Category Archives: Wayne Cooke

The Project to Fix a Bad Road – the Graham Hill Section of SR 161

Posted on October 12, 2016 by brucesmith49

By Bruce A. Smith First of a series. The Accident, Thursday October 6, 2016, 6:30 pm: As I crested over the top of Graham Hill I could see a line of three cars stopped in front of me. I slammed … Continue reading →

Posted in Graham News, Health, Politics, Wayne Cooke | 3 Comments

Open Letter to Jim McCune on homelessness – from Wayne Cooke, Graham community activist

Posted on April 25, 2016 by brucesmith49

Open Letter to Pierce County Councilmember Jim McCune, District 3 By  Wayne Cooke Re: Homelessness Dear Jim, I have spent many hours researching our “homeless problem,” sparked by my friendship with a young homeless couple from Graham. As our representative, … Continue reading →

Posted in Eatonville News, Graham News, Kapowsin, Parkland, Politics, Puyallup, Roy News, South Hill, Spanaway, Uncategorized, Wayne Cooke, Yelm News | 1 Comment

Don Wayne Keehoty misses the mark in Graham

Posted on March 27, 2016 by brucesmith49

By Wayne Cooke Don Keehoty was a quiet man, a dreamer who liked to fix squeaky doors. When he and his wife moved to Graham in 1995, he found no local newspaper. He fixed that by putting out a neighborhood … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Graham News, Wayne Cooke | 2 Comments

An Open-Letter to Graham and the Mountain News-WA Community

Posted on November 20, 2015 by brucesmith49

  by Wayne Cooke Editor’s Note: Wayne Cooke is a long-time community activist in Graham, and is a former Board member of the Graham-Kapowsin Community Council. In addition to being a former elementary school teacher in the Bethel, Franklin Pierce … Continue reading →

Posted in Bethel News, Cops and courts, Culture, Family, Frederickson, Graham News, Kapowsin, Politics, Wayne Cooke | 5 Comments

A short history of the Morse Wildlife Preserve

Posted on October 9, 2015 by brucesmith49

By Wayne Cooke In the middle of Graham lies the Morse Wildlife Preserve, an idyllic area totaling 238 acres. Located on 70th Ave, its central portions straddle the headwaters of Muck Creek. Originally a homestead and farm of the Morse family, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Graham News, Nature, Wayne Cooke | 1 Comment

Homelessness in Graham – an Update

Posted on January 21, 2015 by brucesmith49

Editor’s Note: The following piece is a continuation of author Wayne Cooke’s intial story about a Graham woman named Teresa and her family, who have been homeless for years. Wayne’s account, titled “Where Can Teresa Go?” appeared in these pages a year ago and triggered enormous … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Family, Graham News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wayne Cooke | 1 Comment

Where can Teresa go? – An interview with a homeless mother and daughter

Posted on April 23, 2014 by brucesmith49

~ By Wayne Cooke  As I drove into the Graham Post Office parking lot to mail a letter, I waved to a middle-aged woman and her teen-aged daughter. After depositing the letter, I walked over to them. The mother is named … Continue reading →

Posted in Graham News, Wayne Cooke | 8 Comments

Graham Citizen’s News – March, 2014

Posted on February 25, 2014 by brucesmith49

By Bruce A. Smith The Graham Citizens’ News is the latest edition of Wayne Cooke’s “Graham News” newsletters, and is titled “Graham Citizens’ News” to reflect Wayne’s current endeavor to build Graham-awareness and give a voice to local residents concerned … Continue reading →

Posted in Graham News, Wayne Cooke | 2 Comments

Grandpa’s Medicine Staff, a story by author Wayne Cooke of Graham

Posted on June 12, 2012 by brucesmith49

~ Note:  This is a fictional story by Wayne Cooke, inspired by his relatives of the Klallam tribe, and their late dad, Loren Cooke, who needed Rob.  Synopsis:  Grandpa was the tribal shaman (doctor) for his tribe on the Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in Folk tales and stories, Self Reliance, Spirituality, Wayne Cooke | 2 Comments