Week of November 20, 2025
Week of November 20, 2025
DAYTON- The Dayton Memorial Library hosted speakers from the Washington Department of Ecology's Nuclear Waste Program on November 7 and 15. Community Outreach and Environmental Education Specialist Sarah Williams, and Communication Manager Ryan Miller presented the department's progress on clean-up efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. From 1945 to 1988, plutonium production at Hanford resulted in more than 400 billion gallons of contaminated liquid waste. That waste was stored in...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on November 11, 2025, at the port’s conference room. Mike Spring attended in person, and Johnny Watts joined the meeting on Zoom. Chair Seth Bryan did not participate, and Spring led the meeting. Also present were Executive Director Jennie Dickinson and Economic Development Coordinator Shane Laib. Spring and Watts handled administrative tasks, including reviewing the monthly budget and approving vouchers. Spring was selected to provide the digital signature...
WAITSURG - The Waitsburg Middle School's boys' basketball team lost to DeSales on Wednesday, November 12, in Waitsburg. The inexperienced B-squad team lost to a group of experienced Irish players 52-11. Highlights include Andre Navarrette, who hit a 3-point shot in the second quarter. Emerson Kiefel ended the game with four points, Abel Creeley and Myles Frasco scored two points each. The A-squad team had a good first quarter and only trailed by one, 11-10, against the Irish. At halftime, the...
My friend Brooklynn Smith and I wanted to make a cute video with the northern lights. We used her phone to record, and mine to light the scene with its flashlight. She set her camera to the Long Exposure/night mode for 30 seconds. We exported the video to TikTok to edit, speeding it up and adding the still photo at the end. We chose a soundtrack featuring an Alan Watts quote for the final product. It has gotten almost 20,000 views on...
PENDLETON—Christmas tree permits are now available at Forest offices, several local businesses, and online by searching “Umatilla National Forest Tree Permits” at www.recreation.gov. Christmas tree permits purchased online must be printed to be valid and can only be used on Umatilla National Forest lands. Christmas tree permits cost $5 each and are limited to one per household. An additional $2.50 fee is charged for permits purchased online. Christmas tree permits are also available at Umatilla National Forest offices and local...
OLYMPIA — As families gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s important to keep fire safety in mind to ensure a safe and joyful holiday. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Thanksgiving Day has the highest number of home-cooking fire incidents nationwide, and residential fires are approximately three times more likely to occur on this day than on any other day of the year. The Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office offers the following fire safety tips: • Watch what you cook: Keep a close eye on cooking food...
DAYTON — He saw the past, present, and future, and you can too. The live performance of “A Christmas Carol” opened last weekend at The Liberty Theater. The show runs through Dec. 6, and tickets are still available at libertytheater.org. The reviews are in with one audience member saying, “fantastic production that will transport you to a bygone era, the attention to detail is incredible, and the whole cast and crew should be proud.” While another said, “absolutely amazing play for those who haven’t seen it.” This year’s...
Air Hockey comes to Waitsburg's new Ice (not ice) Skating Rink. The new attraction was "hockey player" approved by PocketiNet representative, Nate Ewers, who generously agreed to take a test spin or two. "I am from Maine, and this makes a Maine guy happy," he said of the experience. The synthetic ice rink will be officially opened during Hometown Christmas on Saturday, December 6, with a ribbon-cutting at noon and skating from 1 to 7 p.m. Fun for all ages, skates...
WAITSBURG — Waitsburg High School’s National Honor Society (NHS) members have been busy this month organizing a community blood drive and a food drive competition between the primary and secondary students. Working with the American Red Cross, NHS members Hope Adkins, Sarah Daves, Sara Wilson, Karissa Potts, and Bea Karl assisted at the blood drive on November 13. One single blood donation can help save more than one life. The students thanked the 17 blood donors, including six first-time donors who gave blood. The next blood drive at the...
This big cat was caught on a reader's trail cam this last weekend. Luckily, cougar attacks on humans are rare. In Washington state, there have been two fatal cougar attacks and approximately 20 other recorded encounters that resulted in human injury in the last 100...
Fifteen Years Ago November 18, 2010 Waitsburg resident Claudia C. Abel will open Claudia's Therapeutic Massage in the Waitsburg Business Center in December. Abel, a licensed massage therapist with over 10 years of experience, is the first business owner to take up residence at the new business center. She will be available Monday through Friday by appointment. Twenty-Five Years Ago November 16, 2000 [Photo Caption] Stacy Beckman, left, and Val Woodworth show their six-by-six trophy racks, the...
Jack M. McCaw, age 98, was welcomed into the Heavenly Choir on November 15, 2025, joining his beloved “redhead,” Laurette. He was born on March 31, 1927, in Walla Walla, Washington, to Jay M. and Katherine Holling McCaw. (He always joked that his mother didn’t want him to be an “April Fool,” so made sure he was a day early.) He grew up on the family farm near Prescott, along with his sister, Kathleen. He was valedictorian of the Prescott High School class of 1945, but his mother had...
