Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1304 - 1328 of 5662
I've been home for just over a month now-and I mean that quite literally. Our family picked a "designated extrovert" to do all the errands fairly early on, and those of you who know me know that my extrovert qualifications come up short. So with the exception of one trip to get coffee back when Ten Ton could still offer sit-down service, my house is the only building I've been in since I got back from Seattle. I'm still adjusting-not so much to being stuck at home as to being home in the first...
There is not much one can control during a pandemic. Many people have lost something 'normal' during these times, but the Class of 2020 has lost the last few months of their senior year. Community members around the nation are banding together and thinking of creative ways to honor students in their final year of high school. Social media has served as a great rallying platform for Class of 2020 parents from all over. A little over a week ago, a 'Be the Light' movement emerged on Facebook. Last...
WALLA WALLA-Walla Walla High School seniors found a surprise waiting for them on their front lawns last week. Bright blue signs were posted in the yards of every senior in the Class of 2020. The yard sign idea came from the school's Associated Student Body Leadership students, under the guidance of Adviser Arch McHie. The class leaders wanted to let seniors know they were appreciated and missed as schools will remain closed for the remainder of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 400...
The Q Wood-fired Grill Do you know someone who could use a little help with a fast, nourishing meal? Chef Jeff from the Q Grill in Waitsburg is offering gourmet soups with free delivery. Hearty and simple. Order by Wednesdays at noon for Friday delivery. Make that FREE delivery. Each week Chef Jeff prepares several soups, including a vegan option. Check out 'The Q Wood-fired Grill' on Facebook to get the week's selection and ordering information. Here is an example from last week's menu: Sweet...
Project Timothy (509) 382-2943: Financial assistance for rent, utilities, and food can be provided to those of you that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 crisis. At our request, the Blue Mountain Community Foundation has awarded a special grant to Project Timothy just for this purpose—to serve the members of our community who don’t usually ask for help. Project Timothy has “phone” hours Tuesday - Friday from noon to 2 p.m. You can call for assistance and then a volunteer will ar...
WALLA WALLA—An anonymous Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from twenty-three Blue Mountain region organizations have recently awarded grants of $99,000 to Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC); $14,460 to Providence St. Mary Foundation, and $25,000 to Project Timothy (Dayton). In disbursing resources from the Walla Walla Valley COVID-19 Response Fund, the committee prioritized local needs including food insecurity and hunger, homelessness, health and mental health. The BMAC food bank program, which includes Columbia and Garfield c...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School Superintendent Mark Pickel and Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak met with their staffs on Monday, April 13 to discuss plans for a continuous learning model now that the schools will remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Grade 6-12 students will be moving to a remote, or digital learning model on April 27. Teachers at those grade levels will be presenting instruction via such platforms as Google Classroom and email. Until that time, the teachers have been connecting with their students t...
Columbia County's second largest employer and third-highest taxpayer began an orderly shutdown of its wheat-straw pulp mill on Sunday, March 29, and completed the suspension of operations on Tuesday, March 31. Although classified as a critical manufacturing facility according to Gov. Inslee's Stay Safe, Stay Home declaration, the Board of Managers decided to layoff 93 salaried and hourly workers, retaining only eight employees. "This action was taken to protect employees and their families and...
"This year's Celebration Days weekend of 'family friendly' fun events are cancelled due to Washington State health concerns about COVID-19," said Lisa Naylor, President of the Waitsburg Celebration Days Committee. The board met last Wednesday, April 1st, utilizing Zoom and phone conference calls. During the meeting, board members discussed the impact of COVID-19 in Walla Walla and surrounding counties, with some members of the board weighing in with their personal concerns about potentially...
WAITSBURG—Preliminary election results for Waitsburg’s mayor and city councilmembers were tallied Monday. With a total of 318 votes cast, voters will return Kevin House and Jim Romine to the council and adds Karen Gregutt, Karl Newell and David Paxton as new councilmembers. The election will be certified on April 15 at the next Waitsburg City Council meeting. The meeting will be conducted remotely via conference call. Interested community members who would like to listen in on the meeting should contact Waitsburg City hall for call inf...
OLYMPIA—Gov. Jay Inslee announced a month-long extension of his 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' emergency order on Thursday, April 2. The order, which banned all gatherings and temporarily shuttered non-essential businesses, will continue through May 4. “Epidemiological modeling from the University of Washington predicts we will have at least 1,400 deaths this year,” Inslee said. “We are yet to see the full toll of this virus in our state and the modeling we’ve seen could be much worse if we don’t continue what we’re doing to slow the spread.” Publ...
When Governor Jay Inslee delivered his 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' declaration on March 13 announcing the closure of all public and private K-12 schools in Washington state, school leaders across the state were suddenly confronted with the problem of providing distance education to their varied students. Waitsburg Superintendent, and elementary school principal Mark Pickel reacted quickly, calling a stand-up meeting of all staff that afternoon. His elementary staff spent the upcoming weekend preparing “binders, packets and folders for six w...
WALLA WALLA—The Blue Valley region is fortunate to have an option for an additional temporary inpatient hospital should there be a surge in hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providence St. Mary Medical Center has been working 12-hour days for the past three weeks to prepare the former Walla Walla General Hospital building at 1025 S. Second Ave. in Walla Walla to receive patients. The temporary hospital is located at the Providence Southgate Medical Park and will be an extension o...
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend that people wear cloth face coverings when they are in public settings where they may not be able to maintain six feet of distance from others. This might include trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store, health clinic or similar places of significant community-based transmission. This is not a mandate that you must wear a face covering. It is considered an...
DAYTON-The Blue Mountain Artists Guild has been adorning Dayton's public spaces with their artistic endeavors every month, since the Guild was started by local artist Vivian Eslick McCauley, in 2008. This is how it works: The artists paint according to monthly themes, which are selected for the entire year, usually in November. The current month's theme is hung in the Delany Building, during the Guild's regular business meeting, which takes place on the last Tuesday of each month. The prior mont...
DAYTON—Dayton Historic Depot Manager Tamara Fritze is busy with important behind the scenes museum work, pending museum reopening on May 4. She said work continues on inventory of the museum’s entire collection of artifacts. Fritze said thorough historical research must be completed and a written description of all that is known about the artifact will be included in their database. “This helps us create interesting exhibits and helps us provide answers to our visitors’ questions,” Fritze sa...
THE DIRT-Gardening is a great way to mitigate that lingering hopelessness associated with these unpredictable, and socially distanced times we face. Here's a little patch of dirt you can control, when so much else is out of hand. And it's good exercise. Plus, food and flowers! Waitsburg resident, Susan Tarver, reached out to share some of her garden progress. Last year Tarver had great luck with frost tolerant beets and radishes, so she planted more just before the snow. Those little seeds...
The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) developed a list of financial resources for Washington consumers impacted by the Coronavirus. Resources include information on mortgage assistance, student loans, emergency loans and more. Links to each resource are listed below. Unemployment Assistance If you are out of work, Washington State’s Employment Security Department at https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/covid-19 provides support services to individuals affected by COVID-19 in Washington. The Employment Security Department has a...
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Due to the demand for services at the Sudbury Landfill, the City will reopen the facility to the public from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays beginning tomorrow, Thursday, April 9, and also on Saturdays beginning April 18. Due to a variety of health-related issues, the facility has been operating with reduced staffing. In addition, personal protective equipment (PPE) has been in short supply because the Public Works Department gave most of its PPE to the Fire/Ambulance Department for use by first responders. Based on these f...
This much green is a hopeful sign. Spring is here!...
WALLA WALLA-Providence Medical Group is now offering drive-through screening and testing at Urgent Care for people with symptoms of COVID-19. The Fast Track Clinic is located at the white tent on the north side of Urgent Care, 1025 S. Second Ave. in Walla Walla. The drive-through is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. The Fast Track Clinic allows people to be rapidly screened and, if appropriate, tested without leaving their cars. They also receive COVID-19 information and directions for...
DAYTON—At the Columbia County Health System board meeting last week, CEO Shane McGuire shared his concerns about financial stability, emergency preparedness, and possible impact on patients and health system staff, in light of the potential for a serious local outbreak of COVID-19. McGuire said, “We have stopped all non-essential visits in physical therapy, imaging, and the clinics. This volume generates about half of our monthly revenue. . .This is happening at the same time that we are spe...
WAITSBURG-Electric and hybrid cars continue to grow in popularity. The City of Waitsburg recently embraced this growth, and in early February, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe oversaw the installation of a public-access electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the city shop. "My goal was to give people traveling through the city another reason to stop," said Hinchliffe. "With more and more electric cars on the road, I thought a charging station between the Tri-Cities and Clarkston was a...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Elections are scheduled to be held on April 6, 2020. The City Council has three seats open, after council members K.C Kuykendall, Kate Hockersmith, and Terry Jacoy decided not to run for re-election this year. Karen Gregutt is on the ballot for a return seat on the City Council. She hopes that by contributing her professional experience, she will bring fresh ideas to Waitsburg and its citizens. Gregutt's career includes 30 years as the managing partner at Kaye-Smith...
Since the statewide directive to shelter-at-home, the streets of Waitsburg have become eerily quiet. The Times has received information that the streets may not be as empty as they seem. Several anonymous sources have sent photos of encounters with what appear to be beasts who walk upright on oversized feet. Could these springtime sightings be proof there are hatchling Sasquatch in our area?...
