Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 998 - 1022 of 1333
To the Editor, I want to express my thanks and gratitude to all the voters of Columbia County and Waitsburg who came out and voted during this past election. Thank you so much to all who wrote letters, made phone calls, and otherwise campaigned for me. You are appreciated far more than words can express! We have our work cut out for us, but we will work as a team and with continued community backing the Hospital District can pull through! Please write letters, send emails and make phone calls now, today, to Governor Gregoire to let her know we...
Center Sees Big Numbers WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Resource Center, which opened in the AmericanWest Bank in December 2010, is being used by our neighbors more than ever. The city's food bank had been run out of the basement of the Presbyterian Church for 25 years until the bank offered up its space. The churches in town formed a board and its new visible spot and word of mouth is bringing more neighbors through the doors, said Bethany Moser, the chairwoman of the board. The Leos Club at...
A s many readers may remember, we were hopeful, but a bit skeptical, about the prospects for this season's Tigers team. After losing veteran head coach Rick Hamilton and seasoned assistant coach Bart Baxter, who guided the first-year team to a magical winning season, we were wondering how WP would top that performance. We weren't sure how the new head coach, Precott High School teacher Mark Grimm, who had general coaching experience but not in soccer, and his assistant Jay Potts would do with the young team. There were some questions about the...
"Nor were the women of less fortitude than their men, while they did remain at home in their cabins, their work was hard; carried great responsibilities and suffered many terrifying moments from the Indians who were all about and delighted in frightening them. Fearful of the natives, Lois Lloyd, during her first year in the valley in 1859, when Albert was away for the day, had taken her baby and a lunch and hidden in the woods until he returned in the evening. It was such women that 'Lyman's History' recorded: Not one of these noble women but m...
D About Needs & Good Deeds AYTON -- When Teeny McMunn's sister decided to take her own life, she let everyone know why. The sister suffered from the onset of Huntington's disease, a chronic hereditary condition that destroys a patient's ability to feel, think and move. Their mother at Booker Rest Home had died from it and the young woman didn't want to suffer from the same degenerative demise or be a burden to her family. So, she wrote everyone a letter and then killed herself with helium. It...
Members of the Waitsburg Christian Church found a small care package at their door step or tied to their door knob Sunday. In a plastic bag was a little bundle of chocolate candy and a 8.5x11 seasonal Thanksgiving greeting. As part of a reminder how blessed we are, the message said this is "a time to give thanks to the Lord above, for friends and family to share our love. May we share these blessings of love with our neighbors too, as our Lord and savior would have us do." Instigator Pam Conover credited the congregation's children and some of...
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...
