Dash!, a local Fidalgo Island volunteer organization this weekend will kick-off of their 2010 FOOD “Food Offers Opportunity Drive” – a community fundraiser benefitting the Salvation Army.

The 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables, which was presented at London's O2 Arena Oct. 3, will screen at the Anacortes Cinemas at 7:30 pm Wednesday night, along with dozens of other theaters nationwide..

When the Hospital district board approved a $74 million 2011 budget, the commissioners also extended 2 programs one month beyond the current state funding cut-off that provide teen maternity care and infant care health services.

The City Council approved a one percent hike in the city’s property tax levy, a levy that Mayor Dean Maxwell said was just about the lowest in Skagit County.

The state Transportation Commission has unanimously approved a 2.5 percent hike in ferry fares to take effect on the first of 2011. The new fares eliminate day-of-week pricing and peak season passenger surcharges on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route.

The Hospital District Commissioners have approved a one-percent tax levy increase for next year, as well as a $74-million budget for the coming year. The levy increase will amount to an annual property tax hike of about $1.50 per $100,000 assessed value.