The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Ten Years Ago

February 3, 2011

The Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office requests local residents’ assistance in locating Adam Hermanns, whom they call “a potential witness” to last Tuesday night’s fire at his parents’ residence on West 2nd Street.

A group of about a dozen businesses based in Waitsburg and Dayton are creating a new organization to help promote tourism in the Touchet Valley.

Diane Dill and her son Alex didn’t lose everything Saturday. Their horses were outside when the fire in the barn on Bolles Road started just before noon, and two of their four goats were saved by Brian Seagraves, who runs the cabinet shop next door.

Sometime in the last ten days, an unknown suspect broke the lock on a storage unit on Preston Avenue in Waitsburg and stole several items, including a red floor jack, a rigid snake sewer drain, Snap-On tools and toolbox, miscellaneous tool bag, air hose and tools, and a McCulloch leaf blower, for a total of $1,400. No other units were tampered with.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

February 8, 1996

About 15 families fled their homes in Waitsburg Wednesday as the Touchet River, just east of town, overflowed its banks spilling water along the south side of Preston Avenue. Coppei Creek, like the Touchet, also was swelling due to rain and the rapid thaw of ice and snow. State highway officials closed Highway 12 at Lewis & Clark Park because water was over the highway.

Steve Chestnut, Dayton school superintendent, didn’t like the word “secret” used in a Times story last week about football coach David Spray’s resignation. The story said the school board “met in secret for 20 minutes” to consider the resignation. Chestnut said the word gave the impression the meeting was secret, while in truth, it was a closed meeting conducted under state law. The board announced in public its decision to accept the resignation.

St. Mary’s Medical Center officials say construction will begin this month on a 12-station kidney dialysis center. The center should be open by mid-May.

Fifty Years Ago

February 18, 1971

Reports from the Boy Scout-Campfire drive indicate that over $500 has been collected as a result of the Commercial Club fund drive.

The election of mayor, five councilmen, and treasurer for the City of Waitsburg has been set for April 5. The governing body of the city is a one-year term. Presently the group is composed of Roy Leid, mayor; Joseph Bodman, Joe Abbey, Gil Sharpe, King Witt, and Don Hinchliffe, councilmen; Mrs. Julia Davis, treasurer.

A carnival queen will be chosen Friday, Feb 26 at the Prescott PTA carnival from the following princesses representing the freshman; Helen Garrigan; sophomore, Phyllis Leonard; junior, Cally Curtis; and senior, Kathy Hiatt.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

February 22, 1946

Jack Sweazy finished seeding his spring wheat on Tuesday, Feb. 19, and he threatened never to patronize this office again if the story wasn’t printed.

Samuel W. Southard Post No. 35 will open their new Legion Club this Saturday with Mr. and Mrs. John Romine of Walla Walla as managers.

J. W. Carson took two agriculture students to Lewiston Tuesday, where they attended a Hereford show with some of the best showmen in the Northwest attending.

One Hundred Years Ago

March 4, 1921

The first squad of four gunners to face the trapper in Sunday’s Spokesman Review match shot the local club to victory, 99 out of 100 targets. J. W. Clodius, Frank Zuger, and R. R. Rinehart had perfect scores and C. J. Schiltz dropped the lone target.

A dancing party was given by Mr. and Mrs. M. Zuger at their home Tuesday evening in honor of Mrs. Lettie Roberts and Mr. Harvey Humphreys, whose marriage occurred the day following. Refreshments were served during the evening.

The Preston-Shaffer Milling Co. of this city and Athena, Ore. is just putting on the market a new biscuit flour, which they believe is the best flour for biscuits and cake purposes they have ever seen. It is called White Lily.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

February 28, 1896

An ineffectual attempt was made to wreck the local OR & N. train running between Starbuck and Pomeroy Tuesday, and only the vigilance of the engineer saved perhaps the loss of several lives and destruction of much property.

The wife, H.A. Gardner, Walla Walla, died on Monday, leaving a devoted husband and three lovely children to mourn a loss that can never be filled.

Mrs. Gardner was a daughter of Hon. H. H. Hungate.

Waitsburg baseball club has leased the grounds just east of the City Cemetery from Mrs. J. J. Abbey, where they have cleared and leveled and will erect a grand stand for the accommodations of spectators. They will cross bats next Saturday in Huntsville.