Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 576 - 600 of 625
Dear Editor, Questions that you may be interested in finding the answers to: What city council person convinced the council to allow him/her to manage the fairgrounds, then hired his/her son from the profits? Which city council person failed to advise the council of this action, and apparently failed to have a “scope of work” contract in place? What city council person is unable to keep his/her personal beliefs from playing a part in his/her decisions that affect the whole city? What city council person has demonstrated a personal vendetta agai...
Dear Editor, A reasonable and mature individual, purporting to have the community at heart, upon hearing that a major corporation is interested in establishing a widget factory in their city would and should be gaga, as in Lady Gaga. Heck, color me William Gaga. I see Waitsburg as the lonely school girl sitting against the wall at the ‘sock hop,’ just a wishing and a hoping someone will ask her to the dance. Hoping someone will think her worthy of at least one dance. In her mind she says, “Won’t someone see me and care?” In my mind I see her l...
Dear Editor Thank you to all the fire departments and the farmers with equipment who came to fight the fire at my place on Saturday night. I also want to thank everyone who stopped by with kind words and phone calls to commiserate. Your support means a great deal. Ivadell Nordheim Waitsburg...
Dear Editor, I want to take a moment and thank Perry Dozier for his eight years of passionate service to our community and for his outstanding leadership on the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners. We should all thank Perry for his excellent representation on the board which serves our community. Whoever takes Perry’s place on the board of commissioners not only has big shoes to fill but also must be a good representative of our community. The commissioner of a district deals with the constituent issues in that district but that same c...
Dear Editor, To all the brave fire fighters who fought the fire at Mace Matheny’s property here at Starbuck, Washington, on Sunday, July 17 and Monday, July 18, I cannot express to you how grateful I am that no one was injured and none of the equipment was damaged. Had the hitch not been broke on “Big Red” (my wheel tractor), I could have quickly disked a fire line to try and contain the fire. Both Mace and I thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts. Doris Matheny Starbuck...
Dear Editor, As has been reported, area residents provided significant input at the well-attended city council meeting on July 20 when Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) announced its interest in evaluating Waitsburg as a potential location for a bottled water facility. Given the initial concerns voiced, it is understandable the city council unanimously moved to halt field investigation by NWNA until they have had more time to evaluate the proposed project. NWNA respects the city’s decision and has ceased all field activities. We are co...
Dear Editor, On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank those who completed and returned the recent proposed capital projects survey. The responses have given the Board guidance in determining its next steps regarding the upgrading of district facilities. Additionally, your comments provided a deeper understanding of how to better communicate the needs of the district, as well as the funding limitations and challenges which we face. Results of the survey can be found on the District’s website: www.waitsburgsd.org. As a result of...
Dear Editor, We are writing to endorse Todd Kimball for County Commissioner, District 2. We have known Todd personally for nearly 20 years and consider him a good friend. He has brought his boys out hunting on our property over the years and has always been a conscientious and responsible hunter and has brought his boys up to be the same. His stewardship of wildlife goes along with his stewardship of the land. As a farmer, he has a unique perspective on the relationship between wildlife and crop ground and that there is give and take in both....
Dear Editor, What is really happening with Nestle and our spring water? I plan to go to the Waitsburg City Council meeting Wednesday night, July 20, for more information. I am hoping that the Mayor and the City Manager are willing to schedule a public meeting devoted to the pros and cons of this issue before City Council has to decide whether or not to allow Nestle access to our water. Nestle, a multi-national corporation, is only responsible to its shareholders. Our city government (which should be as transparent as a plastic water bottle) is...
Dear Editor, Ms. Callahan’s letter in the June 30 The Times appeared to have four points: (1) No city water for Nestle; (2) the Mayor using his veto power for his personal agenda; (3) Territorial Charter allows city police; (4) the Mayor wasting city money. As to (1) if Nestle had been in contact with city administration concerning the feasibility of locating in Waitsburg that would be a normal initial step prior to any publicity. Had there been open discussion it would likely have been reported in The Times the following week. If there was no...
Dear Editor, It is a pleasure to endorse Melissa Hansen who is running for Walla Walla County Commissioner. Among her many qualifications, Melissa is a graduate of the Washington AgForestry Leadership Program. Washington AgForestry Leadership Program is a two-year leadership program designed for individuals who work in Washington State’s natural resource industries. The AgForestry Leadership Program was established for leaders who want to enhance their leadership skills and take on further leadership roles and responsibilities after their g...
Dear Editor, Gun or person? Try painting without a brush, try eating without a fork, and try killing 50 people without a gun. Tools are needed to get a job done and if you want to do a whole lot of harm to your fellow man, the AR-15 is a great tool. Cathy McMorris Rodgers hasn’t demonstrated the political will to do anything about gun slaughter and violence happening daily. She waits for cues from her ideologically driven party leaders. Nobody is asking her for the elimination of guns but merely attention to the “general welfare” clause in th...
Dear Editor, First and foremost I would like to thank those who have supported me as your County Commissioner representing District 2 for the past eight years. These two terms have been both challenging and rewarding, as this position has evolved and expanded tremendously. I have been honored to be able to help and serve the residents of Walla Walla County. This year there are six candidates vying for the District 2 position. They all have distinct attributes that need to be analyzed to determine who will best fit the needs of Walla Walla...
Dear Editor, Rumor has it we have had Nestles big wigs in town wanting our water. Not just no, HELL NO! I have been very concerned since my first year on city council. My concern stems from the Territorial Charter. It states in Sec. 38. The mayor of the city of Waitsburg, in addition to his powers and duties as part of the body known as “the council of Waitsburg,” shall have power to veto all ordinances or resolutions passed by said council in the manner provided by this act. I found that the veto power has been misinterpreted as the power to...
Dear Editor, As a lifelong Republican, I reject Donald Trump and what he stands for: racism, xenophobia, nativism, and contempt for women, the disabled and other groups. Rather than adhere to our party’s conservative principles and state a clear program, he offers a vague vision of “making America Great Again” and simplistic slogans about “building a wall” and deporting millions of undocumented workers. He is demagogue who most people thoughtful people will surely reject as President and Commander in Chief. At the minimum, who would want the...
Dear Editor, I have known Randal Son for several years. Just recently I have become aware of the depth and breadth of his experience as he campaigns for County Commissioner District 2. He has had formal training and then applied it professionally in developing Endowments, Agricultural Credit Analysis, and Community Development Finance. He has held the Certified Financial Planner Certificate and the National Association of Securities Dealers Broker’s Licenses. He was early to recognize the importance of developing clean and renewable energy, a...
Dear Editor, To all those people who planned, created, recreated, scheduled, organized in too many ways to mention, Larry and I thank you for all the Celebration Days 2016 activities. We can’t begin to image the time and effort of all the different groups/individuals contributed to make this event happen. Out of all the community members that could have been selected, we certainly appreciate being chosen to represent our ‘One of a Kind’ community. ‘It was a grand time!” Larry and Pam Conover Waitsburg...
Dear Editor: Waitsburg Celebration was another huge success, thanks to a bunch of involvement from the community, its citizens, and its organizations. We are so proud to be living in this town, and enjoying our annual celebration as it is now and remembering the way Waitsburg has celebrated this weekend in May for so many years! The event(s) could never have happened without the help of many people in this city. First, the Celebration Days Committee: they started meeting in October and have worked tirelessly throughout the entire fall, winter...
Dear Editor, Because Washington State’s presidential primary is meaningless--except to gather names for major political parties (which smells like public use of dollars for the benefit of private groups) the Secretary of State and Attorney General’s offices were contacted. Responses from both referenced RCW 29A.56.060 submitted as an initiative to the legislature and passed in 1989. Simply put, if the legislature provides funds a Presidential Primary is held. This year the cost of the Presidential Primary is estimated at $11.5 million. Con...
Dear Editor, Lyons Ferry Marina would like to thank the County Commissioners, Port of Columbia and the County Engineer for helping to resolve a posible interruption of our business by a road construction project on Lyons Ferry Rd. Originally slated for June & July 2016 this project would have closed the road for 60 days during our peak season. An alternate road closure date has been set to start on or after August 15th 2016. Although not ideal we will only have a few weeks of our summer season affected instead of eight. We wish it was later,...
Dear Editor, In response to the April 21st article in the Times, regarding staff cuts in the Waitsburg School District, we as educators would like to share some additional insight and encourage community members to attend the May 11th school board meeting in Preston Hall at 7:00 pm. Reducing the certified teaching staff by 1 to 3 people is likely to cause significant changes for Waitsburg students. This could include, but is not limited to, fewer elective classes offered at the high school, loss of continuity and belonging in the middle school...
Dear Editor, On behalf of the After School Task Force, we want to thank the many volunteers who contributed to a very successful After School Pilot Program which concluded on March 31, 2016. There is no doubt that the program would never have happened without the countless hours of preparation and facilitation on the part of our volunteers. A total of 50 youth, grades 3 – 6 participated in art, dance, gardening, soccer, basketball, football, and granola making. We want to thank the following volunteers for their commitment to the program: S...
Dear Editor Thank you to the Citizens of Waitsburg for your support in the recent Mayor City Election. Your confidence in my ability to do the job is greatly appreciated. I am proud to serve as Mayor of this One of a Kind City. It is a special city and we are proud to reside here and be involved. Thanks to all of the candidates that were willing to step up and declare their willingness to serve this city. Congratulations to those that won! And thank you to all that were willing to serve. Waitsburg has many opportunities to serve, so if you...
Dear Editor, Those running for national office could learn much about civility and actually answering constituent questions from candidates for Waitsburg mayor and city council. At the candidate forum held March 25 at The Q, the candidates stated why each was interested and willing to run for office. Each candidate also clearly answered questions asked by audience members. During the question and answer portion candidates gave their opinions, in response to a question, on what is needed for Waitsburg to survive and evolve in the future. The...
Dear Editor, Thank you to the mystery person who left the large bowl of flowers on my front porch. It was a wonderful surprise and cheers me every time I see it. Jan Cronkhite Waitsburg...
