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Articles from the February 28, 2019 edition


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  • Waitsburg Elections are Underway

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – It’s no joke. Waitsburg’s annual elections, which take place the first Monday in April, will be held on April Fool’s Day this year. Caucuses may be held Feb. 25 – March 7 and Declarations of Candidacy must be filed with the City between March 1 and March 10. Declaration of Candidacy forms can be picked up at City Hall or downloaded from the City website at www.cityofwaitsburg.com. Waitsburg operates under its “one-of-a-kind” original 1881 charter, which means the City election process for mayor and five council members diffe...

  • 2019 Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen Coronation

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    11 Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen Makenna Barron (r) hugs Court Advisor Beka Compton as Compton's mother, former Court Advisor Anne Adams looks on. (See story on Page 5.)...

  • Small businesses arriving and thriving in Columbia County

    Michele Smith, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    DAYTON—The Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson frequently says jobs in Columbia County are counted by ones and twos, and the ones and twos are adding up. At last week’s Cup of Joe, Port Economic Development Coordinator Kathryn Witherington, introduced a few new businesses in Dayton to attendees gathered at the Winter Rose Café & Boutique. Winter Rose Café & Boutique All things led back to Dayton, according to Amanda Toms, who along with Tyler Usco, are the proprietors of the Winter Rose Café & Boutique. While living in North Ca...

  • Greg Tompkins will run to retain District 3 county commissioner seat

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WALLA WALLA COUNTY – Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins announced his intentions to file for election to retain his seat on the board of commissioners, in a press release issued this week. Tompkins was appointed to the board on Feb. 4 to fill the District 3 position left vacant following the untimely death of Commissioner Jim Duncan. He previously held the same position for 12 years, from Jan. 2003 through Dec. 2014, when he decided not to file to focus more on his growing b...

  • Blast from the past: Laura Jean Hevel was first city council woman

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – Dr. Roger Hevel and his wife, Laura Jean, have been cornerstones of the Waitsburg community for decades. Laura Jean, who passed away in December, at the age of 93 was always ready to greet a neighbor with a warm smile and a kind word. She was also a strong community activist and philanthropist. While looking through past city council minutes, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe recently ran across these minutes from July of 1971. In them, Laura Jean was unanimously nominated to city c...

  • Pioneer Portraits

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    Ten Years Ago March 5, 2009 Anyone looking to get away won’t want to miss the 2009 edition of the Liberty’s annual variety show, “Passport to Paradise” Thirteen Waitsburg High School students are inaugurating a Youth and Government Program and are holding a fundraiser to earn their way to the state competition in Olympia come May .The thirteen students include Kourtney Foley, Matt Leid, Ben Kiefel, Allie Wooderchak, John Hockersmith, Ellie Bartlow, Philip Kock, Amber Morris, Christy Poirier, Nick Carpenter, David Smith and Fletcher Baker....

  • The Club Offers Spring Break Camp

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    DAYTON – The Club after school program in Dayton will offer its first week-long camp during spring break called Spring Break @ The Club. The camp will include activities like Spokane’s Mobile Mobius STEM Exhibits, the Whitman College rock wall and more. The camp is open to anyone (members or not) in grades K-8. The cost is $75/child for members and $95/child for non-members. The program will run from April 1-5 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Visit www.theclubdayton.org/applications to register. Space...

  • Free Park Day March 19

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington State Parks invites visitors to help celebrate the agency's 106th birthday on Tues., March 19, by enjoying a state park free day. Visitars are not required to dispay the Discover Pass for day-use on that day. Upcoming 2019 State Park Free Days are: Sat., April 20 - Springtime Free Day Mon., April 22 - Earth Day Sat., June 1 - National Trails Day Sat., June 8 - National Get Outdoors Day Sun., June 9 - Free Fishing Day Sun., Aug, 25 - National Park Service Birthday...

  • Garden Club Rescheduled

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – The opening meeting of the Waitsburg Garden Club has been rescheduled to Sun., March 3 at 11 a.m. at 10 Ton Coffee. Everyone is welcome. To learn more about the Waitsburg Garden Club, email Susan Donegan at sadonegan52@gmail.com....

  • American Pickers is looking for hidden treasures in Washington State

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WASHINGTON State – American Pickers Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and their team are returning to Washington to film episodes of the hit series American Pickers throughout the region in April 2019. Mike and Frank have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them. American Pickers is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private col...

  • Dayton Memorial Library March Events

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    Toddler Story Time 10-11 a.m. - Every Wednesday An interactive story time for those in the toddler years! Come sing, dance, play and learn. Prime Time Story Time 6-7:30 p.m. - Every Wednesday of March Story time, but with a special twist! Prime time is a program to encourage literacy in low income families through professional speakers and activities. Included, is a free diner. Dr. Seuss’s Birthday – Kids Craft 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. - March 2 A Dr. Seuss themed kid’s craft in honor of the classic, profound children’s book writer. It’s very passiv...

  • Birthdays - March 1-7

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    March 1: Bill Zuger and grandson Jacob Dunn, Norma Chapman, Joan Bottles and Bill Keith. March 2: Alina Reese, Dean Atkinson, Kyla Winger, Rich Fry, Sandy Startin, Peter Mercer, Bill Callahan, Mike A. Mayberry and Jessica DeCoria. March 3: Sarah Moser, Mike Vennum, Michelle Miller, Cameron Pearson and Kristy and Kelly Hays. March 4: Bill Poirier, Marilyn White, Kathy Jansen, Ryan Jacoy and Nicholas Newbury. March 5: Dick Baker, Jean Miller, Larry Wayne Bunton, Paul Fischer and Kristen Danielson. March 6: Marianne Newell, John P. Janovich,...

  • Waitsburg School Breakfast & Lunches

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    Friday, 1 B - Green Eggs & Ham; L - Dog on a Log, Oodles of Noodles, Blue Goo, Pink Ink Monday, 4 B - Omelet, Sausage, Hashbrowns; L - Grilled Chicken & Swiss, Corn on the Cob Tuesday, 5 B - Biscuit & Gravy; L - Pizza, Carrots Wednesday, 6 B - Cinnamon Roll; L - Tuna or Egg Salad Sanwich, Broccoli Thursday, 7 B - Breakfast pizza; L - Taco Salad, Black Beans...

  • Political Cartoons

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

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  • Those Pesky Tax Incentives

    Don C. Brunell, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    By Don C. Brunell Darned if you do, or darned if you don’t! That’s the dilemma elected officials face in determining whether to offer tax incentives for companies to locate in their city, county or state. That conflict played out recently with Amazon’s decision to cancel its second headquarters (HQ2) in New York City. On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. The city and state would extend $3 billion in tax relief to Amazon in exchange for $27 billion in new taxes and 25,000 good-...

  • Robotics Club Seeks Help

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    Robotics Club Seeks Help DAYTON, Wash. – The Columbia County FIRST Robotics Club 4-H group, which won the Research Award at the state competition in Spokane last year, is looking for community help to meet several needs. First, in order to apply for a Boeing grant, the team needs to be mentored by a current or former Boeing employee. Coach Jeanne Walter said the mentoring time can be brief; as little as two hours. The club is also in need of new or used tools including: tool cabinet with w...

  • Makenna Crowns New Celebration Days Queen

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's youngest Celebration Days Queen officially passed the torch to 2019 Queen, Rebecca Holderman, at the Waitsburg Celebration Days Royalty Coronation Dinner on Fri. Feb. 23 at Waitsburg Town Hall. She may hold the title of Waitsburg's youngest Queen, but Barron probably also holds the record for representing Waitsburg in more places than any other royalty. During her reign, she traveled with her family, promoting Waitsburg Celebration Days and singing the National Anthem a...

  • Talk About Art

    Carolyn Henderson, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    As time goes by, we forget, as a people, how to do many things we once knew how to do: cobbling shoes, for instance, or dipping candles. And while we become experts at attacking cell phone keypads with our thumbs, we are literally all thumbs when it comes to various creative endeavors that many people were once very good at. "It's a dying art," we shrug, as if that solves the problem. But Jeremiah Colladay is not the kind of guy who shrugs away a problem, and when he discovered what he could cre...

  • Great America Smoke-Out meets Heart Health Month

    Vicki Zoller, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    What could you buy with an extra twenty-two thousand dollars? This was one of the topics that Chelsey Eaton, Columbia County Public Health Program Coordinator, discussed with the 4th and 5th grade students at Dayton Elementary this month. The Great American Smoke-Out is normally held on the third Thursday of November but Eaton wanted to tie the dangers of smoking with February’s National Heart Health Month campaign. Discussing the dangers of smoking often focuses on negative health impacts b...

  • Waitsburg council weighs in

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – With Waitsburg's city election process gearing up, The Times asked the sitting council and mayor to share their personal experiences as well as the pros and cons of serving as a community representative. Each council member responded to the same set of questions. Mayor Marty Dunn – Served since early 2000s. Mayor from 2004 to 2007 and 2016-2018. The Times: Why did you originally run for council? Dunn: Originally, I was on the planning commission and several council members were retir...

  • Farley Qualifies for Regionals at Mt. Bachelor SunCup

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    BEND, Ore. - Instead of wintering somewhere warm, 16-year-old Waitsburg resident Amy Farley spends her winters based in Wenatchee where she competes competitively with the Mission Ridge Ski Team. Farley has been racing competitively since age 8, when she joined the Bluewood Alpine Race Team. These days, she spends November through April, living with friends in Wenatchee while taking Walla Walla Community Courses online and hitting the slopes in between. "I like that it's an individual sport and...

  • Balanced Animal Massage brings holistic approach to pet care

    Dena Martin, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    WAITSBURG – With over 20 years’ experience in the veterinary field, Sandra Farley feels she has finally found her niche in helping to strengthen the human-animal bond. Through her new business, Balanced Animal Massage, Farley strives to promote wellness while reinforcing the special connection between animal and owner. Farley graduated from Waitsburg High School, earned her veterinary technology degree at Eastern Wyoming College and became licensed in Washington state before going on to ear...

  • Ski Bluewood Season is Going Strong

    Rob Holtzinger, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    Resort employs 160 people during ski season COLUMBIA COUNTY – An early Tuesday morning interview with Ski Bluewood General Manager Kim Clarke found the leader working on parking lot preparations for Wednesday. This is nothing unusual. "Being a small resort, everybody pitches in everywhere, whether it be Ski School, food service or snow removal," Clarke said. Although small, relative to major resorts, Ski Bluewood employs about 160 people full and part time during the winter ski months. That s...

  • Modern Baseball Statistics

    Eric Umphrey, The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    This is part three of a series of articles I’m writing to introduce some of the newer statistics announcers are using in baseball broadcasts. Last time I covered BsR. This time I’m going to explain wOBA. It’s pronounced (whoa-bah) and it stands for weighted on base average. Weighted run average might have been a better description since it assigns run values to events based on the number of runs that event produced. An example might make this clearer. In 2018, the average number of runs that...

  • Education Policy Update

    The Times|Feb 28, 2019

    OLYMPIA – February 22 was the cut-off for bills to be voted out of the education committees in the House and Senate. Some key bills that made it through the cut-off include: SB 5343 Senator Mullet’s Facilitating High School Success bill seeks to establish equitable policies for enrolling student in advanced classes statewide as well as provide the structure, resources, and expectations to implement Freshmen Success strategies statewide. It is expected to be hear in the Ways and Means Committee this week. SB 5315 Gov. Jay Inslee’s bill would pro...

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