BRIEFS

SHOOT HOOPS FOR GOOD CAUSE

WAITSBURG - Everyone gets busy, but too busy for a fun valley-wide alumni basketball tournament for a good sports cause?

Team signups have been slower than organizers from the Cardinals Booster Club had hoped, so they are giving it until the end of this week before deciding whether to hold the firstof its-kind event at Kison Court on March 18 and 19.

Proceeds will go to help fund a new press box and sports equipment facility behind the bleachers on Cardinal Field.

Now that the 2011 Cardinals basketball teams are home from the state playoffs, organizers hope they can get fans to focus on the alumni tournament, but if signups remain low they may cancel the event.

To register, please call Fred Hamann at 509-520-9882; Scott Hudson at 509-382-3120; or Joe Estes at 509-629- 1004.

TOURISM MEET & GREET MARCH 14

DAYTON - The second Meet & Greet of the Touchet Valley Tourism Alliance is set for 5 p.m. on Monday, March 14, at the Weinhard Hotel.

The event is designed as a networking gathering for tourism related businesses in the valley so owners and staff can get to know their counterparts to make referrals to travelers.

The organization also wants to create a quick-reference guide of travel-related businesses and services for this same purpose. For more information, please call 509-337-6631.

DEADLINE FOR VISITORS' GUIDE

WAITSBURG - The Times and the Blue Mountain News will be putting the finishing touches on the first-of-its-kind "Destination Touchet Valley" visitor's guide soon.

At least 10,000 copies of this comprehensive tabloid will be printed and distributed through the region, including the valley itself, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Pomeroy and the Lewiston Clarkston area. It will have at least 24 pages and will also be used by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce to meet prospective travelers' requests for information about the area.

The guide will have sections on wining and dining, entertainment, recreation, lodging, history and museums, and arts and culture. The deadline for advertising has been extended to Friday, March 11. Dozens of businesses have already signed up to advertise in the new guide. For more information or to place advertising orders, contact 509-337-6631.

NEW SHERIFF'S COMMUNITY MEETING

WAITSBURG - Newly elected Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner and members of his administration will be in Waitsburg for their first community meeting on Thursday, March 24.

The Sheriff's Roundtable starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Waitsburg Elementary School, is designed to introduce Turner and his executive team to the community and learn more about Waitsburg's particular concerns related to law enforcement and safety issues.

MAYOR'S PRE-TRIAL HEARING SET

DAYTON - Starbuck Mayor Darcy Linklater will appear before a Columbia County District Court judge on Thursday, March 31, at 2:30 p.m. for a pre-trial hearing. Linklater pleaded not guilty last month to DUI charges filed against him after his Jan. 25 arrest on McKay-Alto Road.

Linklater's defense attorney, Richard Wernette of Walla Walla, has filed a motion to suppress in court, claiming that certain evidence, as yet undisclosed, was obtained without following proper procedure, according to Columbia County Deputy Prosecutor June Riley. Briefs providing more detail are due later this month.

Columbia County Sheriff's records indicate Linklater was stopped at 11:20 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25, as he drove toward Waitsburg after a possible DUI tip was called in to dispatch.

Linklater refused to take the breath test for blood alcohol content, according to county prosecutor Rea Culwell. He was arrested, issued a criminal citation charging him with the DUI, and booked into Columbia County jail. He was released the next day after appearing before a judge.

Linklater, 62, was elected mayor of Starbuck just over a year ago as a write in.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BINGO

WAITSBURG - The American Cancer Society's Blue Mountain Relay for Life Team will present its St. Patrick's Day Bingo event in the Waitsburg Elementary Multipurpose room on Saturday, March 12. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Bingo starts at 5 p.m. Twenty games, 20 prizes including gift certificates, a blanket, lawn fertilizer, bird feeders, cash prizes and more. Fifty cents per card or three cards for $1 per game. Stew, roll and a drink will be available for $3. All are invited and encouraged to bring a friend.

PIZZA AFTER HOURS

DAYTON - Pizza lovers in the Touchet Valley take note: Dayton native Corey Suffield has opened a pizza-after-hours business in downtown Dayton in the same kitchen used by Home-Baked Goodness, which is owned and operated by his mom, Carolyn Suffield.

Cascadia Pizza, offering 14-inch, handmade and handtossed pizzas, is open 4-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday after Home-Baked Goodness closes up for the evening. The pizzas are take and bake and come in four varieties: pepperoni, supreme, Hawaiian and veggie.

Pre-orders are encouraged and may be placed during Cascadia Pizza hours by calling (509) 520-0614.

RELIVE YOUR FAVORITE ERA

DAYTON - Ski Bluewood invites all guests on Saturday, March 12, to "dress to impress" in their favorite throw-back gear. Wear clothes from your favorite era - the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s or whenever. Old hats, sweaters or ski pants count. Win door prizes, enjoy the beer garden and have fun going back in time on the mountain.

For more information, contact Bluewood at 509-382- 4725 or info@bluewood.com.