Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – Mayor Marty Dunn called 2017 "one of the busiest years on record" and says the City of Waitsburg can look forward to continued infrastructure improvements in 2018, with planning into 2019. To make that happen, the city council approved a $2.17 million budget for 2018 at their Dec. 20 regular council meeting. Accomplishments for 2017 include filling several long sections of sidewalk gaps to improve the city's walkability, relining a failing storm drain on Main Street to complete the f...
DAYTON – Aspiring perfomers are invited to participate in Touchet Valley Arts Council's Spring Variety Show in March and/or a May Melodrama. Tracy Barron and Jae Nichols will once again direct the annual variety show which will run March 16-18. This year's theme is "Delightful, Dazzling, and Dandy!" The variety show is a great way to display local talent of all ages, without performers having to make the much larger time commitment required for the live fall production. It is also an ideal i...
WAITSBURG – All eyes were on the Touchet River and Coppei Creek last week as warm weather and heavy rains resulted in flood advisories throughout the Touchet Valley. While there was no significant flooding this go-round, it is only a matter of time before the valley sees another high water event, like the Flood of 1996. That knowledge is what prompted the Waitsburg City Council to commit to a flood feasibility study with the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) at their Dec. 20 regular meeting. C...
The struggles and contentions of 2016 allowed for a year of growth and positive movement for the City of Waitsburg in 2017. The former Waitsburg City Fire Department operated successfully as Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2, the city organized a tree committee and a fairgrounds task force to deal with ongoing issues of public concern and the newly replaced Waitsburg Main Street Bridge opened to traffic in December. As 2017 ends, the school district, under the guidance of new District...
WAITSBURG – At their regular Dec. 13 meeting, the Waitsburg School Board approved a replacement two-year enrichment levy of $2.71 per $1,000 of assessed value for 2019 and 2020. How much will actually be collected, however, is yet to be determined. Beginning in 2018, the state will begin collecting a state school levy of approximately $0.84 per $1,000 dollars of assessed value in Walla Walla County. According to the McCleary decision, passed in 2012 to “fully fund” education, school enrichment levies (formerly called maintenance and opera...
DAYTON – A spur-of-the moment call in to The Michael Smerconish Program on Sirius XM resulted in a nice bump in sales for Mary's Candies in Dayton, this month. Candy maker Nathanial Murphy was listening to the program when the hosts took off on a tangent bemoaning the lack of U.S. made goods. People began calling in and naming U.S. based companies they supported. Co-owner (and Nathanial's wife) Erin Murphy decided to call in and introduced Mary's Candies as a small U.S. manufacturer that uses al...
WAITSBURG – The holidays are typically the season for spreading good cheer, but for Ffrazure Earthworks Excavation, doing good deeds appears to be everyday business. Ffrazure Earthworks spent much of summer and fall in Waitsburg as a sub-contractor for Moreno-Nelson, which was contracted by the city to install sidewalks. Stories abound about how the company went “above and beyond” as they performed work in the city. Nancy and Jack Otterson, who live on W. 4th St., said they were “very aware” tha...
DAYTON—At the last CCHS regular board meeting in November, Stephanie Carpenter, RN, COO, spoke about a meeting she attended sponsored by the Aging and Long Term Care and the Alzheimer’s Association at the SonBridge Community Center in College Place. The purpose of the meeting was to learn about a statewide movement that empowers people with memory loss, and their families, and that helps them stay connected in the community. Carpenter said the goal is to plan for a dementia-friendly community in Columbia County. She said that businesses can...
DAYTON – First-year 4-H Robotics Coach Jeanne Walter is pretty proud of her group, and rightfully so! The group of seven kids, age 10-13, from both Dayton and Waitsburg, recently won the Research Award for their project at the First Lego League Regional Tournament in Pasco and will advance to the state competition in Cheney on January 13. The club, named the Venus Flytraps, includes Mikel Vance, Vaughn Walter, Juniper Kerr, Balian Walter, Phinneas Kerr, Hudson Reser and Joshua Reser. Of the 2...
WAITSBURG – Several adults attended the Wed., Dec. 13 Waitsburg School Board meeting to express concerns about bullying in the school district following an altercation that took place on the high school lawn earlier that day. The Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a simple assault between two teen girls at the high school on Wednesday afternoon. The two junior high students engaged in a physical altercation while other students stood by, watching. Neither student was phys...
WAITSBURG – The Pomeroy Pirates beat the Lady Cards 63-14 in a home-court match on Fri., Dec. 15. Devon Harshman scored seven points for the Cardinals, Deja Williams added four and Chloe Pearson pulled in three. On Saturday, the Lady Cards took another hard loss against Oakesdale, falling 54-16. Chloe Pearson was top scorer with 9 points followed by Devon Harshman with four, Kirsten Miller with two and Tayler Jones with one. The Lady Cards play Athena-Weston in Athena on Thurs., Dec. 21 and p...
WAITSBURG – The undefeated Pomeroy Pirates boys' basketball team took another win on the Cardinal court on Fri.., Dec. 15, walking away with a score of 59-38. Cade Branson was top scorer for the Cardinals with eight points. Braden Kitselman racked up another five and Colton Vanblaricom added four. On Saturday, the Cardinals traveled to Oakesdale where they were overpowered by the Nighthawks 72-24. Colton VanBlaricom and Cade Branson each scored five points, Seamus House and Braden Kitselman a...
The Waitsburg High School gymnasium was a busy place Saturday afternoon. Thirty-two kids, ranging in age from 5-14 turned out for the Matbirds first annual day camp. Head Coach Jake Winona ran the event. "Kids learned about what wresting is and were shown several different techniques on how to score points in a match and how to take down their opponents," said organizer Kristy Taylor. After several hours of training, the kids were served lunch which was donated by the Waitsburg Fire Department....
WAITSBURG – At the request of City Manager Randy Hinchliffe, the Waitsburg City Council has been asked to determine, at their Dec. 20 meeting, whether or not semi trucks can park overnight in the Whiskey Canyon Sports Bar & Grill parking lot. Hinchliffe explained that, since the restaurant was built, the city has received multiple, sporadic complaints from the onsite manager of the apartments located behind the restaurant. The former Waitsburg Inn, owned by Kieth Parkins, was converted to a...
WAITSBURG – The Lady Cardinals opened their season with a hard-fought, home-court win against Mac-Hi on Tues., Dec. 5. The Cards and Pioneers swapped leads throughout the game until the third quarter when the Cards racked up 18 points to take a 38-35 win over Mac-Hi. Chloe Pearson lead the stats with 11 points and Ariel Sandau added another eight. DeJa Williams made seven points with Kirsten Miller and Tayler Jones adding another six each. Jones landed the only Cardinal 3-pointer of the game. O...
WAITSBURG – For about 30 years, Waitsburg seniors have been gathering to share a hot meal and fellowship together as part of the Walla Walla Senior Citizen Center's Senior Round Table program. Recently, numbers have dwindled and site coordinator Kim Bruzas wants to make sure Waitsburg residents are aware of the program. "It's the best deal in town! Where else can you get a meal like this for $4.00?" asked volunteer cashier Doris Huffman. Residents are invited to the Waitsburg Presbyterian C...
WAITSBURG – It’s December again; the time of year for giving – and taking. The Walla Walla Police Department recently issued a press release about an increase in reports of scams hitting area residents. In one scam, residents receive a physical letter in the mail from an “administrative manager” of a financial institute in Barcelona. The letter states that millions of dollars are unclaimed and can be split with the letter recipient, through a “confidential” process. The recipient is told not t...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School Board, like most in the state, is faced with trying to determine an appropriate enrichment levy request amount in the face of financial unknowns created by the McLeary decision, also known as House Bill 2242. The plan was enacted to “fully fund” education, but districts are still unsure how the changes will play out. ESD 123 Superintendent Darcy Weisner spoke with the board about potential ramifications in October and board members reviewed possible levy request...
WAITSBURG – On Wed., Nov. 29, the Waitsburg School District announced that the first basketball game of the season, scheduled for Sat., Dec. 2, against Moses Lake had been cancelled. A notice posted on the district’s Facebook page said the cancellation was due to students unable to play due to academic ineligibility, health concerns, and other obligations. Comments on the district Facebook page expressed frustration that the WIAA refused to approve a Dayton-Waitsburg basketball combine for thi...
Youth goat breeder is selected to JABGA board and is highlightedin rural living magazine WAITSBURG – When Texas goat expert Fred Homeyer met Grace Coulston, he was immediately impressed and asked her to share about herself in the "Goat Tips" article in the November 2017 Ranch & Rural Living magazine. Homeyer was judging a Boer goat show in Corvallis, Ore. when he was introduced to Coulston, who he describes as a "bright and shiny young person." Anyone who knows Coulston will agree that the t...
WAITSBURG – Every year, the second weekend after Thanksgiving, families flock to Waitburg’s Main Street to experience the one-of-a kind delights of Waitsburg’s Hometown Christmas. This year’s 32nd annual event will have all the old favorite festivities, with a few new surprises thrown in. Hometown Christmas is an all-around volunteer effort with preparations beginning well in advance of the weekend. Main Street becomes a winter wonderland as fire department volunteers hang wreathes and garland o...
WAITSBURG – The new Main Street Bridge on Waitsburg's north end was set to be complete last week, but a complication with the rails has resulted in a delay. A potentially significant delay, depending on how the weather cooperates. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe told council members at the Nov. 15 regular city council meeting that the bridge may be finished this year, but could take as long as next spring to complete. Hinchliffe attributed the delay to the windowed side rails. "The s...
Naylor continues to teach forestry and support local communities through volunteer service WAITSBURG – Local volunteer Lisa Naylor traveled to Albequerque, NM last week, where she was presented with the Presidential Field Foresters Award for District 1 (Alaska, Inland Empire, Oregon and Washington) by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). The award is given to those who have dedicated their professional careers to and displayed uncommon talent, skill, and innovation in forest management. S...
Tigers fall to St. George's 3-1 but beat Crosspoint 4-0 SUMNER, Wash. – The Prescott Tigers soccer team fell 3-1 to rivals, and two-time state champions, St. George's, at the Washington State 1B/2B state soccer championships here on Fri., Nov. 16. But they took an easy 4-0 win against Orcas Island to bring home a third place trophy on Saturday. St. George's took a one-point lead in Friday's game, but a goal from Tiger Jose Gonzalez, on an assist from Jonathan Iglesias and Omar Velazco left t...
WAITSBURG – How much money is too much to spend when it comes to planning and preparing for a natural disaster? That's the question the Waitsburg City Council must be ready to decide at their December meeting. Two years ago, Waitsburg approached the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) about completing a flood feasibility study for the city through a federal program that shares both the cost of the study (planning) and construction following the study. The program requires municipalities to pay half o...
