Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG – Members of the Waitsburg School Board were recognized in honor of School Board Appreciation Month, during the board's Jan. 13 meeting. Superintendent Carol Clarke presented certificates of recognition on behalf of the Washington State School Directors for each board member's service: Ross Hamann (11 years), Christy House (4 years), Randy Pearson (18 years), Marilyn Johnson (6 years), Russ Knopp (1 month). First grade teacher Dinah Lindsey presented a banner and poster from the first...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg School District is asking voters to support the renewal of the maintenance and operations levy as well as a capital improvements bond in the upcoming Feb. 9 special election. Maintenance and Operations Levy Voters are being asked to approve replacement of the district’s maintenance and operations levy that was passed in 2014 and expires this year. The levy request is $559,000 for 2017 and $570,000 for 2018. This is estimated to be $3.55 per $1,000 of assessed pro...
PRESCOTT – Voters residing in the Prescott School District will be asked to approve a two-year replacement maintenance operations levy, in the amount of $650,000 each year, in the Feb. 9 special election. The rate per $1,000 for the proposed 2016-17 and 2017-18 levy is estimated to be $1.92, which is down $0.41 from the 2014 rate of $2.33 per $1,000, due to an increase in property valuation. Levy funds support programs not covered under the basic education act as defined by the state l...
WAITSBURG – Newly elected school board member Russ Knopp would like to see students play an active role in board discussions, and possibly even decision-making. At last week’s board meeting Knopp presented information he gleaned from a recent Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) workshop. The board expressed interest and directed Knopp to continue researching the possibility of including student representatives on the board. Knopp listed four reasons to include student represen...
WAITSBURG – The Lady Cards basketball team followed losses to Dayton, Mac-Hi, and Asotin with a win against the Prescott Tigers on Saturday. Waitsburg vs. Asotin The Cardinals traveled to Asotin on Jan. 9 where they put up a good fight against the Panthers but ultimately fell 34-49. Asotin took an early lead of 20-9 in the first quarter and maintained it for the win. Catilin Mohney was high scorer with three, three-point buckets for a total of nine points and made three steals. Analisea Araya ad...
WAITSBURG – Sixteen-year-old Waitsburg High junior Jared Farley remembers crashing on a trail at Ski Bluewood when he was six or seven years old, and wanting to walk rather than ski back down. Just then, the Bluewood Ski Team passed by and Jared recalled thinking, "Wow! I want to be like them!" His quick-thinking Mom, Sandra, told him if he would ski to the bottom of the run, he could join the team. That wreck was the unlikely nudge that led Farley to his current hobbies of competitive skiing an...
WAITSBURG – More than 35 people attended a Jan. 6 community forum to learn more about the Waitsburg Raceway proposed by Walla Walla resident Brandon Kelly. Kelly hopes to convert the horse race track at the Waitsburg fairgrounds to a compacted dirt car race track. Kelly had received tentative approval from the Waitsburg city council at their Dec. 16 meeting, but the council wanted to run it past the community before signing a lease contract. During the December meeting, council members r...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Historical Society member Mary Phillips gives Bill Zuger credit for the musical traditions display that will debut at the Wilson-Phillips House Museum during Waitsburg Celebration Days in May. Zuger suggested the idea for a musical display and kicked it off by donating one of three violins made by his grandfather, Edgar Buroker (1876-1950). Buroker is said to have lived on Coppei Avenue, was a building contractor in Waitsburg, and built some of the area's wooden grain e...
RITZVILLE – The Waitsburg Cardinals hit the mats in Ritzville for a Jan. 7 league meet. Carlos Norris (113) won his match against Garrett Phillips (Colfax) with a technical fall in 1:54. "Carlos is looking very strong this year. He is wrestling very smart and is continuing to learn the technical aspect of the sport," Coach Lanny Adams said. Eighth-grader, David Lewis (120) lost to Joey Rogers (Gar-Pal) after being pinned in :44. "David is still learning to be more aggressive on the mat. I t...
WAITSBURG – As of midnight, Dec. 31, the Waitsburg City Fire Department and the Waitsburg Ambulance Service ceased to exist. The services those entities provided are now covered by Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District No. 2. On New Year's Day, The Times sat down with Chief Jim Callahan and his son, Assistant Chief Brian Callahan, to talk about the changes – or lack thereof – to expect in 2016. Background Jim, who has been either assistant fire chief or fire chief for all three fire entities for o...
WAITSBURG – A nippy nineteen degrees didn't deter a group of Waitsburg residents from welcoming in the new year with a bit of fun and fitness. On the evening of Dec. 29, Dan Nechodom put out a Facebook invite for anyone interested to join him for an informal 5K run/walk/crawl on the morning of Jan. 1. Nechodom dubbed it the FFFF, or Freeze yer Fannie on the First for Five K. And true to the math teacher that he is, quickly nicknamed it the F^4 (four to the fourth) 5K. Nine hardy r...
WAITSBURG – Joe Adams (170) and Carlos Norris (113) both earned spots on the podium at the Pomeroy Christmas Invite on Tues., Dec. 20 with Adams placing first in his class and Norris placing third. Only three Cardinal wrestlers were able to attend the meet that included teams from Pomeroy, Orofino, Joseph, Mabton, Potlatch, Pullman, Clarkston, Colfax/Gar-Pal, Lind/Ritzville, Clearwater Valley, Enterprise, Kittitas, Grangeville and Kettle Falls. David Just came close to placing as well, but l...
PRESCOTT – Inmates at Coyote Ridge Correctional Facility know firsthand the importance of positive adult support for at-risk teens. That understanding led them to raise and donate $3,700 to Jubilee Leadership Academy, a program that helps teens in need. Jubilee is in its 20th year of operation and survives solely on community financial support. The academy, located on land donated by Broetje Orchards outside Prescott, provides a safe haven for up to 65 at-risk youth who could not afford its $...
WAITSBURG – Waitburg's city council expressed support of the proposed Waitsburg Raceway, with Mayor Walt Gobel saying, "It's obvious the council is for you," at the Dec. 17 City Council Meeting. However, official approval was put on hold to allow citizens the opportunity for input at a Jan. 6 public workshop. Walla Walla resident Brandon Kelly was stopped partway through his initial presentation on the proposed raceway at November's city council meeting and asked to return with specific plans r...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg FFA member Sydney Fowble got an extra-special Christmas present this year: a $1,000 grant from the National FFA Foundation for her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) goat production project. Now she has the enjoyable task of figuring out how to spend the money. Fowble was selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide for her SAE project. An SAE requires a member to create and operate an agriculture-related business, work at an agriculture-related business, or c...
WAITSBURG – Come January, there will be a new face at the Waitsburg City Council table. New student liaison Stuart Walsh will be sworn in at the Jan. 20 city council meeting. The Waitsburg High School senior, and son of Jim and Anne Walsh, is currently president of both the associated student body and the National Honor Society. He is also Knowledge Bowl captain. Walsh was recently featured in a television spot as O'Brien Chevrolet's Student of the Month for October. Last year he served as N...
WAITSBURG – The Lady Cards played a tight game but ultimately lost 49-46 against the WWVA Knights at a Thurs., Dec. 17 home match. The Knights were ahead seven in the first quarter, but the Cardinals made them fight for the win, taking the lead in the second and third quarters at 20-19 and 37-36, before losing the game by three. Annie Araya was Cardinal high scorer with 14 points, followed by Devon Harshman with 12 and Tayler Jones with nine. Araya had 17 rebounds, Harshman pulled in another 1...
WAITSBURG – Eight grader Carlos Norris and junior Joe Adams both walked away with third place medals at the Dec. 19 Mac-Hi Tournament in Milton-Freewater. Adams named Norris Cardinal Wrestler of the Week, saying he has really stepped up his dedication to being in the best physical condition that he can be in. "He gets up at 5 a.m. and does a morning workout on his own. His dedication and determination is paying off on the mat. He won both matches at the league meet in Colfax on Wednesday and p...
WAITSUBRG - Leona May Clarno passed away, at the age of 90, on Nov. 10, but will leave a lasting legacy. The longtime Waitsburg resident donated $20,000 to the City of Waitsburg, earmarked for use by the Weller Library. Clarno was involved in the Sherwood Trust for many years, and served as both an administrator and Secretary of the Board of Trustees. In her passing, she left substantial donations to many organizations. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the funds will be used...
WAITSBURG – Talks regarding a possible football athletic combine between Waitsburg and Dayton will continue. At their Dec. 9 regular meeting, the Waitsburg School Board approved the creation of an exploratory committee to more closely examine the possibility and report back in late January. Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke said representatives from both districts had met and realized that each district would benefit from having its own committee to discuss concerns inherent with a combine. ...
WAITSBURG – Following a second public hearing and two workshop sessions, the Waitsburg City Council approved the city’s 2016 final budget at the Dec. 17 meeting. The 2016 budget of $1.75 million shaved more than $1 million off of last year’s $2.8 million budget. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the drop in expenditures is mostly because there are no large capital projects slated for 2016. “We’ll replace a few small sections of water line, some storm line, some sidewalks...
WAITSBURG – Kindergarten students in Waitsburg now have even more to brag about when they describe their classroom teacher. Presidential Award-winner Pam Nolan- Beasley is now a national semi-finalist, being recognized as a cream-of-the-crop science teacher. Nolan-Beasley was one of two Washington teachers awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2012, She received a $10,000 cash award and a trip to Washington D.C. Last week Nolan-Beasley was n...
WAITSBURG – Late last January, the Waitsburg High School student body "overwhelmingly approved" the addition of FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) to the school's club and organization offerings. The first big FFCLA event is a Jeans for Teens Drive that kicked off this week. Club Leader Nancy Bickelhaupt says FFCLA is to Family and Consumer Science what FFA is to agriculture. The national Career and Technical Education organization promotes personal growth through l...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's Izzy the Camel will welcome in the new year from his new digs off Highway 124 and Hart Road, just east of Prescott. While some Izzy fans have been vocal in expressing displeasure over the move, Izzy's owners, Mickey and Tawnya Richards, say it will be best for everyone. For the last several years, Izzy and his big, blue trailer have welcomed visitors to Waitsburg from the pasture off Highway 12, just south of the Waitsburg city limits. The land was owned by Waitsburg r...
WAITSBURG – After many months spent deliberating, seeking estimates, and soliciting community input, the Waitsburg School board approved resolutions to place both a replacement M&O levy and a school facilities upgrade bond on the February 2016 special election ballot. The proposed replacement M&O levy would collect $559,000 in 2017 and $570,000 in 2018. The estimated dollar rate of the levy is $3.55 per $1,000 of assessed value in both years. The exact tax levy rate may be adjusted based on t...
