Mayor Dean Maxwell is proposing a $39.3 million city budget for the coming year, a 3.6 percent increase from the current budget. He told the Council Monday night,"The budget reflects city departments' continued efforts to be prudent in all of our discretionary spending."

The deaths of 7 workers in an explosion last April at the March Point Tesoro refinery “could have and should have been prevented,” said state Department of Labor & Industries Director Judy Schurke, in announcing a record fine.

A police officer cited a couple for public indecency after discovering them naked parked in a car at the Cap Sante lookout at 11:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 27, well after the park had closed for the night. The 45-year-old man and 36-year-old woman told the officer they had left their clothes at home.

Several candidate forums have been scheduled in this last month before the November 2 General Election. Additional information may be found at the state's online voters' pamphlet, which covers all races, including Skagit County races.

The body of Anacortes resident Dallas Kloke has been recovered at the 6,600 foot level of Pleiades Peaks area, where he fell while climbing a week ago. The 71-year-old Kloke was an experienced climber and well-known in the sport.

Artist Mary Snowden, whose weavings and basketry are featured at the Depot Arts Center, says she's inspired by nature and the traditional lifestyles of the Northwest coast. Snowden says, "I seek to creatively unify traditional techniques with new perspectives."