Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON-Let the good times roll at a celebration of "Fat Tuesday," better known as Mardi Gras, on Tuesday, February 13, at the Dayton Memorial Library, from 6-8 pm. Mask making, a celebration of traditional New Orleans style cooking and music, and other fun activities are planned for this celebration, said librarian Shakira Bye. Some of the librarians have southern heritage, and they will be fixing and serving red beans and rice, gumbo, and pralines. Yes, there will also be a King Cake, Bye said....
DAYTON-Dayton General Hospital is adding Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to its wound care treatment protocol. There is a growing need for chronic wound care, especially for patients with diabetes, which is the number one reason for treating chronic wounds, said Dr. Kurt Frauenpreis, Program Medical Director, and Provider. "We're living longer but we're not taking care of ourselves. Younger people are being diagnosed with diabetes and the expense is horrendous, right now," he said. Hyperbaric...
DAYTON – The Tri-State Steelheaders and Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife staff have been playing "Mother Nature" in the Tucannon River. WDFW fish biologist Michael Gallinat of Dayton said that in recent years too few salmon and steelhead have returned to the Tucannon River to spawn and die, providing the necessary nutrients to maintain a productive food web. So the WDFW has developed a protocol for stream nutrient enrichment. Improving the food web is a bonus for aquatic bugs and, in t...
DAYTON—Bill and Teresa Ayotte are to be the new restaurant concessionaires at the golf course, according to Mike Himmelberger, President of the Dayton Golf and Country Club Association. Bill Ayotte said the restaurant is to be called “Chicken Bill’s Café and BBQ.” It will be a small operation, he said. “We’re still working out the details,” Ayotte said. Teresa Ayotte currently works as the Food and Beverage Manager for Ski Bluewood. Bill Ayotte has experience working for Cisco as a food represe...
WALLA WALLA-The Community Building at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds was packed on Monday night with celebrants for the unveiling of the completed Blue Mountain Regional Trails – Ridges, Towns, and Rivers Plan, which features nonmotorized trail connections throughout Columbia and Walla Walla counties, and northeast Umatilla County. Andrea Weckmueller-Behringer, Executive Director of the Walla Walla Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization said, "In 21 planning years I have never seen so m...
DAYTON—Columbia County is having a hard time attracting and retaining workers and one of the factors might be inadequate compensation for work performed. County Commissioner Norm Passmore has asked that a committee be formed to perform a regional and county-wide salary survey across the state. Salaries more in line with salaries in other jurisdictions will make working for Columbia County more attractive and enhance the county’s ability to hire, train, and retain staff, he said. Public Wor...
DAYTON--Going solar was on Terry Hoon's mind for a long time before he and his wife, Denise, attended a Walla Walla promotional dinner in the spring of 2016 to hear about the benefits of solar-produced electricity. The Hoons contacted Walla Walla Electric to perform an in-home evaluation and provide an estimate for the 22 solar panels which were installed on the roof of their home in September, 2016. Hoon said electricity production through the solar grid began in October, 2016. "As of this...
DAYTON-Several people from the community shared their thoughts and concerns about the proposed Dayton-Waitsburg athletic and activities combine during the public comment portion of last week's school board meeting. Most of the comments were in favor of the full combine. One of the coaches said he had an issue with the number of additional hours coaches would need to be available each week. Superintendent Doug Johnson said there are three recurring concerns he has heard, and one of them is the...
Updates on Boys & Girls Club, Blue Mountain Counseling and After School Program DAYTON - Dan Butler presented an architect’s design of the Dayton Boys & Girls Club facility to attendees at the Columbia Cares Coalition meeting last week. “We want this to be really attractive,” Butler said, showing off the architectural drawings. Butler said when the doors open for business, on Sept. 4, 2018, the facility will provide middle school and elementary students, and possibly preschoolers, with a high...
DAYTON—Columbia County Health Services CEO Shane McGuire said the district is on pace to finish the year around $21.5 million in gross patient revenue, conservatively, and around $16.5 million in net patient revenue, which represents a 24% increase in year-over-year gross patient revenue. This is also a 30% increase in net patient revenue before expenses. “We’ve had a lot of growth. We’ve also had some expenses, as well,” McGuire said. “Expenses have increased by 30% year-over-year and our operating loss increased by 21% over last year, as of N...
DAYTON—Ken Graham, owner and publisher of The Times newspaper in Waitsburg, has been appointed interim director of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce by the chamber board. “I told them I need to be done at the end of March and I will leave sooner if they find somebody sooner. This is so the board didn’t feel it had to be in a big hurry,” Graham said. Graham said the next chamber event is the annual Brix and Brew fundraiser, in March, and it is in the capable hands of Chairperson Ann Walsh, Chamber...
DAYTON-Stylists, colorists, and inventors Melissa McCowen and Bridget House still work and travel together even though House has moved from the Main Street Salon, into her own digs at 242 East Main St. House said she simply needed more space for the filming and picture taking she does for hair product companies to use in their advertising. "It was too disruptive. But, yes, I still love them," she said about moving out of the Main Street Salon. In 2014, House and McCowen created a tool they...
DAYTON – Fifty-one stakeholders attended the annual Port-sponsored Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy meeting held at Fire District No. 3, on December 20. Columbia Pulp Kristi Kobetich, Product Line Manager for Columbia Pulp, LLC, gave an update on the progress of the Lyons Ferry Straw Pulp Mill. Kobetich is the liaison between customers and the production facility, making sure all systems are in place and that customers are satisfied. "We believe our straw pulp is going to be a good s...
DAYTON-Columbia County was a happening place in 2017. Columbia Pulp "Pulp Fiction" became fact in July when Columbia Pulp I, LLC secured financing for its $184 million straw pulp manufacturing plant near Starbuck. Excavation began in earnest in August, and the official groundbreaking ceremony and site tour took place in October. The $184 million facility will produce 149,000 tons per year of market pulp from wheat and alfalfa straw and 95,000 tons per year of carbohydrate-lignin co-product....
DAYTON-A recent survey of parents and students in grades 6-12, show fewer than originally thought, are in favor of the full athletic combine with the Waitsburg School District, said District Superintendent Doug Johnson. Two hundred thirty surveys were sent to parents with 85 responses. Thirty-eight percent approved a full combine and sixty-two percent said "no". Two hundred surveys were sent to students and the response is half in favor and half opposed. The main reasons cited are the cost,...
DAYTON-It is official. Roger Trump is retiring and the county celebrated his long career last week at the courthouse with cake and a plaque honoring his service. What hasn't Trump accomplished in the last forty five years, since beginning work with the County Survey and Bridge Crew, in 1972? He said from 1972 until 1982, he worked on the county road crew, advancing from laborer to road grader, as well as operating Trump's Custom Cut farm slaughter business. Trump said he quit, for a time, to hel...
DAYTON-At the end of this month, the Manila Bay Café is moving from its present location on Main St., to Suite B at the Blue Mountain Station. Restaurant owner Jonathan Betts told Port officials he would like to be open for business on December 27 or 28. The café will serve breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, from noon - 1 pm. The Manila Bay Café is available for catering as well. "I'm excited about the opportunity. I appreciate the chance," Betts said. Betts signed a...
DAYTON—At the last CCHS regular board meeting in November, Stephanie Carpenter, RN, COO, spoke about a meeting she attended sponsored by the Aging and Long Term Care and the Alzheimer’s Association at the SonBridge Community Center in College Place. The purpose of the meeting was to learn about a statewide movement that empowers people with memory loss, and their families, and that helps them stay connected in the community. Carpenter said the goal is to plan for a dementia-friendly community in Columbia County. She said that businesses can...
DAYTON – First-year 4-H Robotics Coach Jeanne Walter is pretty proud of her group, and rightfully so! The group of seven kids, age 10-13, from both Dayton and Waitsburg, recently won the Research Award for their project at the First Lego League Regional Tournament in Pasco and will advance to the state competition in Cheney on January 13. The club, named the Venus Flytraps, includes Mikel Vance, Vaughn Walter, Juniper Kerr, Balian Walter, Phinneas Kerr, Hudson Reser and Joshua Reser. Of the 2...
DAYTON—A special meeting was held on Dec. 6 in the school district board room to discuss how the Dayton School District can best meet some newly-identified school facility needs as well as how to finish currently-identified facilities projects. Superintendent Doug Johnson said due to the increasing cost and scope of the projects the current capital project levy falls short of being able to complete all of the projects. “In addition to the projects already on the table, the heating system, district-wide, has become very problematic,” he said....
DAYTON--County Commissioner Merle Jackson would like to express his gratitude to the voters of Columbia County for passing Proposition 1, the one-tenth of one percent county wide sales tax for the purpose of providing for ongoing, stable funding for improvements and maintenance of the radio system and 911 Emergency Services Operations. “It’s gratifying to start on this road of upgrading the equipment,” Jackson said. Replacing the eleven-year-old analog radio console in the county’s dispatc...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Sheriff’s Department has released a statement to the press about an incident that occurred last Tues., Dec. 5, when the Sheriff’s Department received a call from the Dayton School District regarding threats made against the school by a student. The Sheriff’s Department press release stated that Deputy Jeff Jenkins met with Superintendent Doug Johnson and High School Principal Paul Shaber. After determining the threats were credible, Sheriff Rocky Miller and Prosecutor Rea Culwell were asked to join the meeti...
DAYTON-Patricia Sacha is a natural in her new role as the Blue Mountain Station's Market manager. Sacha farmed the garden at the Blue Mountain Station in 2015. Since 2016 she and her husband, David, have been operating Hidden Gardens Farm, supplying microgreens and herbs to the BMS Market and to local restaurants. Sacha said is familiar with what running the market entails. "I used to help Melissa (Weatherford) with packaging products and stocking shelves," she said. "I already know a lot of...
DAYTON-Patients stand to benefit from the addition of three new treatment modalities at Dayton General Hospital, as well as from the enthusiasm of the staff responsible for them. Treatment with acupuncture has been added to the list of services at DGH. Acupuncture Denise Lane has been utilizing her education, from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Ore., and her experience to give patients another option in treating chronic pain, stress, anxiety and depression. An...
Public is invited to attend advisory meetings DAYTON-Last week, Waitsburg School District Superintendent Dr. Jon Mishra and Dayton School District Superintendent Doug Johnson spoke about progress the Dayton/Waitsburg Advisory Combine committee is making on a full combine between the two schools for sports and other activities.. On Mon., Dec. 4, the committee will have met five times since Sept. 2017, to plan for a full combine for the 2018-19 school year. Driving the process is the lack of adequ...
