Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1402 - 1426 of 2504
Dear Editor, Be it deliberate or careless, I think Sheriff Turner's detractors have lost their situational awareness (e.g. 7/13 letter in U-B). The records prove Sheriff Turner builds coalitions; he does not divide them. He's bolstered the Search and Rescue team; he initiated the successful Sheriff's Foundation; he's improved communication by hosting quarterly meetings in four of our communities, and he's earned the respect and support of key leaders like Police Chief Chuck Fulton (ret.), and Police Chief Scott Beiber. As the writer eloquently...
Every single person has something wonderful to offer - and I believe that every person should have the opportunity and the ability to reach one's full potential. That's why I was proud to cast my vote for H.R. 803, the bipartisan, bicameral Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which works to reduce the skills gap for all Americans, and ensures individuals with disabilities have the tools they need to succeed in all workplaces - including those that provide competitive and integrated...
I spent last Sunday at the mall in the Tri-Cities. I've never been big on shopping, so when I do head to Columbia Center I tend to find myself in a detached state of social critique and scholarly observation. (At least, that's the excuse I sheepishly offer my friends when I leave a five-hour shopping trip empty-handed and they begin enviously eyeing my plump billfold.) Last Sunday, I learned that I was never meant to wear a maxi dress. In the best-case scenario, I look like a fluorescent twig....
I last week's paper, we made a mistake that was more than misquito-sized. Or should I say mosquito-sized. Even though it was Dena Wood's article, that one's on me - I'm the headline guy, as well as the editor, and I didn't do either of those jobs justice in that case. I can honestly say that "mosquito" is one of those words that I don't write often enough to have fixed in my brain. (Although it is now.) That's especially true when press time is looming and I'm in a hurry. Speaking of "write," we made an unfortunate error in a campaign ad for a...
I n sports they call it "sudden death." While in many respects, politics has become less polite than sports, we give the current round of elections a more polite name: the primary. Many elected offices in Washington counties are up for election this year. In Walla Walla and Columbia Counties, a great majority of those are uncontested. They include Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer and Prosecutor positions in both counties, as well as Auditor and Sheriff in Columbia County. In the Touchet Valley area of Walla Walla County, voters will see two local...
Dear Editor, Law enforcement is dangerous work. Law enforcement officers in the U.S. suffered a 24% increase in deaths by gunfire from 2009 to 2010, according to a recent report. In the Walla Walla sheriff's race we need to remember officers' families and all families. Until 4 months ago, when my husband retired, he'd been a Walla Walla County deputy for more than 37 years. My oldest daughter is a deputy sheriff in Idaho. Last month a man from Waitsburg shot a police officer in Rainier, Oregon. Another man walked up to 2 Las Vegas officers who...
Dear Editor: Sheriff Turner has done an excellent job in his first term as sheriff of Walla Walla County. Sherriff Turner made good on his promise to conduct 24 hour patrols in the rural areas of the county. He has visited the outlying areas and met with us on a regular, communicated schedule, something his predecessor didn't ever do. We have a positive presence of the Sheriff's office on our middle school campus in Burbank, and a win-win for both the school district and Sheriff's office, another first under his administration. He has been...
Dear Editor, I was proud to be a deputy sheriff with the Walla Walla Sheriff's Office for 37 1/2 years. I served in several different capacities and retired Feb. 28, 2014. I served under five sheriffs. Each of the first four sheriffs brought their skills and leadership to this department. The fifth sheriff, Sheriff John Turner, is the hardest working, most dedicated, most honorable, and most ethical law enforcement leader I served with. Since his first day in office he averages 65-80 hours of work per week, far more than any prior sheriff....
Dear Editor, Who is Barry Blackman? Here are some definitions that describe Barry Blackman and their relevance in his qualifications for Sheriff. Savvy: defined as a person who has a practical understanding, well informed and perceptive, experienced along with common sense. I believe this has pulled more successful law enforcement officers up through the ranks than any text book regiment could hope for. Pragmatic: dealing with problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way. Blackman is this from day one. I was prese...
Dear Editor, Is Sheriff John Turner part Hollywood? In 2010, Sheriff Humphreys told me that John Turner would cause a destabilizing influence on the Sheriff's Office . Some Deputies were impressed with John Turner. He talked their language and had defended Police in California regarding difficult situations. From Turner's web page, and internet searches: In 1984 at age 21, John joined a small Police Department. He was a student in college. In May, 1988 he joined the LAPD and in October 1988 completed Police Academy . By July 1996, he received...
Dear Editor, I feel the candidates for County Sheriff; Mr. Blackman and Mr. Cooper, have no respect for other peoples' time. I drove two and a half hours with a friend to hear the debate in Burbank on Tuesday only to find Blackman and Cooper left the venue due to not wanting to be videotaped. Grow up men! We are in a world of people videoing people in public. What a shabby thing to do. Isn't that what law-enforcement do when they want to be sure the facts remain straight and honest? What, five Sheriff Turner committee members scare you off? At...
I 've gotten my fair share of college recruitment mail since last fall, and I now consider myself something of a connoisseur of the medium. I have my own private museum of college correspondence anomalies, each labeled with my personal nickname for it. Among the highlights are: - The U of Chicago Tablecloth, a poster three feet by four feet in size. It came folded up, with the obligatory "Join Our Mailing List" postcard attached to the middle with a small amount of very springy glue. - The...
Last summer I attended my 40th high school class reunion in Vancouver, Wash. That evening I had the pleasure of listening as several of the "kids" I went to school with described how wonderful their grandchildren are - some at great length. I was happy to get that over with, but I also came away with a new appreciation for the strong connections people have, not only with their former classmates, but also with their former high schools and their former communities. In a large high school like the one I attended, each class is pretty much on...
Dear Editor, When Sheriff Turner took office in 2011 I spent a large amount of time reviewing several years of the Walla Walla County and Sheriff's Office financial reports, in order to fully understand the budgeting and accounting process. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), I wanted to know the history and pattern of expenditures, as well as what Sheriff Turner had to work with. A couple of things became obvious quickly. First, in order to deeply understand the accounting and budgeting process involved in managing the Sheriff's budget...
Dear Editor, As a rural land and homeowner in Columbia County, I am pleased with the efficiency and responsiveness of our local 911 dispatch and fire department. While most local families are enjoying a Fourth of July, barbecues and all the holiday events, many department staff and volunteers are working to protect homes, property and people from fire; trading time with their families to protect us. Please continue to join me and support our local fire department, volunteer firefighters, 911 dispatch and County Emergency Services. They do a...
A sk any private eye and they'll tell you - "There's no feeling like plunking another file in the "solved" tray, especially when that case was as stressful as my last one." A couple months back, a fellow came in asking me to check out an outfit called Smithton Amalgamated Trading. The pay was good, but the job was hard. It was a case with more dead ends than a corpse's hairdo. I got my client what he needed, and he was more than a little surprised when I gave it to him. "You - you made it out,"...
A s Colorado and Washington state approve the sale of marijuana for recreational use and other states consider following suit, [the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Md., Nora] Volkow says, the notion that legalization represents a modest, cost-free move is dangerously overblown. The evidence on the supposed safety of marijuana - particularly marijuana in its modern, far more potent form - is far from clear enough to take this leap. "I think that what we are seeing is a little bit of wishful thinking in the sense that we...
Dear Editor, As former president of the Washington State Sheriffs' Association, I have had the distinct pleasure of working closely with Sheriff John Turner for the past four years. Sheriff Turner has proven himself to be an enthusiastic man of leadership, vision and unquestionable integrity who deeply cares about the law enforcement profession and the citizens of Walla Walla County. He constantly strives to find innovative ways to improve services to the citizens of the County. Sheriff Turner is both highly educated and experienced in law...
[Editor's note: This week we bring you what we hope will be a continuing Times feature: a look at an issue that has broad as well as local implications. Following are several excerpts from news features and opinion pieces from Washington and nationwide regarding the upcoming battle to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank.] A U.S. agency that helps foreign companies buy American-made products is facing the biggest test in its 80-year history as House Republicans press to shut the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Companies including Boeing, General...
Last week, I took my first plane trip in eleven years. Naturally, I'd forgotten a lot about those things since I was five, including the heavily standardized script the flight attendant rattles off before takeoff. (This serves the convenient double purpose of emergency instructions and mild sedative.) But on the first leg of the trip, I was lucky enough to get a steward who didn't mind taking a creative riff or two: - "The lavatory is that small door down towards the back. It's the only door on...
[Editor's note: In July 1946, America was celebrating its recent victory in World War II, while also beginning its recovery from the trauma of that war. The July 5, 1946 issue of The Waitsburg Times featured an editorial written by its publisher at the time, Carl P Dilts. We bring it to you again, 68 years later.] T he Declaration of Independence was the most important political document ever conceived for man's preservation. To secure freedom, the colonists fought for six long years, christening a new nation in blood. The American temper was...
