Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 161 - 185 of 997
WAITSBURG -Both the City of Waitsburg and Walla Walla County show significant drops in crime across the board in 2013. Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner gave an update at the March 17 Waitsburg City Council Meeting, and said he is proud of a department that is "doing a good job." Turner presented the Sheriff's Office year-end report, noting drops in assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle thefts in Waitsburg in 2013. "This is a good trend and we'll do everything we can to keep that...
WAITSBURG - After listing former Citizen of the Year recipients, Tom Baker asked attendees at the March 18 Commercial Club meeting to rise. "If your name doesn't start with 'J', sit down . . . If you've already won the award, sit down . . . Look who's left!" Enthusiastic applause erupted and the audience laughed as still-standing Larry and Deanne Johnson eyed one another in surprise. "We were under the pretense that we knew who was receiving the award, and it wasn't us!" said Larry later. The...
DAYTON - A Dayton man who has been charged with first degree rape of a child appeared in court last week. According to the Columbia County Prosecutor's Office, Walter Hartwell is scheduled to go to trial April 22 and 23. Hartwell was arrested last month and charged with initiating sexual contact with an 11-year-old child. He is being held in the Columbia County jail, with bond set at $100,000. A hearing to set a trial date for Levi Helgerson, who is charged with first degree assault of a child, is scheduled for April 3. Helgerson was arrested...
DAYTON - Residents of Columbia County will soon have several safe and secure places to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs. Blue Mountain Counseling, working with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, is preparing to install prescription drug drop boxes in three locations in Dayton. According to Laura Tolman, who is prevention coordinator at Blue Mountain Counseling in Dayton, the county has received a grant of $16,000 to help reduce substance abuse in the county. The money is bein...
PRESCOTT - In a swift six minutes, Prescott's School Board discussed and passed a motion to continue, status quo, in the WP Athletic Combine agreement through the 2014-15 school year. The vote took place during a March 19 Special Meeting. During the meeting, members expressed a desire to communicate and work cooperatively with Waitsburg, using the coming year to address issues that have been raised before reassessing the combine. Earlier this month, Prescott had presented Waitsburg's Sc...
WAITSBURG - In what Ken Cole Jr. described as "a weird offshoot of community service" a group of locals are forging ahead with plans to bring casual family dining back to Waitsburg. The demolition of the long- vacant White Stallion restaurant was slated to begin Wednesday. Investors hope to have the tentatively named Whiskey Creek Sports Bar & Grill up and running in its place as early as October. Dan Cole, Ken Cole, Jr., Guy McCaw and Byron Seney, along with wives Trina, Elizabeth, Lynn and...
DAYTON - On the morning of February 19, 1945, Owen Agenbroad was one of the Marines in the fifth wave of landing craft that hit the beaches on the island of Iwo Jima in the South Pacific. He was 21. The battle of Iwo Jima lasted 36 days and was one of the deadliest of World War II. More than 10,000 American and Japanese servicemen died and hundreds of thousands were wounded. This week, Agenbroad, now 90 and a long-time Dayton resident, is returning to Iwo Jima for the first time since the battle...
WAITSBURG - It was standing-room-only in the Preston Hall science room March 12, as parents and school staff waited to offer input during a School Board work session preceding the regular board meeting. Thirty minutes had been allotted to discuss the current 4th - 6th grade class configuration, which is presenting "instructional and scheduling challenges," according to Superintendent Carol Clarke. The session ran well over an hour and still didn't allow time for everyone to comment. Due to...
WALLA WALLA - Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins announced Monday that he will not seek re-election this year to a fourth term. He will finish out his current term, which ends Dec. 31. "I am proud of what we have accomplished in the past 11 years," Tompkins said in a letter to his fellow commissioners. "I also believe we have laid the framework for continued progress in both the near and distance future with the work we have done." Tompkins was first elected to his District 3 seat in 2002. Earlier this month,, former Walla Walla C...
PRESCOTT - Slovenian artist Milenko Matanovic has exhibited his work all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Unlikely as it may seem, Prescott area residents will soon work directly with Matanovic in designing a community gathering place in the heart of Prescott. Pomegranate Center - a nonprofit founded by Matanovic - is coming to Prescott for a community-building project; bringing talented designers and a grant of $25,000 to fund the process. From 1902 to 1913 t...
WAITSBURG - A specially formed committee of the Waitsburg Commercial Club will spend the next few months meeting with a Whitman student and a retired business person to develop a strategic one-year plan for the club. The consultation/ facilitation service is provided through 501 Commons, a Seattle-based organization that helps non- profit groups throughout Washington. It is funded by Sherwood Trust. The goal is to wrap up the process in June with a fully-executable one-year strategic plan i...
WALLA WALLA - Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner announced last week that he will seek a second term as Sherrif this year. Two candidates - Barry Blackman and Tom Cooper - have already announced they will challenge Turner in this fall's election. In a press release issued March 5, Turner said, "I feel blessed every day as the elected Sheriff of Walla Walla County and I appreciate our community's on- going support for strong and consistent law enforcement." Turner is a Southern California...
DAYTON - Columbia County Fire District 3 and Columbia REA announced last week that REA has sold its shop, warehouse and property at 115 Patit Road to the district. The deal closed on February 7. According to the Columbia County Assessor's Office, the building and just over four acres sold for $850,000. In a press release, District 3 Fire Chief Rick Turner said, "The REA building is better designed to meet the current and future needs of our Fire Department and its responsibilities." The release...
WAITSBURG - Overwhelming, fun and incredibly worthwhile. Those three sentiments were echoed repeatedly by last year's Evergreen Boy's and Girl's State representatives as they addressed guests in an honorary desert banquet Monday night. EJ Meserve (Waitsburg), Erik Sandoval (Prescott), Emily Wilson (Prescott), Meara Baker (Waitsburg) and Yesenia Escalante (Prescott) were sponsored by Waitsburg's American Legion Post #35 and Auxiliary to the 2013 State events in June. Boy's and Girl's State...
DAYTON - During a special meeting Wednesday, the Dayton School Board approved placing a $19.955 million bond before voters in April. The vote was 4-0, with one board member absent. Voting on the measure will conclude on April 22. A yes vote above 60% will be required to approve the measure. Bond funds would go toward a major renovation of school district facilities. The total estimated project is cost $24.25 million. The remaining funds (approximately $4.3 million) would be provided by Washing...
DAYTON - Walter C. Hartwell, 38, of Dayton, was arrested here Friday and charged with two counts of first degree rape of a child. He is being held in the Columbia County Jail, subject to $100,000 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment on March 6. Hartwell is accused of initiating sexual contact with his 11-year-old stepdaughter. Reports indicate that the contact may have been occurring for several years. According to a report released by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the Sheriff's Office received paperwork from the Washington St...
WAITSBURG - The City of Waitsburg is working hard to make their little burg even more appealing. The addition of art pieces to Main Street and at the site of the former Wait's Mill were among the more enjoyable topics of last week's City Council Meeting. The Council approved entering into an Independent Consultant Agreement with former ArtWalla Executive Director Jeana Garske who will serve as a professional consultant, working with Sherwood Trust to secure funds for public art to adorn Ma...
WAITSBURG - During Last week's Waitsburg City Council meeting, John Wells, Project Engineer for Anderson Perry & Associates, gave recommendations on how the City should best respond to levee deficiencies noted in a recent inspection by the Army Corps of Engineers. The inspection was a relatively short Routine Inspection - a visual inspection required annually by the Corps. in order for Waitsburg to retain eligibility in the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rehabilitation Pro...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School District will face a new challenge this spring as middle and high school students and teachers prepare to field-test the new Smarter Balanced assessment tests recently adopted by the State. After working through a sample test, teachers and administrators are convinced that parental involvement and support will be crucial to student success. A Student Assessment Information M e e t ing for all middle and high school students and parents has been schedul...
