I know that I said in last week’s email that the Chieftain would start running its stories about candidates running for the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners in last Wednesday’s print edition.

And, to be fair, that was the plan as of last Sunday afternoon, when I wrote the “From the Editor’s Desk” email.

But circumstances changed on Monday, as I juggled the stories that had to get into that week’s print edition. And, after a bit of a back-of-an-envelope calculation, it looked like we could fit all seven candidate profiles into the three editions of the Chieftain that begin this Wednesday. The last of the profiles will appear in the Wednesday, May 1 edition.

That May 1 date is important, because that’s when ballots for the May 21 primary election are mailed. That’s the date by which we want to have all our profile stories printed, so you have information to assess all the candidates.

The plan now (and this could change, of course, but I don’t think it will) is to start with candidates for Position No. 1 on the county commission — that’s the position that Todd Nash is stepping away from in order to run for the state Senate — and to run stories on the first two candidates this Wednesday. We’ll run the stories in alphabetical order, so this Wednesday’s paper will feature candidates John Amond and David Brandt. 

The Chieftain’s print edition on Wednesday, April 24 will feature candidates Lisa Collier and Angelika Dietrich-Garoutte. 

The print edition on Wednesday, May 1 will wrap up our coverage of the county commission race with the final candidate for Position No. 1, Devin Patton, and the two candidates for Position No. 2 — incumbent Susan Roberts and challenger David Hembd.

The May 1 edition also will feature coverage of the election forum scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise.

Also in the next three weeks, the Chieftain will feature stories about the race for Senate District 29, the seat that was held for two terms by the retiring Bill Hansell, and the contested race for the bench in the 10th Judicial District, which includes Wallowa and Union counties. Both of those races could have statewide implications.

And, of course, all of these stories will be available to read on our website, wallowa.com, in some cases before they appear in print. 

In the meantime, if you’re not registered to vote — well, we’ve talked about this before. You’ve got until Tuesday, April 30 to take care of that chore, and you don’t want to be sitting out this election.

I also promised last week to let you know about some of the stories that are available at wallowa.com but might not make it into the print edition. Here are some stories I’ve posted to wallowa.com in the last week or so that are worth your time:

• The short session of the Legislature passed a bill that offers a temporary solution to the “recreational immunity” issue that threatened to close trails throughout the state. City and county officials are grateful, but the Legislature will have to take up the issue again.

• As prescribed burning season opens in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, fire officials are hoping to use those blazes for very specific purposes, such as reducing the amount of fuel available for wildfires. (This story might wind up sneaking into Wednesday’s print edition.)

• Meet the Pendleton man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s who calls himself the “perfect lab rat” — he’s volunteered for four clinical trials aimed at finding treatments or cures for the disease.

• Remember that story I told you about last week about the prison inmates at Pendleton who work to train service dogs? Last week, at what’s called a “Leash-Passing Ceremony,” 13 people got to meet the dogs who will change their lives; it was a bittersweet occasion for everyone involved. But the story makes for an inspirational read. 

• It’s an election season, and that means you’re already getting bombarded with disinformation. But you can protect yourself — and also can help others to guard against the flood of incorrect or misleading information. Michelle Beaver, an Arizona journalist, outlines how you can do that.

Of course, we’re also on working on stories for this Wednesday’s print edition — but I’ve already told you about some of those. 

All of this is part of the Chieftain’s efforts to cover Wallowa County news to the best of our ability. As always, if you have a comment or question about the Chieftain, or want to suggest a story idea, email me at editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com. 

Meanwhile, if you haven’t already, take a moment to register your subscription for digital access of the Chieftain. Call 541-963-3161 to talk to a member of our customer service staff, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription. (The online edition also features a big selection of puzzles available only to subscribers.)

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Chieftain’s subscribers: It would be impossible for us to do this vital work without your support.

Mike McInally is the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain. You can email him at editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com.