Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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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...
WAITSBURG-Summer BBQ menus are going to be a little less sweet in Waitsburg this summer. After 30 years of growing a secret variety of sweet corn, Ed and Cathy Lambert are retiring to focus on family, Ed's lumber milling, and their own family garden. "We started growing corn when we moved here in 1988," Cathy said. "Our kids would load up a wagon with fresh vegetables and walk around the neighborhood, selling the veggies to neighbors. Everyone loved it!" Cathy said it didn't take long for local...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, June 24 via conference call. All council members were present. The council discussed the six-year transportation plan, local coronavirus relief funds, and other items. The council reviewed the six-year plan as presented to them by city administrator Randy Hinchliffe. The plan, which starts in 2020 and ends in 2026, includes work on Main Street, Bolles Road, and city-wide maintenance. The total expenses over the six-year period is budgeted at j...
Pat Largent joins the ranks of the nonagenarian, a fancy word for 90, this month. Where the chronological age of 65 is in our culture is considered a senior citizen and 70 plus is considered by some accounts elderly, I am supposing Pat would be considered 'elderly.' As I recently watched Pat, with her cane, stepping down the sidewalk in Waitsburg I began to recall times with Pat over the years. This amazing woman is someone for whom the word elderly just doesn't seem appropriate. Although...
Mr. C's Smoking Co Mr. C's is open Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m- 6 p.m, and Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. They will continue to offer smoked cheeses and other goods, as well as butchering services. Mr. C's is located at 405 Preston Ave. https://www.loc8nearme.com/washington/waitsburg/mr-cs-smoked-meat-and-cheeses/3055054/ Tim's Carpentry Tim's Carpentry is open and ready to help with your remodeling projects. Tim can be reached at (509) 386-1738. Claudia's Therapeutic Massage Massage therapist Claudia Abel...
Yay! Governor Inslee has approved Phase 2 status for Walla Walla County. Such fortuitous timing, in the midst of so many other "phasing" events, like high school and college graduations, now those students will phase into their new lives as college freshman, or (hopefully) employees-maybe graduate school? June is also a big month for weddings, and couples "phasing" into married life. And some of us are just phasing into rural life, (and loving it). But, like all things in life, "phasing"...
WAITSBURG-Walla Walla county businesses got the long awaited 'go-ahead' to move into Phase 2 of Governor Inslee's Safe Start plan and Waitsburg business owners are preparing to provide sit down dining, post-pandemic haircuts, shopping, and more. Blush Salon and Spa: Brooke Mikesell and Madison Mings have begun accepting appointments for hair, nails, lashes and more at Blush Salon located at 214 Main Street. Beginning June 1, the salon is open for clients by appointment only. All clients must...
WAITSBURG-Treasure comes in all shapes and forms, to one Waitsburg resident treasure looks like model cars, lots of model cars. Bert Baxter's extensive car collection includes over 1,000 models, racing memorabilia, and more. Baxter's love for all things automotive started at an early age and in 1952 he took up racing mini sprint cars for 15 years. He walked away from the racetrack after witnessing a tragic accident and went from driving to working on cars as he poured his heart and soul into his...
WAITSBURG-"It never fails, the hottest day of the year is always graduation day," spectators echoed jokingly last Friday at the Waitsburg Football Field. Instead of gathering in the Waitsburg High School Gym, as is tradition, friends and family of the Class of 2020 stood outside the field's fences and watched a socially distanced high school graduation. If you've ever attended a WHS graduation ceremony, you know that they fall on what seems like the hottest day in spring, with the infamously...
WAITSBURG-High school graduations are looking a little different this year, and Waitsburg High School's ceremony is no exception. A gallery drive through town followed by a drive through 'ceremony' is scheduled for May 29, starting at 6 p.m. The Class of 2020 Gallery Drive will begin at Preston Park, with the students as passengers, lined up in alphabetical order, following a pilot car. Each vehicle will have one student in cap and gown. Twenty-two cars will make their way down Main Street,...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. via conference call. All board members were present except councilman Karl Newell. The council discussed the Complete Sidewalk Project Award, a capital library grant, and the status of the city pool. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe gave an update on the Complete Sidewalk Project Award that the City received earlier this year. He said that he has been in contact with property owners who will be impacted by the project, a...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, May 21 at 6 p.m. All school board members were present. During the meeting, the board discussed graduation plans, a continuous learning plan, and other items. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported to the board that the middle school had been invited to the Milton Freewater Drive-In Theater for the 8th grade promotion. After some discussion, the board decided it was best to come up with another plan in the event that Walla Walla C...
The Class of 2020 will have a virtual graduation ceremony to include the following: Pictures of our Class of 2020 Seniors in their caps and gowns will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. Recorded reflections of each student of the Class of 2020 will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. A Congratulation speech by Mr. Pickel, Waitsburg School District Superintendent will be posted on www.waitsburgsd.org on May 29, 2020. The Honor Speeches from the Class of 2020 will be...
Mrs. Stephanie Wooderchak It has been a pleasure to work with you over these past years. I wish you much happiness in your new life adventures. Mr. Gabe Kiefel I wish for each of you a rich life, full of authenticity. It has been said that to wish someone to live in interesting times or an exciting life could be considered a curse. This would be because interesting times may be full of surprises and discomfort. An exciting life carries with it the possibility of danger or injury. I do not wish...
WAITSBURG- The third weekend in May is historically an exciting one in Waitsburg. Waitsburg Celebration Days was one of many area events cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, but a small group of classic car enthusiasts and a handful of equestrians weren't willing to let the weekend slip away completely. Fred Gonzalez, the president of the Waitsburg Classic Car Show and Swap Meet, rounded up more than 50 local car enthusiasts from Waitsburg and Walla Walla for a (Non)Celebration Days car...
This week, a little extra Cardinal Pride was on display....
The secret garden is teeming with life!...
