Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – “Ginny and I have spent years trying to answer the question, ‘what can we do to give back?’” said Dan Butler, addressing attendees at the Christian Women’s Connection luncheon in Waitsburg last week. Now they feel like they have hit on an answer. The couple are honoring their hometowns in a big way, by organizing a Boys & Girls Club to serve children in the Touchet Valley. Butler said he grew up in Waitsburg, as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He said his wife fee...
Aug. 19 Warrant service on material witness warrant from Columbia County served on Coppei Ave....
WAITSBURG – Kimmie Hamann is one of a select few Waitsburg High School graduates to earn the American FFA Degree – the highest one degree in the organization. "This is the highest degree one can earn in the National FFA Organization. In Washington State, there were only 38 members who qualified for the award, out of the more than 3,000 members," said Waitsburg FFA Advisor Nicole Abel. The twenty-one-year-old earned her degree by raising sheep for her Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) and...
-Reviewed wellness policy - Superintendent Mishra gave an update on preschool. The preschool is fully enrolled for a morning session with 20 students. Five are returning out-of-district students who were grandfathered in. There are four children on the waiting list. If more ECEAP applications are received, the district will consider adding an afternoon session. The program currently operates at about $5,000/per student which is less than the $6,500-$7,000 ECEAP estimate, and includes the program, personnel, and meals. -Discussion on retaining...
WAITSBURG – In spite of a miniscule turn-out, the Waitsburg School Board voted to retain the district's cross-country program in hopes that numbers will increase in 2018-19 when Waitsburg will participate in a full athletic combine agreement with Dayton High School. "This is really that gap year. We don't know what's to come. It would be a shame to eliminate the program. Looking at past practice, if it goes away, it's going away for good," said district superintendent Jon Mishra. The exit of f...
Contractors broke ground on replacement of the Academy Street sidewalks on Monday. The job should be finished in the next week, or so, well before the first day of school on Sept. 6, according to Waitsburg City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. Hinchliffe said total sidewalk projects are spread throughout the city and are expected to go well into October....
WAITSBURG – Anyone with a late-night urge to play basketball in Waitsburg is out of luck. Abuse to the school grounds and a lack of respect for neighbors has resulted in a closure of the playgrounds from 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. A Facebook post from the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office stated that increased reports of multiple people on the school grounds after hours, making noise, littering and being a "general nuisance" resulted in the decision. Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Sha...
WAITSBURG – With six weeks on-the-job under his belt, new Waitsburg School District Superintendent Dr. Jon Mishra says his welcome has been "excellent" and he is excited about his future in Waitsburg. Mishra pointed to Aesop's Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, as the guideline for the district. "That's what's going to drive our journey forward. We're going to take our time. Slow and steady wins the race. I've been an educator for 25 years and I've been through the system as a student and o...
Bailey Carlson is New Fifth Grade Teacher WAITSBURG – New Waitsburg Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, Bailey Carlson, shares a similar philosophy as her predecessor, Gabe Kiefel, who will teach high school science this year. "My favorite part of teaching is building relationships with kids and their families. I love getting to know the students and helping support them through education, life, sports, every aspect of a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy being another support system for them," s...
A harvest truck garnered plenty of attention earlier this month when its driver cut the corner from 7th Street onto Coppei a bit too close and got hung up on a fire hydrant. Interestintly enough, at their July meeting, the Waitsburg City Council adjusted the city's 6-year Transportation Plan to include widening this section of 7th Street for this very reason....
Zach Bartlow said his summer got "flipped upside down rather quick" when he received a surprise call from Finland asking him to play quarterback for the Turku Trojans, part of the country's Maple League. The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) is the highest level of American football in Finland played under the American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Maple League is the Finnish champion. The season is played in summer, with a schedule usually from May to September, and this year's...
WAITSBURG – A fast-moving wheat fire northwest of Waitsburg resulted in about 12 Weller Canyon homes being evacuated Saturday afternoon, but thanks to a fast-acting command and support from area agencies, the blaze was quickly contained. The 1280 acre fire burned mostly conservation reserve program (CRP) land and there was no known loss of structure or equipment according to Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2 Assistant Chief Brian Callahan who served as Incident Command. The fire started about t...
WAITSBURG – It was four years in the making, but 2017 Waitsburg High School graduate, Analisea Araya, spent part of her summer making a dream come true. The wait was worth it, and her three-week adventure spent serving children in Uganda, Africa was everything she hoped it would be. Araya said she has "always" wanted to go on a mission trip, but narrowed her destination to visiting Uganda after she was inspired by a good friend who served there when Araya was a freshman. Unlike most teens t...
WAITSBURG – It may not be back-to-school time for Waitsburg students yet, but kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Nolan-Beasley spent last week in "school," honing her skills along with other select teachers from across the state. She spent the week at the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash. as part of the STEM-IT Now Project, which aims to strengthen the content knowledge and skills of selected expert teachers who are part of the SE LASER (Leadership Alliance for Science Education R...
WAITSBURG – Trevor Johnson, owner and operator of Johnson Family Towing, approached the Waitsburg City Council about the possibility of using an unused plot of land, between Midway Food Mart and Waitsburg Mini Storage as a specialized storage lot for his business. The council agreed to look into a lease of the property. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe said the parcel of land, approximately 60 feet wide, was reserved for an undeveloped street and there is already at least one shed over the right of...
New Business: -Held a public hearing on the city’s 6-year Transportation Plan. No one from the public spoke. -Adopted the city’s 6-year Transportation Plan. See full story in Aug. 3 issue. -Approved the Sidewalk Projects Award which will allow the installation of multiple sidewalks paid for largely by federal funding. Approximately, $30,000-$40,000 will come from city funds, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. -Approved Ordinance 2017-1042 to do away with utility water deposits. -Approved payment #2 on Main Street Bridge Rep...
Waitsburg's summer reading program wrapped up with stories, prizes, and a pizza party in the Weller Public Library on Monday....
July 31 Simple assault on Lyons Ferry and Pickard roads. Reporting party was heading to Columbia County and was contacted by CCSO for statement and pictures. July 29 Vehicle prowl on E. Seventh St. Two victim’s vehicles were entered. One victim reported various items were stolen from their vehicle. July 21 Received a call reporting a lost wallet on Coppei Ave....
Forty-four people participated in Sunday's Race For Grace 5K sponsored by the Waitsburg Christian Church to raise funds for a May 2018 service trip to help Embracing Orphans in Jamaica. Two participants were "virtual racers;" Carol Clarke and Diane Fortune participated from Cuidad de Saber in Panama. Participants ranged in age from 7 to 78 and raised approximately $500 toward the trip. The event was coordinated by Sandra Farley, and many volunteers manned the route and helped set up road...
WAITSBURG – The replacement of Waitsburg's Main Street Bridge hit another glitch this month, but the Port of Walla Walla stepped in to meet the resulting financial shortfall, for the second time. At the July 19 city council meeting, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe gave a bridge update and informed council members that the contractors had run into an issue the day prior. Hinchliffe said there have been at least four bridges that existed prior to the recently demolished bridge. While digging to r...
WAITSBURG – At their July 19 regular meeting, the Waitsburg city council unanimously approved the city’s updated 6-year transportation plan. The plan must be updated annually, and includes a list of transportation projects that could reasonably be accomplished over a six year period, though most sit on the list longer than that, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. The only change between this year and last is the addition of an item to consider widening the south end of east 7th Str...
WAITSBURG – After investing more than a year and spending thousands of dollars for engineering reports, drawings, and structural assessments to determine if renovating the Waitsburg fairgrounds grandstands is feasible, the outlook is bleak. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe reported to council members that two engineers and a risk control representative have examined the grandstands and all three agree that the building is unsafe and that demolition may be the best option. Engineer John Raby was h...
July 10: Reporting party listed an item on Craigslist, received a check for the item, and cashed the check. The bank later advised that the check was not good and requested the money back. July 12: Report of burglary at Waitsburg Mini Storage (765 Preston Ave.)...
WAITSBURG – When Jason Kaehler hit on an idea he felt would teach his daughters responsibility, help the community, and bring in some extra money all at the same time, he knew he'd found a winner. Kaehler and Daughters Mobile Oil Change opened for business last week and is welcoming new customers. Kaehler said he decided to start a business because he felt it was important to do something with his daughters that would teach them responsibility and life skills. Madison, age 10, and Peyton, age 6...
WAITSBURG – In a workshop prior to their regular July 12 meeting, the Waitsburg School Board, along with other administrators, staff, and community members, met with architects to go over preliminary plans for a new field house at the WHS football field. The work session included a review of preliminary design elements, as well as discussion on the placement of the new facility at the complex, according to Board Chairman Ross Hamann. “We spent several hours in the work session and reviewed multiple potential elements that will go into the des...
