Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met for its regular meeting on October 19 at City Hall. The hall was crowded with residents who showed up to support recommissioning the siren located on the roof of the Weller Public Library on Main Street. The meeting opened with public comments, focused on using the siren for flood, fire, and other emergencies. The crowd was also in support of bringing back the noontime use of the siren Monday through Friday. The Waitsburg Commercial Club had opened a survey on the siren’s use. Most respondents sup...
CORRECTION! the siren was not tested at noon, it was tested at 10am on Friday, October 21. It was tested in its capacity as a fire, flood, or disaster alarm system. It was sounded in an undulating wave of sound, peaking at its loudest for six seconds, lowered for six seconds and repeated. The noon siren or whistle was not tested but will eventually be sounded at noon on Monday through Friday for 10 seconds. WAITSBURG-Last spring, after a resident asked council members at a regular Waitsburg City...
Waitsburg High School celebrated homecoming week September 19- 24. The students decorated the high school cage and link areas, participated in dress-up days, class competitions, field night, buff puff volleyball, a parade, a Wolfpack volleyball game, a Wolfpack football game and ended the week with a dance on Saturday night. Dayton High School held their homecoming activities also. Monday was pajama day followed by character/twin day on Tuesday. Senior Sarabeth McGowen (as Wednesday from the...
WAITSBURG-Hundreds of people visited the Waitsburg Pioneer Fall Festival on Sunday, 18 September, following a two-year hiatus due to COVID protocols. Early morning rain showers caused some concerns, stopped just before noon and the afternoon was ideal for the event. Local artisans sold hand-forged bottle openers and coatracks, handspun woolen products, hand-dipped candles, quilting products, and handmade jewelry. Food vendors served the favorite fare of bison burgers, brats, baked goods, ice...
WAITSBURG-Since Ed and Cathy Lambert started visiting Bob, Waitsburg's beloved donkey on E. 8th, they have developed a love for the breed. Lambert said that for many years the couple would visit and bring him treats. It wasn't until their daughter Kelly connected them to Peace Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR) that they had a chance to adopt their own. The PVDR application process was very thorough and detailed, explained the Lamberts. They began the process in early June of this year. After...
WAITSBURG-This year, the Waitsburg Historical Society has selected the Albert Land Family as the 2022 Pioneers of the Year. Albert Land's three surviving children, Elaine Reese, Joan Miller, and Tom Land will be at the Waitsburg Pioneer Fall Festival on Sunday, Sept. 18 to receive the honors. Albert's grandfather, Edmund Land was born in England in 1823, and went on to travel the world. As his obituary noted, he "crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times and the Pacific Ocean twice." Living in New Z...
WAITSBURG-Richard Harbuz is an overlander explorer making his way on an electric scooter. He has ridden the well-outfitted scooter from his home in Colorado across Canada to Alaska. And back again, finding his way to Ten Ton Coffee in Waitsburg. As a self-described overlander, Harbuz enjoyed taking his bike and riding long distances from his home. After suffering a back injury while working in his daughter's home, he found it difficult to ride his bike. He missed being able to take off on his...
WAITSBURG-The newest members of the Weller Public Library in Waitsburg, started work this past Saturday. Sarah Roberts and Amanda Withers join Librarian Twila Tate in opening the doors with new books, computers, and programs for patrons to enjoy. As a rural library, funding is always a challenge and the open hours for the public are still limited to 16 hours per week. The new staff seem determined to create programs and offer services to make each open hour inviting and educational. The new...
WAITSBURG-Weller Public Library (WPL), located at 22 Main Street in Waitsburg, Washington, has been operating as a public library since the 1940s in the historic building that had been the Exchange Bank in 1905. Weller Library like other libraries in small, rural communities, serves as a community hub connecting patrons to information and people, and a haven for children and youth. It provides access to updated public computers, wireless printing, and library materials. New technology brought...
Board discuss special education contract WAITSBURG–The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, August 18, for a regularly scheduled meeting. After serving the district for 25 years, board members and attendees said ‘thank you’ one last time to Human Resources and Assistant Business Manager Linda Henze, who retired the following day. The district presented Henze with a plaque, and later she went out for a celebratory dinner with district employees and friends at Whiskey C’s. Teachers and staff a...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg's business community has been growing. Empty buildings have found new owners, and the town has a hotel again. New ventures are joining established businesses to bring food, drink, hospitality, art, and unique products to town. On Thursday, September 1, new and old businesses will participate in a city-wide open house with special events, treats, and glimpses into what is available to residents and visitors. From 4 pm to 6:30 pm, The Royal Block Wine Bar and Hotel will...
WAITSBURG—On September 21, 2022, Waitsburg City Council will consider bids for 147 Main Street, which until recently housed City Hall. The city decided to surplus the building last year and accepted a bid for the assessed value of $205,000. The accepted bidder planned to build apartments upstairs and create retail space on the ground floor. Unfortunately, the sale fell through in June. The city reopened the bidding process on July 5, 2022, requesting proposals (RFP) for the historic building. Bidders must submit proposals by 2:00 p.m. on S...
Rosie Warehime has retired as the Weller Public Library manager. She was a grandma figure for many children in Waitsburg and will miss helping people find books, reading with kids, and engaging them in crafts. She had always been excited to go to work and stated it was the most wonderful and rewarding job she had ever had. Before going to work at the library, Warehime worked at Grain Growers for 20 years. She also worked at the AG Link store, in the office at the Green Giant Company, and the Nat...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met on July 21 for a quick business meeting followed by a budget hearing. All board members were present. Board members went over the revised DW Wolfpack Athletic Code of Conduct. Dayton and Waitsburg school districts received the code revisions before the meeting. Dr. Carol Clarke brought up some editorial issues with the current code version, but the consensus was that the content was acceptable. Board member Stephanie Cole gave a brief update on the l...
The Bruce Museum has been spruced up for the summer thanks to two generous grants received by the Waitsburg Historical Society (WHS) this year. The funds allowed repairs to the Juliet balconies, widow's walk, the replacement of rotted support beams, and a complete exterior repainting of the building. Secretary Rebecca Wilson said that historical Society members began working on grant applications in January of this year, and it was an intensive process. The organization identified two grants,...
WAITSBURG-The Six-Year Transportation Plan was approved and adopted at the July 20 Waitsburg City Council meeting. All council members were present during the meeting. The council heard comments from community members before the business portion of the meeting. Comments included concerns about dips in the newly-chip sealed roads in town and statements regarding the library. The six-year plan included eight projects that the city plans to start and complete between 2023 and 2028. Projects include...
WAITSBURG-On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, a fleet of county law enforcement vehicles, including a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV), took over the parking lot at Waitsburg High School for the best possible scenario: Training. The Walla Walla Regional SWAT team, made up of officers from Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office and the Walla Walla Police Department, took advantage of empty classrooms for an active shooter drill. The training began at 7:30 a.m. and finished around 2...
Anonymous donor gives $10k. WAITSBURG –A movement is growing in Waitsburg to see a municipal pool return to town. Waitsburg Parks and Recreation received responses from 110 community members to its survey asking the community to weigh in on potential programs for the city. Results showed respondents overwhelmingly prioritized a new swimming pool for the community. Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District (P&R) and Rural Youth Enrichment Services (RYES) are set to take action. Results from the P...
WAITSBURG-The first Small Town Big Heart Showcase is headed to Waitsburg this weekend. More than 20 vendors will set up at the Gary Thomas Lot at the corner of Coppei and Preston Avenues on Saturday, July 9, starting at 9:00 a.m. Sponsored by the Waitsburg Commercial Club, President Kim Smith said she hopes this will become an annual event. Smith said that while the vendor list is already extensive, more businesses may sign on before the weekend rolls around. Vendors will offer products from...
WAITSBURG—After recent Dayton City Council actions delaying compliance with Department of Ecology guidelines for effluent release, residents of Waitsburg brought concerns to Waitsburg city officials. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe contacted the Department of Ecology’s Water Quality Program manager Llyn Doremus for guidance. In an email response, Doremus stated that the effluent from the Dayton Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) meets the required permit limits for fecal coliform. “The fecal coliform content measured (weekly) has been signi...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg is a town that is full of heart, and when it comes to our kids, the community is ready to give at a moment's notice. The Jace Strong Fundraiser dinner, supporting a local nine-year-old battling cancer, was no exception, as nearly 300 people gathered last Saturday to help out. At the end of May, Jace Grende was rushed to the hospital where it was found that he had a significant brain bleed. He was airlifted to Seattle, where they discovered a large tumor that was pressing...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg City Council gathered for a regular meeting on Wednesday, June 15. All council members were present. Joy Smith commented on a report she shared with the council before the meeting. The report had information regarding employment in the area, housing prices, and local effects of inflation. The noon whistle was brought up by a community member who asked if the city would consider bringing it back. The siren had been operated by Columbia County EMS, who had requested to end t...
WAITSBURG-On June 10, Waitsburg first graders released more than 130 spring chinook salmon into the Coppei River. This was the fifth year Mrs. Hinchliffe's class partnered with the Tri Cities Steelheaders for the Salmon in Schools Program. Students worked with instructor Alex Lau, learning about the lifecycle of the fish and raising their own school from egg to fry....
The district to facilitate community safety sessions this summer WAITSBURG—Parents of Waitsburg School District students had a scare after a post on Facebook alerting users of a ‘school shooting threat’ was rapidly shared online. The events happened less than 24 hours after 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman in Uvalde, Texas. On Wednesday, May 25, a parent of a student enrolled in the district posted on social media that she was aware of death threats being made at the schoo...
. WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board held a regular monthly meeting on May 16 at the Waitsburg Elementary School. All board members, Sarah Boudrieau, Christy House, Stephanie Cole, and Lisa Morrow, were in attendance, with Carol Clarke joining via Zoom. During the secondary principal’s report, Stephanie Wooderchak said the well-attended prom was enjoyable for all. Students from both Dayton and Waitsburg celebrated together at the combined event. Waitsburg’s Megan Forney was selected as the Wal...
