Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON - In the Dayton community, past residents have left a gift that continues to support our most crucial services -- health care and education. Dr. William Day and his wife Jessie left an income-generating, activated in 1973, that pays out thousands of dollars each year to the Dayton hospital and school district, according to Kevin Paulson, a manager in special asset management in farming and ranching for Bank of America. The Days set the trust up through their attorney. Farmland is the...
In a world where energy is most certain to come up in virtually any conversation, as well as any political speech, we all hang on sound-bites about crude oil. Every time the price of "black gold, Texas tea" rises a few dollars on the global market, we all get a new tax increase at the gasoline pump. At least it feels like a tax increase. So every day we all worry about what happens in lands far away where the stuff is pumped out of a hole in the ground and a nearly inconceivable amount of money flows back down the hole. One year ago, the price...
In the March 22 issue of the Times, a story about the success of the WP middle school basketball team included misspelled names. Those names are Tavis Crittenden and Trey Potts. Also in the March 22 issue in an election story on Bart Baxter and Tiffany Laposi, the location of a campground Baxter would like to create was misinterpreted. He would like to make the city-owned area by the former Waits Mill into a campground. Finally, in the March 22 issue, a story called " Health District Search Begins For New CEO," no recruitment firm was used...
I would like to add my name as an "also ran" to the notable list of previous employees (including my brothers,) of the Times during Tom and Anita's ownership. My first summer job out of high school was as the teletype setter. It was not long after that when Tom upgraded to cold type. I count myself as fortunate to have experienced firsthand the machines that are now on display in the Coppei Café as relics of a bygone era. The cacophony of the machinery, the smell of the molten lead, and the drama of the deadline are all indelibly etched into...
I'm always amazed when I hear my friends, neighbors and colleagues complaining about the state of our country or community only to find out that they've not voted in a national or local election. I took the opportunity to attend our county caucus in Walla Walla earlier this month and was shocked to find only a handful of people from Waitsburg, Prescott and Dixie in attendance. Maybe it's because most folks feel that their opinion won't make a difference. I've struggled with that thought myself. But if we're going to make a difference it has to...
When will the Port of Walla Walla understand that they are a public agency and accountable to the public? Recently the port director hired a 30-hours a week project manager for more than $60,000 a year plus full benefits. This was done without any public notice of the job opportunity and did not give qualified individuals an opportunity to apply. Circumventing fair hiring practices in this manner is outrageous and should be questioned. Why does the Port of Walla Walla and Director Kuntz believe they can behave so differently from other public...
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Christine Gregoire signed into law earlier this month a resolution that would give financially distressed biomass processing facilities and pulp and paper mills a break from compliance rules dealing with the expensive process of clean-energy conversion. Prime sponsor Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, was prime sponsor of Senate bill 5575, which calls for a change in the 2006 voter-approved Energy Independence Act (Initiative 937) to further define what biomass-elements may constitu...
A few weeks ago, I received a big envelope with a calendar in it. It was called "Wisconsin Horsepower." The postmark was also from the Cheese State. I did a double take. Whom did I know in Wisconsin? I opened the calendar and two letters fell out, both from someone named Jim Bragg. I searched my gray matter. Jim Bragg. Jim Bragg. Nothing. I read the title of his letter, "Coast To Coast," and I suddenly realized who had sent me the packet. Jim Bragg was the 70-something man who stopped in Waitsburg on his walk across America! The near...
Waitsburg Memorial Scholarship Fund In memory of: Andrew Groom, Luanna Kalahele, Neil Witt and Sara Leid Heggen From: Bill & Roseann Groom...
In the Times edition on May 13, 2010, I wrote about my experience playing the piano for patients at Booker Annex, many of whom are dementia patients. A March 9, 2012, edition of the Union-Bulletin featured a story on its health and fitness page that read: "Dr. Brent Bauer, professor of medicine and director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says research is beginning to catch up with the value of music in promoting healing." He credits the Natural Institute of Health with the changing...
After a Friday night of happy hour and late-night drinking, many fail to consider the repercussions of driving while impaired, but legislators have. Various changes to the driving- under- theinfl uence law have unanimously passed the Legislature and become effective upon the governor's signature. The reform puts more stringent penalties on those convicted of drunk driving including increased fees and facial recognition systems on ignition-interlock devices. Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland,...
With the imminent departure of Charlie Button, CEO of Columbia County Health System, the hospital district that serves Dayton and Waitsburg is at a crossroads. For a number of reasons, staff, patients and the community that supports the small rural health care district through their taxes have had their share of challenges in recent years: plenty of turnover, employee burnout, state inspection citations, emotional public meetings, billing trouble, state funding cuts and so on. Calm, order and predictability have returned to some degree since...
The big USDA report last Friday brought only a little news for wheat markets. Ending stocks of all wheat in the U.S. are expected to total 825 million bushels, a downward revision of 20 million from the previous official monthly projection. This was considered mildly supportive for wheat prices, especially next to the lower global wheat supply estimate for the year, which was given to be 209.58 million metric tonnes, some 3.52 million tonnes lower than the previous month's figure, which was itself a record high 213.1 million. Although for many...
In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case called Citizens United v. FEC (federal election commission) that corporations and unions have the right to spend unlimited money influencing elections to ensure that their interests are the ones our politicians are concerned about. This comes at the expense of the interests of the American people. Now corporations are using hundreds of millions of dollars to buy our elections and, consequently, are drowning out the voices of average Americans. They don't even have to disclose their identities, hi...
Swimming Pools Offer Services For All Families WAITSBURG - The bout of warm, sunny weather in the Touchet River Valley made us long for summer days to come and the summertime recreation involved. The residents in the Touchet Valley are extremely lucky because we have three city pools our families can spend the day at all summer. They offer lap swim, swim lessons, water aerobics and simply a place we can cool off when the mercury rises. Even better is that our local pools offer free services to...
I t isn't always easy to find good employees. Despite the poor economy, or perhaps because of it, adults otherwise employable people struggle with substance abuse and reliability issues. Even some self-employed contractors sometimes have a hard time showing up sober or on time or to live up to the expectations of their advertised services. And then there is the question of professional qualifications, which are often difficult to gather in a small community like ours. That's why an employer like The Times is blessed to find parttime staff...
Somehow it seems unfair for the port to be spending millions of dollars to create and extend an unincorporated area of the county while the incorporated cities like Waitsburg and Prescott are not offered these same opportunities. These are being done with the port taking the initiative and ignores the vast impact the wheat and apple industries in these rural areas not close to the urban centers have. Douglas Venn Prescott...
Last week, the Dayton High School Boys basketball team participated in the State B tournament held in Spokane. After three days of competition the boys brought home a sixth place trophy and some great memories. The team, their families and the coaching staff should be very proud the team's accomplishments. During the tournament and throughout the year other students participated alongside of our team. These students were members of the cheer squad and the band. The cheer team practiced all season and committed themselves to preparing for...
A Rodeo With A Great Cause: Our Children WALLA WALLA - For 30 years, collegiate cowboys have been making a difference in children's lives. March 9 through 11 is the 30th anniversary of a partnership between the Walla Walla Community College, Exchange Club of Walla Walla and the Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Together they put on the WWCC Collegiate Rodeo, Riding Against Child Abuse, and have raised $300,000 for local child abuse prevention activities and college rodeo, said Dick...
ell, we may be a few weeks early for the official change of seasons on March 21. But with temperatures in the lower 60s by the end of the week, the time of crocuses, daffodils, tulips and spring cleaning is upon us. And the travel season isn't far behind, which means we want our town to looks its best for visitors. This year should be good for the Touchet River Valley as a tourist destination. Waitsburg has already been mentioned in "Sunset Magazine" and will soon be featured in "Seattle Magazine." Dayton's Main Street should see more activity...
