Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 939 - 963 of 997
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 - 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 - 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....
One winter's day earlier this One year, when Ally Chapman and One her mom Brenda were on their way to piano lessons in Waitsburg, the 11-year-old got an idea. Inspired by her grandfather, Brian Black, who orchestrated the creation of the Veterans' Memorial in the Chapman's hometown of Dayton, she had been wanting to do something good for her community, something big. So she decided to write to the comHeart that make some of her favorite products to see if they might be interested in helping brin...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council last week passed a law that may have appeared limited in its applicability to Mayor Walt Gobel who enjoys getting around town using a different mode of transportation. But there are others who say they'll take advantage of a new ordinance allowing the use of golf carts on city streets. WP football coach and PE teacher Jeff Bartlow, for one, is a big fan. "I'll use mine for a lot of things now that I can," said Bartlow, who bought a used golf cart - read: a...
PRESCOTT - If you were one of the applicants for the position of superintendent of the Prescott School District, the Times is interested in hearing from you. After an executive session last week, Prescott School Board Chair Karen Tonne issued a short statement saying the district is chosing not to interview a single one of the seven candidates for the superintendent's position, reportedly because the board wants to have a larger pool of recruits to consider. Instead, the board will consider appointing an interim superintendent while seeking mor...
DAYTON - This year's fire season in the Touchet Valley brings back some memories of the Columbia Complex fire that raged four years ago and became the nation's top firefightingpriority that summer. They're memories that most who lived through the 100,000-acre fire would just as soon forget. But starting at the Columbia Court House on Monday, some people whose lives were affected by the devastating blazes will relive the experience in front of a jury. Ironically for one of them, former...
DAYTON - The consultant who has been hired to conduct a work environment assessment reportof Columbia County Hospital District #1 will be presenting her findings during the district board's regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Unlike previous meetings, a different venue has been set aside for the meeting on Aug. 26. It will be held at the Catholic Church Fellowship Hall, 112 South First Street in Dayton. The presentation by Susan Newton of Development Strategies Plus in Walla Walla is scheduled for 30 minutes about 20 minutes into the...
