Earl Dean Garver, 81, of Selah, went home to the Lord, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at Selah Convalescent Center with his wife by his side.

Obituaries for Sharon Trout, Beatrice Lucille Walters and John Douglas Feusner.

Yakima County Road Engineeer, Gary Ekstedt, said the Selah Loop road widening project contractor, Granite Northwest, is currently installing irrigation and drainage crossings across Selah Loop Road.

The Selah School District Board of Directors met March 17 to accept the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Larry Parsons, who accepted the superintendent position in Roseburg, Oregon.  Parsons has served as Superintendent of Selah Schools for the past seven years.

Also at the March 17 meeting, the Board voted to contract with Northwest Leadership Associates, to conduct a search for Parsons’ successor.  The district will announce hiring of its new superintendent May 22.  The new superintendent will begin July 1.

The Selah Intermediate and Junior High Math Teams placed at the mid-valley math competition. Selah Intermediate School hosted the competition on March 14. Teams of students represented their schools from Union Gap, West Valley, East Valley, Naches, Highland, Ellensburg, Cle Elum-Roslyn, and Selah in grades six, seven, and eight.

Office Depot will help students earn credit to buy school supplies by donating credits equal to 5 percent of qualifying purchases to the Selah Intermediate School. 

Whenever a school supply purchase is made and the SIS ID number is given, the school can use the credits given to earn free supplies. 

Office Depot is a member of Taking Care of Education in 2008, this program is valid until the end of the school year.

To buy your supplies and earn credit for the school use SIS ID number:  70107492.

Under the provisions of Initiative 728 (I-728), the Selah School District will hold its annual public hearing on the district’s student achievement improvement plan at 7 p.m., April 10, in the district administration board room, located at 105 W. Bartlett. 

In November 2000, 72 percent of the voters adopted I-728. The goal of the initiative is to improve public education and to achieve higher academic standards for all students through smaller class sizes and other improvements, said Chris Scacco, assistant superintendent of schools.  The funding has been utilized over the past six school years, as well as the current year.

Each year, the Selah School Board and the district administrative team work closely with the community to develop a plan for the use of the I-728 funds.

The Selah School Board has adopted an I-728 plan each of the last six years that encompasses three “key” areas of focus: Reduced class sizes, extended learning opportunities, and professional development for educators.

Scacco said the school district hopes that community members will share their thoughts with the district on the implementation of the I-728 funds.

Spring has sprung and that means wine tasting events in the Yakima Valley can’t be far behind.

April 18-20 is the annual Pre-Barrel Tasting weekend on the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail, in which wineries roll out the barrels in a quieter, more intimate event featuring new wine releases, conversations with the winemakers about their crafts and great specials.

Avoid the crowds that will be at all the wineries the following weekend during the official Spring Barrel Tasting event. No fees are required during Pre-Barrel Tasting April 18-20, and the event is more one-on-one with the winemakers. Some wineries will offer futures for sale on their soon-to-be released wines.

April 25 to April 27 is Spring Barrel Tasting weekend featuring three days of wine sampling and festivities. Several wineries will have activities to drown out winter doldrums, including live bands, food at reasonable prices and artists displaying their art.

New requirements will require most boat operators to get a Washington State Boater Education Card.

Two boating safety classes are scheduled for Saturday, March 29:

•The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has a class from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 7809 Tieton Dr., in Yakima. Registration fee is $30 for a textbook and test for the state boater card. For more information, call 966-4139, 949-2430, 678-4268 or 966-6331.

•The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office marine patrol unit has a class from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, 1822 S. 1st St. in Yakima. Cost is $15, with $10 going toward the boater education certification card. To register, call 949-0470 or 949-0431. Class is limited to the first 20 applicants.

The boating safety card is mandatory for all operators of motorboats with 15 horsepower or more who are under 20 years old; in 2009, the law will apply to ages 25 and under; and in 2010 it will expand to all operators 30 and younger. By 2014, all boat operators under 60 will need to have passed the course to earn the card, which costs $10 and is good for life.

Anyone born before Jan. 1, 1955, is exempt in Washington, but not in Canada or Oregon, which do not have an age-group exemption.

Unused agricultural and commercial-grade pesticides can be disposed of in Yakima on May 19-20, under an annual program run by the state Department of Agriculture.

Sign up by March 31, by calling 360-902-2056, 877-301-4555 (toll-free) or sending an e-mail to: wastepesticide@agr.wa.gov.

The no-cost collection is an opportunity for residents to get rid of potentially hazardous materials without worrying about liability.

Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and most chemicals that kill, repel or prevent unwanted pests will be accepted. Empty pesticide containers, fertilizers, motor oil and household hazardous waste will not be accepted for disposal.

Participants will receive supplies to protect broken or leaky containers to ensure safe transportation to the collection site, as well as directions to the site, hours of operation and transportation documents.