Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 535 - 559 of 1805
WAITSBURG – September 17 marks the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States and Waitsburg resident Susan Donegan wanted to make sure the date was given proper recognition. Donegan is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and approached the Waitsburg City Council about issuing a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week. They gladly obliged. "I am a member of the Walla Walla chapter of DAR, and approached the city council on behalf of our o...
From the editor: Since it's typical for teachers to ask students to share about what they did during their summer vacations, we decided it would be a fun twist to turn the tables and ask district school staff to share their summer adventures with our readers. Several took the time to respond and it sounds like it was a summer filled with milestones, family and fun. Gabe Kiefel (High School Science): My wife, Jessica, and I took our kiddos, Liam and Audrey, to Disneyland for the first time. It wa...
On September 2, the class of 1987 celebrated their 30-year reunion at Laht Neppur Brewery. Classmate Patty Keeney teamed up with Court Ruppenthal to brew two ales for the occasion. The class enjoyed the evening listening to 80's music and catching up. On September 3, the class gathered at Jack and Nancy Otterson's house for a barbecue....
Waitsburg School District staff gathered together Monday and Tuesday to engage in professional development focused on relationships and serving students....
WAITSBURG – Even though Waitsburg's City Council was one member short of a quorum at their Aug. 16 meeting, they opted to go ahead and hear testimony from those in attendance who had come to share their opinions on the reconstruction vs. demolition of the grandstands at the Waitsburg fairgrounds. At least two council members had sent out emails urging anyone who had used the grandstands or had feelings on the issue to attend the meeting. Just under a dozen people were in attendance s...
Aug. 27 Report of an injured person on Preston Ave. transported to Dayton General Hospital. Injury possibly self-inflicted. Aug. 24 DUI investigation on Lewis Peak Rd. Bicycle found abandoned on W. Third and Bruce St. in Waitsburg....
Like most anyone who has lived in the Touchet Valley for any length of time, I was vaguely familiar with Broetje Orchards and the work they do to help others. But when I learned that an upcoming Learning on the Land event called 'The Big Apple' included a tour of the orchards and the story of its founders I was quick to sign up. The opening talk took place at the Vista Hermosa chapel, under a mural of a smiling Jesus, opening his arms to the orchard and community below. Vista Hermosa, located ab...
WAITSBURG – On Sept. 17, pies will once again be judged and auctioned in the third annual Laurette McCaw Pie-oneer Fall Festival Pie Baking Contest during Waitsburg's annual celebration. Bake a pie and help support the pool! This will be the third year for Friends of the Pool to host the successful bake-off contest which raises funds to help support the operations of the city pool. In 2016, funds were used to purchase sun shades and seating. The money earned from last year's bake-off was used t...
WAITSBURG – "Apple Detective" David Benscoter will visit Waitsburg on Sat. Sept. 30 and is looking for some help in learning the location of the Columbian Orchards and Nursery (Babcock Orchard) and the Taggard and Dickinson orchards prior to his visit. The Columbian Orchards grew a variety of apple that Benscoter has been searching for. Hockersmith and Benscoter have pieced together some information on the Columbian Orchard. The owner, Col. E.F. Babcock was born in New York on Jan. 8, 1831 and d...
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...
