Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WSU's Global Services Director, Cheryl Hansen, reflects on her journey from Waitsburg to the world The following is adapted from a speech recently given by former Waitsburg resident Cheryl Hansen, who is the Director of Global Services at Washington State University. Cheryl, daughter of Geraine and the late Jim Hansen, addressed college students at a recent professional sharing night, describing how she, a small-town girl from eastern Washington became interested in the world and ended up...
PRESCOTT – The team will be called the Tigers, but several players from Waitsburg High School will join Prescott High's baseball team to create a strong contender the Southeast 2B District 9 league this year. Coach Dustin Snedigar said that veteran pitchers Jacob Dunn and Kyle Gradwohl, both Waitsburg juniors, will be mainstays for the Tigers on the mound. A number of other players will get some pitching time as well, he said, including Tyler Fedderson, Joe Adams and Walter Hartwell. Dunn and G...
PRESCOTT – With just two week's practice under their belts, Lady Tigers head softball coach Angie Potts is optimistic about what she expects to be a highly competitive season. "The whole league is looking good this year. There is no particular standout. I think we'll all have the ability to beat each other, depending on the day," she said. Potts has coached with the Prescott program for fourteen years and has been head coach for eight. She is assisted by Allan Wilson. Wilson was officially h...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Mayor Walt Gobel was quick to let the public take over discussions about the Waitsburg Fairgounds at a March 3 public forum on the topic. After saying how "awesome" it was to see the more than 30 community members in attendance, Gobel said the first step in promoting use of the city's fairgrounds – even before beginning discussions – would be to form a Fairgrounds Advisory Committee. Waitsburg Commercial Club President Joy Smith said she would be willing to serve as tempo...
WAITSBURG – Filings to run for City Council opened Monday and several new contenders wasted no time tossing their hats into the ring. Current council member Debra Callahan is running for mayor while Karen Stanton-Gregutt and Kate Hockersmith will compete for first-time seats on the council. Mayor Walt Gobel has only been opposed once during his tenure as mayor. The Truth & Trust slate of candidates, then made up of Mayor Walt Gobel and council members Kevin House, Orville Branson, Marty Dunn, K...
WAITSBURG – WHS seniors Megan Morrison and Stuart Walsh were honored at a Boys and Girls State Honor Night at Town Hall on Mon., March 7. The event was hosted by the Waitsburg American Legion Post #35 and the Legion Auxiliary, which sponsor Waitsburg and Prescott students each year. Megan Morrison attended the 2015 American Legion Auxiliary Evergreen Girls State at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. last June. Morrison said she was initially unsure about applying to attend b...
WAITSBURG – One of the reasons the Waitsburg Resource Center doesn't refer to itself as a food bank is because its mission is to serve the community in as many ways as possible; not just by providing food, according to resource center treasurer Bret Moser. Most recently, the center added "emergency preparedness" to its resume of helpful endeavors. Last week the WRC received a shipment of 60 emergency blankets that will be stored by Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. The blankets, which a...
WAITSBURG - A Waitsburg man entered not guilty pleas to charges of burglary, theft, and malicious mischief in Columbia County Superior Court last week. Lonnie Marick, 39, was arrested on Feb. 24, when a Columbia County search warrant resulted in the discovery of multiple stolen items at his residence. According to police reports, a warrant was requested following a burglary at commercial buildings located on Highway 12 in Columbia County. Walla Walla and Columbia County Sheriff's office...
Ball Fields at Waitsburg Fairgrounds should be ready for LL play by next weekAITSBURG – Touchet Valley Little League gears up for a new season with some exciting changes. A new set of fields in Waitsburg and the addition of a Prescott team to the league mean more and better competition for the 2016 season. The new Waitsburg Little League field complex, located on the fairgrounds racetrack infield, is under construction and should be ready for players by next week. The set of four adjoining f...
WAITSBURG – After voting in January to partner with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in their "Feel Free to Hunt" program in the city's watershed, Waitsburg's city council decided to take a closer look at the contract. At their Feb. 17 meeting, the council agreed to invite WDFW representatives back in March to clarify some questions that had arisen since the initial discussion. The watershed consists of about 800 acres along the north fork of Coppei Creek that has historically b...
WAITSBURG – "Stick your finger right in that chamber there. Go ahead!" said Columbia County Health System Respiratory Therapist Tom Anderson to a student holding a human heart. Anderson, who is celebrating his one-year anniversary with CCHS, held Waitsburg fourth and fifth graders spellbound during a visit to their classrooms last week. And why wouldn't he? It's not every day that a visitor shows up with an actual heart and lung that students can touch and feel. Anderson looked like he was h...
PRESCOTT – Getting school notices home to parents – and then making sure they read them – is a challenge for most school districts. For Prescott Schools, the struggle is magnified because a large percentage of parents speak only Spanish. At the district's Feb. 25 school board meeting, the board previewed an app that claims to improve communications with parents, students, and the community-at-large. The mission of Apptegy, the app under consideration, is to "help schools build better conne...
PRESCOTT – At their Feb. 25 school board meeting, the Prescott School Board approved the purchase of 90 Chromebook computers to improve teaching efficiency. The computers come with a $35,000 price tag, but will be paid for through a federal grant that must be used or forfeited. Prescott Superintendent Brett Cox told the board that a staff survey indicated that teachers are eager to improve what they can do, from a technology standpoint, in the classroom. He said the staff voted to pursue the u...
WAITSBURG – What is happening – or not happening – at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds has been a hot topic around town in recent months. Concerned citizens have the opportunity to become part of the solution by attending a public fairgrounds revitalization meeting on Thursday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Building at the fairgrounds. At the Jan. 6 community forum for the previously-proposed Waitsburg Raceway, Mayor Walt Gobel, along with fellow city council members, expressed frust...
WAITSBURG – Because Waitsburg is governed under its original charter, the city must elect, or re-elect, its city council and mayor each year. Deadlines for this year’s elections are quickly approaching and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said there seems to be a renewed interest among citizens in running for public office this year. At the February 17 city council meeting, Hinchliffe informed the current council that the upcoming ballot slate will be set before the next council meeting. The...
Last week I got an email from Waitsburg fifth grade teacher, Gabe Kiefel, explaining that his class had collaborated to write a pollution essay that they were very proud of and wanted to see if we could run it in The Times. When I got the go-ahead from the big boss (aka Editor Ken Graham), Kiefel asked if I’d like to visit the class so they could explain their writing process to me. I did, and it was a lot of fun. The students explained that they first watched a video on pollution and then w...
WAITSBURG - Elizabeth Gonzalez says they can't recall the specific spark, but something caught her daughter, Andrea's, attention last fall, and Andrea has been obsessed with running a food drive ever since. The just-turned-eleven year old took advantage of her February 21 birthday to do just that. The Gonzalez family hosted a Star Wars party at the Plaza Theater, then went next door to Gleason's Galley for hot dogs, ice cream, cupcakes, and arcade games. Fred Gonzalez owns Silver Star...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's Laht Neppur Brewing Company walked away with the People's Choice "Best Cure for Cabin Fever" award for the third year in a row at the Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest at the Palouse Community Center on Sat., Feb. 13. Laht Neppur won top honors with their Hot Chocolate Strawberry Porter and earned second place with their Bluewood Barley Wine. Third place went to Paradise Creek Brewery's Berliner Bar. Paradise's Invective Stout tied with Black Label Brewing Company's Piper's P...
WAITSBURG – A structural engineering report on the Waitsburg Fairgrounds grandstands indicates that the structure is in serious need of either repair or demolition, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe told the Waitsburg City Council at their Feb. 17 meeting. Muran Engineering and Design completed the assessment and listed three recommendations: bring the structure up to standards, tear it down and remove it, or barricade it from public access, Hinchliffe said. Hinchliffe said the grandstands wer...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Garden Club, organized by Karen Gregutt, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The club will kick of 2016 with its first meeting of the season on Saturday, March 5 at 9 a.m., the home of Susan Donegan, at 209 W. 4th St. Gregutt has passed the reins of club president to Donegan this year. Gregutt started the club in 2007, shortly after moving to Waitsburg. She said she organized the club to support and appreciate the beauty of the town, especially its trees a...
WAITSBURG – Fans lined both sides of Main Street as a police escort led four Waitsburg grapplers out of town on their way to the Tacoma Dome to compete in the 2014 State Mat Classic 28 wrestling tournament last weekend. Waitsburg senior Tristan Newman made his fourth consecutive trip to the State meet and earned third place on the podium, a step up from the fourth-place spot he won in 2014. Newman had a bye his first round, then wrestled Alex Horn of North Beach in his first match, pinning h...
Dayton passes improvements bond, Waitsburg bond is failing WAITSBURG – Dayton, Waitsburg, Dixie, and Prescott school districts all received strong voter approval on their replacement maintenance and operations levies, easily meeting the 50% plus one yes-vote needed to pass in the county’s Feb. 9 special election. Dayton also passed a four-year capital projects levy, but the outlook for Waitsburg’s 20-year capital projects bond is grim. Dixie’s voters showed the strongest support with a 72% yes...
DAYTON – What started out as a response to a call for a possible burglary in progress on Feb. 9, led Columbia County Sheriff's deputies to much more. Dayton resident Joseph (Joey) Richter, 31, was arrested and faces multiple charges, including first degree arson, for the fire that destroyed a house on 615 E. Washington on the morning of Feb. 8. Sheriff's Office reports say deputies responded to a burglary call in the 200 block of E. Spring Street to find Richter hiding in a carport and a...
DAYTON – Last year, a group of individuals led by Ski Bluewood owners Kelly and Michael Stephenson, formalized the ski resort’s outreach program into a nonprofit called Skyline Adventures. The group has met its first and second year goals and has big dreams for the future, including a “magic carpet” and possibly even a Wounded Warriors program. Through its outreach program Ski Bluewood has worked for years to provide at-risk youth with a day of skiing and snowboarding fun at Bluewood. By becomin...
WAITSBURG – Last Friday was a school day, but the slopes at Ski Bluewood were filled with students, and they weren't play hooky. Waitsburg fifth graders joined students from Dayton, Starbuck, and Jubilee Leadership Academy at Bluewood to focus on something other than the three R's – learning to ski. Ski Bluewood General Manager Kim Clark said Bluewood offers special school rates for multi-week lessons, as well as single-day field trips, to Touchet Valley schools. They also offer special group pr...
