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Bill Kombol on Muck Rack

Bill Kombol

(I, Me, Mine)
Maple Valley
As seen in: Voice of the Valley, Enumclaw Courier-Herald
Covers:  Historical photos with explanatory captions primarily dealing with Washington state coal mining, centered in the areas of Black Diamond, Ravensdale, Enumclaw, Maple Valley, King and Pierce Counties.
Selleck born, Enumclaw raised, U.W. schooled, Palmer Coking Coal trained, happily married, father of three.

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Bill Kombol’s Biography

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Selleck born, Enumclaw raised, U.W. educated, Palmer Coking Coal trained, Happily married father of three, Author of When Coal Was King since 2007. Website: BillBored.org

Bill Kombol’s Journalist Portfolio

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Lois Olson Remembered - BillBored.org

Lois Olson Remembered - BillBored.org

Lois Robertson Olson, Mrs. Olson, or Mom - she raised her family in Enumclaw and personified how good becomes…

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Radical Tom Wolfe - BillBored.org

Radical Tom Wolfe - BillBored.org

How Tom Wolfe set the literary world ablaze and found a forever fan who tells his personal story of vanity th…

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A Farewell to Mike - BillBored.org

A Farewell to Mike - BillBored.org

Mike Wickre died without obituary or funeral. His last post caused Bill Kombol to examine his life, friends, …

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March Fourth With Uncle Joe - BillBored.org

March Fourth With Uncle Joe - BillBored.org

Joe Silvestri died three months shy of his 100th birthday. Born on March 4th Uncle Joe embodied his Greatest …

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My Living Theater - BillBored.org

My Living Theater - BillBored.org

A Rex Reed review of The American Film Theater led a college sophomore to The Living Theater and lifelong lov…

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Spring Fever, Cedar River Boat Racing, & Bob Morris - BillBored.org

Spring Fever, Cedar River Boat Racing, & Bob Morris - BillBored.org

How Cedar River Boat Racing with Bob Morris brightened spring quarter of my final year of college and helped …

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Articles

WHEN COAL WAS KING: Dan’s Better Meat

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By Bill Kombol
| Voice of the Valley Verified
When out-of-staters visit the Pacific Northwest, it’s usually during the summer months. And there’s no better place to take them than the Pike Place Market. It’s Seattle’s top destination, with an estimated 20 million visits per year. The market was first opened on August 17, 1907, by City Council President Charles Burnett Jr., the son of Charles Burnett Sr., who was superintendent of Renton’s Talbot Mine and founder of the Pierce County coal mining town of Burnett.
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WHEN KING WAS COAL: Hornet’s Nest drive-through, 1954

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By Bill Kombol
| Voice of the Valley Verified
The nation’s first drive-through restaurant is generally credited to Red’s Giant Hamburg on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, which opened its windows to motorists in 1947. The following year, In-N-Out Burger in Baldwin Park, California introduced a ground-breaking two-way intercom system for ordering. Enumclaw was not far behind. The Hornet’s Nest on the Enumclaw-Black Diamond Road was constructed as a 240-square-foot building with a roof twice as large.
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WHEN COAL WAS KING: Lake Sawyer Mill Locomotive ca. 1930

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By Bill Kombol
| Voice of the Valley Verified
This photo of a Lake Sawyer Lumber Company’s rod engine locomotive, with three couples standing on the front wooden fender, likely dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. Notes on the photo suggest the passengers were on a summer picnic. The barren landscape surrounding the locomotive and picnickers speaks to the clear-cut logging operations conducted throughout the area around Lake Sawyer during mill operations from 1922 to 1934.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Sports stories for the Enumclaw Courier-Herald.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes

How is social media changing news?

For the worse generally, but by democratizing news, different voices can weigh in with alternate takes and opinions.

Awards

Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society

2013 - History Award

Each year, the Enumclaw Plateau Historical Society holds a dinner to honor someone in the area who has made a significant contribution preserving our local history.

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Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service

2023 - Protecting and promoting local Washington history

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn awarded Bill Kombol with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”

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