South Grant County forum set for Wednesday
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Wahluke High School is the site for Wednesday's candidate and small municipality forum.
FILE PHOTO
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | October 23, 2023 6:14 PM
MATTAWA — The South Grant County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a candidate and local agency forum Wednesday evening at Wahluke High School from 5-7 p.m.
“Our goals are to improve the economic climate for the area overall,” said Pam Thorsen, secretary for the chamber. “And so, one way of doing that is informing the citizens who are registered to vote about the people that are running all these special service districts.”
Thorsen said having informed voters is vital to the health of the community, both economically and literally in some cases. Representatives from the city of Mattawa will be at the event, along with representatives from Wahluke School District, Grant County Hospital District 5 which runs the clinic in Mattawa, Grant County Fire District 8 and other districts that serve the south end of Grant County.
She said she hopes her fellow South Grant County residents will attend the event to learn about the districts present.
“For many years, I didn’t pay attention to my property tax bill, and now I do,” Thorsen said. “And, I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to understand what those (special purpose districts) are and what they’re wanting to provide.”
Understanding what the community is getting for their tax dollars is important, she said.
“It’s an education process,” Thorsen said.
Wahluke High School is located at 505 N. Boundary Road in Mattawa.
For more information about the South Grant County Chamber of Commerce visit their website at sograntcountywachamber.com.
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...
An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.