Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1021 - 1045 of 1333
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...
The choice is clear -- Mike Fredrickson is the best and most qualified candidate for Walla Walla port commissioner. Mike is a wellinformed leader who is honest and straightforward. He has a proven track record of leadership with the port and in private business. He takes an active role in promoting new business development and protecting jobs in Walla Walla County. Mike was the only elected official to participate at a town hall meeting regarding the Department of Corrections' plans to eliminate jobs at the penitentiary. He spoke about the...
I can't believe what I'm hearing and reading about turning off water service for "nuisance violations" and water bill outstanding balances. The two issues are unrelated and the business about unpaid bills seems to have appeared as an afterthought to justify the water shut off threats. First of all, denying water is a health and safety violation to the surrounding neighbors. No water means no toilet to flush. Second, when a bill isn't paid and no token money is received for 90 days, the city can place a lien on the property for monies owed....
Leadership changes are badly needed at the Port of Walla Walla to protect the integrity and financial interests of the organization. In every interview and debate in this race, Barlow Corkrum has demonstrated the knowledge and leadership needed to steer the port back on track to government transparency and accountability. It's time to return control and oversight of port business to the citizens of Walla Walla County. Join me in voting for Barlow Corkrum for port commissioner. Darin Christen Walla Walla...
The rich are getting richer. The top 400 earners in this country own about half of America's wealth. The top 20 percent own 84 percent of America's wealth. Meanwhile, the poor are getting poorer. Millions of Americans are out of work with dwindling prospects of being employed again anytime soon. Seventy-five percent of Americans earn less than $42,000, with 40 percent earning less than $20,000. Of industrialized countries, only Singapore and Hong Kong have a more pronounced income gap between the rich and the poor. Corporate profits are up....
In recent years the Port of Walla Walla has done a good job maintaining a balance of the different types of properties to have available for local and outside parties to utilize for creating new and expanding businesses, which creates jobs. Much of this is due to the six years Mike Fredrickson has served as a member of the commission and his current presidency of the board. Much of the maintaining of an inventory of diverse properties is something private investors cannot and do not do. Examples of this are having a site available for Columbia...
As a contender for Dayton General Hospital board commissioner in the recent primary, I was very impressed with the answers given by my fellow challenger Colleen Sproul to the questions posed by the Dayton Chronicle. Your readers might easily have assumed that she, rather than the incumbent, was the one with six years of DGH board experience. Prior to the election I didn't know Ms. Sproul. Since then I have met with her several times and have found her to be very concerned with the direction of DGH, very knowledgeable, caring and forthcoming...
I n this week's edition, we're carrying an update on the prosecution of three suspected marijuana growers who were arrested in or near the Umatilla National Forest during several raids this summer. The case of the first suspect, Santiago Orozco Contreras, has since been turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is seeking an indictment against the Mexican national that could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years. Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell had also forwarded case information on the two other suspects, Jose Meraz Faria...
I am voting for Barlow Corkrum for Port Commissioner for a number of reasons, but most of all because we need new leadership that better represents our common interests. The incumbent Commissioner Fredrickson supported a coal-fired power plant in Wallula. Barlow was the first person raising serious concerns about that misguided project. There are three port commissioners that provide oversight for the staff of the Port of Walla Walla. In my opinion, that oversight should include a person who I can trust to represent what's best for our...
There have been several attempts to defend the Port of Walla Walla's so-called transparency. The simple fact is that the Port of Walla Walla does not audio tape their meetings, choosing instead to take handwritten notes for their scheduled "regular" public meetings. By comparison, the Walla Walla County Commission, Walla Walla City Council, College Place City Council and Waitsburg City Council all choose to audio tape their meetings. The Port Commission has chosen to ignore an easy, inexpensive step toward greater transparency. Having spoken...
As the former Port of Walla Walla Commissioner for District 2, I would like to endorse Mike Fredrickson for re-election. The Port's record of accomplishments during Commissioner Fredrickson's term is impressive. It includes the award winning Railex Produce Distribution Center that transports Pacific Northwest Produce to New York in less than five days. In addition, five wine incubator buildings have been constructed and another phase of the four laning of US Highway 12 has been completed. Equally impressive is the Port's tax levy rate has...
About Needs & Good Deeds WAITSBURG - With plenty of fanfare on Friday night on Waitsburg High School's football field, students from Dayton High School and students from Waitsburg stretched paperlink chains across the field. Each link in those chains represented one dollar raised for the American Cancer Society. The society fundraiser was the first Dayton versus Waitsburg money-raising battle in recent memory, said Denise Winnett, an administrative assistant at Waitsburg High School. Winnett...
I t's fitting that I should be writing this editorial on my iPad since this week's column is about the passing of Steve Jobs. We don't comment very often on events outside our community, but the loss of an entrepreneur like Jobs is something that touches people everywhere for many different reasons. If you're roughly Jobs' age (mid 50s), it's sad to note the death of a contemporary and it makes you appreciate being healthy and alive. If you were born in the 1950s like I was, you would have been in your 20s when Apple made its debut and you woul...
Dear Editor: Obama's Jobs Act is NOT Class Warfare If the Republicans claim that the American Jobs Act is class warfare on the very wealthy, then the Democrats can say that failing to pass it is class warfare on the millions of jobless people who are suffering. These neighbors, friends and family members can't wait while the aforementioned politicians try to protect the very wealthy who should pay their fair share in taxes. Many very wealthy citizens, some of whom are Washington, D.C. politicians (some are Democrats and some are Republicans),...
