Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 4926 - 4950 of 5694
WAITSBURG - Samuel W. Suthward American Legion Post #35 will meet on Monday, September 8 at 7 p.m. at Waitsburg's Town Hall on Main Street. Under discussion: drill team and color guard training dates and sign-up, officer nominations, Boys and Girls State and Memorial Weekend chairman positions, public relations with school and newspaper, and veterans outreach coordination with the Waitsburg Rescource Center. Memberships for 2015 are due now. A list of duties for each positions is available. Newcomers are encouraged to attend...
WAITSBURG - With Councilman K.C. Kuykendall in lone opposition, Waitsburg's City Council agreed to retain the City's current billing arrangement for multi-dwelling utility rates. The decision was in response to previous appeals by Keith Parkins who has converted the Preston Avenue inn into individual apartments and requested a rate break for multiple units sharing one meter. Currently, individual consumers, including occupants of apartments, duplexes and trailers, pay a separate base rate for...
WAITSBURG - Discussion at the August 20 City Council meeting resulted in a decision to modify the municipal code update approved in May that allowed only licensed monument companies to set headstones in City cemeteries. In July, Cindy Hofer appealed to the Council to reconsider the updated code and shared that the cost of hiring a monument company to set a stone was prohibitively high if the stone was not purchased from that company. Hofer said she received an estimate of $30-$50 to set a stone purchased from a local company, but the fee was...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners last week opened the door to a possible change in power suppliers at county-owned facilities. At their Wednesday meeting, the board authorized County Engineer Drew Woods to develop a request for information (RFI) document to be submitted to Pacific Power, the county's current provider, and Columbia REA. A draft prepared by Woods says, "Because the county is exploring its options for electrical service, standard bid laws do not apply. However, to aid in its decision, the Board of Columbia County...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners will hold a public hearing during their regular September 3 meeting on a proposed ordinance to define zoning and other regulations for recreational marijuana in the unincorporated areas of Columbia County. The new ordinance would identify zones within the county in which production, processing and sales of recreational marijuana would be allowed. It would also set standards for firms licensed to produce and sell recreational marijuana and it would defin...
DAYTON - During their August 20 meeting, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners agreed to sponsor an application seeking a $1.8 million Community Development Block Grant from the Washington State Dept. of Commerce. The funds will be used to install a natural gas "gate valve" near the new Columbia Pulp facility at Lyons Ferry. The application will be prepared by the Port of Columbia, in cooperation with Columbia Pulp and the county. According to the Port's economic development coordinator, Christine Jarski, the new valve will allow other...
DAYTON - State Representative Terry Nealey, Republican of Dayton, will face an opponent for his seat representing the 16th legislative district on the November general election ballot. Frank Blair, of Kennewick, received enough votes as a write-in candidate to qualify. According to the Washington State Secretary of State's Office, Blair received 283 writein votes compared to nearly 19,000 votes for Nealey. State law requires that a write-in candidate receive at least one percent of the total votes cast in a primary race - and also be one of...
WAITSBURG - To the average person, the spinning wheel is an obscure relic, relegated to glass-fronted museum cabinets and renditions of "Sleeping Beauty". To Waitsburg native Ronda Bell, however, it's much more than that. Bell has been spinning wool for nearly 18 years now. "Until you do it, you don't understand," she said as she described the "peaceful feeling" of pressing a spinning wheels treadle and listening to the mechanism make a gentle thunk noise as the wooden wheel rotates. Her first...
WAITSBURG - Picture a tent city of 10,000 inhabitants. People from all walks of life set up camp en masse, eating and showering in hastily erected temporary facilities, crowding into huge evening concerts that shake the ground long into the night. This isn't Woodstock. This is the Creation Festival. And eight young members of Waitsburg's Christian Youth Group were there. The event, which took place at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick, began July 30 and ended August 2. "Creation...
DAYTON - Dayton High School has a new Principal for the 2014-15 school year. Kate Wenzl comes to Dayton from Port Angeles, where she has been a school administrator for eight years. Dayton Schools Superintendent Doug Johnson said that Wenzl was hired on an interim basis for the upcoming school year. She replaces Andy Maheras, who resigned in July. Wenzl grew up in Davenport, Wash. She is a Washington State University graduate. After teaching for several years in Port Angeles, she worked as an...
DAYTON - About five minutes into her interview with a reporter on a recent morning, Carolyn Suffield, owner and operator of Carolyn's Café, had to excuse herself to help another customer. That customer was looking to buy a dryer. Such is the life of a café owner whose family is longtime owner of Suffield's Furniture and Appliance Store. Early this year, Suffield, and her husband, Al, decided to convert the west side of Suffield's furniture store, one of Dayton's oldest businesses, into a s...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Arts Commission heard presentations from four artists last week, each of whom shared his vision for one of two public art pieces the city is commissioning for downtown. The projects are being funded by a $125,000 grant the city received from the Sherwood Trust, in Walla Walla. The presentations, on August 13, were made at jimgermanbar. Jeffrey Hill and Squire Broel, both well-known Walla Walla artists, presented their concepts for a piece honoring three of Waitsburg's...
WAITSBURG - The Washington State Penitentiary Employee Association has announced its 2014-15 scholarship winners. Applicants were ranked on goals, achievements, com- munity involvement, recommendation, leadership, financial statements and neatness. Kimmie Hamann, daughter of Ross and Vickie Hamann, received a $1000 scholarship. Hamann will major in Elementary Education at WWCC. Beka Adams, daughter of Ann and Lanny Adams, Chelsey Brannock, daughter of Tad and Kitzi Brannock, and Tre Brannock, son of Tad and Kitzi Brannock, all received $500...
WAITSBURG - Jack McCaw let The Times know of a rather rare event last week - there are currently four generations of McCaws working the harvest. Jack said he's worked his way down to low man on the totem pole and spends his days running parts for the seven combines and associated vehicles in this year's operation. When The Times spoke to Jack around noon on Aug. 6, he said he'd been home all morning but that he had put 120 miles on his truck the day before. Son Guy, grandsons Jesse and John and great grandson Caden round out the other three...
Last week, as I prepared to make dinner, I handed my daughter a five dollar bill and had her run down the street for some candy sweet, freshpicked corn from Ed and Cathy Lambert's garden. As she left, I reflected on just how good we have it. Small town living at its finest! What's a normal part of everyday life to us would be seen as an exciting novelty to many. Believe it or not, we used to have it even better. In years past, the young Lambert boys would drive right to our door, pulling a...
DAYTON - Dozens of children auditioned last week for parts in Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) production of Rapunzel. Each summer MCT interns visit Dayton complete with scenery, props, costumes and makeup. The interns spend the week rehearsing with local children, ages 6-18, to prepare a live musical production. Performances of Rapunzel will take place Friday and Saturday night, August 15-16, at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Theater. The week-long summer camp helps young actors develop skills in...
DAYTON - Tamara Fritze comes to the Dayton historic Depot after a long career as a college instructor and professor. She hopes to put her passion for studying history to good use in her new job as Depot manager. "I can't wait to start spending time with the archives," said Fritze, who started her job in mid-July. "I have to make sure I get the bookkeeping down too, though." Fritze was hired to replace former manager Mary Byrd, who left the Depot in June. As manager, Fritze is responsible for...
DAYTON - Melody Reeves likes spiders and skulls, and she has incorporated them into the quilt she made for this year's Columbia County Fair. Against her grandmother's wishes. Reeves took part in the Columbia County 4-H quilt camp last week, along with her grandmother, Questa Bratton. This is her second year participating, which was one reason she held out for the pattern she wanted. When The Times visited on Friday, all of the campers were just finishing up their quilts, which they will show at...
WAITSBURG - A mandatory sports meeting will take place for all fall athletes and their parents at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 11 at the Waitsburg High School auditorium. Athletes and parents will meet with fall coaching staff, receive practice and event schedules and go over required paperwork. A training meeting for all high school and junior high coaches (head, assistant and volunteer) will take place at 8 p.m. at the Waitsburg High School auditorium. Coach- es will to go over first aid/CPR requirements, review coaches handbooks and discuss any...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School Board unanimously approved Resolution 073014 to accept a $4.37 million budget for the 2014- 15 school year at a July 30 special budgeting meeting. The budget was approved as follows: General Fund $3,780,540 ASB Fund $94,200 Debt Service Fund $316,323 Capital Projects $35,000 Transportation Vehicle Fund $140,000 The difference between anticipated revenue and expenditures shows the budget $114,644 in the red, which would be taken from the Reserve Fund balance, if necessary. The budget was based on an enrollment of...
