Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 390 - 414 of 1805
WAITSBURG – At their regular March meeting, the Waitsburg City Council opened the floor to the public prior to adding an advisory item to the April 3 ballot seeking community input on how to progress with the grandstands at the Waitsburg fairgrounds. "Before we can move onward, we need to move forward," said Mayor Marty Dunn. Dunn explained that the council has been struggling with what to do with the fairgrounds grandstands and gathering information on options for years. He read a letter f...
Attendees: Mayor Marty Dunn, council members KC Kuykendall, Terry Jacoy, Kevin House, Jim Romine, Kate Hockersmith, and student representative Leena Baker. Public Comment: -Commercial Club President Joy Smith presented the 2018 Walla Walla Visitor’s Guide, which includes seven pages of information and advertising on Waitsburg, including a section on Waitsburg Celebration Days. Smith said 35,000 copies are printed and she uses the guide for visitors and business recruitment. Smith said the guide is where the Commercial Club spends the bulk of i...
WALLA WALLA – On Monday, the Walla Walla County Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward an application by Waitsburg-area farmers Perry and Darlene Dozier to amend the county zoning code to allow use of their owned water rights for water bottling. The application will be included in the final list of proposed changes to the county’s development regulations, to be up for approval later this year. Last month, the Walla Walla County Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend denial of the Doziers’ requested zoning change. Two of the commi...
WAITSBURG – At their regular March meeting, the Waitsburg School Board opted to table discussions about the possible sale of several school properties, including the District House located next to Preston Hall. Discussions were set aside due to a strong initial negative response from some community members. Late last year, the District began evaluating the possible sale of two parcels of land on Coppei Avenue, along with the District House. In January, the board voted to have the properties appraised and requested that Maintenance Supervisor Co...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg School Board opened bids for the 2017 Bond Project on March 6 and received a pleasant surprise. The project, which includes work on all three district buildings and a new field house at the athletic field, was awarded to DGR Grant Construction, which came in well under the projected cost. Besides DGR, the district received competitive bids from Wellens Farwell Construction and Total Site Services. Base bids ranged from $2,169,000 from DGR to $2,383,897 from Wellens Farwell. “Traditionally, it is considered a very competiti...
WAITSBURG - Para professional Cathy Schirm and students gave a presentation about the morning enrichment program that began in November. Schirm said that six to eight children attend regularly and enjoy help with reading, homework and are building relationships. Secondary Principal Report (Stephanie Wooderchak): -Conferences at Preston Hall and WHS will be completed this month. -National Honor Society inductions will be held March 21. New inductees are Kirsten Miller, Kailyn Lewis, Cason Nichols and Grace Coulston. Current members have been...
WAITSBURG – Unlike last year, the candidacy filing period for Waitsburg's annual elections closed on time this year, with a full slate of candidates. However, the council will look very much like last year, with the possible exception of mayor. And even that is a re-run, as incumbent Marty Dunn will once again run against former city council member Debra Callahan. The deadline for filing Declarations of Candidacy closed March 10 with all of the city council incumbents bidding to re-up their t...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg FFA and 4-H members, and their parents, spent last week's sunny Saturday taking the first steps in transforming the FFA pig barn and the nearby unused horse stalls into well-functioning pens for pigs, goats and sheep. "We're hoping that by making a space for kids to raise different species, more kids will be interested in joining 4-H and FFA," said Corral Wranglers 4-H leader Lisa Morrow. Morrow and Waitsburg High School FFA Advisor Nicole Abel will serve as the barn superi...
WAITSBURG – At their February regular meeting, the Waitsburg School Board made it official: the new Waitsburg Field House will be named for lifelong Waitsburg resident and WHS star football player Kenneth Marcus Zuger. Several years ago, an anonymous donor made $40,000 available toward building a new much-needed field house at the Waitsburg Athletic Field. The one stipulation was that the building must be named for Kenneth M. Zuger, better known as Kenny. The donor has since passed away, but his...
During Kenny’s funeral, in 1998, former Waitsburg resident Michael Keifel read a poem he wrote: We would not be afraid to see his spirit, whether he should suddenly be standing at the edge of his driveway. Watching a youngster squint through the twilight at the basket for just one more shot before hustling home for dinner. Or appear on the bleachers, a cup of coffee in his yet strong grasp. Slapping his knee with the other hand and laughing at a Cardinal shooting past the defense for the goal. We would be glad to see him once again, shirt o...
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Waitsburg teens Tom and Seamus House, and Tim Daves, got a firsthand taste of the legislative process as they represented Walla Walla County in the 4-H Know Your Government (KYG) program in Olympia on Feb. 17-21. The teens participated in a mock legislative process, but their results are often considered by the "real" Washington State Legislature. Know Your Government is a civic education program that rotates annually between learning about the legislative system, the j...
WAITSBURG – The annual Waitsburg city government election process is underway. The caucus window to file a full slate of candidates opened Feb. 26 and runs through March 8. Individuals can file Declarations of Candidacy from March 1 through March 10. The top five council candidate vote-getters will receive council positions. If there is a full slate of candidates, ballots will go out in the mail on March 17. If not, the filing period will be reopened for two weeks. Completed ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on April 3 at City Hall, or must b...
WAITSURG – While team members change from year to year, the Waitsburg High School Knowledge Bowl has been a familiar presence at the State Knowledge Bowl meet in Arlington, Wash. each year in March. This year's Team 1 took first place at the Southeast Washington Regional Knowledge Bowl Tournament held in Waitsburg on Feb. 21 to once again qualify for the State tournament. This year's Team 1 members include: Kevin Murphy, Chris Philbrook, Leena Baker, Cade Branson, Seamus House and Bradley S...
WAITSBURG – At their Feb. 22 regular meeting, the Waitsburg City Council agreed to look at reinstating the position of Assistant Public Works Director. The council will set up a workshop to hammer out the logistics. Currently, the City has a public works director, Jim Lynch, and two laborers, Jake Adams and John Langford, with no one having authority to supervise when Lynch is away from his duties. “We are finally at a stable working relationship among the public works employees that we could bring this position back and relieve some of the...
Library and Lions Community Building get much-needed makeovers PRESCOTT – In a true joint effort, the Prescott Library has been transformed from a dark, cramped, cavelike space into a light and airy environment ideal for welcoming a crowd. Not only that, but the adjoining Lions Club Community Building got a kitchen facelift and new bathrooms as well. The Walla Walla County Rural Library District Board, the Prescott Lions, and General Contractor Matt Tunell worked together on the massive r...
February 14, 2018 Student Presentation: 4-H robotics Venus Flytrap team members Josh Reser and Phinneas Kerr presented their prize-winning robot and project. Secondary Principal’s Report (Stephanie Wooderchak): -MAP winter testing is completed at Preston Hall and High School. Mrs. Leid started working with sophomores on Smarter Balance Test preparation and Preston Hall is working on SBAC test preparation. -Building collaborations focused on next year’s class schedule. Staff is looking at splitting larger classes and working on a modified block...
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. – When it comes to running, Jess (Jessie) Winnett thinks longer is better. Why run a marathon, when you can run a double marathon? Jess, daughter of Andy and Denise Winnett, ran the Goodwater Trail Race – opting for the double-marathon event – in Georgetown, Tex. on Jan. 27. She finished in 11 hours, 14 minutes and 33 seconds, to take first place among the four women double-marathon runners. She placed second overall among the 14 men and women who opted to run the doubl...
WAITSBURG – At the regular Jan. 17 meeting, Waitsburg City Council members gave City Manager Randy Hinchliffe the go-ahead to explore development of a Park & Ride lot on the north end of town. The Park & Ride would be located on the site of the old county shop, just west of the newly replaced Main Street Bridge. Hinchliffe explained that the city is limited on how that space can be utilized. “After the 1996 flood, FEMA bought various parcels of land throughout the city and gave them to the city with the condition that they remain open so the...
