La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Opinion

Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 1421



 By Ken Stern    Opinion    March 29, 2023 

Right or wrong in Shelter Bay

Finding out who slew the Slough Swindler, the La Conner Chamber of Commerce’s participatory mystery theatre event last Saturday, was relatively easy. Several people figured it out and the winner was chosen by lot. He got a grand prize package of... Full story

 
 By Mel Damski    Opinion    March 29, 2023 

It's a wonderful life and a land of opportunity

These are tough times that will definitely be noted in our history books. Crime and violence are at all time highs (which can be seen as big lows). Many small businesses have shut down and many big...

 
 By Dan McCaughan    Opinion    March 29, 2023 

Reviewing my Shelter Bay ethics complaint

After my decision to run for the Shelter Bay Community board of directors a year ago, I set a goal to read all of the governing documents, including the association’s Rules and Regulations, cover to cover. I studied HOA educational videos and used... Full story

 
 By Clyde Shavers    Opinion    March 29, 2023 

Protecting the environment with green hydrogen

The Skagit Valley’s environment and economy has been shaped over time by changes in our climate and land use. Some of these changes have resulted in devastating impacts to our communities, including...

 
 By Ken Stern    Opinion    March 22, 2023

When banks and trains crash

Seems like banks and railroads are failing all around us. No one is really surprised, from corporate CEOs to congressional committees and Congress, period, to front line workers driving engines and managing branches or federal and state regulators at...

 

Another consideration of the Shelter Bay board

“We will fail, / When we fail to try” — Rosa Parks A Message From the Dark Side … . I am a woman from the “other side” as the writers put it in last week’s page 3 “Show of Support” display ad for some members of the Shelter Bay...

 
 By Glen Johnson    Opinion    March 22, 2023

An opportunity for making music in La Conner

Hey, now here’s a curveball for you, instead of larky snark about dikes and missing fish, music is the subject of the day. No, Sloughmander is not going to miraculously re-appear, unless he does, but don’t hold your breath. Heck, some of you...

 
 By Ron Muzzall    Opinion    March 22, 2023

Reproductive care is more than abortion

It seems that the efforts to enshrine reproductive access in the state constitution have been aborted, as the proposed amendments from the House and Senate failed to receive a Floor vote before our...

 
 By Ken Stern    Opinion    March 15, 2023

Welcome to year 4 of COVID-19

What is the difference between last week and this week? Answer: Last week everyone was at the end of the third year of the coronavirus pandemic. This week we all step into, no not its fourth year but the first year of what the World Health...

 

Tribe not paying debt service

In 2023 the La Conner School District taxes will be $993,717 for operations and $1,300,000 for debt service. There are 2,313 taxpayers in the district. On average, each taxpayer pays $992 for schools. According to the school district’s budget, the...

 

Community Action's coordinated strategy for those unhoused

Too many neighbors are experiencing the trauma of homelessness and that affects our entire community’s quality of life and economic prosperity. Did you know that underhoused students are 25% less likely to graduate than their housed peers? And...

 
 By Chuck Norris    Opinion    March 15, 2023

Another look at Shelter Bay's town hall

I agree with the writer’s statement (letter: “Weekly News story misreports Shelter Bay forum,” March 8) “We live in challenging times and a plague of misinformation stands in the way of finding solutions.” The writer then went at length to...

 
 By Dave Paul    Opinion    March 15, 2023

Housing and workforce solutions

If we listen to each other with respect and work together, good things happen. I’m happy to report that we’re doing a lot of that this year in Olympia. With the legislative session at the halfway point, we’ve passed some great legislation for t...

 
 By Ken Stern    Opinion    March 8, 2023

School daze coming again

Ouch. Ouch everywhere, for everybody. New La Conner Schools Deputy Superintendent of Finance Dave Cram's initial assessment is that 490 students will enroll in the school district next fall. That is down 35 kids from today and 100 from 2021. It is... Full story

 

Weekly News story misreports Shelter Bay forum

We live in challenging times and a plague of misinformation stands in the way of finding solutions. We are cautioned that instead of social media, we should seek truth in “real news,” traditional journalism. Sadly, this paper chose to cover the...

 

Old politicians: retire

There has been a lot of discussion of late, with very good reason, on the matter of the age of the president and other elected members of government. First, there was Sen. Feinstein of California, soon to retire at 89, with some noting an obvious...

 
 By Clyde Shavers    Opinion    March 8, 2023

Passing student financial education and military support

As vice chair of the House Education Committee, I’ve been regularly meeting with students, teachers and administrators on every aspect of our education system. We’ve collaborated on special educat...

 
 By Ken Stern    Opinion    March 1, 2023

March invitations: Say yes

With March's arrival are a flurry of activities, not late winter snow but opportunities to join together in fun and games, literally, and, in one instance, to change, literally. There are also very real storm clouds hanging over Shelter Bay. The mont...

 

Winter birds before signs

Upon reading of the sign blight in Conway, I thought I’d go investigate more thoroughly. I went to where the proposed sign is to be put and watched the flight of the trumpeter swans as they left for the night. They don’t usually fly over the gas...

 
 By Ron Muzzall    Opinion    March 1, 2023

We owe it to the future

There seem to be a lot of “crises” in Olympia – a housing crisis, an opioid crisis, a public safety crisis, a climate crisis. Attaching this moniker has adverse effects on people by creating a...

 

Getting to the bottom of Shelter Bay board ethics allegations

Accusations of ethics violations are being used by the Shelter Bay board of directors to silence and dispense with dissension. As a member of the community, I know I’m joined by many others in completely rejecting the actions they have taken...

 

Billboard will be travesty

To those who are concerned from a Skagitonian. Choosing an environment to enhance a business when you’re young, or to enrich each day when you’re old becomes a vital decision. My family members chose Washington state’s Skagit County and have...

 

If I Ran The Zoo

It has been absolutely heartbreaking to follow the news of the devastating effects of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The number of deaths is nearing 44,000 as I write this column and will...

 
 By Dave Paul    Opinion    February 22, 2023

Workforce, housing crisis solutions

Last month, I wrote about the workforce shortage, which is holding back our economy and critical services like healthcare. The housing crisis is intertwined with our workforce shortage. Even if a...

 
 By Ken Stern    Opinion    February 15, 2023

Keep public records public

Dear fellow citizens. Help, please, by paying attention to your state government and taking a stand to keep public records public, available to you – and to the journalists and activists. Tell your legislators and Attorney General Bob Ferguson... Full story

 

Page Down

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2023