Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 610 - 634 of 864
WAITSBURG - In May, Waitsburg's City Council updated the municipal code to allow "only licensed monument companies familiar with the City's requirements" - as opposed to family members or contractors -- to set headstones in City cemeteries. At the July 16 City Council meeting, Waitsburg resident Cindy Hofer appealed to the board to take another look at that decision. At May's Council meeting, City Clerk Randy Hinchliffe relayed that the city had received occasional requests for family members or...
WAITSBURG - "It was honestly scary. I don't even know what I'd do," said Walla Walla FFA Chapter Sentinel Reed Curcio as he described the scene that he and Waitsburg Chapter President and District Sentinel Mikala DeRuwe drove through while delivering thousands of pounds of goods to those affected by the Carlton Complex Fire near Pateros on Thursday. An email from State FFA officers asking if District 6 could do something to help sent Waitburg and Walla Walla FFA members scrambling to provide...
WAITSBURG - A fire on the south end of town was quickly contained early Saturday evening, but not before raising the heart rates of nearby neighbors. Perry Dozier's harvest crew took a break from their work, just south of town, to keep an eye on the black plume of smoke rising over the recently harvested hill of pea stubble to their northwest. Residents on the south ends of Orchard and Main Street, watched from their yards as leaping flames licked the hillside on the far side of Coppei Creek...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's school board agreed last month that the District's 2001 Montana passenger van is due for replacement. Transportation supervisor Colter Mohney has since learned that finding the right rig for the job is more of a challenge than anticipated and is still on the hunt. The eight-passenger Montana is used regularly by District staff traveling to professional development workshops as well as by smaller groups such as FFA and Cross- Country. Mohney said the van has outlived its...
WAITSBURG - West Nile Virus is not as deadly or exotic as it sounds, but with three suspected cases recently diagnosed at the Waitsburg Clinic it's a good idea to know what to look for and how to treat and prevent infections. Mosquitoes that have become infected by feeding on diseased birds spread the disease, which is most prevalent May through October. The Washington State Department of Health is currently reporting no confirmed West Nile Virus infections in 2014 but mosquito samples recently...
PULLMAN - College is typically a time for growth and new experiences. But for former Dayton High School valedictorian and athlete Malia Frame, tougher academics and new friendships weren't enough. The Business Administration and Agriculture Technology and Production Management double-major decided to experience a whole new world as an athlete as well - collegiate rowing. Frame said she heard about WSU's rowing team long before she considered trying out. She knew of several Dayton alumni who...
WAITSBURG - Five Waitsburg teens returned home last week following a two-week mission trip to Guatemala. The youth are pleased with the work they accomplished there, but all five agree that they were receivers as well as givers. While those they served lacked material possessions, the teens learned the Guatemalans are rich in ways many Americans aren't. Chad (18), Nick (18) and Chloe Pearson (14) and Kavin (18) and Kassidy (17) Kuykendall, along with 13 other Walla Walla area teens, formed the...
WAITSBURG - "Can I see you put some fruit or a vegetable on your plate? How about an orange?" encouraged a smiling Susan Wildey. The Summer Food Services Program Supervisor laughed as she turned her attention to the trio of boys anxiously awaiting seconds. "You beasts! Five more minutes and you're first in line." Waitsburg's first Summer Food Program has been a hit with many local kids, but Wildey says numbers will need to double in order to ensure the program continues next year. State...
HUNTSVILLE - Huntsville residents Bill Beckmeyer and grandson Alex Breland kicked off their summer by fulfilling a longtime dream. The pair -- who "do everything together" -- added a new adventure to their resume - a week-long fishing trip in Soldatna, Alaska. Beckmeyer and Breland - dubbed "the boys" by Breland's mother, Cara Watts - live next door to one another in Huntsville and love spending time together. Their favorite pastimes are hunting and fishing. When asked their favorite hunting...
DAYTON - Two Touchet Valley teens quite literally "brought it home" this month. Waitsburg's Emma Philbrook attended Evergreen Girls State while Dayton's Matthew Warren attended Evergreen Boys State - and each walked away with the state Samsung Legion Scholarship. High school juniors who are a direct descendent of a U.S. veteran who served during a period of war and are delegates to either American Legion Boys State or American Legion Auxiliary Girls State programs are eligible to apply for the...
WAITSBURG - When Imbert Mathee, former publisher of The Times, interviewed artist Gail Gwinn last August, Gwinn wasn't yet ready to display her art publicly. The move from Whidbey Island to Waitsburg, followed by home renovations and the building a studio left her needing time to ease back into her art. Time must have done its restorative work because Gwinn's works are now on display at both the Coppei Café and Treasure Artists Cooperative next door. Gwinn once painted photorealistic...
WAITSBURG - Well-wishers bid a fond farewell to Coppei Café owner Allison Bond, while serving up a warm welcome to new operators Emry and Sandy Kleck, at Sunday night's welcome/ farewell party. The café was filled with patrons who mingled, visited and laughed as they enjoyed good drinks and tasty tri-tip. "It was a great party! We even had people stop in who had never been down before," said Bond. Emry Kleck prepared specially seasoned tritip steak on his custom grill before a rotating a...
PRESCOTT - For several years the Prescott Joint Parks & Recreation District (PJPRD) has designated one day each summer as a Safety Day to teach children about pool safety. Last year the district expanded that program and joined forces with area agencies who addressed additional aspects of safety. This year's Safety Day took place on June 24 and, with children from Walla Walla's Campfire program, youngsters from Vista Hermosa and Prescott locals, PJPRD Administrative Assistant Yvonne Jackson...
WAITSBURG - Most 18-year-olds don't celebrate high school graduation by running a marathon -- but then most 18-year-olds aren't E.J. Meserve. On Sunday,June 22, Meserve ran as the youngest runner in the San Juan Island marathon, placing 15th out of 60 competitors. Meserve's longtime coach, Joanna Lanning and her daughter Marci Jo (Lanning) Martinez, went along to offer moral support and challenged themselves by participating in the Three Lakes Sprint Triathalon on Saturday. "I've wanted to run a...
PRESCOTT - Spectators may not have heard the familiar Ty Pennington shout, "MOVE THAT BUS!" but the transformation that took place at Prescott's "vacant lot" over four days last week most certainly qualifies as an Extreme Makeover. Spectators clapped enthusiastically as Pomegranate Center Director Milenko Matanovic spoke at Sunday afternoon's ribbon cutting ceremony. "They said it was not possible to complete in four days and yet here we are! It is like the cycle of the fish etched on this...
WAITSBURG - Emma Philbrook - like most students - is quite familiar with the phrase, "Be all you can be." But her experience at Girls State last week left her walking away with the realization that she could be even more than she thought she could be - or at least something different. That and the state level Samsung American Legion Scholarship. Philbrook left for Evergreen Girls State, held at the Central Washington University campus in Bellingham, Wash., on Sunday, June 15 and returned home...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Lions wrapped up their year at an annual meeting last month where they installed a new slate of officers and presented awards. Mike Bergevin received this year's Lion of the Year Award and Terry Jacoy received the prestigious Melvin Jones Award. "The Melvin Jones Award is the highest award in Lionism," said Past President Guy McCaw. The award was founded in 1973 in honor of Melvin Jones, who founded Lions clubs International in 1971. Jones owned his own insurance agency...
WAITSBURG - A good many local dads spent this Father's Day weekend lending a hand to the exhibitors and organizers of the Waitsburg Livestock Show and Fair that took place at the Waitsburg fairgrounds on June 14 and 15. Fair President Sandra Farley estimates that approximately 70 exhibitors participated in the event. This longstanding Waitsburg tradition -- originally known as the Waitsburg Junior Livestock Show - formally changed its name to the Waitsburg Livestock Show and Fair several years...
PRESCOTT - The last, but certainly not the least, of the area high school seniors graduated Friday night as 19 Prescott Class of 2014 students walked amid friends and family gathered in the high school gymnasium to accept their high school diplomas. Commencement speakers were Valedictorian Emily Wilson, Salutatorian Erik Sandoval and High School Math Teacher and Senior Class Advisor Mark Grimm. Wilson, daughter of Jim and Rebecca Wilson of Waitsburg, graduated with a near-perfect G.P.A. of...
WAITSBURG - Finding a place to park when picking up or dropping off children at school may get a bit easier for Waitsburg residents this coming school year. At their June 11 Board meeting, the Waitsburg School Board approved an "add alternate" bid with the City of Waitsburg that will allow for a driveway directly from Main Street into the Academy Street parking lot. In mid-December Waitsburg City Council approved a grant agreement with the Transportation Improvement Board, accepting a $188,385...
WAITSBURG - Six months 20 days; 28 weeks, 4 days; 200 days; 4800 hours - however you want to count it down, it's been a long time coming. Those calculations track the time Baby Mateo, son of Taryn (Thomas) Aguiar and Jose Aguiar of College Place and grandson of Gary and Jill Thomas of Waitsburg, spent in the NICU at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane before he could be welcomed home. That all changed on June 2, however, and Mateo is now at home in the arms of his grateful parents. The...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Elementary School students wrapped up the school year by raising over $500 in their second annual Walk for Water fundraiser. Kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Beasley started the fundraiser last year, when the school earned $555 that went to fund a rainwater catchment and storage system for a school of 398 students in Kenya. The school worked with Water Charity (www.watercharity.org) and solicited donations from friends and family to raise funds. During last year's successful...
PRESCOTT - Patrons who haven't visited the Prescott library in awhile are sure to be met by a smiling face, though that face may not be familiar. The Prescott Branch of the Walla Walla County Rural Library District - which also includes branches in Plaza Way, Touchet, Burbank, Vista Hermosa and a Walla Walla service center - recently welcomed two new clerks and a new manager. Sharon Psenak, of Waitsburg, was hired as a substitute clerk in April, but moved into the Library Clerk position...
WAITSBURG - Pam Conover may have retired her role as elementary school teacher several years back, but she hasn't retired her passion for engaging young people. Conover has recently been busy organizing a Bicycle Rodeo and "Knock Out Boredom!" Summer Fun program through the Waitsburg Resource Center. On Monday, elementary school students enjoyed taking a step back in time at the Bruce Museum during the 4th Annual Pioneer Day - another of Conover's brainstorms. Conover said that Anita Baker had...
WAITSBURG - Bargain hunters will be out in force, roaming the streets of Waitsburg on Saturday, June 7, for Waitsburg's 17th Annual Community-Wide Yard Sale. Local buyers and sellers traditionally earmark the first Saturday in June to either clear their closets and basement of unwanted items or join the search for bargains (or both). The Waitsburg Commercial Club sponsored the first two-day event -- which boasted 46 sales - in 1998. City streets were literally bumper-tobumper, with many...
