, weather and possible staffing shortages – to say nothing of carving out a rock wall – has contributed to the slow progress of the Snapdragon Flats project at Maple Avenue and Park Street in La Conner. This is not the development of La Conner Heights on High Street, rather it is the start of construction for two apartment triplexes at the base of the rock outcropping. On Feb. 1, 202...
The public is getting a chance to tell Skagit Transit where to go – in a polite way, of course. The area's public transportation system, which last year celebrated its 30th anniversary, is hosting a series of open houses through April 10 designed to gather input for SKAT's long-range service plans. Skagit Transit Marketing and Public Affairs Liaison Cheryl Willis said a key component of the current open house series is to determine if there is demand for a micro-transit option on Fidalgo I...
Food co-ops in our communities offer amazing examples of thinking globally while acting locally to create a more sustainable world in people’s home towns. The Anacortes Food Co-op is doing exactly that. Come to the grand opening of their new store from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at 2403 Commercial Ave. and see – and taste – community optimism for yourself. The story, which naturally starts with a small group in late 2015 incorporating as Woven Dream Anacortes Food Coop (its legal name)...
Five years ago, 10th District State Rep. Dave Paul successfully lobbied his colleagues in Olympia to provide funding to build the La Conner Swinomish Library. Paul was at the library for a March 27 town hall that included several of La Conner's appointed and elected officials, including Mayor Marna Hanneman. Those attending the forum asked Paul questions related to education, housing and Washington State Ferries. Perhaps most important, they secured Paul's commitment to back La Conner's...
It was only fitting that town officials would meet at the La Conner Civic Garden Club building for a report on the 2024 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The local floral extravaganza, which enjoys global popularity, was previewed by Nicole Roozen, the festival’s new executive director, as part of the town council’s March 26 public session. The council met at the historic garden club venue instead of its regular meeting site at Maple Hall because of updates to its heating and air conditioning system. Roozen, who bears an iconic name in the world of...
The La Conner Parks Commission wants to do more than plant seeds for La Conner’s future landscape. The five-member advisory board wants to plant trees, more than a dozen of them along Morris Street, at no cost to the town. Commission members Ollie Iversen, Martin Howard and Mike Bucy shared plans for the beautification project during the March 26 Town Council meeting at the Civic Garden Club. Bucy served as project spokesperson. The council endorsed the initiative. “Our proposal is to raise donations to plant trees on Morris Street with no cit...
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has received a $701,000 grant through the 2023 National Fish and Wildlife National Coastal Resilience Fund to plan for Skagit River salmon habitat improvement and flood resilience. The Tribal Community will partner with the Skagit River System Cooperative, the Skagit Climate Science Consortium and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group to develop a revised hydraulic model for the lower Skagit River floodplain to enhance understanding of coastal and riverine flood risks. “With this grant a...
Linemen for the county? Well, not exactly. When the Pedrozas and their neighbor on S. Second Street noticed the power pole outside their house was looking suspect in mid-March, Rene called Puget Sound Energy. Upon closer inspection, PSE decided the pole needed to be replaced. By March 22, contractor Potelco Inc. had dropped off a bright shiny new black pole beside the Pedroza and Eitner homes. The next Monday morning, shortly after the crack of dawn, the crew arrived with their lift, boom and...
A storied chapter from La Conner's past, often spoken in hushed tones, was revisited with screaming headlines on March 23. This year's La Conner Chamber of Commerce Murder Mystery, set during the Prohibition Era of rumrunning and bootlegging, spelled out details of the event in a special March 23, 1924, edition of the "La Conner Territorial News," one of the resources used by aspiring sleuths to solve a fictional homicide case. Mother-daughter duo Chris and Nicole Jennings crafted the engaging s...
Crime won’t be taking a holiday in La Conner anytime soon – at least in terms of the town’s popular murder mystery event. Former Weekly News reporter Nicole Jennings co-wrote the Prohibition Era murder mystery script with her mom, Chris Jennings. They’re already planning next spring’s third annual production. Nicole Jennings is developing for next year a mystery steeped in World War II intrigue. Her aim is to craft story lines around local weapons testing and espionage, with fictional plots bolstered by research into the history of nearby Nav...
Monday was the four year anniversary of Gov. Jay Inslee’s March 23, 2020 emergency proclamation in response to the emerging coronavirus pandemic. He imposed a “Stay Home – Stay Healthy Order throughout Washington state by prohibiting all people in Washington state from leaving their homes or participating in social, spiritual and recreational gatherings of any kind regardless of the number of participants, and all non-essential businesses in Washington State from conducting business, withi...
The interim ordinance that places a temporary moratorium on new event venues on land zoned Ag-NRL “is not a free pass for existing venues,” Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Will Honea said Monday at a post-adoption hearing in the county commissioners’ office. Twenty-six people attending gave testimony on the moratorium, adopted by the Skagit County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 29. The moratorium was a surprise. It essentially ignored the agritourism code changes proposed by the county’s Agricultural Advisory Board and recommended by the...
This year's Tulip Festival is all about traffic – on the road and on social media. Eighty percent of the traffic to the Tulip Festival website comes from people on mobile devices. On its new mobile-friendly website, people can buy display garden tickets, get bloom updates, even check Skagit County weather right from their phones. A large paid media campaign sponsored by the Skagit Tourism Bureau and the Festival has enticed many new website visitors. While "tulips are our crown jewel," said T...
The Anacortes City Council and the Port of Anacortes commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the Port’s executive director to enter into an interlocal agreement regarding the conceptual design of an event center at the corner of Ninth Street and R Avenue at a joint meeting at Anacortes City Hall Monday evening. The Port has been discussing a future event center for Anacortes since 2016. In 2021, it announced it would close the Transit Shed as an event center and its permanent return to maritime industrial use after 2023. It closed Dec. 3...
Swinomish Tribal Senate chair Steve Edwards, a La Conner High School graduate, enjoyed a warm homecoming when he met with school board members March 25. Edwards, known for his conciliatory leadership style, focused his remarks on building bridges between the La Conner School District and Swinomish. “It’s great that we can come to the table and have an open discussion,” said Edwards. “We all grew up together. We all know one another. We’re a community here.” Edwards was the second local elected leader to address the board in recent weeks, foll...
Much has been made the last couple years about tough personnel and program cuts at La Conner schools forced by steadily shrinking student enrollment. But in the most recent example of difficult funding choices – and one not of its making – La Conner is again paying the price. La Conner Elementary School Principal Heather Fakkema told school board members at their March 25 public meeting that pending closure of the popular Little Braves preschool program is rooted in national budget decisions, not local. She said the national Head Start org...
The Town of La Conner’s sales tax revenue was significantly down in December, to $47,549, the lowest since 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. The total, reported to the town council by the state Department of Revenue, is $15,554, 24.6% below 2023’s record December collection. The special-use fire tax revenues were similarly down, at $4,739, 24.5% below 2023. Tourists were spending less at restaurants and stores, but probably staying in town overnight more, or longer. The December hotel/motel tax collection was $13,915, alm...
No joke! Monday starts Food Waste Prevention Week, championed in Skagit County by Washington State University Extension. It is a food security issue, a family budget issue – the cost of wasted food – and has an environmental impact on the planet. The Skagit Food Waste Prevention Coalition has activities next week: classes, social media game and a compost event. A cooking demonstration, “Cooking with Ends and Stems: A Sustainable Culinary Adventure,” is 12:30-1:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, at the La Conner Swinomish Library. You’ll get a kit to ma...
It seems that spring has finally arrived, and we have lots happening at the library to get you ready for warmer weather. Library Giving Day is here! You are invited to support the La Conner Swinomish Library as a vibrant, welcoming place for all! Your gift, now through April 4 as part of National Library Giving Day, will directly benefit your library as we look toward our youth summer reading program, ongoing use of our meeting space, author readings, musical events and more. Our goal this year is $15,000, with the first $5,000 matched thanks...
Most gardeners know from experience the benefits they feel from working in their gardens. These moments are what keep us going back season to season, year after year. As author Sue Stuart-Smith writes in "The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature," "Gardening is more accessible than other creative endeavors, such as painting and music, because you are halfway there before you start; the seed has all its potential within it – the gardener simply helps unlock it." Gardening rewards u...
The final gavel has fallen in Olympia and the Legislature is adjourned. I thought I might wax philosophical about this year's events as I've done in previous columns, but let's start with a high-level accounting of what your state government is doing for you. Given it's an even-numbered year, our main task was to develop a supplemental budget, making tweaks to the two-year spending plan we adopted last year. Incredibly, our state continues to see ever-increasing tax collections and that's both...
We have wrapped up the 2024 legislative session, and I'm pleased to report that state lawmakers worked together to pass legislation and fund projects to benefit Washingtonians. I'm especially proud that my bill to lower the cost of health care by capping the price of asthma inhalers and epi-pens passed both the House and the Senate unanimously. This is great news for families who use these life-saving medications for asthma and allergies. In addition, the Legislature passed two very important...
March 7 marked the last day of the 2024 legislative session – and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve. For two years as your state representative, I worked as hard as possible each and every day to fight for you. In a time of political hostility and divisiveness, I've tried my absolute hardest to move forward with kindness and caring. And after reflecting on our combined stories and struggles, I'm hopeful about our future. Our country is great because of you – your res...