U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen made official this week rumors that the Navy has decided to send new P8-A “Poseidon” aircraft to Hawaii and Florida rather than Whidbey Island. Larsen said in a press release that he “is not happy” with the Navy’s decision, and Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik suggested it is “too soon to […]
> There was a genuine sense of excitement in the air Friday as Anacortes Mayor Dean Maxwell hosted a groundbreaking event at the city water treatment plant in Mount Vernon. This $56 million project, which will take about two years, was prompted by the need to update a Skagit River facility built in 1970. Elements […]
>His is not an Anacortes story — but he’s only a bay away!I haven’t read the book yet, but I learned today of the release of “The Singin’ Salmon Man,” an autobiography by Arnie Deckwa of North Whidbey Island.I first met Arnie as a reporter at the Whidbey News-Times in Oak Harbor, and over the […]
> Take three sheets of construction paper, add love and creativity, and you’ve got a pair of sympathy cards Hallmark could never rival. It’s been a couple of weeks now since my knee replacement surgery, and there have too many gestures of love to mention all in this brief piece. Among my favorites, however, were […]
Once again this year, giant inflatable “firemen” from Shell Puget Sound Refinery were a hit among children attending the Anacortes Christmas Parade. Emergency response equipment and personnel from Anacortes and surrounding fire districts also contribute to the Historic Downtown Parade. Many parade entrants give away candy, with Shell volunteers adding plastic bead necklaces to the […]
Numerous merchants from Historic Downtown Anacortes joined together on a horse-drawn trolley to participate in the 2010 Christmas Parade. Free trolley rides are offered on Saturdays. See www.anacortes.org for details, and don’t forget to “Buy Close By.”
This city by the sea kicked off Christmas season 2010 Friday, December 3 with a Community Christmast Tree event sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. In a star-studded evening that included visits by Town Crier and Santa, local school students also provided live entertainment. Among entertainers was Sarah Tisinger, a student at Anacortes High School.
> What a wonderful surprise tonight to arrive at mom’s and discover her “in production,” creating the delicious ethnic delight known as lefse. This tasty treat is most often on the menu around the holidays, and this year will be no exception. Mom was trying out a different recipe (from the church recipe book), so […]
> News today that the state Department of Corrections will close McNeil Island Corrections Center brought back memories of my days as press secretary as Uncle Duane Berentson sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1980. I didn’t make many road trips with Duane, but a memorable adventure I did share with him was a […]
Initial election results from Skagit County will be posted at 8 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, November 2. Because ours are mail-in ballots, final vote tallies won’t be available for a couple of days. It is not uncommon in local elections to find only a handful of votes make the difference between candidates. Make sure your ballot […]
Seems like only yesterday I was spending time at the library, often in the reference section where I could access expensive collections such as encyclopedia sets. Today I sit in my car outside of the Anacortes Public Library. I have taken photos with my digital camera (no film, no processing). I have uploaded images, selected […]
> Part of the community newspaper’s ongoing battle for readers includes efforts to take advantage of options presented by the Internet. I encourage those of you who spend time on the Internet to include http://www.goanacortes.com/ on your favorites list (above: Rikki Swin photo of part of a Friday Harbor mural illustrates a blog entry by […]