Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met for a regular meeting on September 16. Secondary Principal Stephanie Wooderchak shared that students and staff are doing well, and the school year is off to a busy but happy start. She said that roughly 95% of all student Chromebook use agreements had been completed. Google Classroom is still being incorporated into daily classroom use, but students are in full-time, in-person instruction. During the first week of school, Wooderchak said, there were m...
WAITSBURG—Emotions were high as parents and caregivers voiced opinions about the recent mask mandate at the Waitsburg School Board meeting on August 23. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that middle and high school business offices were now open, and staff would be available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. School registration was August 23-26. Ice cream socials and open house events were also held this week for middle school students to give them a chance to meet teachers, learn...
WAITSBURG—It was a balmy Waitsburg City Council workshop on August 9, but members were happy to meet for the first time at the future home of City Hall. Due to the nature of a council workshop, no action was taken on agenda items. The City of Waitsburg now owns the property at 106 Main, after approving the purchase in July. During the workshop on Monday, the council began the discussion about the need to remodel the building to make the space work for city employees and the public. Part of t...
WAITSBURG-A perk to living in a small town like Waitsburg is being able to walk your dog in safety. However, the downside to living in a farming community is the inevitable encounters with wildlife. Recently, Waitsburg resident Laura Tolman has seen coyotes close to the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, where she brings Callie, her 80-pound Labrador/Malamute/Husky mix, to run off energy. "One stalked my dog and got within 10, 15 feet. Really close-scary close!" said Tolman. "It looked at me and wasn't a...
WAITSBURG-A small fire broke out in a standing wheat field on Middle Waitsburg Road on August 2. The fire, which consumed an estimated 20 acres of crop, was quickly contained by firefighters from Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 and Columbia County Fire District 3. The fire was initially reported at 2:51 p.m. Within 15 minutes, quick-thinking farmers Perry Dozier, Glen Smith, and Greg Smith had established a disc line around the fire. In farming communities, it is crucial for the...
WAITSBURG—The Friends of the Weller Public Library met on July 28 at 7 p.m, to discuss the results of a recent community survey. Over 20 community members were in attendance. The overall goal stated by the Friends of the Weller Public Library is to create a space that is bright and vibrant and accessible to all. The community survey, which closed July 21, was available online, on social media, at the library, and sent to library patrons via email and text message. There were 111 respondents t...
Jumping into a truck and charging into a standing wheat fire, or encountering a burning building is not for the faint of heart, but for Captain Miguel Castillo, Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2, it is a way to help his community. Castillo was inspired to join the district around seven years ago after watching the devastation left behind by multiple complex fires in the Umatilla National Forest. "I reached out to some of the local guys here, applied, and got on the department," Castillo...
WAITSBURG—The Lions Club building was packed during the July Waitsburg City Council meeting, with nearly fifty residents gathered with concerns about recent property purchase, the current Weller Public Library's building and its governing entities, and inquire about a recently-surplused horse barn. Residents in attendance included mayoral candidate Kate Hockersmith, council candidates Jillian Henze, Rebecca Wilson, and Randy Charles. Park and Rec commissioner candidates Bart Baxter, Beth D...
WAITSBURG-A fireworks ban may be in Waitsburg's future as community members and leadership grow concerned about ongoing dry conditions, heightened fire danger, and overall weather changes. The potential ban was discussed at the July 21 City Council meeting. If a ban was implemented the soonest it could take effect in Waitsburg would be June 2023. Washington State laws govern the regulation of fireworks, including what days fireworks can be sold and when they may be discharged. The laws do allow...
WAITSBURG—Recently, I received a voice message from a number I was not familiar with. The message claimed there were actions filed on my social security number for fraudulent activities. The recorded message said I needed to call the provided number before they begin legal proceedings. This is not the first call or email I have received from someone identifying themselves as a financial or government agency. Before I started getting calls like this, my parents received similar messages. One incident involved my very intelligent and computer-sav...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met July 22 for a regular meeting. The school board is meeting in a hybrid fashion, via zoom and in-person. Dayton-Waitsburg athletic director Sam Korslund discussed a possible schedule-change proposal, which he presented to the Dayton School Board the week prior. The schedule that the DW Combine Committee had proposed had all indoor sports games played in Dayton, with football and baseball games played in Waitsburg. Korslund acknowledged that he had r...
WAITSBURG—Fire season is here, and the Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 has the run logs to show it. Over the last month, the district has responded to ten fire calls, ten medical calls, and two combination calls, for a total of 22 responses. The district’s commissioners met on July 14, in person for the first time in over a year. Fire commissioner meetings will now be held at the Waitsburg Fire Station, on Main Street, on the third Wednesday of the month. Commissioner Anne Higgins informed...
WAITSBURG—The Friends of Weller Public Library gathered at Town Hall with nearly forty community members on July 14, to brainstorm ways to keep Weller Public Library at its current location on Main Street. President Lisa Winnett said that there was a letter written by the Board of Trustees, to the City of Waitsburg, stating that all library leadership is against moving the library. The city recently purchased the former NW Grain Growers building at the north end of Main Street, with the i...
WAITSBURG-A fire on July 9 claimed a barn, an RV, and other parked vehicles at a property on Waggoner Road. Responding fire crews were able to extinguish flames that spread to a nearby wheat field, burning less than one acre. A neighbor to the property, Lisa Lee, said she was working in her yard when she heard a boom, turned around, and saw a black smoke plume. She immediately ran inside, called 9-1-1, and reported the fire. At the time, she was unaware that it was a structure fire. "After I...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met on July 1 for a council workshop. The meeting was open to the public and attended by ten members of the community. There was no public comment period during the meeting. Per the public notice dated June 29, any questions or comments could be passed on to the City Council via City Hall, located at 147 Main St., P.O. Box 35, Waitsburg, WA 99361, or (509) 337-6371. The first item on the agenda regarded City Hall. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe...
WAITSBURG — Many state, county, and city officials ask the public to celebrate the Fourth of July without home fireworks this year. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing extreme heat conditions causing serious concerns over health and fire safety going into the Fourth of July celebrations. Even though the risk of fire increases significantly during extreme heat conditions, under Washington state law, local jurisdictions cannot impose temporary bans on fireworks. The times to purchase and use fireworks in the state are regulated under RCW 7...
WAITSBURG — The Weller Library Board of Trustees met on June 23 at the Weller Library in Waitsburg. The three current board members, Jim Leid, Becky Huwe, and Elenora Montgomery, were in attendance. Librarian Rosie Warehime, Lane Gwinn, and Terry Lawhead were also at the meeting. The city’s proposal to surplus the current building and move the library to a new location was discussed by the board. There was confusion over Mayor Dunn’s explanation for removing the item from the city council’s agenda in June. Montgomery said the board has the pow...
WAITSBURG-A new athletic Code of Conduct, designed to fit the student-athletes of the Dayton Waitsburg Athletic Combine, was the center of discussion at the Waitsburg School Board meeting on June 17. Athletic Director Sam Korslund said the boys basketball team would finish the season in at least 4th place. The team was honored with a police send-off out of Dayton. The girls' season was unfortunately cut short by COVID-19. An awards banquet is planned for the end of the season, with the date and...
WAITSBURG—The potential surplus of 212 Main Street, which houses the Weller Public Library, was tabled for an unspecified amount of time during a regular City Council meeting on June 16. Waitsburg Mayor Marty Dunn removed the action item regarding the surplus, stating that the council needed legal clarification regarding the library’s infrastructure. “We (the city) know that we own the building, but we do not know any of the infrastructure or what is going on in the library,” Dunn said. “There...
Waitsburg—On Wednesday, June 9, the Friends of the Weller Library met for their regular monthly meeting. The meeting was held at the Weller Library in Waitsburg and attended by approximately 30 people. Karen Huwe, past president of the group, welcomed everyone before turning the meeting over to new president Lisa Winnett. After the last meeting’s minutes were read and approved, Winnett opened discussion on the City Council’s possible decision to surplus the library. She said the group knew nothing of the plan until they read it in The Times...
WAITSBURG—The Cardinal's Nest is pleased to offer four weeks of hands-on art and science activities this summer! Thanks to generous grants from the Sunny Day Foundation, Northwest Grain Growers, and matched through United Way and the facilities provided by the Waitsburg School District, this summer program is available at no cost. Sessions are Monday to Thursday, 9:00-10:45 a.m. Kathy Schirm will be leading the activities with her usual enthusiasm and focus on positive interactions with students. In order to follow current guidelines from t...
WAITSBURG-Long-time Waitsburg resident Ann Adams has been running for more than a decade, but it wasn't until earlier this month that she hit one of the ultimate running milestones: She finished her first marathon, running more than 26 miles in just over four hours, at the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles, Wash. The North Olympic Discovery Marathon follows the Olympic Discovery Trail, which stretches roughly 100 miles from Port Angeles to Port Townsend. The course zigged and...
WAITSBURG-It's been a later-than-usual growing season for many area gardeners, but it didn't hinder the vendors at the local farmers market last weekend. The first Waitsburg Farmer's Market weekend was a successful one, according to co-manager Doug Biolo. Attending vendors reported great sales, fun visitors, and an overall great time. "Saturday went so well," Biolo said. "The morning was really nice. A lot of people came by to say 'hi.' Dusty Britches Farms was the only vendor on Sunday, and I...
WAITSBURG—The Friends of the Weller Library are hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021, at the Weller Public Library, 212 Main, Waitsburg. Those interested in learning about the group and interested in supporting the library are encouraged to attend the meeting which begins at 7 p.m....
WAITSBURG—The May 19 City Council meeting was scheduled to include a public hearing concerning the possible sale of 212 Main St, which houses the Weller Public Library. A much larger than usual crowd attended the Waitsburg City Council meeting. Over 40 people were there specifically to attend the public hearing. Many people were concerned that the proposal was about closing the library altogether. Comments supported the library, and many wanted to keep the library in the historic building on Main Street. Mayor Marty Dunn opened the regular coun...
