Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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OLYMPIA-Fifteen-year-old Waitsburg High School sophomore Cedar Stegall was a little nervous but mostly excited before traveling to Olympia as a Senate page the week of March 26. Stegall said she knew little before the trip but learned about the parliamentary procedure while she was there. She hadn't been particularly interested in politics but thought it would be a fun experience when it was announced at school. Waitsburg teacher Gabe Kiefel shared his experience serving as a page in his youth,...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg District students were the first to receive new electronic library patron cards donated by anonymous donors. The donation of $1,000 allowed the library to purchase 1,500 cards, more than enough for every Waitsbrug resident to have one. Library staff member Sarah Roberts visited K-5 classes between April 10-12 to present students with the new colorful plastic cards. Roberts also shared a Burke Box, the visiting exhibit on whales provided by the University of Washington's...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., on April 5, 2023, in the high school library. School board members Grant Griffen, Zac Fabin, Superintendent Rich Stewart, and Business Manager Jana Eaton attended in person. Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Aneesha Dieu, and Korinda Wallace attended using Zoom. The Board approved the recommendation to hire Ajay McNarland as the middle school (MS) Assistant Baseball Coach, approved Jeremy Trump as a volunteer MS Softball Coach, and accepted the resignation of a bus driver. The s...
WALLA WALLA—A Free Tire Collection Event will be offered to Walla Walla County residents in Waitsburg, Prescott, and surrounding areas on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held across from the City Hall in Waitsburg on First and Main Streets. Participants must provide proof of residency by showing a valid Washington State Driver’s License, local utility bill, or county property tax statement for an address in Walla Walla County. Residents can dispose of up to 20 regular-sized car, light truck, or motorcycle tir...
Substance abuse disorders pose a heavy societal burden, endangering individuals and families and sapping resources from healthcare and multi-disciplinary systems. It tears through communities impacting everyone. Historically most strategies for addressing substance use disorders have centered on punishment; we have known for decades that addiction is a medical condition, a treatable brain disorder, not a character flaw or a form of social deviance. The rising number of drug overdose deaths and the changing legal status of drugs pose new challen...
DAYTON—“Champions” is centered around a stubborn and hotheaded minor league basketball coach (Woody Harrelson) who is sentenced to community service and forced to coach a Special Olympics team, based on the 2018 Goya Award winning Spanish film “Campeones.” Rotten Tomatoes critics gave this movie a 58% favorable rating, but 94% of the audience liked it. The audience summary for the movie was “Heartfelt and easy to root for, “Champions” is a slam dunk comedy with a great message.” It has been described as hilarious and heat warming. It is ra...
WAITSBURG—The Friends of the Pool and Waitsburg Parks and Rec are holding a community meeting on a, April 19, in the Waitsburg Elementary Library at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will receive updates and brainstorm ideas for fundraisers, grants, and plans for a pool facility. The Friends and Parks and Rec encourage you to attend; they promise there is no obligation to be in charge of a committee. Unless, of course, you want to....
SPOKANE-In March, Martha Lanman was recognized at the 2023 Northwest Rural Health Conference held in Spokane, Wash. She received a Community Star Award from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and its partners in conjunction with National Rural Health Day, celebrated in November 2022. The Community Star Recognition Program honors those who contribute to making a difference in rural areas through collaboration, education, innovation, and communication. Each year...
Dear Editor, Regarding efforts to defund the library, I question if the real reason is that “they” think the library has more reserves than needed, therefore, no more tax money should go to fund it? If that is the reason, then, in my opinion, the library board and the public should request a meeting with County Treasurer Carla Rowe. Have a conversation about expense versus income. Perhaps the portion of the property tax the library receives might be lowered, reducing reserves. I don’t know, but if I had a concern in that area, I’d ask questio...
Sherrie Johnson Land passed away at her home in Walla Walla on March 10, 2023 at age 73. Sherrie Lee Johnson was born in Spokane, Washington on May 16, 1949 to Betty and Bobbie Lee Johnson, their first child. Her family moved several times during her childhood, as Bob was employed on several of the Snake River dams as an ironworker, before settling in Waitsburg, WA when Sherrie was in eighth grade. Sherrie graduated from Waitsburg High School in 1967. In her senior year, She was the captain of...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg Celebration Days committee is pleased to announce Bill and Linda Stonecipher as the 2023 Parade Marshals. The committee said it was a privilege to honor the late Bill Stonecipher and his wife Linda for the many contributions to the community and valley. The couple farmed, ranched, and mentored the next generations of farm families. Waitsburg Celebration Days is scheduled for the third weekend in May. This year the fun starts Friday May 19 with the car cruise, ATV sunset c...
COLUMBIA COUNTY-The Columbia County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and the Columbia County Sheriff's Department issued a joint press release to announce the closure of the county jail facility. For the first time in nearly 136 years, the Columbia County Jail no longer accepts inmates. Due to recent lawsuits in other small, rural counties and longtime concerns with safety and security in the jail and courthouse, Sheriff Joe Helm, in consultation with Prosecuting Attorney C. Dale Slack, has...
WALLA WALLA-A documentary about the remarkable artist Ginny Ruffner will be presented at The Foundry Vineyards in Walla Walla on Friday, April 15. "A Not So Still Life: the Ginny Ruffner Story" will be followed by a Q & A session with the film's director, Karen Stanton-Gregutt. The movie, produced in 2010 by ShadowCatcher Entertainment, took 12 months to film and another six to edit. After the film debuted at the Seattle International Film Festival, Gregutt arranged a showing for her Waitsburg...
I call this series "Just Vignettes" because that's what they are, just short snapshots of things that have happened to me or have been told to me. I can vouch the stories you read here are mostly true. The USS San Jose had tall hydraulic rams with wheels, cable guides, and wire rope, all heavily greased with black, sticky grease. This grease could entrap unfortunate birds who come in contact with it. Steaming off the coast of Oman near Masirah Island, the stiff westerlies carried a little owl to...
WAITSBURG-Hannah Peralez, an eighth grader in Waitsburg, is the 2023 Queen of Waitsburg Celebration Days. Peralez will ride Stubs, her 15-year-old chestnut quarter horse, to parades and fairs this year. Working with Paralez, Cheyenne (Shoun) Reed is in her first year as a fair court advisor. Reed grew up in Dayton and competed in barrels and roping competitions from 2013 through 2019. Her first horse was a small wild Mustang named Penny. At age 13, she had a great horse, a paint named Forrest...
WAITSBURG-T-Ball and Little League has started around the area. There is nothing cuter than watching four and five-years old baseball players! Come out on Mondays and Wednesdays and catch a game. You will go away with a smile on your face....
WAITSBURG-The high school junior varsity boys' baseball team beat Columbia Burbank 18-7 on Monday, April 10. The Wolfpack had 15 hits and no fielding errors in the game, which ended in the 6th inning per the 10-run rule. Jayce Gleason started on the mound allowing three hits, three walks, and striking out five. Cougar Anderson and Traicen Garcia pitched in relief. The Wolfpack knocked in four runs in the first inning and scored seven in the third to take a 12-1 lead. The Coyotes scored five...
Ten Years Ago April 11, 2013 Columbia County Public Safety Communications is recognizing Barbara Phinney as the 2012 dispatcher of the year. Barbara has shown extraordinary devotion to the ideals and goals of public safety dispatching, a consistent spirit of teamwork and cooperation, being a model of personal integrity and honesty, and for serving as a role-model for others. Barbara was awarded this honor during the Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 3rd. Twenty-Five Years...
With the changing of the season, we have been busy with spring cleaning projects around the house and out in the yard. In anticipation of warmer days, we have rows of vegetable and tomato starts sprouting up against every sunny window in the house. After a productive day prepping our vegetable garden beds and tending to perennials, there is nothing better than sitting down to warm up with a hearty bowl of homemade soup. This lovely recipe comes together in one pot and tastes like it took twice t...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg annual Easter egg hunt has been a tradition for the Rick and Terry Ferguson family for over 40 years. The Fergusons, with the Penny Hazelbaker family and fellow Waitsburg Grange members, prepare and dye all the eggs before the event. On the day of the event, they arrive early to rope off the areas for each age group, scatter the dyed and chocolate eggs, and award prizes to the lucky ones who find golden eggs. The Ferguson's daughter, Angela, has been a Grange member and...
