Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – The board of the Waitsburg Resource Center is always looking for more ways to serve the community. At their most recent meeting, they voted to utilize Second Harvest's Bite 2 Go program to provide weekend meals to elementary students in need. The WRC has spent several months investigating the idea of providing weekend meal kits for elementary school students from needy families. Board Chair Pam Conover said District School Superintendent Carol Clarke recently polled teachers, who c...
Fairgrounds Committee-approved plan will be presented to city council on Sept. 20 WAITSBURG – After months of debate and planning, the Waitsburg Fairgrounds Committee has finalized and approved a plan they will present to the Waitsburg City Council at the council's regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Anticipating approval of the plan, a work day has been planned for Saturday, Oct. 22, as part of "Make a Difference Day." The three-phased equestrian center plan proposes a renovation of the e...
WAITSBURG – The LDS Church of Walla Walla has a tradition of volunteering to help communities on Make a Difference Day. This year, the church has chosen to donate their time and effort to Waitsburg fairgrounds renovation efforts. Local volunteers, donations and resources are needed to make the Oct. 22 workday a success. The Waitsburg Commercial Club is working with the Waitsburg Friends of the Fairgrounds Committee to coordinate the project. Volunteer efforts will center around the proposed eque...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg City Council will choose from five applicants when they vote to fill a vacant city council seat during a special council meeting at 6 p.m. on Thurs, Sept. 15. Applicants include Karen Gregutt, Jeanie Miller, Lisa Morrow, Jim Davison, and Debra Callahan. The open council position became available when former Waitsburg Mayor Walt Gobel resigned last month. At their August council meeting, council members voted to have Mayor pro tem Marty Dunn fulfill Gobel’s term. Thi...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg welcomes each fall with its traditional one-of-a-kind Pioneer Fall Festival. The festival, a celebration of local history, takes place the third Sunday of each September on the Bruce House Museum lawn. The festival will open with an outdoor nondenominational church service on the Bruce Museum lawn at 11 a.m. Pioneers of the Year, siblings Velma Sickles and Delbert Mock will be recognized following the service. After the ceremony, guests will travel back in time as they t...
WAITSBURG – Siblings Delbert Mock, 92, and Velma (Mock) Sickles, 89, have spent nearly their entire lives in Waitsburg, where their steady service has quietly touched the lives of many. This year, the Waitsburg Historical Society will honor the duo with the title of Pioneers of the Year at the city's annual Pioneer Fall Festival. Their father, Denzil C. Mock, was born in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, but the family eventually settled in the Huntsville area. Denzil's father, Augustus F. Mock, w...
WAITSBURG – On Sunday, the Laurette McCaw Pie-oneer Fall Festival Pie Baking Contest will make its second appearance, adding to the fun of the city's historic celebration while raising funds for a good cause. Waitsburg Friends of the Pool organized in August of 2015 and quickly devised the highly successful bake-off, which brought in nearly $1,200 last year. Friends of the Pool president Megan Brock said that last year the group purchased sun shades and seating to improve comfort at the pool. T...
WAITSBURG – With no responses to the first set of bid requests for water line repairs under the Touchet River Bridge, Waitsburg’s city council voted to resubmit and try again. If repairs are not made soon, they will be pushed to next year and may happen while the Main Street Bridge is under construction, potentially causing water pressure issues. A leaking line under the Touchet River Bridge, located near Preston Park, was discovered last year, but does not seem to be getting any worse. It is...
DAYTON – Rev. William B. Graham wore many hats throughout the three decades he spent living in Dayton, where he served as pastor, mayor, council member, and concerned citizen. Graham passed away peacefully, at age 85, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane on Aug. 24 and those who knew him and worked alongside him say the impact he had on his community is a legacy he can be proud to leave behind. Graham moved to Dayton in 1982 and served as pastor of the Dayton First Congregational C...
WAITSBURG – Back-to-school time can be both hectic and expensive, but the Waitsburg Home and School Association (HASA) is doing what it can to ease the burden for local parents. This year Waitsburg students can forget about trying to find all the items on the traditional back-to-school supply list. Instead, they are told to arrive with only a "backpack and a smile." For the second year in a row, Waitsburg's HASA has purchased all the school supplies needed for Waitsburg students. Last year, HASA...
Council members: KC Kuykendall, Kevin House, Karl Newell, Kate Hockersmith, and Mayor Pro-tem Marty Dunn were in attendance. Agenda Approval: - KC Kuykendall motioned for the addition of an executive session pertaining to staff performance. Dunn asked if the issue could wait until the issue could be addressed by the personnel committee. Kuykendall said the issue needed addressed right away by the council but would be “highly inappropriate” for public discussion. Hockersmith seconded the mot...
WAITSBURG – Following weeks of contention, protests, and the resulting resignation of the town's mayor, Waitsburg's City Council decided to cut short any involvement with Nestlé Waters North America at their Aug. 17 council meeting. Nestlé representative Bruce Lauerman said the company, which had hoped to evaluate Waitsburg as a potential site for a $50 million water bottling plant, said the company will leave quickly and quietly. Mayor Pro-tem Marty Dunn ran the meeting and immediately add...
WAITSBURG - The first item under "new business" on the Waitsburg City Council Agenda last week was how to fill the vacant council position left following the resignation of Mayor Walt Gobel earlier this month. A lack of clarity in the city's charter, which dictates such decisions, left the council trying to determine the best way to move forward. After council discussion and public comment, it was decided that Mayor Pro-tem Marty Dunn will fulfill the rest of Gobel's term as mayor, and...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Elementary School sixth-grade students will be welcomed to the classroom by a new face this year. First-time teacher Garrett Leahy will replace Sarah Reser, who resigned earlier this summer to accept a position as literacy coordinator for ESD 123. Twenty-two-year-old Leahy is a recent graduate of the University of Idaho. He holds a bachelor of science degree in elementary education with endorsements in math and science. Leahy is a Walla Walla Valley native and grew up on t...
WAITSBURG – The people, small town lifestyle, and natural resources were listed repeatedly as community treasures by Waitsburg and area residents at a Community Conversations meeting hosted by the Community Council at Waitsburg Town Hall last week. The responses were gleaned through a brainstorming workshop designed to pinpoint what area residents value and care about and to identify regional needs. The Community Council facilitates the citizen-driven, interactive workshops throughout the B...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg coach and physical education teacher Jeff Bartlow described his recent resignation as "the end of an era," after investing 17 years of his career in Waitsburg. Bartlow recently accepted a position as a counselor at Pioneer Middle School – the same position he held before coming to Waitsburg in 1999, where he was WHS head football coach for 16 years. Bartlow said he had been considering a career change for some time, but that the job opening at Pi Hi came at the last min...
Board members: Christy House, Marilyn Johnson, and Randy Pearson were present with Ross Hamann and Russ Knopp absent. Elementary Principal’s Report: -Kindercamp began on Thursday, Aug. 11 and will meet each Thursday for the remainder of the month. There are currently 25 children registered for Kindergarten. -The Home and School Association will host coffee from 8:30-9:30 on Sept. 6, the first day of school. They will repeat it on Thurs., Sept. 8 for the Kindergarten parents. -Parents will be enc...
WAITSBURG – German bicyclist Ralph Lang said he was surprised to find himself becoming "a bit emotional" as he arrived in Waitsburg last week. Ralph, 46, said he has incredibly warm memories of traveling through Waitsburg with a college pal on a cross country bike trip 25 years ago. That experience was so positive that he wanted to share it with his wife, Imke. On August 1, the couple began a two-year, around-the-world journey together. The self-described "passionate cyclists" have completed m...
Team building activities help members work together better WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Chapter FFA officers spent last weekend at an officer's retreat where they set chapter goals, planned the upcoming year, and practiced working together as a team. On Sat., Aug. 13, officers Emily Adams (president), Devin Newman (vice president), Laramie Mathews (sentinel), Tom House (treasurer), Devon Harshman (reporter), and Sydney Fowble (secretary) traveled to Spokane with FFA advisor Nicole Abel. Abel organized...
WAITSBURG – It was a full house at Waitsburg Town Hall on Aug. 2, as citizens of Waitsburg and surrounding areas made their voices heard at a special city council meeting for the purpose of discussing the possibility of Nestle' Waters North America building a water bottling plant in Waitsburg. Mayor Pro Tem Marty Dunn said the meeting would last just one hour and set a two-minute speaking limit as he warned the crowd against name calling and asked for "polite and interested people" to share t...
DAYTON-Last week several 4-H youth and their helpers were busily creating hand-tied, log cabin-style lap quilts, decorative throw pillows and matching pillow cases, in anticipation of the 2016 Columbia County fair in September. Head instructor Carla Thorson said that each participant was given an instruction sheet, a shopping list, and a paste-up square, per 4-H regulations, before beginning on them. This year everyone is doing the same size and style," she said. "Next year there will be an...
WAITSBURG – Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner presented his quarterly sheriff's office update at Waitsburg's July 21 city council meeting. Turner took advantage of the full house – most were in attendance to learn more about Nestle's interest in potentially building a bottling facility in Waitsburg – to address what he says is a strong need for a dedicated county drug and task force. In his update, Turner said he was pleased that the sheriff's office has received 219 calls from Waits...
DAYTON – Starting in August, Dayton’s Wenaha Gallery will be playing host to the works from the husband and wife duo of Joyce & Randy Klassen. The artistic couple will display a contrast of styles, as Joyce uses torches and waxes to create encaustic pieces while husband Randy uses tidy watercolors for his easel-mounted paintings. The couple from Walla Walla, whose art reflects the opposite of their normal personalities, are being welcomed by the people at Wenaha. Randy is the son of Jacob Kla...
WAITSBURG – Walt Gobel officially tendered his letter of resignation as mayor of Waitsburg on Tuesday afternoon. Gobel, who was easily re-elected to his sixth term in April, said he was stepping down because he felt his reputation has been irreparably damaged over his role in negations with Nestlé Waters North America. "When our voters and taxpayers put me in office it was an indication that they respected and trusted me to make decisions for the good of the community. I honestly feel that my re...
WAITSBURG – A suspicious fire originating just off Nordheim Road cast an orange glow over Waitsburg during the wee hours of a windy Sunday morning as fire crews and farmers rushed to stop the growing blaze. According to Columbia County Fire Marshal Kim Lyonnais, there is very strong suspicion that the fire, which came close to destroying several dwellings, was the result of arson. Investigation is continuing. Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2 Assistant Chief Brian Callahan said the standi...
