Wednesday, December 21, 2011

in the December 21 issue

The winter solstice occurs at 9:30 p.m. local time.

 Photo by Kirsten Morse
This is the view of Gilkey Square from the Swinomish side of the channel.

 Photo by Joy Neal
Many Christmas wishes granted
With more people struggling this year, the generosity of the La Conner community is the top story. The Kiwanis Club, students in La Conner schools and merchants’ donation jars helped bring Christmas to 34 local families this year. Here is the Bank of America’s giving tree and bank employee Monica Wickstrom with many gifts received during the toy drive. Local residents also helped the more than 80 families served by the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank. A concert featuring all local talent sponsored by the town and  La Conner Institute of Performing Arts raised $1,170 for the food bank in donations from people who came to enjoy Christmas music. Our caring and generous community is one of the season's greatest blessings.

Photo by John Doyle, courtesy of Kathie Hubbard
 Councilman Don Wright's last Town Council meeting
Wright spent more than three decades serving on the town council. For the first time since he was first appointed to the council in 1980, Wright was defeated in an election when Dan O’Donnell challenged him in November. Writer Adrian Sharpe has the story on today's paper -- and she pulled it off without interviewing Don, who is not real big on tooting his own horn. Fortunately, there are plenty of others who know him well and are willing to go on record, including his Council colleagues and the Mayor shown above toasting him with sparkling cider at his final meeting.


Pets at risk of predators
By Adrian Sharpe
As the chill in the air gets frostier, the local wildlife may become scarier.
In recent months coyotes have been blamed for a handful of pet deaths in the La Conner area. By leaving garbage out and allowing pets free reign of outdoor areas, humans are inadvertently inviting predators to dinner.
“There are coyotes running all over,” said Rich Petteys whose cat was recently attacked. Details in today's paper.

From the Police Blotter:
10:41 a.m.: Dog attack – A woman on Reservation Rd, toward Anacortes, let her Chihuahua out and a few minutes later heard barking and a commotion. She went outside and found her dog cornered by a large, brindle colored, long-hair pit bull-mixed dog. She picked up her little dog and the big attacked her, causing a possible broken arm and severe lacerations on both arms. When her husband came out and pulled the dog off her, the animal attacked him, as well. The bad dog ran off and authorities have been unable to locate the animal. The woman was treated in a hospital emergency room for her injuries. This is a bad one, please call 911 if you spot this outlaw dog.

On a brighter note, our award winning columnists have plenty of good things to read in today's paper. Jim Smith and Mickey Bambrick will get you giggling and Mel Damski will get you thinking. Bob Skeele has some unusual Christmas prose. And Joy Neal  has some great book suggestions; keep the library in mind when you unwrap that new e-reader on Christmas morning.

Come in to our office and get a free cookie with your paper. Or feed quarters into our red news stands or pick up a copy at both gas stations, the liquor store, book store and drug store. 


Thank you La Conner, for keeping the newspaper going.
Our readers, our generous and loyal advertisers, and our talented local writers, poets and photographers are the reason the award-winning La Conner Weekly News is here. 

We wish you a wonderful holiday season followed by a prosperous and healthy 2012.
 






 



Braves Sports, Dec. 21, 2011


Photo by Melissa Reynolds

La Conner fells Loggers with tree-mendous effort
By Bill Reynolds
La Conner kept its perfect season intact with a convincing 68-37 NW 1A/2B boys’ hoop victory Friday over the Darrington Loggers.
But the Braves aren’t out of the woods yet, according to La Conner head coach Scott Novak.
La Conner,  4-0 in league and 6-0 overall, enters perhaps its toughest stretch of the regular season starting tonight, Dec. 21, when the Braves face 3A Sedro-Woolley and then travel for the holidays to meet Adna and Toutle Lake.
“These next three games,” Novak said Sunday, “will be good benchmark games for our team to see where we really stack up.”
Against Darrington, La Conner managed to stack the Loggers like cordwood.
The Braves bolted to an early 25-6 lead and never looked back.
Landy James and Jonah Cook led 10 La Conner players in the scoring column, netting 17 and 13 points, respectively.
James buried two of four outside trey attempts, while Cook dominated play in the paint, converting six of 11 shots from the floor.
Backcourt starters Mike Wilbur and Spencer Novak orchestrated the rout with crisp passing and keen decision making.
Wilbur paced the victors with five assists, while Novak was adept feeding Cook and Tyler Howlett in the post.
“They did a great job,” coach Novak said afterward, “getting the ball inside for easy looks.”
Howlett was a prime beneficiary, meshing 10 points on five-of-nine shooting, while also grabbing five boards.
Novak (6), Skylar Krueger (5), Cameron Sherman (5), Wil James (4), Jamall James (3), Jared Fohn (3), and Wilbur (2) rounded out a balanced LaConner attack.
Fohn joined Landy James in exending Darrington’s defense by scoring from beyond the arc, draining a deep three-pointer.
For Darrington, on the other hand, it was pretty much a one-man show.
Tim Fenstermaker accounted for more than half the Loggers’ offense. He finished with a game-high 19 points, including a perimeter trey.
That, as things turned out, proved to be apropos.
For it was clear – on this night, at least – that Darrington had only an outside shot at besting La Conner.


 Photo by Amylynn Richards

Photo by Amylynn Richards
8th Grade Basketball team

Photo by Melissa Reynolds

Lady Braves suffer “pane-ful” loss
By Bill Reynolds
It was a glass act that shattered the La Conner High girls’ hoop team’s hopes Friday at Darrington.
The hosts used a huge 17-3 edge in offensive rebounds to post a piercing 40-38 NW 1A/2B win in a pairing of longtime league rivals on the storied Darrington hardwood.
Darrington’s repeated ability to snare caroms off the old gym’s half-moon glass backboards was a decisive factor in the contest, acknowledged La Conner head coach Scott Novak.
Nor did it help, he added, that La Conner committed a season high 20 turnovers and went cold at the charity stripe – converting just five of 14 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter – when the game was literally on the line.
And yet, stressed Novak, all wasn’t lost on the Darrington trip.
“Despite everything,’ he said, “we kept battling back and still had a chance to win. We just couldn’t quite get over the hump.”
Katie McKnight gave the slow-starting Lady Braves a boost with a fine all-around floor game.
She finished with a team-high 10 points – bolstered by a six-of-nine effort at the foul stripe – to go along with two steals and five rebounds.
But La Conner could muster just 11 tallies in the first half, stymied at times by a pesky and scrappy Darrington defense inspired by its loud and supportive home crowd.
“We got caught up playing their type of game and at their tempo,” Novak conceded afterward, “rather than playing ours.”
La Conner went scoreless the first five minutes of the contest before Alyssa McCormick ended the drought with a jumper in traffic at the 2:58 mark of the opening frame.
The Lady Braves, who had trouble adjusting to Darrington’s smaller backboards, didn’t record their next field goal until less than three minutes remained before halftime.
Point guard Nikki Finley sparked La Conner’s attack after intermission with a perimeter trey midway through the third period, as the Lady Braves trailed by just four, 27-23, going into the final stanza.
Darrington, however, was able to stave off a couple fourth quarter La Conner runs.
“This is a game,” said Novak, “that our team can hopefully learn from.”
La Conner, which fell to 3-1 in league and 4-2 overall, returned to the practice floor Saturday with positive results.
“We had a great workout the morning after the game,” Novak said Sunday, “and the girls seemed more focused and ready to go than they have been all season.”
Following Monday’s late action, La Conner is slated to host Adna Dec. 27 at 4:30 p.m. in a key non-league Holiday Break encounter.