in the Jan. 18, 2012 issue ...

Photo by Karla Reynolds

We're seeing a lot of this as Public Works crews work overtime to keep the roads and sidewalks safe for travel.

Photo by Bill Stokes

And we're enjoying views like this...

Photo by Bill Stokes

And this ....

Photo by Karla Reynolds

While kids have to do stuff like sled down Washington Street since the schools are closed for the snowstorm.

Kory is getting better

Writer Adrian Sharpe has the latest on the La Conner High School senior who was critically injured Friday night in a traffic accident. He spent the weekend in a coma, but today, Wednesday, his grandma came by our office and reported that he is awake and talking. We're keeping Kory and his family in our prayers.

Low cost housing for artists

Read Adrian's piece on Artspace, a national non-profit firm that develops affordable housing and work space especially for artists. The organization, which usually devotes its efforts to large cities, is eyeing little La Conner as a place to establish artist housing. The first phase is a feasibility study that will start next week. A public meeting is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Maple Hall.

Photo by Don Coyote

The Swinomish Smokehouse roof caught fire Friday evening. The blaze was extinguished quickly by Fire District 13 firefighters. Nobody was hurt. 

From the Police Blotter: 

10:39 a.m.: Public Drinking – A spectator of the accident at 6^th and Morris streets was arrested for drinking in public while he was watching deputies and firefighters who responded to the event.  

Meanwhile ...

11:25 a.m.: Cell for a Cell – A man was arrested for using a ladder to climb into someone’s apartment, 900 block of Maple Ave., La Conner. The man was violating a no contact order and claimed he was just trying to retrieve a friend’s cell phone. Deputies made sure he got a cell, but it happened to be a jail cell instead of a phone. 

  Despite lots of snow, we got the paper out on time today! (OK, there are a couple of embarrassing bonehead errors we didn't catch in our push to get'er done.) The paper is printed in south Everett and our driver, Chuck, deserves big kudos for bringing it to La Conner through this morning's major snowstorm. And Bill Stokes distributed the paper to the store shelves and filled the news boxes right on schedule this morning. In the snow. (Thank you, Honey.)