Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON—Columbia County Hospital District CEO Shane McGuire doesn’t think the federal government plans to cut Medicaid benefits to individual healthcare users. Still, he is concerned about the effect on the hospital district’s budget if cuts are made to state direct-funded Medicaid programs, which the federal government heavily subsidizes. McGuire said the health system has “no slack” to absorb additional revenue cuts without cutting services. “I believe that these types of funds are going to be...
DAYTON — The Port of Columbia County Executive Director Jennie Dickinson received a Government Service Agency email on February 25, terminating the building lease between the port and the Columbia County Farm Service Agency, effective August 31. The FSA houses the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS offers programs that support conservation work in agriculture, timber, and pasture lands. For example, Dickinson said her family utilized an NRCS cost-share program for pre...
DAYTON - During the 2024 fall migration season, the National Audubon Society was concerned that the avian flu's virulent H5N1, or HPAI strain, could spread to and by wild songbirds at backyard feeding stations. During last year's migration, wild and domestic birds' infection and death rates soared. The virus spreads along bird migration routes, or flyways, to the detriment of many birds, mainly waterfowl, during the fall migration. There is good news for songbirds, though. According to an...
DAYTON—When her alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m., Carol Anderson, 80, rises, washes her face, makes her bed, empties the dishwasher, and then calls for the Ski Bluewood daily report. She is going skiing! Breakfast is first. Then she dresses in long johns, a ski turtleneck, and very tight ski socks, carefully working them over her feet so there are no wrinkles. Then she starts loading the car, first with her skis, poles, and a small gear bag to the car. Helmet and goggles go into the car next. She p...
DAYTON-Current and former teachers, nurses, writers, counselors and civil servants who make up the Blue Mountain Artist Guild of Dayton all agree they are moved by a creative spark to make art. They are taking their creativity to a new level with a group art show, "Inspirations and Challenges", planned for CAVU Cellars winery, in August. Helen Boland is a retired science teacher, homestead farmer and lifelong naturalist. Working mainly in watercolor, her art reflects her love of animals, nature...
DAYTON-For the past few months, people have been peeking through the cracks in the shuttered windows of the former Weinhard Hotel on Dayton's Main Street, trying to see what's going on inside the newly rebranded Hotel Hardware. Owner and General Manager Padraic Slattery is the man behind the mystery, and he is eager to launch the hotel website and reservation platform in the coming weeks, inviting people in. When the hotel opens to the public this summer, guests can expect a four-star boutique...
DAYTON—Ryan Rundell and Marty Hall are each running unopposed in the November 2024 general election for second four-year terms on the board of Columbia County commissioners. Rundell was appointed in March 2019 to fill the remainder of Norm Passmore’s term, representing District 1, and was elected to his first full term in 2020. He said there is a need to ensure regulations advance conditions in the county in a holistic manner, which, in turn, will help those who are working to improve cou...
DAYTON - Last Thursday, Columbia County Parks and Recreation Pool District commissioners Ted Lowe and Katie Leid, and Dianne McKinley spoke at the Dayton elementary multipurpose room about the next steps in planning for a Dayton community pool. The commissioners asked the attendees for their top priorities from a list of amenities, including a heated pool, a seasonal or an all–year covered pool, 0-entry to depth pool, lap swimming, water aerobics, and six lanes or eight lanes. The tabulated r...
DAYTON-Ellen Brigham is happy to step into her new role as the director of the Dayton Memorial Library. "I'm just really excited to step into this new year with a fresh slate of ideas and positive outlook going forward," she said. Library Science is the perfect field for her, she said with a smile. "It was just a childhood dream of mine. When you're little, you look at the library and think it's a perfect place to sit and read. I never really let it go." As a busy adult, she doesn't have as...
DAYTON—Each year in December, the Port of Columbia holds its Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) meeting for stakeholders in the community to review and update an ongoing five and ten-year project list, cast ballots for the three projects each of them deem most important for the community, listen to guest speakers about progress on current projects, and learn about specific economic indicators for Columbia County. This year, stakeholders voted for their top three project priorities i...
DAYTON-When Dain Nysoe retires on Dec. 31, after twelve years on the Dayton City Council, a new city council member, Joann Patras or Devin Greenup, will take his place. "I have enjoyed serving on the city council, but at the same time, I look forward to the end of my term in office," said Nysoe, who is grateful to have served along with other dedicated public servants. Nysoe said he appreciates the recent uptick in attendance by the public at council meetings and hopes more people will attend in...
DAYTON-Mike Spring and Randy Schafer are running for Port of Columbia Commissioner representing District 2, the seat being vacated by Genie Crowe. "The Times" spoke with Spring and received a prepared statement from Shafer. Candidate Mike Spring Spring is excited about the future in Columbia County and believes with help from the community and through his gift of perseverance, much can be accomplished. He explained, "The primary goal of a port district is economic development for its...
WAITSBURG—Everyone in the Touchet Valley knows where to find Waitsburg Grocery. Some may not have realized that the building is the home of Masonic Lodge #16. Waitsburg’s current lodge was constructed in 1913 for $26,000 after the original structure was lost to fire. Members rebuilt with a second floor for Masonic use, reserving the ground floor for a local business. For decades, that business has been Waitsburg Grocery, now owned and operated by Jamie Allen. “That way, the lodge would have...
DAYTON—The Washington State Library falls under the auspices of the Office of the Secretary of State, and due to concerns over recent attempts to ban books, staff in that office has begun drafting bills to provide librarians with more autonomy over collection development and to strengthen current nondiscrimination laws. Since a qualified petition has been submitted to the county, the state cannot intercede in the upcoming ballot measure (Proposition 2) asking voters to dissolve the Columbia C...
COLUMBIA COUNTY-Jack Miller has defeated the incumbent Charles Amerein in a tight race for a seat on the Board of Columbia County Commissioners, representing District 3. Miller garnered 51.95 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating incumbent Amerein by 89 votes. Sheriff Joe Helm has defeated Deputy Jeff Jenkins for his next four-year term as Sheriff in Columbia County. Helm received 61.95 percent of the vote. Former County Auditor Anne Higgins resigned from the auditor's office last August, afte...
DAYTON-When the Hospital District commissioners met last week, they heard from Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire about substantial operational losses for Washington State hospitals in 2022, as well as other issues impacting hospitals. He shared some statistics: A 2022 survey of 97% of hospital beds across the state by the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) revealed a total loss of $1.75 billion in the first six months of 2022, of which $1.2 billion was in operations. The...
DAYTON—Columbia County’s Election Supervisor, Cathy Abel, said there are many checks and balances to ensure election integrity in the county, from the time an election ballot leaves the voter to when it is certified by the state. Ballots have prepaid postage and are returned through the mail or at ballot drop boxes. Abel hopes that if people vote by mail, it will be sooner, rather than later. Votes will be tabulated and counted if postmarked by election day or dropped off by 8 p.m. on the day...
DAYTON-The Dayton chapter of the American Association of University Women held a Candidates' Forum on October 5, to allow voters in Columbia County to hear from and ask questions of candidates for local races. Candidates for Columbia County Sheriff, Columbia County Commissioner from District 3, and the Joint Metropolitan Park District attended the event at The Liberty Theater in Dayton. Columbia County Commissioner District 3 Columbia County Commissioner Charles Amerein is seeking reelection to...
COLUMBIA COUNTY-Virginia Schmidt is the ever-capable Clerk of the Board for the Board of Columbia County Commissioners (BOCC), in that position for a year and a half. Here is what this reporter learned by picking her brain last week and by following up with various department heads. Chris Mills, Columbia County's Assessor, has announced her last day with the County on Sept. 30. She has been with the County for over thirty years, first as the Chief Deputy Clerk in the Assessor's Office and the...
DAYTON--Last week, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire provided updates on different initiatives at the monthly meeting of the hospital board of commissioners. He spoke about the partnership with Walla Walla University in College Place for CCHS to operate its on-campus health care clinic. CCHS had been working on the partnership for over a year. The University clinic is located near campus and had been without an operator since COVID-19. Many of the current CCHS providers and...
DAYTON—Columbia County Sheriff Joe Helm spoke at length in his report to the Dayton City Council last week. Most notably, he reported about traffic stops and criticism he has received from some who say there have been way too many. Since January 1, the road deputies have made 748 traffic stops. Helm said the stops are not only for safety reasons but also to prevent crime and drugs from entering the community. According to the sheriff, Columbia County is a major drug route from the west coast t...
DAYTON-On Monday, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire led The Times on a tour of one of the four cottages at Rivers Walk Assisted Living. The nearly completed cottage we toured was the "Palouse," which will soon house the memory care residents currently living at the Booker Rest Home. The new buildings provide all the same safety requirements but are quieter, brighter, and feels more homelike. "Palouse" has ten spacious and airy apartments. There are nine single occupancy rooms, and...
DAYTON--Diane McKinley, representing the Advisory Committee for the Friends of the Community Pool, was a special guest at the Dayton City Council meeting last week. The Advisory Committee is seeking a resolution from the council to place a proposition on the November ballot asking voters to approve the formation of a nonfunded county-wide Metropolitan Park and Recreation District. If the proposition is approved, grants will be sought to build the pool, and the District will then ask voters to...
DAYTON--Jim Su'euga was appointed to Position 2 on the Dayton City Council at last week's regular meeting. He applied for the city council position to serve the community. Su'euga said he would be a good steward of community resources and act with integrity. Su'euga told the council that his method of handling conflict and controversy is to "talk it out" without being confrontational, polarizing, or divisive. His top priorities for the community are moving forward with the wastewater treatment...
DAYTON—The Hospital Board of Commissioners has given the nod to hospital administrators to have Hallway II at the Booker Rest Home evaluated for turning it into a childcare and early learning facility, as proposed by CCHS CEO Shane McGuire at last week’s board meeting. Hallway II at the rest home is the wing closest to the Touchet River and Rock Hill. It will be empty later this year when many nursing home residents go to live in the new assisted living facility. McGuire said he was walking aro...
