Walla Walla

Washington state’s two 5th Congressional District candidates — Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner and Democratic challenger Carmela Conroy — shared their views at a forum at Whitman College.

Whitman student government denied the Whitman Republican Club affiliation in March. The Republicans, believing their views were held against them, shared their story with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. College staff and the club’s advisor say the collision is an example of students learning how to engage with each other across ideological differences.

An antique iron school bell that once rang at Walla Walla County’s long-gone Blue Creek School has been restored and brought to Walla Walla High School for sports events.

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin's printing press became unsustainable from a staffing and financial standpoint, The Seattle Times Company said. The newspaper will be printed in Idaho and delivered on its regular Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule.

When the Blue Mountain Action Council lost more than half its food shipments, they decided to focus on gleaning — gathering fruits and vegetables from personal gardens and commercial farms — and distribute the produce to regional food panties.

Another harvest season for Washington’s venerated vegetable — the Walla Walla sweet onion — is at an end. Soft and juicy and fragile like a fruit, sweets are as synonymous with the Walla Walla Valley as is wine. And they’re federally protected: Only onions grown in the area can officially be sold as a Walla Walla sweet.

A federal grant of more than $1 million will keep the Walla Walla Center for Children & Families' Head Start program afloat through December, but the funding process has led to staff losses and caused uncertainty for low-income families.

At the Walla Walla Pride Festival, drag performers lip-synced to pop songs. Downtown was decked out in rainbow flags and filled with vendors and activities. People wrote chalk messages of love and support: “Love is love.” “Be the best you.” “Be Loud Be Proud.”

If the timeline holds, Walla Walla will have a library fit for the 21st century next year.

Opening Thursday and closing on June 27, the festival’s 19th season features about 30 musicians from across the country. In vineyards, wineries and the Gesa Power House Theatre, audiences will hear works ranging from classical to contemporary.