Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 934 - 958 of 997
WAITSBURG - If there's one gal in Waitsburg everybody knows and loves, it's Jane Butler. Though she isn't a Waitsburg native, she has become as much a part of this community as any member of its original pioneer families. "I know everybody who knows her just loves her," said longtime friend B.A. Keve. "She's just a darling, and she continues to amaze me. I don't think there's anything she can't do and do well. So many people appreciate her." Next weekend Butler's friends and family will hav...
WAITSBURG - Those who were there last year will never forget the scene. When the final whistle blew, sealing WP's 35-28 victory over DeSales, the home crowd in the bleachers and on the sideline swarmed the field in jubilation. It was the first time in nine years that the Cardinals had beat the Irish, and it seemed to matter more than the outcome of any other game that season except for the playoffs. The two teams are gearing up for another showdown Thursday at 7 p.m. in Waitsburg. Both c...
DAYTON - Already known on the West Coast for All Wheels, there is a good chance that by next year Dayton will become known far and wide for a brand new summer event: Mule Mania. Get ready for mule barrel racing, mule wagon pulling, mule pole bending, mule team penning, mule team roping, "Pony Express" relays and perhaps even some serious chuck wagon cook offs. Dayton will be "All Mules" on the weekend of July 15 - 17, 2011. The Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia County Fairgrounds are n...
DAYTON - Trees in this part of the state are a precious commodity, so when they start looking sick and dying, property owners want answers. If they're smart, they start asking questions, and if they're lucky, they get the Forest Tour. U.S. Forest Service entomologist Lia Spiegel and pathologist Craig Schmitt, both from La Grande, joined forest insect specialist Mike Johnson with the Eastern Washington Department of Natural Resources earlier this month in Columbia County at the request of local...
WAITSBURG - Shortly after Cycle Oregon organizer Tara Corbin arrived in Waitsburg ahead of the 2,250 cyclists coming here for their midweek stay last week, Mayor Walt Gobel took her to see the city's "Hollywood" sign on the hill: a giant bicycle ploughed into the field south of town to greet the far-flung visitors. "That almost brought tears to my eyes," Corbin said about the iconic welcome initiated by local hospitality coordinator Deanne Johnson. "It was one of those standout moments for me...
WAITSBURG - Ring the bells, toot the horns, strike up the band - the cyclists are here ! Waitsburgers went all out to greet the more than 2,000 Cycle Oregon participants Tuesday as they pedaled into town after a nearly three-hour ride from Starbuck. Members of the local Special Olympics skiing team, the Bluewood Bombers, erected an archway and decorated the finish line near the fairgrounds on Caroline Street. Local school children, Waitsburg-Prescott cheerleaders and the high school band waited...
WAITSBURG - Ye Towne Hall in downtown Waitsburg was built by local American Legionnaires in 1928. Next week, a new generation of Waitsburgers will rededicate the historic building, officially reopening the renovated structure for another 100 years or so of civic service. The town will celebrate this reopening on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. in a program honoring the history of the old building following the regular dinner meeting of the Waitsburg Commercial Club at 6:30. Those who would like to...
DAYTON - City officials Monday night voted down the much-debated ordinance proposed in July to legalize the operation of off-road vehicles on some of Dayton's streets. It was a tough decision for city councilors; that was obvious to all at the council meeting. Some prefaced their choice with an explanation while others remained silent, but the vote itself made clear the division of opinion on this hot topic. It was a tie. Councilors Terry Herrin, Jim Cooper and Charlie Button voted to approve the first reading of the new ordinance. All three co...
WAITSBURG - Some years back, the Waitsburg Masonic Lodge No. 16 had a dilemma. Its members were getting older, and the only way some of them could make it up to the temple on the second floor above the grocery store was with the help of an elevator. There was only one small problem. The stairs were steep and had two landings. An installation would have to be so sophisticated, it would cost more than $15,000. So, the Lodge turned to one of its members, Bill Zuger, for a solution. Known for his...
WAITSBURG - If you've ever watched the Tour de France, you know race supporters and local residents can be stretched out for miles along the route to cheer on the riders. No need to do so for the two-wheeled visitors from Cycle Oregon next week. Their "cowbell" moment through town will come between 1 - 2 p.m. on Tuesday when they pass through town coming in from Starbuck on Bolles Road south down Main Street to 8th and east down 8th to Caroline. Local Cycle Oregon organizers hope Waitsburgers will turn out to ring in the visitors, if nothing...
DAYTON - The top-ofthe hill Main Street building that was once home of Patit Creek Cellars will be entirely devoted to wine again this fall, giving Dayton two winetasting venues by the end of the year. Owners Paul and Marcene Hendrickson have leased the 1,100-square-foot building at 507 E. Main to Abacus Wine Llc of Pasco, which will operate the location as "Dayton Wine Works" and targets casual wine drinkers and travelers. In May, Dayton resident and former winemaker Reggie Mace announced he...
DAYTON - Expect the unexpected this year at the Columbia County Fair. That's the advice fair manager Shane Laib has for the roughly 5,000 people he predicts will attend this year's 120th anniversary event. "Assume nothing," Laib said Monday, as he and dozens of others began work to prepare the fairgrounds for opening this Friday. "Some c omp o - nent of virtually every part of the fair will be different this year." This is Laib's first year as fair manager, but he's been busy. Together with a...
WAITSBURG - Few Waitsburgers will forget how on Sunday, Sept. 6 last year, the town sirens wailed in the predawn hours and the sky north of Main Street was lit up with the orange glow of a huge fire. Many gathered on the bridge to see how the town's largest historic structure and once its economic heartbeat, the abandoned Wait's four mill, was engulfed in flames so big firefighters could only contain the blaze and watch its stories collapse one by one. Within hours, the 145-year-old building...
WAITSBURG - In their first home game of the season, the Cardinals beat the Pilot Rock Rockets 34 - 14 Friday night. WP is now 2-0 after having won against the Kamiah Kubs in a tough defensive away game last week. Although there were still plenty of missed and dropped passes on the part of the Cardinals, the evening showed a team getting more comfortable in its skin, particularly on defense. "We struggled connecting the dots," head coach Jeff Bartlow said about the offense after the game. "But we've made a lot of improvements. I'm proud of...
DAYTON - The Dayton Bulldogs lost their season opener against Stanfield tonight 7 - 48, but the home team knew they had a tough opponent in a team that's destined to top their league this fall. Despite a game-opening running touchdown by Josh Frame in the first quarter, the Stanfield Tigers drilled through the Bulldogs' defense for much of the game until the Dayton boys finally caught the spirit and stopped them in their tracks. By then, however, the Tigers had scored seven touchdowns due in part to an uncomfortable Bulldogs defense and a...
KAMIAH - Senior T.J. Hofer made and saved the day for the Waitsburg-Prescott Cardinals in their 6-0 victory over the Kamiah Kubs tonight. In an intensily defensive game on both sides, Hofer scored the game's only touchdown during the third quarter, then made a game-winning interception during the Kubs' last drive of the fourth quarter that could have resulted in an equalizer and extra-point victory for the home team. Cardinals Zach Bartlow and Kris Cady each had impressive runs in a game in which both teams struggled to make yardage. More...
WALLA WALLA - A Walla Walla man who took up residence in Waitsburg this summer was charged today with first-degree rape, sexual exploitation of a minor and first-degree possession of images depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted of the charges, 31-year-old Carl Grayson Bell Jr. could reportedly be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. The maximum sentence for first-degree rape of a child is life in prison. Bell was charged with three counts of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of sexual exploitation of...
DAYTON - Ski Bluewood, whose current owners said earlier this year they would need to shut the resort down unless they could hand it over before the upcoming season, has a prospective buyer. "We're negotiating," said Stan Goodell, who owns Ski Bluewood with his wife Nancy. Goodell declined to share the name of the possible buyer for fear it might upset the talks. Neither would he speculate whether a deal could be reached before the beginning of the 2010 - 2011 season. But he indicated that talks between the two parties are going well and...
DAYTON - In what could be seen as a breakthrough on the part of the Columbia County Public Hospital Board of Commissioners, member Ted Paterson acknowledged last week that the board "may have become complacent" in the face of recent management practices, staff decisions and unsatisfactory work environment within the system. "Maybe we didn't ask the right questions," he told the audience at the Catholic Church in Dayton on Thursday. "Maybe we were just looking at the dollar signs and seeing, 'it's black, it's black, it's black.'" Paterson spoke...
STARBUCK - Diane Lusk liked the way Bob Bulota always greeted her when he called from one of his far-flung trips. "Hello Mrs. Lusk, this is Bob Bulota," he would announce to the Starbucks post master in tongue-in-cheek formality. Lusk still gets calls from someone who sounds just like Bob. For a split second, her heart rises at the thought that it might be her friend of eight years - the one who regularly brought her apples, pears and flowers at work. But it's wishful thinking. Bob has been...
PRESCOTT - The Board of the Prescott School District has appointed a former deputy superintendent of Walla Walla Public Schools as its interim superintendent. The district announced the temporary appointment after an executive session before its regular meeting Thursday night. The announcement comes a week after the board decided to forego interviews with seven applicants who have sought the permanent appointment so far and take more time to expand the pool of recruits during the school year. The board said the interim appointment gives the...
DAYTON - Several homeowners were evacuated from the Tucannon River valley Thursday as dozens of firefighters from three counties battled wildfires that spread across thousands of acres northeast of Dayton. A fire that started off Patit Road Tuesday and was thought to be under control flared up again Thursday afternoon and grew rapidly with winds of up to 35 miles per hour fanning the flames through wheat land stubble, grass, brush and trees in gullies and canyons. The fire dropped down into the Tucannon River valley between Hartsock and...
The Board of Directors of the Waitsburg School District will host a reception for retiring teacher Pam Conover at the Waitsburg Elementary School 4:30 - 6 p.m. Sunday Aug. 26....
