This editorial is as timely and critical as when a version was published in 2022, during the last short session of our state legislature. It is updated. Your actions are still needed and needed today. Here is a nonpartisan issue that this community...

There is only one area of the North Fork of the Skagit River used by the tribes for gill netting. It is from Blake’s Resort downstream of the mouth. The tribes have found the river above Blake’s Resort to the forks is not conducive to netting bec...

Looking to give your community a Valentine gift? Giving blood takes under ten minutes and truly saves lives. There is no substitute. Please donate on Feb. 23 at the La Conner High School gym. Please call me, 360-421-9233, or Lori Buher,...

Thank you for your coverage of the closing of La Conner Drugs. Your writer exposed the real reason medications cost so much in the U.S. I would like to add one additional perspective. Having served on a hospital board and chaired a local clinical...

There will be a community presentation about a feasibility study for a grant to allow solar and the storage of energy at the Town’s Fire Hall and at the La Conner School District campus Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. at the La Conner Swinomish L...

Last week I visited Coupeville for lunch. While there, I decided to ask a bunch of business owners and workers what they thought of the angled parking on their First Street because there is talk about doing that here. I started on the parking side...

Bravo for last week’s articles and letters regarding the pharmacy benefit managers and the unfortunate closure of La Conner Drug Store, which is such a tangible example of rural America being at the mercy of big money and corporate capitalism. I too...

The complete weather, Swinomish senate election and school board meeting stories from the Jan. 24 issue can be read on the Weekly News website. Subscribers can call the Weekly News office and sign up for free online access, free with their...

The La Conner drugstore closed Monday, as reported in the Weekly News, a victim of the ongoing corporatization of the American economy, where small companies are forced out because – in ways too many people don’t see or care to understand – the b...

Last Thursday I reached out to Rep. Dave Paul (and our two other state reps as well) and shared my frustrations and asked for help over the La Conner Drug Store closing. Here is the core of my message to Rep. Paul: Don’t know if you can do a...

As a long-time (14 years) La Conner resident I have appreciated having certain local services such as a local bank branch, a grocery store, a pharmacy and a local newspaper. It has meant that I don’t need to travel far for services, supplies and i...

On Jan. 16, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution in the. Senate calling on the State Department to investigate requesting accountability on Israel’s misuse of American weaponry in their current genocide of the people of Gaza and the W...

The American Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. In recent weeks, the Red Cross blood supply has fallen to critically low levels across the country. Blood products...

Thanks to Ashley Sweeney for her letter in the Jan. 17 Weekly News encouraging people to read. I would add a short sentence: a person who doesn’t read is no better off than a person who can’t read. Beverly Haywood La Conner...

Safe and Sane Skagit members drove to Olympia last week to be present as five new legislative bills on gun responsibility were presented before the Legislature’s House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. Those bill are: HB 1902/SB6004: Permit-to P...

Our democracy is strongest with full and equal participation in free, fair and secure elections. This means protecting your right to vote and having your vote counted. That’s why I introduced House Bill 2023, which increases language assistance in o...

Town of La Conner residents have two weeks to offer their two cents – or perhaps exceedingly more valuable recommendations – as possible amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan – and the development code, too. Submittals made through Jan. 31...

As we start off the 2024 year, I want to personally thank all of the parents and families of our students who every day navigate all of the obstacles in life while supporting their school-aged children. We strive to create a welcoming environment...

“Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping.” The quote from Fred Rogers’ (Mr. Rogers) was his way of helping children find comfort when something bad happens. Over the last two weeks, my family experienced the truth and beaut...

As a voracious reader, I was dismayed to read in the Jan. 9 edition of The Washington Post that 46% of Americans did not read a single book in 2023. Close to a million books are traditionally published each year in the U.S. Here in La Conner, we...

For the past nine years I have complained in writing about the way the City of Anacortes reconciles the amount of money its wholesale (regional) customers owe for water. Last month, Anacortes billed the Town of La Conner $444 for 2021 and $5,540 for...

If you’ve been following my work in the state Senate, you’ve likely picked up on some themes. In all my work, I look at the state’s policy problems through a pragmatic lens of structure, discipline and accountability. But what’s the goal? In my view,...

New Town of La Conner Mayor Marna Hanneman chaired her first town council meeting yesterday, Jan. 9. The council packet she received the week before included a memo from Town Administrator Scott Thomas. Its first point summarized for council the...

We would like to express our gratitude and recognition for the invaluable service of our dedicated school board directors during School Board Recognition Month. By the proclamation of the governor, January is the time to acknowledge the selfless...