Thursday, November 17, 2011

Election count update

*UPDATED*
Jacques apparent victor in Town Council election
Results of the latest ballot count by the Skagit County Auditor shows that the formerly too-close-to-call La Conner Town Council position 1 election has flipped. Results today showed incumbent Jacques Brunisholz with a comfortable 18-vote lead over his challenger, Marna Hanneman. In earlier counts, Hanneman appeared to be leading by single digits.
At this point it’s looking like the only newcomer to be seated on the Council in January is likely to be Dan O’Donnell, who’s not really new. He previously served two terms on the council and one term as Mayor.
The county estimates there are 30 ballots left to be tallied county-wide. No more numbers are scheduled to be released until the election is finalized and certified on Nov. 29


*UPDATED * UPDATED*UPDATED
count as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday 
Town of La Conner
Mayor
Ramon Hayes* .........284 
Stuart Welch  ............131
Council Position 1
Marna Hanneman .......194
Jacques Brunisholz* ....212
Council Position 5
Dan O’Donnell ............ 231
Don L. Wright* .............180
Fire District 13
Allen (Skip) Cooper* .... 774
Doug Avery ...................864
Port of Anacortes
Bob Eberle ..............4,818
Chuck Davis ...........4,691
Port of Skagit
Steven Omdal ........11,466
Jerry Kaufman*....... .9,880
*indicates incumbent


Jacques pulls ahead in Town Council election count
Results of the latest ballot count by the Skagit County Auditor shows that La Conner Town Council position 1  incumbent Jacques Brunisholz with an almost comfortable 17-vote lead over his challenger, Marna Hanneman. In earlier counts, Hanneman appeared to be leading by single digits.

Town of La Conner
Mayor
Ramon Hayes* .........282 
Stuart Welch  ............131
Council Position 1
Marna Hanneman .......194
Jacques Brunisholz* ....211
Council Position 5
Dan O’Donnell ............ 231
Don L. Wright* .............179
Fire District 13
Allen (Skip) Cooper* .... 768
Doug Avery ...................861
Port of Anacortes
Bob Eberle ..............4,787
Chuck Davis ...........4,658
Port of Skagit
Steven Omdal ........11,390
Jerry Kaufman*....... .9,817
*indicates incumbent


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

in the November 16, 2011 issue ...

Swinomish channel in dire straits
Writer Adrian Sharpe has the story on the problem with Swinomish Channel filling in with silt and the local effort afoot to dredge it. For more than a century the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintained the waterway, which is very important to the local economy. But federal budget cutback have ended that.



We are not not silly.
(But some people affiliated with this establishment might be... )


This is Don Coyote's new Whalebarrow. 'Nuff said?
(where does he keep getting those flamingos?) 

And don't forget the Melbow 
Columnist Mel Damski says this new greeting, which has led to reckless elbow bumping all over town, is a way to prevent the common cold, among other things .... (Oh how I wish we were kidding)


Here's some good news:
Music students in honor performance
By Scott McDade
Five student musicians were selected to represent La Conner at this fall’s Honor Music Festival, held last Friday at Lynden Christian High School. 
Singers included Lauren Aguilar, Soprano; Zoe Fejeran, Alto; and Hayden Schmidt, Baritone. Instrumentalists were Grace Kim, Trumpet; and Sara Peterson, Clarinet.
The annual festival, which is organized by the San Juan Music Educators Association, gives leading student musicians a chance to perform with other top notch vocalists and instrumental players from schools all over Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan Counties.
The day-long event was composed of three groups, each led by an outstanding guest conductor. The band, choir and orchestra rehearsal sessions began at 9 a.m. on Friday and ran all day.  At 7 p.m. the performers gathered for a full evening concert for parents and friends. 
The festival included a particularly moving Veteran’s Day tribute to all attending service personnel and veterans. At the end of the concert, the choir, band and orchestra joined forces to perform Mansions of  The Lord, a hymn in honor of fallen comrades.

 Photo by Scott McDade

Also ... You'll want to read about the Town Council's plans for your money in the 2012 town budget story in today's paper.


From the Police Blotter:
1:53 p.m.: Lucky Day – La Conner business turned in a found wallet. The wallet had an ID card so deputies tracked him down and returned his wallet just as he was being released from jail.


 If you don't want to go out into the cold and buy a paper from one of our local merchants or feed quarters into one of our frozen news stands subscribe and have it brought to your home or office. 466-3315

 

Weekly Braves sports capsule November 16, 2011

Photo by David Willoughby, www.WPANetwork.com

 Photo by Karla Reynolds



Landy James
Photo by Karla Reynolds

Braves "pull together" with family icon
By Bill and Karla Reynolds
The La Conner football team had plenty of wind in its sails going into Saturday's playoff action in Everett.
Even so, the Braves weren't going to be caught battling upstream without a paddle against highly touted Morton/White Pass.
A special paddle, at that.
La Conner senior Landy James carried with him onto the Memorial Stadium turf a treasured, hand-crafted canoe paddle bearing the image of a graceful blue heron.
The handsome paddle was fashioned by James' beloved granddad, the late Jimi Sam, a La Conner High alum. It belongs to James' uncle, Dr. Wil James, who graciously allowed his nephew to bring it with him to the big game.
"Jimi and Landy were very close," notes Landy's mom, Theresa, now the La Conner High cheer squad coach.
As was demonstrated at this past summer's Canoe Journey hosted by the Swinomish Tribal Community, ceremonial paddles are revered family icons passed down from generation to generation.
They are uniquely carved and shaped, often bearing images symbolic of important family events.
Saturday's game, while a 32-13 setback to Morton/White Pass, now counts as such for Landy and his relatives.
At halftime, when Landy returned to the field from the locker room, he was bearing the cherished paddle. He proudly propped it against a sideline table, then looked skyward, well above the pressbox.
It was a fitting tribute to a grandfather whose lasting gift made even plying the troubled waters of a playoff loss a sacred memory.
"I cried," Theresa said afterward, "when I saw him run onto the field with the paddle."
Nor was she alone.
Landy's grandma, Ava Goodman added, "We were all in tears when he came running out with it."   

Photo by David Willoughby, www.WPANetwork.com

Photo by Karla Reynolds


Photo by Amylynn Richards


from Braves Raves ...
 
By Amylynn Richards
ROLLER SKATING
La Conner freshman Hayden Schmidt and mother Brenda Schmidt will represent the United States in at the World Roller Skating Precision Show Groups Championship in Brazil on Sunday, Nov. 20 as part of team Northern Dynamics.
This is the fifth consecutive year Northern Dynamics has qualified for the World Roller Skating Championship, but it is the first year for Hayden to skate. The team qualified by earning silver at the national championships earlier this year.
The Schmidts and 17 team members are the only team representing the U.S.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
The Braves girls’ soccer team earned the program’s first-ever trip to the state 2B semifinals last week, beating Brewster 2-0 Saturday, Nov. 12. “They seemed to exude a confidence and ownership of the field the moment they left the bus,” Coach Amy Freeto said. “In a unified group, music blaring, they walked onto the field in a mass of Braves Blue, together and poised.  They seemed to dwarf the Bears with not only our athletic size, but with their confidence.”
The athletes agreed that everything went just right, starting with the warm-up, which teammate Sammie Mesman described as “our best ever.” The Braves scored midway through the first half when Madi Cavanaugh crossed the ball to senior Emily Bruland, who blasted a shop that hit the crossbar and ricocheted into the back of the net, Freeto said. “This set the tone for the rest of the match.”
Five minutes into the second half, Nikki Finley crossed the ball to Kelsey Crawford, scoring the team’s second goal.
Coach Freeto then moved Crawford, the Braves’ leading scorer, back into the defense to “help preserve the win and the defensive shutout,” Freeto said. “The Braves not only kept the Bears leading scorer and all league MVP Veronica Arrez from scoring, but from even getting a single shot” on goal.
La Conner will now face Napavine, a team they beat earlier this year 4-2, in the final four at the 1B/2B State Championship tournament this weekend at the Sumner Chevrolet Stadium. The girls’ play Friday Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. If the Braves win, they will play the winner of the Bear Creek - Crosspoint Academy game for the state 2B crown at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.
Should they lose to Napavine, the Braves play at 10 a.m. Saturday for third or fourth place. 
VOLLEYBALL
The Bi-District Champion La Conner Braves faced a tough draw in the State finals, facing the Colfax Bulldogs in the first round. Colfax took the Braves out in three (22-25, 11-25, 19-25) in the first round of play, removing the Braves out of the winner’s bracket.
 This left seventh place the highest possible ranking the Braves could earn, which the Lady Braves did.  We could not get the momentum going throughout the first set and that dictated our play in the second and third, Coach Suzanne Marble said. “We played a bit timid and reserved and didn't attack and go after the ball the way we know how.  It is tough because you only three hours to shake off a loss and have to come back to win your next match just to stay in it and that is exactly what they did.
 The girls made quick work of NWC Lacey and played relaxed and in control throughout the entire match. Marble said.  The Braves won matches against North West Christian (25-22, 25-8, 25-17), and Asotin (25-14, 24-16, 25-11, 25-12).
The Asotin win was “a solid match,” Marble said, and secured the Braves 7th or 8th place; the Braves successfully battled for 7th against Kittitas (25-14, 25-16, 25-20).  “We played Kittitas really well and made quick work of them,” Marble said. “We played relaxed and confident. We had a strong tournament going 3-1 and I am very proud of the way the girls fought hard and never gave up after the disappointing loss to Colfax.”
Brave State Championship highlights: Kelley McClung had 118 assists, 7 aces, 26 digs, and 6 blocks; senior Emily Anderson 42 kills, 12 aces, 47 digs and 10 blocks; senior Priscilla Ponce-Venegas had 43 kills, 12 aces, and 32 digs; and Carly Anderson had 52 digs.
BOYS’ SOCCER
The boys’ soccer team ended the season with 2-1 overtime loss to Providence Classical Christian at the 2B State tournament Saturday, Nov. 12 at Everett Memorial stadium.  The Brave goal was scored by Taylor Fay, who headed the ball in the net off a throw-in from senior Todd Hoagland.
The Braves played with a ton of heart and determination, said Coach Steve DeLeon. “We came from behind to equalize and we took Providence to overtime.”
DeLeon challenged the team to “leave everything on the field, be physical… Providence should know they were in a war…It didn't work out for us, but I'm proud of our effort.”
FOOTBALL
The boys ended their season Saturday, Nov. 12 in a state playoff game at the Everett Stadium losing 41-13 to Morton White Pass. The player of the week was Dahlton Zavala for his 45-yard run and two running touchdowns.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Latest election results


Election results
Most recent count by the County Auditor’s office. The county has until Nov. 29 to finish counting and certify the results.
Town of La Conner
Mayor
Ramon Hayes* ......... 228 
Stuart Welch  .............108
Council Position 1
Marna Hanneman .......167
Jacques Brunisholz* ....161
Council Position 5
Dan O’Donnell ............  192
Don Wright* ................. 142
Fire District 13
Allen (Skip) Cooper* .... 654
Doug Avery ...................706
Port of Anacortes
Bob Eberle ..............4,354
Chuck Davis ........... 4,212
Port of Skagit
Steven Omdal ........10,321
Jerry Kaufman*........8,940
*indicates incumbent