It was disheartening to hear of the resignation of Joseph Mayor Dennis Sands. If the Joseph City Council can now move beyond bickering and animosity, it will be a good thing.
A mass movement is underway in Oregon — a mass timber movement.
“There’s a right way and a wrong way to do everything.”
This newspaper takes its role as a government watchdog seriously. That said, we don’t get much in a bunch if occasionally a city, county or other public entity errs in its duties to keep us an…
No one in Wallowa County is against making improvements to the fairgrounds. There are many needs.
One of the most well-known graduation speeches is often incorrectly attributed to former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.
Generally, news releases from Sen. Jeff Merkley contain the latest condemnation of Pres. Donald Trump, his actions, his appointees. It gets a bit predictable.
A proposal to create a library district in Wallowa County deserves your consideration as you complete you Primary Election ballot. The community has lost too many things that local effort coul…
The 2018 legislative short session is about to wrap up. We are constitutionally limited to 35 days, and as such are constitutionally required to finish by March 11.
Agriculture is still king in Wallowa County.
Driving the residential streets of Joseph is a bit like navigating the craters of the moon. Potholes are everywhere, some of them deep enough to dislodge a hubcap.
The following submission was prepared by representatives of Wallowa Memorial Hospital, Mountain View Medical Clinic, Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness and Winding Waters Community Health Center.
The one-issue ballot that arrived in your mailbox and the complicated question therein is proof that something is rotten in the state of Oregon.
One thing we learned this past year is that Wallowa County residents on average do a poor job of playing the role of government watchdogs.
In 2017, it seemed like we never got a break from politics. And there will be no rest for the weary once we turn the calendar to 2018.
At least a couple times a year one group or another reaches out to the Capital Press seeking advice on how to get their message about agriculture to consumers in urban markets.
Bad news keeps rolling out from the Oregon Health Authority. But instead of taking responsibility, Gov. Kate Brown not only ducked it but also tried to spin it as positive news.
The high-energy discussion of housing needs in Wallowa County has begun losing ground in recent weeks. It’s time to take steps to keep the topic at the forefront and continue the effort to fruition.
The idea to form a library district and tax residents for related services grew out of the white-hot backlash to Wallowa County’s actions this past spring.
In 1977, when the first “Star Wars” movie premiered, few — if any — viewers thought it would predict the future of agriculture.
It has become abundantly clear over the past couple months that housing in Wallowa County is a topic that impacts the lives of many residents on a daily basis.
Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Up until last week, that famous saying often incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain, was true about housing in Wallowa County.
The Legislature closed its 2017 session a few days ahead of schedule, and there has already been plenty of political posturing about the successes, missed opportunities and issues that need to…
U. S. Sen. Jeff Merkley opened his appearance at Wallowa Senior Center Saturday noting that America needed more opportunities for people to come together and be heard.
Reports of Russian interference in an American election should be concerning to everyone in this country, regardless of their political affiliation. A foreign government meddling in our sovere…
One of the popular catch phrases that arose out of Watergate in the ‘70s was “follow the money.” Back then, it generally referred to the attempts by Pres. Richard M. Nixon to “buy” whatever he…
One of the popular catch phrases that arose out of Watergate in the ‘70s was “follow the money.” Back then, it generally referred to the attempts by Pres. Richard M. Nixon to “buy” whatever he…
You don’t to look far to find evidence that we have lost out ability to compromise. Whether it’s the Joseph City Council or the U.S. House of Representatives, finding common ground has become …
Oregon is setting a national example for ensuring that employees are paid equally for performing equal work.
In a few days, high school seniors across Wallowa County will graduate from high school. The ceremony is often referred to as commencement. It is a time of moving forward and also looking back.
If you’re a registered voter –– and we sincerely hope you are –– your ballot for the May election should have already arrived in your mailbox or will shortly.
It has been a bad month for Wildlife Services.
Oregon voters place a top priority on K-12 public schools but don’t really trust the state to tax and spend wisely on education, new opinion polling indicates.
In a way, Oregon finally gets to turn the page on the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, little more than a year after a 41-day standoff came to a close.
Bullying has unfortunately become a staple topic in coming of age stories and young adult fiction. If your child is the victim, bullying is an especially sensitive topic.
We seem to forget about the things that work in America. Or at least we quit paying for them.
What do we make of Presidents Day in 2017? There was a time when Washington’s birthday and Lincoln’s birthday were object lessons for school children. Today it’s the adults who are reflecting …
Well beneath the level of congressional argument over the Affordable Care Act, there is a reality that Capitol Hill needs to see. Ordinary people in places such as Wallowa County have gained b…
The decades-old debate on illegal immigration has been renewed with President Trump’s executive order of Jan. 25 — “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Democrats have put out their agendas for the 2017 legislative session. First impression? Small businesses are left by the wayside.
From agriculture to medicine to technology, Oregon thrives on the work of immigrants.
A bill in the Oregon Legislature is sure to draw the attention of the state’s farmers, ranchers and forest managers.
Access to the Internet. The Internet is now considered a basic human right; it is how people find employment, handle their finances, receive an education, work, and receive medical care.
We owe you, our subscribers, a big thank you for your patience last week when print issues of the Wallowa County Chieftain were delayed due to road closures between our print facility in Pendl…
Oregon’s future looks bleak — at least per the Legislature’s budget experts.
Speaking to reporters last week, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said producers need to speak up and tell the public how they are producing more food with less water, le…
Environmental groups say cattle grazing on public rangeland trample and erode streambanks and pollute water.
As we limped to the end of 2016, the promise of a new year arrived.
Close readers of the Chieftain may have noticed that Kathleen Ellyn’s byline has been missing from the last few editions. Some many know that Kathleen was hurt while walking down First Street …
It’s almost Christmas, and many Wallowa County procrastinators — myself included — are still searching for the perfect gift.
After decades of watching failed attempts to fix a broken system, fishermen now have a golden opportunity to push for a serious Columbia and Snake river salmon recovery plan.
When the editor position at the Wallowa County Chieftain came open (former editor Scot Heisel headed over the hill to work at the Lewiston paper) I quickly offered my services for the transiti…
An early scene in George Orwell’s legendary dystopian novel “1984” has the main character rewriting history to suit a repressive government’s political agenda. What we actually have in 2016, 3…
Maybe because we’re used to depending on one another here on the wild outer edge of America, we bring a more humane and pragmatic sensibility to our politics.