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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Dear Town of La Conner residents, On behalf of the Skagit Community Band, I would like to thank the fabulous La Conner audience that came to our concert on Friday Feb. 3 at Maple Hall. It was truly a night to remember. When the power went out and I...

My post office (“small” 3x4 inch) box rates have been creeping up, especially in the last few years, from $60/year to $75/year and now $210/year. When I Googled “average post office box rates,” it said a small box averaged between...

Last July, Adam Avery made an excellent pitch for a new fireboat to the La Conner Town Council. The old one doesn’t work well. Adam said that a new boat would cost between $275,000 and $375,000. The administrator referred to grants that might help...

Late Saturday afternoon, approximately 40 people came to the La Conner Civic Garden Club to hear from newly elected Rep. Clyde Shavers of the 10th Legislative District. Shavers began by sharing three principles that guide him when researching,...

King tides, like pesky mosquitoes, occasionally discomfort those that are having a picnic in paradise. Water runs downhill, right into the lowest places around, saturating the ground, drowning earthworms and roots, making us humans frown, as we put...

In January of 2022, a record-high king tide, coupled with strong winds and unusually low barometric pressure, pushed the waters of Edison Slough to breach the west-side town dikes, causing substantial damage to some homes and a number of businesses...

By proclamation of the governor, January is School Board Recognition Month. It’s a great time to recognize our elected community members who selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public schooling for our youth. School...

Flood cleanup is costing La Conner residents thousands. Residents should be informed, on a regular basis, of any disaster relief fund coming from Olympia. Publication of progress should be published in the La Conner Weekly News. We need help and we...

I am pleased to add my appreciation to the many other thankful letters you received, hopefully, after reading the editorial of our “Local heroes of democracy. This is some of the “village” that it “takes” to keep a town honest to itself...

Once again our community responded generously and warmly to this year’s Festival of Tiny Trees. More than $8,000 was raised to support additional furnishings for the new La Conner Swinomish Library. It was wonderful to be able to host everyone in...

Thanks for the free paper, Mr. Editor, even if I’d read it before. I think I’ve missed maybe one, since your arrival as publisher all those years ago. I like to think of myself as a La Connerite, but perhaps I’m not. The Beaver Marsh and Fir...

The all-volunteer Forgotten Children’s Fund is collecting new unwrapped toys, children’s jackets and cash donations for Skagit Valley families as well as 60 families with children in the Nooksack School District that are still displaced from...

Although my heart aches at saying good-bye to my best friend and husband of 45 years, I am grateful for the incredible support you all have been to Jon, me and our children, over the past few months. Thank you for all the encouragement through...

Art’s Alive! 2022 wishes to thank the townspeople of La Conner for their continuing support of the fine arts show. Our town attended this year’s Art’s Alive! in record numbers. Many were inspired by the perfect pieces of art now gracing their...

Dear Friends, I would like to provide an update for town issues from my side of the table. Regarding the north end issue, an appeal of the 306 Center Street project permit is working its way through the steps in the process. The issues are the...

The spot re-zone being requested by Bertlesen Farm LLC on sixty acres north of its winery on Starbird Road is what leads to urban sprawl as urban services are extended to rural land. Both the Growth Management Act and Skagit County’s Comprehensive...

This letter is written by four women. Two of us are professional, working artists. One is a long-time collector of fine art, who recently donated a major sculpture to the town of La Conner. The fourth is a long time gallery owner and the director of...

My daughter treated me to the last performance of the opera, Otello, at McIntyre Hall two weeks ago. This moving and beautifully performed tragedy dealt the cards of viciously spread “misinformation,” lies, deceit and racism in order to overthrow...

I attended the Nov. 8 town council meeting. There was a lot on the agenda, including proposed changes to the municipal code. I would like to suggest that in the future when there are detailed material to present and discuss, especially when language...