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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...
County planning commission says 'no' to easing agritourism rules
In the latest step in the process of reviewing and perhaps changing county code around agritourism, the Skagit County Planning Commissioners voted 5 to 2 to recommend that Skagit County Commissioners...
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...
Why, it's a murder!
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 Proh...
2025 murder mystery script is in the works already
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...
Four years of COVID-19 in La Conner
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...
Agritourism decision on hold again
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...
'Traffic' is Tulip Festival's top word, top worry
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...
Anacortes event center plans progressing
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...
Swinomish leader sees solid future with district
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...
Little Braves preschool closure was Head Start's decision
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...
La Conner's tax revenues are middling in December
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,...
It's Food Waste Prevention Week
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...
Library Happenings
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!...
Consider the many health benefits of gardening
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...
2024 Legislature wrap-up: Republican lawmakers push financial restraint
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...
2024 Legislature wrap-up: Update on a successful legislative session
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...
2024 Legislature wrap-up: Lowering the cost of living, fighting for your benefits
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...
Town Hall with Rep. Paul, Mayor Hanneman
Join Rep. David Paul and Mayor Marna Hanneman for a town hall event from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at La Conner Swinomish Library, 520 Morris St., La Conner....
Tulip Valley Farms pair back in court
Tulip Valley Farms proprietor Andrew Miller and Mount Vernon farmer Larry Jensen are named defendants in Skagit County Superior Court for pretrial hearings March 21 with the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office for the August 2023 lawsuit the county...
This week's color is yellow
BRIGHT SUN, BLUE SKY, YELLOW DAFFODILS, OH MY – Last weekend was a perfect trifecta for tourists to swarm the western Skagit Valley for the hundreds of acres of daffodils in bloom, as this field at...
'MOST CERTAINLY A TREASURE'
Daffodils have bloomed and tulips aren't far behind. Soon, thousands of people will descend upon the La Conner flats to enjoy vividly colored fields here. It's hard to imagine, any among the throngs...
Civic leaders keynote La Conner Rotary Farmers and Merchants dinner
Harvest time on the La Conner flats is months away, but the time is ripe now to cultivate goodwill. That was the prevailing theme at the annual La Conner Rotary Club Farmers and Merchants Night...