Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 418
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council de- cided to level the city's BMX bike track at the north end of town because of lack of use in a 3-1 decision last Wednes- day night. About one year ago, the council discussed leveling the track because it seemed as though the local children weren't using it. Former Councilman Orville Branson provided vocal support for the track that the Lions Club installed years ago. Branson monitored the use of the track for one year and the Lions Club provided $300 to spray the track for puncture vine on the track....
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School Board decided last Wednesday night it would not be running a maintenance and operations levy this school year to maintain current staffing levels, as was suggested. Each school year, the school board adopts a list of goals it would like to carry out. Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke said she shared the board's draft goals with the district staff members and it was suggested that the school board ask the taxpayers this school year to pay an extra tax to keep the current staff members employed at the dis...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg FFA Chapter has again been recognized as one of the top chapters in Washington and one member of the chapter is traveling to the National FFA Convention in October to accept the award in person for the first time. FFA Adviser Nicole Abel said the Waitsburg FFA chapter was rated two stars this year, one star being the highest and three stars being the lowest. The chapter's ranking puts it in the top 10 percent of chapters in the state. "We have earned this award severa...
Camp Wooten Creates Environmental Stewards Local School Districts, Parent Volunteers, Provide Outdoor Education, One-Of- A-Kind Experiences For Our Kids WAITSBURG - From this editor's perspective students learning about nature and how to pro- tect it for generations to come is a true need. And our local schools are wonderful enough to provide that kind of outdoor education to our students by sending the sixth graders to Camp Wooten each school year. Camp Wooten is a state park and an...
PRESCOTT - Could Prescott and Waitsburg share a full-time deputy to keep the communities more safe? Both the city of Prescott and the city of Waitsburg are working on new contracts for service with the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Of- fice. Prescott Councilman Doug Venn said he would like to explore a coopera- tive venture with Waitsburg to establish the presence of a deputy in their area of the county. The Prescott City Council discussed the Prescott's con- tract with the sheriff's office at...
WAITSBURG - This Sun- day's annual Pioneer Fall Festi- val will mix historical elements that tell Waitsburg's story with a new component - Main Street vendors and food. Jeff Broom, president of the Waitsburg Historical Society, said this year festival organiz- ers decided to tie in the festival, which takes place at the Bruce House Museum, with the rest of Main Street. He hopes the new change will make business owners and festival goers all happy. "We want to do the festival and have it be...
DAYTON – The Columbia County Fair last week- end brought out families, farmers, animals for show and cowboys riding bucking horses. Last Saturday, Phinehas Kerr, age 6, was showing off his 4-H Cloverbuds display in the youth building at the fairgrounds. The Cloverbuds had spent months working on craft projects and he was proud to show off the photos to his mom, Valerie, and allowed her to even take his photo in front of the display. Kerr said with the Clo- verbuds he had made can- dles and e...
WAITSBURG - The city of Waitsburg is seeking grant funding for kiosks that would honor the memory and history of Wait's Mill and the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. The city, with the help of Jeff Broom, the president of the Waitsburg Historical Society, recently applied for a $13,000 grant from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board. Broom said the grant opportunity came across City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe's desk and he decided to take a shot at it. "It sounded good," B...
WAITSBURG - As summer draws to a close, the city of Waitsburg is contemplating how it can alleviate the cost burden of operating the city pool every summer. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said at the last city council meeting that the city is looking into finding other options to fund the pool - he even mentioned raising property taxes to do so. At the meeting Hinchliffe said the city could ask the voters to approve a small increase in local sales tax to generate money to operate the pool. And some think it's a good idea. "We are g...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg City Councilman Scott Nettles believes bringing barrel racing to the Waitsburg Fairgrounds could revive the facility and possibly bring back the horse races of Days Of Real Sport. Nettles mentioned at the most recent city council meeting that he is working with some barrel racing contacts to start planning events. Nettles told the Times that he has several friends involved in the equestrian sport and that the facilities in the area for this kind of racing are li...
Soccer Program Wouldn't Exist Without Volunteers Youth Soccer Program Gets Ready To Begin Its Season, Program Runs Annually On All-Volunteer Coaching, Organizing And Support WAITSBURG - For the Blue Mountain Youth Soc- cer Association in Waits- burg, about 50 to 60 chil- dren get to learn how to play soccer because of the hard work of many local volunteers. Heather Baker, who co- ordinates the association's practices, games, has been donating her time to lead the organization for the past six...
WAITSBURG - State testing scores released last Wednesday from school year 2011-12 show some improvement in Touchet Valley schools in math, reading writing and science and some areas that need more work. According to a press release from State Super- intendent Randy Dorn, scores on statewide testing continue to show improve- ment. The scores released were for the Measurements of Student Progress, High School Proficiency exams and high school End-Of- Course Exams. Third through tenth graders were...
WALLA WAL- LA - Waitsburg held its own in the animal exhibitions last Thursday at the Walla Walla County Fair. Even through the sea of posters, animals and kids and parents bustling about the animal barns at the fairgrounds, the Waits- burg students were easy to spot. Ten-year-old Amy Far- ley from Waitsburg was busy brushing down her large, black steer in the barn preparing for judging Thursday morning. Farley said she'd had the Angus steer for eight months. This was her third time showing...
WAITSBURG - As the WP football team is setting its sights on another state championship win, the WP cheer squad is also stepping up its spirit, stunts and dances with the hope of providing great support in the Tacoma Dome again. This year, the WP cheer squad boasts six varsity cheer- leaders and four junior varsity cheerleaders, said coach Vickie Hamann. The varsity squad is fairly young, with just three returning cheerleaders and two cheerleaders who have never cheered before, she said. But,...
DAYTON - The Dayton cheer squad this football season will be focusing on adding tougher stunts to their routines as well as supporting athletes of all sports in the school and throughout the community. Head Coach AJ Walker said he has eight cheerleaders for football and seven cheerlead- ers for basketball this year. He is assisted by Jana Eaton and Emily Schlenz, a 2010 Dayton High School graduate. From July 16 through July 21 the squad attended cheer camp and the team has been practicing since...
DAYTON - With a small, young cross country team this fall season, coach Dan Nechodom expects his Bulldog runners to keep their heads in the competition this season. Nechodom has six runners this fall, three girls and three boys. One more boy has revealed some interest in participating and may join the team, he said. Two of the runners are in junior high. There are no team captains. And with just one returner, freshman Austin Krekula, Nechodom is excited for a young team he can mold into a grou...
WAITSBURG - With 15 WP cross country runners turning out for the fall season, the team and the coach are dreaming of their competitive opportunities. Coach Joanna Lanning, in her ninth year with the team, said she has 15 athletes, eight at the high school level and seven at the middle school level. The team boasts middle school athletes, athletes from Jubilee Youth Ranch and even an exchange student from Belgium, Lanning said. This year, the cross country team will be able to field a...
WAITSBURG - Food and restaurant photographer David Reamer really wasn't sure what he was getting himself into on his trip to photograph locations in Waitsburg last Thursday. But that's typical. Reamer said he is often photographing places without much context because as a magazine photographer he has little to no contact with the writer. He does not know what the magazine article will even be about. Reamer was a profes- sional cook for 13 years and throughout the last six years he has been transitioning into a career as a food and restaurant...
WAITSBURG - With the recent conflict in the Walla Walla Valley about library services, is now the time to start thinking about annexing Weller Public Library into the Rural Library District? City Administrator Ran- dy Hinchliffe proposed last week writing a letter to the Walla Walla County Com- missioners and the Walla Walla County Rural Library District Board supporting the idea of creating a regional library district and encour- aging them to include other jurisdictions in the county,...
WAITSBURG - Charles Smith's JW Morgan building is up for sale and Lupe and Sandra Torres' Nothing New Lodging is now on the market, making Waitsburg's Main Street in need of some interested buyers. Robbie Johnson, owner of Etceteras and past-president of the Commercial Club, said there are a couple of vacant spaces up for sale on Main Street that come to his mind right away - Delta Connection and what was formerly known as the auction house next to jimgermanbar in addition to Nothing New...
WAITSBURG - Faster Internet speeds could be coming to the Touchet Valley in 2013 because one local business owner says he wants to hook up to a new, cutting edge fiber optic network. Danny Cole, owner of Touchet Valley Communi- cations in Waitsburg, said last week he plans to offer the new Internet services to local customers. An agreement with Pocketi- Net Communications Inc. will allow Cole to provide services, said Todd Bran- denburg, the president and founder of PocketiNet. "It's an...
PRESCOTT - The staff members and commissioners of the Prescott pool have been tracking attendance and planning fun events for the com- munity with the hope that come November, voters will provide the 60 percent of yes votes needed to keep the pool open another summer. The Prescott Joint Park and Recreation District is a junior taxing district that has provided the money to keep the pool open. Patsy Adams Warnock, the chairwoman of the board of commissioners that runs the taxing district, said...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council last Tuesday chose to sell about 25 acres of land to The Mc- Gregor Company to expand its Waitsburg operations and add four to 10 more jobs in the city. The approval this week ends the months-long saga of what Waitsburg was going to do with a city-owned bunk house that had collapsed. The bunk house, formerly an apple-packing plant that came down in a storm in late 2011, was previously believed to contain asbestos or lead and removing it could have been costly for the city. Last March, the council learned...
PRESCOTT - Prescott Mayor Libby McCaw is step- ping down from her post after more than six years and the council members will miss her. "She's been excellent and I'm really going to miss her," said Councilwoman Darlene DeCoria. "I have a lot of respect for her. I've always looked up to her." McCaw said she let the council know a couple of months ago that she needed to resign because of family obligations. She will remain in Prescott and will often be in Walla Walla taking care of her mother. "I...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Prescott Athletic combine still has coaching positions open for the 2012-13 school year and one position has already been filled with a three- year volunteer. Stephanie Wooderchak, the athletic director and secondary principal for Waitsburg High School, said last Monday interviews for the position of high school assistant football coach were held last Friday. Mark Hauck, the director of athletics and student activities at Jubilee Youth Ranch, was selected by the WP...
