Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 805
DAYTON-The Rehabilitation Department at Dayton General Hospital is staying open late to help accommodate customers' schedules. The department is now open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, according to Physical Therapy Assistant Bryce Scott. Scott, along with his partner Jessica Parry, who is also a licensed Physical Therapy Assistant, have been assisting the physical therapists on staff at Dayton General Hospital with an increasing patient load. At the...
DAYTON—Columbia County Planning Director Meagan Bailey told County Commissioners last week that the county’s Voluntary Stewardship Plan has been approved by a state technical panel on the Washington State Conservation Commission. VSP is an optional incentive-based program to assist landowners in protecting and enhancing critical areas, while promoting agriculture in the county. It is allowed under the state’s Growth Management Act, with the goal to reduce tension between competing GMA goals related to agricultural viability and protection of cr...
DAYTON—Dayton Elementary Principal Denise Smith and High School Principal Kristina Brown both gave reports during the Dayton School Board meeting last week. Sept. 19 was a late start day, and a trainer for the iReady assessment tool was on hand to help staff with the data, and how to use the software appropriately for assessing students in Reading and Math. Elementary Principal Denise Smith said the first benchmark testing for iReady is complete. “We are starting to dig into the data, to dev...
DAYTON—City Administrator Trina Cole told the Dayton City Council last week that her staff has been working to tie up “loose ends from the summer,” which includes the Washington Street FEMA project, and continuing work on the proposed water and sewer projects. Work also continues on the 2019 Preliminary Budget, she said. Cole said the city has just been approved for a $211,000 grant from the Regional Transportation Planning Organization, RTPO, for sidewalks on South 3rd Street, from Main Street...
DAYTON—The Dayton Historical Depot Society is inviting you to come out October 6, from 1 to 4 p.m., and take a tour of some of the beautiful historic homes in Dayton. “This year, a select group of four homes, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been chosen,” said Dayton Historical Depot Museum Director Tamara Fritze. “The homes showcase excellence in historic preservation and restoration, and creative modern interpretation of diverse architectural styles.” Fritze said the homes on th...
DAYTON-There is a for sale sign on Kathy and Craig George's lawn on S. 2nd St. in Dayton. Craig George has announced that he will resign his post early next year as Dayton's mayor. He told The Times that he and his wife, Kathy, will be moving to Tucson, Ariz., to enjoy the health benefits of living in a drier climate. He said they are in the process of having a home built in the gated community of Saddle Brooke Ranch, north of Tucson. "This is the first time we have really bought anything for...
DAYTON-Are you interested in bird watching, hiking, fishing, geocaching, sewing, canning, or playing the ukulele? Are your children interested in fossils, rocks and minerals, human anatomy, bugs, butterflies, chemistry, forensic, microscopes, or something called Ozobots? All you need is to be is 18 or older and possess a valid library card to participate in a new program at the Dayton Memorial Library called Library of Things. The Library of Things contains kits for children and backpacks for ad...
DAYTON—Topics of discussion at last week’s meeting of the Dayton School Board included how to tackle the district’s budget deficit for the 2018-19 school year, as well as a facilities update, athletic combine update and enrollment update. Budget Superintendent Doug Johnson said because budgeted expenditures exceed revenue by $225,000, the district will need to consider implementing cost savings in order to maintain its financial health. Johnson and the Board will take a “deeper dive” at the October 3rd workshop meeting. The elementary and high...
DAYTON-It will take teamwork between Elsie Mann and her horse, and the support of a community of caring people, for this 12-year-old barrel racer to achieve her dream of qualifying for Junior National Finals Rodeo. Mann, of Dayton, and her parents, Jeni Ritchie and Christian Mann, have been working to help her achieve that goal since she climbed aboard her first pony, Annie, at the tender age of 2 ½. It was then that she ran her first barrel race, at the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse...
DAYTON-"Dirty Hands and Country Fans" is the theme of this year's 128th Columbia County Fair. From the opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. on Sept 7 until the fair closes at 5 p.m. on Sept. 9, expect to see a mix of new and traditional activities. "Things are coming together. We have a pretty good team right now," said Fair Board President Matt Johnson. Johnson said a few more reliable volunteers would be welcome, to help with fair activities. "There will be even more variety at this year's fair,"...
DAYTON—During a special meeting last week, Port of Columbia commissioners voted to move forward with purchasing Building No. 2 at Blue Mountain Station in Dayton. Port officials say they have determined that owning the building will assist in the continued development of businesses at the BMS. The Port’s Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, and private developer Colby Litzenberger have negotiated a purchase price of $264,000. Dickinson said the building was recently appraised at $270,000. Kathryn Witherington, the Port’s Economic Devel...
DAYTON-Sometimes you have to leave home before you appreciate it. Suzi and Duane Tasker and their 11-year-old son, Noa, did just that, and are now happy to be back in Dayton. The Taskers called Redding Calif. home for ten months, but realized quickly that Redding was not going to be their forever home. After 10 months of "healthy perspective," and a visit to Dayton this spring to ready their home for sale, the couple realized how much they missed living here. "When we came home, we recognized a...
DAYTON-Clint Atteberry is well into his second year working out of the county Planning and Building Department as the Code Enforcement Officer for both the City of Dayton and Columbia County. Atteberry said he patrols all eight zones in the city, tackling one zone every day, looking for violations of Dayton's municipal code. He also investigates citizen complaints for both the city and county. "It's an ongoing process," said Atteberry. "We're doing everything by the code, and I'm doing as much...
Washington Army Guard pilot Chief Warrant Officer Melissa Coombs and her co-pilot, Major Ray Leonard, flew this Lacota UH-72 light utility helicopter to Dayton for the Aug. 7 National Night Out celebration in Dayton city park. They said the helicopter is used for homeland security, disaster response missions, and for medical evacuations. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police, emergency personnel, and community partnerships to make neighborhoods safer...
DAYTON-Vicki Zoller, President of the Friends of the Dayton Pool Committee, spoke to the Dayton City Council last week about work the committee is doing to help the community build an aquatic center in Dayton. The city pool was closed this year because of infrastructure issues, and youth in the Summer Recreation program have been swimming in the Prescott Pool, she said. Zoller said the committee used funds from grants to pay for their swim passes, and to bus them from Dayton to Prescott and...
DAYTON-Jim Pearson, Program Director at The Club, Dayton's new after school activity center, has been busy helping the team get the program up and running for a Sept. 4 opening. Pearson said building construction at The Club has entered its final phase. "Last week a lot of elements have come together," he said. Pearson said the goals for the program are to help students take pride in ownership, develop healthy self- esteem, and learn how to get along well with others. While students will...
DAYTON—Chaplain Terry Rice jump-started a conversation about end of life wishes when he presented “Five Wishes,” to folks at the Dayton First Congregational Church, on July 29. “The best time to plan is when things are going alright. Whether you are 30, or 70, this is a good time to talk,” said Rice, who has served with Walla Walla Community Hospice since 2011. Rice said Five Wishes is the brainchild of Jim Towey, a legal attorney for Mother Teresa. Towey lived in Mother Teresa’s Washington...
DAYTON-Newly elected Dayton High School Alumni Association President Cara Watts has some ideas about how to infuse the association's coffers with some much-needed cash so that giving back to DHS students can continue. "I don't think people understand how much the Dayton Alumni Association gives back," she said. Historically, the association has provided funds through membership dues, donations and memorials, for Youth and Government, FBLA, uniforms for Dayton cheerleaders, and scholarships for...
DAYTON--Because he is already a Certified Patrol Officer Connor Ehr will be patrolling Columbia county roads, as soon as he goes through orientation, and gets his new uniform, he said. "Luckily I don't have to go back to Academy. This will cut a lot of time for the Department," said Ehr. After graduating from Richland High School in 2010, Ehr said he did a short stint as a new housing plumber in the Tri-Cities before joining the Army. Ehr's basic training was at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri,...
DAYTON--Leonard Ruff, the architect responsible for building data processing centers in Quincy, Wenatchee, and in Douglas County, was on hand at a community information meeting last week to discuss a Bitcoin mining center being planned near Dayton. Columbia REA has signed a contract with Eastern Mineland LLC, of Bellevue, Wash., for its Bitcoin operation to be located next to the CREA substation on Patit Road, which is in a light industrial zone. The company is attracted to Dayton because of its access to green energy provided by the wind...
DAYTON--Patricia Sacha, Blue Mountain Station Marketing Manager has announced new plans for daily lunches at the market. "Our goal is to have soup, salad and sandwiches, and there may be occasional special items," said Sacha. "We'll use as much local ingredients as we can." Mary's Candy's and Catering had been providing lunches to the market, but they have closed their business. A new group of volunteers will be working out of the commercial kitchen at BMS to provide lunches during the days the...
DAYTON— At their July 18 meeting, the Dayton School Board adopted the district’s 2018-19 budget, which was based on a conservative estimate for student enrollment for next year of 394. At that meeting, Business Manager Paula Moisio said the district is on track to end the 2017-18 schoolyear with close to $400,000, which will be “depleted considerably” due to a $223,501 budget deficit for next year. Moisio said, “We will definitely be tightening up our belts, in every area we can. Then it will be open to ‘wait and see,’ until we get to mid-year....
DAYTON--Dan and Ginny Butler have announced a name change for Dayton’s new after school program, from “Boys & Girls Club of Dayton,” to “The Club.” They said they are taking the “best practices” of Boys and Girls Clubs into the daily operations and moving forward, which will allow for added flexibility to act immediately on community interests for the local youth. “The Boys and Girls Club of Spokane has helped by advising us to this date,” the Butlers said. “While our intent has always been to be a Boys and Girls Club in Dayton, we feel to...
DAYTON—At the regular meeting of the Dayton City Council on July 11, the council approved the following: Resolution No. 1345, Certifying that the city meets the requirements to apply and accept a public works assistance account low-interest loan for wastewater treatment facility land acquisition for up to $1 million. Repayment of the loan will be built into the rate structure, which could be spread over as little as five years, or up to 20 years, said City Administrator Trina Cole. Cole said that if no land is found for the treatment plant the...
