WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 • 50 CENTS
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VETERAN APPRECIATION
Board
OKs
Rundhaug
request to
go in ‘15
Willcox
to be hub
for So.
AZ Food
Bank
Ainslee S. Wittig
Carol Broeder
[email protected]
WILLCOX -- The Willcox School Board
last Wednesday night approved, by a
margin of 4-1, a request made by Superintendent Dr. Richard Rundhaug to not
extend his contract beyond the June 30,
2015 end date.
The special meeting was held at the
Willcox Middle School cafeteria, and had
an audience of just under 30 people. However, no call to the public was offered.
The motion on the single agenda item
of the special meeting was made by Vice
President Bill Nolan.
“I move to honor the superintendent’s
request not to extend his current contract,
and therefore it will end on June 30, 2015,”
he said.
The motion was seconded by Board
member Dwayne Owen.
President Debra Ellis asked if there was
any discussion and no one responded. Ellis
then asked Nolan to repeat the first and
second half of the motion, as she did not
like the second part.
An audience member, Sharon Chapman,
asked what she did not like about it, but
was not acknowledged by the Board.
Nolan repeated the motion and added
that the district’s attorney “specifically
asked that I add that wording (the date of
the end of the contract) to the motion.”
With no more discussion, Ellis called for
a vote. Board members Ellis, Nolan, Larry
Schultz and Dwayne Owen voted for the
motion and Gary Clement voted against
the motion.
Ellis announced that there will be no
new contract for Rundhaug and his contract will be over as of July 1, 2015, and
adjourned the meeting.
The meeting lasted less than five minutes.
Following the meeting, Clement said
that he voted no on the motion because
“I think Dr. Rundhaug deserved another
year to finish out the projects he is working on and the construction that he started. Then, after that year he could move
on to enrich himself at a larger school or a
higher tier job.”
“I also think this meeting should have
been a general discussion, where the comSee SCHOOL, A6
[email protected]
CAROL BROEDER / [email protected]
Students from the Joanne Todd Christian School and others release
100 balloons following the Willcox Veterans Parade last Tuesday.
illcox Veterans Support Group and other
community organizations around the country reminded us that “America is the land of
the free because of the brave.” See more, pg. A8-9.
W
WILLCOX -- Plans are underway to
open a new food bank warehouse in
Willcox by the Spring of 2015.
Michael McDonald, CEO of the
Community Food Bank of Southern
Arizona, and his staff gave a presentation at City Council Chambers earlier
this month on the proposed “Willcox
Food Distribution Center.”
Likening it to the concept that “it
takes a village to raise a child,” McDonald said “It takes a whole community
to build and operate a food bank.”
The Willcox Distribution Center will
support charitable organizations that
serve hungry people in Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties.
McDonald says that the food bank
plans to “ship food into this area
monthly,” once the warehouse is completed.
With both cooler and freezer space,
the food bank will be able to store it,
then “drive down to Bowie, Douglas
and San Simon,” making Willcox a
“storage and distribution hub.”
Spanning 7.4 acres on Bisbee Avenue between Scott Street and West
Patte Road, the 10,000 square-foot
metal building will have the address of
931 N. Bisbee Ave.
“There are lots of local producers in
the area,” McDonald told the audience.
“We’ll see if there are local foods
available here.”
Reassuring the representatives of local charities among the 25 people in the
audience, McDonald said, “We don’t
want to put anyone out of business.
You’re all doing a great job.”
As to the building itself, McDonald
said the food bank has been “pulling
together sources of funds” to build the
warehouse, receiving funding from the
USDA, Howard Buffet Foundation and
other charitable organizations.
The Willcox Distribution Center
“may immediately employ two or three
local folks,” such as a warehouse manager and drivers.
Asked if the food bank looked at
already vacant buildings in Willcox,
See FOOD BANK, A6
LCO Beta’s Holiday House: Food,
Southwest Traditions and Santa
Carol Broeder
[email protected]
AINSLEE S. WITTIG / [email protected]
Barbie Nickasch (center) with Kylie Amalong, 9 months,
and Samantha Hartman, at right, look at the ornaments
for sale on the Christmas tree at Holiday House in 2013.
WILLCOX -- A Willcox
tradition honors “Southwest
Traditions,” as members of
the Lambda Chi Omega Beta
Chapter host the upcoming 35th
annual Holiday House.
As to why she chose that
theme, Chairman Louise Walden
said, “My hope is to have items
that represent the variety of
social traditions of the area – of
Western settlement (including
ranch and farm life), Native
American, and Mexican influences.”
Get smoother streaming and a
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As always, home-baked goodies and homemade crafts will
highlight the event on Friday,
Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.,
in the Willcox Elks Lodge, 247
E. Stewart St.
Walden wants to remind the
community that Holiday House
is the only fundraiser that LCO
Beta does.
“What we earn on this one
night goes to help fund various
local charities and all our scholarships,” she told the Range
News.
The ever-popular Bake Shoppe -- with home-baked goodies,
cakes, pies, and candies for
sale – is a place to go for baked
goods for Thanksgiving. There
will also be a refreshment table
with free punch and homemade
cookies.
“This year’s raffle prize is a
beautiful patio fire pit,” Walden
said. “A picture of it can be
viewed on our Facebook page,
‘Lambda Chi Omega Beta Holiday House.’”
It is described as a “Red Ember Castle Pines 34’ Square Slate
Fire Pit” with spark screen, liftSee HOLIDAY, A3
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