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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 of thos...
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,...
Three housing complexes awarded $1.6M
The Channel Cove complex, managed by Home Trust of Skagit County, will have $336,144 in Washington state Department of Commerce Housing Preservation Program funding. Statewide, 31 low-income housing complexes were awarded $19.9 million Commerce...
After winter windstorm training success, FD 13 eyes wildfire exercise
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,...
Sales tax added to benefit streets, sidewalks
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 Dis...
Swinomish plan Earth Day activities
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 Indi...
Langley's team approach tackles tourism
“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 Wa...
Return leftover medicines to Swinomish PD
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...
County commissioners to meet in Anacortes
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...
State Parks offer free admission on April 22
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...
Town offers Jensen property looks
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...
We love a parade
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...
Learn about EMS levy on April 11, 13
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...
306 Center St. project gets town approval
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...
School board discusses Will Nelson succession plan
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...
Langley faces challenges similar to … La Conner
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...
