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  • Political Cartoon

    Aug 11, 2011

  • What’s For Breakfast?

    Imbert Matthee, The Times|Aug 4, 2011

    WAITSBURG - By the time this edition of the newspaper comes out, Coppei Coffee will be open or be just about to have its soft opening. Our grand opening, as we reported last week, is scheduled to coincide with the openings of Betty's Diner and the Anchor Bar on Classic Auto Show weekend this Friday and Saturday. As part of our continuing introduction of Coppei Coffee, we thought we might discuss our menu and go over some espresso terms. With the evolution of espresso culture in our country, it m...

  • No Offense Intended

    Aug 4, 2011

    A n interesting discussion ensued after we ran the story about the marijuana growing operation in the upper Tucannon watershed the week before last. It was actually more about the headline than the story. It read "Mexican Jailed In Mountain Pot Raid." Several people raised eye brows at our use of the word "Mexican" in the headline. When we picked up leftover papers in Walla Walla last week, we found that one super market put our stack of newspapers behind the counter after several customers complained about the paper carrying that headline. For...

  • Letter to the Editor

    Aug 4, 2011

    To the Editor: This letter will serve as a strong endorsement of Mr. Jack Otterson and Mr. Blaine Bickelhaupt for election to the Columbia County Hospital District board. Both of these people are life-long members of the Dayton and Waitsburg communities, so you know them well as your neighbors and friends. Both have completed successfully, long-standing service commitments to their respective communities in various capacities and both have earned the respect of their two communities for their honesty and integrity. I have known Jack Otterson...

  • Political Cartoon

    Aug 4, 2011

  • Weren’t There Always BBQs?

    Jane Butler, Guest Column|Jul 28, 2011

    Looking back on the 1950s when barbecue grills were being introduced into American culture, the craze didn't hit Waitsburg as quickly as it did other places. People were busy with harvest and they didn't want to be bothered at that time of year. I looked at my old 1958 Better Homes and Gardens Barbecues and Picnics book and read the introduction: "This is easy-going, hieverybody sort of fare. Poke up a fire and relax. For Dad there's all the how-to's for those big, thick charcoalbroiled steaks, plump barbecued chickens, for the kids:...

  • A Heart For History

    Jillian Beaudry|Jul 28, 2011

    DAYTON - Members of the Dayton community are lending their talents and their time to restore a collection of downtown outdoor advertisements going back to the late 1800s. The Historic Sign Restoration Project on the back of the Sterling Savings Bank and other buildings on Main Street, is a project of the Dayton Development Task Force. The group obtained a $20,000 grant from the Sherwood Trust Fund recently and work is underway. The group won't be restoring the advertisement s so they look new. R...

  • Get Ready For August

    Jul 28, 2011

    A ugust promises to be a busy and exciting month for Waitsburg. Harvest, if it even starts for some farmers before the end of July, will go well into August. The slow maturation from cooler spring and summer temperatures promise bigger yields. Some observers estimate this year's harvest could set a record in the region. That means that a month that's usually marked by high heat and slowing farm activity could see the fields around town and elsewhere in the Touchet Valley buzzing. But the rolling hills that surround us won't be the only scene of...

  • Political Cartoon

    Jul 28, 2011

  • Keeping It Together

    Jul 21, 2011

    I t keeps our wheels rolling through town. It keeps rain water from flooding our streets. It keeps drinking water coming to our homes. It rarely makes headlines. Yet a decent infrastructure is one of the most important assets for small towns and we believe the governments of Waitsburg and Dayton are doing an excellent job keeping our communities' roads, sewer, water and so on in shape despite tough economic times. The Dayton City Council recently approved some $120,000 worth of projects, including the reconstruction of the Second to Third...

  • Good Luck With Harvest

    Jul 21, 2011

    Harvest may not quite be underway yet for most farmers in the Touchet Valley, but it should get started soon. This week, we're devoting our edition to harvest with our annual salute to the growers in our area. It hasn't been an easy year leading up to this moment with rust and unusually cool spring weather. More recently, many farmers found portions of their crop flattened by heavy rainfall from a thunder storm. That, and the heavier stalks may slow cutting and make the tiring harvest even more tedious. Yet world prices for wheat are good and...

  • Taking The Wrapping Off

    Jul 21, 2011

    WAI T SBURG - This latest column in our series, appearing just before we actually open the Coppei Coffee Co shop for business, is a little bit like taking the wrapping off a Christmas present. Last week, the crew from Northstar Construction started taking some of the old aggregate siding off the front of what we've been calling the "Mock" building, the one that will function as the coffee shop's main entrance and has the espresso bar. This is the last phase of the project. Ninety-five percent of...

  • Political Cartoon

    Jul 21, 2011

  • The Road Ahead

    Imbert Matthee, The Times|Jul 14, 2011

    Heart BEAT About Needs & Good Deeds T HORNTON, Wash. - Dennis Nostrant had not been feeling well all day. It was April 7, 2010. As an engineer for Hardcon Co based in Spokane, he was getting together with county officials, engineers, contractors and subs for a bridge construction project near Kettle Falls in Stevens County. But when it came time for the site meeting, he had to step behind one of the pickup trucks to throw up. He was shocked to see it was mostly blood. His liver had stopped...

  • Nursery Rhyme Or Reason

    Jul 14, 2011

    We don't comment very often on letters submitted by readers, but in the case of the correspondence from Sharon Spenard of Dayton published on our opinion page this week we'd like to make an exception. This seems as good a time as any to shed a little more light on the situation in which Ace Landscaping owner John Palmer finds himself. County officials have approached him about possible zoning violations involving his new nursery off Highway 12 between Waitsburg and Dayton, following several complaints, presumable from local residents. Mr. Palme...

  • Dear Editor:

    Jul 14, 2011

    While I very much enjoy your publication, I was disturbed by the article on Ace Landscaping. Columbia County, and in particular Dayton, needs all the commercial business we can get. Bringing jobs to the county is of vital importance Ace Landscaping is trying to improve our county. Their business property is very well done and improves that portion of Highway 12. It will look even more attractive as it progresses. The Palmers are very knowledgeable in the nursery and landscaping business, having been doing this for a number of years. They give...

  • Political Cartoon

    Jul 14, 2011

  • Dear Editor:

    Jul 7, 2011

    My daughter and I were very disappointed to find out as we headed to the Waitsburg swimming pool on a recent Saturday that it is closed on the weekends. I am a mom with a full time job and I am unable to take my child to the pool during the weekdays. I was looking forward to spending quality time with my daughter which I was able to do by driving to the Prescott Pool. During the time we spent at the Prescott pool two Parents and four children from the Waitsburg community came to swim. I would prefer not to have to drive to another town when I...

  • The Road To Recovery

    Jul 7, 2011

    The last time I wrote about my friend and his son with Ewing's sarcoma, the teenager was just going into treatment. This was back in early fall, when Niko and I went hiking with Michael and Orion, my friend's older son, while Tally, his youngest, was at the hospital as part of his prolonged preparations for his eventual surgery. We just walked up an old logging road near Snoqualmie Pass, my four-month-old Dizzy weaving between our feet along the path. Michael and I listened to Niko and Orion's...

  • Thanks For Your Patience

    Jul 7, 2011

    We promised we would open the Coppei Coffee shop this summer and we are. In just a few weeks, we'll have our soft opening and later on our grand opening for what we hope will become Waitsburg's "third space," your living room away from home. This week, we're introducing the members of the team - general manager Marc Bru and the core staff, including Nichole Wood, Lindsey Thomas and Sarah Groffman (see story on page 7). It's been a great journey so far. Ron Smith of Northstar Construction and his crew have done a phenomenal job transforming...

  • Political Cartoon

    Jul 7, 2011

  • Waitsburg Has History As Valley Boom Town

    Jane Butler, Guest Column|Jun 30, 2011

    Recently I had the opportunity to look through some interesting travel books about the state of Washington. Among them, I found "Exploring Washington's Past," written by Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander. Kirk and Alexander's book gives an excellent background into the history of the state, especially rural areas. In this book it has a section that discussed the town of Waitsburg, its size and the local community. " In 1871, a visitor to Waitsburg described the little town as "The most enterprising and thrifty of any town, except Walla Walla, in...

  • The Voices Of Hope

    Imbert Matthee, The Times|Jun 30, 2011

    WAITSBURG - On one of the nights of the Salt & Light youth choir's state tour last week, the group of 23 young singers from the Touchet Valley came together in a circle to share what they felt was special about the Christian ministry. The theme of this year's tour was "Got Hope?" Kyla Ihle, a senior from Dayton High School, was already in tears before it was her turn to share. " I've been struggling with hope throughout my life," Ihle said. "Salt & Light helped me find that hope." Feeling safe...

  • Don’t Miss Out

    Jun 30, 2011

    Here's a challenge the Times is pleased to put out there. If you or your business have been on the fence about snapping up one of four available 10-year corporate sponsorships of the Cardinals press box and sports equipment storage facility on the Waitsburg football field, you better act fast. The Times has decided to buy the next-to-last sponsorship package - priced at $2,500 - that includes the placement of its logo on a 2x6-foot space on the building, weekly public recognition during home football games and once-a-year exclusive seating in...

  • Political Cartoon

    Jun 30, 2011

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