Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 383 - 407 of 542
WAITSBURG-Last Friday, the Washington State Penitentiary Employee Association (WSPEA) presented the Waitsburg Resource Center with a $500 donation. "Originally, the money was intended for the flood relief efforts," said President Lanny Adams. "By the time we were able to meet with the correct organizations, they had a surplus of donations. We decided it would be best to hold onto the money and get it into the community through another entity." The WSPEA is an organization within the Washington S...
WAITSBURG–Waitsburg's fire hydrants are getting a much-needed flushing. It is important that all hydrants receive semi-annual maintenance by the city water utilities or local fire departments. Hydrants need to be checked for leaks, debris build-up, damage from accidents and any other issue that would be the difference between a home saved or destroyed. This month the District #2 fire department has taken on the job and there is discussion that a more robust type of flush will also be needed t...
WAITSBURG-At the September City Council Meeting, Waitsburg City Council members voted to memorialize Elmer Hazelbaker, a man with a rich history in Waitsburg. The Taggart Road Extension, which connects Taggart Road and Highway 12 at the end of the city limits, was named Hazelbaker Road in September. The project, which began in 2019, is getting close to being finished with crews moving in to pave last week. The road extension aims to improve traffic safety along Taggart Road. At the regular City...
Things will look different, but Waitsburg students will return to the classroom on Monday WAITSBURG—Starting October 5, the hallways at Waitsburg schools will be full of students again, actually half of them at a time. Students will return to class two days a week, in ‘A’ or ‘B’ groups. On Monday and Tuesday, group A will attend classes at their respective school. Group B is scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is reserved for independent work and targeted assistance, as well as deep c...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Gun Club has a busy schedule for October. With hunting season just around the corner, the volunteer-run gun range has training, sight-in days, and trap shoots planned. On October 3, at 9 a.m, the Waitsburg Gun Club will be hosting a Range Safety Officer (RSO) training. Range Safety Officer training teaches volunteers the necessary knowledge, skills, and temperament essential for organizing, conducting, and supervising safe shooting events and activities, as well as range...
WAITSBURG-Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 is excited to announce the new fire chief, Michael Moynihan, from San Francisco, California. Chief Moynihan began his position as the first paid fire chief in the history of CWWFD2 on Monday, September 21. Born and raised in San Francisco, Moynihan has more than 30 years of firefighting experience. He began as a firefighter/EMT with a volunteer fire department, very similar to the one that serves Waitsburg and the surrounding area. He took...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School District will be returning to in-person instruction on Monday, October 5. The decision to reopen schools for in-person instruction, which many school and health department officials believed would wait until the end of the first quarter, was an ‘unexpected surprise’ to Superintendent Mark Pickel. Superintendent Pickel announced the reopening on September 17, following a school board meeting. In a public notice, he stated the decision was made in collaboration with the faculty, school board, and the Walla Walla Count...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met September 17, via Zoom meeting. High School Principal Stephanie Wooderchak said that the school year was going smoothly though there have been some issues with the students’ Chromebook laptops. Some computers were equipped with the wrong cords, and some had login issues. Wooderchak noted that the IT provider, NexGen, had installed shortcuts for Zoom and Google Classrooms, which many of the students reported they appreciated. Waitsburg FFA will be att...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met Tuesday, September 15, via conference call. All members of the Council were present. The Council reviewed an application for the first of a series of payments for work done on the new Taggart Road extension. Sharpe & Preszler Construction Company requested a payment of $345,066.74 to cover the cost of total work completed and materials on hand, to date. The Council approved the Taggart Road extension in 2019; however, construction was paused due to the f...
WAITSBURG-How do you make tired volunteer firefighters smile in the middle of one of the worst fire seasons on record? If you ask the local Girl Scouts, it is as easy as donating a few cases of cookies. Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 happily accepted a generous donation of twelve cases of Girl Scout cookies last week, as a 'gift of caring through the council.' While donating leftover cookies is a normal thing, according to troop leaders Brandi Hollingsworth and Amber Lambert, the...
WAITSBURG-Nancy's Dream Garden Center has moved closer to main Main Street. Owner/operators Janet Lawrence and Doug Biolo said the move has been great for business, with a new surprising customer base picking up. At the new address, 124 Warren Street, the brother-sister duo now have room to grow Nancy's Dream bigger than they ever imagined. The former site had just enough room for a single greenhouse and an outdoor display, but limited parking, especially for semi-trucks, was a problem. The new...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, Aug. 20, via Zoom call. Representative Skyler Rude attended the meeting. Principal Stephanie Wooderchak shared documents on class schedules in grades six and up. She also shared an online staff schedule that laid out the periods, virtual office hours, and more. Wooderchak reported that the teachers have written letters for the parents that explain their virtual classrooms, attendance plans, assignment days, and more. The school has begun s...
WAITSBURG-The Walla Walla Regional SWAT Team raided a home on Main Street in Waitsburg last Thursday. Skylar I. Glasby, 32, originally from Dayton, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful imprisonment and domestic violence assault charges following an investigation performed by the Walla Walla County Sheriff's office (WWCSO). The regional SWAT team included deputies from WWCSO, officers from the Walla Walla Police Department, and a police K9 from the Pasco Police Department. Armored SWAT...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg Elementary will hold preschool-5th grade registration for Fall of 2020 on August 25th-27th from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Registration will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) at the elementary school. The registration dates are for new and returning students. Face masks will be required for entry into the building. If you cannot wear a face mask, the school will deliver a registration packet to you outside of the building. All children who turn 5, on or before, August 3...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met August 13 via conference call. The Council discussed many resolutions and agreements, and heard public comments from concerned citizens. Former Councilmember Terry Jacoy spoke during the public comment, with questions about the recent utility tax increase. At the July meeting, the Council approved a $5/month utility tax that would increase in January 2021. The Council approved the tax increase to help fund flood control efforts. Jacoy stated that he was o...
Many Waitsburg youth have spent the summer raising animals with the hope of selling at local Fairs. As local events have canceled, many market animals have gone without buyers, and youth are hoping to recoup some costs so they can continue to raise quality animals for future events. The following animals will be available after Labor Day weekend unless otherwise arranged. Raising a market steer is no easy task. On average, a steer costs more than $4,000 to raise, vet, and feed. The Daves family...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School board called an emergency meeting on Friday, August 7, to discuss the Fall 2020 reopening plan. The board voted to adopt an online reopening plan for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. The recommendation for an online-only opening was made following the announcement of online plans from other schools in the county and a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in Walla Walla County. As of Monday, August 10, there was only one confirmed case of the virus in W...
WAITSBURG-Many parents within the Waitsburg School District questioned a levy line item, STEM/Fine Arts, following the resignation of the STEM teacher Pam Beasley. At the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, music teacher Shelby Pomerinke resigned. It was decided to postpone hiring a music teacher until the next school year, and the board opted to offer a one-year, K-5 STEM program, taught by Beasley. A former kindergarten teacher, Beasley has always been an advocate for the Science,...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg community members were slinging sandbags again over the weekend, but this time, there was no threat of flooding. Volunteers were busy removing the last bit of flood devastation from Waitsburg's Preston Park on Saturday. Matthew and Krystal Wyatt were walking through Preston Park last week and had to climb over a sagging wall of sandbags and weeds to get to the river to go fishing. "We have this motto that we've lived by for a long time, 'if you see a need, fill a need.' We...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School District is preparing for an uncertain school year, as they develop a plan to safely reopen the school’s doors this fall. The district is adding two online curriculum options, so parents and children can attend school in whatever way they feel is safest. “We want to make sure our kids are safe, and we want to make sure the protocols in place keep everyone safe,” Superintendent Mark Pickel said. The district will be offering online education opportunities through...
WAITSBURG-Sometimes, sitting down and reconnecting with familiar faces can heal beyond recognition. As a born 'people person,' the quarantine has been especially difficult for me. A couple of weeks ago, a little bird told me people were setting up camp in front of Waitsburg's post office, and the little bird encouraged me to pop down and talk to them. I discovered Mike Ferrians and Maria Garcia hanging out in the shade, with a table full of crayons, colorful construction paper, and a handful of...
Waitsburg–My long-time friend Maria Garcia and I were recently sitting (six feet apart) in her back acre, talking about how the pandemic has affected us personally. We hadn't planned it. I had stopped by for a brief hello. But then we decided to share a glass of wine outside in the shade. We've known each other for a very long time and are the best of friends. In no time, we were discussing the psychological and emotional impacts we and others have experienced, due not solely to the pandemic o...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, July 16, via Zoom call. The board discussed enrollment, the 2020-21 reopening plan, and online learning options. Colter Mohney reported to the board that all of the school buildings would be clean and ready for the upcoming school year by next week. Maintenance and facilities employees have been busy disinfecting the buildings, chairs, tables, and other equipment, as well as performing needed repairs. Elementary principal/ Superintendent Mark P...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met July 15, via conference call. The council discussed two resolutions and held a public hearing regarding flood control funding. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe started the discussion on Resolution 2020-704, which awarded the Taggart Road Extension project contract to Sharpe and Preszler Construction of Kennewick, WA. The contracting company presented the City with the most affordable bid to finish the ongoing project, coming in at $623,000. The c...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School District Superintendent Mark Pickel held a second public input meeting on July 8 regarding the reopening of schools this fall. The virtual meeting was attended by 16 parents, guardians, and district staff members who had concerns and questions about the upcoming school year. The first public meeting held on June 30, was attended by four parents and caregivers. Superintendent Pickel started the second meeting by stating that all of the recommendations and guidelines t...
