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

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

In my 16th and final year as mayor, I would like to thank the La Conner community for the opportunity to serve as your representative. Although our resources are limited, La Conner has been fortunate to attract and retain staff who are dedicated to...

Fate intervened on Dec. 27. First is the fact that the day before, Monday was a municipal holiday. Secondly the Dunlap Towing stopped running their weekly ad providing the tide tables to the community in this newspaper three or four years ago. At...

The Weekly News multi part series on energy transitions has spent many words telling us how we need to wean ourselves off of oil and go green. Admittedly I am no expert on these matters, but after nearly 70 years on this planet I have learned a thing...

In February of 2022, I took the CEO position at Skagit Habitat for Humanity after working for eight years in homeless services. I had once been homeless and hopeless myself. I joined Habitat because I felt like I could make more of a difference by...

By Linda Talman La Conner’s Town Council had a barely announced special meeting on Oct. 28. The meeting was illogical. The issue stemmed from a request of a group of hopeful residents to have a special planning commission meeting Nov. 1 to look for...

By Roberta Fontenot This isn’t just about the clearcut of Shelter Bay’s Rainbow Park. This is about a legal obligation imposed upon the community’s board of directors by the state of Washington to meet certain legal standards of care when...

By Jean Walker-Wharton The celebration and dedication of new public art on Sept. 3 demonstrated the behind-the-scenes work of the La Conner Arts Commission. Sheila Johnson, chair, invited my attendance. I asked John Leaver to go for me and to...

By Sara Young It’s an exciting time at the La Conner Marina. The Port of Skagit, which built and owns the Marina, has been considering the needs of this important property and future opportunities for more than 15 years. We’ve had a lot of great...

By Frank Liddell La Conner is rich with generational wealth. I have neighbors that have spent their entire lives in this community and are descendants of families that practically built this town. I have been a La Conner resident for almost 20...

In the second paragraph of his 2015 encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” Pope Francis reflects on the ways in which the human species has mistreated and abused the Earth, which he calls our “Sister, Mother Earth...

We are all better off when everyone who lives and works in Skagit County has a safe, affordable place to call home. Healthy neighborhoods need healthy schools. Healthy schools need kids and families. Kids and families need housing they can afford....

RALEIGH — Oh, boy, did I screw up my first attempt at covering a town council meeting. It was 1986 and I was spending the summer interning at a weekly newspaper in Nash County called the Spring Hope Enterprise. I had taken newswriting and...

Events of the last few weeks have made me recall my own travels in Kyiv, then spelled Kiev, and what I saw there in 1970 as a 15 year old girl. What comes to mind most clearly is our visit to Babi Yar and the official denial that it was even there...

If you were to ask me last year what our state’s financial position would be, I likely would have given a fairly grim outlook. However, the state is seeing a boom in tax receipts so large it could make you blush. The opportunity to provide relief o...

Libraries are magical places. Every book is a window to the world just waiting to be explored. Maybe it’s because I grew up the grandchild of a high school English teacher, who instilled in me a love for language and books – but I’ve always...

Like you, I’m concerned about the rising cost of food, consumer goods and household essentials. While the economy as a whole has improved and unemployment is low, many local families are still struggling to pay the bills. While some of the price...

Ron Muzzall, Senator Paid family and medical leave, while a good idea, has run into complications – the state-run fund for the program is insolvent. The Employment Security Department, responsible for collection of the taxes and payment of...

The Washington State Legislature convened at noon on Monday, Jan. 10, starting the clock on a 60-day legislative session. For the House of Representatives, at least for the first few weeks of session, that means another fully virtual format. For...

Competition is, overall, a good thing. It is what makes our sports interesting, drives our natural environment to constantly adapt and it is also what keeps private enterprise going. It pushes a business to innovate, keep prices competitive and keep...

The final gavel on Sunday, April 25 concluded a unique and challenging legislative session in state history. Although sometimes difficult to navigate, by-and-large working remotely during the 2021 virtual session went relatively well. Committee...