Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
I remember how vibrant and alive Waitsburg was when I was a kid. I remember my sister and I riding our horses into town to get ice cream from the Delta Connection and having dinner at the White Stallion after a soccer game. I remember going to the pool with all of my friends on hot summer days and re-energizing with a candy bar from the grocery store, likely paying for it with a certificate I earned from the summer reading program (then hosted by Jan Cronkhite). I remember attending the 2010...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met on July 1 for a council workshop. The meeting was open to the public and attended by ten members of the community. There was no public comment period during the meeting. Per the public notice dated June 29, any questions or comments could be passed on to the City Council via City Hall, located at 147 Main St., P.O. Box 35, Waitsburg, WA 99361, or (509) 337-6371. The first item on the agenda regarded City Hall. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe...
DAYTON-A special City Council meeting took place on Wednesday, June 30, to discuss future staffing at Dayton City Hall. The meeting was scheduled in the aftermath of the termination of the City Administrator, the Planning and Community Development Director, and the Public Works Director, by Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford, on June 16. Mayor Weatherford said the City Council would not take public comments or answer questions at this meeting or discuss anything that was not on the agenda. A public...
DAYTON—This is a joyous modern musical that celebrates Latino immigrant culture, heritage, and community. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton and the director of Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu, invites you to the event of the summer, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big --- In the Heights. Lights up on Washington Heights --- The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies t...
WALLA WALLA-Dr. Richard Simon Jr., the Medical Director of the Kathryn Severyns Dement Sleep Disorders Center at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, has been promoted to the position of clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also will continue his sleep medicine practice at Providence St. Mary. Dr. Simon became a clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington School of...
WALLA WALLA—Throughout June, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has been using genome sequencing to identify COVID-19 variants around the state. Over the past week, Walla Walla County Department of Community Health (DCH) was notified that two variants had been identified in COVID specimens collected from the county. The two variants detected were variants P.1 (Gamma) and B.1.617.2 (Delta). They are the first known variant cases in the county. First identified in India, the Delta variant has shown to be highly transmissible and e...
Dear Editor, Several items have been seen regarding animals getting burned feet from hot pavement yet folks are still observed walking their pets, sometimes in mid-day on the hot concrete and asphalt--or even leaving them in the hot metal bed of a pickup. If it is too hot for your bare hand or foot it is too hot for them. Please, don’t leave your pet in a car in this heat or force them to burn their paws by walking in the heat of the day. If you MUST walk during the heat of the day make sure they are on the grass and you have water for both o...
To the editor, Here we are, at the beginning of what could prove to be worst wildfire season ever and the world’s best firefighting tool sits unused and not ready to go because of decisions made by the US Forest Service and states not to use it. Unfortunately, in 2002 two Lockheed C-130 Hercules airplanes crashed while fighting fires, one in California and one in Colorado. In 2004 the Forest Service made the decision not to use the large tanker firefighting airplanes, instead relying on helicopters and smaller planes. The Supertanker would h...
DAYTON-On Tuesday, July 13, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Columbia County Rural Library (CCRL) will host its first-ever "Poetry Slam". "What is a poetry slam?" you ask. Well, poetry began as a part of an oral tradition that included poets sharing and performing aspects of their poems. A slam is a poetry competition where poets perform original works, either in teams or solo, in front of an audience that also serves as judges. "The structure of the traditional slam was started by construction worker and...
OLYMPIA—The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB) announced the award of 342 grants across the state to provide recreational amenities, conserve wildlife habitat, and protect working forests and farms. “These grants are fundamental to keeping Washington the beautiful state it is,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “The funding comes from state and federal sources and is invested in hundreds of projects to give our kids places to play, ensure our food is grown close to home, and keep our green spaces healthy for wildlife.” The grants total more t...
OLYMPIA—Govenor Jay Inslee issued an extension of the utility moratorium proclamation last week, which will now expire on September 30, 2021. This will be the final extension of the proclamation and the extension will align with the end date of the tenancy preservation bridge (21-09) to give Washingtonians struggling with housing payments time to prepare and seek assistance before both proclamations expire. “Utilities and housing are inextricably linked,” Inslee said. “Our priority is to keep Washingtonians safe and housed, and give them a...
WALLA WALLA—The closure of the intersection of 9th Avenue, SR125, The Dalles Military Road and Plaza Way, in Walla Walla, began July 6. City of Walla Walla officials estimate that the closure to all traffic will last seven weeks for the installation of a roundabout, as part of the SR125/Plaza Way improvement projects. Detour routes will be established and can be viewed at www.gowallawalla.us. Emergency vehicles will not have access during the closure. Businesses and residents may contact the Washington State Department of Transportation with q...
WAITSBURG—Don’t be alarmed by the sudden Kochia weed growth at various areas in the range, spurred on by the recent heat. Gun club officials have scheduled someone to spray and will be mowing the patches to prevent spreading. “Bear with us – we know it doesn’t look great, but we were advised to have it sprayed out before mowing,” said the club newsletter. “During our General Membership Meeting August 2020, the membership voted to build on the ecology block wall that extends down and separates the ranges (rifle/pistol vs. trap). Through donat...
WALLA WALLA—Over the Independence Day holiday weekend, firefighters with the city of Walla Walla Fire Department responded to various calls that involved fireworks or were suspected to involve fireworks. As follows is a summary of those calls: July 3, 2021, at 9:45 p.m. — 446 Holly St. Small grass fire caused by a ground spinner firework. The property owner extinguished the fire. No injuries or dollar losses were reported. July 3, 2021, at 10:56 p.m. — 250 W. Rees Ave. Grass fire along the railroad tracks that extended inside Kelty’s Auto Pa...
June 28 Animal call. Harlem Road Threats reported, Blue Mountain Motel. Main Street Missing person. 3rd Street June 29 Suspicious activity. 4th Street Accident, non-injury. Tucannon Road Assist. 6th Street June 30 Welfare check. Clay Street Attempt to locate. 3rd Street Unwanted person. Dayton Ave. July 1 Welfare check. Pine Street Abandoned vehicle at Rawhide Bar and Grill. Main (Starbuck) Welfare check. Rose Gulch July 2 Trespass. 3rd Street Accident, non-injury. Eager Road Welfare check. Rose Gulch July 3 9-1-1 call. McKay-Alto Road...
June 24 A theft occurred at Waitsburg High School. Coppei Ave., Waitsburg June 29 Assault 4 DV. W Hwy 12, Touchet July 3 A male in Walla Walla County assaulted his daughter-in-law. Ivarson Road, Burbank July 4 DUI. Marina Drive, Burbank...
If you've been craving the sand and surf, this article may or may not be for you. On June 22, I woke my three-year-old traveling companion, Gracie, at 3:00 a.m. We said goodbye to my husband for the next eight days and began a twenty-hour journey that landed us in paradise. In Kihei, Hawaii, to be exact, just in time to beat the hottest week I have ever heard of in my more than 20 years of living in Waitsburg. After boarding the early-morning flight out of Walla Walla, Gracie and I had a...
Jack Lohrke started his minor league baseball career in 1942 at age eighteen when he signed with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. After seven games he was sent to Twin Falls, Idaho, in the Class C Pioneer League. He hit .271 as the team's third baseman and won the team's MVP award. He wouldn't play baseball again until after returning home from World War II. The train that took him to ship off to war derailed. Three people were killed and many others were severely burned by...
I am an old movie fan, and lately, the classic flick, The Three Faces of Eve starring Joanne Woodward, has been on my mind. Probably because, in a small way, I feel like my life is emulating that story. I know I only have one personality, but I have three "careers" happening at once, on overlapping days and two "start of the week" days. It can all make me a little crazy. Monday morning is the start of my Monday through Friday job as a Los Angeles insurance broker. I field questions from clients...
While swimming in Hawaii, I overheard a woman talking to her grandson about the protests on Kaho'olawe, the island that seemed just a stone’s throw away from where I was standing. “I was there, you know,” she told him, catching my attention in full. The day before, at the Maui Ocean Center, I read newspaper article after article about the island, the bombings, and the destruction of a sacred place. The woman was kind enough to include me in her lesson, but after a quick internet search, I knew...
Few bands making music today have as impeccable a discography as the Brooklyn-based quartet, Big Thief. Starting with their 2016 debut, Masterpiece, they have pumped out a total of four studio records in the past five years, all met with near-universal acclaim. Their music is pure rock and roll, a refreshingly raw mix of the basics: wailing guitars, energetic drums, and a vocalist that gives every song her all. The ingredients are all familiar, but Big Thief is a master chef of rock music,...
Ten Years Ago July 7, 2011 When they bought their Keystone Montana 5th wheel in September, Lynn and Paul Mantz-Powers knew it would be months before they'd retire. But they were so excited about the prospect of hitting the road and adopting a new nomadic lifestyle this summer that they practically moved out of their adjacent family home on Bolles Road and into their 400-square-foot travel trailer. One's a cowgirl. One's a mother of two. One's a chef. One's a graduate winemaker. One's a...
As a child in Los Angeles, I often spent weekends with my father who lived a block from Echo Park Lake, many years before it became the gentrified hipster neighborhood of today. We would walk around the park people watching, feeding the ducks, while searching for the perfect bench to sit and draw. As a future foodie, these visits to the park were full of gastronomic discoveries. On top of the omnipresent taco trucks parked around the perimeter, there was always an array of food carts to choose f...
In the late 2000's, when these photos were taken, no one expected the building that once housed the Farmer's Cafe to become an espresso coffee shop, with a counter made out of the original cafe's sign. No one expected Nothing New Antiques to be converted into a busy salon and spa. The Plaza Beauty Salon was a Main Street mainstay, even after moving locations. However, retirement called and owner Peggy Jones closed her shop a few years ago. Main Street has been home to many businesses. The...
