The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Ten Years Ago

September 24, 2009

Sixth Grader honored for award-winning essay. Emma Philbrook, beams as her mother Cindy looks on. Phillbrook penned an essay that bested competitors in eight Western states. Photo by Norma Bessey

Almost one-third of W.H.S. has flu. Listen up, class. Today’s lesson is about acronyms and the first example (cough) is ILI, which stands for “Influenza-Like Indicators.” For example, as of last Tuesday, 31% of the students attending Waitsburg High School were absent from school and were self-reporting ILI.

A four-week project to replace inadequately sized water lines along West Fourth Street should be getting underway sometime next week. The Waitsburg City Council, at its Sept. 16 meeting, gave Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf the option to approve a winning bid without the need for a special council meeting - if bids received are in order, indicate there was “good” competition and pricing was reasonable.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 15, 1994

A black bear that may have been ill was shot by two hunters on property just outside the Waitsburg city limits on Saturday, Sept. 10. Lynn Mings, 47, and Ethan Carpenter, 16, both of Waitsburg each shot the bear at least once with their 7mm Magnum rifles, they reported.

Dr. Jonah Freedman, who has been the physician at The Waitsburg Clinic for less than a year, is leaving the practice of medicine to take, what he called “a prolonged break from providing medical care, after 25 years of active practice.”

Joe Sr. and Winnifred McCown of Waitsburg have been named “Pioneers of the Year” for 1994 by the Waitsburg Historical Society. They were to be honored in person at the Fall Festival this Sunday, Sept. 18. However, the best laid plans often go astray when health problems arise.

[photo caption] Samantha Richter, 6, of Dayton, gets stuck in mud during mud races at the Columbia County Fair last week. The races for children were a new event at the fair this year.

Fifty Years Ago

September 18, 1969

Jack and Nancy Otterson will open the Plaza Theatre this weekend for the fall season. Shows will be held Friday and Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. The first show scheduled for September 12-13, will feature a family fishing story filmed off the coast of Africa entitled “Wild Season.”

[photo caption] Scott Cresswell of the Cardinals had a fine evening against the Zillah Leopards with a total offensive yardage of 195 and a pair of touchdowns. Scott is a senior.

If you ended up last Thursday afternoon (about 1:45 p.m.) jumping halfway out of your skin when three jets held a fly-by, relax. It was nearly all local talent. Madison Jones and Bob Collins, former Waitsburg residents, were taking part in a flying exercise for the Washington Air National Guard. They flew down from Spokane, paid their salute to Waitsburg, and then zipped to the Yakima firing range where they got a little exercise in the use of weapons. We planned to get a picture, but they went over kinda fast.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

September 22, 1944

Miss Colleen Collins has been pledged to Delta Delta Delta social sorority at Washington State College and Miss Phyllis Anderson has been pledged to Kappa Delta.

City councilmen ordered several bicycle racks at their meeting Wednesday night so that there will be a systematic parking of such vehicles on the downtown streets.

Mrs. Henry Roberts PTA president announced committees for the coming year. A report was made that hot lunches are being served to 120 per day and that the new refrigerator had arrived for the hot lunch room.

One Hundred Years Ago

September 26, 1919

Struck by the 6:20 O-WR&N train as their auto attempted to cross the track at the McCaw crossing Wednesday W. D. Wallace was instantly killed and Millard H. Keiser died a few minutes later from his injuries.

R. W. Leid well-known farmer and who owns a fine ranch on Coppei Mountain completed Tuesday the threshing of 80 acres of fall wheat and 150 acres of barley. His wheat - Jenkins Club - a sheaf of which was sent to this office is exceptionally fine this year and with hardly a trace of smut. He reports that from sack measurement the yield averaged 52 bushels per acre which is by far the heaviest yield reported in this season.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 21, 1894

J. H. Mitchell sold a quantity of wheat hay at six dollars per ton delivered at Waitsburg recently.

Those parties who have been amusing themselves by shooting J. D. Laidlaw’s ducks are warned to “let up” at once or take the consequences. A word to the wise is sufficient.

J. F. Eaton has resigned his post as president of Whitman College and Rev. S. B. L. Penrose has been elected to that position.

Mrs. Clara Keiser contemplates visiting the Interstate Fair at Tacoma during the first of October.