Week of September 18, 2025
Week of September 18, 2025
WALLA WALLA - Twenty-four pets, including 12 cats and 12 dogs, went to loving homes during the Blue Mountain Humane Society's Adoption Event at Walla Walla Toyota on Sunday, September 14. Everyone who drove into the busy Toyota dealership was greeted with barks and smiles. The event is made possible with the support of Walla Walla Toyota, which hosts the adoption event, and media sponsor Elkhorn Media Group. Generous private and community sponsors covered adoption fees for many of the dogs and...
WAITSBURG - On Sunday, September 21, the Waitsburg Historical Society will host the Pioneer Fall Festival, with an afternoon of food, horse-drawn carriage rides, pioneer craft demonstrations, antique farm equipment, museum tours, and the "Vintage Style Show." The Style Show begins at 1:30 p.m. and will feature clothing from the late 1800s to the Roaring Twenties-a journey from hoop skirts that concealed a woman's shape to more modern styles that accentuated it. Generous volunteers will model...
DAYTON - The Dayton City Council met on September 9, 2025. Mayor Roger Trump, council members James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Shannon McMillen, and Joann Patras were present. Laura Aukerman did not attend. Port of Columbia Economic Development Coordinator Shane Laib presented plans for the 150th Anniversary (Sesquicentennial) of Columbia County celebration scheduled for October 4, 2025. The council expressed interest in the commemorative mural at the Palus Museum and was told the mural will be unveiled at the...
WAITSBURG - This year, Waitsburg has a new youth football program for students in fourth through sixth grades. The program developed by USA Football is part of its youth football development model, Football for All. The new model is designed to make the game safer by reducing contact and teaching skills based on the athlete's age, skill, and game type. The boys, coached by Waitsburg High School graduate Cyson Morris and assisted by Dallas Harker, will play their first game of the season in...
WAITSBURG - The Cardinal high school football team had a big win against Mabton, scoring 52-0, on Friday, September 12. The game was a boost for everyone on the team. Waitsburg's strong defensive game included quarterback sacks, interceptions, 15 tackles by Jarod Hankins, and 12 tackles by Tucker Hamilton. On offense, Martin Vasquez rushed for 85 yards and scored two touchdowns, and JJ Gleason rushed for 52 yards, threw for 130 yards, and scored two touchdowns. "The thing that stood out to me...
WALLA WALLA - On October 7, the Walla Walla Symphony will open its 2025-2026 season with Gustav Holst's "The Planets," the piece that made Holst a classical rock star. Attend the performance to see why. In a press release, WWS said, "'The Planets' is packed with emotion and contrast: fierce and dramatic one moment, gentle and lyrical the next. This is the kind of music that fills the hall and leaves you buzzing." In addition, the opening night program will include Samy Moussa's "Elysium" and...
WALLA WALLA — Blue Mountain Community Foundation, in partnership with United Way of the Blue Mountains, invites eligible organizations from Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Umatilla counties to register for the 2025 Valley Giving Guide. Registration will be open from September 15 through October 15, 2025. From December 2 to 31, the Valley Giving Guide is a print and online platform where nonprofits can introduce their organizations to potential donors. A secure website will allow donors to choose one or multiple organizations to support...
DAYTON - The Dayton Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Task Force will host a town hall, community meeting on September 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Scotsman, located at 410 S. 3rd. St. The discussion will be centered on the vision for the future of Dayton. The special guest speaker is Kathryn Witherington, Executive Director of Walla Walla Common Roots Housing Trust. Witherington has served as the executive director of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation and the...
DAYTON – “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is the last chapter of one of television and film’s most enduring period dramas, with five seasons and three movies. The Crawley family, staff, and the grand house are entering the 1930s and must navigate how to embrace the future. The familiar cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Joely Richardson, Paul Giamatti, Jim Carter, and Joanne Froggatt. One Rotten Tomatoes critic wrote, “Fellowes & Curtis have gifted audiences with a trilogy closer that’s worth...
DAYTON - Like every industry, farming has changed significantly through the new technologies. Last year, "The Times" accompanied local wheat farmer Deborah Fortner to a field she was analyzing using a spray drone. Fortner won a DJI multispectral surveying drone at a Spray Drone End User Conference. She learned how to fly, land, and use the software for the new drone-using it to analyze the fields she farms. Though she saw the potential, she found the technology lacked the functionality that she...
WAITSBURG - Juniper Kerr has joined "The Times" staff as a photographer. Her first assignment was to photograph this summer's harvest with her unique sense of movement and light. She visited the Northwest Grain Growers Turner elevator and the Zuger, Fortner, and Thorn crews working harvest. Kerr said she has been photographing her whole life, beginning when she was three or four years old. She was given a camera by her mother and used it to produce her own postcards to sell. After moving to...
DAYTON - Working harvest is a shared experience for many students and alums from Dayton, Waitsburg, and Prescott High Schools. There are jobs at the elevators, driving trucks, bankout wagons, and combines. Most kids will come back each year, building skills and confidence. Sage Kilts began working harvest for Deb Fortner when she was 16. Fortner was a horse trainer for her family, and when she asked Sage to work for her, she jumped at the chance. She started as a bankout wagon driver shuttling...
Fifteen Years Ago September 16, 2010 [Photo Caption] Pioneer of The Year: H.W. "Bill" Zuger. Bill and Jan Zuger at one of the historic buildings on his grandfather's homestead off Highway 124 near Bolles Road. The land is now farmed by Bill's sone Greg. Twenty-Five Years Ago September 14, 2000 The USDA, Rural Development and the Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF) have received an application for financial assistance from the City of Waitsburg for construction of a new oxidation line within the...
