Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Waitsburg Teens Have A Vision: Ending Hunger W AITSBURG - Teens in the Waitsburg community will be participating in a 30-hour famine to understand what it's like to be one of the children who go hungry around the world. Through this famine, the teens will also be raising money for World Vision, a non-profit, Christian organization that helps end poverty and injustice, particularly with children. Wai t sburg res ident Brandon Miller will be leading the famine for four high school students in his... Full story
WAITSBURG - The state legislature recently approved $10.35 million to build the Southeast Area Skills Center at Walla Walla Community College that will hopefully allow its doors to open for Dayton, Prescott, Waitsburg, Touchet and Walla Walla students in the summer of 2014. The goal of the skills center is to enroll students in technical education to make them employable upon graduation. It will not cost families extra for students to attend. "This is to provide opportunities for kids who wanted to be ready after graduation," said Doug...
WAITSBURG - With more and more students pulling out of the Waitsburg School District, the school board will be making tough budget choices that may include staff cuts for the next school year. Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke said this school year the district had 305 students enrolled in K-12 education, online learning and Running Start. With a small kindergarten class currently registered at only 12 kids, high gas prices and families moving out of town, the district is projecting enrollment will decrease to 280 students, Clarke said. The schoo... Full story
DAYTON - Loren Mullins, of Dayton, was sentenced last Thursday to 22 months in prison for charges related to a trespass incident last February. Mullins was arrested and booked into Columbia County Jail on Feb. 6 following two trespassing reports, according to Rea Culwell, Columbia County prosecutor. A 911 call was made to law enforcement from Mullins' neighbors that evening, reporting that he was trespassing on their property. Culwell said the sheriff's deputies made contact with Mullins and requested he remove himself from the property. About... Full story
Back To The Mountain! WAITSBURG - Rebecca Wilson and others at Waitsburg Elementary are working hard to bring back Ski Bluewood lessons for the fifth grade class for next school year. "I just decided to go ahead and go for it," Wilson said. She teaches music and fitness at the elementary school and has been a ski coach for Special Olympics. "I can see how much that program is valued for students," Wilson said. Pam Conover organized the fundraisers and the ski program for about four years at the... Full story
WALLA WALLA - A Walla Walla mother of two and educator has always known she was going to run for public office and has set her sights on current County Commissioner Perry Dozier's seat. Chris Blackman, 42, is ready to bring new ideas and perspectives to the table. She filed with the county to run against Dozier for the District 2 seat in the August primary. Dozier is also running to maintain his seat. "She's very driven," said Blackman's campaign committee chairwoman, Tracy Custoldi. "She hasn't... Full story
MILTON-FREEWATER - WP and Dayton tracksters made gains and showed some great potential in the 1B/2B track meet at Shockman Field in Milton-Freewater, Ore., last Wednesday. It was Dayton's first meet of the season and the boys team placed sixth and the girls team placed eighth for the day. Dayton competed against track athletes from WP, McLoughlin, Asotin, DeSales, Pomeroy, TOR, WWVA, St. John Endicott and Garfield. The Bulldogs' coach Shawn McGee was right when at the beginning of the season he said his athletes will compete across events.... Full story
DAYTON - The Dayton softball team slid to an easy win last Wednesday against the Pomeroy Pirates, 23-2, in this single varsity game. "They struggled a lot with their pitching," said Bulldogs' assistant coach Desirae Jones. " They walked a lot and had wild pitches." In addition to leading the scoreboard, this easy game allowed Dayton to put in some of its younger players to give them some varsity experience on the field for a couple of innings, Jones said. Her softball players got to play in many different positions that day. And even though... Full story
CLARKSTON - WP did it again last Friday and took first place overall in the District 9 1B/2B track meet in Clarkston. The WP men's team came out on top, competing against DeSales, Asotin, Pomeroy, WWVA, TOR, Gar-Pal and St. John Endicott. The women's team dropped one place from its meet the previous Wednesday to fourth. The sprinters had a tough day because it was so windy early on. But, obviously the WP team showed its speed and skills. The meet on Friday was another solid day for WP gals Kristin Potter and Ronnie Hulce. Hulce placed second in... Full story
WAITSBURG - Ross Hamann was led to the Commercial Club meeting recently under false pretenses. Hamann was told his mother, Jan Kronkite, was again to receive the club's annual Community Service Award. But, as Tom Baker was describing the recipient, Hamann realized his mother hadn't been the force behind the new press box and isn't serving on the Waitsburg School Board. He does those things. Robbie Johnson, the club's president, said as Hamann realized that indeed, the person they were describing... Full story
DAYTON - In the Dayton community, past residents have left a gift that continues to support our most crucial services -- health care and education. Dr. William Day and his wife Jessie left an income-generating, activated in 1973, that pays out thousands of dollars each year to the Dayton hospital and school district, according to Kevin Paulson, a manager in special asset management in farming and ranching for Bank of America. The Days set the trust up through their attorney. Farmland is the...
PRESCOTT - Two Prescott High School students spent their class time in Home Economics to sew dresses for needy children in Africa. Their teacher Susan De- Ruwe is part of the educational sorority Alpha Gamma, which provided $50 for materials and fabric if students spent their time on creating the dresses. DeRuwe said the dresses are very simple, made of fabric she purchased at St. Vincent De Paul or even pillow cases. Her two students Adriana Benito, 18, and Eva Esquivel, 16, made 10 dresses...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council has a new council member, KC Kuykendall, after Monday's annual election. Results from the election were posted at Waitsburg City Hall and show that of the 320 ballots turned in, the council members didn't change much but for the spot vacated by former councilman Orville Branson. In the results, the most votes went to Kevin House, with 262, followed by Karl Newell, 245, Kuykendall, 243, Marty Dunn, 226 and Scott Nettles, 216. "I'm just really pleased to have...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Health System board meeting last Thursday was a call to staff and board members to communicate positivity about the hospital district and to leave the past in the past as it hunts for a new CEO. Current CEO Charlie Button announced his resignation earlier this month to take on a high-level position at a larger hospital. The board members of the district spent four hours March 22 in a retreat to talk about the search for a new CEO. At the general board meeting later... Full story
DAYTON - The Dayton baseball team is off with a bang after winning a doubleheader against TCP last Saturday in Pasco. The Dogs won the first game, 5-2, and the second game, 15-5. The game was supposed to be played in Dayton, but ended up in Pasco because Dayton's fields were wet from rainy weather that has canceled all other Dayton games so far this season. Despite the travel and playing "at home" on a different field, the Dogs pulled together as a team and really let their skills shine, said head coach Sal Benavides. " Our pitching in both...
DAYTON - After getting rained out of its first scheduled games, the Lady Bulldogs opened their season last Saturday with two wins against Tri Cities Prep. The Bulldogs claimed victory in game one last Sat- urday, 11-10, and in game two, 24-6. "It was nice to get outside and face some live pitching," said the Bulldogs' assistant coach Desirae Jones. "It took the girls a little bit to get their jitters out." And it was clear that the more the Lady Bulldogs played on Saturday, the more they warmed... Full story
WAITSBURG - The bunk house is less dangerous than the city previously believed and the Waitsburg City Council is considering different options to get it removed. The bunk house, formerly an apple-packing plant located east of the McGregor plant, collapsed late 2011 during a wind storm. The city had talked about removing it, but had concerns that the building contained asbestos or lead and could be very costly to get rid of because of the possible toxicity. The city had re-addressed the issue in February because it was learned leaving the bunk... Full story
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council last Wednesday gave the green light to purchase a new playground for the Preston Park. City staff members had also wanted to install an elementarysized basketball court, but the court was not approved. Both projects would have cost the city $40,000. Real estate excise tax money will be able to cover the playground. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the city has been slowly making improvements to Preston Park and with how popular the most recent...
STARBUCK - Recent burglaries in Starbuck and Dayton are creating a feeling of insecurity in Columbia County. According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, it has taken 13 reports of residential burglary and 13 reports of commercial burglary in 2012 as of March 15. Two of these commercial burglaries occurred in Starbuck. This number is high so early in the year compared to the annual numbers of burglaries reported in 2011 and 2010. In 2011, the sheriff's office received a total of 34 reports of residential burglary and 13 reports of...
WAITSBURG - Last week, the families and players on the 2011-12 WP boys basketball team gathered to share awards and honor the Cardinals' hard work. The boys basketball team had a great season, handing Dayton its only loss in regular season and playing hard in the district tournament. "It was successful," said head coach TJ Scott. This was the third year in a row that the Cardinals made it to the Final 16, he added. The team competed well, taking into account the tough teams in the league this year, Scott said. The Cardinals were matched up with...
DAYTON - Successful basketball and cheerleading winter sports seasons were highlighted last Monday at Dayton High School's awards banquet. Head boys basketball coach Roy Ramirez was choked up with emotion Monday night as he said goodbye and thank you to five of his senior players who have been with them since they were in fifth grade. "It was a heck of a year guys," Ramirez said. The Bulldog boys went 23-1 in the regular season and made it to the state tournament in Spokane for the first time...
WALLA WALLA - The Waitsburg Track and Field Team competed in its first meet of the season last Thursday against some big, competitive teams, but the Cardinals came out to shine even if the sun did not. It was a big day for the Cardinals in Walla Walla. They were up against Hermiston, Pendleton, Walla Walla Valley Academy, Columbia-Burbank and Walla Walla high schools. "We had some pretty stiff competition," said distance coach Joanna Lanning. "We had a fantastic meet. The kids really came... Full story
WAITSBURG - A Waitsburg Prescottt middle school level basketball team competed against some of the best from Oregon, Idaho and Washington last weekend and came out on top. Head Coa ch Travi s Trenndon put together this successful team of eight boys from Waitsburg, Prescott, Touchet, Walla Walla and College Place and practiced six or seven times before the Pine Eagle Junior High Tournament in Halfway, Ore., last weekend. This was the first year the tournament has been held and Trenndon said as... Full story
DAYTON - The community is invited to hear a proposal by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation that would revive the salmon population to the Touchet River and provide fishing in the river in 10 to 15 years. The meeting will be at 7 p.m., March 15, at the Seneca Labor Camp Activities Building on Green Giant Camp Road, east of the Highway 12 overpass on the east end of Dayton. The meeting is being held to present a proposal by local fish biologists to return natural salmon...
DAYTON - Community members reacted with mixed emotions to the announcement that Columbia County Health System CEO Charlie Button has resigned from his position for greener pastures in May. The district released a statement Monday saying Button, whose contract was up for renewal in early April, is moving on to take a top job at a larger and undisclosed critical access hospital in another state. Button, whose tenure as CEO has been controversial, has held the position for the past four years... Full story
