Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1413 - 1437 of 5688
DAYTON—It's not every day that the Columbia County Sheriff's Office gives a Lifesaver Award. Last Friday, in a full courtroom, Columbia County Undersheriff Robbie Patterson presented 7 year old Karl Burnstad with a Life saving Award. This November, Karl was able to recognize a medical emergency and dial 9-1-1, ultimately saving his mother's life. On November 12, 2019, Karl Burnstad, then only 6 years old, noticed that his mom, Tracy Burnstad, had been sleeping longer than normal and wouldn't w...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council's Flood and Emergency Preparedness Committee has been meeting weekly, or as needed, in response to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The committee, which has representatives from the Waitsburg City Council, Columbia Walla Walla County Fire District 2 and various community members, is focusing on a community plan of action in the event that COVID-19 reaches Waitsburg. The members have been reviewing information from a daily webinar through the...
While there were a number of items on the docket for the monthly Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine Committee (DWACC) meeting on Feb. 24, over an hour was spent discussing the recent procedure used in choosing a new team mascot, concluding with the choice of the DW Wolfpack by Dayton and Waitsburg high school student bodies at the Feb. 14 election. The committee chose to put the adoption of the mascot on hold. This came after the high schools had voted for DW Wolfpack and both the Dayton and...
Cathy McMorris Rodgers visited Waitsburg on Saturday evening, Feb. 22 to tour the effects of the Feb. 7 flood event. (l-r) Columbia County Commissioner Chuck Amerein, Dayton Mayor Zach Weatherford, Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins, Walla Walla Commissioner Todd Kimball, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Waitsburg Citycouncilwoman Kate Hockersmith was present, but not pictured....
DAYTON-Judi Pilcher is a Kiwanis Club of Dayton Director and she would like people to know the organization is more than just a hamburger cooking organization. They do, however, sell hamburgers and hotdogs, at community events, and they sponsor the annual Turkey Bingo fundraiser, all to help pay for programs for local youth. Pilcher said, with the exception of Club dues, all the money made through fundraising efforts goes to programs for youth. About $18,000 is generated each year through...
Return Waitsburg resident Jillian Henze didn't think twice when she volunteered to manage communication efforts following the February 7 flooding. WAITSBURG-The immediate volunteer response to the recent February 7 flood has been inspiring. People from different backgrounds and with a variety of skills came together to move sandbags, cook for victims and volunteers, gather donations, run heavy equipment, remove debris and mud. Jillian Henze volunteered her years of communications experience to...
DAYTON-Dayton City Administrator Trina Cole had a number of items to share at the Dayton City Council last week. Cole said her office has been proactively working with Jim Nelson at D. A. Davison regarding pool financing, to see whether the Dayton Swimming Pool can be repaired and how financing can work. Cole said tree excavation will take place on the morning of Feb. 24 for some sections of the sidewalk including trees located at Banner Bank and at Home Street Bank. She said a public meeting...
The Waitsburg School Board met February 21 at 6 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting. Board members present were Ross Hamann, Christy House, Lisa Morrow, and Superintendent Mark Pickel. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that Mr. Kiefel has been planning an enrichment day for high school and middle school students. They will be taking a ski trip to Ski Bluewood. Middle school students will ski on Feb. 28, and high school students will ski on March 13. The high school will have a...
Thank you for letting me whine about my cold. Monday I woke up feeling much better, my energy is back, along with my appetite! So after my workout at the Y, I treated myself to breakfast at Bacon & Eggs in Walla Walla. I am convinced that spring is on the way, I see daffodils blooming, shades of green driving through the wheat fields and the sun is shining. Phooey on you Mr. Shakespeare, bring on the Ides of March. There are two big spring holidays (although not until April), that celebrate one...
The unusually warm 34 degrees greeted us under bluebird skies as we turned up Highway 153 toward Twisp. My last trip up this highway was five years prior in 2015; the last steelhead season open to the public on the Methow River as fish returns to the Columbia Basin continued to drop precipitously. Memories of that last trip flooded my mind as I rode shotgun with my buddy Chas Kyger, a fish biologist with Douglas County Public Utility District in Wenatchee. If ever a man was anointed with...
I had lost my sew-jo. That's the urge to get in there, pick a quilt pattern, sort through your fabric stash, start ironing and cutting, get ready to piece it all together, all the steps to start a new quilt. Life stresses, motherhood, a couple of bouts of illness, and the weeks turned into months where I hadn't started a quilt project. I'd maybe take a spin or two through Pinterest, to see what quilt ideas I had liked in the past, admired them, remembered why I liked them, and then turn off the...
WALLA WALLA—The speed of sound for Walla Walla music Organization (WWMO) is about three years, give or take a few months. Three years is about how long it took founder Rodney Outlaw to build a substantial course load of audio production education and to find the students passionate about learning to populate it. Outlaw teaches students how to produce, record and manage music and sound. Audio engineering is a broad term for managing signal flow through channels. There is a science to it. The g...
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng This poignant and dramatic masterpiece shows what happens when the well-to-do Richardson family starts getting involved in the matters of the unconventional Warren family. Secrets get dug up when both families get tangled up in a moral dilemma turned huge political debate that shakes up the otherwise peaceful and rule-abiding town of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This novel is a masterclass in empathy, and one that I will joyfully return to time and time again....
Poison hemlock can be deadly toxic to both people and animals. This deadly noxious weed is thick around Columbia County and is still young, the leaves are at a basal rosette stage, which is the best time to treat poison hemlock. Poison hemlock is an invasive species that rapidly colonizes streambanks, vacant lots, roadsides, pastures and meadows, especially where the soil is moist, outcompeting native plants and desirable species. It is a biennial plant, which means that it typically lives for...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met February 19 at the Waitsburg Elementary multipurpose room. Present were all council members, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe. Karen Gregutt, chairman of the Planning Commission, let the council know she will be attending city council meetings on behalf of the commission, to relay suggestions and advice from that committee. Administrator Randy Hinchliffe proposed moving the city election process to Walla Walla County and the...
DAYTON—During their regular meeting on Tuesday of last week, the Board of Columbia County Commissioners discussed the aftermath of the Feb. 6 flood with County Emergency Management Director Ashley Strickland, and County Public Works Director Charles Eaton. “For as much water as we had, we got lucky. Other than our roads, we really don’t have a ton of damage. We had a lot of houses that had water in them, but not a lot of houses that are total losses. Some need drywall four feet up the wall,...
The Walla Walla Church of Christ reached out to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc. for assistance and the nonprofit organization sent a semi-truck full of flood relief supplies from Nashville, Tenn. The supplies arrived in Waitsburg on Monday, Feb. 17. Two volunteers drove 2,200 miles with the supplies valued at $72,000. Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort immediately responds to any major disaster in the continental United States. They contact the leadership of local...
January 29 A building was entered and items stolen by an unknown suspect at an address on Orchard Street. Walla Walla, WA. February 1 Victim reported that an employee stole money from their business in the 20000 block of W. Hwy 12. Touchet, WA. February 7 Suspicious activity was investigated on the 100 block of Cherry Street. Touchet, WA. February 14 A man was arrested for DUI on Highway 12 and Smith Road. Dixie, WA. February 16 Report of an assault near E Street at Walla Walla Airport. Walla Walla, WA. February 17 A report of malicious...
A special meeting was held prior to the regular City Council meeting on February 19, to address community responses to the recent flood of February 7. About 35 people attended, along with City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe and the City Councilmembers. Pastor Matt Wyatt of the Waitsburg Christian Church described his efforts which included helping organize the Waitsburg Flood Relief Committee. He thanked committee members; Margie Benson; food preparation, Jillian Henze; communications, Bryan...
Home and School Association President, wrestling club coordinator, mom. These are just a few of the titles Kristy Taylor holds, and recently, she added yet another title to the list: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Kristy is no stranger to the busy world of emergency response. Her husband, Jason, has been a part of the Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 for at least five years, volunteering as a firefighter. "Being at home, I would hear his (Jason's) scanner go off all of the time,...
Currently I live alone. That will change March 1, when Daniel moves here, but right now, I have no one to whine to, except my dog. Sorry, but I am using you (whoever reads this), as my "shoulder to whine on." I'm sick, it's just the common cold, but it's uncommon for me. I'm the one who takes care of everyone else and deflects any germs that venture into my space. I'm an active person who unfortunately is also a klutz, I get injured, not sick. Broken bones, sprains, strains, tennis balls to the...
Many little girls dream about weddings – their own, someday, but also just the magical beauty of it all. There's so much sparkle and gleam, the shimmering beauty of jewels and satin and lace. It's a world of princesses and fairy tales, but a world that is real as well. "When I was a very young girl – five years old – my favorite thing I owned was a bride doll," says College Place jewelry artist Sharon Demaris. "I loved her beautiful satin and lace dress with all of the sequins and pearl...
Recent flooding, and the ensuing damage, brings flood mitigation and disaster relief to the forefront of our collective experience. Friends, neighbors and city officials have pooled resources to assist those in need following the 2020 flood, whilst looking back at the flood of 1996. Moving forward, are there standards and practices that could be put in place to help mitigate future flooding? Deano Perlatti, salesperson for both Tarp Innovators LLC, and U.S. Flood Control, has some ideas. The...
WAITSBURG-Students at Waitsburg Elementary took a break from the books on Friday, February 14, and finished up the Hoops for Heart and Jump Rope for Heart fundraisers by shooting hoops and learning how to jump rope. Each year, Waitsburg Elementary School participates in the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge. While raising money to help kids with special hearts, students learn how the heart works and ways to keep their hearts healthy. Kindergarten through 2nd graders got to spend...
Team Rubicon (TR), a veteran-led disaster response organization, is on the ground in Waitsburg. Team Rubicon focuses on serving vulnerable and at-risk populations affected by disaster. Formed in 2010 by Marine Corps veterans Jake Wood and William McNulty in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the name comes from the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" from a Julius Caesar battle, and refers to any group committing itself to a risky course of action. Initially requested by Umatilla County...
