Sorted by date Results 170 - 194 of 997
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...
DAYTON - Levy W. Helgerson, 23, of Dayton, was arrested February 17 and charged with first degree assault of a child. He is alleged to have caused severe injuries to the 11-month-old son of a woman he was living with in Dayton. He is being held on $100,000 bond, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 6. According to a report filed by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, emergency personnel were called to the home Helgerson shared with the baby's mother on December 28, 2013. The unconscious baby was transported to the emergency roo...
WAITSBURG - The February 15 WP boys' basketball game against Lind/Ritzville/Sprague featured some extra-special halftime entertainment. As part of her senior project, Enedina Fuentes, held a three-week dance camp for four elementary girls who performed at Friday's game. Fuentes started out in dance by attending classes in Walla Walla when she was three. She also participated in a school dance program in fourth and fifth grades. She most enjoys modern, jazz and hip-hop. "I hope to get back into...
DAYTON - The 2014 edition of the Columbia County Fair will offer attendees many new activities and events, according to plans being put together by the fair board. The theme of the fair will be "Blue Jeans and Country Dreams." This year's fair will be held September 5, 6 and 7. Columbia County Fair Board Co-President Candy Jones said that the board is eager to try new things this year. "It's important that we get more local people involved," she said. "We're still looking for more ideas." J...
Waitsburg Schools M&O Levy: Yes - 64.23% No - 35.77% Prescott Schools M&O Levy: Yes - 76.88% No - 23.12% Walla Walla County EMS Levy: Yes - 84.01% No - 15.99%...
WAITSBURG - Voters showed strong support for schools and emergency medical services by saying yes to replacement maintenance & operations levies for Walla Walla County EMS and Waitsburg and Prescott School Districts on Feb. 11. Preliminary results - to be certified on Feb. 25 - show all three levies passing by substantial margins. Each levy needed 50% + 1 vote to pass. The Walla Walla County EMS replacement levy passed with an overwhelming 84% approval vote. A total of 11,102 voters cast t...
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...
Waitsburg Schools M&O Levy: Yes - 64.23% No - 35.77% Prescott Schools M&O Levy: Yes - 76.88% No - 23.12% Walla Walla County EMS Levy: Yes - 84.01% No - 15.99%...
DAYTON - Columbia County Emergency Management Director Lisa Caldwell announced last week that her office is implementing a new emergency notification program this month. The system, called CodeRED, will allow Columbia County officials to quickly send emergency notifications to targeted neighborhoods or the entire county, using phone calls, text messages and emails. According to a press release issued by Caldwell's office, the county will test the CodeRED system on Tuesday, February 18, b...
WAITSBURG - As is often the case, what began as a relatively simple restoration project has grown into a much larger undertaking. When Commercial Club members discovered that the large painting - approximately 7 feet by 5 feet - that had hung above the window to the kitchen in Town Hall was water damaged, Karl Newell and Doris Huffman decided to do what they could to restore it. Newell tackled the job of sanding and repainting the wooden frame, but Huffman soon learned she was not going to...