Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 335 - 359 of 5682
WALLA WALLA-Blue Mountain Land Trust partnered with the Umatilla National Forest to bring BioBlitz to children in the Walla Walla Valley. This Nature Kids event was supported by Blue Mountain Audubon Society, Sustainable Living Center, Tri-State Steelheaders, WWCC Water and Environmental Center, US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla County Conservation District, Whitman College, Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, and Outside the Lines Art Studio. The event, held at Rooks Park in Walla Walla...
Congratulations to the Waitsburg Elementary School students who celebrated moving up at a celebration held on Monday, June 5. The public is invited to the elementary school's Spring Concert on Wednesday, June 7, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join music teacher Elizabeth Jagelski and her students for an evening of music. Preston Hall Middle School students will enjoy a day of fun at the Milton-Freewater Park and Pool on Thursday, June 8. They are scheduled to depart from the school at 10 a.m., retu...
WAITSBURG-Weller Public Library began its Summer Reading Program on June 1, 2023, offering every K-12 student in the Waitsburg school district a summer reading kit. Students received a nylon drawstring backpack, a Bingo Summer Reading Activity sheet, a pencil, a booklight for reading, a journal notebook, and a quilt-square coloring page. When students participating in the Reading Bingo activity complete a line across, up, down, diagonal, or a blackout they will receive a free book and be...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg FFA held its annual Awards Banquet on May 24 in the elementary multi-purpose room. FFA President Garret Palmer began the opening ceremonies before guests and members enjoyed dessert. A list of names, including parents, community members, and businesses, was read in appreciation for all they do for the Waitsburg FFA Chapter. FFA members of numerous career development events were honored and received certificates and pins. The guests heard the FFA Creed before members were...
WAITSBURG-Dayton native Dave Woolson and Waitsburg's Paul Gregutt founded their band - the DavePaul5 - in 2015. Accomplished songwriters and lifelong guitar players, they weren't afraid to dream big - hence the band name for an upstart duo. Sometimes dreams take a while, and as the band prepares to celebrate the release of its first studio recording this Friday at the Royal Block, some long-awaited goals are about to come true. During the past eight years, the duo grew to a trio with the...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met on May 17, 2023, in the High School library: School Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and members Grant Griffen, Aneesha Dieu, and Zac Fabian, and Superintendent Rich Stewart were present. Board member Korinda Wallace was not present. Several student and teacher groups gave presentations at the beginning of the meeting. Cole Kenney, a Title 1 Para, gave a presentation on Title Small Groups which offers individualized instruction in reading and math in grades K-5. The program uses “Read Well” to track the stude...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on May 10, 2023, in the Port of Columbia conference room and on Zoom. Commissioners Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, were present. Johnny Watts was absent. During public comment, Joann Patras from All Saints Thrift Store thanked Dickinson for her help in the thrift store’s successful grant application to Sherwood Trust. Patras addressed Dickinson, saying, “What a blessing you were to me. You were so kind and so helpful.” She sai...
DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on May 10, 2023. Mayor Zac Weatherford and Council Members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Laura Aukerman, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, Shannon McMillen, and Tiger Dieu were present at Dayton City Hall. Belinda Larsen from the Chamber of Commerce gave an update on chamber activities. She reminded the council that Dayton Days is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend and All Wheels Weekend will be in June. Sheriff Helm reported that two deputies graduated from the state’s police aca...
WAITSBURG–This weekend, Burgers, Bands, and Brews features alternative country band Frog Hollow Band and some family lore. Band member Ty Lane plans on playing his grandfather Norval's Gibson ES-125 on a few numbers. The distinctive sunburst, hollow-body electric guitar holds a special place in Lane's family history. Norvel most likely purchased it in the late 50s and performed with it through the following decades. The guitar was played by Lane's aunt Leah in a band with Norval and Ty's f...
WAITSBURG-The Celebration Days Committee will honor Bill and Linda Stonecipher as the 2023 Parade Marshals this year. The couple are fourth-generation farmers related to Waitsburg's early pioneer families. When Bill was young, he was involved in 4H, FFA, and activities on his family's farm. As an adult, he was on the FFA Advisory Board for many years. He attended Waitsburg Schools, later graduating from St. Patrick's High School, Walla Walla, in 1958. Bill graduated from Seattle University in...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg high school and middle school bands and choir, with director Elizabeth Jagelski, presented a spring concert on Monday, May 8, in the Waitsburg High School Auditorium. The sixth-grade band began the program by playing "Symphony No 1" by Brahms, "Erie Canal Capers," and "Bungo." The choir sang "The Old Mill" and "Shenandoah." The sixth and seventh grade mixed intermediate band presented "Frere Jacque" in a round, "Sawhill Mill," and "Jump Street Boogie." Senior Natalie...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met for a work session at 6 p.m., on May 3, 2023, in the High School library. School board members present were Grant Griffen, Zac Fabian, and Aneesha Dieu; Korinda Wallace did not attend. Superintendent Rich Stewart and Business Manager Jana Eaton were present. Included in the Consent Agenda, the board approved hiring Clayton Strong as HS Boys Head Basketball Coach and Owen Lanning as HS Boys Assistant Basketball Coach. The board also approved Kelly Steinhoff as a volunteer MS Track Coach and approved a GEAR U...
WALLA WALLA-CEO Brian Hunt announced that Sherwood Trust would disburse $1,057,000 in Core grants to 11 local organizations. The awards include Sherwood Trust's annual competitive Core grants and Invitational grants awarded outside of competitive yearly grant programs. "We are grateful to build on the example set by our founders to invest in local nonprofits and the critical work they do every day to support local people," said Hunt. "These grants support our vision that everyone in the Walla...
WAITSBURG - The Royal Block Reading Series celebrates World Collage Day with its inaugural CollegeCollage event at the Royal Block in Waitsburg on Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is free to 21+ public. CollegeCollage is the Royal Block's inaugural contribution to World Collage Day to celebrate the poetry, wine, art, and food created by local college students and their professors. This year's line-up includes: • 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. - Walla Walla Community College stu...
WAITSBURG-The eighth-grade Intro to Ag class organized a fundraiser to benefit the building of a community swimming pool. For ten dollars, a student could "pie a staff member." The event was held on Thursday, April 27, with eight staff members ending their day with a smile and pie on their faces. The event raised $210!...
WAITSBURG-"Through the Looking Glass," inspired by Alice in Wonderland, was the theme for the 2023 Prom held in the Waitsburg High School Cage on Saturday, April 29. This will be the last Prom the Dayton and Waitsburg High Schools will share as the athletic combine will end this school year. Waitsburg crowned Garrett Palmer as King and Natalie Teal as Queen. Vaughn Walter and Milena Gemmell were crowned King and Queen for Dayton. Teal said that everyone had a blast hanging out with friends and...
DAYTON-On April 28th, Christian Gonzalez and 11 other students from middle schools around the region competed in the GEAR UP 8th Grade Career Showcase Competition in Tri-Cities, Wash. He and the other participants from Walla Walla and Tri-Cities schools presented their career plans to a panel of three judges. The students were judged on content and delivery. Gonzalez impressed the judges with his determination, knowledge of his chosen career in neurosurgery, and his ability to connect with his...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council accepted an offer on Waitsburg’s former city hall at 147 Main Street. The offer made by Mark and Miriam Grant is for the listing price of $210,000. The council approved accepting the offer, adding a provision requiring occupancy of the ground floor commercial space within one year, with a possible one-year extension. There is no occupancy timeline requirement for the upstairs portion of the building. In October 2021, the city council first adopted Resolution 2021-735 to surplus the property after the cos...
WAITSBURG-On Wednesday, April 19, Waitsburg FFA competed at a local district contest in Dayton. Jessika Lambert, William Daves, Marion Duncan, Alyssa Hollingsworth, Cedar Stegall, and Sarah Daves placed first in Vet Science. Individually, Hollingsworth placed ninth overall, W. Daves placed eighth, Duncan placed fourth, and Stegall placed third. They will compete at the State FFA Convention in May. First-year members participated in a Career Development Event (CDE), taking a comprehensive exam...
WAITSBURG-This Saturday, businesses in Waitsburg are extending hours, offering pop-up retail, live music, food and drink specials, and art for the first of three Waitsburg Happenings. Here are only a few treats in store for visitors and guests. Visit the Grand Opening of the Touchet Valley Accoustic Music Project (TVAMP) studio at 141 Main St. Project founder and leader Kate Hockersmith has taught and arranged international travel for youth bluegrass bands through her program under RYES. Be...
DAYTON—A group of Columbia County residents is circulating a petition to dissolve the Dayton Rural Library District. Jessica Rufficorn posted a photo of the petition on Facebook in March. She and other community members who wish to dissolve the library district have posted their dissatisfaction with the library’s collection, the Library Board of Trustees, and Library Director Todd Vandenbark on the Facebook pages, including Dayton Speak freely(sic). The dissolution efforts follow the group’s dispute over 11 books on gender identity, sexual iden...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a regular meeting at 6 p.m., on April 15, 2023, in the high school library. School board chair Jeffrey McCowen, board members Korinda Wallace, Grant Griffen, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, and Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. The board approved the consent agenda. Seven students in Angela Kenney’s fourth-grade class gave a presentation on raising salmon, which they will release in the Touchet River in May. The students spoke about the entire salmon life cycle. Middle school teacher Jeff McCann int...
WAITSBURG-Beekeepers Mark and Eleanora Montgomery held the beekeeping club's first field class on Tuesday, April 18. Three school club members were available to witness the release of the queen bee. Students Reagan Milliman, Dexter Collins, and Verbena McLaughlin donned new bee suits while Mark started the smoker. He said using the smoke makes the bees gorge with honey and masks alarm pheromones. Montgomery discussed smoke temperature; you do not want to shoot flames from the end of the smoker....
WAITSURG-About 120 people came to Waitsburg's Town hall making the Waitsburg Celebration Days spaghetti feed fundraiser a success. Lanny Adams was the emcee for the April 15 event, including a spaghetti dinner, silent auction, and lively dessert auction. Mark Holtz provided live music. The spaghetti dinner, silent auction, and live auction for desserts raised money to support the Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen. Queen Hannah Peralez and her advisor Cheyenne Reed thanked Table Rock Meat Company...
WAITSBURG-This year's Business of the Year is Nancy's Dream Garden, owned by Janet Biolo Lawrence and her brother Doug Biolo. The business was nominated by Waitsburg City Council member Jillian Henze who presented the award. From providing beautiful plants and trees to hosting the Waitsburg Friday Market, Henze noted how the business had contributed to the town. After moving to the current location, the garden center has worked towards expanding its operations. It is a work in progress that...
