Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 327 - 351 of 1805
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board has decided to postpone its decision on whether to keep a life-skills class as a graduation requirement until the community has had more time to offer input. Nancy Bickelhaupt, who has taught the Life Management Skills course at Waitsburg High School since its inception, was in attendance at last Thursday’s board meeting. She spoke passionately in favor of keeping the requirement. She noted that the course was made mandatory after it had been offered for only a year, and that the decision had been sup...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Christian Church, located at 6th and Main, sponsored Vacation Bible School for youths ages 4 to 6th grade on August 13-25. This summer's theme was The Moose on the Loose which was attended by a total of 70 children. The Raccoons took first place and along with the help of many community volunteers, were able to collect 480 pounds of goods for the Waitsburg Resource Center. "Pastor Matthew Wyatt and Lash Leroue were the ones who received the pie in the face by the team...
WAITSBURG-After serving for nine years, Waitsburg School Board member Marilyn Johnson has handed in her resignation. While Johnson and new board member Lisa Morrow exchanged a few jokes about Johnson resigning as soon as Morrow was hired, correlation doesn't equal causation in this case, as Johnson had been planning to retire for some time. "I'd like to thank you for your service to the district for the past nine years," said chairman Ross Hamann. "It's been a real pleasure having you on the...
Aug. 16, 2018 WAITSBURG—Present at last week’s meeting of the Waitsburg School Board were board chair Ross Hamann, vice-chair Marilyn Johnson, members Christy House and Russ Knopp, and newly-appointed member Lisa Morrow. The meeting opened with a presentation by the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Department on the possibility of the district hiring a school resource officer – a deputy who would spend most of his or her time in the district’s three classroom buildings. “Just being there for t...
WAITSBURG—Most Waitsburg High School alumni over the past couple of decades were required to take a class called “Life Management Skills” their junior year. The class met in the Home Ec lab, a long room in the middle of the building with a row of kitchen stations against the far wall. Students balanced mock checkbooks, put together hypothetical budgets, learned how to comparison-shop for groceries, and went over the ups and downs of using a credit card. Come test day, they were expected to be experts on everything from car insurance to IRAs,...
WAITSBURG – After two days missing, Kate Hockersmith, of Waitsburg, began to worry about her cat, Finn MacCool. "He's an indoor cat during the day, then he goes out at night," Hockersmith explained. Hardly one to pass up an opportunity for food or affection, Finn made his way to their Seventh Street home eventually. Along with him he dragged a foot-long, steel claw trap which had caught and broken two of his toes. Hockersmith did not see which direction Finn came in from, only that "he came up s...
WAITSBURG – For years, summer in Waitsburg has been an excuse for residents of all ages to pump up their bike tires and two-wheel their way through the streets. But this year, Waitsburg’s youngest cycling enthusiasts are getting a little extra incentive to use pedal power: the Bicycle Rodeo is coming to town. The event, called Bikes on the Road, will be held August 16, from 9 to 11 a.m. It is sponsored by the Walla Walla County Traffic Safety Task Force Bikes on the Road will give kids of all...
WAITSBURG – At the Waitsburg School Board meeting on July 19, 2018, Chairman Ross Hamann, Vice-Chair Marilyn Johnson, and board members Russ Knopp and Christy House were all present. The Facility Supervisor’s report was enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies: Potentially thousands of bats have taken up residence in a disused chimney at the elementary school. While removing the creatures before the end of summer will likely be fatal to many of the juvenile bats, concerns about student safety have led officials from the Department of Fish and...
WAITSBURG -- Council Members KC Kuykendall, Terry Jacoy, Kevin House, Jim Romine, Kate Hockersmith and Mayor Marty Dunn were all present. The maintenance needs of the city’s fire-hydrant system were discussed. While no action was taken, it was noted that the water line would eventually need to be upsized and the hydrants replaced in order to ensure that engines don’t use up water faster than the hydrants can produce it. A payment order for work on the Main Street Bridge was approved una...
WAITSBURG -- "A-W-A-N-A! I'm gonna build my life God's way!" chanted the autotuned voices of children over Waitsburg Christian Church's loudspeakers. On July 17, a small crowd of community members listened in the pews, tapping their toes or following along with the lyrics on a projector screen. If Naomi Long gets her way, that song will blast through the church's sanctuary every Thursday night, and the crowd will be a lot bigger – and a lot younger. Long and her husband, David, are hoping to b...
OLYMPIA – Waitsburg City Councilmember KC Kuykendall breathed a sigh of satisfaction in April when the Washington State Public Works Board approved 12 jurisdictions for approximately $6 million in low-interest pre-construction loans for 2018. This is the first time in five years the board has had state funds to issue loans. Now the City is hopeful that the Taggart Road Project will be among those projects first in line for subsequent approvals. Kuykendall, who serves on the Board of Directors f...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Planning Commission Chair Karen Gregutt reminded City Council members at their June 20 regular council meeting that a full review of the city's comprehensive plan and development regulations is just around the corner. She said the commission is hoping for strong public participation throughout the process. "It's a very extensive effort. We need people to roll up their sleeves and participate in order to have a very proactive, citizen-based and robust advisory committee," G...
WAITSBURG – After 20 years as a member of the Waitsburg School Board, Dr. Randy Pearson has stepped down, leaving a vacant seat which the district is trying to fill. The reason for his resignation? Pretty simple, he says: "I don't reside in the school district anymore, so I can't legally be on the board. Otherwise, I'd probably still be there." "It is bittersweet," he added. "We love Waitsburg, and we have a lot of friends here. I grew up here, and I raised all my kids here, and it's a bitterswe...
WAITSBURG – A vital and active parks & recreation department may or may not become a reality for Waitsburg, but the Waitsburg City Council agreed to give it a go. At their June 20 meeting, the council voted unanimously to request that Walla Walla County reactivate the Waitsburg Parks & Recreation District. Approval was granted in order to give interested parties the time necessary to gather information on revitalizing the department and to submit it to the county in order to run a levy on the November ballot. “Whether parks and rec is the sil...
WAITSBURG – For Russ Knopp, "retirement" may have meant stepping away from his official duties, but it hasn't slowed down his passion for helping kids. On June 14, the former Waitsburg Elementary School principal, Preston Hall teacher and current school board member was awarded the Southeastern Washington Association of School Administrators Community Leadership Award at the 2018 SEWASA Annual Honorary Banquet held at the Meadow Springs County Club in Richland. Knopp was one of 13 individuals a...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg City Council moved forward with the annual state-mandated adoption of the city's six-year transportation plan at their July 20 regular meeting. No public comment was received in the public hearing preceding the plan adoption, and no new projects have been added to the plan. Two items – widening of East 7th Street, and Park and Ride Development – were removed from the plan, which now lists seven projects: City-wide street maintenance – projects will continue to be ongo...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Commercial Club and the Waitsburg Town Hall board of directors will host a candidates’ forum on Wednesday, June 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Town Hall. Candidates for Walla Walla County Sheriff and for two state representative positions from Legislative District 16 are expected to be in attendance. Walla Walla County Sheriff Candidates include former sheriff’s deputy Tom Cooper, current Undersheriff Mark Crider and Matthew Stroe, director of security at Whitman College. State representative Position 1 candidates are Repub...
WAITSBURG – On June 5, the Waitsburg Lions Club wrapped up their season with a Lady's Night dinner, award ceremony and induction of new officers. Following a thank-you dinner for the ladies for their behind-the-scenes help and support, Jesse Smit was named 2017 Lion of the Year, and Dan McKinley received the club's Melvin Jones Award. Outgoing President Randy Farley announced Smit's award. Smit has been a Waitsburg club member for only three years, but has shown great commitment. He is an a...
BRANDON BOUDRIEAU DAVE NICHOLAS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP $500 WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY $3,200 BRANDON WILL ATTEND WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. CADE BRANSON DAVE NICHOLAS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP $500 CADE WILL ATTEND THE NORTHWEST RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTITUTE IN VACOUVER, WASH. THOMAS HOUSE DAVE NICHOLAS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP $500 THE MCGREGOR COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP $500 TOM WILL ATTEND WALLA WALLA COMMUNITY COLLEGE. TAYLER JONES ALDER FAMILY DENTAL SCHOLARSHIP $500 WAITSBURG AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY SCHOLARSHIP $500 WAITSBURG EDUCATION ASSOCIATION...
WAITSBURG – Rainy weather didn't put a damper on Waitsburg's 64th-Annual Waitsburg Livestock Show and Fair on June 9. A longstanding Waitsburg tradition, the event was well-attended by competitors and spectators alike. It was once known as the Waitsburg Livestock Show, and open only to 4-H and FFA members. However, the name was changed a few years ago to be more inclusive, and now welcomes open class entries. Walla Walla County youth and adults of all ages compete in a variety of animal c...
Showmanship 4-H goats: Bethany Bennett Champion Kate Kuykendall Reserve Champion 4-H beef: Amy Farley Champion Griffin Hinchliffe Reserve Champion 4-H hogs: Jasper Morrow Champion Hagen Taylor Reserve Champion FFA beef: Drew Farley Champion FFA hogs: Devin Harshman Champion Tom House Reserve Champion Round Robin Overall Showman Grand Champion 4-H : Amy Farley Reserve Grand Champion 4-H: Bethany Bennett Grand Champion FFA: Devon Harshman Reserve Grand Champion FFA: Drew Farley Market 4-H goats: Kate Kuykendall Champion Kate Kuykendall Reserve...
