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  • Treasure at The Liberty

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Aug 8, 2024

    DAYTON - The Missoula Children's Theater will present an adaption of the classic "Treasure Island" at The Liberty Theatre at 7 p.m. on August 9 and 3 p.m. on August 10. Talented youth from the community have been working with MCT director Zoey Paulson and Leila Abou-Jaoude, who will play the role of Long John Silver. Rehearsals and workshops were held daily this week in preparation for the two performances. For many Touchet Valley kids, participation in an MCT production is the first step...

  • Printmaking at Tate Art Waitsburg

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Aug 8, 2024

    WAITSBURG - Local artist Twila Tate welcomed students to Tate Art in Waitsburg on Saturday, August 3, as part of ArtWalla's First Weekend Art Tours. Jennifer Hammer and Brittney Croft spent three hours learning how to make collagraphs, monoprints, and block prints in Tate's Main Street studio. "I had a great time! Twila was a terrific instructor, explaining things well and letting us experiment," said Hammer. The students said they would recommend the printmaking class to others. All the...

  • Waitsburg Fairgrounds grandstands future undecided

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Aug 1, 2024

    WAITSBURG - At its June meeting, the Waitsburg City Council discussed the condition and future options for the grandstands at the city's fairgrounds. The council was to vote on a a resolution to raze several structures at the city propery, including the grandstands. During public comment on the resolution, Friends of the Fairgrounds, Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District, and community members asked the council not to approve the action until a full fairgrounds plan has been completed by Parks...

  • Waitsburg Presbyterian has new pastor

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 11, 2024

    WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Presbyterian membership has made it official; Heidi Lum has been named Pastor of the church. She takes over from Pastor Stan Hughes, who has been serving in a transitional role since April 2019. Lum, her husband Ellery, and son Matthew moved to Waitsburg last year after Hughes invited her to intern at the church. She met Hughes at the Presbytery of the Northwest after the Lums moved to Kettle Falls, Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii. Lum said she chose Washington to...

  • A Fourth of July tradition

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 11, 2024

    In 2010, Laurette dared her husband Jack McCaw and the late Tom Baker to march down Waitsburg’s Main Street with an American flag on the 4th - wearing shorts. Now an annual event, McCaw was joined by Rose Englebright and other community members for the Veterans’ March. After their first appearance, the shorts have not been part of the tradition....

  • An enduring story of family, community, and heros

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 11, 2024

    WAITSBURG - Wendy, Brian, and Coe Richards are inviting the Waitsburg community to join in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the surgery that saved their family. In July 1999, two-year-old Coe had already endured months of chemotherapy and hospitalization at Seattle's Children's Hospital before undergoing a liver transplant. A softball-sized tumor was found on his liver the prior December. Though the seven rounds of chemo managed to reduce its size by half, the tumor's position on the liver...

  • Waitsburg Councilmember Jillian Henze elected to the Association of Washington Cities board of directors

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 4, 2024

    OLYMPIA — Councilmember Jillian Henze of Waitsburg was elected to the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Board of Directors by members representing 281 cities and towns in the state. The election was held at the AWC Annual Conference in Vancouver, Washington, held from June 18-21, 2024. Henze will represent the 34 cities and towns in Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties. “I’m honored, humbled and so excited to serve Waitsburg and its neighboring cities and towns in southeast Washington on the AWC b...

  • Waitsburg man arrested after four hour standoff

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 4, 2024

    WAITSBURG — The Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Police, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and SWAT responded to a reported domestic assault at 19391 E. Hwy 12 in Waitsburg on Sunday, June 30. An assault was reported at 7 p.m.; deputies arrived on the scene around 7:15 p.m. According to the WWSO, a father reported his adult son hit his other adult son with a wooden rod. Units arrived and set up a perimeter. Deputies on the scene attempted to contact the suspect by hailing and calling, but there was no response. The SWAT team...

  • Summer youth activities are heating up

    Karen Huwe and Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jul 4, 2024

    WAITSBURG-Summer youth programs kicked into gear this weekend for kids in Waitsburg, Dayton, and Prescott. The Waitsburg Christian and Waitsburg Presbyterian churches offered Vacation Bible School to preschool through sixth-grade students from June 26 through 28. This year's "Breaker Rock Beach" theme was a hit with more than 40 kids who enjoyed the beach decorations, crafts, songs, games, and other activities. On Saturday, June 29, from 9 to 11 a.m., the two churches and Waitsburg's Firemen's...

  • Waitsburg Main Street sees big changes this month

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jun 27, 2024

    Bar Bacetto and Gaudy Gals on Main are closing, and former city hall sale is moving forward. WAITSBURG -The last few years have seen significant changes on Waitsburg's Main Street. This June, the city lost two popular businesses, and several empty buildings are finding new owners. Mike and Erin Easton announced they would not reopen Bar Bacetto in July. The James Beard 2024 nominee for Best New Restaurant opened in October 2022 and offered Easton's signature pasta, cocktails, and excellent servi...

  • Waitsburg City Hall is back on the market

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jun 20, 2024

    WAITSBURG—At a special meeting on June 13, the Waitsburg City Council voted to accept Patraic Slattery’s offer for the former city hall building. The offer included a project description: an organic wine bar on the ground floor and eight hotel rooms upstairs. Slattery is completing his remodel and rebranding of the former Weinhard Hotel, which will reopen as the Hotel Hardware this summer. His plans for the city hall building were similar to the Dayton project On Thursday, Council member Jillian Henze announced the agreement on her public pag...

  • SCA is back to the past at Preston Park

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jun 6, 2024

    WAITSBURG/AN TIR KINGDOM-Waitsburg's Preston Park will be the weekend base for members of the Society for Creative Anachronism from June 7 to 9. The society is an international community in which members choose a pre-seventeenth-century period to research through immersive reenactment. Dame Katherine of Akornebir, once Baroness of Wastekeep, and known in present-day as Kathy Carpenter, encouraged anyone interested in history to come to the park, ask questions, borrow a tunic, and join the...

  • Goal of 100 donated laptops, cellphones, tablets almost met

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Jun 6, 2024

    DAYTON - Area non-profits and charities, including Project Timothy, Blue Mountain Action Council, and the Walla Walla YWCA, appreciate the generosity of retired computer tech Gordon Gerlitz. After owning and operating GWhiz Computing for twenty years, Gerlitz now offers his considerable skills to help his community. Gerlitz has collected, refurbished, and donated over ninety laptops, tablets, and phones since he started this project in January 2022. He is now within five devices of 100, a goal...

  • Waitsburg City Council assigns committees

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|May 23, 2024

    The Waitsburg City Council met at the city hall for its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. Council members Kevin House, Jim Romine, Jennifer Bishop, and Court Ruppenthal attended in person, and Jillian Henze attended on Zoom. In new business, the council discussed Ordinance 2024-1090, which would amend the municipal code regarding how the city council conducts business. Council members would no longer be limited in the use of a virtual option to attend meetings. Another change was adding Section I(10), which limits council members...

  • Sign up for Citywide June 1 Garage Sale

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|May 16, 2024

    WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Citywide Garage Sale is coming up on Saturday, June 1. "The Times" will publish the go-to map for the event in the May 30, 2024, edition. The map will have addresses for all the participating garage and yard sales in Waitsburg and Prescott. It is free to be included on the map, so send your garage sale details to "The Times" to be included. Information must be sent to "The Times" by 3 p.m. Friday, May 24. Please email advertising@waitsburgtimes.com with all the necessary...

  • Fanciful, fabulous creatures come to Prescott Elementary

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|May 9, 2024

    PRESCOTT - Laura Chabre's fourth-grade students participated in an art workshop with artist Victor Trejo, a native of Mexico City. Working with clay and papier mâché, Trejo worked with the kids to create mythical and magical creatures in the Mexican folk-art style of alebrijes. Trejo first drew examples of animals the kids could choose to create alebrijes. Next, he demonstrated how to use clay to make armatures for the papercraft pieces. Working with red clay, the students filled their w...

  • P.E.O. Chapter BE celebrated 100 year anniversary

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|May 2, 2024

    WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg BE, P.E.O. held the chapter's 100th Anniversary luncheon at Town Hall on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Over 100 attendees, including long-time members, new members, and B.I.L (Brothers in Love) members, enjoyed the luncheon. The hall was decorated with period clothing and memorabilia from the Waitsburg Historic Society collection. Members recognized at the luncheon included Barbara Danforth, who has been a member for 60 years. Lynn Mantz-Powers, Linda Stonecypher, Kathy...

  • A big country bike ride

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|May 2, 2024

    WAITSBURG - Four bike riders stopped at Ten Ton Coffee in Waitsburg on their estimated 50-day journey to NYC. Bob Zalnis, Chris Watson, Lucas Murga, and Paul Brazeau began on April 24 after the riders and bikes arrived at the Seattle Airport. Chris Watson traveled the farthest, from Salisbury, England, to meet up with friends Brazeau and Zalnis from Wisconsin and Murga from California. The bike adventurers told The Times, "We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be...

  • Waitsburg Commercial Club 2024 Community Service Awards

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 18, 2024

    WAITSBURG -The Waitsburg Commercial Club honored community members at its annual meeting and community service awards dinner on Tuesday, April 16. The event was held at American 35, where guests enjoyed a lasagna dinner, desserts, a silent auction, and a chance to celebrate Waitsburg's one-of-a-kind community. The 2024 Community Service Award was presented to Jillian Henze. Incoming Commercial Club President Tiffany Baxter presented the award to Henze for her work on the Waitsburg City Council...

  • Free screening for "Colors of Thread" at The Liberty April 22

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 18, 2024

    DAYTON - The Dayton Historical Depot Society (DHDS) is sponsoring a free screening of "Colors of Threads" on Monday, April 22, at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Theater in Dayton. The movie "Colors of Threads" was written by Josie Henderson, a WWU alumna, and produced by the Center for Media Ministry (CMM) at Walla Walla University. The screening at The Liberty will begin at 7 p.m. , followed by a question-and-answer period with producers. The film was produced as a proof of concept project, a short...

  • CWWFD2 asks public for input on fire chief job description

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 11, 2024

    WALLA WALLA - The Columbia Walla Walla Fire District 2 volunteers and board are grateful for the voters' approval of the 2023 Levy Lid Lift. In allocating these resources, the department has prioritized hiring a full-time, paid Fire Chief. The department understands the importance of the community having an opportunity to give input on leadership of CWWFD2. Assistant Fire Chief Matt Spring formed a hiring committee of department and community members to begin the process. The committee reviewed...

  • CCRLD played role in Senate Bill 5824

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 4, 2024

    OLYMPIA - On Tuesday, March 26, Senate Bill 5824, sponsored by Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) and requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, was signed into law in Olympia. The bill raised the required number of petitioners from 10% to 25% of eligible voters. In addition, eligible voters include all residents who pay taxes to fund the library district. "The Dayton library was on the verge of becoming the first library in the country to shut down because of a dispute over the books inside," Hunt sai...

  • Sister City exchange students from Japan spend an eventful day in Waitsburg

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 4, 2024

    WAITSBURG-Students and chaperones from Tamba-Sasayama, Japan, visited Waitsburg on April 2. Their first stop was lunch at Ten Ton Coffee, where barista Cheyenne Frohreich shared a scrapbook and photos from her exchange trip to Sasayama. Following lunch, the group walked down Main Street to the Bruce House where Waitsburg Historical Society members Sarah Wilson and Margaret Terry gave the group a tour. of the museum's collection. Next, the students experienced the creative side of town with...

  • Waitsburg City Council table filling vacancy, raise utility tax

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Apr 4, 2024

    WAITSBURG— Waitsburg City Council held its regular meeting on March 27 after being delayed one week due to council members’ availability. In public comment, Joy Smith told the council that with the success of new businesses in town, there is now a budding parking problem. She said Waitsburg Commercial Club and the city have used signage to direct visitors to additional parking, usually the city-owned property west of the Main Street bridge. Smith suggested it may be time for businesses to post parking options on their websites. She also sai...

  • Commissioners appoint Walling to Library Board

    Lane Gwinn, The Times|Mar 28, 2024

    DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners met for a special meeting on March 25, 2024. Chairman Jack Miller and commissioners Ryan Rundell and Marty Hall were present. The commissioners and County Prosecutor Dale Slack discussed changes to the county's coroner services required due to amendments to RCW 36.16.030. The coroner function must be separated from prosecutors starting in 2024. The commissioners decided not to turn the position into an elected office, choosing to appoint or contract...

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