Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG - The Columbia Walla Walla County Fire District #2 holds between two and four trainings a month to learn and maintain essential skills. Last week, the district's Assistant Fire Chief, Dane Henze, ran an innovative training to familiarize the firefighters with the efficient use of their Personal Protective Equipment, including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. At the Waitsburg station, eleven firefighters participated in a game of dodgeball while wearing full firefighting PPE and...
DAYTON-A "Waystation" for the endangered Western Monarch butterfly is in early planning stages for a half-acre site at the Blue Mountain Station. With generous support from the Port of Columbia, a newly formed committee is working to make the Waystation and Pollinator Garden a reality. Spring is here, and there is much to do. The committee is seeking community-wide participation from people with extensive gardening experience, as well as from youth groups and seniors. Financial support and...
WAITSBURG - The 2026 Waitsburg Celebration Days Royalty Coronation was held in Waitsburg Town Hall on Saturday, February 21. The new royalty court, Kayla Kuykendall, Alexis Jones, Keely Harshfield, and Kinsley Tinnons, greeted guests as they arrived at the hall. The members of the court began their journey at try-outs in October 2025. The girls rode their horses, gave speeches, and were interviewed by the judges who scored their performances. Alexis Jones earned the highest score and the honor...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board convened at the high school's library at 6:30 p.m. on February 18, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board members Pat Davidson, Grant Griffin, and Ryan Paulson were present, with Aneesha Dieu joining remotely. The Board passed the consent agenda, which included approval of past meeting minutes, accounts payable and payroll, a donation of $3,157 from the FFA Alumni for the FFA State Convention, and an overnight school trip f...
DAYTON — Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6 p.m. on February 10, 2026. Trump, council members James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, Shannon McMillen, and Dave Harvey were present. The council approved Resolution 1585 to authorize a funding agreement with the Department of Ecology for the design of the new wastewater treatment facility. The council also approved Resolution 1586, authorizing the Mayor to sign a grant agreement with the Transportation Improvement Board for the des...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on February 11, 2026, in the Port conference room. All Commissioners were present in the Port conference room: Mike Spring, Johnny Watts, and Scott Hudson. Also present was the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. Dickinson broached the need to expand the port’s conference room to accommodate the public at well-attended meetings. Currently, overflow attendees can view from the hallway or watch via video feed from the main office. Dickinson suggested expanding int...
PRESCOTT - Efforts by the Prescott School District, Parents and Teachers Organization, City of Prescott, and community members continue to work hard to save the Prescott schools. Creative fundraising ideas include the City of Prescott purchasing the school district's Teachers Cottage to relocate city hall, and the successful Brick Fundraiser. Upcoming events include a Community Indoor Sale, featuring donated items. All proceeds will go to the school district's general fund. The sale will be at...
OLYMPIA - Rosalie Ross, an eighth grader at Enterprise Middle School in West Richland, recently spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. She was one of 13 students who served as Senate pages for the third week of the 2026 legislative session. Ross was sponsored by Washington State Senator Perry Dozier. "It was a pleasure to have Rosalie page for us this week," said Dozier. "This program is a great opportunity for students to learn about the...
WALLA WALLA - Blue Mountain Heart to Heart has been awarded $1,000,000 from a congressionally directed appropriation sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell. The funds are to be used towards a new BMH2H facility in Walla Walla. The proposed project will convert a 14,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 3 W. Poplar to a state-of-the-art clinic, classroom, social services, and case management facility. Outpatient services at this site will include substance use treatment, individual and group counseling, a small...
WAITSBURG - From January 23 to 25, eight members and four leaders of Waitsburg Scout Troop 337 spent their annual winter campout weekend in below-freezing temperatures. There was no snow, as the group had hoped, only temperatures from 13 degrees to the low 20s. Scouts Ameilia Alleman, Natalia Alleman, Shylo Hedges, T. J. Hollingsworth, Kaitlynn Miller, Katherine Roberts, Victoria Roberts, and Sidian Stegall braved the cold temperatures, sleeping in tents at Lady Bug Campground. Troop leaders...
When the 8 lb. 9 oz., 21-inch boy arrived, no one guessed that a mighty Cardinal had just entered the world. Monte Pettichord was born in Walla Walla on February 18, 2005, to Danny and Phoebe. Growing up, Monte enjoyed many outdoor activities, often involving a ball of some sort, other times a fishing pole. Pettichord attended school in Waitsurg from second grade through high school. At school, Pettichord's love of sports grew, and by high school, he was an accomplished athlete. He won...
Waitsburg City Council met for the first meeting of the year on January 21, 2026. Council members Jennifer Bishop, Kevin House, and Brian Richards, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe met at City Hall. Jim Romine and Jillian Henze were in Olympia, Wash., for City Action Days, a conference hosted by the Association of Washington Cities. Romaine joined the meeting in progress via Zoom. After approving the minutes from the December meeting, the council heard year-end reports from the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office, Weller Publi...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on January 21, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board Members Pat Davidson, Grant Griffin, Aneesha Dieu, and Ryan Paulson were present. The board passed the consent agenda, which included hiring Mary Ann Walling as an elementary teacher and Mike Garrett as a high school volunteer golf coach. The consent agenda accepted a book vending machine from the Friends of the Library. There was no public comment. Four members of the e...
WAITSBURG -Last Saturday, January 24, the Waitsburg Alumni Association President, Deanna Tipton, presented a $1,000 donation to Ross Hamann, President, and Julie Karl, Vice President of the Waitsburg Booster Club. The Waitsburg Alumni Association's mission is not only to support graduates through scholarships and financial support but also to foster a sense of community through events and gatherings, and to facilitate networking opportunities for alums. "The board feels that it's important to...
WAITSBURG — Waitsburg School District has a two-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy on the Feb. 10, 2026, ballot. This levy will replace Waitsburg’s current levy, approved by voters in 2024, and is now up for renewal. This is not a new tax. If taxpayers approve, the school district will use the levy to support school programs not fully funded by the state. Please feel free to contact the Waitsburg Superintendent’s Office at 509-337-6301 with questions or to learn more about the school levy. 2026 Levy Quick Facts...
GOLDENDALE, WASH. - Americans are accustomed to having all the electricity we want, when we want it. As more of our electricity comes from wind and solar, managing the grid has become more challenging. Wind and solar generate electricity during limited conditions, which may not align with demand. One solution to maintaining consistency is using battery storage for renewable energy. However, storing using traditional battery technology requires substantial infrastructure and maintenance. In...
COLUMBIA COUNTY - Bluewood Ski Resort offers a variety of racing programs, skiing and snowboarding, and accessible programs. Pete Korfiatis, Bluewood's general manager since 2021, has extensive experience in alpine racing and coaching. He was a nationally ranked alpine ski racer by his late teens and later held multiple positions with the U.S. Ski Team, including coaching for the men's team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Korfiatis brings a wide range of winter sport experiences to the mountain...
DAYTON — Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6 p.m., on January 13, 2026. The mayor and all council members were present: James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, Shannon McMillen, and new member, Dave Harvey. After clearing administrative items, including the consent agenda, the regular meeting was closed for two consecutive executive sessions, the reasons stated on the agenda as personnel issues and contract negotiations. The council voted on a change to the utility tax after the fir...
DAYTON — The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on January 14, 2026, in the Port conference room. Commissioners Mike Spring, Johnny Watts, and the new member, Scott Hudson, and Executive Director Jennie Dickinson were present. As the first order of business, Hudson nominated Spring as Board Chair, replacing Seth Bryan. Spring was elected unanimously. Hudson was elected secretary. The commissioners handled several administrative items, including reviewing the monthly budget report and reviewing leases. The c...
KENNEWICK — The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage due to an approximate 35% drawdown of blood products in just the past month. The Red Cross urges individuals to give now so patients don’t face delays in lifesaving care. The need for platelets and blood types O, A negative, and B negative is especially dire. High flu activity this year has slowed efforts to rebuild the Red Cross’s national blood supply. Without immediate action, patients who count on transfusions, including trauma victims, mothers in childbirth, and sickl...
WALLA WALLA — At its January 12 meeting, the Walla Walla Board of County Commissioners postponed making an appointment to fill the county auditor vacancy. The previous auditor, Karen Martin, retired on December 31, 2025, leaving a year till the end of her term. The commissioners have 60 days to fill the vacancy that runs through December 31, 2026. The next election for the partisan seat will be the November 2026 general election. Martin, a Republican, was reelected in 2022. Since the auditor position is a partisan seat, the Walla Walla County R...
WAITSBURG — Waitsburg School District has a two-year replacement Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy on the Feb. 10, 2026, ballot. This levy will replace Waitsburg’s current levy, which was approved by voters in 2024 and is up for renewal. This is NOT a new tax. If approved, the levy funds will be used to support school programs not fully funded by the state. Please feel free to contact the Waitsburg Superintendent’s Office at 509-337-6301 with questions or to learn more about the school levy. A levy is a locally approved tax based...
WALLA WALLA — The February 10, 2026 Special Election will decide a levy for Walla Walla County emergency medical care and services, replacement and supplemental levies for school districts including Dixie, College Place, Prescott, Waitsburg, and the dissolution of several fire districts. The county will mail ballots to registered voters by Friday, January 23. Military and overseas ballots were mailed on January 9, 2026. All ballot testing, processing, tabulation, and canvassing meetings take place at the elections office at 315 W. Main St, W...
First girl wrestler for the Cardinals Feb. 20 – Karissa Potts made Cardinal history by joining the H.S. wrestling team. Coach Lash LaRue described Potts as a pleasure to work with and hoped other girls would join the team the following season. Former City Hall building sale closes April 10 – Waitsburg City Council accepted Chet Childers' second offer for Waitsburg's former city hall property. The $130,000 sale closed on April 7. Childers said he looked forward to learning more about the bui...
DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on December 17, 2025. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Board Members Pat Davidson, Grant Griffin, and Ryan Paulson were present, with Aneesha Dieu via Zoom. The first order of business was to swear in the three re-elected board members. With the members sworn in, the board duties were reassigned by vote or affirmation: •Chair: Jeffrey McCowen •Vice Chair: Grant Griffin •Facilities: Grant Griffin, Pat Davidson, Ryan Paulson •Budget and Finan...
