Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – Over the last several months, dozens of people from Walla Walla, Dayton and Waitsburg have gathered at the Whoopemup Café on the north end of Waitsburg's Main Street for Whoop EM Up Wednesday dinners. The unique meals, which have been highly successful, are the Waitsburg Commercial Club's most recent attempt to build community and bring folks to downtown Waitsburg. The Waitsburg Commercial Club was founded in 1912 and functions as the city's chamber of commerce. It operates on a on...
WAITSBURG – Seven years ago Chris Philbook knocked on Kate Hockersmith's door saying he wanted to be a Troublemaker (a youth bluegrass band member) and travel to Japan like they had. On Tuesday, that dream was supposed to come true. Instead, Philbrook will be undergoing surgery with his fellow band members staying stateside to offer support. Philbrook got Kate Hockersmith back in the bluegrass business in 2010 when he came calling, asking how he could be a Troublemaker. That parent-led b...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg elementary students are learning and practicing giving and compassion as well as academics. From Oct. 3-13 grade school students are collecting supplies for children affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The supplies with be gathered into kits and distributed to children in need by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Kindergarten teacher Pam Beasley initiated the project and said students have responded enthusiastically. She encouraged each student t...
MABTON - The Lady Bulldogs made a quick win over Mabton, taking the Vikings 25-8, 25-9, and 25-23 in a league match, here on Oct. 5. The win places the Bulldogs 6-3 overall and 2-1 in league play. Scully Castorena made nine kills, 11 assists, one ace and four digs and Hanna Becker dished out 11 kills, nine assists, two digs and one ace. Megan Robins made eight kills and nine digs, Tatum Laughery served a perfect 19/19 with three aces and ten digs and Shaelyn Fortier served 12/12 with three aces...
ST. JOHN - The Lady Cards fell to St. John-Endicott in a hard-fought four matches on the Eagle's court on Thurs., Oct. 5. Waitsburg dropped the first two matches 18-25 and 13-25, won match number three 25-18, but dropped the final match 20-25. "We didn't play very well in the first two sets. We tried a couple of different rotations with girls in different positions and they didn't make the adjustment. In the third set we went back to our original rotation and the girls were clearly more...
WAITSBURG/DAYTON – Due to declining numbers on the DW football roster, the last high school junior varsity football game was Mon., Oct. 9 in Irrigon. JV athletes will remain on the roster, at practice, and at varsity games but there will be no further JV games for the season. The original JV/Varsity roster listed 35 athletes. An updated roster, released last week, lists 27 players. Head DW football coach Troy Larsen attributed the decline to a mix of students moving from the district, players q...
WAITSBURG – David Benscoter, aka the Lost Apple Detective, had a productive trip to Waitsburg last month and is already looking forward to a return visit, according to Kate Hockersmith, who spearheaded his visit. A large crowd showed up to support Benscoter at a fundraising dinner held at Ten Ton Press in Waitsburg on Sat., Sept. 30. The Columbia County Extension Office provided Sauerkraut Stew and Warren Orchards provided apple tasting and apple cider. Switchgrass Delta entertained the crowd w...
WAITSBURG – Twenty-eight Preston Hall students received a $5 concession stand coupon, gobbled cupcakes, received a perfect attendance bracelet and had their name entered in an end-of-semester big prize giveaway during Preston Hall's first Perfect Attendance Party on Tuesday. The event was part of the district's new middle and high school Attendance Matters program, aimed at decreasing the chronic tardies and absences that have plagued the district. Waitsburg is far from alone in its struggle w...
PRESCOTT – Prescott park is looking pretty spiffy these days. A cement walkway bypasses bountiful flower beds and overflowing planters, leading to new playground equipment and a handicap-accessible eating and barbeque area. Now the park sports a brand-new sign as well, courtesy of Seth Davis of Walla Walla. Sixteen-year-old Davis designed, built, and installed the new wooden sign that greets visitors to Field View Park as his Eagle Scout project. Davis learned that the park was in need of a n...
WAITSBURG – Narum Concrete and Construction of Walla Walla set to work to excavate and replace the deteriorating foundation of the Wilson-Phillips House Museum last month. Several community members have stepped forward with donations to cover the cost of the project, but more are needed. The WP House Museum has been closed since last spring when inspectors informed the Waitsburg Historical Society that the home had structural damage and the foundation, which was causing the house to list to o...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Christian Church pastor Matt Wyatt regularly goes live on Facebook each day at noon when he gives a “Lunch Break” talk. Last Thursday, Wyatt announced that Lunch Break would be delayed while he dealt with some issues. He later went live to share that the church had been broken into the night before. Wyatt said he left the church at 9:30 Wed. night, following the Celebrate Recovery program. When he arrived back at the office late Thursday morning, Wyatt said he went strai...
DAYTON – On Thurs., Sept. 21, the Pasco Police Department and the Tri-Cities Regional SWAT team combined forces to arrest two men in connection with a shooting that took place in Dayton the day before. According to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office press release, deputies responded to a 911 call of a shooting in Cameron Court at approximately 8:10 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 20. Upon arrival, deputies found Dayton resident Jason Love, 31, with a gunshot wound to his right upper thigh. Witnesses reported that three males had entered the trailer and...
WAITSBURG – At a Sept. 6 special session Waitsburg’s city council gave City Manager Randy Hinchliffe the go-ahead to seek a $750,000 loan through Community Bank to be used for infrastructure repairs and updates. At their Sept. 20 meeting, the request was modified, directing Hinchliffe to seek a line of credit rather than a loan. The catalyst for the request is the need to re-line a leaking sewer siphon near the Touchet River Bridge. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe explained to the council that all the sewage from the east end of Waitsburg comes t...
PUYALLUP – Three members of the Waitsburg Home Grown Go Wild 4-H Club competed at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup last weekend after qualifying at local competitions. Timothy Daves, Sarah Daves, and William Hong all brought home state awards. Timothy Daves received first place awards in Public Speaking, Top Chef – Food for All Occasions, Top Chef – Formal Table Setting, Educational Poster, Environmental Stewardship, Color Photography and Black and White Photography. Sara Daves recei...
DAYTON – An outside investigation of an Aug. 9 incident which resulted in Columbia County Reserve Deputy Kenneth Foxe firing a round from his weapon determined that the shot was a justified use of force. On the afternoon of Wed., Aug. 9, Columbia County Dispatched received a call for a welfare check at the Dayton High School baseball field. Reserve Deputy Foxe responded to the call and was confronted by Alonzo Snider, who is a Dayton resident. According to court documents and a sheriff’s off...
WAITSBURG – A childhood struggle with her weight and a family history of diabetes ignited a passion in Melissa Lambert to become an advocate for health and wellness. After being displaced from her position as the cardiac rehab lead at Walla Walla General Hospital when the hospital closed its doors, Lambert is looking to strike out on her own and will offer her services in Waitsburg and Dayton. Lambert’s passion for health and wellness grew from her personal experience, as did her belief in the i...
WAITSBURG – At last week's regular meeting, Waitsburg's city council not only made it perfectly clear where U-turns are and are not allowed in the city, but they imposed penalties for breaking the law. After a brief but lively discussion, council members commented that some general public education regarding U-turns and double lines would be beneficial. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done because some rules are more clear than others. U-turns Here is what drivers can count on, f...
-Passed traffic code and animal control updates. See story at left. -Adopted the updated Capital Facilities Plan -Approved city manager to seek a $750,000 line of credit for infrastructure financing. See story on Page 1. -Approved payment #4 on Main Street Bridge project. -Approved payment #1 on sidewalk project. Sidewalk project is estimated to be just over half completed. -Agreed to organize a grandstands task force and allow them three months to report on a repair/demolition plan and another...
WAITSBURG – The wait is over for Waitsburg children eager to participate in the Walla Walla Community College preschool program held at the Waitsburg Elementary School. With nine children on the 2017-18 program wait list, Waitsburg School Board members unanimously approved the addition of an afternoon preschool session at their Sept. 14 board meeting. The cost of the additional session is approximately $28,000 and WWCC Early Childhood & Parent Education Director Samantha Bowen has submitted a grant to the Blue Mountain Foundation to cover $...
WAITSBURG – Do we see the fairgrounds as a historical site that we would like to maintain for the future or do we see it as an event and athletic site, but not necessarily historically important? That was the question posed by Fairgrounds Committee Chair Lane Hill at the opening of the committee's Sept. 12 meeting, which focused on whether the fairgrounds grandstands should be preserved or demolished. After hearing a presentation from Rick Nicely of Pillars of Society Woodworks, LLC, who said h...
WAITSBURG – WHS graduate and Walla Walla attorney, Bertha Clayton, will present one of three free fall "Big Idea" programs at the Walla Walla Public Library. Clayton, who is the State Monitor Advocate for the Washington State Employment Security Department will present, "Ode to the Harvesters: Examining Current Agricultural Labor Issues in Washington State." Clayton is the daughter of Roy and Abelina Poirier and grew up on a small farm on Coppei Creek, outside of Waitsburg. She graduated from W...
10 WHS graduate, Jared Farley, received a pleasant surprise last week when he learned he had been awarded a $10,000 Milotte Foundation Scholarship. The award is funded by photographers and filmmakers, Alfred and Elma Milotte whose goal is to "perpetuate a passion for the natural wonders of our world." Walt Disney discovered the couple's work and commissioned them to film Seal Island and the Alaskan Eskimo, two films that launched Disney's True Life Adventure and People and Place series. The...
Annual community event takes a step back in time WAITSBURG – On the third Sunday of each September, Waitsburg takes a step back in time to celebrate history with its one-of-a-kind Pioneer Fall Festival. This year's 45th annual celebration, to take place on Sun., Sept. 17, is shaping up nicely. The festival will begin at 11 a.m. with the traditional non-denominational church service held on the Bruce House Museum lawn. Waitsburg Christian Church pastor Matt Wyatt will officiate. Pioneers of t...
WAITSBURG – This year's Fall Festival Pioneers of the Year most certainly meet the definition of pioneers. Dorne and Dorothy Hall, have ties to the area dating back to the early 1800s, earlier even than Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. Dorothy's family, the Dauphins, settled in the area in 1835 and Mathew Dauphin was a signer of the early Indian treaties at Frenchtown, according to Dorothy, who is active in the Frenchtown Historical Foundation. Dorothy's great grandfather, on her mother's side, M...
WAITSBURG – Tuesday, Aug. 29 was a busy day for Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2 volunteers who responded first to a railroad fire that sent smoldering ties into the Touchet River, and then to a fuel tanker that caught fire on Highway 12. The incidents began Tuesday afternoon and lasted into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, according to Chief Jim Callahan. Callahan said the department was toned out about 3 p.m. on Tuesday for what was believed to be an illegal burn on Bolles Road, about a q...
