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

The circumstances at our schools have me concerned, but that’s nothing new, I’ve seen these budgetary shortcomings coming for several years now. Maybe my farm was small and inconsequential, but it was a viable business for more than a quarter cen...

I was lucky enough to be a raindrop in the sea of gun reform in Washington state. My husband and I attended one of the later hearings on HB 1240, the assault weapons ban, as representatives of Safe and Sane Skagit, a charter member of The Alliance...

A majority of the current and recently past volunteer Directors of Shelter Bay (SB) have accomplished the following over the past several years. • Voted to have the members of SB pay the fine of $92,500 imposed by the Swinomish Tribe against a n...

I live on Whatcom Street behind Pioneer Market. There are numerous people that walk, ride bikes and use strollers and walkers on the street to and from town. Lately, the traffic has increased and the corners of Talbot and Rainier streets are being...

The Seattle author Timothy Egan's latest book, “A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them,” is a riveting saga of the Klan spreading their hatred of Blacks, Jews, Catholics and imm...

The Democrat-dominated state legislature, fully endorsed by a sympathetic Democrat governor, has been “fine-tuning” highly restrictive measures that adversely affect gun ownership in Washington State (House Bill 1280). When enacted – likely on an "e...

As a resident of Shelter Bay, I’m grateful for La Conner Weekly News coverage of the community’s recent challenges. Because we are a very significant segment of the wider community, we unquestionably have an impact outside the confines of our nei...

The Rotary Club of La Conner is once again selling field cut tulips at $6/per bunch of 10, from their two booths. One is near the La Conner roundabout, the other is in Shawn O’Donnell’s Farmhouse Restaurant parking lot. Both booths are open 11 a.m...

In your editorial (“Free Speech in Shelter Bay,” April 5) you state “Public governments are regulated by the revised Code of Washington, or RCW.” You neglected to mention that Home Owners Associations (HOAs) are also regulated by the RCW, specifi...

The opportunity to be involved in a new library project in the community we chose to move to in 2007 has been a once in a lifetime experience. I’m grateful to have been able to work with so many who were dedicated to a shared vision that united our c...

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 Sw...

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 3...

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 rec...

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 sta...

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 a...

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 never...

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 $5.50/m...

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 an...

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 b...

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 while mov...