In the February 16, 2011 issue...

Photo by Bill Stokes

IN THE POKEY – Tom Jr. is not happy. Captured on Friday, he's stuck in the town turkey detention facility, where he will stay until his fugitive relatives either turn themselves in or get caught so they can go live on a Christmas tree farm.

Turkey posse nabs  one 

Today's best reading is M. Sharon Baker's account of Friday's turkey chase. A posse from the town's public works department surrounded the feathered fugitives and managed to catch Tom Jr., one of the younger toms, with a dip net. 

The six remaining birds scattered and the chase was on through the rugged back country of La Conner's hilltop neighborhood!  It ended when a turkey sympathizer called a halt to the pursuit through his property.

Big news at Swinomish

Photo by Sue Phillips

The new pavilion 

On Tuesday the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community broke ground on its new park pavilion to be built near the new canoe landing under construction on the west shore of the channel. This promises to be a real treat for the eyes, with the pavilion shelters built to resemble traditional Salish cedar hats. Swinomish is preparing to welcome 220 big family canoes and an estimated 20,000 visitors for the 2011 Canoe Journey, Paddle to Swinomish. in July. Starting the construction were Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby and Tribal Senators Dianne Edwards, Sophie Bailey and Barb James. 

And this ..

 Photo by Sue Phillips

The new church

The Indian Shaker Church, a Northwest Native American religion founded in the 1800s, is about to dedicate a new church in the heart of Swinomish village. Shaker Minister Joe McCoy walked writer Sue Phillips through the new church. The new building replaces the little dilapidated 1929 wood clapboard church that sits out on Reservation Road about four miles from the village.

Fire Battalion Chief fired

Details are sparse, but there is a public termination hearing at Fire District 13's Snee Oosh Road fire station at 3 p.m. next Wednesday, Feb. 23. You betcha we'll be there....

  From the Police Blotter:

11:09 p.m.: Malicious Mischief – Somebody stretched plastic wrap across both lanes on the Rainbow Bridge. Someone else came driving by and wasn't about to let a little plastic wrap get in his way, so he drove right through it. The deputy came and cleaned up all the plastic wrap that was laying on the bridge. No suspects. 

Go pick up a paper to read the rest.  Get it in the news stands around town and at the drug store, liquor store, gas station, book store and produce market.  We sell subscriptions, too.

Weekly La Conner High Sports capsule, Feb. 16, 2011

Braves Raves

By Amylynn Richards

GIRLS WRESTLING

Ashley Norton (152 lbs.) became the first-ever girl to qualify for the Girls’ State Tournament during the Girls’ Regionals match in Sedro-Woolley.  She won with “an exciting pin with 3 seconds left in the Consolation Finals to place third,” said Coach Mike Compton.   

WRESTLING

Senior Brandon Drye has brought home the Regional Championship first place trophy in the 215 lb. class.

As a team, the Braves finished Regionals better than they ever have in the teams’ history, earning third place on Saturday, Feb. 12.  “La Conner passed up two teams in the final two rounds, with many victories and several pins,” Coach Compton said.

Brave highlights: A first-round pin by champion Brandon Drye; 19 second pin by senior Travis Silva; Wil James came back with third place, and came back from a 0-6 down to pin his opponent in the final 26 seconds of the match; Dalton Zavala earned third place, and won a victory by pin over an opponent to whom he had lost twice in the regular season; and Nathan Parker (285) won third place.

Tacoma Baptist was first with 189 points, Concrete second with 125 points, and La Conner third with 87 points. Winlock High and Ocosta High rounded out the top five of the 15-team Regional.

The Braves are headed to the Tacoma Dome Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19, for State competition, with five wrestlers, the most La Conner has ever sent to state: Senior and Regional champion Brandon Drye (215 lbs. class), his fourth trip; Dahlton Zavala (152 lbs.); Wil James (189 lbs.); Nathan Parker (285 lbs.); and senior Ashley Norton. Alternates for state are Travis Silva, who earned fourth at regionals (215 lbs.) and Cameron Wischhusen, also fourth at regionals (285 lbs.).

Coach Compton has chosen Brandon Drye as this week’s Wrestler of the Week. Drye pinned all three opponents in the first round of each match. Cameron Wischhusen was named the WIAA / Seattle Times’ State Athlete of the Week last week, after winning District Championships (285 lbs.) Feb. 5 in Concrete. “Cameron is the perfect example of courage, character and sportsmanship and the WIAA couldn’t have selected a more deserving individual,” Compton said.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

The Braves, league champions, went to Concrete Tuesday, Feb. 8 to play the final game of the regular season, beating the Lions 68-36. Team highlights: Tyler Howlett, 16 points; Mike Wilbur, 15 points; Kyle McKnight, 12 points. The boys completed the competition with a 14-0 league record, the only undefeated team in the 1A/2B Northwest League.

Due to WIAA restructuring in 2010, there is no longer a Tri-District competition. Instead, there is a Bi-District, which is comprised of Northwest and Sea-Tac leagues. The first match was Saturday, Feb. 12 at home against Mount Rainier Christian, which was the fourth seed in the Sea-Tac league. The Braves won 59-33. Kyle McKnight scored 14 points; Landy James, 9 points; and Spencer Novak scored 8 points.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

The girls fought hard for their 57-51 win over the Concrete Lions Tuesday, Feb. 8, the final game of the season, which brought them 3^rd place in the District and a shoot at the Bi-District championship as the #4 seed. Coach Marla Quesnell said the girls “played well and won a tight game in the final minutes. We took care of the ball when it was crucial and got a couple of key rebounds at pivotal moments.”

Team highlights: Priscilla Ponce-Venegas scored 16 points and made 17 rebounds; Samie Miller, 10 points; Nikki Finley, 10 points; and Katie McKnight; and Aubrey Stewart made 8 rebounds.

The girls played an away game against Tacoma Baptist Saturday, Feb. 12. The Crusaders won 49-41 and are on their way to regional competition. 

“We struggled to score in the first quarter and had to play catch-up,” said Quesnell. The Braves nearly caught up in the second and fourth quarters “but were never able to gain the lead.”   Samie Miller scored 12 points, and Nikki Finley scored 11 points.