Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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(Editor's Note:) In his Veterans' Day speech to Waitsburg High School on Nov. 10, Ells Bartlow shared with students and the communitysix results produced by wars: casualties, heroes, presidents, songs, character and memorable quotations. Here are the words this local veteran spoke in honor of his comrades. First of all, wars of course bring causalities. The Civil War caused more deaths than all the other wars involved in our history. Over 600,000 died in that war, and over 400,000 were w...
It was a year ago this week when we were introduced to the rhythms and rituals of producing a community weekly in the Touchet Valley after we bought the Times from Loyal and Kathy Baker. We had no idea at the time what a gratifying adventure it would become. In that first week before Thanksgiving 2009, we were totally focused on writing stories and taking pictures for our first issue while stepping onto the steep learning curve with ropes and crampons. Just making it through the first night felt like finals week. But slowly, as the weeks went...
My husband's grandfather, Dr. Rufus Butler, was a "horse and buggy doctor" in Waitsburg for 30 years. According to an article in the Waitsburg Times in 1950 memorializing him, he was one of the last settlers to recall log cabins, Indians, hardships, and pioneer love of the Northwest. In the short time that I had the pleasure of his acquaintance, I realized he played an important role in the history of many people of Waitsburg, and he had many interesting stories to tell. His education and background differed from today's physician as we k...
Visitors to downtown Dayton may have noticed the modern, full-service, handicap accessible crosswalk at the traffic light on 2nd and Main. It beeps loudly, warns pedestrians in a commanding voice not to cross if they press the button at a green light, let's them know when it's okay to go and gives them a countdown for how much time they have left. It's called an accessible pedestrian system, a fully integrated pedestrian station that provides the pedestrian with visual, tactile and au...
Since we arrived in the Touchet Valley, we've had the honor of meeting a number of local veterans or of getting to know them posthumously through their families. In some cases, we've had a chance to report on their lives and express our gratitude for their service. In January, there was the Starbuck funeral of Dick Ferguson, the highly decorated veteran of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. In May, we wrote about Joel Smith, the Vietnam veteran whose ashes were buried at the Waitsburg cemetery on Memorial Day. This summer, we had a p...
Riding a wave of discontent about the state of politics and the economy, Republicans took a majority of seats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday but did not reach a majority in the Senate, where Democrats hung on to a slim margin. Early returns showed that democrats lost 60 seats in the House, leaving them with 183 and Republicans with 238 with an additional 13 races still undecided. Two-hundred and eighteen seats are needed for a majority. In the Senate, Democrats kept 51 seats, compared to the Republicans' 46 with three races to...
The middle aged fat men sit at the table working on their teams. Their game doesn't resemble what they played in high school. There's no suspense gripping the pit of the stomach before the game, no pep rallies, no nubile young cheerleaders focusing their whole attention on them. No long bus rides from Pomeroy, Asotin, or Touchet, basking in the joy of victory. Their muscles- their stamina-have not been tested in years. When they finish drafting their players, their work will largely be done. Then they will sit back and check their st...
In this month's Union Bulletin Lifestyles magazine, Managing Editor Robin Hamilton and photographer Greg Lehman produced a piece about the Times - our changes since taking over, the response to them from readers, our backgrounds and our vision for the newspaper. We are grateful for this coverage and its colorful presentation. The Rockwellian cover art reflects the love and respect we have for the newspaper's 133-year history and the buildings we're currently renovating. The article itself reflects the connection we feel to the Touchet V...
On this week's opinion page, we're running Paul McCaw's "Burg" about football and team sports in general. He has an interesting perspective on these school activities, and though it's not ours, we welcome his candid view on the subject and his thought-provoking style. His writing and that of others in our community help make these pages a forum for healthy debate about local issues that affect us. There are many takes on team sports, and it's true that players, parents and communities can...
To the Editor: Dayton's political forum (Oct. 6) was packed with interested citizens desiring to select the best candidate for Columbia County. Walt Hessler so graciously expressed no grudge or animosity to his opponent. Perhaps it's time to pull up the campaign signs with a 66 to 33 percentage loss in the primary election and join in the pursuit of fighting the recent crime wave in Dayton. I observed when Mr. Lewis began speaking with dignity, respect, experience and maturity that he would add to the court as a constitutional pros...
Dear Editor, Most residents of Columbia County aren't aware of how much crime occurs around them unless they have the bad fortune to become a victim. And if you become a victim in Columbia County, the odds of catching the perpetrator are not very good now. According to the numbers I've found for 2007 through September of 2010 (Sheriff Hessler's tenure) there have been reported: 145 Assaults, with 13 arrests 93 Residential Burglaries, with 7 arrests 40 Commercial Burglaries, with 4 arrests 451 Thefts, with 9 arrests 113 Car Prowls, with 2 arrest...
Letter to the Editor: There have been a lot of letters to the editor professing their non-support of Prosecuting Attorney Rea Culwell. These people all believe that they have some basis for their opinion, and that for some reason their opinion is something that everyone wants to hear. From my vantage point, most of these detractors are upset because of the prosecution of a family member. If those who had written these letters were the victims in the cases and Rea had not prosecuted, my guess is that their letters would be just as negative, but...
Dear Editor, Integrity, commitment, decisiveness, legal reasoning, insight, and experience - Kris Hedine will bring all of these attributes to the position of part-time District Court Judge. Kris's experience speaks for itself. He currently serves as judge pro tem in Walla Walla District Court while remaining active in his private practice. He has had extensive experience in handling numerous cases (both jury and bench trials) throughout Eastern Washington over the past 28 years, while trying both plaintiff and defense cases in both civil and...
Dear Editor, John Turner is a man of integrity who wants nothing more than to live a life of service. He has a passion for public safety and law enforcement and has served in that capacity as a veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department (where he saw it all) and as a highly respected police attorney. He has also served as a Counter-Terrorism Investigator/Rule of Law Advisor for the U.S. Army and is currently a Special Investigator for the Department of Homeland Security. John has deep family roots in the area and has made Walla Walla his...
Dear Editor, It is an honor to write this letter recommending Randy Lewis to be the next Columbia County Prosecutor. As a practicing behavioral health professional, I have come to know many individuals in the legal profession, as it is necessary to work collaboratively with them for the betterment of our respective clients' lives. Mr. Lewis stands out as experienced and able to tell chaff from grain. During this campaign, much mud-slinging has occurred, and in response to this, there are two primary points I wish to make. First of all, to...
Dear Editor, How much are children worth in Dayton and Columbia County? They are worth everything - they are our future! Dayton and Columbia County provide great schools, sports, summer activities, 4-H and much more for our children. In the last couple of years, new programs have been initiated which serve to keep our children free from harm. One of the programs was an Options Bed for runaway or homeless youth funded by our county commissioners. Sheriff Hessler did not participate in the planning of this with a local group, and it took many...
Dear Editor: Even though Mr. Bulota of Starbuck was not known to me personally, it was nevertheless very disturbing to find that the Columbia County sheriff did not organize a search for the man right away after he went missing. Sheriff Hessler should be made to account for the fact that no search dogs or manhunt was done when Mr. Bulota went missing last March. A veteran rescue coordinator said it is far easier to find remains within a week of a fatal accident. Sheriff Hessler later said a search for Mr. Bulota was like finding a needle in a...
Dear Editor, Recently two of Ms Culwell's supporters said that Ed Nichols of New York was not a worthy person to endorse Mr. Lewis because he (Nichols), "makes a living defending sex predators, molesters and people accused (notice here, accused not convicted) of incest." In the case of Mr. Nichols' firm, many of his clients are spouses who have been accused of sexual misconduct as a result of divorce disputes over child custody. Divorce disputes bring many false accusations, and only by going to trial can the truth be determined Ms Culwell...
Dear Editor, In one of Ms Culwell's campaign brochure, she states that she passed the bar in 2001; in another she says she passed the bar in 2002. In one she says she has prosecuted nearly 1,000 cases; in another she says she has prosecuted over 1,000 cases. Which is accurate? I have attended court sessions and have seen both Lewis and Culwell in action. Lewis seemed well prepared. He had his trial materials laid out in an organized way on his table. He presented his defense in a straight-forward, easy-to-understand way. Ms Culwell, on the othe...
Dear Editor, Here are a couple of what I consider facts that helped me choose Randy Lewis for Prosecuting Attorney Fact 1. Randy's opponent Rea Culwell did not tell the truth in her campaign brochure when she said, "Lewis has overcharged Columbia County so our judges will not appoint him anymore." On October 6, 2010, I spoke with Judge Acey and he said there was no allegation of over charging, and the county has continued to employ Randy. In fact, Randy has additionally provided pro bono services. Justice will only prevail in the courtroom of...
Dear Editor, I am supporting Mark Franklin for sheriff of Columbia County because I have seen Mark's care and concern for the youth of this community and for the safety of all its citizens. Mark is very proactive and volunteers his time for many community programs and events. Mark serves as chairman of the Columbia County Community Network and is vice president for the Coalition for Youth and Families. He volunteers his time to make presentations at the school and to interact with our youth. I have known several kids who have turned to Mark in...
