Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Team building activities help members work together better WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Chapter FFA officers spent last weekend at an officer's retreat where they set chapter goals, planned the upcoming year, and practiced working together as a team. On Sat., Aug. 13, officers Emily Adams (president), Devin Newman (vice president), Laramie Mathews (sentinel), Tom House (treasurer), Devon Harshman (reporter), and Sydney Fowble (secretary) traveled to Spokane with FFA advisor Nicole Abel. Abel organized...
WAITSBURG – It was a full house at Waitsburg Town Hall on Aug. 2, as citizens of Waitsburg and surrounding areas made their voices heard at a special city council meeting for the purpose of discussing the possibility of Nestle' Waters North America building a water bottling plant in Waitsburg. Mayor Pro Tem Marty Dunn said the meeting would last just one hour and set a two-minute speaking limit as he warned the crowd against name calling and asked for "polite and interested people" to share t...
DAYTON-Last week several 4-H youth and their helpers were busily creating hand-tied, log cabin-style lap quilts, decorative throw pillows and matching pillow cases, in anticipation of the 2016 Columbia County fair in September. Head instructor Carla Thorson said that each participant was given an instruction sheet, a shopping list, and a paste-up square, per 4-H regulations, before beginning on them. This year everyone is doing the same size and style," she said. "Next year there will be an...
WAITSBURG – Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner presented his quarterly sheriff's office update at Waitsburg's July 21 city council meeting. Turner took advantage of the full house – most were in attendance to learn more about Nestle's interest in potentially building a bottling facility in Waitsburg – to address what he says is a strong need for a dedicated county drug and task force. In his update, Turner said he was pleased that the sheriff's office has received 219 calls from Waits...
DAYTON – Starting in August, Dayton’s Wenaha Gallery will be playing host to the works from the husband and wife duo of Joyce & Randy Klassen. The artistic couple will display a contrast of styles, as Joyce uses torches and waxes to create encaustic pieces while husband Randy uses tidy watercolors for his easel-mounted paintings. The couple from Walla Walla, whose art reflects the opposite of their normal personalities, are being welcomed by the people at Wenaha. Randy is the son of Jacob Kla...
WAITSBURG – Walt Gobel officially tendered his letter of resignation as mayor of Waitsburg on Tuesday afternoon. Gobel, who was easily re-elected to his sixth term in April, said he was stepping down because he felt his reputation has been irreparably damaged over his role in negations with Nestlé Waters North America. "When our voters and taxpayers put me in office it was an indication that they respected and trusted me to make decisions for the good of the community. I honestly feel that my re...
WAITSBURG – A suspicious fire originating just off Nordheim Road cast an orange glow over Waitsburg during the wee hours of a windy Sunday morning as fire crews and farmers rushed to stop the growing blaze. According to Columbia County Fire Marshal Kim Lyonnais, there is very strong suspicion that the fire, which came close to destroying several dwellings, was the result of arson. Investigation is continuing. Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2 Assistant Chief Brian Callahan said the standi...
WAITSBURG – Four outbuildings were devoured by flames on Timpey Road, behind Lewis & Clark Trail State Park on Saturday afternoon. Homeowner Tim Baker said the sound of explosions and his wife's yells woke him from a peaceful nap at exactly 1:55 p.m. About 30 minutes prior, Baker had been doing some grinding outside. As he worked on his first project, a spark flew and started a grass fire. Baker said he stomped it out and made a point to be extra diligent as he completed his second project. H...
WAITSBURG – No one from the community spoke at the school district’s sparsely attended July 27 budget hearing, leaving it to the board to approve and adopt a $4.2 million budget for the 2016-17 school year. At the same meeting the board authorized the district to run a revised capital improvements bond levy of $3.8 million on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Next year’s budget was based on a projected enrollment of 270 students in grades K-12. This is down from the 2015-16 projected enrol...
WAITSBURG – "I understand that when an announcement is made that Nestle' is evaluating business opportunities in a community, it raises a lot of emotions. Water is an emotional topic," said Nestle' Waters Natural Resource Manager Bruce Lauerman as he opened his presentation at the city's July 20 city council meeting. In the case of Waitsburg, that may be an understatement. Even harvesting farmers left their fields early to join the nearly 100 people who filled the chairs, lined the walls, and f...
WAITSBURG – You won't find to-go cups at Dynamite Art + Coffee, and that's not simply out of concern for the environment, though it is a factor. Proprietor Claire Johnston opened the coffee shop, located at 119 Main St. in Waitsburg, with the intent of creating an environment where customers can escape the hustle and bustle of modern society and take a few minutes to just relax and enjoy. "We have this beautiful space and I want people to come in, relax, enjoy the lovely environment, drink f...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg’s city council approved an action plan endorsed by the Waitsburg Fairgrounds Committee, that will allow Terry Hofer to manage RV parking and camping at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The plan was approved at the July 20 meeting pending the approval of a more detailed lease agreement. In his introduction, Hofer said he has lived in the area his entire life, owned the Palm Club Tavern for several years, managed the American Legion for several years, was actively involved in the...
WAITSBURG – Having grown up in the wheat country of Condon, Ore. and after living in Waitsburg for over 20 years, you would think I would have taken advantage of the opportunity to spend a day in the harvest fields. Sadly, I hadn't, until this year. It took the enthusiasm of Janean Struckmeir, who eagerly invited me ride shotgun while she drove harvest truck, to get me curious enough to see what she was so excited about. Janean typically spends her days working as a dietary assistant manager at...
WAITSBURG – Nestlé Natural Resources Manager Bruce Lauerman will discuss the company’s exploration of Waitsburg as a potential new site for a water bottling facility at Wednesday’s city council meeting. In a statement released Tuesday, Nestle said the facility, which would support the Arrowhead Spring Water and Nestlé Pure Life brands, would provide an estimated 50 jobs at full build-out. Nestlé estimates their projected water use at 150 million gallons annually, which they say “is a small fract...
School board responds to survey results by dropping capital improvements bond by $1 million WAITSBURG - A $4.8 million Waitsburg School District capital improvements bond fell a mere 13 votes shy of reaching the required 60-percent supermajority vote needed for passage in February. The Waitsburg School Board returned to the drawing board, sought additional community input, and will drop two projects – at a reduction of $1 million – and re-run the bond in November. At June’s regular meeti...
WAITSBURG – Lane Hill debuted her newly remodeled 10 Ton Press studio, located on Waitsburg's Main Street, to a full house while hosting an ArtWalla Creative Network event on July 13. Artists from across the Touchet Valley showed up to see firsthand what is happening in the new space and to learn more about the burgeoning art scene in Waitsburg. In his introduction, ArtWalla board member Ted Cox referred to Waitsburg as "Artsburg" because of the number of artists living and working in the c...
When I decided to take my boys to Walla Walla's virtual reality theater, Maskerade, I had no intention of writing a column about it. It just sounded like a cool experience that we would all enjoy. But after spending a few minutes talking with the theater's creator, Riley Clubb, I was pretty sure it was something that our readers would enjoy learning about, if not taking the time to visit themselves. Maskerade touts itself as "the world's first virtual reality theater." Clubb said most people...
Clarence Stearns sits beside a box of newly delivered Hermiston melons at his produce stand off of Harmon Avenue in Waitsburg. The family has been selling produce from in front of their Preston Avenue home for several years. Over the last couple of years, they built a commercial kitchen, smoker, and cooling room behind the house and have expanded the business to include smoked meats and cheeses and wild and domestic animal processing. See story on Page 7....
WAITSBURG – Nestlé Natural Resources Manager Bruce Lauerman will discuss the company's exploration of Waitsburg as a potential new site for a water bottling facility at Wednesday's city council meeting. In a statement released Tuesday, Nestle said the facility, which would support the Arrowhead Spring Water and Nestlé Pure Life brands, would provide an estimated 50 jobs at full build-out. Nestlé estimates their projected water use at 150 million gallons annually, which they say "is a small frac...
WALLA WALLA – Six candidates are in the race seeking election for the Walla Walla County Commissioner District 2 seat, currently held by Perry Dozier (R) of Waitsburg. Dozier is serving his second four-year term in office, which expires Dec. 31, and is not seeking re-election. District 2 covers the east side of the county and includes the cities of Dixie, Waitsburg, and Prescott. Republican candidates seeking Dozier’s position are Don Gibbard, Melissa Hansen, Todd Kimball and Jacob Radke. Mic...
WAITSBURG – Rows of brightly colored pumpkins and a cheery wave from Clarence Stearns have been familiar sights to Preston Avenue travelers each fall. But this year, the produce can be found around the side of the house, off Harmon Street, where the operation has expanded to include much more than just fruits and vegetables. Clarence Stearns says Mr. C's Smokin Co., located at 405 Preston Ave. in Waitsburg, is a true family endeavor. What started out as a simple produce stand several years a...
WAITSBURG – Council members spent a large chunk of the June 15 Waitsburg City Council meeting evaluating current city codes to be considered for revision or repeal. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the last comprehensive code review was approximately ten years ago and about half the code was stripped away at that time. Some of the proposed modifications were word changes, such as substituting the words “City Administrator” for “City Marshal” since the city no longer has a marshal....
WAITSBURG – "I'm great with cars, I'm just not the best at marketing," said Bill Feather, owner of SteelFeatherAuto, located at 615 Preston Avenue in Waitsburg. Feather opened his auto repair shop last October, but many residents are unaware of his shop and the services he offers. The 38-year-old mechanic says he has always had an obsession with anything running. Feather grew up in Walla Walla and said he was lucky enough to have a neighbor who took him under his wing and taught him what he k...
WAITSBURG – Local residents Rebecca Hoffman, Christy Poirier, and Waitsburg High School FFA Advisor Nicole Abel joined others throughout the region to help determine how they could better support agricultural education and their local FFA chapters at an Alumni Regional Development Conference in Burbank on June 25. The National FFA Alumni Organization hosted the conference to provide professional, personal, and alumni program development to local and state members. The conference was also a t...
WAITSBURG – The creek may not have overflowed, but the church pews sure did on Sunday when 190 people crowded into the Waitsburg Presbyterian Church to watch local kids perform the musical 'Down by the Creek Bank.' The performance served as the big finale for a popular, week-long Vacation Bible School created by co-directors Bethany Moser and Pam Conover. Moser said she and Conover were having a hard time deciding on what to do for VBS this year when they hit on the idea of a musical. Moser a...
