Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 3364 - 3388 of 5684
WAITSBURG – Data is only as good as what you do with it, and Waitsburg Elementary School teachers are working hard to put their data to the best use helping students. At the March school board meeting, elementary teachers Deanna Coulston and Gabe Kiefel shared some of the creative ways Waitsburg is putting student achievement data to work in the classroom. Coulston said one of the factors driving success in the elementary school is the PLCs, or professional learning communities. She said the t...
Eclectic Walla Walla artist Todd Telander, who creates very detailed commercial illustration as well as brushy, almost abstract landscapes will have his work on display at the Wenaha Gallery (291 E. Main, Dayton) from April 10 through May 6....
Members of the Waitsburg Quartet entertained the crowd during Jack McCaw's 90th birthday party on Fri., March 31, at the Lions Memorial Building....
WAITSBURG – Ballots for Waitsburg’s annual city elections were mailed last Friday and completed ballots must be returned to City Hall by 8 p.m. on April 17 or must have an April 17 or earlier postmark. This year’s election was extended and council filings re-opened when only four candidates filed for the five open city council seats. Currently, ten candidates are seeking a seat on the council. Candidate profiles can be found on page 7 of this issue. The Commercial Club will host a candidates forum, for both mayor and council candidates, on Mo...
WAITSBURG – After an extensive interview process, the Waitsburg School Board voted unanimously to offer the positions of Waitsburg Schools district superintendent and elementary principal to Dr. Jon Mishra at a March 30 special meeting. Mishra verbally accepted the offer, via telephone, contingent upon successful contract negotiations. The district held preliminary interviews with five applicants, and narrowed the field to two finalists. One of the finalist withdrew, leaving Mishra as the l...
DAYTON--Volunteers with Blue Mountain Heritage Society have been busy putting the finishing touches on two new museum displays that will open to the public in April. Paula Moisio, President of BMHS, said volunteers spent the better part of the winter taking inventory of artifacts that are on loan or have been donated to the Palus Museum, and organizing them for display in the museum annex. The artifacts range in age from early homestead days through the 1960s, Moisio said. "This is a really fun...
Weller Public Library 212 Main Street, Waitsburg Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Storytime: Mon. 10:30 a.m. “A Piece of the World,” by Christina Baker Kline (Adult Fiction) – To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the s...
After more than five years in the planning stages, the regional way-finding signage project has been implemented in downtown Dayton. The signs are part of a regional project, bringing a consistent look for signs throughout the Walla Walla and Touchet Valleys....
DAYTON – The City of Dayton has filed suit in Columbia County Superior Court, asking the court to declare the property at 119 E. Commercial Street in Dayton a public nuisance. The property, which is owned by George "Bill" Waltermire, is the site of a house that partially burned on July 15, 2015. The standing portion of the burned structure has since been removed, but the lot is still covered with debris. Besides the declaration of public nuisance, the city is also asking the court for a w...
DAYTON—Have you been perusing garden seed catalogues and wishing you had adequate space to grow fresh vegetables and fruits for yourself and your family? The Dayton Community Garden, located on 1/3 acre, off the main entrance on Cemetery Road, may be the answer. And what could be simpler? Watermaster Bob McCauley tills the garden, does the watering, and keeps a watchful eye. The only thing required of each gardener is to keep the weeds down, the trash out, and contribute to a “secure, hap...
DAYTON - Joan Akers, Community Outreach Coordinator for the area Alzheimer’s Association, will talk about healthy habits for seniors when she speaks at the Dayton Senior Center at 11:30 a.m. on April 13. Akers will also present information about two classes beginning on May 10 also at the Dayton Senior Center. Staying Connected is for people in early stage memory loss, and for their spouses, children, friends and other caregivers. The class will take place from 10 - 11:30 a.m. on May 10, May 17, May 24, and May 31. Powerful Tools for C...
Incumbent Karen Gregutt has made Waitsburg her home since the summer of 2005. In recent years she has represented Waitsburg on the Washington State Shoreline Management Committee, opened a successful wine and chocolate shop on Main Street, organized and directed Waitsburg's "Art Windows" project last spring, and founded the Waitsburg Garden Club. She has also renovated multiple historic homes and a downtown building in Waitsburg. "I set realistic goals and always follow through on what I say I...
Incumbent council member Kate Hockersmith has lived in Waitsburg since 1992. She has been a 4-H leader, Boy Scout volunteer and Friends of the Library member. She taught preschool/parent education in Waitsburg for 12 years. She currently teaches music, organizes bluegrass jams, and provides music for many community events. She is on the board of Rural Youth Enrichment Services, a member of the Waitsburg Garden Club, the Fairgrounds Revitalization Committee, the Waitsburg Flood Prevention and Eme...
Lane Hill moved to town two years ago and renovated a building on Main Street, which will be used to offer shows, events, and art classes to the community, and to bring workshop tourism to Main Street. She is chair of the Friends of the Fairgrounds committee and is very interested in helping revitalize the Main Street corridor. Hill said she applauds the work of the council, mayor, and city manager and would love to work with them in the coming year. "This has been a tough year and they have...
Incumbent Kevin house has worked at The McGregor Company in Waitsburg for 21 years and has lived here for 14 years. He has been on the city council since elected in 2010. House is active in the Lions Club, the Waitsburg Livestock Show and St. Mark's Church. He has helped with many youth activities such as scouts, FFA, and 4-H as his boys have come up through school. "I'm running for re-election to council because I think my perspective representing citizens of Waitsburg is still pertinent in...
Terry Jacoy has been repeatedly recognized for his service over his 40 years living in Waitsburg. Jacoy farmed, worked for Brea Ag., and then was office manager for The McGregor Company until his 2010 retirement. He joined the Lions shortly after moving to Waitsburg in 1977 and received the prestigious Melvin Jones service award in 2014. He helped with the Days of Real sport for 30 years, was treasurer from 1985-2010, and was honored as the final DRS parade marshal. Jacoy served on the...
Incumbent KC Kuykendall moved to Waitsburg in 2010. He was asked to fill a vacant council seat in 2013 and has remained on the council since. He is on the county planning commission, and he and his family are active in school sports, 4-H, FFA, church, and annual events. Kuykendall believes that city government exists for the will of the people. He says he is committed to listening and studying each issue that comes before the council, as evidenced in the way he has handled recent topics like...
Lisa Morrow was born and raised in the Touchet Valley and has lived in Waitsburg for 13 years. She has coached Little League, leads the 4-H PenPals Swine Club, and is treasurer of the Home and School Association, spearheading many events and fundraisers. Morrow thinks her fresh "eyes and ears" may bring a different perspective to the council, and sees her career experience at the Washington State Penitentiary as a benefit. "Working for the State, I have been exposed to diverse situations and wor...
Council candidate Dave Paxton was born and raised in Benton City and has resided in Waitsburg for nearly three years. He moved here to be closer to the mountains and to spend more time hunting and fishing with his young boys. Dave and his wife, Rachel, have been married 21 years and have five children. He is 48 years old and holds an AA degree in auto body repair from Columbia Basin College. He has owned and operated Mr. Chips, LLC, doing paint chip repair on automobiles at local car...
Council candidate Matt Spring, his wife, and one-year-old daughter have lived in Waitsburg for three years, He grew up in the Walla Walla area and has worked at the Waitsburg McGregor Company plant since 2009. Since moving to Waitsburg, Spring has become a member of the Waitsburg Lions Club and is a volunteer firefighter for Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. "I wanted to run for city council because it is my desire to see Waitsburg succeed," Spring said. "I think I am a good candidate...
Jim Romine has lived in northern Walla Walla County all his life, except for the six years he served in the U.S. Navy. He was raised in Prescott and is a PHS graduate. He and his wife moved to Waitsburg in 2013, where he serves on the Town Hall Board of Directors and is the Waitsburg Republican precinct committee officer. Romine said he chose to run for city council because several residents encouraged him to do so. "I love the people here and would welcome an opportunity to give back to this...
Waitsburg institution Jack McCaw celebrated his 90th birthday with a patriotic themed party completel with Navy decor....
Residents of Dayton and Waitsburg often agree that our small towns are treasures, but this photo by Janis Gerlitz may be proof. Here, Dayton looks like it is literally the Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow. Gerlitz snapped the photo on March 25, on the Hogeye, after one of the many recent rains....
WAITSBURG – The City of Waitsburg may be able to breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to keeping the timeline for replacement of the city’s Main Street Bridge on track for the summer of 2017, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. He is hopeful that an anticipated nine-tenths of one percent sales tax grant of $100,000 from the Port of Walla Walla will bring the project back under budget. City officials received an ugly surprise when bids for the demolition and replacement of the bridge were opened on Feb. 23. The lowest of 12 bids came i...
DAYTON—At last week’s department head meeting, the Columbia County Commissioners asked for feedback on how to fund essential services in 2018 in light of continued reductions in state funding and continuing budget issues. “Our budgets are not flush for the next couple of years,” said Commissioner Norm Passmore. The commissioners and department heads discussed the merits of asking voters for general budget help, or for specific help in particular areas, such as Law and Justice, which has seen drastic revenue shortfalls. According to Distric...
