Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 645 - 669 of 1805
WAITSBURG – At their March meeting the Waitsburg School Board approved a lighting upgrade purchase in Preston Hall that will save the district thousands of dollars each year. An energy incentive kick-back from Pacific Power will allow the district to recoup the investment in its first year, alone. In January, District Facilities, Transportation, and Maintenance Supervisor Colter Mohney, approached the board about checking into options for replacing the deteriorating lighting in Preston Hall. M...
WAITSBURG – Local youth bluegrass band Switchgrass Delta will join with other local talent in a fundraising concert at the Plaza Theater in Waitsburg on Sun., April 23 at 4 p.m. Funds from the concert will help pay for the band's upcoming trip to Sasayama Japan in October. Switchgrass Delta is part of the Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project (TVAMP). Band members include: Emma Philbrook on mandolin, Chris Philbrook on banjo, Robert Walsh on standup bass, and Kaleb Kuykendall on fiddle. The band...
The Waitsburg FFA Trap Team attended the State Trap Shoot at the Wenatchee Gun Club last weekend. Waitsburg's Team 1 placed 11th and Waitsburg's Team 2 placed 25th out of 34 total teams. Tyler Hoffman placed 13th, individually, ou tof 156 competitors with a score of 92 out of 100. Team 1 members include: Tyler Brooks, Tyler Hoffman, Devin Newman, David Just, Laramie Mathews. Team 2 members include: Sydney Fowble, Timothy Daves, Seamus House, Drew Farley, Jade Alleman....
John Langford of Waitsburg's Public Works crew checked out a light fixture and smiled for the camera while replacing the city boulevard banners with newly purchased Waitsburg Celebration Days banners last week. Plans are well underway for the traditional Celebration Days weekend that takes place the third weekend of May each year....
WAITSBURG – Approximately two dozen citizens showed up to hear from candidates at the April 10 Waitsburg City Elections Candidate's Forum, hosted by the Waitsburg Commercial Club, and held at Town Hall. The mayoral candidates, incumbent Marty Dunn and Deb Callahan, were on hand, along with incumbent council candidates Karen Gregutt, Kate Hockersmith, Kevin House, and KC Kuykendall, and first-time council candidates Lane Hill, Terry Jacoy, Dave Paxton, and Jim Romine. First-time filers Lisa M...
WAITSBURG – Walla Walla County is right on track with their timeline for selecting a new Fairgrounds Manager. Interim Fairgrounds Manager Perry Dozier will hand over the reins to newly selected manager William "Bill" Ogg, of Greeley, Colo., on April 17. Commissioner Todd Kimball, who took the lead to fill the vacancy. said he is impressed with Ogg's experience. "Bill's references read like a "Who's Who" of the fair world, and after his interviews, we felt he lived up to every one of the g...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg High School senior Jacob Elder got what he wished for when a break in the rain allowed him to finish his Eagle Scout project during Spring Break. He squeaked the requirement in just before his 18th birthday deadline. "I chose repainting bleachers because the paint is coming off and that could lead to wood rot or damage to the boards. It would be easier to repaint them than to replace them later," Elder said. He worked with students, family, and fellow scouts to complete t...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg High School junior Chris Philbrook enrolled in the Walla Walla Southeast Area Technical Skills Center's (SEATech) construction technology program because he wanted to take advantage of a hands-on learning opportunity. The school year has provided him with plenty of practical construction experience as well as the unexpected opportunity to be part of an award-winning team in a micro house-building contest. SEATech students received the "Most Unique" award in the statewide "...
WAITSBURG – Data is only as good as what you do with it, and Waitsburg Elementary School teachers are working hard to put their data to the best use helping students. At the March school board meeting, elementary teachers Deanna Coulston and Gabe Kiefel shared some of the creative ways Waitsburg is putting student achievement data to work in the classroom. Coulston said one of the factors driving success in the elementary school is the PLCs, or professional learning communities. She said the t...
Members of the Waitsburg Quartet entertained the crowd during Jack McCaw's 90th birthday party on Fri., March 31, at the Lions Memorial Building....
WAITSBURG – Ballots for Waitsburg’s annual city elections were mailed last Friday and completed ballots must be returned to City Hall by 8 p.m. on April 17 or must have an April 17 or earlier postmark. This year’s election was extended and council filings re-opened when only four candidates filed for the five open city council seats. Currently, ten candidates are seeking a seat on the council. Candidate profiles can be found on page 7 of this issue. The Commercial Club will host a candidates forum, for both mayor and council candidates, on Mo...
WAITSBURG – After an extensive interview process, the Waitsburg School Board voted unanimously to offer the positions of Waitsburg Schools district superintendent and elementary principal to Dr. Jon Mishra at a March 30 special meeting. Mishra verbally accepted the offer, via telephone, contingent upon successful contract negotiations. The district held preliminary interviews with five applicants, and narrowed the field to two finalists. One of the finalist withdrew, leaving Mishra as the l...
Incumbent council member Kate Hockersmith has lived in Waitsburg since 1992. She has been a 4-H leader, Boy Scout volunteer and Friends of the Library member. She taught preschool/parent education in Waitsburg for 12 years. She currently teaches music, organizes bluegrass jams, and provides music for many community events. She is on the board of Rural Youth Enrichment Services, a member of the Waitsburg Garden Club, the Fairgrounds Revitalization Committee, the Waitsburg Flood Prevention and Eme...
Lane Hill moved to town two years ago and renovated a building on Main Street, which will be used to offer shows, events, and art classes to the community, and to bring workshop tourism to Main Street. She is chair of the Friends of the Fairgrounds committee and is very interested in helping revitalize the Main Street corridor. Hill said she applauds the work of the council, mayor, and city manager and would love to work with them in the coming year. "This has been a tough year and they have...
Incumbent Kevin house has worked at The McGregor Company in Waitsburg for 21 years and has lived here for 14 years. He has been on the city council since elected in 2010. House is active in the Lions Club, the Waitsburg Livestock Show and St. Mark's Church. He has helped with many youth activities such as scouts, FFA, and 4-H as his boys have come up through school. "I'm running for re-election to council because I think my perspective representing citizens of Waitsburg is still pertinent in...
Terry Jacoy has been repeatedly recognized for his service over his 40 years living in Waitsburg. Jacoy farmed, worked for Brea Ag., and then was office manager for The McGregor Company until his 2010 retirement. He joined the Lions shortly after moving to Waitsburg in 1977 and received the prestigious Melvin Jones service award in 2014. He helped with the Days of Real sport for 30 years, was treasurer from 1985-2010, and was honored as the final DRS parade marshal. Jacoy served on the...
Incumbent KC Kuykendall moved to Waitsburg in 2010. He was asked to fill a vacant council seat in 2013 and has remained on the council since. He is on the county planning commission, and he and his family are active in school sports, 4-H, FFA, church, and annual events. Kuykendall believes that city government exists for the will of the people. He says he is committed to listening and studying each issue that comes before the council, as evidenced in the way he has handled recent topics like...
Council candidate Dave Paxton was born and raised in Benton City and has resided in Waitsburg for nearly three years. He moved here to be closer to the mountains and to spend more time hunting and fishing with his young boys. Dave and his wife, Rachel, have been married 21 years and have five children. He is 48 years old and holds an AA degree in auto body repair from Columbia Basin College. He has owned and operated Mr. Chips, LLC, doing paint chip repair on automobiles at local car...
Council candidate Matt Spring, his wife, and one-year-old daughter have lived in Waitsburg for three years, He grew up in the Walla Walla area and has worked at the Waitsburg McGregor Company plant since 2009. Since moving to Waitsburg, Spring has become a member of the Waitsburg Lions Club and is a volunteer firefighter for Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. "I wanted to run for city council because it is my desire to see Waitsburg succeed," Spring said. "I think I am a good candidate...
Jim Romine has lived in northern Walla Walla County all his life, except for the six years he served in the U.S. Navy. He was raised in Prescott and is a PHS graduate. He and his wife moved to Waitsburg in 2013, where he serves on the Town Hall Board of Directors and is the Waitsburg Republican precinct committee officer. Romine said he chose to run for city council because several residents encouraged him to do so. "I love the people here and would welcome an opportunity to give back to this...
Waitsburg institution Jack McCaw celebrated his 90th birthday with a patriotic themed party completel with Navy decor....
WAITSBURG – The City of Waitsburg may be able to breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to keeping the timeline for replacement of the city’s Main Street Bridge on track for the summer of 2017, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. He is hopeful that an anticipated nine-tenths of one percent sales tax grant of $100,000 from the Port of Walla Walla will bring the project back under budget. City officials received an ugly surprise when bids for the demolition and replacement of the bridge were opened on Feb. 23. The lowest of 12 bids came i...
WAITSBURG – After holding preliminary interviews with five candidates, the Waitsburg School Board invited a lone candidate, Dr. Jon Mishra, back for a final interview for the position of Waitsburg Schools District Superintendent. As The Times went to press on the evening of Tues., March 28, Mishra was scheduled to meet the public at the elementary school library, followed up with a second school board interview. Dr.Mishra is currently employed at the Hermiston School District as the Executive D...
Eleven WHS students were inducted into the National Honor Society at a ceremony at DeSales High School on Wed., March 22...
WAITSBURG – More than 100 friends and family members gathered at Waitsburg Town Hall on Saturday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dr. Roger and Laura Jean Hevel. Attendees came from as far as Santa Cruz, San Jose, Oakland, and Los Altos, Calif., Portland and The Dalles, Ore, to honor the couple, who have been an integral part of the Waitsburg community for more than 60 years. The couple met in Pendleton, Ore., where they attended second grade together. By their junior year of high school, t...
