Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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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...
Waitsburg's summer reading program wrapped up with stories, prizes, and a pizza party in the Weller Public Library on Monday....
July 31 Simple assault on Lyons Ferry and Pickard roads. Reporting party was heading to Columbia County and was contacted by CCSO for statement and pictures. July 29 Vehicle prowl on E. Seventh St. Two victim’s vehicles were entered. One victim reported various items were stolen from their vehicle. July 21 Received a call reporting a lost wallet on Coppei Ave....
Forty-four people participated in Sunday's Race For Grace 5K sponsored by the Waitsburg Christian Church to raise funds for a May 2018 service trip to help Embracing Orphans in Jamaica. Two participants were "virtual racers;" Carol Clarke and Diane Fortune participated from Cuidad de Saber in Panama. Participants ranged in age from 7 to 78 and raised approximately $500 toward the trip. The event was coordinated by Sandra Farley, and many volunteers manned the route and helped set up road...
WAITSBURG – The replacement of Waitsburg's Main Street Bridge hit another glitch this month, but the Port of Walla Walla stepped in to meet the resulting financial shortfall, for the second time. At the July 19 city council meeting, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe gave a bridge update and informed council members that the contractors had run into an issue the day prior. Hinchliffe said there have been at least four bridges that existed prior to the recently demolished bridge. While digging to r...
WAITSBURG – At their July 19 regular meeting, the Waitsburg city council unanimously approved the city’s updated 6-year transportation plan. The plan must be updated annually, and includes a list of transportation projects that could reasonably be accomplished over a six year period, though most sit on the list longer than that, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. The only change between this year and last is the addition of an item to consider widening the south end of east 7th Str...
WAITSBURG – After investing more than a year and spending thousands of dollars for engineering reports, drawings, and structural assessments to determine if renovating the Waitsburg fairgrounds grandstands is feasible, the outlook is bleak. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe reported to council members that two engineers and a risk control representative have examined the grandstands and all three agree that the building is unsafe and that demolition may be the best option. Engineer John Raby was h...
July 10: Reporting party listed an item on Craigslist, received a check for the item, and cashed the check. The bank later advised that the check was not good and requested the money back. July 12: Report of burglary at Waitsburg Mini Storage (765 Preston Ave.)...
WAITSBURG – When Jason Kaehler hit on an idea he felt would teach his daughters responsibility, help the community, and bring in some extra money all at the same time, he knew he'd found a winner. Kaehler and Daughters Mobile Oil Change opened for business last week and is welcoming new customers. Kaehler said he decided to start a business because he felt it was important to do something with his daughters that would teach them responsibility and life skills. Madison, age 10, and Peyton, age 6...
WAITSBURG – In a workshop prior to their regular July 12 meeting, the Waitsburg School Board, along with other administrators, staff, and community members, met with architects to go over preliminary plans for a new field house at the WHS football field. The work session included a review of preliminary design elements, as well as discussion on the placement of the new facility at the complex, according to Board Chairman Ross Hamann. “We spent several hours in the work session and reviewed multiple potential elements that will go into the des...
WAITSBURG – They drifted in slowly, in singles and pairs, but by the end of the night it was ten guys and a gal performing at Friday night's Mythical Movable Bluegrass Jam held at Suze Wood's Open Studio in Waitsburg. Another half-dozen folks, from a toddler to retirees, provided the audience, nodding and singing along with the tunes. "Jams are the epitome of live music. If you're not there at that moment, you'll never hear the same thing again. It's always different people playing different son...
WAITSBURG – Contractors wasted no time getting down to business on the demolition of Waitsburg's Main Street Bridge. The bridge was closed, as scheduled, on July 5. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife workers performed in-stream work while contractor, Harry Johnson Excavation and Plumbing began tearing up the Bolles Road side of the bridge access. WDFW workers placed nets across the Touchet River, both upstream and downstream from the bridge. They then used electrofishing equipment to c...
WAITSBURG – The July 6 Waitsburg Tree Committee meeting was short and sweet. Committee chair Kevin House, andmembers Ethan Carpenter and Kate Hockersmith briefly discussed current and upcoming tree-related projects and agreed to meet again in October. The committee was pleased to receive confirmation from Hockersmith that the Rural Youth Enrichment Services nonprofit organization voted "yes" to adding the Urban Forestry Project to their umbrella of enriching youth activities. Currently, RYES is...
Who hasn't at least wondered what it would be like to be a rock musician? Each year since 2009, 50 Walla Walla area teens get to find out firsthand what it's like to prepare and produce a Rock 'n' Roll concert by attending Walla Walla Rock Camp. The week-long intensive music experience is a joint venture of the Walla Walla Symphony, Walla Walla Public Schools, and the Walla Walla Blues Society, and is directed by Waitsburg's own Roger Garcia. The camp concludes with a free public concert on...
Waitsburg patriots, were greeted by a red-white-and blue clad crowd as they celebrated the 4th of July with the town's traditional Patriot's Parade. The procession was followed by a short gathering at the hardware store and a community potluck at Preston Park. Leading the parade were veterans....
It wasn't quite the 4th of July, but June 27 was a true Independence Day for the brood of birds that began their life just outside the door of The Times. Mama Bird made her nest in the light fixture above our front door, just as she had the year before. But this year tragedy struck. Teeny (McMunn) came to work on June 22 to find the nest had fallen behind the newspaper box. She texted me, saying the birds were still alive but "I'm sure I should call Hospice." Two birds were still inside the grou...
In the summer months, there tends to be less 'hard' news and sports, which leaves room for columns and features, which I think are a lot more fun. In May, The Times received a head's up from 1964 Prescott High School grad, Phil Stevens, that former Waitsburg general store owner, Edward L. Powell, was the subject of a "Then and Now" feature in the Spokesman Review. I marked the email to take a look at later. When I finally got around to researching the story last week I was fascinated, not just...
Over 100 people attended Waitsburg's first Free Family Swim Day on Saturday. Free swimming and lunch were provided by the Waitsburg Resource Center. The Friends of the Waitsburg Pool will sponsor a Free Family Swim Day on July 22 and the Waitsburg Lions will sponsor another on August 19....
