Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1006 - 1030 of 1333
Kitties Need Loving Homes WAITSBURG - In the Waitsburg Hardware and Mercantile store on Main Street, there's something furry lurking behind the shelves. John and Marilyn Stellwagen have owned and operated Black Dog Rescue out of their store for six years now and there are plenty of animals to be adopted - cats particularly. "This has been a busy year," Marilyn said. This year, the rescue program has facilitated the adoption of about 150 animals, including dogs, cats and ferrets. Typically, the...
This week we mark Veterans Day. We hope everyone in our community will take a moment to recognize, silently or in person, the sacrifices our local servicemen and women have made, and continue to make, on our behalf. In Dayton, the American Legion hosts its annual Veterans Day breakfast 7 - 10 a.m. Friday at the American legion Hall. In Waitsburg, author Karen Fisher-Alaniz will speak at the Veterans Day Assembly at Waitsburg High School at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Her new book "Breaking The Code," recalls how her father, WHS graduate Murray...
Letters to the editor are a great and valuable expression of difference of opinion and community concerns. When these letters are used as a weapon to destroy a member of the community, they are neither great nor valuable. We are very surprised with the letter written by Mr. Snyder and published on Thursday, the 20th of October, regarding Blaine Bicklehaupt. Since when did freedom of speech give us the right to deviate from facts to vilify our business competitors? This type of animosity can't help the community. We have known Blaine for a few...
By now most of the community is aware of the port director's "unprofessional behavior" in the workplace. That's what it has to be called for the Union- Bulletin to print it. The facts are that the commissioners fired the auditor/treasurer for "performance issues," then turned around and gave the executive director a raise not long after two commissioners and the port director vacationed together in Phoenix at the director's condo. Wouldn't any reasonable person want to know the entire story and what our tax dollars might be paying for behind...
This year, Port Director Jim Kuntz will receive a"happy December"salary check for $25,000, for no justifiable reason. Added to his reported base salary of $134,726, this makes his cash compensation package just under $160,000. My research (calling many port districts and asking for the dollar amount of their director's salary and the actual amount of any "add-on's" like vehicle use) shows Kuntz's total compensation package to be the fourth highest in the state, behind only the port directors of Vancouver, Tacoma and Seattle. Port Director...
November sixth is recognized by many in the U.S. as Orphan Sunday. This growing movement within churches takes Nov. 6to gather together in prayer and reflect on how the church can meet the needs of orphans worldwide. The apostle James called caring for the orphaned, "pure and faultless religion." I would like to encourage communities to join in this movement. There are many opportunities in the area to learn, pray or give to the orphaned and those caring for the orphaned. I'd like to share with you the ones that I am informed of. If you have...
I am writing this letter in support of Blaine Bickelhaupt who is running for re-election to the Columbia County Hospital Board. I served with Blaine on the hospital board for four years and continue to serve with him on the hospital finance committee. There is a steep learning curve, and it takes several months to get up to speed when you first start on the hospital board. It takes longer than that to understand hospital operations and budgets. In the next year there will be changes in the way and amount of money the hospital receives from...
Port of Walla Walla commissioners' management decisions have come into question recently over excessive executive salaries, trips to the director's condo in Phoenix and the director's unprofessional behavior, etc. As with most things, there is always more to the story. The Port of Walla Walla's three commissioners oversee the executive director and have set his salary at nearly $160,000 per year. That salary is higher than Washington state's attorney general, all 174 Superior Court judges, and over three times our state legislators salary. No...
I am writing in support of Barlow Corkrum's candidacy for District 2 Port Commissioner. Born and raised in Walla Walla, Barlow knows this county and cares about its citizens: a commitment proven by his history of active participation in local affairs. He understands what our community was, is-and most importantly-what it can be. Barlow recognizes that the port can and should recruit beyond just industrial enterprises to include retail, tourism and development of our own homegrown talent. He understands that small businesses create most of the...
We received in the mail a map and letter introducing the proposed bonds to cover the cost of improvements for Coppei Creek flood protection. Those who did not attend the Corps of Engineers update at a council meeting earlier this year may not be aware of a few more important facts. The recommended and most cost-effective alternative takes care of the areas shown in magenta, red, yellow and green on the map, clearly the majority of the town. And, as the letter pointed out, a flood in that area would affect everyone in town in some way, through...
They Do it For The Kids WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Fire Department Captain Brian Callahan thought getting to the fire department five minutes before 5 p.m. would be just fine on Halloween last Monday. However, when he showed up, there were already parents waiting with their witches, monsters, ghosts and princesses. This Halloween was the first year the Waitsburg Fire Department provided blinking safety flashers and candy for the local children as they donned costumes and went door to door for...
A few weeks ago, two travelers from the Seattle area were spending their Sunday evening at the jimgermanbar in Waitsburg and didn't want to return to Walla Walla before catching their early-morning flight back to Sea-Tac from the Walla Walla airport. They made a wise choice. They obviously had a good time at the eclectic and regionally known cocktail bar. They weren't in any condition to navigate the 20 some miles back to Walla Walla legally or safely. So bar owner Jim German called up the new Seven Porches guest house on Main Street to see if...
I was very pleased to see Casey McClellan's letter in the Sunday Union Bulletin and his strong support of Barlow Corkrum for Port Commissioner. Casey has for many years been a passionate advocate for Walla Walla Valley and Washington winemaking. His endorsement of Barlow says a lot. It is clear from my conversations with Barlow that he is determined to bring positive changes to the Port and help the entire business community move forward. Therefore, I too add my voice in support of Barlow Corkrum. Rick Vieth Walla Walla...
Members of our community need to know how the Port of Walla Walla treats its own employees and has misspent our tax dollars. Over the last few years, the port spent $172,000 on lawyer's fees to unsuccessfully fight one fireman's legal right to exercise his collective bargaining rights under state law. The port was found to have unlawfully failed to bargain in good faith, unlawfully laid off the fireman and discriminated against him for trying to exercise his statutory rights. What a slap in the face to every hard-working union member within...
We need to return Jack Otterson to his position on the Columbia County Health Board. Jack has a great history with emergency medicine, serving on the Columbia County Health System since 2003 and the Waitsburg Ambulance Service since its inception--chairing it for 27 years. He worked with the volunteer fire department in Waitsburg for 40 years, and was chief for six. His work history was with Walla Walla County Road Department for 31 years with the last 15 as supervisor. He is a believer in continuity. We need someone with this breadth of...
It comes to no surprise that Mr. Snyder took it upon himself to write a letter to the editor concerning the candidacy for the hospital board. His personal vendetta towards Mr. Bickelhaupt is quite clear. Mr. Snyder states that Mr. Bickelhaupt's position on the board would be a conflict of interest because of his real estate business. What is ironic is that Mr. Snyder ran for the exact same position on the board and he too is in real estate. Most of all, it is very sad that Mr. Snyder's endorsement of a candidate is based on untruths and...
We are endorsing Colleen Sproul for the Position #2 Columbia County Hospital District board. She has many years of valued experience in health care positions at various hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. Colleen is willing to listen to all employees of the district and the citizens of our county as to the needs and concerns of our hospital district. We are asking you to consider a change in the board and VOTE for COLLEEN. If you have questions or concerns please call her and she will gladly talk with you and LISTEN. Carol Hays, Lawana...
As improbable as it may seem, the local Symphony Society is the oldest orchestral organization west of the Mississippi that has continued without a break from the year it began in 1907. Over the years, local Dayton and Waitsburg members of the Walla Walla Symphony have come and gone. Incidentally, Cal Malone, of Waitsburg, was a charter member of the Walla Walla Symphony in 1907. Cordiner Hall, located on the Whitman College Campus, was completed in 1968. In its nearly 10 years of existence, Cordiner Hall has more than fulfilled the dreams of...
Just to get an idea how rare Tim Fuller's cancer is -- one only needs to do the math. About one in every 200 Americans each year is diagnosed with some form of cancer. The kind of cancer Fuller has only afflicts one in every 10,000 Americans. But what's worse for the 45-year-old Dayton man and his family than knowing his disease is rare is knowing that there's no way to figure out what kind it is, where it came from and where it's going. This makes Fuller's oncology treatment a moving target, to...
The point of this week's editorial, inspired by the story of Tim Fuller, is simple: The time to live your life is now. The time to abandon your hopes for a better past is now. The time to focus on what's important in life and live the rest of it to its fullest is now. Fuller, the longtime park ranger at Camp Wooten, faces an uncertain future from a rare form of cancer that doctors have been unable to send into permanent remission (see this week's Heart Beat column). His friends and family are hoping to raise enough money through a community...
Thank you to our many friends for the cards, calls, flowers and memorials to Rev. Mosier, choir, Randy, Presbyterian Women for lunch and Rose for all her help. Lillian Judd and Family...
