Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – Last spring, city council member Karen Gregutt organized the Waitsburg Windows of Art program, which filled empty downtown buildings with works by featured artists. But those aren't the only art-filled windows in town. Kazmira Grende has been putting her artistic skills to work celebrating holidays and events with paintings on the windows of the Waitsburg Grocery store for years. And Hanna Peterson, who regularly creates event and special sign boards at Whiskey Canyon Sports Bar & Gr...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg residents will notice a slight increase in their utility bill in the near future, but the exact amount of the increase is still up in the air. Facing concerns over needed repairs to aging infrastructure, the Waitsburg City Council agreed to consider a five percent increase in water and sewer rates at their Jan. 11 council meeting. However, a suggested decrease in the monthly water allotment from 1000 cubic feet to 500 cubic feet, combined with a reduction in overage charges...
WAITSBURG – January is National School Board Appreciation Month, but board members weren't the only ones receiving recognition at the Jan. 11 Waitsburg School Board meeting. District Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke announced that Stephanie Wooderchak has been selected as the 2016-17 Three Rivers Region Middle Level Principal of the Year. Wooderchak will be acknowledged on the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) website and in AWSP publications. She is now eligible to apply as W...
WAITSBURG – Last April, a group of veterans stood outside the Waitsburg Hardware store and proudly saluted as they raised brand new United States and Waitsburg flags on the pole on the corner of Main Street and Preston Avenue. Today, the flagpole stands bare due to a defective light fixure. American Legion Post #35 Finance Officer Cindy Standring said the flags had to be removed, because the light fixture, which is located in the sidewalk is no longer working. According to the US Flag Code, A...
WAITSBURG – The Home and School Association Father-Daughter dance Saturday was a great success, according to those who attended. HASA president Jaimee Knudson said she was a bit nervous about how the evening would turn out, because not only was it a new event, but the weather was cold and the roads were nasty. Knudson said many moms and community members pitched in to make the dance a success, raising $744, which will be used to purchase school supplies for Waitsburg students. "We had roughly 5...
WAITSBURG – As is the tradition in Waitsburg, school board members are honored at the January school board meeting each year during School Board Appreciation Month. This year, high school National Honor Society members, accompanied by advisor Liv Leid, provided cookies and refreshments, awarded board members with certificates, and thanked them for their service. Kindergarten teacher Pam Beasley told the board she had talked with her students about the role of the school board and asked them t...
DAYTON – The Liberty Theater's production of "Bingo! The Winning Musical" will bring a welcome respite from the dark and dreary days of winter. The fun and zippy comedy debuts Jan. 27 and runs through Jan. 29. The production is directed by Liberty veteran Bev Startin, who has produced eight variety shows and the last three Nunsense productions. "This is a great comedy, and working with this cast has been a blast," Startin said. The musical takes place on a dark and stormy night in a Missouri V...
WAITSBURG – It took the City of Waitsburg the better part of a decade to secure funding to replace the 90-year-old Main Street Bridge, which is designed in such a way that it creates a flood hazard. Since the state legislature awarded $1.7 million toward the bridge’s replacement in June of 2015, the city has been busy checking off the many requirements that have to be in place before the bridge can be replaced this summer. At their December meeting the city council checked off another box by...
DIXIE – Bob Brock is on a mission of healing, though he's going about it in an unconventional means. On May 15, he will depart Walla Walla and travel to Washington, D.C., in his Your Patriots Jeep, thanking and honoring veterans and law enforcement all along the way. Once in Washington, he will drive before the White House in the National Memorial Day parade. Brock lives with his wife, Jacque, on a small farm on Biscuit Ridge outside Dixie. He is a member of the Waitsburg American Legion and s...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Christian Church hopes to be a light in the darkness by offering a new Celebrate Recovery group, beginning Wed., Jan. 14. The group, facilitated by Pastor Matt Wyatt, will meet at the Waitsburg Christian Church (604 Main) from 7-8 p.m. each Wednesday night, and is focused on helping people deal with “any hurt, habit, or hang up” in their lives, including addictions, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors. “As an individual that let drugs and alcohol control my life for...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg elementary students will have their artwork displayed with that of other area students at the Carnegie Picture Show exhibit at the Walla Walla Library from Jan. 10-21. Waitsburg artist Lane Hill will offer a portraiture demonstration as part of the closing celebration at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21. Waitsburg was added to the Carnegie Picture Lab area of service last fall, allowing students to experience art history and art creation lessons. Waitsburg artist Suze Wood is the W...
WAITSBURG – Parents of Waitsburg Elementary School students have not had to buy school supplies for their kids for the last two years, and high school parents were freed from the burden last year as well. Thanks goes to the Waitsburg Home and School Association, which has made it a goal to provide everything but a backpack for Waitsburg students. HASA has raised funds through their annual carnival, a silent auction, and movie nights, but this year they’re trying something new. On Jan. 14, HAS...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School District is seeking community input as it begins the search process for a new district superintendent to replace Dr. Carol Clarke who will retire at the end of June. Clarke has served as superintendent since 2004. The school board has hired Dr. Bill Jordan of Northwest Leadership Associates to assist with the superintendent search, which they hope to have completed by March. Community members are asked to provide input by completing a survey at the following l...
WAITSBURG – The City of Waitsburg wants to make sure that local representatives know where the city stands on the many important issues that will come before them in upcoming legislative sessions. At their Dec. 21 regular meeting, the Waitsburg City Council voted to adopt a 2017-2018 state legislative priorities list. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said he believes this is the first time the city has formulated such a list. Only one of the 18 items on the list elicited concern. That was the...
WAITSBURG – 2016 in Waitsburg could be called The Year of Contention. The year kicked off with the city council responding to public outcry by abandoning plans to approve a one-year trial lease with Brandon Kelly, who wanted to operate a race car track at the city fairgrounds. But that was just the beginning of citizens making their opinions known. Voters rejected the school's capital improvements bond and community members shared their views about fairgrounds usage, removal of trees by the c...
WAITSBURG – Should students be allowed to access their cell phones during class? As it currently stands, Waitsburg students must store their phones in a holding box prior to entering their classes. But that may change. Or not. During the public/board comment portion of December’s regular school board meeting, board member Christy House suggested that the district take a closer look at its cell phone policy. House said that the primary way coaches communicate with athletes is via Facebook, but...
WAITSBURG – With no one, aside from one board director's wife, willing to brave the cold and attend the Dec. 7 Town Hall Association Annual Meeting, the board remains unchanged for 2017, according to board secretary Jim Davison. The 2017 board includes: President Ron Standring, Vice President Jim Romine, Secretary Jim Davison, Treasurer Larry Johnson, and board members Ron Griffen. Karl Newell, and Jim Walsh. Waitsburg's Town Hall is operated on a 100-percent volunteer basis, and is supported s...
Local photographer's love of the outdoors is evident in his work WAITSBURG – Having spent more than 50 years working as a professional photographer, Waitsburg native Vance Price is at the point in life where he can focus on doing only what he enjoys most – shooting the great outdoors. "I've never once had a tree complain," said Price, who spent many years working with people, as a portrait and wedding photographer. Many of Price's photos are now lining the walls of the 10 Ton Press building at...
WAITSBURG – One, two, cha-cha-cha... one, two, cha-cha-cha. Chant that phrase to a Preston Hall middle school student and they will probably grin as they showed you just how it's done. Waitsburg middle school students spent mornings last week learning the popular Latin dance, the Cha Cha, as part of a holiday homeroom activity geared toward teaching social skills. This year, middle school students spend the first 20 minutes of each day engaged in a homeroom activity, according to junior high s...
WAITSBURG - Neither sleet nor rain could keep Waitsburg townfolk from enjoying the city's annual Hometown Christmas celebration last weekend. Visitors filled Town Hall to listen to local musicians, enjoy a meal or Christmas cookie, and browse the many tables of wares for sale. About 60 children (and an adult or two) found their way to Santa's lap where they shared their Christmas wish list, got their picture taken, and received a goodie bag, courtesy of the Waitsburg Commercial Club. Children...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Elementary School multipurpose room was hopping before school last Friday, as students and families flocked in to enjoy cocoa, a photo, and a chat with Waitsburg's resident Santa. For the last three years, the Waitsburg lunch ladies have taken it upon themselves to transform the lunchroom into a winter wonderland. "We do this every year with a different theme," said food services manager Susan Wildey. "We usually start preparing and planning a year in advance. We l...
WAITSBURG – For many Christians, pulling the nativity set out of storage and placing it prominently on display signifies the start of the Christmas season. That's one task that Ginny and Joe Just don't have to worry about. Theirs are on display 365 days a year. Over 300 of them, as a matter of fact! The Justs began collecting nativity sets about 16 years ago, and haven't stopped yet, though they say they have gotten significantly more picky over the years. The collection fills a b...
WAITSBURG – For Bill Fether of SteelFeather Auto, located at 615 Preston Ave., Christmas dreams came true a bit early this year. Fether is excited to announce that he has expanded his former one-bay shop to three bays, and he plans to install a lift within the next six months. Fether opened his shop just over a year ago, but said his business was relatively unnoticed until The Times ran a story on him last July. Fether said that once word got out, business started pouring in and hasn't stopped....
WAITSBURG – The 2017 Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen has been selected and will make her official debut at the Hometown Christmas Parade on Sunday. Incoming queen Cheyanne Shoun will lead off the parade, riding alongside reigning WCD queen Emily Adams. Earlier this year, the WCD committee decided to move from an entire court to just a queen, due to cost, flexibility and lack of applicants. Cheyanne applied for the position, was recommended by WCD court advisor Ann Adams, and made a presentation...
WAITSBURG – Three Waitsburg High School musicians will play with the Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra at their Winter Concert on Dec. 14. Tuba players Jacob Elder and Scott Leamy, and clarinetist Leena Baker, are looking forward to their first symphony performance. "I am delighted! What a special bunch of students," said WHS band director Brad Green, who plans to show support by taking a van-load of WHS band students to attend the concert. Seventeen-year-old Jacob Elder was the first to j...
