Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 959 - 983 of 1805
Dog walkers crossed Waitsburg's Main Street under a stormy sky on Tuesday afternoon....
Preston Hall Student Spotlight Students of the Month for February were (l to r): Violet Beckman, 6th grade; Riley Hubbard, 7th grade; McKellyn Bradham, 8th grade....
WAITSBURG – School Board Chair Ross Hamann urged fellow board members to keep discussions on the recently failed capital projects bond a priority at last week's board meeting. Topping his concerns is the potential loss of funds donated to help replace the district field house – one of the items included in the failed bond levy. In a prior interview with The Times, Hamann explained that, in 2011, an anonymous donor gave $40,000, administered through the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, to the...
WSU's Global Services Director, Cheryl Hansen, reflects on her journey from Waitsburg to the world The following is adapted from a speech recently given by former Waitsburg resident Cheryl Hansen, who is the Director of Global Services at Washington State University. Cheryl, daughter of Geraine and the late Jim Hansen, addressed college students at a recent professional sharing night, describing how she, a small-town girl from eastern Washington became interested in the world and ended up...
Waitsburg first graders posed with teacher Dinah Lindsey and parapro Carol White during Wacky Wednesday at Waitsburg Elementary School last week. Students went from classroom to classroom, listening to Dr. Suess stories and participating in different activities in each room, in honor of Dr. Suess. The pledge below was read by Supt. Carol Clarke during an end of the day assembly. The Readers’ Pledge I promise to read Each day and each night. I know it’s the key To growing up right. I’ll read...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Mayor Walt Gobel was quick to let the public take over discussions about the Waitsburg Fairgounds at a March 3 public forum on the topic. After saying how "awesome" it was to see the more than 30 community members in attendance, Gobel said the first step in promoting use of the city's fairgrounds – even before beginning discussions – would be to form a Fairgrounds Advisory Committee. Waitsburg Commercial Club President Joy Smith said she would be willing to serve as tempo...
WAITSBURG – Filings to run for City Council opened Monday and several new contenders wasted no time tossing their hats into the ring. Current council member Debra Callahan is running for mayor while Karen Stanton-Gregutt and Kate Hockersmith will compete for first-time seats on the council. Mayor Walt Gobel has only been opposed once during his tenure as mayor. The Truth & Trust slate of candidates, then made up of Mayor Walt Gobel and council members Kevin House, Orville Branson, Marty Dunn, K...
Waitsburg's FFA team took fifth place, competing against 15 teams, in a Metal Art competition at Columbia Basin College last week. FFA Advisor Nicole Abel said this was Waitsburg's first time competing in the event. This year's competiton was done "Junkyard Wars style" with teams grabbing materials from a pile of scrap metal. Waitsburg team members chose an old bike frame and a piece of sheet metal as their construction materials. They had from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m to design and complete their art...
WAITSBURG – WHS seniors Megan Morrison and Stuart Walsh were honored at a Boys and Girls State Honor Night at Town Hall on Mon., March 7. The event was hosted by the Waitsburg American Legion Post #35 and the Legion Auxiliary, which sponsor Waitsburg and Prescott students each year. Megan Morrison attended the 2015 American Legion Auxiliary Evergreen Girls State at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. last June. Morrison said she was initially unsure about applying to attend b...
WAITSBURG – One of the reasons the Waitsburg Resource Center doesn't refer to itself as a food bank is because its mission is to serve the community in as many ways as possible; not just by providing food, according to resource center treasurer Bret Moser. Most recently, the center added "emergency preparedness" to its resume of helpful endeavors. Last week the WRC received a shipment of 60 emergency blankets that will be stored by Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. The blankets, which a...
WAITSBURG - A Waitsburg man entered not guilty pleas to charges of burglary, theft, and malicious mischief in Columbia County Superior Court last week. Lonnie Marick, 39, was arrested on Feb. 24, when a Columbia County search warrant resulted in the discovery of multiple stolen items at his residence. According to police reports, a warrant was requested following a burglary at commercial buildings located on Highway 12 in Columbia County. Walla Walla and Columbia County Sheriff's office...
WALLA WALLA – Fort Walla Walla Museum is featuring a special exhibit, "Walla Walla and the World Wars," now through Sept. 5. The exhibit features more than 400 artifacts and 100 images. The majority of the photos were taken by Tech. Sgt. William "Bill Mach, a photographer stationed at the Walla Walla Army Air Base during World War II, and depict life at the base. Some of the most striking images from this collection include a soldier on a motorcycle with a dog wearing a Military Police a...
Waitsburg Elementary School students got their hearts pumping in the WHS gymnasium last week during the school's annual Hoops and Jump for Heart American Heart Association fundraiser. Kindergarten through second graders jumped rope and hula hooped while the older students shot baskets. According to event coordinator Dinah Lindsey, the kids raised $2,311....
WAITSBURG – After voting in January to partner with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in their "Feel Free to Hunt" program in the city's watershed, Waitsburg's city council decided to take a closer look at the contract. At their Feb. 17 meeting, the council agreed to invite WDFW representatives back in March to clarify some questions that had arisen since the initial discussion. The watershed consists of about 800 acres along the north fork of Coppei Creek that has historically b...
WAITSBURG – The public is invited to attend a public meeting at the Lions Club building at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds on Thurs., March 10 at 7 p.m. Eric Zitterkopf from Anderson Perry & Associates will be available to discuss bridge rail design options for the Main Street Bridge replacement. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe reminds citizens that election caucuses are open until March 10. Declarations of Candidacy to run for mayor or city council will be available at City Hall from March 7 through March 18....
Wait-Hi students wrapped up National FFA Week by celebrating at the annual Harvest Ball on Saturday night. The FFA-sponsored Harvest Ball is a Sadie Hawkins-style event where girls ask boys and couples attend in matching T-shirts. FFA members celebrated all week with dress-up (or dress down) days and performed in an "Ag Olympics" competition during a pep assembly on Thursday....
Board members: Karen Tonne, Sara Fletcher, Leann Griffin, Eva Madrigal, Erik Young -Josh Neilsen made a presentation on the Apptegy app and platform to allow for better communication between the district and community. The board authorized Superintendent Cox to pursue pricing negotiations for the program. (See story, Page 7) -No athletes turned out for track but “lots” are signed up for Jr. High softball. Travis Crockett, Jose Gonzalez and Fernando Lopez were recognized as All-League players which, as Chairman Karen Tonne noted, was a fir...
WAITSBURG – "Stick your finger right in that chamber there. Go ahead!" said Columbia County Health System Respiratory Therapist Tom Anderson to a student holding a human heart. Anderson, who is celebrating his one-year anniversary with CCHS, held Waitsburg fourth and fifth graders spellbound during a visit to their classrooms last week. And why wouldn't he? It's not every day that a visitor shows up with an actual heart and lung that students can touch and feel. Anderson looked like he was h...
PRESCOTT – Getting school notices home to parents – and then making sure they read them – is a challenge for most school districts. For Prescott Schools, the struggle is magnified because a large percentage of parents speak only Spanish. At the district's Feb. 25 school board meeting, the board previewed an app that claims to improve communications with parents, students, and the community-at-large. The mission of Apptegy, the app under consideration, is to "help schools build better conne...
PRESCOTT – At their Feb. 25 school board meeting, the Prescott School Board approved the purchase of 90 Chromebook computers to improve teaching efficiency. The computers come with a $35,000 price tag, but will be paid for through a federal grant that must be used or forfeited. Prescott Superintendent Brett Cox told the board that a staff survey indicated that teachers are eager to improve what they can do, from a technology standpoint, in the classroom. He said the staff voted to pursue the u...
Waitsburg Elementary School fifth grade students celebrated their graduation from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program last week. Deputy Ian Edwards runs the local D.A.R.E. program and has been visiting the classroom weekly since about mid-October....
WAITSBURG – What is happening – or not happening – at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds has been a hot topic around town in recent months. Concerned citizens have the opportunity to become part of the solution by attending a public fairgrounds revitalization meeting on Thursday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Building at the fairgrounds. At the Jan. 6 community forum for the previously-proposed Waitsburg Raceway, Mayor Walt Gobel, along with fellow city council members, expressed frust...
WAITSBURG – Because Waitsburg is governed under its original charter, the city must elect, or re-elect, its city council and mayor each year. Deadlines for this year’s elections are quickly approaching and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said there seems to be a renewed interest among citizens in running for public office this year. At the February 17 city council meeting, Hinchliffe informed the current council that the upcoming ballot slate will be set before the next council meeting. The...
WAITSBURG - Elizabeth Gonzalez says they can't recall the specific spark, but something caught her daughter, Andrea's, attention last fall, and Andrea has been obsessed with running a food drive ever since. The just-turned-eleven year old took advantage of her February 21 birthday to do just that. The Gonzalez family hosted a Star Wars party at the Plaza Theater, then went next door to Gleason's Galley for hot dogs, ice cream, cupcakes, and arcade games. Fred Gonzalez owns Silver Star...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's Laht Neppur Brewing Company walked away with the People's Choice "Best Cure for Cabin Fever" award for the third year in a row at the Palouse Cabin Fever Brew Fest at the Palouse Community Center on Sat., Feb. 13. Laht Neppur won top honors with their Hot Chocolate Strawberry Porter and earned second place with their Bluewood Barley Wine. Third place went to Paradise Creek Brewery's Berliner Bar. Paradise's Invective Stout tied with Black Label Brewing Company's Piper's P...
