Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – Seven members of the Waitsburg Chapter of Rainbow Girls Assembly #68 spent last week at the International Order of Rainbow for Girls Grand Assembly, held at Yakima’s Sun Dome on July 7-12. Anna and Stephenie Nerf, Katelynn Martin, Kendra Smith, Kendra Roberts, Jessie Hopkins and Emma Philbrook represented Waitsburg at the annual jurisdictional (Washington and Idaho) convention. The girls attended formal sessions as well as fun events like talent shows and contests. Jessie Hop...
DAYTON – Recent College of Idaho theatre arts graduate Edith Dull participated in her first theatrical performance on Dayton's Liberty Theater stage as a nine-year-old. That experience set her on her current educational path that she's hoping will extend to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. This weekend, Dull is hoping her fellow Idaho actors will experience the same enthusiastic support and encouragement that she grew up with on the Liberty stage. On July 18 and 19, Dull will d...
WAITSBURG – June ended on a high note for the City of Waitsburg when the Washington State Legislature appropriated $1.7 million to replace Waitsburg's Main Street Bridge. That funding was secured in the 2015-17 capital budget approved in Olympia on June 30. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said he has been working to see the bridge replaced for three to four years and that the city has been working on it, off and on, for the better part of a decade. In addition to being narrow, the 9...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg residents will want to mark their calendars now for the evening of Tuesday, August 4. Each year, on the first Tuesday in August, over 37 million people, across the nation, participate in National Night Out, an anti-crime and anti-drug event. And this year, for the first time, Waitsburg will be joining in the fun. Waitsburg city councilmember Deb Callahan and Fire District No. 2 Fire Commissioner Deb Fortner are organizing the event which will take place at Preston Park on t...
PRESCOTT – "I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world. I don't know how I ended up where I did, but I sure am glad," said NASCAR race car builder and crew chief, Chuck Carruthers. After 40 years in the industry, Carruthers is more than satisfied with life in Prescott, also known as "The Center of the Universe" on his business attire, website, and even the company car. Carruthers began building cars on the side, while attending Cal Poly Pomona College as a mechanical engineering major in the earl...
WAITSBURG – Two years ago, Councilman K.C. Kuykendall approached Waitsburg’s city council with a proposal to transfer management of the horse facilities at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds to a nonprofit organization that would oversee the creation and development of what he hoped would become the Blue Mountain Equestrian Center. That agreement was approved, with the city agreeing to a five-year commitment. At last month’s council meeting, Kuykendall announced he was ready to call an early end to the a...
SEATTLE – It may be a challenging trip, but 94-year-old Murray Fisher didn't hesitate a moment when he was invited to be honored by the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field as part of their "Salute to Those Who Served" program. Fisher will be recognized on July 25 for the role he played during WWII as a top secret code breaker – secrets he's now free, and proud, to share. Fisher attended school in Waitsburg until his senior year, when his father, who worked for the railroad, was transferred to Day...
WAITSBURG – "But where do we put it?" That is the first questions parents ask insulin pump representatives, doctors, and diabetes educators when setting up a small child with a pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to help to manage their diabetes. Pocket Innerwear owners believe they have the answer, and the company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help make that solution available on a larger scale. "It can be overwhelming for a parent to figure out how to help a kid maintain, m...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's city council is in unanimous agreement that it would like to see the city totally out of the fire and ambulance business. At the June 17 city council meeting, the council approved Ordinance 2015-1031, which will initiate the process of annexing the Waitsburg City Fire Department into Walla Walla County Fire District No. 2. Voter approval of the annexation will also be required. Plans include transitioning the Waitsburg Ambulance Service (WAS) into the district as well. B...
WAITSBURG – Izzy-the-camel owner Mickey Richards says he would love to one day to write a book filled with stories about Izzy. If he does, that book will undoubtedly include a chapter on Izzy's most recent adventure as a television star. Last week, Waitsburg's favorite cuddly camel was doused in fake blood (Karo syrup and food coloring) and transformed into a gruesome member of the walking dead to perform in an episode of the SyFy channel series "Z Nation." The series, which is filming its s...
WAITSBURG/DAYTON – Guatemala City missionary David Beam cites "enjoying the wide open spaces and the beauty of the land" as a favorite experience in his recent visit to the Touchet Valley. The valley's rolling hills and waving wheat fields are a stark contrast to the "4 million people and horrible traffic" he and his wife left behind, he said. In a fun case of role reversal, David and his wife, Damaris, recently spent several days enjoying local landscape, people, events and points of i...
PRESCOTT – A delayed start due to a sound-system glitch did little to dampen the high spirits of the seniors and audience in attendance at Prescott's Class of 2015 graduation ceremony in the Prescott gymnasium on Thursday evening, June 11. But then, it may be hard to bring down the spirits of a class whose motto is, "We dream of a better tomorrow where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." Ten pairs of seniors walked to the traditional strains of 'Pomp and Circu...
WAITSBURG – On June 1, Margie Douglas and her fourth grade class made a special trip to deliver Monster Cookies to Waitsburg's graduating seniors. "Their eyes lit up at the sight of them," said Douglas. And at Douglas' retirement party on June 10, guests were handed Monster Cookies from cloth-covered baskets. So what's with the cookies? It's not simply that they taste amazing (which they do!). In Waitsburg, Monster Cookies, 4th grade and Mrs. Douglas all go hand-in-hand. The cookies, which D...
WAITSBURG – A dream that has been years in the making is about to become reality for Stacy Just, as she, her family and advisory board prepare for the grand opening of Just Another Chance Ranch five miles south of Waitsburg on Saturday, June 27, from noon to 5 p.m. The grand opening celebrates phase two of the ranch's mission, the launch of the ranch's first youth mentorship program. The Just family moved to Waitsburg from Roy, Wash., about four years ago, when Stacy's husband, Jason, a...
WAITSBURG – Twenty-two members of the Class of 2015 made the traditional march down Kison Court to receive their diplomas at Waitsburg High School's 119th commencement ceremony on Friday. Surrounded by friends and family, the exiting seniors spoke to relationships, dreams and excellence as they bid their fellow schoolmates farewell and proudly joined the ranks of WHS alumni. Honor Speaker Luke Alexenko reflected back on the many memories shared by the class. "We've grown not only as i...
WAITSBURG – Several local companies worked together to improve the driveway and move the flagpole outside the Waitsburg Ambulance Service last month. The chores will help beautify the lot for the future dedication of the building to longtime Waitsburg Ambulance Service Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) and Chief of Operations Richard Naumann, who died in April. Naumann, who passed away following a four-year battle with cancer on April 10, requested that his family not hold a s...
WAITSBURG – It's the time of year for "spring cleaning," and some major to-do's on the wish list of the Waitsburg Ambulance Service (WAS) Board have been crossed off, thanks to donations of time, materials and equipment from local business owners who worked together to clean up the lot surrounding the building. WAS board member Nancy Otterson said she had been wishing for new gravel in the parking area for "a very long time." According to EMT Cimarron Perkins, the rock in the lot was too big f...
WAITSBURG – The 112th Waitsburg High School Alumni Banquet and Reunion took place in the Waitsburg Elementary School multipurpose room on Saturday, May 23, with Darleen (Smith) Dozier, Class of '78 presiding. Dr. Carol Clarke welcomed alumni, guests and seniors of the 2015 graduating class. Clarke expressed special pride in the importance of service taught to Waitsburg students. She specifically mentioned seniors Hannah Grant who gathered supplies and volunteers to paint the football field b...
WAITSBURG – Flags lined the fence and flapped briskly in the breeze, making a fitting presentation at Waitsburg's annual American Legion Memorial Day Service at the Waitsburg City Cemetery on Monday. Legion Commander Ron Standring and Auxiliary President Rose Engelbrite opened the ceremony, which began with the flag-lowering by Boy Scouts from Troop 332. WHS seniors Mikala DeRuwe and Paige Wood sang the "Star Spangled Banner," and Pastor Jimmie Daves led the invocation. City council representati...
WALLA WALLA – It was standing room only, at SEA-TECH Skill Center's first-ever pre-nursing pinning ceremony, held May 19. Friends and family filled the meeting room and lined the hallway to watch as instructor Sandy Thomas pinned the 33 students who had successfully completed the required clinicals and class time to sit for the state exams. Students held candles in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, during the ceremony's processional. Thomas shared that the students h...
Waitsburg welcomes clean and sober bikers, campers WAITSBURG – Locals know that pink "Pig Party" signs and the rumble of motorcycle engines is as much a part of Memorial Day weekend in Waitsburg as the flags that adorn Main Street and the American Legion memorial service at the City Cemetery. Visitors and newcomers, however, often express confusion about "this pig thing." The Touchet River AA Roundup (better known as Woody's World Famous Pig Roast), is an Alcoholics Anonymous clean and sober e...
WAITSBURG–Waitsburg Celebration Days kicked into gear with a well-attended parade on Saturday morning, and partied on until The FrogHollow Band introduced their new lead singer just before midnight at the Burgers, Band & Brews event at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The fun-filled day offered enjoyment for everyone – art lovers, beer guzzlers and mud slingers alike. This year's patriotic parade boasted an impressive 68 entries. Fifteen of those were from Shriners clubs from the Columbia Basin, Spoka...
WAITSBURG – Thirteen Waitsburg FFA members spent Thursday through Saturday at the State FFA Convention in Pullman. The team walked away with a several awards including another Nutrients for Life win. Local FFA President Mikala DeRuwe had the distinguished honor of making it to the finals as a top-10 state officer candidate. Waitsburg earned third place and a check for $1,000 for this year's Nutrients for Life Project. The project, spearheaded by DeRuwe, involved partnering with local ag c...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Elementary School third-grade teacher Marne Henderson loves finding unusual and exciting ways to bring learning to life for her students. Earlier this month, she accomplished that in a quite literal fashion when she challenged her students to bring historical figures to life as part of a "living museum." Henderson's students spent the last several weeks studying biographies. As a culminating project, each third grader wrote a report and dressed up as the person they were s...
WAITSBURG – A visit from their neighbors, Mayor Walt Gobel and his wife Gwen, threw a happy kink into Jack and Nancy Otterson's Waitsburg Celebration Days plans this year. When the Ottersons told the Gobels that Eastern Star would be riding in their convertible and that Jack would be driving his red truck for the Alumni Association float, the Gobels informed them that they would need to reconsider that plan because they had been selected as 2015 Waitsburg Celebration Days parade marshals. (...
