Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 377 - 401 of 495
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg residents’ participation rate in the 2020 census is in the lower half for all of Washington state. So far only 40 percent of town residents have completed the survey. If you haven’t filled out a census form yet, go online and let’s get Waitsburg’s participation up to 100 percent! The Census Bureau resumed field operations in the state on Monday, May 11. Census workers will resume delivering invitations and questionnaires to households that did not receive them before field operations were suspended in March. Census wo...
WAITSBURG-Twelve hundred is a big number, especially when it is the 'projects completed and donated' tally. That is the number of cloth face masks that Skip and Lois Winchester, of Waitsburg, have sewn with the help of a few family members. Now, they are asking for the community's help finding elastic for the last 200 or so masks. "It's been a lot of fun," said Lois. "The family time has been very nice, especially during these times." Lois, who is a sewer by trade, said that the roughly 1,400 ma...
In Celebration of Waitsburg, a social-distancing parade of antique and classic cars, trucks, and motorized vehicles will cruise from the North end of downtown Waitsburg down Main Street to 7th Street and Orchard, another right on 4th brings us back to Main Street and back to downtown on Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. Enjoy the cruise while maintaining six feet distancing from the comfort of your vehicle or home....
As high school graduation approaches, Waitsburg's Main Street is getting prepped for a dash of color and a few smiling faces. While the details for a socially-distanced graduation are still being ironed out, the community has been looking for ways to honor the Class of 2020. Last month Senior Advisor, Matthew Wyatt, turned to Facebook to ask the community's help to raise funds for Main Street banners celebrating the seniors. In true Waitsburg fashion, the community rallied together to raise...
Springtime in Waitsburg is official when there is a sighting of the miniature horse and cart making its way to the grocery for treats....
Good things are happening on a Main Street near you....
WAITSBURG- Homemade red velvet doughnuts, build-your-own sandwiches and themed dinners will soon be served at 206 Main Street, as the Callahan family wraps up the last few preparations for a soft opening of Millstone Cafe and Bakery. "I have always wanted to own a restaurant," owner Deb Callahan said. "I have been cooking all of my life, I've catered a good portion of my life." Deb said that her husband, Jim, is getting ready to retire and they are looking forward to having a business that, with...
"I am using a combination of methods-old and new-to communicate with my students and their parents. During the first week I sent a letter home to seniors and their parents, encouraging them during this strange time and reminding them about some things they could be doing during our six weeks apart. The second and third week I used Skyward (our online platform for grading and communication) to send individual classes messages. I've also sent some messages and pictures through the Waitsburg High S...
WAITSBURG— The Waitsburg City Council met on Wednesday, April 15 via conference call. Mayor Marty Dunn, Councilmembers Jim Romine, Kevin House, Kate Hockersmith, KC Kuykendall, and Terry Jacoy were present. Incoming council members David Paxton, Karen Gregutt and Karl Newell were present, as well as city administrator Randy Hinchliffe. The council reviewed and certified the 2020 Election results. Hockersmith, Kuykendall and Jacoy stepped down and voters filled the empty positions with Gregutt, Newell and Paxton. Marty Dunn was re-elected as m...
When I was a child, everyone said that my father and I were like “two peas in a pod.” Physically we had a strong family resemblance, similar mannerisms and a strong stubborn streak. Politely, we listened intently to people’s advice, then usually did what we had initially planned. Thankfully, the one thing I didn’t inherit from him was his horrific sense of direction, he could get lost going around the block, and did once when picking me up from school. He hated gardening, he didn’t want to “man the grill,” he hated doing home repairs, and...
WAITSBURG— The Waitsburg School Board met April 16, via Zoom video conference. Superintendent Mark Pickel, board members Ross Hamann, Pam Chapman, Sarah Bodrieau, Lisa Morrow and Christy House were present. Seven other staff and community members were present. During the secondary report, board members reported that they are hearing lots of positive feedback from parents and students about the online learning programs that teachers have implemented. Christy House asked for clarification on t...
The Waitsburg Garden Club used proper social distancing to deliver this year's flowers to Main Street's plant pots....
Markeeta Little Wolf wrote in to say, "I baked the featured Daniel Rossi Bread recipe (The Times, April 9 issue) Brilliant. Just thought I would share."...
Participate in our photo challenge!...
Waitsburg School District honored the Waitsburg High School Class of 2020 with a 'Be The Light' display at the school football field on Friday, April 10 at 8:20 p.m. for 20 minutes. The scoreboard display read 20:20 and students parked alongside the field while community members stopped their cars and honked in support....
Waitsburg Garden Club President Susan Donegan sent an invitation to her members recently announcing that "It's time for our annual beautification project for downtown Waitsburg – planting out the pots that line our Main Street." The plants have been selected and were ordered through Nancy's Dream Garden Center. Karen Gregutt will set out the plants for each individual cement container early on Saturday morning (April 18th). Those who would like to help get the new plants into their new home, i...
Last July 4th holiday was the first time Daniel visited Waitsburg since we originally bought the house around 15 years ago. But, like the movie The Moneypit, the work and financial outgo is still ongoing and outgoing. During that first visit, even in the heat of the summer, he took it upon himself to build bookshelves for my 25 boxes of books. Floor to ceiling shelving against every wall in the upstairs bedroom and it is now our upstairs "library." His vacation was spent at Home Depot, behind a...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School Superintendent Mark Pickel and Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak met with their staffs on Monday, April 13 to discuss plans for a continuous learning model now that the schools will remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Grade 6-12 students will be moving to a remote, or digital learning model on April 27. Teachers at those grade levels will be presenting instruction via such platforms as Google Classroom and email. Until that time, the teachers have been connecting with their students t...
"This year's Celebration Days weekend of 'family friendly' fun events are cancelled due to Washington State health concerns about COVID-19," said Lisa Naylor, President of the Waitsburg Celebration Days Committee. The board met last Wednesday, April 1st, utilizing Zoom and phone conference calls. During the meeting, board members discussed the impact of COVID-19 in Walla Walla and surrounding counties, with some members of the board weighing in with their personal concerns about potentially...
WAITSBURG—Preliminary election results for Waitsburg’s mayor and city councilmembers were tallied Monday. With a total of 318 votes cast, voters will return Kevin House and Jim Romine to the council and adds Karen Gregutt, Karl Newell and David Paxton as new councilmembers. The election will be certified on April 15 at the next Waitsburg City Council meeting. The meeting will be conducted remotely via conference call. Interested community members who would like to listen in on the meeting should contact Waitsburg City hall for call inf...
When Governor Jay Inslee delivered his 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' declaration on March 13 announcing the closure of all public and private K-12 schools in Washington state, school leaders across the state were suddenly confronted with the problem of providing distance education to their varied students. Waitsburg Superintendent, and elementary school principal Mark Pickel reacted quickly, calling a stand-up meeting of all staff that afternoon. His elementary staff spent the upcoming weekend preparing “binders, packets and folders for six w...
WAITSBURG-Electric and hybrid cars continue to grow in popularity. The City of Waitsburg recently embraced this growth, and in early February, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe oversaw the installation of a public-access electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the city shop. "My goal was to give people traveling through the city another reason to stop," said Hinchliffe. "With more and more electric cars on the road, I thought a charging station between the Tri-Cities and Clarkston was a...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Elections are scheduled to be held on April 6, 2020. The City Council has three seats open, after council members K.C Kuykendall, Kate Hockersmith, and Terry Jacoy decided not to run for re-election this year. Karen Gregutt is on the ballot for a return seat on the City Council. She hopes that by contributing her professional experience, she will bring fresh ideas to Waitsburg and its citizens. Gregutt's career includes 30 years as the managing partner at Kaye-Smith...
Since the statewide directive to shelter-at-home, the streets of Waitsburg have become eerily quiet. The Times has received information that the streets may not be as empty as they seem. Several anonymous sources have sent photos of encounters with what appear to be beasts who walk upright on oversized feet. Could these springtime sightings be proof there are hatchling Sasquatch in our area?...
While continuing to shelter at home, we have tried to be productive; working, unpacking and organizing the homestead. We have been working in the yard, dragging flagstone, bricks and cinderblocks from scattered locations to one area. Now when I look at the Northeast side of our backyard it looks like a mason resides here. We have also been unpacking Daniel’s boxes, mostly cookbooks, (30 boxes to be exact). It’s difficult to unpack the books and not look at the titles since I am a cookbook fan, and it certainly beats looking at my ret...
