Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 864
Lifelong Waitsburg resident Delores Nettles says her history here, along with a strong concern to make sure the voices of Waitsburg citizens are heard, caused her to throw her hat into the ring for mayor. Nettles said her parents moved here when she was one and, aside from time away while attending college, she has lived here ever since. She taught school in Dayton and has run a successful hair salon in Dayton for 45 years. “I’m very concerned about the city. I’ve been on the council befor...
Incumbent council member Marty Dunn is no stranger to city politics. Dunn has served two terms as mayor and has been on the city council since the early 2000s. "I left the council for a couple of years but returned due to my desire to ensure the City of Waitsburg is able to respond to the increasing economic and organizational challenges which it faces. I will bring a fiscally conservative and responsive perspective to the operations of the city," he said. Dunn moved to Waitsburg in 1995 and...
Karen Gregutt is vying for a first-time seat on the council, eager to contribute her professional expertise and fresh ideas to promote and enhance Waitsburg. Gregutt's career includes 30 years as managing partner at Kaye-Smith Productions in Seattle, producing and directing commercials and documentaries for national companies and brands. Gregutt and her husband, Paul, purchased their first home in Waitsburg in 2005. After extensive renovations, they moved here full time in 2011. The couple has...
Longtime Waitsburg resident and current Community Service Award (formerly called Citizen of the Year) recipient Kate Hockersmith, will make her first-time bid for a council seat this year. Hockersmith moved to Waitsburg with her husband, Eric, in 1992, and the couple raised their two sons here. "I have fundraising, marketing, organizational skills, and work well with others, seeking collaboration rather than confrontation," Hockersmith said, when asked what she brings to the council table. Hocke...
If there was a "People's Choice" award it would go to incumbent Kevin House who has consistently garnered the highest community vote since he was first elected to council in 2010 under the "Truth & Trust" slate. House moved to Walla Walla and began working for The McGregor Company in Waitsburg in 1996. By 2003 he and wife, Christy House, decided that Waitsburg was where they wanted to live long term and raise their two sons. "Some of my background that has been helpful as a council member is my...
Incumbent Karl Newell was elected to the city council under the 2010 Truth & Trust slate and is running for his seventh term. Newell moved to Waitsburg from Boardman, Ore. in 2005. He began his career working as a journeyman electrician in 1962 and spent 1966-68 in the army doing “a little bit of everything.” He said his extensive work experience provides him with an understanding of zoning, covenants, layout, and building and housing requirements, which has come in helpful at council mee...
Incumbent council member KC Kuykendall moved to Waitsburg from Colorado in 2010 and quickly became active in the community. He first ran and was elected to council in 2013. "I come from a blue-collar family of loggers, truck drivers, and construction workers, while my wife's family has been farming and ranching around Pendleton and Athena for many generations. We love this land and the rural communities of Eastern Washington," Kuykendall said. "My career in engineering and business management...
WAITSBURG – Anderson Perry & Associates engineer Eric Zitterkopf was on hand at a March 10 community meeting in Waitsburg to answer questions surrounding design plans for the Main Street Bridge that is scheduled to be replaced in the summer of 2017. The meeting was initiated after the city council was asked to choose railing designs at their February meeting. Council members wanted to know why detailed design decisions are required so early in the process, and requested more time to seek p...
WAITSBURG – School Board Chair Ross Hamann urged fellow board members to keep discussions on the recently failed capital projects bond a priority at last week's board meeting. Topping his concerns is the potential loss of funds donated to help replace the district field house – one of the items included in the failed bond levy. In a prior interview with The Times, Hamann explained that, in 2011, an anonymous donor gave $40,000, administered through the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, to the...
WSU's Global Services Director, Cheryl Hansen, reflects on her journey from Waitsburg to the world The following is adapted from a speech recently given by former Waitsburg resident Cheryl Hansen, who is the Director of Global Services at Washington State University. Cheryl, daughter of Geraine and the late Jim Hansen, addressed college students at a recent professional sharing night, describing how she, a small-town girl from eastern Washington became interested in the world and ended up...
PRESCOTT – The team will be called the Tigers, but several players from Waitsburg High School will join Prescott High's baseball team to create a strong contender the Southeast 2B District 9 league this year. Coach Dustin Snedigar said that veteran pitchers Jacob Dunn and Kyle Gradwohl, both Waitsburg juniors, will be mainstays for the Tigers on the mound. A number of other players will get some pitching time as well, he said, including Tyler Fedderson, Joe Adams and Walter Hartwell. Dunn and G...
PRESCOTT – With just two week's practice under their belts, Lady Tigers head softball coach Angie Potts is optimistic about what she expects to be a highly competitive season. "The whole league is looking good this year. There is no particular standout. I think we'll all have the ability to beat each other, depending on the day," she said. Potts has coached with the Prescott program for fourteen years and has been head coach for eight. She is assisted by Allan Wilson. Wilson was officially h...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Mayor Walt Gobel was quick to let the public take over discussions about the Waitsburg Fairgounds at a March 3 public forum on the topic. After saying how "awesome" it was to see the more than 30 community members in attendance, Gobel said the first step in promoting use of the city's fairgrounds – even before beginning discussions – would be to form a Fairgrounds Advisory Committee. Waitsburg Commercial Club President Joy Smith said she would be willing to serve as tempo...
WAITSBURG – Filings to run for City Council opened Monday and several new contenders wasted no time tossing their hats into the ring. Current council member Debra Callahan is running for mayor while Karen Stanton-Gregutt and Kate Hockersmith will compete for first-time seats on the council. Mayor Walt Gobel has only been opposed once during his tenure as mayor. The Truth & Trust slate of candidates, then made up of Mayor Walt Gobel and council members Kevin House, Orville Branson, Marty Dunn, K...
WAITSBURG – WHS seniors Megan Morrison and Stuart Walsh were honored at a Boys and Girls State Honor Night at Town Hall on Mon., March 7. The event was hosted by the Waitsburg American Legion Post #35 and the Legion Auxiliary, which sponsor Waitsburg and Prescott students each year. Megan Morrison attended the 2015 American Legion Auxiliary Evergreen Girls State at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. last June. Morrison said she was initially unsure about applying to attend b...
WAITSBURG – One of the reasons the Waitsburg Resource Center doesn't refer to itself as a food bank is because its mission is to serve the community in as many ways as possible; not just by providing food, according to resource center treasurer Bret Moser. Most recently, the center added "emergency preparedness" to its resume of helpful endeavors. Last week the WRC received a shipment of 60 emergency blankets that will be stored by Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. The blankets, which a...
WAITSBURG - A Waitsburg man entered not guilty pleas to charges of burglary, theft, and malicious mischief in Columbia County Superior Court last week. Lonnie Marick, 39, was arrested on Feb. 24, when a Columbia County search warrant resulted in the discovery of multiple stolen items at his residence. According to police reports, a warrant was requested following a burglary at commercial buildings located on Highway 12 in Columbia County. Walla Walla and Columbia County Sheriff's office...
Ball Fields at Waitsburg Fairgrounds should be ready for LL play by next weekAITSBURG – Touchet Valley Little League gears up for a new season with some exciting changes. A new set of fields in Waitsburg and the addition of a Prescott team to the league mean more and better competition for the 2016 season. The new Waitsburg Little League field complex, located on the fairgrounds racetrack infield, is under construction and should be ready for players by next week. The set of four adjoining f...
WAITSBURG – After voting in January to partner with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in their "Feel Free to Hunt" program in the city's watershed, Waitsburg's city council decided to take a closer look at the contract. At their Feb. 17 meeting, the council agreed to invite WDFW representatives back in March to clarify some questions that had arisen since the initial discussion. The watershed consists of about 800 acres along the north fork of Coppei Creek that has historically b...
WAITSBURG – "Stick your finger right in that chamber there. Go ahead!" said Columbia County Health System Respiratory Therapist Tom Anderson to a student holding a human heart. Anderson, who is celebrating his one-year anniversary with CCHS, held Waitsburg fourth and fifth graders spellbound during a visit to their classrooms last week. And why wouldn't he? It's not every day that a visitor shows up with an actual heart and lung that students can touch and feel. Anderson looked like he was h...
PRESCOTT – Getting school notices home to parents – and then making sure they read them – is a challenge for most school districts. For Prescott Schools, the struggle is magnified because a large percentage of parents speak only Spanish. At the district's Feb. 25 school board meeting, the board previewed an app that claims to improve communications with parents, students, and the community-at-large. The mission of Apptegy, the app under consideration, is to "help schools build better conne...
PRESCOTT – At their Feb. 25 school board meeting, the Prescott School Board approved the purchase of 90 Chromebook computers to improve teaching efficiency. The computers come with a $35,000 price tag, but will be paid for through a federal grant that must be used or forfeited. Prescott Superintendent Brett Cox told the board that a staff survey indicated that teachers are eager to improve what they can do, from a technology standpoint, in the classroom. He said the staff voted to pursue the u...
WAITSBURG – What is happening – or not happening – at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds has been a hot topic around town in recent months. Concerned citizens have the opportunity to become part of the solution by attending a public fairgrounds revitalization meeting on Thursday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Building at the fairgrounds. At the Jan. 6 community forum for the previously-proposed Waitsburg Raceway, Mayor Walt Gobel, along with fellow city council members, expressed frust...
WAITSBURG – Because Waitsburg is governed under its original charter, the city must elect, or re-elect, its city council and mayor each year. Deadlines for this year’s elections are quickly approaching and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said there seems to be a renewed interest among citizens in running for public office this year. At the February 17 city council meeting, Hinchliffe informed the current council that the upcoming ballot slate will be set before the next council meeting. The...
Last week I got an email from Waitsburg fifth grade teacher, Gabe Kiefel, explaining that his class had collaborated to write a pollution essay that they were very proud of and wanted to see if we could run it in The Times. When I got the go-ahead from the big boss (aka Editor Ken Graham), Kiefel asked if I’d like to visit the class so they could explain their writing process to me. I did, and it was a lot of fun. The students explained that they first watched a video on pollution and then w...
