Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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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...
WAITSBURG - Nineteen members of the Waitsburg High School FFA Chapter competed at the state level at the 84th Washington FFA Convention in Spokane on May 15-17. Several teams and individuals won awards and the Chapter walked away with a $5,000 check for placing first in the "Nutrients for Life Helping Communities Grow" competition. FFA members participating in the state competition were: Emily Adams, Caitlyn Jones, Zion Branson, Beka Adams, Mikala DeRuwe, Kassidy Kuykendall, Devin Newman...
WAITSBURG - One hundred eighty-five Waitsburg alumni, guests and graduating seniors attended the 111th Waitsburg High School Annual Reunion and Banquet held at the Waitsburg Elementary Multi- purpose room on Saturday, May 24. A roll call of classes began with 75-year anniversary alumni Ivan Keve and Jim Hansen who graduated WHS in 1939. The pair began school together in first grade at Waitsburg Elementary School. Both were active in FFA in high school and Keve was basketball manager whi...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School is no stranger to the Washington State Achievement Award list, earning the Overall Excellence Award four times - awarded to the top 5% of schools -- as well as awards in a number of other categories. Preston Hall Junior High joined WHS on the award list for the first time year with state recognition for High Progress and Math Growth. Waitsburg Elementary School was also a first-time state list maker this year - on another kind of list. Waitsburg Elementary...
WAITSBURG - Flags snapped briskly in the breeze, with miniature versions dotting the grounds in memory of local veterans, as the crowd gathered at the Waitsburg City Cemetery for the May 26, 2014 Memorial Day Program. Boy Scouts from Troop 332 raised the flag and high school junior Mikala DeRuwe sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." Pastor Bret Moser offered the invocation. K.C. Kuykendall welcomed the audience on behalf of the City Council, expressing thanks for those who gave their lives for our...
WAITSBURG - Two new programs were approved last week, which will help make summer even more enjoyable for Waitsburg youth. Waitsburg's School Board approved a summer food program that will provide both breakfast and lunch to students, while the Waitsburg Resource Center (WRC) mapped out a "Knock Out Boredom" Summer Fun program for the month of July. Because over 50% of Waitsburg students - 55% in the elementary school and 51% in the middle school -- receive free or reduced lunches, Waitsburg...
WAITSBURG - Dayton High School graduate Miles Lytle won't get much of a summer break after graduating from WSU on May 10, but he's far from disappointed. Instead, he'll be leaving for Guam- all expenses paid -- on May 29, where he'll be working as a construction manager on the Tiyan Parkway project for IMCO Construction. Lytle is the grandson of Betty and Terry Hofer of Waitsburg and son of Winton and Karen Lytle, of Texas. Betty graduated from Waitsburg High School and Terry was a Prescott...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg School District will be joining schools across the state in dropping the culminating project as a graduation requirement. Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that eliminated culminating projects as a statewide requirement, beginning with the class of 2015, and instead allowed the determination to be made at the district level. At their May 14 meeting, the Waitsburg School Board voted unanimously to drop the requirement. Superintendent Carol Clarke shared with the...
DAYTON - Students from area high schools were honored in an Outstanding Student Award Program ceremony at Masonic Lodge 26 in Dayton on April 30. The awards were sponsored by the Waitsburg, Dayton and Pomeroy Masonic lodges. Randy Turner welcomed guests, Mark Scott presented the flag and Steve Kazda offered the invocation. The guest speaker was Dayton lawyer and Washington State Representative Terry Nealey. Nealey shared personal experiences and anecdotes while encouraging students to develop...
WAITSBURG - 2013 Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen, Emily Adams, passed the crown to this year's queen, Megan Morrison, in a coronation ceremony that took place at the May 6 Commercial Club meeting at Waitsburg Town Hall. Royalty court advisors Amanda DeRuwe and Joycelin Munden coordinated the ceremony, which was attended by representatives from several area courts. Commercial Club members, local royalty, and community members enjoyed a dinner catered by Emry and Sandy Kleck of "the Q." Royalty...
WAITSBURG - Routes were set, T-shirts and posters were designed, an insurance waiver - believed to be the biggest obstacle - was in hand. But then the Waitsburg Celebration Days (WCD) Committee learned that the planned May 17 Dead Man's Hand ATV Poker Run was not approved to take place on Walla Walla County roads. An April 29 letter to the committee from County Commissioner Perry Dozier explained that the Walla Walla County Public Works Department had denied the request. WCD organizers quickly...
DAYTON - Columbia County Health Systems (CCHS) will spend the month of May focusing on women ' s health iss ues as part of the Columbia County Wellness Project. So far, the Project has addressed diabetes, tobacco cessation, heart health, drug abuse and alcohol abuse. The big event for May is a Women's Show that will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Liberty Theater on May 17. The intent of the Women's Show is for women to be empowered and encouraged to be their healthiest and feel great...
PRESCOTT - After falling hard to Touchet (5-1) and Connell (15-5) earlier in the week, Dayton made a strong comeback in Saturday's double-header against WP, taking the Tigers 13-1 and 11-1, respectively. "The girls played solid defense and successfully put the bat on the ball. They got at least one hit in all but one inning. They put runs on the board in all but two innings. This is big for us --consistency was key on Saturday and everyone contributed," said Bulldog Assistant Coach Desirae...
WAITSBURG - "Parting is such sweet sorrow." Waitsburg 7th and 9th grade students will likely echo this Shakespearean sentiment as they say good-bye to Shakespeare Walla Walla educators Thomas Beebe and Josh Haddock who wrapped up a four-day Living with Shakespeare workshop in Waitsburg on Friday. Budget constraints and rising program costs may prevent the school from offering the program next year. Students laughed as they learned when The Times visited workshops in both grades on Friday. In...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Celebration Days will include several new events this year including an ATV Poker Run, an ATV Rodeo, a Lawnmower Rodeo, and a Touchet Valley Brew Hop. The Dead Man's Hand Poker Run is a family friendly event, though only those over 18 may participate in the "poker" part of the run. Participants will ride in Saturday morning's Celebration Days parade before heading to the fairgrounds where they will begin the 35-mile Jasper Mountain run. Riders will make a loop through...
