Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 167
State Supreme Court Denies Review Of Huwe's Case; 39-year Sentence Stands DAYTON - Daniel Huwe has just about exhausted his options. The 31-year-old man was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree assault by jury trial in Dayton in 2007. He was sentenced to 468 months, or 39 years, in prison. For years, Huwe has fought that sentence, beginning with his first conviction in 2005, which he was successful in having overturned. The State retried his case in Columbia County in 2007, this time bussing in a jury from Walla Walla Co...
DAYTON -In February 2005, a young Dayton man was sitting in an airport in Kuwait passing the time while waiting to fly home on a two-week break. He was in his second tour of duty in Iraq. That's when he overheard two young soldiers behind him talking about the coolest thing that had happened to them at Christmas time. Some tiny town in Washington state had made and filled Christmas stockings and mailed them to soldiers in Iraq, they said. There were newspapers from the town, goodies, handmade...
WAITSBURG - Relax and experience something new in Waitsburg. Coming December 1, Claudia's Therapeutic Massage will open as the first new tenant in the Waitsburg Business Center at 111 Preston Avenue. The business center, a 1,600-square-foot building that once housed the old Waitsburg Clinic, opened this summer. For Claudia C. Abel, the new center represents an opportunity she hadn't before considered. "I was looking for somewhere to practice in Walla Walla, but everybody kept telling me I sho...
PASCO - WP cross country runners went to state this week, setting high scores among over a dozen other schools from all over Washington competing at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on Saturday. "It was a fantastic day and a terrific way to end our season," said coach Joanna Lanning. "Every single WP athlete put forth their best effort to give our boys' team its best finish yet." The boys' team placed 7th in the state this year, two places better than last year, Lanning said. "And two pl...
SPOKANE - The WP Tigers won their second playoff game Friday, beating Northwest Christian 2-0. The first-year soccer team is now ranked first in the state for 1B/2B schools. They will play Shoreline Christian in a quarterfinals game at home on Saturday. Final rounds usually have to take place on a neutral field, but the Tigers were able to get approval to use their own field in Prescott for Saturday's match. Shoreline Christian is ranked 7th in the state and 5th on the west side. In the g...
Visitors to downtown Dayton may have noticed the modern, full-service, handicap accessible crosswalk at the traffic light on 2nd and Main. It beeps loudly, warns pedestrians in a commanding voice not to cross if they press the button at a green light, let's them know when it's okay to go and gives them a countdown for how much time they have left. It's called an accessible pedestrian system, a fully integrated pedestrian station that provides the pedestrian with visual, tactile and au...
Working as an aide in a nursing home over 20 years ago, Steve Edwards met a pastor who changed his life. He wore blue jeans and had a guitar hanging from his shoulder. "That was Steve," said wife Roslyn Edwards, or the man Steve would become. Growing from a man who once complained that Roslyn, "sure talked about God a lot," to being baptized by that same nursing home pastor to becoming a pastor himself at Dayton's First Congregational Church 17 years ago, Edwards matured from a wild musician of...
Focus On Goals Grades Lifts Hopes Dreams For The Kids From The Orchards PRESCOTT - Nobody who knows these kids is really shocked at their success on the field. The WP Tigers have this soccer thing down, without a doubt. In their first year as a school team, these athletes have played their way to the finals, broken all sorts of records and are now ranked first in the state. But most people knew they had that potential. Many of these teens have been playing soccer since they could walk. Their clu...
DAYTON - Ten years ago, a local couple met and married while on the set for "The Music Man" at the Liberty Theater in Dayton. A baby, nicknamed "The Music Man Baby," was in the womb throughout rehearsals and production. This year, the Touchet Valley "theater family" is bringing back Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" for the theater's 10-year anniversary. And this time the show is a tribute to the director of that first production, Steve Edwards. Edwards was planning to direct this...
DAYTON - Often what's good for business is good for the whole town. One of Dayton's newest downtown business projects should turn out to be just that, its organizers say. Good for downtown, great for tourism and much appreciated by residents. A quick peek at the plan reveals one obvious segment of the local population likely to enjoy it. The brand new, 80 by 50 foot playground adjacent to the depot should be a hit with the kids. "There is no playground on the north side of town right now, so...
The WP Tigers host St. George out of Spokane on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 2:30 p.m. in Prescott. This soccer match is a loser-out contest for state. The Tigers, a first-year team, have broken several league records this season and remain undefeated at 16-0. The team is second among 1B/2B schools in the state. Prescott's Elizabeth Xaudaro is the highest-ranking female player in the league, having scored three goals during the season. WP dominates in number of goals, assists, and shutouts. And the Tigers have scored more points this season than an...
WP's cross country runner Isabel Benito and the entire Cardinals varsity men's team, including District 9 champ Seth Deal, will compete at the state meet in Pasco on Saturday. Girls will race at 10 a.m. and boys at 11:30. Deal, a Waitsburg sophomore, took first place in the men's varsity race last Thursday during the District 9 Cross Country Meet at Pomeroy. His time in the 5,000 meter race was 16:58, a 22-second lead over Tri-Cities Prep second-place runner Nick Lumetta. In the women's var...
DAYTON - It's been raining all morning, it's cold enough to frost the tops of the Blue Mountains in the distance, the playground fields are soggy, but that won't stop these determined fifth and sixth graders. They're part of Dayton's elementary flag-football league, and it's just two weeks to playoffs. They're heading outside. "I can't keep them from playing, even in the rain. They beg me," said sixth grade science teacher and flag football advisor John Lindsey. The five teams face off Mondays,...
DAYTON - Goin' on a ghost hunt (Goin' on a ghost hunt), But I'm not afraid (But I'm not afraid). The lyrics to this silly preschool song, altered to suit my situation, ran through my head Halloween night as I roped and tied my sugar-saturated kids in bed after trick-or-treating and hopped in the car to drive six blocks over to the downtown Weinhard Hotel, est. 1889. With over 120 years of history having passed through its heavy doors and played out inside its Victorian-styled rooms, the hotel wa...
POMEROY - WP sophomore Seth Deal took first place in the men's varsity race Thursday during the District 9 Cross Country Meet at Pomeroy. His time in the 5,000 meter race was 16:58, a 22-second lead over Tri-Cities Prep second-place runner Nick Lumetta. In the women's varsity race, WP's Isabela Benito placed fourth, just behind three TCP runners. Her time of 22:25 was less than 30 seconds behind that of the lead runner. Runners in the district championships came from TCP, WP, Asotin, St John-Endicott, Dayton, Liberty Christian and Pomeroy. The...
In this recession, many businesses are focused on their own financial wellness, but a number of enterprises in the Touchet Valley have opted to turn their focus onto the well-being of their employees. In September, Dayton General Hospital in cooperation with Columbia Cares, a coalition of community leaders organized in March 2009 to plan, assess and implement healthy environments for families and youth in the Touchet Valley, received a $9,600 grant from the Washington Health Foundation to...
DAYTON - Although they're toeing the line, Merle Jackson and the Dayton city finance committee believe they'll be able to hold for another year without losses. Monday night, city council member Jackson, representing the committee, presented the town's proposed 2011 budget to his fellow council members and a small audience at city hall. The first draft of this definitive document was well received by those present. "I think we are blessed in this city," said Dayton Mayor Craig George. "Times are tough, and they're going to get tougher." Was...
PRESCOTT - Yipee TiYay, Nevada Slim rides the range the modern cowboy way. With a two-ton truck, a cell phone and a bale of hay. "Well you might say it's better this way. 'Cuz I ain't in the saddle both night and day. But with regulations and taxes right up to my ears, I got a hankerin', pard, for yesteryears." Yesteryears and the old life of cowboys, pioneers, ranchers and early settlers hold a fascination Nevada Slim and his singing partner Cimarron Sue can't seem to shake. The Prescott...
Soccer playoffs are just around the corner, and both Touchet Valley teams will get a shot at state championships. The undefeated WP Tigers are a record 16-0 and top 1B/2B soccer team in the state. They also met assistant coach Bart Baxter's personal goal to make over 100 goals in their first season. After defeating Moses Lake 5-0 Saturday and Walla Walla Valley Academy 7-2 Monday, the Tigers have scored 109 goals in the season and only allowed 14. "It's been an exceptional year," said head coach Rick Hamilton. "The kids have just responded v...
DAYTON - People like to be scared is what it comes down to. They must, said Dayton's Rick Suchodolski, or why would horror films be so popular? Certainly nobody in the Touchet Valley could be more fascinated by horror than Rick and Clara Suchodolski. "I'm a huge creature fan," Suchodolski said. And he always has been. His father introduced Suchodolski to classic horror and monster movies as a young kid of probably no more than 6 or 7 years. He bought his first model of the Creature from the...
WAITSBURG - Former Waitsburg resident Jason J. Lujan, 30, will return to his home in the 100 block of Murphy Street, Waitsburg, after being released from police custody on Nov. 14. Lujan is a registered, level III sex offender currently under Department of Corrections supervision. The Walla Walla County Sheriff's community awareness program is offering a sex offender notification meeting for community members at the Lions Community Building, near the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, to provide information on Lujan and...
TUCANNON VALLEY- Another opening weekend of deer-hunting season in the Touchet Valley has come and gone. The numbers indicate that while the sport certainly hasn't decreased in popularity, it isn't growing much either. Many believe the long-term effects of the economic slump are to blame. But for Phyllis Rothauge, co-owner of The Last Resort Camp Store and Blue Mountains KOA Campground on Tucannon Road just inside the Columbia County line, it was still a crazy, busy weekend. "I think the...
DAYTON - Republican candidate for U.S. Senator Dino Rossi was welcomed with open arms Saturday morning by local supporters in Columbia County. The eyes of many not only here but around the nation are on the race between Rossi, a Republican making his third run for statewide office after unsuccessful campaigns for governor in 2004 and 2008, and 18-year incumbent, Patty Murray, a Democrat. Washington's vote could determine which party controls the Senate. About 35 people attended the Rossi...
WAITSBURG - WP cross country runners took first place in all three races during the league meet here in Waitsburg Tuesday afternoon. The local track took runners around the horse race track, onto the football field track, in a loop through the cemetery and back down to the race track. The runners made this circuit twice for 3.1 miles. Seth Deal led the pack in the 5 K Varsity race with a time of 17:11; Nick Carpenter was 5th with 18:29, and Matthew Montgomery was 10th with 19:31. Isabela Beni...
The Bulldogs earned their first win of the season Friday night in a match against St. George's JV squad. The Spokane team split in two for games against WP in Prescott and the Bulldogs in Dayton on Friday. With the top-ranking Dragons distracted in their struggle against the Tigers, the Bulldogs picked up a 2-0 defeat. "I'm just very happy with the team," said head coach DJ Frame. "The cool thing was they just took care of business, from warm ups to locker room talk. The coaches didn't have to do much." One senior in particuBy Davy Phil...
