Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 418
WAITSBURG -- Karen Fisher-Alaniz had no idea her father was a hero. When he was 81 years old, her father Murray Fisher gave her more than 400 pages of letters about his service during World War II. It turned out Fisher-Alaniz's father did not sit behind a desk during the war as he had told her before, but he had been secretly breaking the code of the Japanese. Fisher-Alaniz presented part of her story and her book "Breaking The Code" to Waitsburg High School and middle school students last...
DAYTON - For Bette Lou Crothers, who as a child moved every year, Dayton is her real hometown. Crothers attended Dayton High School her junior and senior years, married a local boy out of college and has been selling insurance on Main Street for 30 years. Crothers said her family moved often because her parents worked building dams along the Snake River. She attended Central Washington University and always thought she would be an accountant. Instead, she got a job working as an insurance agent...
Kitties Need Loving Homes WAITSBURG - In the Waitsburg Hardware and Mercantile store on Main Street, there's something furry lurking behind the shelves. John and Marilyn Stellwagen have owned and operated Black Dog Rescue out of their store for six years now and there are plenty of animals to be adopted - cats particularly. "This has been a busy year," Marilyn said. This year, the rescue program has facilitated the adoption of about 150 animals, including dogs, cats and ferrets. Typically, the...
PRESCOTT - Prescott Jr.-Sr. High School made the list of highest improving schools in the state recently, proving the hard work of the staff and students is paying off, Superintendent Bill Jordan said. Ninety-nine schools received the award for School of Distinction recently. The award is given by the Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE), the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Phi Delta Kappa-Washington Chapter...
DAYTON - The Dayton School District is looking at asking taxpayers to pass a $1.3 million maintenance and operations levy in February that would help fund personnel, activities, athletics and other general maintenance costs for two years. Superintendent Doug Johnson said the levy would be on the Feb. 14, 2012 ballot. It is a replacement levy for a current M&O levy that will last collect in October 2012. The new taxes, if the levy is passed by voters, will be collected the following year. The district still has yet to make decisions on the...
They Do it For The Kids WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Fire Department Captain Brian Callahan thought getting to the fire department five minutes before 5 p.m. would be just fine on Halloween last Monday. However, when he showed up, there were already parents waiting with their witches, monsters, ghosts and princesses. This Halloween was the first year the Waitsburg Fire Department provided blinking safety flashers and candy for the local children as they donned costumes and went door to door for...
DAYTON - Three groups in Dayton are working hard to uncover, document and educate the community on the history of the area. This is a look at each of those three groups and an explanation of their history, what they have already accomplished and their visions for the future. Dayton Historic Preservation Commission In 1992, the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission was created. "Our purpose is to educate and identify historic homes," said Kathy George, the chairwoman of the commission. The...
DAYTON - Because of a company merger, Dayton's Tumac store that sold tractor equipment and parts will close its doors permanently on Friday after about 40 years of service to the community, said President Tim Larkin. The store's closure not only means that Columbia County farmers will have to go to Walla Walla for oil and other small parts for their tractors, but that two jobs will be lost, Larkin said. "The Columbia County community has been very supportive," Larkin said. "It wasn't a decision that was made lightly." Larkin said the closure...
DAYTON - The Dayton City Council Tuesday night reviewed the proposed 2012 city budget that would raise garbage rates and sewer rates to maintain city services amid a tough economy. "It's a very conservative budget knowing things will go south farther than they will go north," Councilman Merle Jackson said. The budget does not include any large projects for the city in 2012, so the city can keep its head above water until the economy improves, Mayor Craig George said. "So when things move forward, we can move forward," Jackson said. For the...
DAYTON - Dayton Bulldogs scored the first touchdown of Friday's game in Walla Walla, but DeSales' defense and late offensive moves in the game gave the Irish a slim victory, 15-14. The first half of the game showed some good defense from both sides of the field. Right before the buzzer with about one minute left in the first quarter, Colton Bickelhaupt hit Wyatt Frame for 31 yards and earned a first down at the 3-yard line. Frame ran the ball in two plays later, leading 6-0 at the start of the...
WAITSBURG - The WP Cardinals had a strong showing at the Wildhorse Invitational in Pendleton on Oct. 21. Coa ch Joanna Lanning had four runners in the competition. Middle school standout Emily Adams crossed the finish line fourth out of 72 runners in the girl's 3,000-meter race with a time of 12:20. E.J. Meserve was Lanning's only varsity runner on Friday, but he made gains in his performance. He placed 22nd with a time 0f 18:26 in the varsity boy's 5,000-meter race. The Potts brothers, Andre...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg has a new ballot dropoff box by City Hall so voters can save a stamp. Karen Martin, the Walla Walla County auditor, said at last week's council meeting the county would install a secure drop box in time for next month's general election. Eighteen days prior to the election, voters can fill out their ballot and drop it into the box for pickup, saving them the stamp it would take if it was dropped in the mail. The box was installed Friday afternoon. Martin said the drop box is a new alternative to staffing a poll site in...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council is starting to get documents prepared for the process of taking the idea of a transportation benefit district to the ballot. City Clerk Randy Hinchliffe said there is less and less money for roads and a transportation benefi t district, if approved by the voters, would give the council the ability to collect a small percentage of sales tax to raise money for street improvements. The other option would be for the council to pass a $20 car tab fee, but the council members did not support that idea. If...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council members are torn between putting thousands of dollars into the city's seldom-used BMX track or removing it. The track was put in by the Lion's Club in 2001 for the children to ride and jump their bikes in a safe place. Dan Katsel, the city's director of public works, said at the council meeting last Wednesday the track has visible large rocks and puncture vine and said the track receives "zero use." Councilman Orville Branson, said the track was expensive for the club to put in and it is an asset to the...
DAYTON - A propane gas leak at Dayton High School Thursday evening forced the cancellation of a home volleyball game and closed down parts of Second and Third Streets. Rick Turner, the fire chief of Columbia County Fire District 3 in Dayton, said his crews were called to the high school about 5 p.m. The call was for a strong odor of propane in the high school gym, he said. When his crews arrived, high school personnel had evacuated the gym. The fire department found remnants of a gas cloud and the strong smell that was reported. The doors to...
DAYTON - Residential burglaries are on the rise in Dayton, especially in vacant homes, according to Sheriff Walt Hessler. He is urging neighbors call law enforcement as soon as they see any suspicious activity to catch the burglars. "We've never had this serious of a problem before," Hessler said. "This is the first time." The burglaries in Dayton have become more frequent over the past two or three months, he said. This year, there have been six non-residential burglaries, meaning businesses were broken into, and 21 reported residential...
WAITSBURG - WP's middle school runners saw successes and personal record races on Oct. 12 at a meet at Pioneer Middle School in Walla Walla. WP middle school runner Emily Adams placed first in the girls seventh grade 2-mile race with a time of 12:32. On Wednesday, she shaved nearly two minutes off of her 2-mile time from the previous meet. Coach Joanna Lanning said Adams is now ranked second in state for seventh grade. WP's middle school boys also made strides on Wednesday. Andre Potts placed...
WALLA WALLA - In this November's General Election, the six-year incumbent will go head-to-head with a new contender for the chance to serve as commissioner of the Port of Walla Walla District 2. Incumbent Mike Fredrickson, co-owner of Associated Appraisers of Walla Walla is hoping to hold onto his seat to continue his work at the port. Barlow Corkrum, a real estate investor is giving him a run for his money. Corkrum shined in August's Primary Election, coming away with about 41 percent of the...
WAITSBURG - Members of the board of the Days of Real Sport, Dayton Days and other groups affiliated with local Class C race tracks scribbled their signatures on a letter to members of the Washington Horse Racing Commission with the hope that the commission will give the tracks money in 2012 to bring back their horse racing events. The commission's fund balance, a cut of money earned from wagers at Auburn's Emerald Downs, only allowed for six days of Class C racing in 2011. The funding does not come from tax payers. The commission last winter...
WAITSBURG - It was a learning experience that wielded success for the WP Cardinals at the Richland Invitational on Oct. 8. The Cardinals had been gearing up for this pivotal meet because it brought tons of competition from all over, WP cross country coach Joanna Lanning said. WP runners Seth Deal and E.J. Meserve were part of the 800 male runners who competed on Saturday. "It's bigger than state," Lanning said of the competition. Meserve competed in a freshman-sophomore race and placed 26th with a time of 18:24. Deal competed in the 5K varsity...
PRESCOTT - S t . George's Dragons had a quick, powerful start to Friday's soccer game against the WP Tigers, but the Tigers stepped up its game and ended the battle with a 3-3 tie. The Dragons were fast out of the gate Friday at Prescott High School scoring two goals quickly in the first half. The Tigers were up to the challenge of slaying the dragons and Luis Fernando Torres Escalante took advantage of an open shot to the net and scored a first goal for WP with 16 minutes left in the first half...
DAYTON - By compiling ideas from residents, business owners and the Dougherty Landscape Arcitechts, the Dayton Development Task Force has a real picture of the possible future of Commercial Avenue. David Dougherty's group from Eugene, Ore., was hired recently to help revitalize Commercial Avenue in Dayton. Last Wednesday, the task force and community members got to hear a presentation and see sketches of what Commercial Avenue could be if the effort continues. The ultimate goal is to create a...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School has two new faces this year and those faces look just like the regular students, they're just from abroad. Franchesco Nobili, 18, and Katharina Koch, 15, are spending time in Waitsburg this school year to learn about the culture and the country they've seen in the movies. "I thought it would really change my life," Nobili said. "A different country could open my mind." Nobili is from Magliano Sabina, Italy. He is stoic, quiet and reserved with a little nervous l...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg- Prescott's Seth Deal continued his hot streak at the end of September and early November placing first twice in boys varsity races at recent cross county meets. WP cross country Coach Joanna Lanning is happy with Deal's performance, and truly believes that she has more than one star on her team. "I hope all three of the high school runners are going to state," Lanning said. In addition to Deal, E.J. Meserve and Trent Hasen are gearing up for some tough competitions in the coming weeks. On Sept. 24 at a meet in Connell,...
DAYTON - Using excellent defense, the Dayton Bulldogs beat the Tri Cities Prep Jaguars 30-0 at Dayton's Homecoming game on Friday night. The crowd was decked out in Crimson and Gold in the Bulldog stands as alumni returned for the big game. The team ran out onto the field and a fireworks display to the "Star Spangled Banner" kicked off the game play. The game started shaky. Following the kickoff, a scramble on the field landed a yellow flag in the Bulldog's favor. The Bulldog's held TCP's...
