Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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A beautiful but smokey Saturday morning sunrise over the Touchet River, seen from the Main Street bridge in Waitsburg. The region has experienced unhealthy air quality for most of the summer. Waitsburg had blue skies on Monday with air quality levels below 100 on the Air Quality Index, after many days in the unhealthy range....
UMATILLA NATIONAL FOREST—Southwest wind gusts are expected to continue driving the Green Ridge Fire, feeding the flames with unburned pockets of fuel. As of Tuesday, August 17, the fire has burned 37,599 acres and is less than 20% contained. In the 48 hours leading up to Tuesday’s update, the wind tested fire lines created in Division M. However, the fire lines and previous firing operations have proven effective. The fire has been kept within the division’s footprint and the lines creat...
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council met Wednesday, August 11, for a regular meeting. The council continues to meet in person, with the option to join via Zoom. During the first public comment period, council members heard from Howard Novak urging them to consider hiring more than one animal control officer. Novak said he had been attacked or threatened by a dog on more than one occasion. Mayor Zac Weatherford said the city is currently working with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to create and...
Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England, to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on t...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg FFA has been awarded nearly $3,000 as part of the competitive Grants for Growing Program offered to middle and high school FFA chapters across the United States. The grant program, facilitated by the National FFA Organization, is funded by consumers who purchase FFA paper emblems at Tractor Supply Company (TSC) stores. Grants for Growth is sponsored by TSC and provides up to $5,000 grants which can be used to “Grow your Classroom,” “Grow your FFA Chapter,” or “Grow you...
WALLA WALLA—During a Board of County Commissioners meeting in 2020, members of the public requested that the Board of County Commissioners hold a public hearing to consider comments on the Christopher Columbus statue, which is currently located on the lawn in front of the Walla Walla County Courthouse. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of County Commissioners decided to hold a public meeting at a date to be announced. The Board of County Commissioners planned to receive public comment once in-person meetings could resume regarding the sta...
Dear Editor, I want to give kudos to the wonderful photography and articles by Beka Compton. I live in Seattle and have friends in Waitsburg, so I enjoy subscribing to The Times in an effort to keep up with what’s going on in their world. Beka makes the City of Waitsburg visually captivating. She seems to be at the right place at the right time to capture magnificent images! As a professional photographer, I’m a bit envious. Keep it up Beka and thank you! Kathy Oman, Seattle...
DAYTON/WAITSBURG—Fall, Winter, and Spring sports have looked very different over the past year, and while schedules are looking a little more typical for the 2021 season, registration looks pretty different. In years past, athlete registration packets have been printed and provided for a pen-and-paper approach. The schools are now moving towards an online sports registration system available on the new Dayton-Waitsburg Athletics website, www.dwsports.org. Athletic Director Sam Korslund said he is currently working to have the registration p...
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Health announced that a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are now being recommended to certain immunocompromised individuals, following recommendation front the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The third dose will not be considered a booster but an additional vaccine for immunocompromised individuals who may not have developed adequate immunities in the t...
DAYTON—The Port of Columbia Commissioners met Wednesday, August 11, for a regular board meeting. Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson reported a roughly $10,000 expenditure for an HVAC replacement at one of the Port’s properties. Dickinson said the Port’s property insurance went up 20% in 2020 and another 20% this year, now totaling $64,000. “That is disappointing,” Dickinson said. “I have done research into other companies, and I can’t find anything better.” Dickinson said the P...
WAITSBURG—Middle school parents, mark your calendars for upcoming open house events at Preston Hall Middle School. Students will have the chance to get to know their teachers, familiarize themselves with class schedules and sports information, and learn and understand building-specific expectations. Information on Qmlative, the grade-reporting program that replaced Skyward, as well as student email information, will also be available. Best of all, ice cream will be served! The Sixth-Grade social will be on August 23 at 7 p.m. The S...
OLYMPIA—COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are accelerating across the state of Washington, demonstrating the delta variant’s potential to unravel the state’s hard-fought progress toward recovery. Unvaccinated people have been hit hardest, and public health officials continue to urge everyone who are not fully vaccinated to do so immediately. Now is also the time to redouble efforts around the key behaviors that keep the virus from spreading. All people should: Wear a mask, watch distance, wash hands often, carry hand sanitizer, and enabl...
OLYMPIA—Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced on Monday, August 9, that most state workers in Washington, as well as private health care and long-term care employees, will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination by Oct. 18, or lose their jobs. 16th District State Representatives Skyler Rude and Mark Klicker, both R-Walla Walla, issued the following statement on the governor’s mandate: “The governor’s recent proclamation ordering the termination of employment for those who choose not to be vaccinated is incredibly troubli...
This month, one of the most talented people I know has moved to town. David Gignac has been a close friend, fellow artist, co-exhibitor, and collaborator since I met him decades ago on Whidbey Island. It always amazes me but never surprises me, the ingenious way his mind works. It is always a joy to work on big and small projects, art and building, theater, and real-life problem-solving. I love living in Waitsburg and always hoped I could entice him to make this his home. When Jeff and Gayle Bro...
Although I don't have a "charmed" life, I certainly have it easier than many people. I recognize that in the scheme of things, I have no right to complain. But, I admit, there are some days or weeks when frustrations accumulate, and I begin to feel sorry for myself, like today. The frustrations began when a few patrons at the restaurant graciously complimented me and told me they enjoyed reading my columns in The Times. I was flattered, then had a mini-anxiety attack thinking about what I will...
WALLA WALLA-The Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days added a new specialty act for their 2021 line-up. DockDogs is a dock diving orgnazation offering competitions in this exciting, nationally recognized competitive dog sport. You may ask, what is dock diving? The sport combines two favorite dog pastimes, swimming and chasing toys. Canine atheletes race down a dock, launch into the air in pursuit of a high-value toy or toy "bumper," then splashes into a pool or other body of water. It doesn't...
Colville Street in Walla Walla is one of my favorite places to go for date night. From TMACS to the Colville Street Patisserie, you can find sweet, savory, fancy, and simple all within a few steps. Recently opened Pine Cone Creamery is a welcomed addition to the block's date-night appeal. It offers a wide selection of small-batch ice cream, sorbet, coffee, and other sweet treats. Whether you prefer fresh waffle cones or ice cream in a cup, Pine Cone has it. Like to add sprinkles, chocolate, or...
DAYTON-Dayton's Liberty Theater was one of just a few Washington State stops on the 2021 Missoula Children's Theatre tour. Over the weekend, local actors and actresses told the timeless tale of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny and his good pals, the Apple Seeds, travelled across the land on foot, leaving a trail of young apple trees behind. They managed to make friends with all kinds of people and animals throughout their travels, sleeping under the stars at night and enjoying the untamed outdoors...
Sometime during the next few weeks, a transformation will take place on my property at the intersection of lower West Seventh Avenue and Coppei Creek. Our house faces southwest, and the driveway runs parallel to the creek. The Coppei channel is deeper here than it is most anywhere else within the city. As far as I can see, the Seventh Avenue bridge is over fifty years old but still in solid shape (I'm not a bridge expert). According to the city, the "tee-beam" concrete structure has been...
Ten Years Ago August 18, 2011 Seattle-area residents who tuned into their local National Public Radio affiliate this week were introduced to none other than Waitsburg’s Bret Moser, Jim German, Claire Johnston and Jack Miller. Seattle-based KUOW focused on Waitsburg in a second segment about the so-called “Cascade Curtain,” a physical, and some would say cultural and political, divide between the west and east sides of the Cascade Mountains. In his show “Waitsburg: When East Meets West,” reporter...
Often, my kitchen inspiration is based on what is ripe and ready for picking in the garden. Our backyard has provided an abundance of tomatillos and chili peppers this week, which instantly had me thinking about Salsa Verde. A versatile sauce that blends the piquant brightness of the tomatillos with cilantro and fresh green chilis, Salsa Verde is wonderful served cold or hot. Here, I have used it as a braising liquid for chicken, which is then finished in the oven with cheese. A satisfying dish...
Ukuleles, sewing machines, and binoculars are just a few items at the Library of Things waiting to tag along on your next adventure around Dayton. The Dayton Memorial Library started the Library of Things in 2017, and it has since become popular with local patrons. It includes a little bit of everything for just about anyone; Discovery Kits for kids six years and under that make counting fun, inspire a love of entomology, and dive into the world of dinos. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art...
Hot August nights in Waitsburg are the perfect excuse to play with water! Members of the Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 had water supply training on Monday, August 16 for volunteers old and new. Trainings happen every other week, and the fire station on Main Street in Waitsburg is the perfect place to stop, watch, and see just how much work goes into keeping Waitsburg safe....
