Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON – In January, Robert Bryant marked 40 years of car repair experience as he celebrated Dayton Auto Repair's fifth anniversary. He and his wife Shelli opened the shop at 218 W. Main in January 2019. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than forty percent of Washington's small businesses that opened in 2019 were still in business five years later in 2023. Bryant said he considered himself fortunate to have beaten the odds, especially opening shortly before the s...
DAYTON — A special Dayton City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, was canceled on January 30. The purpose of the meeting was to convene an executive session to discuss pending litigation against the city and Council Member Laura Aukerman. A second agenda item for the meeting was for the council to consider a request from Aukerman that the city pay her legal fees in that case, US District Court Case No. 23-2-00790. The request was made Washington State RCW 4.96.041 and requires the council’s approval. The public could att...
WALLA WALLA-Waitsburg Girl Scout Troop 5381 hosted a Girl Scout Cookie Rally for Girl Scouts Service Area 492 at the Lions Building in Waitsburg on Sunday, January 28. Waitsburg Troop Leader Brandi Hollingsworth said the event is a workshop to prepare local scouts for the iconic annual cookie sale. The fundraiser supports Girl Scouts as they learn entrepreneurial skills and fund local life-changing, girl-led programs, experiences, and learning in their communities. This was the eighth year the...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board met on Zoom at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. School Board members participating were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Ryan Paulson, and Aneesha Dieu. Grant Griffin and Superintendent Rich Stewart were not present. McCowen announced an agenda change to make the approval for an FFA overnight trip an action item on the agenda. The consent agenda, after modification, included the approval of a donation of $2,000 from Kim Carter for the Yamate Student Exchange Program and approval to hire McCowen as the H...
WAITSBURG-Present for Waitsburg City Council's regular meeting on January 17 were Mayor Marty Dunn and council members Kevin House, Jim Romine, Jillian Henze, and Randy Charles. Due to an injury, new member Jennifer Bishop attended by Zoom. During public comment, Kate Hockersmith told the council that she hoped to use the fairgrounds for an annual youth bluegrass festival beginning with a one-day event this summer. She would not use the grandstands the first year but encouraged the city to prese...
WAITSBURG – Gloria Wilson, the owner of Waitsburg's new makerspace, is new to the Touchet Valley, but not to the power of making things. In fact, she's an expert. The grand opening of her business, "Simply Sawdust," on Saturday, January 27, will give locals an inside look at all the shop at 101 Main Street has to offer. "People have been so supportive in helping me to put the place together," she said. With help from her niece Becky Wilson and builder Charles Stanger, she transformed the Main S...
DAYTON — The Port of Columbia Commissioners held its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on January 10, 2024, at the port office. Commissioners present were Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. The meeting began with Dickinson swearing in Mike Spring as Columbia County Port Commissioner # 2. In the public comment period, Jerry Kaiser asked the port commissioners not to sell the port-held railroad property until the federal government decided on the removal of the Lower Snake River dams. He said removing t...
DAYTON — Newly elected Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 p.m., January 9, 2024. Mayor Roger Trump and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, Laura Aukerman, and Shannon McMillen were present in City Hall. Sheriff Joe Helm reported that his department is emphasizing monitoring Bluewood traffic on North Touchet Road and Fourth Street in response to citizens’ concerns. He said he is continuing to work with the city on how to respond to animal bite calls. After compl...
WAITSBURG – The Weller Library Board of Trustees met for its monthly meeting on January 9. Present were Chair Marie Gagnon, Rebecca Wilson, Sherri Erikson, Beka Compton, Library Supervisor Sarah Roberts, and City Council representative Jillian Henze. Vice-Chair Jim Leid was absent. Roberts reported that community members and participating businesses expressed appreciation for the StoryWalk program held in December, while the library saw increased foot traffic and book circulations during the m...
WAITSBURG & DAYTON — On December 27, Abby Grende, an advocate for Waitsburg Little League parents, met with Snake River Little League (SRLL) President Jessica Ruffcorn and Little League District Representative Brennan Moore to discuss a potential contract for 2024. The three-year contract, approved at the Waitsburg City Council meeting on December 20, allows SRLL to use the Waitsburg Fairgrounds ballfields beginning with the 2024 Little League season. Grende said the terms of the agreement w...
DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:31 p.m. on January 3, 2024. School Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen and members Zac Fabian, Aneesha Dieu, and Grant Griffin were in attendance. Interim Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. The board approved the consent agenda, which consisted of one item: the hiring of a full-time night custodian. Only two other topics were on the agenda for this evening’s meeting. The board was to conduct the first reading of several policy changes, and the superintendent was to giv...
DAYTON-American Legion Frank E. Bauers Post No. 42 in Dayton is looking to begin a new chapter at a time when at least one in 10 persons living in Columbia County is a United States military veteran. Post Commander Tim Hollingsworth of Waitsburg took over the role last fall. He served in the Washington Army National Guard for 20 years. His wife, Brandi, served eight years. She now serves as Treasurer of Post No. 42. "We want this to be a time for reinvigorating our post," said Hollingsworth....
WALLA WALLA — Earlier in December, the Walla Walla Valley Chamber held the 2023 Business Awards Showcase at Baker Boyer, where the recipients of the eight award categories were announced. The Walla Walla Valley Business Awards Showcase, presented by Baker Boyer, honors outstanding business achievements and contributions in the Walla Walla Valley. The award categories were created to recognize the individuals, groups, and organizations that have demonstrated resilience, community commitment, leadership, and strong business practices. Requests f...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg School District is participating in the Amazing Shake National Competition this school year. Since September, students have been learning professional skills in the Cardinal Way, including how to interview, remain calm under pressure, and respond appropriately to different situations. All students in the fourth through eighth grades have participated in two Cardinal Way events. On November 9, students worked on their handshakes and eye contact and carried out o...
DAYTON - When Dayton resident Denise Lane took her first trip to Nepal last year, she hoped to learn about effectively delivering medical and therapeutic care to some of the world's poorest people. She's still learning. Lane is Columbia County's only acupuncture practitioner. She's been at it for 13 years, the last five at the Therapy and Wellness department at Columbia County Health System's hospital in Dayton. This year, she has expanded her practice by offering services in Waitsburg at Blush...
WAITSBURG — On Wednesday, December 20, the Waitsburg City Council voted to approve a three-year contract for Snake River Little League (SRLL) use of the little league fields at the fairgrounds. Abby Grende of Waitsburg, acting on behalf of Waitsburg parents, worked with the city to draft the contract in response to a decision by the SRLL Board at its November 30 meeting to disqualify Waitsburg’s ball fields from use for the 2024 season. On December 5, 2023, the SRLL board posted a press release on Facebook announcing its decision. As sta...
DAYTON - The Touchet Valley has a new source for fresh "low-and-slow" Memphis-style barbeque with a New York twist. R and B BBQ opened its doors at 232 East Main Street in Dayton on December 8 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Owner Rex McNicol was on hand during a recent lunch-hour visit to give a tour. McNicol says he began slow cooking 16 years ago and entered competitions four years ago. "If we won top prize, we'd still make more money off vending than we did the prize itself," he...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the High School Library at 6:32 p.m. on December 20, 2023. School Board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, and Grant Griffin. Aneesha Dieu and Ryan Paulson attended using Zoom. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present in the library. For the first order of business, the Board members who stood for re-election in November were administered the oath of office. The composition of the Board remains the same as it was before. Next, the Board Chair and Vice Chair positions were e...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on December 13, 2023. Commissioners Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and Executive Director Jennie Dickinson attended at the port office and Genie Crowe via Zoom. Dickinson updated the commissioners on five leases. The Desperado Cowboy Bullets and Blue Mountain Co-op renewed their leases for two years. Rae’s Studio in the Cameron Street CoWorking building extended its lease for another year. The Columbia County Conservation District signed a new lease for the garden spa...
Walla Walla-The Combine Art Collective in Walla Walla has extended its gallery hours through December 23rd. The gallery hours from Monday, December 18 through December 23, will be 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Combine features a unique selection of items, including jewelry, boxes, cards, glass, ceramic, painting, sculpture, and ornaments by member artists, artisans, and guest artists. Here is the list of artists who will participate in this year's "The Gift of Art" show: Combine Members: Lauri Borer,...
DAYTON—Each year in December, the Port of Columbia holds its Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) meeting for stakeholders in the community to review and update an ongoing five and ten-year project list, cast ballots for the three projects each of them deem most important for the community, listen to guest speakers about progress on current projects, and learn about specific economic indicators for Columbia County. This year, stakeholders voted for their top three project priorities i...
DAYTON - Columbia County Health System announced the retirement of esteemed doctors Dr. Gwynneth Neace, a board-certified pediatrician, and Dr. Lewis Neace, a board-certified emergency medicine physician. The two talented physicians chose to come home in 2016 to lend their considerable skills to the communities they love. Giving back to the towns where they were raised has been the capstone of their accomplished medical careers. After eight years of devoted service, they have decided to retire....
DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:36 p.m. on December 6, 2023. School Board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Aneesha Dieu, and Grant Griffin. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. Matthew Smith, who briefed the Dayton City Council on the Community Needs Assessment the previous evening, gave essentially the same briefing to the school board. The board turned its attention to EPO (Educational Programs and Operation) Proposition 1 and Capital Levy Proposition 2. The EPO would f...
DAYTON- Mayor Zac Weatherford called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 p.m. on December 5, 2023. Council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, Laura Aukerman, and Shannon McMillen joined Weatherford at City Hall. Jasmin Helm presented results from the Community Needs Assessment completed by the Coalition for Youth and Families under the Columbia County Department of Public Health. She said the coalition hired Tanner Accountants & Advisors (TAA) to help the department address the issues i...
My name is Deanne Wilbur, and I was a friend and co-worker of Melissa Harting. Over the last month, I have been working closely with her family, friends, and Walla Walla Community College to initiate a nursing scholarship to honor an incredible person. Melissa had a rare and exceptional work ethic. She was the staff member that everyone else was measured against. While working in the high-stress environment of the emergency department, she still found the time to provide compassionate and...
