Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 14 - 38 of 1805
If you drive down Main Street Waitsburg, you'll see a cute pink house with white trim. That little house is one of many that Jason Gillen, owner of JLG Painting, has finished in the area. While 'professional painter' sits at the top of Gillen's resume, 'powerlifter/strongman' follows in a close second. Gillen has been into weight lifting since a young age, saying that it is a hobby as it is a lifestyle. "I got my first pair of barbells from my dad. I was, oh, seven or eight years old," Gillen...
WAITSBURG—Schulke Family Pumpkins have made their way back to Waitsburg for another year of fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House. The by-donation fundraiser is the Schulke family’s way of honoring their son, Cooper, who passed away in 2002 after a valiant fight against a brain tumor. Cooper was just seven and a half years old. In 2007, Cooper’s siblings, Emerson and Campbell, came up with the idea of selling pumpkins to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, a place that became a ‘home...
WALLA WALLA—A Pendleton man is facing felony charges after being arrested last week in Waitsburg for sex crimes. Robert Miguel Aguilera, 37, was booked into Walla Walla County Jail on felony charges of sex trafficking, rape, and assault. Court documents show Aguilera allegedly purchased a female under the age of 18, missing from Richland, Wash. The documents state that Aguilera forcibly raped the victim at various locations in Walla Walla, Dayton, College Place, and Milton Freewater, t...
WALLA WALLA—Skylar I. Glasby, 32, was extradited from Walla Walla County Jail back to Umatilla County Jail, where he awaits a retrial from an incident in 2016. Glasby was convicted on charges of kidnapping, robbery and assault of a Milton-Freewater man in 2016. He successfully appealed the conviction on grounds that he was denied permission to either get new counsel or act as his own legal counsel during the trial. He was released pending a new trial scheduled for January 2021. Glasby faces felony charges of first-degree kidnapping, f...
WAITSBURG—Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider, Undersheriff Joe Klundt, and fifteen Waitsburg community members met in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, August 25, to discuss recent suspected criminal activity in the city. Matthew Wyatt, who lives in the neighborhood where Skylar I. Glasby was arrested earlier this month on unlawful imprisonment and domestic violence charges, said now, more than ever, he fears for the safety of his family, and his community. Glasby was released earlier this w...
WAITSBURG-If you need a good book this summer, look no further than the Weller Public Library. Librarian Rosie Warehime has gotten creative and with the help of her granddaughter/assistant, Jaidyn Brown has crafted a way to get books into readers' hands once again. Libraries across the nation have been closed since the coronavirus pandemic emerged earlier this year. Visitors are still unable to go in the building, so Weller Public Library is now offering curbside pickup for books, complete with...
Waitsburg School District’s board of directors spent last Tuesday at a three-hour-long retreat and training at the school’s library. The training was facilitated by Dr. William Jordan from Northwest Leadership Associates. Dr. Jordan has more than 50 years of educational experience, including serving as Walla Walla Public Schools superintendent, Prescott School District superintendent, and various educator positions. He is now a consultant at Northwest Leadership Associates. The board mem...
WALLA WALLA—Becoming a new parent often brings a mix of emotions: among them, joy and stress, in the best of circumstances. Caring for a newborn when you lack basic resources can be particularly challenging and lead to health risks for both babies and parents. A new program called Care Crates aims to bridge this gap by sending new families home with bassinet boxes filled with the basic items needed to care for a newborn at home. The project is being funded through a new partnership between t...
WALLA WALLA—Recent survey results, representing feedback from nearly 2,000 Walla Walla Public Schools parents, provided district staff critical guidance as they begin finalizing Fall 2020 reopening plans. Results from this recent survey, in addition to three prior surveys representing thousands of respondents, a focus group interview with students, and 10 different workgroups consisting of dozens of staff and community partners, have provided a path forward as the district modifies in-person instruction this fall. The strict, 6-foot social d...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County’s application for entry into Phase 3 appears to be in jeopardy (see story, page 5) due to Monday’s announcement from health officials that twelve additional COVID-19 cases were reported since Friday, June 19th’s total. As of Tuesday, June 23, the county has 29 active cases all of whom are under home isolation. The county has had three deaths from the virus to date. City of Walla Walla Development Services Director Elizabeth Chamberlain speaking as Liaison for Unified Command, remarked in a video shared to Faceboo...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider released a letter on April 23 stating that “the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office is primarily funded from sales tax, so is imperative that we get Walla Walla County businesses back up and running.” Crider stated that the five percent budget cuts his department are being asked to make by Walla Walla County Commissioners would slice $232,595 out of a $4,651905 total budget. Crider asserts that these budget cuts “can only mean one thing, we are going to have to cut manpower by reducing...
Publisher Lane Gwinn wanted to know how things were going for some of our community's front-line workers, the folks at Waitsburg's Post Office. Mike Reed, Waitsburg's postmaster, was kind enough to email the Times with his thoughts and suggestions on how to keep yourself and others safe while getting the mail. "First, almost everyone is doing the social distancing very well and we appreciate it, we hope we can get back to normal soon, please thank everyone for their patience. "The way the floor...
Photographer Bill Rodgers shared "Springtime in The Hollow", 2020 with The Times. He notes: "Late April is always beautiful in the Touchet River Valley, with Cottonwood trees leafing out in brilliant chartreuse and all the other spring green hues in the fields." The charm of the light red barn and the hint of the other outbuilding rooftop completes the scene....
WALLA WALLA—An anonymous Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from twenty-three Blue Mountain region organizations have recently awarded grants of $99,000 to Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC); $14,460 to Providence St. Mary Foundation, and $25,000 to Project Timothy (Dayton). In disbursing resources from the Walla Walla Valley COVID-19 Response Fund, the committee prioritized local needs including food insecurity and hunger, homelessness, health and mental health. The BMAC food bank program, which includes Columbia and Garfield c...
OLYMPIA—Gov. Jay Inslee announced a month-long extension of his 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' emergency order on Thursday, April 2. The order, which banned all gatherings and temporarily shuttered non-essential businesses, will continue through May 4. “Epidemiological modeling from the University of Washington predicts we will have at least 1,400 deaths this year,” Inslee said. “We are yet to see the full toll of this virus in our state and the modeling we’ve seen could be much worse if we don’t continue what we’re doing to slow the spread.” Publ...
WALLA WALLA-Providence Medical Group is now offering drive-through screening and testing at Urgent Care for people with symptoms of COVID-19. The Fast Track Clinic is located at the white tent on the north side of Urgent Care, 1025 S. Second Ave. in Walla Walla. The drive-through is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. The Fast Track Clinic allows people to be rapidly screened and, if appropriate, tested without leaving their cars. They also receive COVID-19 information and directions for...
Some wannabe philosopher on the internet – the quarantine seems to be bringing them out of the woodwork in droves – recently commented that all this isolation is forcing people to face their true selves and some folks aren’t handling the introduction very well. I’d beg to differ. In the nearly three weeks I’ve spent hunkered down, the only thing I’ve learned about myself is that my bangs don’t fluff up overnight if I brush them out before bed. Granted, I was a fairly solitary person before...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County health officials confirmed on Saturday, March 21 that a local resident had tested positive for COVID-19. The Walla Walla County man in his 40s. On, Tuesday, March 23, a second local resident tested positive for COVID-19. The Walla Walla County woman is in her 20s. Both residents will remain under home isolation for fourteen days until they are fever free for 72-hours. “We want the community to know that we are doing a thorough investigation, instructing each case and contact to stay home under isolation, and we...
Richard Clark from Walla Walla Senior Center is out in front of Waitsburg Presbyterian Church delivering a meal to Phil Monfort. Clark will be distributing senior meals on Tuesdays during this time of social-distancing....
Return Waitsburg resident Jillian Henze didn't think twice when she volunteered to manage communication efforts following the February 7 flooding. WAITSBURG-The immediate volunteer response to the recent February 7 flood has been inspiring. People from different backgrounds and with a variety of skills came together to move sandbags, cook for victims and volunteers, gather donations, run heavy equipment, remove debris and mud. Jillian Henze volunteered her years of communications experience to...
Thank you for letting me whine about my cold. Monday I woke up feeling much better, my energy is back, along with my appetite! So after my workout at the Y, I treated myself to breakfast at Bacon & Eggs in Walla Walla. I am convinced that spring is on the way, I see daffodils blooming, shades of green driving through the wheat fields and the sun is shining. Phooey on you Mr. Shakespeare, bring on the Ides of March. There are two big spring holidays (although not until April), that celebrate one...
January 29 A building was entered and items stolen by an unknown suspect at an address on Orchard Street. Walla Walla, WA. February 1 Victim reported that an employee stole money from their business in the 20000 block of W. Hwy 12. Touchet, WA. February 7 Suspicious activity was investigated on the 100 block of Cherry Street. Touchet, WA. February 14 A man was arrested for DUI on Highway 12 and Smith Road. Dixie, WA. February 16 Report of an assault near E Street at Walla Walla Airport. Walla Walla, WA. February 17 A report of malicious...
Home and School Association President, wrestling club coordinator, mom. These are just a few of the titles Kristy Taylor holds, and recently, she added yet another title to the list: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Kristy is no stranger to the busy world of emergency response. Her husband, Jason, has been a part of the Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 for at least five years, volunteering as a firefighter. "Being at home, I would hear his (Jason's) scanner go off all of the time,...
WALLA WALLA—Have you been affected by recent flooding? Walla Walla County and the State of Washington are compiling damage estimates for the purpose of requesting possible help from FEMA and SBA. If there is enough damage throughout the county, it may be possible that assistance will come in the form of monetary grants to individuals and low interest loans from FEMA. There is no guarantee that this will happen, but if you have flood damage it is extremely important that you call (509) 524-2913 to report that damage. The deadline for c...
The Columbia County-Walla Walla County Joint Fire District #2 held their monthly meeting last Wednesday. The job description for the fire chief position is still being finalized and Commissioner Deb Fortner presented a proposal that the district consider hiring a full-time paid fire chief. The commissioners discussed compensation and budget, as well as the cost of providing benefits. The board supports the hiring of a full time chief, and will consult with attorney Brian Snure to clarify details, including examining matters of state...
