Mount Vernon

Walk It Out: Flowers and Fancy Bites

Monday Morning Football: A Quiet Game at The Bookstore Bar

Photos by Adriana Grant To get to the Bookstore, you'll be ushered through the grand double-door entrance of the Alexis Hotel. Yes, it's a hotel bar, but with an easy atmosphere, its perhaps one of the best in town. Just blocks away from the stadiums, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a great ... More >>

No Retirement For Pentagon's Gates?

Gates and son Brad, a Wazzu grad Skagit County resident and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates apparently won't be returning in January to retire at his Big Lake home. The word from D.C. is that Gates, a Bush appointee, will be staying on under the Obama administration to head the Pentagon. He ... More >>

A De-Pressing Silence for Bellingham

Yet another newspaper's press is expected to fall silent in the state this year when the Bellingham Herald begins publishing its paper at the plant of a competitor, the Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon, 30 miles south. The Bellingham paper, owned by McClatchy (which owns the Tacoma News Tribune, ... More >>

A Newspaper Lays Off...Its Editor

The Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon, which is building a new printing plant and seemed to be in healthy financial shape, yesterday announced it was cutting staff, including its managing editor, Don Nelson (left), onetime editor of the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle. "The business of r ... More >>

Sustainability Award Winner: George and Eiko Vojkovich

The Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon, which is building a new printing plant and seemed to be in healthy financial shape, yesterday announced it was cutting staff, including its managing editor, Don Nelson (left), onetime editor of the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle. "The business of r ... More >>

Shoulder Pads, Pom-Poms, and the Angry Inch

Washington’s high-school sports regulators find themselves in a transgender bind.

Apart From That: Like Cassavetes in Skagit County

Washington’s high-school sports regulators find themselves in a transgender bind.

Let’s Goat Crazy!

Pygmy goats are awfully cute, but is the City Council’s bid to equate them with cats and dogs such a good idea in a modern metropolis?

Lottie's Lounge

Whole Lotta Fun

Eiko Vojkovich

Best Rancher

Form, Meet Function

Best Rancher

Jessica Biel Silenced

SIFF news, notes, and picks.

April 6, 2005

SIFF news, notes, and picks.

Political Capital

The conservative Building Industry Association of Washington uses insurance revenue from municipalities to help finance political activity.

Homegrown and Healthy

The conservative Building Industry Association of Washington uses insurance revenue from municipalities to help finance political activity.

Food Files

The conservative Building Industry Association of Washington uses insurance revenue from municipalities to help finance political activity.

Two Sides of Beef

From a slaughterhouse to a vegan house, a carnivore seeks the middle path to ethical eating.

Food and Beverage News

From a slaughterhouse to a vegan house, a carnivore seeks the middle path to ethical eating.

Visual Arts Calendar

From a slaughterhouse to a vegan house, a carnivore seeks the middle path to ethical eating.

A New School Principle

The Seattle School Board's objection notwithstanding, this might be the year lawmakers embrace the charter-school movement.

Food Events Around Town

The Seattle School Board's objection notwithstanding, this might be the year lawmakers embrace the charter-school movement.

Food Events Around Town

The Seattle School Board's objection notwithstanding, this might be the year lawmakers embrace the charter-school movement.

"Didn't the state . . . pass anti-bully legislation? If it can apply to schoolchildren, why not to corporations (which are acting like schoolchildren)?"

The Seattle School Board's objection notwithstanding, this might be the year lawmakers embrace the charter-school movement.

Gone fishing

An exhibit looks closely at our region's sacred cow.

695 surprises

An exhibit looks closely at our region's sacred cow.

Blooming Hell

LaConner to tulip maniacs: "Give us back our town!"

Hundreds of gorgeous bills and three ugly ones! Or something like that.

LaConner to tulip maniacs: "Give us back our town!"

Ballard Farmers Market Today

Spring means it's time to plant those seeds and bulbs to ensure that your garden will be full of blooms this summer. Luckily, you can pick up all you'll need to get started at neighborhood farmers markets. Check out Worm Tea Concentrate from Sequim Prairie Star Enterprises, being sold at the Ballard ... More >>

Routine Surgery, Near Death, and a Fraud Award

What if you went into a hospital for routine surgery and emerged needing a heart transplant? What if the cause of that calamitous outcome - a malfunctioning monitor that burned your heart during surgery - had been known to be defective for at least six years, but the manufacturer told no one? And wh ... More >>

If Glenn Beck Gets His Own Day in Mount Vernon, Maybe Vanessa Fontana Should Get One Too

​ Apparently, many Mount Vernonites are upset that Mayor Bud Norris (no relation to Chuck, sadly) announced a day honoring TV personality Glenn Beck, who hails from the town and who developed his audience by making outrageous statements and crying on air. (Throw in some good, old-fashioned ra ... More >>

They Should've Gone for Stephen Colbert

​So Glenn Beck's scheduled to ride his Batshitmobile into Mount Vernon later this month to accept the keys to the city. (Compare Beck to another Skagit Valley native. Then wonder why Vanessa Fontana isn't getting keys too.) Having witnessed this circus, Bellingham's mayor is looking to counte ... More >>

Skagit Brothers: Glenn Beck, Ed Murrow

As Mount Vernon honors the former, we compare the two broadcasters.

Best Argument in Favor of Pit Bull Ownership Ever: Trained Pooch Fights Off Home Invaders

Adorably puppy pit bull says: "Hate the game, not the playa."​Pit bulls get a bad rap. As a breed, they're every bit as snuggly as your average domesticated dog. Nature isn't responsible for their image as snarling beasts. It's nurture -- or lack there-of, from asshole owners who outfit them w ... More >>

What Exactly Has the State Legislature Accomplished This Session? Let's Tote It Up

The legislature took important steps to prevent this.​Today is the last day of the state legislative session. Sort of. The House and Senate haven't been able to agree on the specifics for resolving the state's $2.8 billion (or so) budget deficit. The Senate wants a sales tax increase, the Hous ... More >>

Glenn Beck, Meet Your Neighbor Shawna Forde

​It could turn into a lifelong series if we began correcting the mistakes of Fox News commentators. So in this case we'll leave it to Shawna Forde, the pride of Everett, to correct Glenn Beck, the pride of Mount Vernon. (Pride having since turned to deep, regretful, abhorrent, how-could-we-hav ... More >>

"Who Shot JR?" and other Outdated Cliffhangers

The goal of Belly Laugh is to eat healthy while on the road performing stand-up comedy. However, there have been many moments where my eyes have been bigger than my stomach and junk food has won...delicious, delicious junk food. After hopping on the scale and seeing a blaring 155 lbs.winking back at ... More >>

Tesoro Explosion Was Preventable, Says State, Handing Down Record Fine of $2.38 Million

​The largest such fine in state history was leveled today against the Tesoro refinery near Anacortes where an April explosion left seven dead. The Department of Labor & Industries cited the refinery with 39 "willful" violations and five "serious" violations of state workplace safety and health ... More >>

Glenn Beck's Rants Reportedly Stoked CA Shooter as Well as Patty Murray's Stalker

​Charlie Wilson, the Yakima County man who told Sen. Patty Murray she was "dead fucking meat," is not the only outraged wingnut who may have been spurred on by the blathering of Fox TV host Glenn Beck, the pride of Mount Vernon. In June, a California man, Byron Williams, shot at Highway Patro ... More >>

Mt. Vernon Couple Cop a Plea in Puppy Mill Case That Rescuer Calls "The Most Disgusting Thing I've Ever Seen"

Courtesy of Teresa Letellier​Richard and Marjorie Sundberg can't ever own an animal again. The couple, accused of running a deplorable puppy mill near Mount Vernon, are barred from doing so by a plea agreement they reached yesterday with prosecutors. That's why animal rescuer Teresa Letellier ... More >>

Terrance Irby's Murder Conviction Reversed by State Supreme Court Because of E-Mail Snafu

​Accused murderer Terrance Irby wasn't around on Jan. 2, 2007, when prosecutors and his attorney began selecting jurors in Skagit County Superior Court in Mount Vernon. Both the state and the defense agreed he didn't have to be there: Prospective jurors were merely to fill out a questionnaire ... More >>

Kyle Kendrick, Phillies Pitcher and Washington Native, Would Like His Stolen World Series Ring Back, Please

​There are probably a lot of things in Philadelphia Phillies ace pitcher Kyle Kendrick's home that he wouldn't lose sleep over if someone stole them. His 2008 World Series Championship Ring is not one of them.

Kyle Kendrick Remains Cursed While Police Continue Search for Stolen World Series Ring

​The good news is that Phillies pitcher and Washington native Kyle Kendrick was told yesterday that a fifth suspected burglar was arrested who's believed to have broken into his Mount Vernon home and stolen, among other things, his 2008 World Series Championship ring. The bad news is that the ... More >>

The Tallest Man on Earth Brings Out His Inner Punk Rocker for an Eager Crowd in Bellingham

Andrew GospeThe Tallest Man on Earth​ The Tallest Man on Earth The Performing Arts Center at Western Washington University Saturday, April 23 The Tallest Man on Earth, the nom du folk of Sweden's Kristian Matsson, is often compared to Bob Dylan on the basis of his gravely, emotive singing voi ... More >>

Shuksan Strawberries Scarce at Pike Place Market

​Shuksan strawberries, the intensely flavorful varietal beloved by local strawberry lovers, are now in season - but Pike Place Market shoppers might not know it. Angelica Hayton of Hayton Farms in Mount Vernon grows Shuksans, but doesn't sell them at the market. Hayton says that Albions, Rain ... More >>

Bud Norris' Language Barrier

Why Mount Vernon's mayor has a problem with Spanish.

The Weekly Wire: The Week's Recommended Events

Why Mount Vernon's mayor has a problem with Spanish.

Ciders Gone Wild

Why Mount Vernon's mayor has a problem with Spanish.

New Film Documents Newest Generation of Farmers

​The cultural fights between longtime farmers and upstart organic agrarians exist mostly in the minds of city dwellers, an advocate for young farmers says. Severine von Tscharner Fleming -- director of The Greenhorns, a non-profit organization that recruits, promotes and supports the latest g ... More >>

State's Female Farmers Strengthen Their Network

​There's an old joke about a man who meets a farmer on the road. The farmer's carrying a bag marked "chickens." "If I guess how many chickens are in the bag, can I have one?," the man asks. "Shoot," the farmer says. "If you guess right, you can have both of them." That joke might not work if ... More >>