Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 4137 - 4161 of 5694
PRESCOTT – For the first time in over 40 years, Prescott High School is offering agricultural-focused career and technical education (CTE) courses. Dual credit agreements with Walla Walla Community College and a new FFA charter have created even more opportunities for students. Superintendent Brett Cox said his certification as a District Vocational Director played a big role in the district's decision to hire him two years ago. The board wanted to expand elective offerings and start a v...
SPOKANE – "Voice of the Eagles" sportscaster and Waitsburg High School alum Larry Weir was named Washington Sportscaster of the Year . . . again. Weir won the award for the first time last year, and follows in the footsteps of his longtime role model, Bob Robertson, as a repeat recipient. The 1979 WHS graduate is the son of Carol Weir and the late Bob Weir. He has been calling play-by-play football for the Eastern Washington University Eagles since 1991 and began calling basketball in 1993. I...
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DAYTON-January has been a busy month for the commissioners of the Columbia County Hospital District, as they settle in to 2016. On Jan. 14, a swearing-in ceremony was held in the hospital cafeteria for Ken Dyball, who replaces Jim Kime on the board, and for Wes Leid, who replaces Lisa Naylor. Also in January, a special meeting of the hospital commissioners was held on Jan. 21 for the purpose of electing officers for 2016. New board members Bob Hutchens and Ken Dyball were elected, respectively,...
DAYTON-At their regular meeting on January 20 the Dayton School Board elected new member Dan Butler as chair, Dave Bailey, vice chair, and Dan Andrews as legislative representative for the 2016 school year. Voluntary board assignments, based on interest and expertise, were also made at the meeting. Bailey will act as WIAA representative, Andrews will be on the facilities committee, Butler said he would like to be on the budget and finance committee, and Director Katie Leid will serve on the...
DAYTON—Forty-two community members gathered at the Best Western Hotel Conference Room in Dayton on Jan. 21 for a day-long strategic planning session. Following the session, Peggy Gutierrez, Director of the Coalition for Youth and Families, said that most of the goals for the planning session were met. These included: Involving all segments of the community in the discussion Taking an in-depth look into the needs and resources of the community Developing a comprehensive plan, going forward S...
WAITSBURG – After a brief consideration of limiting access to the city's watershed, the Waitsburg City Council heeded the advice of local Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) representatives and voted to join the WDFW "Feel Free to Hunt" program which will both keep the watershed open and protect the city from liability. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe explained that he city's watershed – about 800 acres along the north fork of Coppei Creek – has historically been open to hunti...
WAITSBURG – A committee of local active and retired military men has every intention of seeing that a promise made to WWII General Jonathan Wainwright in 1946 – to honor local lives lost in WWII with a memorial – finally becomes a reality. Waitsburg's city council didn't hesitate to join the cause and committed $5,000 to the endeavor. Retired USAF Command Sergeant Don Schack went before Waitsburg's city council last week to share plans for a WWII memorial that would honor the 87 Walla Walla...
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers met with a large group of constituents on Jan. 21 at The Q in Waitsburg. Several people traveled from outside the area to see her. McMorris Rodgers spent an hour answering questions on topics ranging from health care, budget and the deficit, to compensation for members of congress and the President....
WALLA WALLA – The owners of the popular Whoopemup Hollow Café on Waitsburg's Main Street have formally announced that they will be opening a second location at 113 East Main Street in Walla Walla, the space formerly occupied by the Green Spoon restaurant. Partner and dining room manager Ross Stevenson said they plan to open the Walla Walla location, featuring the same southern comfort food that their guests have come to expect, in early 2016. The Walla Walla location will differ from the Waitsbu...
DAYTON – On January 15 at approximately 12 p.m., the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and the Washington State Patrol assisted the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office in executing a search warrant at 305 E. Dayton Avenue, Apt. B. That search resulted in the recovery of items stolen in multiple thefts and burglaries. According to a CCSO press release, the WWCSO developed probable cause for the warrant from a string of burglaries in Walla Walla County and the subsequent arrest of Perry Ashelman o...
DAYTON-The Columbia County District Courtroom, located at 535 Cameron Street in Dayton, is getting a make-over, according to Kriston Daugherty, District Court Administrator. After discussing the need for greater security in the courtroom with others at a municipal department head meeting in September, Dougherty approached the Columbia County Commissioners to ask them to approve plans to create a more secure layout inside the courtroom, which they did. They also approved $4,000 from the...
WAITSBURG – Members of the Waitsburg School Board were recognized in honor of School Board Appreciation Month, during the board's Jan. 13 meeting. Superintendent Carol Clarke presented certificates of recognition on behalf of the Washington State School Directors for each board member's service: Ross Hamann (11 years), Christy House (4 years), Randy Pearson (18 years), Marilyn Johnson (6 years), Russ Knopp (1 month). First grade teacher Dinah Lindsey presented a banner and poster from the first...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School District is asking voters to support the renewal of the maintenance and operations levy as well as a capital improvements bond in the upcoming Feb. 9 special election. Maintenance and Operations Levy Voters are being asked to approve replacement of the district’s maintenance and operations levy that was passed in 2014 and expires this year. The levy request is $559,000 for 2017 and $570,000 for 2018. This is estimated to be $3.55 per $1,000 of assessed pro...
DAYTON – In December, the Dayton School Board adopted a resolution to request voter approval for an M&O levy to replace the one that is set to expire this year. The new levy amount will be slightly higher than the one it would replace, increasing from $1,300,000 to $1,460,000. Ballots were to be mailed to voters on Wednesday, according to County Auditor Sharon Richter. The M&O levy will help support programs including athletics, food services, and hiring a K-12 school counselor, according to S...
PRESCOTT – Voters residing in the Prescott School District will be asked to approve a two-year replacement maintenance operations levy, in the amount of $650,000 each year, in the Feb. 9 special election. The rate per $1,000 for the proposed 2016-17 and 2017-18 levy is estimated to be $1.92, which is down $0.41 from the 2014 rate of $2.33 per $1,000, due to an increase in property valuation. Levy funds support programs not covered under the basic education act as defined by the state l...
Columbia County Superior Court January 6, 2016 Arraignment: Jeffrey Allan Brooks, 22, Walla Walla. Brooks entered a not guilty plea to charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class B felony and possession of methamphetamine, a Class C felony. On Dec. 23 Columbia County dispatch was notified that a white Ranger pickup with a Pepsi decal was stolen from the Wal-Mart parking lot. Dispatch had received calls of a Pepsi truck driving erratically through town and another call reporting a Pepsi truck stuck in the dike by the baseball fields....
DAYTON—Representatives from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, the Port of Columbia and Southeastern Washington State Parks are preparing a new event for Columbia County. In July and August, the New Old Time Chautauqua is teaming up with the Washington State Parks System to bring live entertainment and workshops to State parks and nearby rural communities, for the purpose of connecting the communities to their parks. Washington State Park Program Specialist for the Blue Mountain Area, Clara D...
Dayton—An After School Task Force, formed by the Coalition for Youth and Families, has been meeting regularly since April, 2015 to discuss creating an after school enrichment program for Dayton students. The group is getting closer to making the program a reality. The ASTF decided at their meeting on Jan. 12 to offer a pilot program to fourth, fifth and sixth graders during the last four weeks in March. The program will be held three days a week, and students will be able to choose from among th...
WAITSBURG – Newly elected school board member Russ Knopp would like to see students play an active role in board discussions, and possibly even decision-making. At last week’s board meeting Knopp presented information he gleaned from a recent Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) workshop. The board expressed interest and directed Knopp to continue researching the possibility of including student representatives on the board. Knopp listed four reasons to include student represen...
WAITSBURG – A crowd of appreciative community members gathered in the Plaza Theater here on Friday to wish Waitsburg Clinic registered nurse Karla Scott well in her retirement. A tropically decorated cake read, "Good Bye Tension, Hello Pension." Karla started working part-time at Dayton General Hospital in 1976, where she remained until 1985. She worked for Dr. Luce in Dayton from 1985 until 1996 and then moved to Dayton Hospital's Columbia Family Clinic. Scott stayed at Columbia Family C...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg resident Tyler P. Judd, 32, plead guilty to rape of a child in the third degree and distribution of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) to a person under the age of 18 in a plea agreement in Walla Walla Superior Court on January 11. Judd, a registered sex offender, was arrested in Walla Walla on Nov. 17 and, according to police documents, admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old girl and supplying her with methamphetamine, beginning in August of last year. The Walla Walla teen allegedly corroborated Judd’s story in...
Sheriff’s Office urges residents to lock vehicles and report missing property DAYTON – The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office took reports on 19 car prowls over just two days last week. Though most owners reported missing only small change from their glove boxes and cup holders, the sheriff’s office is asking individuals to at least call in and report incidents even if they don’t want to be contacted by a deputy. Citizens are urged to lock their vehicles any time they are left unattended, even if it is only for a short amount of time, and to st...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg High School principal Stephanie Wooderchak said during last week’s school board meeting that the WHS staff has recently developed procedures for both soft and hard lockdowns and has begun practicing those procedures with students. In a soft lockdown, Wooderchak said that all but the front door is locked, with an administrator or police officer monitoring the front door to identify anyone entering the building to make sure they aren’t a threat. The students are contained but may move freely within the building. She expla...
WAITSBURG - The Plaza Theater on Waitsburg’s Main Street was packed last week as parents and children attended a viewing of the original Star Wars movie. The movie viewing – a fundraiser of the Waitsburg Home and School Association – raised $508 for the organization. Last year, the HASA purchased school supplies for all K-8 students. Students were told all they needed to bring to school was “a smile and a backpack.” For the coming school year, HASA would like to provide school supplies for high school students as well. The next HASA fundraise...
