Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 821 - 845 of 1805
WAITSBURG - The first item under "new business" on the Waitsburg City Council Agenda last week was how to fill the vacant council position left following the resignation of Mayor Walt Gobel earlier this month. A lack of clarity in the city's charter, which dictates such decisions, left the council trying to determine the best way to move forward. After council discussion and public comment, it was decided that Mayor Pro-tem Marty Dunn will fulfill the rest of Gobel's term as mayor, and...
WAITSBURG – The people, small town lifestyle, and natural resources were listed repeatedly as community treasures by Waitsburg and area residents at a Community Conversations meeting hosted by the Community Council at Waitsburg Town Hall last week. The responses were gleaned through a brainstorming workshop designed to pinpoint what area residents value and care about and to identify regional needs. The Community Council facilitates the citizen-driven, interactive workshops throughout the B...
FFA Officers traveled to Spokane, then camped overnight on Wolf Fork Creek while engaging in team-building activities and planning for the coming FFA year....
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg coach and physical education teacher Jeff Bartlow described his recent resignation as "the end of an era," after investing 17 years of his career in Waitsburg. Bartlow recently accepted a position as a counselor at Pioneer Middle School – the same position he held before coming to Waitsburg in 1999, where he was WHS head football coach for 16 years. Bartlow said he had been considering a career change for some time, but that the job opening at Pi Hi came at the last min...
Board members: Christy House, Marilyn Johnson, and Randy Pearson were present with Ross Hamann and Russ Knopp absent. Elementary Principal’s Report: -Kindercamp began on Thursday, Aug. 11 and will meet each Thursday for the remainder of the month. There are currently 25 children registered for Kindergarten. -The Home and School Association will host coffee from 8:30-9:30 on Sept. 6, the first day of school. They will repeat it on Thurs., Sept. 8 for the Kindergarten parents. -Parents will be enc...
WAITSBURG – German bicyclist Ralph Lang said he was surprised to find himself becoming "a bit emotional" as he arrived in Waitsburg last week. Ralph, 46, said he has incredibly warm memories of traveling through Waitsburg with a college pal on a cross country bike trip 25 years ago. That experience was so positive that he wanted to share it with his wife, Imke. On August 1, the couple began a two-year, around-the-world journey together. The self-described "passionate cyclists" have completed m...
Team building activities help members work together better WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Chapter FFA officers spent last weekend at an officer's retreat where they set chapter goals, planned the upcoming year, and practiced working together as a team. On Sat., Aug. 13, officers Emily Adams (president), Devin Newman (vice president), Laramie Mathews (sentinel), Tom House (treasurer), Devon Harshman (reporter), and Sydney Fowble (secretary) traveled to Spokane with FFA advisor Nicole Abel. Abel organized...
Model horse enthusiasts from across the Pacific Northwest gathered at Waitsburg Town Hall last weekend for the Sweet Onion Live model horse show hosted by the North American Model Horse Shows Assoc.iation This is the second year the event has been held in Waitsburg....
Families visited informational booths, watched demonstrations, toured emergency vehicles, ate free food and ice cream, and enjoyed a free night swim at Waitsburg's National Night out at Preston Park on Aug. 2....
WAITSBURG – It was a full house at Waitsburg Town Hall on Aug. 2, as citizens of Waitsburg and surrounding areas made their voices heard at a special city council meeting for the purpose of discussing the possibility of Nestle' Waters North America building a water bottling plant in Waitsburg. Mayor Pro Tem Marty Dunn said the meeting would last just one hour and set a two-minute speaking limit as he warned the crowd against name calling and asked for "polite and interested people" to share t...
WAITSBURG – Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner presented his quarterly sheriff's office update at Waitsburg's July 21 city council meeting. Turner took advantage of the full house – most were in attendance to learn more about Nestle's interest in potentially building a bottling facility in Waitsburg – to address what he says is a strong need for a dedicated county drug and task force. In his update, Turner said he was pleased that the sheriff's office has received 219 calls from Waits...
Editor’s Note: In light of recent interest in Waitsburg’s water situation, we thought our readers would appreciate this column written by Vance Orchard in Touchet Valley Ramblings, which first appeared on Feb. 15, 1990. We are reprinting the portion of that pertains to the city’s springwater system. Getting water to residents of Waitsburg is the chief concern of Elmer Hays as the City Engineer. Water supply for Waitsburg has also captured the attention of Hays, who has researched the system supplying the city possibly more than anyone else....
The Waitsburg Clinic staff was formally presented with a plaque for being the 2016 Waitsburg Commercial Club Business of the Year on Tuesday....
WAITSBURG – Walt Gobel officially tendered his letter of resignation as mayor of Waitsburg on Tuesday afternoon. Gobel, who was easily re-elected to his sixth term in April, said he was stepping down because he felt his reputation has been irreparably damaged over his role in negations with Nestlé Waters North America. "When our voters and taxpayers put me in office it was an indication that they respected and trusted me to make decisions for the good of the community. I honestly feel that my re...
WAITSBURG – No one from the community spoke at the school district’s sparsely attended July 27 budget hearing, leaving it to the board to approve and adopt a $4.2 million budget for the 2016-17 school year. At the same meeting the board authorized the district to run a revised capital improvements bond levy of $3.8 million on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Next year’s budget was based on a projected enrollment of 270 students in grades K-12. This is down from the 2015-16 projected enrol...
WAITSBURG – "I understand that when an announcement is made that Nestle' is evaluating business opportunities in a community, it raises a lot of emotions. Water is an emotional topic," said Nestle' Waters Natural Resource Manager Bruce Lauerman as he opened his presentation at the city's July 20 city council meeting. In the case of Waitsburg, that may be an understatement. Even harvesting farmers left their fields early to join the nearly 100 people who filled the chairs, lined the walls, and f...
WAITSBURG – You won't find to-go cups at Dynamite Art + Coffee, and that's not simply out of concern for the environment, though it is a factor. Proprietor Claire Johnston opened the coffee shop, located at 119 Main St. in Waitsburg, with the intent of creating an environment where customers can escape the hustle and bustle of modern society and take a few minutes to just relax and enjoy. "We have this beautiful space and I want people to come in, relax, enjoy the lovely environment, drink f...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg’s city council approved an action plan endorsed by the Waitsburg Fairgrounds Committee, that will allow Terry Hofer to manage RV parking and camping at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The plan was approved at the July 20 meeting pending the approval of a more detailed lease agreement. In his introduction, Hofer said he has lived in the area his entire life, owned the Palm Club Tavern for several years, managed the American Legion for several years, was actively involved in the...
WAITSBURG – Nestlé Natural Resources Manager Bruce Lauerman will discuss the company’s exploration of Waitsburg as a potential new site for a water bottling facility at Wednesday’s city council meeting. In a statement released Tuesday, Nestle said the facility, which would support the Arrowhead Spring Water and Nestlé Pure Life brands, would provide an estimated 50 jobs at full build-out. Nestlé estimates their projected water use at 150 million gallons annually, which they say “is a small fract...
School board responds to survey results by dropping capital improvements bond by $1 million WAITSBURG - A $4.8 million Waitsburg School District capital improvements bond fell a mere 13 votes shy of reaching the required 60-percent supermajority vote needed for passage in February. The Waitsburg School Board returned to the drawing board, sought additional community input, and will drop two projects – at a reduction of $1 million – and re-run the bond in November. At June’s regular meeti...
WAITSBURG – Lane Hill debuted her newly remodeled 10 Ton Press studio, located on Waitsburg's Main Street, to a full house while hosting an ArtWalla Creative Network event on July 13. Artists from across the Touchet Valley showed up to see firsthand what is happening in the new space and to learn more about the burgeoning art scene in Waitsburg. In his introduction, ArtWalla board member Ted Cox referred to Waitsburg as "Artsburg" because of the number of artists living and working in the c...
Board members: Ross Hamann, Christy House, Russ Knopp, and Randy Pearson were present with Marilyn Johnson absent. Elementary Principal’s Report: *A small group of students have been visiting the library on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to check out books and listen to stories with Eleanora Montgomery. Montgomery is supervising several students using an online reading program called Read Naturally, that was purchased with grant funds. Secondary Principal’s Report: *The district has started interviewing for the 6th grade teaching position, vac...
Clarence Stearns sits beside a box of newly delivered Hermiston melons at his produce stand off of Harmon Avenue in Waitsburg. The family has been selling produce from in front of their Preston Avenue home for several years. Over the last couple of years, they built a commercial kitchen, smoker, and cooling room behind the house and have expanded the business to include smoked meats and cheeses and wild and domestic animal processing. See story on Page 7....
WAITSBURG – Nestlé Natural Resources Manager Bruce Lauerman will discuss the company's exploration of Waitsburg as a potential new site for a water bottling facility at Wednesday's city council meeting. In a statement released Tuesday, Nestle said the facility, which would support the Arrowhead Spring Water and Nestlé Pure Life brands, would provide an estimated 50 jobs at full build-out. Nestlé estimates their projected water use at 150 million gallons annually, which they say "is a small frac...
WALLA WALLA – Six candidates are in the race seeking election for the Walla Walla County Commissioner District 2 seat, currently held by Perry Dozier (R) of Waitsburg. Dozier is serving his second four-year term in office, which expires Dec. 31, and is not seeking re-election. District 2 covers the east side of the county and includes the cities of Dixie, Waitsburg, and Prescott. Republican candidates seeking Dozier’s position are Don Gibbard, Melissa Hansen, Todd Kimball and Jacob Radke. Mic...
