Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1204 - 1228 of 5679
WALLA WALLA-The announcement for the protest was seen on a Facebook post, listing the 1 p.m. time, the Land Title Plaza as the place, with the words 'Peaceful Protest' as the title. The post also featured an image of George Floyd's face and the words "I Can't Breathe." George Floyd's death on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparked other protests across the country, in Europe, and beyond. The idea for the event came to social media specialist Lindsey...
Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a statewide activation of the Washington National Guard on Sunday, May 31 in response to the spread of destructive protests and looting in Washington state. The activation will allow unarmed troops to be deployed in response to requests from local governments. The governor already authorized at least 600 troops earlier this weekend to help in Seattle and Bellevue. The state received a request from Spokane County on May 31 for National Guard assistance after what was described as a rogue group began looting and damaging...
Valedictorian Kylee Laughlin Salutatorian Kira Boggs 2020 Graduates: Marissa Barzo McKenzie Dobbs Jurnee Griffen Emma Houdak Alex Jenkins David Lewis Kiya McCaw Carlos Norris Lillian Patterson Quinton Rapoza Sergio Rivera Tayven Seney Elise Steinhoff Josiah White...
Shortly before graduation the idea to line Main Street with custom banners honoring the graduating seniors quickly gained traction. Senior Advisor Matt Wyatt contacted DiJulio Displays in Brier, Wash., to help him create and print the banners. This is the same company who worked with Scott Kirk on Dayton’s senior banners. Rita Pruczinksi, of DiJulio Displays took on the task of printing the red banners and developed an unexpected relationship with Dayton and Waitsburg’s Classes of 2020. A sma...
You know what sounds great right now? Some nice escapist literature. You know what I'm not in the mood to do right now? Think up a nice escapist plot. This, then, is the story of an intrepid adventurer (and also her mother) on a quest through the plague-stricken wastes of Middle America to retrieve the long-lost Treasure of Apartment 1-B in time to avoid the Curse of the Lost Security Deposit. Our quest begins at an obscenely early hour as our two heroes race down the darkened highways of...
WAITSBURG-High school graduations are looking a little different this year, and Waitsburg High School's ceremony is no exception. A gallery drive through town followed by a drive through 'ceremony' is scheduled for May 29, starting at 6 p.m. The Class of 2020 Gallery Drive will begin at Preston Park, with the students as passengers, lined up in alphabetical order, following a pilot car. Each vehicle will have one student in cap and gown. Twenty-two cars will make their way down Main Street,...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. via conference call. All board members were present except councilman Karl Newell. The council discussed the Complete Sidewalk Project Award, a capital library grant, and the status of the city pool. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe gave an update on the Complete Sidewalk Project Award that the City received earlier this year. He said that he has been in contact with property owners who will be impacted by the project, a...
DAYTON-At the May 13 Port Commission meeting, Executive Director Dickinson expressed a desire for people to follow all the social distancing guidelines set forth by in the Governor's Phased Approach to Reopening Business and Modifying Social Distancing Guidelines, so the county can move from Phase II into Phase III more quickly. "For the most part it is going fine, she said. "I'm proud of our businesses and our community." Dickinson said the Lyons Ferry Marina Concessionaires are making great...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, May 21 at 6 p.m. All school board members were present. During the meeting, the board discussed graduation plans, a continuous learning plan, and other items. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported to the board that the middle school had been invited to the Milton Freewater Drive-In Theater for the 8th grade promotion. After some discussion, the board decided it was best to come up with another plan in the event that Walla Walla C...
DAYTON— The Dayton School Board met Wednesday, May 20 at 6:00 pm via Zoom virtual meeting. All board members were present. During the meeting, the board discussed budget information, the high school graduation ceremony, and the upcoming school year among other items. Elementary principal Doug Johnson reported that Dayton Elementary staff and teachers are continuing to improve their online learning models. Mr. Johnson said that a scheduling committee has been formed for the sole purpose of p...
I am convinced that about half the stuff on the Internet these days is lists of things to do in quarantine. Fifteen recipes to try, twenty home-repair projects you can do in a day, the one hundred and thirty plants you absolutely need to squeeze into your yard while you have the free time to plant them. I'm sure you've read at least a couple. As a journalist, I will let you in on a secret about these lists: they are found at the very bottom of the idea barrel. Sure, there are some...
Fire District #2 commissioners met on Tuesday, May 12th at the Waitsburg Fire Station. The search for a part time fire chief for the district continues, as the May 1 deadline for letters of interest from candidates for the job passed with no applications received. Commissioners' will keep the application open and plan on increasing the sites for placing ads to attract applicants. The purchase of four new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) was approved, along with a training module for the...
Walla Walla-The Walla Walla Community College Board of Trustees Chair Tim Burt announced last week that Acting President Dr. Chad Hickox has been named the permanent President of the College effective May 20, 2020. "In this rapidly changing environment, Dr. Hickox has proven he is a trusted leader who is well-qualified and ready to lead through these unprecedented times," said Board Chair Tim Burt. "The Board heard from members of the faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the...
DAYTON-Vic Bottomly is a private practice attorney in Clarkston, Wash., focusing on Criminal and Civil Law for Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties. Bottomly said he never before set out to be a judge because he has been happy in his 27-year- career as a trial lawyer. But over the past several years the Superior Courts in the three counties have struggled with an increasing caseload and lack of resources. The courts have also had to "trudge" along without a sitting judge for over a year,...
Filing for the 2020 elections closed last Friday, May 15, clarifying the races to come. A three-way competition is on for the Walla Walla County Commission District 1 seat. Currently held by two-term incumbent Jim Johnson of Waitsburg, he will not be seeking re-election after his successful battle with cancer. The District 1 seat encompasses the central and southern voting districts in the city of Walla Walla and the south-central part of the county up to the Oregon state line. Three...
The Class of 2020 will have a virtual graduation ceremony to include the following: Pictures of our Class of 2020 Seniors in their caps and gowns will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. Recorded reflections of each student of the Class of 2020 will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. A Congratulation speech by Mr. Pickel, Waitsburg School District Superintendent will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. The Honor Speeches from the Class of 2020 will be...
Mrs. Stephanie Wooderchak It has been a pleasure to work with you over these past years. I wish you much happiness in your new life adventures. Mr. Gabe Kiefel I wish for each of you a rich life, full of authenticity. It has been said that to wish someone to live in interesting times or an exciting life could be considered a curse. This would be because interesting times may be full of surprises and discomfort. An exciting life carries with it the possibility of danger or injury. I do not wish...
WAITSBURG- The third weekend in May is historically an exciting one in Waitsburg. Waitsburg Celebration Days was one of many area events cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, but a small group of classic car enthusiasts and a handful of equestrians weren't willing to let the weekend slip away completely. Fred Gonzalez, the president of the Waitsburg Classic Car Show and Swap Meet, rounded up more than 50 local car enthusiasts from Waitsburg and Walla Walla for a (Non)Celebration Days car...
East Coast born and raised, Liz Fraser of Walla Walla is known for her candor. Two weeks ago, she openly let her Facebook friends know that she had tested positive for the Coronavirus. In the post, she joked that she'd "never had a cavity until I needed a root canal...and never had the flu until I got covid (sic)..." Since then, she's kept her Facebook friends updated with the progress of the virus and was even willing to take some time to talk with me on the phone. Her journey from becoming...
DAYTON-Quality time together, learning from each other, the need for flexibility, and the importance of staying positive are common themes for parents and children as they navigate the new normal of virtual school instruction. Allicia Stapleton normally has her hands full during the school year as a full time cook in the Dayton School District cafeteria. Since schools closed on March 16, she finds her hands are still full helping run the District's food pick-up and delivery program, serving...
DAYTON-A hundred years ago it was a common practice to quarantine soldiers returning from war zones against diseases like yellow fever Private Wesley Dodge, 1st Regiment of Washington Infantry Volunteers, Company F, was quarantined in this 13 x 13 cabin when he returned home to Dayton from the Spanish American War in 1898. The cabin, built in the Dodge family backyard, met basic recommended quarantine practices. It was "discovered" behind a two-story home on West Richmond Street and donated to...
CAMP MURRAY, WA—A new statewide report shows COVID-19 transmission is persisting in western Washington and slowly increasing in eastern Washington. The measure of how many new infections a single COVID-19 case will produce – known as the effective reproductive number – has not changed significantly in either region since the last statewide report and continues to be higher than ideal. “Washington State remains on a knife’s edge. Our estimates suggest that transmission is persisting in Western WA and slowly increasing in Eastern WA. Moreover, th...
TUMWATER, Wash.—New emergency rules adopted today regarding temporary farmworker housing will help increase worker safety and reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The rules detail specific steps required at farms where temporary workers live in licensed temporary housing facilities. The emergency rules, a joint effort between the state departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health, take effect on May 18. They spell out several required steps to increase physical distancing, improve cleaning and sanitizing, and reduce the chance o...
DAYTON— In her report to the Dayton City Council, City Administrator Trina Cole said the Army Corps of Engineers has been in touch with the city about the levee system rehabilitation. Because it is a federally classified levee system, costs are covered at 100 percent. However, there are caveats for the city to provide easement information, along with some other legal requirements, Cole said. Approximately, 2,000 lineal feet, in multiple locations, on both the right and left banks of the levee a...
Since moving to Waitsburg about 18 months ago, I've noticed the noun "gift" has morphed into use as a verb. The "gifting" started my first morning here. I clumsily made it through the obstacle course in my rented cottage, strewn with 40 boxes previously shipped here and the eight suitcases that I brought with me on the plane, to answer the front door. There stood Karen, with a smile, two bottles of wine, and invitations to a New Years' Day Brunch and a birthday party. Invitations to parties and...
