Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1414 - 1438 of 5705
EARTH-The seeds are practically burning holes in their packets. They're all sorted and ready to be put to work. All the signs of spring popping up are exciting. The first flowers to bloom in my garden this year are Ice King daffodils, as daffodils are often the harbingers of spring. Of course, my neighbor's garden has been in full bloom for over a week now. [The daffodils are always yellower on the other side, such is life.] In keeping with our garden preparation schedule, now is a good time to...
WAITSBURG—The Washington Little Guy Wrestling League announced Friday, March 13, that they will be cancelling the remainder of the season in an effort to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. All league tournaments, including the Jason Crawford Memorial Tournament at the Spokane Arena, have been cancelled. Wayne Terry, the league’s president, said that ‘some decisions are simple, and some require a lot of work’ and the difficult decision was made after league represe...
DAYTON—On Wednesday of last week, the Port of Columbia Commissioners addressed a request from a small group of community members who came before them in February, seeking an advisory vote of the people to determine whether, or not, the proposed Touchet Valley Trail will be allowed. Commission Chairman Earle Marvin read a prepared statement to a handful of people who returned on Wednesday, to hear their decision. Marvin said he would prefer to have Anderson/Perry & Associates complete the planning study for the trail. “At that point the Por...
DAYTON-2001 High School Graduate, and former Dayton resident Sarah (Anderson) Hlebichuk LCSW has earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) according to its CEO Kathryn Lebby. To receive this credential, applicants must have earned a master's or higher mental health degree from a higher education institution. Then they must have 150 hours of play therapy training, plus five years and 5,000 hours of...
DAYTON-"I'm very excited to become part of the Port family. I have a lot of great ideas and creativity and look forward to working with other community partners in Dayton," said the Port's new economic coordinator Jennifer DeLannoy. DeLannoy has many years of retail and restaurant management experience under her belt. She also has experience in accounting and finance and is working toward a BA in Accounting. For the last six years DeLannoy has been a small business owner, marketing Kid Hub. She...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Commercial Club has been under Joy Smith's leadership for nearly eight years. Last Thursday, Smith handed the reins off to Jamie McMillen-Smit, the owner of the Waitsburg Grocery. Smith joined the Commercial Club in 2010, and she recalled that she accepted a spot with the board of directors within the first nine months of membership. In 2012, Smith was elected as the president, where she has served ever since. She has dedicated the past eight years to promoting the...
The Department of Health (DOH) advises taking the same preventative measures as those for the prevention of viruses during the regular cold and flu season, with the following guidelines: The most important thing is to stay home if you are sick with symptoms such as sore throat, dry cough, fever and shortness of breath. •Proper hand washing is essential. People need to wash their hands, including the back of the hands and between the fingers, for 20 seconds. •Use alcohol-based sanitizers if soa...
DAYTON-Public Health Director Martha Lanman told the county commissioners on Monday that steps are in place to deal with a possible COVID-19 outbreak in Columbia County, and that her department is following guidelines issued by the State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Board of County Commissioners processed a request by Lanman, which will allow her to hire additional staff and acquire supplies as needed. Lanman said one local person is in the...
WAITSBURG—Have you ever walked down Main Street in Waitsburg and admired your reflection in a business' windows? If you nodded yes, you probably have Tim Warehime, the owner of Jasper Mountain Window Cleaning, to thank for those clean windows. Warehime has been in the window cleaning business for nearly 30 years, and has been servicing both residential and commercial customers in the Waitsburg area for the last eight years, after moving back from Sun Valley, Idaho. He says that he enjoys w...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced the expansion of state policies today to support workers and businesses financially impacted by COVID-19 on March 10. The governor and Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD), rolled out new rules to help alleviate the economic impact felt by businesses and workers. These expanded policies complement the leadership large companies have shown to ensure their hourly employees and supporting businesses weather this difficult...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced new rules on Tuesday, March 10, around nursing homes and assisted living facilities that focus on better protecting older adults – a population more likely to be hit by COVID-19 (coronavirus) – during the ongoing statewide, unprecedented health crisis. Rule changes center around visitors, screening, and precautionary measures. "The risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 appears to be higher in people 60 years or older and in those with chronic health con...
The Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District #2 held their monthly meeting last Wednesday. Topics on the agenda included the hiring of a designer for a new, more user friendly website for the district, the announcement of a schedule for training events to be held in Waitsburg, the continuing discussion about the scope of the Fire Chief position, and the completion of the first Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) ‘mini grant.’ Commissioner Randy Charles of Waitsburg, stated that the gra...
DAYTON—During the February meeting of the Hospital District commissioners, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire said John McLean of Blue Room Architecture in Spokane has submitted the sole bid for architecture services for the planned dental office project. The dental clinic for Medicaid patients will be located at the Columbia Family Clinic, adjacent to the hospital. McGuire said construction bids will be solicited, shortly. The clinic should be operational at the end of 2020. A n...
A recent interview in The Waitsburg Times with Markeeta Little Wolf, managed to simultaneously inspire and embarrass me. It was a reminder of just how complacent I have become with recycling since moving here. In California we had curbside bins for glass, plastic, paper, yard waste, and regular trash. Recycling was easy! Although a bit more challenging here, Markeeta has inspired me to become more aware of the little things that I can do to make a difference. California and Washington are simila...
A normally low-key Dayton School Board meeting took a turn for the serious Wednesday Mar. 4 when talk of the coronavirus and the naming of the Dayton-Waitsburg athletic combine mascot came up after not being on the initial agenda. With it being the overwhelmingly consuming news topic, it only seemed appropriate to discuss how the Dayton school district is handling the potential of threat of an invading illness. Currently the district has not seen an impact on attendance. Superintendent Doug Johnson wanted to reassure the board and the public...
Dayton's Liberty Theater and the Touchet Valley Arts Council (TVAC) presents Memories the 2020 Variety Show on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at libertytheater.org. This dynamic event will feature musical numbers from 18 of the Theater's previous shows, with performers young and not quite so young, including eight-year-old Kayla Kuykendall and veteran performer Jack McCaw, a spritely 93. The show this year is being...
DAYTON—It's not every day that the Columbia County Sheriff's Office gives a Lifesaver Award. Last Friday, in a full courtroom, Columbia County Undersheriff Robbie Patterson presented 7 year old Karl Burnstad with a Life saving Award. This November, Karl was able to recognize a medical emergency and dial 9-1-1, ultimately saving his mother's life. On November 12, 2019, Karl Burnstad, then only 6 years old, noticed that his mom, Tracy Burnstad, had been sleeping longer than normal and wouldn't w...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council's Flood and Emergency Preparedness Committee has been meeting weekly, or as needed, in response to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The committee, which has representatives from the Waitsburg City Council, Columbia Walla Walla County Fire District 2 and various community members, is focusing on a community plan of action in the event that COVID-19 reaches Waitsburg. The members have been reviewing information from a daily webinar through the...
While there were a number of items on the docket for the monthly Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine Committee (DWACC) meeting on Feb. 24, over an hour was spent discussing the recent procedure used in choosing a new team mascot, concluding with the choice of the DW Wolfpack by Dayton and Waitsburg high school student bodies at the Feb. 14 election. The committee chose to put the adoption of the mascot on hold. This came after the high schools had voted for DW Wolfpack and both the Dayton and...
Cathy McMorris Rodgers visited Waitsburg on Saturday evening, Feb. 22 to tour the effects of the Feb. 7 flood event. (l-r) Columbia County Commissioner Chuck Amerein, Dayton Mayor Zach Weatherford, Walla Walla County Commissioner Greg Tompkins, Walla Walla Commissioner Todd Kimball, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Waitsburg Citycouncilwoman Kate Hockersmith was present, but not pictured....
DAYTON-Judi Pilcher is a Kiwanis Club of Dayton Director and she would like people to know the organization is more than just a hamburger cooking organization. They do, however, sell hamburgers and hotdogs, at community events, and they sponsor the annual Turkey Bingo fundraiser, all to help pay for programs for local youth. Pilcher said, with the exception of Club dues, all the money made through fundraising efforts goes to programs for youth. About $18,000 is generated each year through...
Return Waitsburg resident Jillian Henze didn't think twice when she volunteered to manage communication efforts following the February 7 flooding. WAITSBURG-The immediate volunteer response to the recent February 7 flood has been inspiring. People from different backgrounds and with a variety of skills came together to move sandbags, cook for victims and volunteers, gather donations, run heavy equipment, remove debris and mud. Jillian Henze volunteered her years of communications experience to...
DAYTON-Dayton City Administrator Trina Cole had a number of items to share at the Dayton City Council last week. Cole said her office has been proactively working with Jim Nelson at D. A. Davison regarding pool financing, to see whether the Dayton Swimming Pool can be repaired and how financing can work. Cole said tree excavation will take place on the morning of Feb. 24 for some sections of the sidewalk including trees located at Banner Bank and at Home Street Bank. She said a public meeting...
The Waitsburg School Board met February 21 at 6 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting. Board members present were Ross Hamann, Christy House, Lisa Morrow, and Superintendent Mark Pickel. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that Mr. Kiefel has been planning an enrichment day for high school and middle school students. They will be taking a ski trip to Ski Bluewood. Middle school students will ski on Feb. 28, and high school students will ski on March 13. The high school will have a...
Thank you for letting me whine about my cold. Monday I woke up feeling much better, my energy is back, along with my appetite! So after my workout at the Y, I treated myself to breakfast at Bacon & Eggs in Walla Walla. I am convinced that spring is on the way, I see daffodils blooming, shades of green driving through the wheat fields and the sun is shining. Phooey on you Mr. Shakespeare, bring on the Ides of March. There are two big spring holidays (although not until April), that celebrate one...
