Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 733 - 757 of 1805
WAITSBURG – Parents of Waitsburg Elementary School students have not had to buy school supplies for their kids for the last two years, and high school parents were freed from the burden last year as well. Thanks goes to the Waitsburg Home and School Association, which has made it a goal to provide everything but a backpack for Waitsburg students. HASA has raised funds through their annual carnival, a silent auction, and movie nights, but this year they’re trying something new. On Jan. 14, HAS...
Budding entrepreneurs and civil servants Jay Dimak and Brayden Mohney spent their winter break and the snowy weekends since traveling throughout Waitsburg clearing paths with their snowblower and shovels. The efforts of these hardworking middle schoolers have been greatly appreciated, as are those of the many city and county workers and other volunteers who have worked tirelessly to keep our roadways, streets, and sidewalks safe....
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School District is seeking community input as it begins the search process for a new district superintendent to replace Dr. Carol Clarke who will retire at the end of June. Clarke has served as superintendent since 2004. The school board has hired Dr. Bill Jordan of Northwest Leadership Associates to assist with the superintendent search, which they hope to have completed by March. Community members are asked to provide input by completing a survey at the following l...
WAITSBURG – The City of Waitsburg wants to make sure that local representatives know where the city stands on the many important issues that will come before them in upcoming legislative sessions. At their Dec. 21 regular meeting, the Waitsburg City Council voted to adopt a 2017-2018 state legislative priorities list. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said he believes this is the first time the city has formulated such a list. Only one of the 18 items on the list elicited concern. That was the...
WALLA WALLA COUNTY – Former Walla Walla County Commissioner Perry Dozier spent the last day of his two terms as county commissioner on Dec. 31. He will continue to serve the county as interim manager of the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds until a permanent manager is hired this spring and looks forward to spending more time with his two college sons and investing more time into his Waitsburg farm. Dozier was recently honored for his service at a commissioner-sponsored employee appreciation event....
WAITSBURG – 2016 in Waitsburg could be called The Year of Contention. The year kicked off with the city council responding to public outcry by abandoning plans to approve a one-year trial lease with Brandon Kelly, who wanted to operate a race car track at the city fairgrounds. But that was just the beginning of citizens making their opinions known. Voters rejected the school's capital improvements bond and community members shared their views about fairgrounds usage, removal of trees by the c...
Students at Waitsburg Elementary School, Preston Hall, and Waitsburg High School enjoyed a special day of fun activities on Monday, Dec. 19....
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School Board defined district priorities for the 2016-2018 school year in a work session prior to the board’s Dec. 14 regular meeting. Replacement of retiring district superintendent Carol Clarke and guidance with implementation of the capital projects funded by the $3.8 million capital improvements bond, approved in November, topped the list of priorities. Superintendent’s Search Topping the list of priorities was the “completion of a successful superintendent search by the end of March 2017.” The new superinte...
Waitsburg students celebrated their final day of school before winter break with fun and community service. Grade school children celebrated Polar Express Day by participating in activities based on the popular children's book and watched Homeward Bound at the Liberty Theater. Middle school students decorated cookies, read books, played games, and held a dance-off. High schoolers played games, enjoyed root beer floats courtesy of the Waitsburg Resource Center and a concert by Framing Fables....
WAITSBURG – Should students be allowed to access their cell phones during class? As it currently stands, Waitsburg students must store their phones in a holding box prior to entering their classes. But that may change. Or not. During the public/board comment portion of December’s regular school board meeting, board member Christy House suggested that the district take a closer look at its cell phone policy. House said that the primary way coaches communicate with athletes is via Facebook, but...
Annual Organization Meeting -Unanimously elected Ross Ha:mann as Board Chair. -Unanimously elected Christy House as Vice Chair. Budget Status Report: -Dr. Clarke reported a “relatively strong” General Fund balance of $607,974. Clarke said that in January, appropriations will use actual rather than budgeted numbers and the district will likely see an increase due to a higher actual enrollment than budgeted. Elementary Principal Report: -The lunch ladies transformed the cafeteria into a Candyland and Cocoa with Santa was a success. -El...
Angels and wise men surrounded Mary and Joseph at a living nativity scene, sponsored by the Waitsburg Christian Church, on the the Bruce Museum lawn Sunday evening....
WAITSBURG – With no one, aside from one board director's wife, willing to brave the cold and attend the Dec. 7 Town Hall Association Annual Meeting, the board remains unchanged for 2017, according to board secretary Jim Davison. The 2017 board includes: President Ron Standring, Vice President Jim Romine, Secretary Jim Davison, Treasurer Larry Johnson, and board members Ron Griffen. Karl Newell, and Jim Walsh. Waitsburg's Town Hall is operated on a 100-percent volunteer basis, and is supported s...
WALLA WALLA – Walla Walla County Commissioner Perry Dozier was appointed to serve as interim manager of the Walla Walla Fairgrounds at the commissioner’s regular meeting on Dec. 5. Dozier, who did not run for re-election, will end his term as county commissioner on Dec. 31 and assume fairground duties on Jan. 1. A prepared statement from the Board of Commissioners said it is expected that Dozier will serve as interim manager for approximately three months while the search for a new manager takes place. The position has been vacant since mid...
Local photographer's love of the outdoors is evident in his work WAITSBURG – Having spent more than 50 years working as a professional photographer, Waitsburg native Vance Price is at the point in life where he can focus on doing only what he enjoys most – shooting the great outdoors. "I've never once had a tree complain," said Price, who spent many years working with people, as a portrait and wedding photographer. Many of Price's photos are now lining the walls of the 10 Ton Press building at...
WAITSBURG – One, two, cha-cha-cha... one, two, cha-cha-cha. Chant that phrase to a Preston Hall middle school student and they will probably grin as they showed you just how it's done. Waitsburg middle school students spent mornings last week learning the popular Latin dance, the Cha Cha, as part of a holiday homeroom activity geared toward teaching social skills. This year, middle school students spend the first 20 minutes of each day engaged in a homeroom activity, according to junior high s...
WAITSBURG - Neither sleet nor rain could keep Waitsburg townfolk from enjoying the city's annual Hometown Christmas celebration last weekend. Visitors filled Town Hall to listen to local musicians, enjoy a meal or Christmas cookie, and browse the many tables of wares for sale. About 60 children (and an adult or two) found their way to Santa's lap where they shared their Christmas wish list, got their picture taken, and received a goodie bag, courtesy of the Waitsburg Commercial Club. Children...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Elementary School multipurpose room was hopping before school last Friday, as students and families flocked in to enjoy cocoa, a photo, and a chat with Waitsburg's resident Santa. For the last three years, the Waitsburg lunch ladies have taken it upon themselves to transform the lunchroom into a winter wonderland. "We do this every year with a different theme," said food services manager Susan Wildey. "We usually start preparing and planning a year in advance. We l...
WAITSBURG – For many Christians, pulling the nativity set out of storage and placing it prominently on display signifies the start of the Christmas season. That's one task that Ginny and Joe Just don't have to worry about. Theirs are on display 365 days a year. Over 300 of them, as a matter of fact! The Justs began collecting nativity sets about 16 years ago, and haven't stopped yet, though they say they have gotten significantly more picky over the years. The collection fills a b...
WAITSBURG – For Bill Fether of SteelFeather Auto, located at 615 Preston Ave., Christmas dreams came true a bit early this year. Fether is excited to announce that he has expanded his former one-bay shop to three bays, and he plans to install a lift within the next six months. Fether opened his shop just over a year ago, but said his business was relatively unnoticed until The Times ran a story on him last July. Fether said that once word got out, business started pouring in and hasn't stopped....
Saturday, Dec. 3 Waitsburg Town Hall 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Shop with local vendors 9 -11:30 a.m. Breakfast by Chef Jeff 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lunch by Chef Jeff, Hot Cocoa, Coffee, Cookies 11 a.m. – Noon Cookie exchange 1-2 p.m. Children’s Cookie Decorating 1-2 p.m. Children’s Ornament Decorating 2-4 p.m. Framing Fables Acoustic Concert Waitsburg Elementary School 4 p.m. Turkey Bingo (Doors open at 3 p.m.) Main Street 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Vance Price Art Show - 10 Ton Press, 216 Main Sunday, Dec. 4 Waitsburg Town Hall 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Shop with local ve...
The WHS Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) wrapped up a sock drive last month and delivered 249 pairs of new socks to the Waitsburg Resource Center to be distributed locally. The students decided to become sole warmers when they learned that socks are one of the least donated items to shelters said advisor, Nancy Bickelhaupt. The next project on the FCCLA agenda is selling Waitsburg Cardinal Christmas ornaments....
WAITSBURG – The Greg Blake Trio, featuring Blake, Isaac Callender and Ellie Hakanson, will perform at Dynamite Coffee + Art (119 Main Street) on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project and Rural Youth Enrichment Services. Blake has been nominated twice for traditional vocalist of the year by the SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America), and is a five-time winner of the SPBGMA’s guitarist of the year. He is known as one of the true Appalachian stars of mod...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Christian Church will once again host a living nativity on the grounds of the Bruce Museum on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The nativity is an opportunity for the community to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Participants will provide a "living portrait" of the first Christmas. They will not act out the parts but will remain in a posture of reverence while clothed as those present at Christ's birth. There will be a few animals on the set to give an...
Council members KC Kuykendall, Kevin House, Karen Gregutt, Karl Newell, Kate Hockersmith and Mayor Marty Dunn were all present. -Unanimously opted to forego the one-percent property tax increase allowed by law. The increase would have added approximately $1,500 to the city’s coffers. -Unanimously approved a preliminary 2017 budget in the amount of $3,311,150. There are no major projects planned aside from the Main Street Bridge replacement and sidewalk repairs and additions. -Terry Hofer presented an update on the Fairgrounds RV park o...
