Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 780 - 804 of 864
DAYTON -- Two suspects arrested in Dayton early Friday morning, after a chase initiated in Waitsburg, have been formally charged and are being held in the Walla Walla County Jail on $50,000 bail. Walla Walla dispatch received a call in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, from Jacob LuJan, of 100 Murphy Street in Waitsburg, reporting that an unknown assailant had broken into his home, stolen his wallet and assaulted him. Columbia County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Dian Ver Va...
PRESCOTT - The Touchet Valley is filled with well- maintained historic homes and buildings, treasured by the communities in which they reside. Owners of those buildings, however, will attest that maintenance is no small feat. That fact is illustrated by the numerous abandoned and dilapidated structures dotting the landscape, whose owners have thrown up their hands in surrender to time and the elements. The Prescott Lions have faced that challenge head-on, restoring and maintaining the L...
WAITSBURG - Jack McCaw is one of those people that you don't have to exert much effort to interview. You simply ask a question or two, then sit back and enjoy as the entertainment begins. When I learned that McCaw had recently participated in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C., I decided to take advantage of my official "news reporter" status to hear all about it. He didn't disappoint -- in the course of 45 minutes I laughed, held back tears and was filled with an extra shot of good ole'...
WAITSBURG - In a pleasant surprise, the weather cooperated beautifully and the sun shone pink on the hills, providing a perfect backdrop for the hundreds of fish lovers lined up at the Don Thomas Com- munity Building Saturday night. Nearly 600 people attended the annual Lion's Club Salmon Barbeque, all patiently awaiting that slice of pink perfection that only comes around once a year. "I don't know that I've ever had any better salmon," said Lion's Club President Larry Johnson. "They tweak the...
WAITSBURG-The WP Boys cross country team fell just short of earning a ribbon, taking 11th place at Saturday's meet in Clarkston. The Seaport Invite, hosted by Clarkston High School, began with a mile run on the grass around Seaport Park, followed by a gradual decline down a packed dirt trail. Runners then followed an asphalt trail along the Snake River and wrapped up with a big hill at the finish. Freshman Emily Adams, overcame congestion from a cold and a fall during the race to place ninth o...
WAITSBURG – In the words of the 1961 hit “Mama Said”, made famous by The Shirelles: “Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, Mama said.” That had to be what Cardinal players, coaches and fans were left thinking after a disheartening Sept. 19 loss against the Walla Walla Valley Academy Knights. The first league game of the season started out promisingly enough as Cardinals and Knights battled it out neck-and-neck. With a score of 11 to 11 midway through the firs...
WAITSBURG - The 2013-14 school year kicked off with enrollment numbers higher than anticipated in Waitsburg, and even more incoming students expected in the near future. Superintendent Dr. Carole Clarke updated board members at last week's school board meeting and requested additional help to meet the increased demands. Earlier enrollment estimates for the 2013-14 school year projected 135 elementary students (grades K-6), 45 middle school students (grades 7-8) and 270 high school students. At...
WAITSBURG - The W-P Cross Country team performed well in their first meet of the season, the Asotin XC Island Run Invite at Chief Timothy Island State Park in Clarkston on Saturday. W-P's sole female runner, freshman Emily Adams, who never lost a race during her eighth grade year, placed fourth overall, against 45 runners. Adams was first among 2B runners, ahead of District 9's top two female harriers; senior Heather Siegal of St. John-Endicott and Lucy Eggleston, a junior from Asotin. "T...
WAITSBURG - The W-P Lady Cards may have been overdue for a rest after Saturday's invitational tournament in Waitsburg, but they accrued plenty of practice play by attending two tournaments in two days. "This kind of thing is good for them," said assistant coach Robbie Johnson. "This is what they'll face if they make it to a state tournament. You play all day, get up and do it again. They handled it really well." W-P left Waitsburg at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning, heading for Yakima where the...
WAITSBURG - If you happen to see what appears to be a scene from Pied Piper (on bikes), don't be alarmed -- the children are safe. In fact, they're safer than ever. That string of red-helmeted student bikers, led by physi- cal education instructor Jeff Bartlow, is out practicing the rules of on and off-road safety. In 2011, Waitsburg School Superintendent Dr. Carol Clark wrote for and received a grant to implement a Safe Routes to School Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education Program. The grant,...
DAYTON - Early this spring, Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson invited local food producers to a meeting on the subject of ag-tourism, with the goal of identifying and promoting food producers and products already available in Colum- bia County. That initial gathering of local "foodies" culminated in an entire weekend of food related activities known as The Heirloom Gardeners Food and Wine Weekend. The event, a joint effort of the Port of Columbia, the Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton...
WAITSBURG - While there is still a bit of reprieve before the dreaded "fall back" in time requiring that clocks be adjusted to accommodate the end of Daylight Savings Time, a more enjoyable step back in time is just around the corner. Waitsburg's annual Pioneer Fall Festival, a community celebration honoring local history, will take place Sunday, September 15. This year's festival kicks off at 11 a.m. with an outdoor nondenominational church service led by First Christian Church pastor Mik...
On the front of this week's paper I wrote about the upcoming Pioneer Fall Festival. While that story detailed the facts about what you can expect to find at this year's event, it didn't relay the heart of what the festival is really about, at least to me. And from my observations over the years, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. While the focus is history, I think the Pioneer Fall Festival is really about community, friendship and coming together. We are blessed. As a teen growing up in a town t...
WAITSBURG - Doing what it takes to advance to post-season play will literally be a whole new ballgame for the 2013 WP Cardinals volleyball team. The graduation loss of Rhiannon Chapman, Jen Nichols, Adriana Benito and 2012 MVP Krystal Harris, as well as the loss of several junior players, has resulted in a very young team, largely dominated by freshmen and sophomores. Third-year WP volleyball coach Angie Potts, is up for the challenge. Potts, who has coached a total of 22 years between Pre...
PILOT ROCK - The WP volleyball team changed course midstream during Friday night's game against Pilot Rock, pushing ahead to win their first game of the season. The Rockets won the first two sets, 20-25 and 14-25, against the relatively inexperienced Cardinal team, which struggled with rotations. "We got off to a slow start because there was a lot of confusion about rotations and where the girls needed to be on defense," said Coach Angie Potts. "That led to a poor physical performance as...
WAITSBURG – When it comes to pumpkins, Charlie Brown’s got nothing on Waitsburg gardener Gail Broom, whose very own ‘great pumpkin’ placed first in the weight class at the Walla Walla County Fair. Broom can’t wait to compete again next year and is hoping to have some area youngsters join her and step up the competition. “I decided to plant a pumpkin patch because I thought it would be neat for kids to be able to grow big pumpkins and enter them in the fair,” said Broom. While school teache...
While I doubt I'll ever completely do away with my paper planner/calendar, I have to admit that I love Google's web-based Calendar! It's certainly not the new kid on the block when it comes to online event tracking, but it's still my favorite, simply because it can be used in so many ways. The first, and most obvious use, is as a basic calendar. The neat thing here is that you can set up a variety of different calendars and choose who you want to share them with. For example, I assign a di...
WAITSBURG - In a Waitsburg tradition dating back over 75 years, a new slate of Rainbow Girls' of- ficers was sworn in at their installation ceremony on August 21. The Masonic Hall was filled with friends, family and Rainbow Girls from neighboring chapters in what Mother Advisor Karen Mohney said is one of the largest turnouts she can recall. Every six months, the group elects new officers, allowing the girls to advance in their ranks and practice leadership skills. The posi- tion of Worthy...
WAITSBURG - "I've always been intrigued by trains. In fact, I would jump the train that ran behind the store and ride it to Dayton so often the crew got to know me and would invite me to ride up front with them," said Wade Wolfe, recalling memories of his childhood in Huntsville. Born and raised in Huntsville and a graduate of Waitsburg High, Wolfe is the as Pioneer of the Year honoree at this year's Fall Festival. The twists and turns of life have resulted in Wolfe living in all four c...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's City Council was joined by a new face at the August 21 meeting - that of student representative Meara Baker. Baker was sworn in by City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe and, while she won't participate in votes or decision-making, she was encouraged by Mayor Walt Gobel to join in discussions and to act as a liaison between the council and area teens. Baker, a senior, is the third student from Waitsburg High to serve as a student representative; the first being her bro...
DAYTON -- While the idiomatic silver lining in the cloud isn't always immediately evident, Nick Page is testament to the fact that a bit of effort and the right attitude can make the difference between darkness and light. While bedridden for seven weeks with a herniated disc, Page chose to focus his energies on learning a new skill -- one that has resulted in a burgeoning photography business. Page grew up in Dayton and graduated from Dayton High School before spreading his wings to experience l...
WAITSBURG - With a closing date of August 22, swim season at the Waits- burg City Pool is quickly nearing the end of what Pool Manager Kelly Steinhoff describes as the "smoothest season yet." Attendance numbers for 2013 are a bit of a mixed bag, with daily swim counts averaging 70 swimmers a day this year as opposed to 80 a day in 2012. In contrast, the number of children taking advantage of swimming lessons doubled. Last year, 16 children took lessons, while 32 attended this year. The pool...
DAYTON - While the Dayton Swim Team placed third out of seven teams competing in the Annual Jerry Cluckey Swim Meet on August 3, many personal best records were achieved. "It's not about the team get- ting first place," said Coach Rosy Nechodom. "Swimmers 'win' when they do their personal best, and that is exactly what the team did at the County Championship Meet." Forty- three Dayton swimmers competed in 149 individual races. With up to 21 swimmers competing in each event, the fight to fin- ish...
If you're looking for a reason to get out and about, Starbuck and Lyon's Ferry are the places to be these last few weeks of summer. The number one event on the agenda is the First Annual Swim the Snake open swim, with participants swimming from the old Lyons Ferry State Park site to the Lyons Ferry Marina. This non-competitive fundraiser is open to anyone 10 years old and up, though anyone under the age of 15 must swim with a designated adult (for obvious reasons). A $30 entry fee includes a...
DAYTON - In a tradition that started 44 years ago, 16 students and three chaper- ones returned home Saturday after spending two weeks in Japan as part of an ongoing exchange program between Dayton High School and Ya- mate Gakuin Junior/Senior High School in Yokohoma. According to Dayton High Exchange Advisor Kristine Warren, the private Yamate school was founded on the idea of international friendship and emphasizes responsible participation in community and international affairs. The founders...
