Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 262 - 286 of 997
WALLA WALLA -- Walla Walla County and the cities of Prescott, Waitsburg and Walla Walla will hold a public information meeting Tuesday evening to provide information on the upcoming update of each jurisdic- tion's Shoreline Master Program. The meeting will be held in the County Commissioners' chambers in the Walla Walla Public Health and Legislative Building at 6:30 p.m. A brief presentation with time for general questions, from 6:30 to 7:15, will be followed by an informal open house from 7:15 to 8:30. Preliminary shoreline jurisdiction maps...
DAYTON - About 50 local residents, including healthcare providers and community leaders, gath- ered here Tuesday evening for a presentation by the Washington Rural Health Association and to discuss upcoming changes in rural healthcare. Several partici- pants also shared ideas about how health outcomes could be improved in our area. The Roundtable was sponsored by the Columbia County Health System, which operates Dayton General Hospital and clinics in Dayton and Waitsburg. The meeting was...
DAYTON -- Two suspects arrested in Dayton early Friday morning, after a chase initiated in Waitsburg, have been formally charged and are being held in the Walla Walla County Jail on $50,000 bail. Walla Walla dispatch received a call in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, from Jacob LuJan, of 100 Murphy Street in Waitsburg, reporting that an unknown assailant had broken into his home, stolen his wallet and assaulted him. Columbia County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Dian Ver Va...
DAYTON - The Dayton Schools Facilities Committee on Tuesday decided to delay making a recommendation to the Dayton School Board for a construction bond levy to finance major reconstruction at the schools. The District will not put a levy request before voters in February, as originally expected. According to a statement issued by Superintendent Doug Johnson, at the committee's October 8th meeting, the group determined that they need more public input before moving forward. He said that,...
WAITSBURG - Final voting day for the 2013 General Election is November 5, but mail-in ballots are on their way to voters in Walla Walla and Columbia Counties. This year's election features two state-wide initiatives - one designed to change the initiative process itself, and the other to add new labeling requirements to genetically modified foods. Also on the ballot is one judicial race - for completion of an unexpired term for the Washington State Court of Appeals. Judge George Fearing was appointed in May to fill the six-year term of Den...
DAYTON - Robert Bridwell pleaded not guilty Thursday to sexual exploitation of a minor and other charges relating to photographs he is alleged to have taken of underage women. Bridwell, 64, of Dayton, was charged last month with 35 felony counts by the Columbia County Prosecutor's Office after his seized cell phone was found with sexually explicit photos. He and his attorney, public defender Dale Slack, entered the not guilty pleas during a hearing in front of Superior Court Judge William Ac...
PRESCOTT - The Touchet Valley is filled with well- maintained historic homes and buildings, treasured by the communities in which they reside. Owners of those buildings, however, will attest that maintenance is no small feat. That fact is illustrated by the numerous abandoned and dilapidated structures dotting the landscape, whose owners have thrown up their hands in surrender to time and the elements. The Prescott Lions have faced that challenge head-on, restoring and maintaining the L...
WAITSBURG - Jack McCaw is one of those people that you don't have to exert much effort to interview. You simply ask a question or two, then sit back and enjoy as the entertainment begins. When I learned that McCaw had recently participated in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C., I decided to take advantage of my official "news reporter" status to hear all about it. He didn't disappoint -- in the course of 45 minutes I laughed, held back tears and was filled with an extra shot of good ole'...
DAYTON - At about 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, a couple of employees wear- ing jackets collected per- sonal item from the Farm Service Agency office next to Dayton's Post Office. But soon they were gone and the room was dark. A sign indicated the office would remain dark until congress acts. The inability of congress to agree on a budget exten- sion Monday meant that non-essential government offices and sites throughout the country will remain shut indefinitely. As The Times went to press Tuesday, n...
WAITSBURG - In a pleasant surprise, the weather cooperated beautifully and the sun shone pink on the hills, providing a perfect backdrop for the hundreds of fish lovers lined up at the Don Thomas Com- munity Building Saturday night. Nearly 600 people attended the annual Lion's Club Salmon Barbeque, all patiently awaiting that slice of pink perfection that only comes around once a year. "I don't know that I've ever had any better salmon," said Lion's Club President Larry Johnson. "They tweak the...
DAYTON - Robert Bridwell, 64, of Dayton, was charged last week with 35 felony counts relating to nude photos of underage girls he took with his cell phone. Bridwell, who was arrested September 16 after a long investigation by the Colum- bia County Sheriff's Office, was arraigned on September 19. He was charged with seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, fourteen counts of dealing in depic- tions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and fourteen counts of possess- ing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance setting a one-year moratorium on the establishment of marijuana-related businesses in the unincorpo- rated part of the county after a public hearing during their regular September 18 meeting. Five days later, on Monday, the Dayton city council approved a similar ordinance, but one with a moratorium expiring after six months. According to Dayton Mayor Craig George, the city's time limit was set because their legal...
WAITSBURG - The 2013-14 school year kicked off with enrollment numbers higher than anticipated in Waitsburg, and even more incoming students expected in the near future. Superintendent Dr. Carole Clarke updated board members at last week's school board meeting and requested additional help to meet the increased demands. Earlier enrollment estimates for the 2013-14 school year projected 135 elementary students (grades K-6), 45 middle school students (grades 7-8) and 270 high school students. At...
DAYTON - On Monday, Columbia County Sheriff's Office personnel arrested Robert Bridwell, 64, at his home in Dayton, after a long investigation of possible child pornography activities. At approximately 7 a.m., Sheriff Rocky Miller and several deputies served Bridwell with a search warrant at his home in Country Village Court. There, they re- trieved a cell phone memory card, which allegedly con- tained nude photos Bridwell had taken of underage girls. Bridwell is being held at the Columbia...
DAYTON - Early this spring, Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson invited local food producers to a meeting on the subject of ag-tourism, with the goal of identifying and promoting food producers and products already available in Colum- bia County. That initial gathering of local "foodies" culminated in an entire weekend of food related activities known as The Heirloom Gardeners Food and Wine Weekend. The event, a joint effort of the Port of Columbia, the Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton...
WAITSBURG - While there is still a bit of reprieve before the dreaded "fall back" in time requiring that clocks be adjusted to accommodate the end of Daylight Savings Time, a more enjoyable step back in time is just around the corner. Waitsburg's annual Pioneer Fall Festival, a community celebration honoring local history, will take place Sunday, September 15. This year's festival kicks off at 11 a.m. with an outdoor nondenominational church service led by First Christian Church pastor Mik...
DAYTON - Dayton Ambulance, Fire District 3 personnel and deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a possible drowning Monday, at approximately 4:10 p.m. A 54-year-old man, who was unidentified at press time, was swimming in the Touchet River downstream from Dayton near the Touchet Valley Golf Course. The caller reported the man had been trapped under a man-made log dam in that portion of the river and was not conscious. Responders pulled the man from the water and transported him to Dayton General Hospital....
DAYTON - Dayton City Planner Karen Sharer says that Dayton does not currently have a marijuana moratorium in place, but the possibility is under review for consideration. The city is in the process of determining how to best respond to the policy mandates and is drafting a letter to be presented at the Sept. 23 City Council meeting. "We are evaluating the situation and trying to figure out what is best for the City," said Sharer. "We are in the process of putting together a letter and bringing all the issues before the council on the 23rd. W...
WAITSBURG - Last December the Waitsburg City Council placed a temporary moratorium on the production and sale of marijuana within city limits. The moratorium was established in order to allow the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) time to respond to the passage of I-502 and develop policy for the legalized growth and sale of recreational marijuana. "People who want to set up shops are going to look for spots with no rules in place," said City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe. "That's why it was important for us to get something in...
DAYTON - Anyone hoping to buy, sell or grow pot in the Touchet Valley area under Washington state's new law legalizing marijuana, may have to wait a while. Walla Walla and Columbia counties, whose voters opposed Initiative 502 last year, are drafting ordinances placing a moratorium on such activities until the state's Liquor Control Board has its act together and the rules are clear. And while those ordinances apply only to unincorporated parts of the two counties, their cities are makin...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Fairgrounds has been full of hustle and bustle this week, getting ready for this week's county fair. This year's theme is "Sew It, Grow It & Show It at the Fair." Open class and exhibits will be displayed in the Pavilion and Youth Building The fair runs Friday through Sunday. Friday night's feature is a motocross event, followed by a street dance on the Midway with the band Vintage. Saturday will be the 4-H BBQ and the Livestock Sale during the day. Saturday n...
