Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 4066 - 4090 of 5705
DAYTON--In his report to the school board on March 2, Dayton School Superintendent Doug Johnson said he met with maintenance supervisor John Delp to develop a potential timeline to complete some of the items on the list of capital projects. Funding for those projects was approved by voters last month. It was decided by the school principals and the board that replacing the communication system should take priority over other projects on the list. Elementary school principal Pam Lindsley said...
Waitsburg's FFA team took fifth place, competing against 15 teams, in a Metal Art competition at Columbia Basin College last week. FFA Advisor Nicole Abel said this was Waitsburg's first time competing in the event. This year's competiton was done "Junkyard Wars style" with teams grabbing materials from a pile of scrap metal. Waitsburg team members chose an old bike frame and a piece of sheet metal as their construction materials. They had from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m to design and complete their art...
Arraignments Geovanni Sanchez, 22, Hermiston; Alex L. Ahumada, 30, Lewiston; Elijio A. Mendoza, 29, Hermiston; and Julia L. Richardson, 31, all entered not guilty pleas to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver. Richardson also plead not guilty to attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. (See story below.) Trial setting is scheduled for March 16. Lonnie Marick, 39, Waitsburg entered a not guilty plea to charges of second degree burglary, first degree theft, and first degree malicious mischief. See story on Page 7. Trial...
DAYTON – Four suspects arrested in a joint-agency drug bust at the Best Western Hotel in Dayton on Feb. 18 entered not guilty pleas in Columbia County Superior Court on March 2. According to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office press release, the incident began when a car associated with a man wanted in Lewiston on a felony warrant was spotted in the parking lot of the Best Western Hotel in Dayton Columbia County Sheriff personnel, joined by members of the Quad Cities Task Force, were watching when four people returned to the car and the off...
DAYTON – By the time David Frame was a freshman at Dayton High School, he knew he wanted to be a professional photographer. Six years after his 2010 graduation, he's well on his way. "I got my first digital camera when I was 10," he said. "I really got into it in high school." Frame's love of wildlife and the outdoors has fit perfectly with his love of photography. He has already had his work featured on the covers of two outdoor publications, as well as in a book featuring the natural history o...
DAYTON-Did you know the City of Dayton has two residential zones? Do you know what animals city residents can keep and house in each zone? The City of Dayton has a new code compliance department, staffed by a new code compliance officer, who is going to provide answers to those questions, and more, and who will make sure public nuisance, animal control, street, building and zoning ordinances are complied with inside city limits. Clint Atteberry was hired on Feb. 18, to tackle municipal code viol...
WAITSBURG – WHS seniors Megan Morrison and Stuart Walsh were honored at a Boys and Girls State Honor Night at Town Hall on Mon., March 7. The event was hosted by the Waitsburg American Legion Post #35 and the Legion Auxiliary, which sponsor Waitsburg and Prescott students each year. Megan Morrison attended the 2015 American Legion Auxiliary Evergreen Girls State at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. last June. Morrison said she was initially unsure about applying to attend b...
WAITSBURG – One of the reasons the Waitsburg Resource Center doesn't refer to itself as a food bank is because its mission is to serve the community in as many ways as possible; not just by providing food, according to resource center treasurer Bret Moser. Most recently, the center added "emergency preparedness" to its resume of helpful endeavors. Last week the WRC received a shipment of 60 emergency blankets that will be stored by Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. The blankets, which a...
WAITSBURG - A Waitsburg man entered not guilty pleas to charges of burglary, theft, and malicious mischief in Columbia County Superior Court last week. Lonnie Marick, 39, was arrested on Feb. 24, when a Columbia County search warrant resulted in the discovery of multiple stolen items at his residence. According to police reports, a warrant was requested following a burglary at commercial buildings located on Highway 12 in Columbia County. Walla Walla and Columbia County Sheriff's office...
WALLA WALLA – Fort Walla Walla Museum is featuring a special exhibit, "Walla Walla and the World Wars," now through Sept. 5. The exhibit features more than 400 artifacts and 100 images. The majority of the photos were taken by Tech. Sgt. William "Bill Mach, a photographer stationed at the Walla Walla Army Air Base during World War II, and depict life at the base. Some of the most striking images from this collection include a soldier on a motorcycle with a dog wearing a Military Police a...
Waitsburg Elementary School students got their hearts pumping in the WHS gymnasium last week during the school's annual Hoops and Jump for Heart American Heart Association fundraiser. Kindergarten through second graders jumped rope and hula hooped while the older students shot baskets. According to event coordinator Dinah Lindsey, the kids raised $2,311....
WAITSBURG – After voting in January to partner with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in their "Feel Free to Hunt" program in the city's watershed, Waitsburg's city council decided to take a closer look at the contract. At their Feb. 17 meeting, the council agreed to invite WDFW representatives back in March to clarify some questions that had arisen since the initial discussion. The watershed consists of about 800 acres along the north fork of Coppei Creek that has historically b...
DAYTON—Phasing documents for the hospital renovation and enhancement project have been uploaded to the CCHS website at build.cchd-wa.org., according to CEO Shane McGuire. In his report to the hospital board commissioners on Feb. 24, McGuire highlighted some of the details in each of the four phases of the project. He told the commissioners that construction of the new physical therapy and rehabilitation services department, the new main entrance, and early work on the public access corridor w...
WAITSBURG – The public is invited to attend a public meeting at the Lions Club building at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds on Thurs., March 10 at 7 p.m. Eric Zitterkopf from Anderson Perry & Associates will be available to discuss bridge rail design options for the Main Street Bridge replacement. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe reminds citizens that election caucuses are open until March 10. Declarations of Candidacy to run for mayor or city council will be available at City Hall from March 7 through March 18....
Wait-Hi students wrapped up National FFA Week by celebrating at the annual Harvest Ball on Saturday night. The FFA-sponsored Harvest Ball is a Sadie Hawkins-style event where girls ask boys and couples attend in matching T-shirts. FFA members celebrated all week with dress-up (or dress down) days and performed in an "Ag Olympics" competition during a pep assembly on Thursday....
Sentencing/Dismissals: Nicholas Anthony Beard, 26, Spokane; Originally charged of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, reckless driving, and driving under the influence in Oct. of 2014. Charges were amended to one count of failure to obey a police officer and one count of negligent driving in the first degree. Beard was sentenced to 24 months probation, drug and alcohol evaluation, and assessed $1230 in fines and fees. Ryan Phillips Timmons, 29, Dayton; case was dismissed with prejudice because the defendant’s right to a speedy trial...
Board members: Karen Tonne, Sara Fletcher, Leann Griffin, Eva Madrigal, Erik Young -Josh Neilsen made a presentation on the Apptegy app and platform to allow for better communication between the district and community. The board authorized Superintendent Cox to pursue pricing negotiations for the program. (See story, Page 7) -No athletes turned out for track but “lots” are signed up for Jr. High softball. Travis Crockett, Jose Gonzalez and Fernando Lopez were recognized as All-League players which, as Chairman Karen Tonne noted, was a fir...
The Dayton Historic Depot is featuring an exhibit of historic barns in our area, including the above photo of the Broughton Land Co. barn. The Depot's waiting room and ticket office are filled with a "Barns of Columbia County" exhibit. The exhibit was originally coordinated by Duane Dunlap and the photography is by Justin Jaech. Those who appreciate old rural architecture should not miss these photographs. The Dayton Historic Depot is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4...
DAYTON—On Feb. 24, watershed stakeholders in Columbia County heard about an optional incentive-based program for protecting and enhancing critical areas, while promoting agriculture in the county. Bill Ehler, from the Washington State Conservation Commission, presented information about the Voluntary Stewardship Program, to roughly thirty people in attendance at the meeting, which was held at the county fairgrounds. VSP is a program that is allowed under the state Growth Management Act, and whos...
DAYTON—Beginning Tuesday, March 8, third, fourth, fifth and six graders in the Dayton School District can participate in an after school enrichment program. Students will meet three days a week, for four weeks, and be given the opportunity to explore a variety of activities including, art, dance, flag football, gardening, basketball and hoop shooting, soccer, and granola-making. The After School Task Force has been meeting regularly since April, 2015 to discuss plans for the program. In J...
DAYTON – Dayton resident Aidan J. Gemmell, 19, signed a plea agreement filed in Columbia County Superior on Jan. 20. Gemmell was originally charged with five counts of first-degree child rape, a Class A felony. He entered a guilty plea in an agreement that drops the charges to two counts of child molestation in the second degree, a Class A felony. Gemmell was charged with five instances of sexual misconduct with a minor under the age of twelve, between March and May of 2015. Each of those instances took place after he turned 18. Gemmell and h...
WAITSBURG – "Stick your finger right in that chamber there. Go ahead!" said Columbia County Health System Respiratory Therapist Tom Anderson to a student holding a human heart. Anderson, who is celebrating his one-year anniversary with CCHS, held Waitsburg fourth and fifth graders spellbound during a visit to their classrooms last week. And why wouldn't he? It's not every day that a visitor shows up with an actual heart and lung that students can touch and feel. Anderson looked like he was h...
PRESCOTT – Getting school notices home to parents – and then making sure they read them – is a challenge for most school districts. For Prescott Schools, the struggle is magnified because a large percentage of parents speak only Spanish. At the district's Feb. 25 school board meeting, the board previewed an app that claims to improve communications with parents, students, and the community-at-large. The mission of Apptegy, the app under consideration, is to "help schools build better conne...
PRESCOTT – At their Feb. 25 school board meeting, the Prescott School Board approved the purchase of 90 Chromebook computers to improve teaching efficiency. The computers come with a $35,000 price tag, but will be paid for through a federal grant that must be used or forfeited. Prescott Superintendent Brett Cox told the board that a staff survey indicated that teachers are eager to improve what they can do, from a technology standpoint, in the classroom. He said the staff voted to pursue the u...
Waitsburg Elementary School fifth grade students celebrated their graduation from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program last week. Deputy Ian Edwards runs the local D.A.R.E. program and has been visiting the classroom weekly since about mid-October....
