Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Stubble and Clouds, 2020. A beautiful fall landscape, photographed from Middle Waitsburg Road by local photographer and accomplished home chef, Bill Rodgers....
WAITSBURG-At the September City Council Meeting, Waitsburg City Council members voted to memorialize Elmer Hazelbaker, a man with a rich history in Waitsburg. The Taggart Road Extension, which connects Taggart Road and Highway 12 at the end of the city limits, was named Hazelbaker Road in September. The project, which began in 2019, is getting close to being finished with crews moving in to pave last week. The road extension aims to improve traffic safety along Taggart Road. At the regular City...
DAYTON-The Columbia County Public Health Administrator shared information about COVID-19 at last week's meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, and it was mostly positive. Martha Lanman said the last time anybody in the community tested positive for COVID-19 was on Sept. 2, and that person has since recovered. The schools are open for in-person learning, Personal Protective Equipment supplies are stable, and a strong collaborative partnership has developed between the Health Department, em...
OKTOBERFEST – The Blue Mountain Station Market & Nursery will be celebrating fall with the annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Whetstone Springs will be there with honey, garlic and more. And Zonia, Starbuck’s new mayor, will have her delightful baked goodies! Alas, no beer garden due to social distancing measures, but take a look at the menu on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/bluemountainstation. You can pre-order food for pick-up on Saturday by emailing BMS with your order, desired pick up time, and con...
The City of Waitsburg received roughly $37,000 in CARES ACT funding, and the City Council decided to make the bulk of the financing available to the local businesses impacted by the pandemic. The grant covers expenses from March through October and can be used to cover the costs of various things, including, rent utilities, PPE, etc. Information on the grant is available on the City website at www.cityofwaitsburg.com. Any business located in the City of Waitsburg that was impacted by the pandemic is welcome to apply. The grant amount is...
The Port just concluded the second round of grant funding for local businesses. Funding was made possible through Washington State’s CARES Act, the City of Dayton, and private grant funds from the Innovia Foundation. In this round, $170,718 has been distributed to 24 local businesses. Between the two grant programs facilitated by the Port so far, 44 businesses have received assistance for a total of $328,256. Funds are still available, so Round 3 will open up as soon as Round 2 distributions are complete. Notification will be sent via e...
On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Washington is setting new requirements for commercial airports and recommendations for airlines. “The steps we’re taking will help protect those who need to fly,” Inslee said. “This guidance isn’t just about SeaTac—these requirements apply to airports across the state—Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Everett too”. In addition to the new state requirements, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and the Port of Seattle announced additional steps to protect airline passengers and staff’s health and safety...
After months of trying to get residents to fill out their census forms, Columbia County has made very little progress. We are ranked 24 out of 39 counties in self-response rates. Why does this matter? Because federal funds (the tax dollars we’ve paid to the IRS each year) are sent back to states, counties, and cities based on population numbers as tracked by the Census. The number of representatives we have in Congress is also based on Census numbers. Millions of dollars are at stake for Columbia County, dollars that would be used for county r...
Providence offers its annual free drive-through adult flu shot clinic on Oct. 24 at the Providence Southgate Medical Park main building entrance (former main entrance of Walla Walla General Hospital) from 9 a.m. to noon, or until the vaccine is gone. This is a new location for the annual drive-through clinic. People can be vaccinated without leaving their cars, and no appointments are necessary. People are asked to follow the signs as they enter and to wear masks to protect Providence...
DAYTON—Shane Laib is leasing the building at 262 East Main Street for use as an indoor marketplace. For the past several months, he has been busy with painting, installing new carpet and lighting, and creating individual spaces for vendors when the marketplace opens in October. Vendors were displaced when VS Mainstreet, a vintage/antique mall at 245 East Main Street, closed its doors earlier this year, and some of them will be moving to the Main Street Marketplace. “All of the vendors still des...
STARBUCK-Zonia Dedloff was appointed mayor at a special city council meeting on Sept. 22. She replaces Richard Ells, who has resigned, in part, for health reasons. City Clerk, Jan Ells, has also turned in her resignation, effective Sept. 30. The Ells are planning on traveling and enjoying their retirement. Zonia Dedloff has lived in Starbuck for fifty years. "I love Starbuck. I always have," she said. Dedloff has served on the city council for the past four years and was the Mayor Pro-tem...
Cheers to the friends and neighbors who helped watch out for their neighborhood here in Waitsburg. A vehicle most recently connected to possible drug-related activity at the Waitsburg fairground was left abandoned in front of a residence on Orchard Street. The circumstances of how it was left caused concern for those on the block. With quick action from Walla Walla Sheriffs and concerned citizens, the unlicensed and unregistered R.V. was towed and impounded, pending location of the owner. This...
Dear Editor, In 2018, my young relatives in Texas had worked hard for Beto O’Rourke’s bid for US Senate, and they came so close to victory. Out of anger and disappointment, I posted a rude remark on Facebook that included a curse word and then was rightly called out for it by a Facebook friend. I removed the post, apologized in a private message, and agreed that ugly language was not appropriate or necessary; I should be able to make my case without it. We put yard signs up in support of Democratic candidates. Our neighbors across the street pu...
Dear Editor, I am writing to endorse Mike Talbott for Columbia County Commissioner, Position #2. I have known Mike for over 40 years. Mike and I have daughters the same age, we both farmed, and have been involved in many similar community activities. Mike is a leader and has demonstrated his leadership skills in many ways. He has been a County Commissioner for eight years and served on the Dayton School Board for 17 years. He also served as President on the Columbia County Grain Growers Board and was a member of that board for many years. He...
WORLD WIDE WEB—Recently I watched The Social Dilemma, a documentary-drama directed by Jeff Orlowski, currently available on Netflix. The movie presents a series of interviews with Silicon Valley engineers and tech experts discussing the science behind technology addiction, surveillance capitalism, and other dangers embedded in popular social media platforms. There is also an acted and scripted story interspersed between interviews, illustrating how a family faces the effects of their social media use. The interviews are harrowing; they cover wh...
9- year survivor tells her story DAYTON—Eileen McMunn, “Teeny” to those who know her, is an eighteen-year survivor of breast cancer, an amazing feat considering her cancer was identified as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This type of breast cancer is not fueled by estrogen and progesterone receptors, or by HER2, a type of protein. It accounts for 15-percent of breast cancer in the Caucasian population and 35-percent in the African American population Though TNBC cancer can have the s...
DAYTON-Librarian Kristie Korslund said Dayton Memorial Library staff attended a conference on Space Planning Progress last November. They learned about traffic flow and how to maximize patron enthusiasm for library collections. When patrons are finally allowed back inside the Dayton Memorial Library, they will be pleased to see what has taken place since the building closed in March because of COVID-19. The library board and staff have moved forward with making upgrades on the main floor level...
September 22 A Kubota side by side was taken. Walla Walla Co September 23 Hit & Run report. Burbank September 24 Abandoned motor home reported. Waitbsurg September 25 Towed abandoned vehicle, Prescott. Subject was a victim of fraud via Internet. Prescott A woman was arrested on multiple felony accounts for forgery, stolen property. Burbank September 26 Unknown suspects ran into the stop sign at JB George Rd and Peppers Bridge Rd. Walla Walla Co Adult male was stopped for DWLS in the third degree. Subject was taken into custody and lodged under...
OLYMPIA—While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our daily lives, autumn brings with it another unwanted visitor – the flu. The presence of both viruses could put more people in the hospital and strain Washington’s health care system. While we don’t yet have a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, we do have one to prevent flu. Everyone 6 months and older needs a flu vaccine. Young children, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions, and those aged 65 and older are at high risk of complications from flu illness. Flu is a highly...
Things will look different, but Waitsburg students will return to the classroom on Monday WAITSBURG—Starting October 5, the hallways at Waitsburg schools will be full of students again, actually half of them at a time. Students will return to class two days a week, in ‘A’ or ‘B’ groups. On Monday and Tuesday, group A will attend classes at their respective school. Group B is scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is reserved for independent work and targeted assistance, as well as deep c...
WALLA WALLA-Walla Walla native, Brandon Hallsted, wears many hats. By day he is an entrepreneur who owns Connor's Flooring and Design. As past president and current board member for ArtWalla, he's an effective leader. He has spent the last 22 years as a husband to his beloved wife, Mandy. And, this month, Hallsted dons the Combine Art Collective featured artist hat. Beginning his art years ago with sketches, pastels, and painting, Hallsted pursued technical skills that garnered him a bachelor's...
Halloween is just a few short weeks away. Now, I know that trick-or-treating is still up in the air, but I like to be prepared. Over the weekend, I taste-tested a few popular Halloween treats, so all of the adults around here know just what to buy. The first bag up for testing was the Hershey's Greatest of All Time, Miniatures. The Mini G.O.A.T bag had all the classics like KitKat bars, Milk Duds, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. This is a pretty safe option to have on hand. It even has Almond...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Gun Club has a busy schedule for October. With hunting season just around the corner, the volunteer-run gun range has training, sight-in days, and trap shoots planned. On October 3, at 9 a.m, the Waitsburg Gun Club will be hosting a Range Safety Officer (RSO) training. Range Safety Officer training teaches volunteers the necessary knowledge, skills, and temperament essential for organizing, conducting, and supervising safe shooting events and activities, as well as range...
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson I think it should be a “must-read” for everyone to help understand that the justice system is not equal for everyone and circumstances are different in different parts of the U.S.A. It’s the true story of a lawyer who works for a social justice type institute that takes on cases of people on death roll who were wrongly convicted, children, sentenced to life in maximum security prisons without possibilities of parole, and other...
The Seattle Seahawks find themselves in first place in the NFC West with a perfect 3-0 record. This week they travel to Miami to face the 1-2 Miami Dolphins. This should be an easy win for Seattle even though Seattle is currently ranked last on defense in yards allowed per game and passing yards allowed. At quarterback for Miami is Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is with his eighth team and is playing in his sixteenth season in the NFL. He has a career record of 56-85-1, and his 2015 season with...
