Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 601 - 625 of 625
Dear Editor, Mike and I are grateful to our community here in the Touchet Valley for supporting us so well through my cancer diagnosis, surgery and recovery. I had a very successful surgery outcome and will be following up with oral chemotherapy for six months, as a preventative measure against re-occurrence. This is (because I am, and continue to be on) a journey that is filled with many challenges, blessings, and healing. I can say this not just because of the good outcome, but because I have learned so much through the process about me, my...
Dear Editor, I take issue with Waitsburg Mayor Gobel’s comment, in the February 25th Times, in reference to our fairgrounds, where he is quoted as saying that, “Nobody’s come forward to help us with that situation or to get involved to help.” I know several people who both before and after that meeting, went into city hall, or called with offers of voluntary help. Two of us were at that very meeting trying very hard to volunteer. None of us have been contacted by you in any way, shape or form. In fact, we have been ignored. Mr. Kuykend...
Dear Editor, On behalf of the students, staff and Board of Directors, I would like to extend a big thank you to the patrons of the Waitsburg School District. The overwhelming support and passing of the recent Replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy will enable the District to continue to sustain the programs and services it has previously offered. Extracurricular activities and athletics allow our students to gain experiences beyond the classroom that will enhance their growth and development. The District will also seek to extend early...
Dear Editor, In late January registered voters in the Dayton School District will be asked to determine the fate of two school levy measures, a replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy and a Capital Project levy. Both measures are worthy of your support. The M&O levy provides 25% of the District’s budgeted revenue. This funding provides financial support necessary for operational cost and general maintenance and repair tasks. Local dollars support small class sizes and academic support in K-12 classrooms, college prep curriculum and c...
Dear Editor, I just wanted to thank you for the picture on page 12 of your last issue of the Class of 1975. I attended school in Waitsburg from 4 - 8th grade and should have been in that picture but we moved from Waitsburg in the summer of 1970. I have not seen these people since then and just wanted to say it looks like everyone has aged well. Carry on my former classmates. Ron McGuire Deer Park, Wash....
Dear Editor Just a note of thanks. After twenty five years working for Government at Hanford, (father also worked thirty years there) and several years for Boeing, I retired and with wife Olga bought the small lavender farm here. Yes, we are new farmers in town but full of energy retirees learning more every day. We are grateful to community: members of commercial club for opinions about lavender field uses, city office for consulting and at the hardware store people for advise and for finding perfect pets for our home, and for helping us...
Dear Editor, I find it positively exhilarating having been informed that Bill Clinton’s wife, Hillary, plans to invite Caitlyn Jenner to be her vice president. Imagine their apparelers’ grins as these grand ladies stroll the inaugural runway among flowers and more flowers! America is at war between the inner-city savages and the robots of the suburbs, and I wonder if this curious political marriage can appease the combatants. David Castleman Dayton...
Dear Editor, Take a moment and thank your volunteer firefighters in Columbia and Walla Walla County (Waitsburg). They are on duty for us, providing first class, responsive fire and property protection, including education for rural forest homeowners. Our volunteers choose to protect us. They serve our rural communities at the their own expense, skipping time with their families, especially in our time of need. They are on duty during holidays, weekends and after midnight. Our quality of life here is much improved by the sacrifices these...
Dear Editor, I want to take this opportunity to say “Thank you” for all of the notes, cards and well wishes on my retirement. A special thanks to Dinah Lindsey for organizing and Dr. Clarke for hosting the event. Margie Douglas College Place...
Dear Editor, A big thank you to all of the Waitsburg Celebration Days volunteers and to all of those who donated to the public art project! We are very close to having the piece, Jeffrey Hill’s “Founding Fathers”, fully funded, but we still need to raise $5,000. Any donations are greatly appreciated! Thanks once again to all of our great community members who continue to keep Waitsburg “One of a Kind”! Randy Hinchliffe City of Waitsburg...
Dear Editor, On the front page of the April 20, 2015 edition of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, the headline read “4 Area High School Reap Awards.” It stated that Waitsburg High School received the Overall Excellence award from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. It went on to discuss the 2014 High Progress awards received by three other area schools and explained that “only 10 percent of high schools receive the High Progress award.” What the WWUB article failed to explain was that Waitsburg High School,...
Dear Editor, IT’S TIME: It takes a lot of community members to make the right decisions regarding how we live and accomplish tasks within Columbia County, its cities and Waitsburg! In most instances this is accomplished by individuals that step-up and accept a challenge, either as an elected official or as a volunteer. For several years I have been either elected or a volunteer and it is now time to pass the challenge to the younger members of our community. As I move into the mid-seventies it is becoming more difficult for me to make the d...
Dear Editor, Thank you for the great coverage of the historic displays being prepared for the Waitsburg sesquicentennial. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Clyde Burdine to this effort. His company did the initial clean-up of the site, compensated by the scrap metal he picked up. I monitored this activity, and indicated any items of historic value, which he set aside and donated to the Historical Society. Since then, he has moved many of the items several times including taking the large turbine to McGregor’s. It is gratifying t...
Dear Editor, The family of Karen Huwe Mohney wish to express our appreciation for the kindness, support, and messages of sympathy concerning the loss of our beloved wife and daughter, Karen. To all those who joined in the celebration of her life, we thank you. We especially want to thank Sandy Baker for the poignant and informative eulogy, The Reverend Bret Moser for leading the service and for his comfort and prayers, pianist Randy Pearson and soloist Bethany Moser for providing the special music, and all who shared either thoughts or...
Dear Editor, My sister passed away last week after residing at the Booker Rest Home for the past eight months. She had lived with my husband and me in our home for nearly three years until her physical and medical requirements simply became too great. Over the years I have visited many nursing home and care facilities and I inspected many, many more in attempting to locate a suitable facility for my sister. I settled on Booker because it was clean, the staff were friendly, and most important was that there was no smell. My sister had a...
Dear Editor, I believe students should limit their cellphone use at the basketball games. I think this because when I look around, many of the high school and middle school students are not paying attention to the game. They are on their phones playing a game, SnapChatting or texting each other when they are only ten feet away. It is embarrassing and outrageous that they can be so oblivious to their surroundings. In fact, some would miss playing in the band if Mr. Green did not go get them. If constant use of their phones is so important then...
Dear Editor, Something that makes many of the band kids frustrated is that the concessions at the basketball games close after boy’s varsity halftime. At the end of halftime, the band kids have to clean up and put instruments away. By the time we are done with our instruments, the concessions are closed and we can’t get anything for the last half of the game. I personally would like to get a hot dog or soda and I know other kids in the band would like to have a soda or something to eat as well because when I went to get a soda on Saturday aft...
Dear Editor, This is what I think of the Waitsburg-Prescott Combine splitting up. Prescott may not be able to play some of the sports due to not having many players. Waitsburg will also face the same struggle. Gyms may not be available with all the different age groups in sports. Each school will need new sport uniforms and gear. It will be difficult to supply the money for the sports and transportation. The teams may not do as well as before because of the loss of good players. I think the two schools should stay together for sports. Brayden...
Dear Editor, When you get off the two or three most traveled streets of Dayton, there is no question we have some of the worst streets to be found in a city of our size. The side streets are covered with pot holes, deteriorating pavement, and in some cases, just plain gravel. We deserve better than what we are getting. The City’s proposed ballot issue coming up on February 10 to increase the sales tax from 8.1% to 8.3% is a drop in the bucket. It will produce a whopping $69,000 a year if approved, which will be dedicated to street repair and r...
Dear Editor, The City of Dayton decision to seek a sales tax rate increase and to create a Transportation Benefit District is one that is of utmost importance to our community. You only need to drive the streets of Dayton to realize that there is a need to capture dollars that will only be used for street maintenance. A yes vote will insure that dollars will be set aside to repair, maintain and reconstruct the streets as necessary. Current city tax dollars and existing budget requirements do not allow sufficient funds or reserve to accomplish...
Dear Editor, A few drivers are putting themselves and our school bus riders at risk by choosing to violate laws. School busses are required to stop at railroad crossings and yes, they accelerate slower than your car which may inconvenience you. That does not mean it is safe or legal for you to pass them across the double yellow line to get in front of them. School busses follow the speed laws for trucks, not cars, meaning they may be going 60 mph when your limit may be 65 mph. County roads, such as the Middle and Lower Waitsburg Roads, are...
The Times invites readers to share their thoughts on our Opinion Page. Letters to the Editor can be emailed to us at editor@waitsburgtimes.com, or mailed to The Times at P.O. Box 97, Waitsburg, WA 99361. Letters can also be hand-delivered to our office. Letters should be no more than 400 words long. All letters must be signed by the writer(s) using their actual name, and complete contact information for each writer, including address and phone number must be included. We reserve the right to decline to publish any letter that we deem...
This issue of The Times marks, for me, the completion of two years as the paper’s editor and one year as its owner and publisher. For once, the new year brings no big change in my role here. It has been a great pleasure to help bring news and information to our readers in Walla Walla and Columbia Counties the past two years. (And let me not forget the many readers around the country who read The Times to keep up with what we’re doing here.) It’s a privilege to be able to provide a voice for w...
I sat in the living room thumbing through a seed catalog. I contemplated ripping out the order form and sending for a few choice varieties of tomato when I remembered that I would be heading off for college right before they were in season. The floor was littered with shreds of wrapping paper. A brother and a couple assorted cousins were sprawled on the floor and furniture. A paused frame from the credits of a Christmas movie flickered on a TV screen. It was getting warm, and I was getting...
Dear Editor, I’m in full agreement with Joyce Anderson’s letter (“Stricter requirements needed for pot processing” / Union-Bulletin / December 26, 2014). In addition to the 1965 Walla Walla Avenue location (mentioned in her letter), here are two more examples of unacceptable locations for pot retail shops: 927 West Main Street. Tangletown Holdings (Seattle) plans to open in March 2015. This address is in a residential and small business neighborhood. A church is across the street. And The Salvation Army and St. Francis Catholic Church are abo...
