Officials are asking residents served by the City of Anacortes and Skagit Public Utility District, including La Conner, to voluntarily reduce water use by 10% as low summer flows on the Skagit River approach state minimum levels established to protect fish habitat. The Washington Department of Ecology requires the utilities to issue a conservation advisory when river flows fall below thresholds needed to support salmon and other aquatic species. Officials are asking customers to save 15 to 20 gallons of water per day by taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing teeth, watering lawns less and reducing unnecessary water use. Skagit County remains under a statewide drought declaration issued earlier this year due to low snowpack, warmer-than-average temperatures and below-normal spring rainfall.
Golf cart owners planning to drive on streets within the Town of La Conner must first register their vehicle with the town and display the assigned registration number on the back of the cart. Operators must have a valid Washington driver’s license, follow the same traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles and may not operate golf carts from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise. Registration information and permit applications are available through the Town of La Conner
The Skagit News Workers Union says Adams MultiMedia is refusing to limit the use of artificial intelligence in its newsrooms during ongoing contract negotiations. In a July 1 social media post, the union quoted the company’s proposal as stating: “There is no limitation on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the Employer with respect to any newsroom function, including the generation of news content.” The union said it opposes the proposal, arguing that generative AI threatens journalists’ jobs, contributes to misinformation and produces formulaic writing. “Adams MultiMedia continues to insist that there be no limitations on the use of artificial intelligence in any newsroom function, including the generation of news content,” the union wrote.
A trial began Monday in Washington state’s lawsuit against grocery chain Albertsons, with Attorney General Nick Brown alleging the company’s pharmacies helped fuel the opioid epidemic by dispensing hundreds of millions of opioid pills despite warning signs of misuse. According to the state, Albertsons dispensed more than 641 million opioid pills in Washington between 2006 and 2022, a period during which more than 26,000 Washingtonians died from opioid overdoses. Albertsons, which operates more than 200 pharmacies in the state, denies wrongdoing, arguing its pharmacists followed the accepted medical standards of the time, when opioids were widely prescribed for pain management. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022 by then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson, is expected to go to trial through September. Washington is not part of Albertsons’ proposed nationwide opioid settlement.
Marine researchers are warning of a “catastrophic mortality event” after at least 145 gray whales were found dead along the West Coast — from Mexico to Canada — during the first half of 2026. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the number of strandings is far above the annual average of about 43 recorded between 2006 and 2023. Last year, 179 gray whale deaths were documented, and scientists say 2026 could become one of the deadliest years on record if the current pace continues. Researchers say the primary causes are starvation linked to climate change, which has reduced food availability in Arctic feeding grounds, and collisions with ships.
