Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Commerce is pleased to announce the 11 winners of the 2023 Governor’s Smart Communities Awards. The program has been presented annually since 2006 and recognizes local governments and their partners for exceptional land use planning and development. The awards showcase the effective implementation of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). The honored local programs and projects serve as leading examples for other communities as they seek to address similar land use planning issues or look for i...
DAYTON- Mayor Weatherford called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 p.m., November 7, 2023. Mayor Zac Weatherford and Council Members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, and Shannon McMillen were at city hall. Laura Aukerman participated using Zoom. Washington State Representative Joe Schmick attended the meeting and spoke during the first public comment period. Schmick said Dayton should have a policy to charge fees for public record requests, in part to cover staff time. He advised the city to amend it...
WAITSBURG - The Royal Block Reading Series welcomes prolific author and globally renowned explorer Richard Bangs for a reading from his 20th book, "The Art of Living Dangerously," at the Royal Block in Waitsburg on November 22, 2023, at 6:30 PM. Admission is free and open to the public (21+). In 1973, Richard Bangs co-founded Sobek Expeditions, now MT Sobek, the world's original and largest adventure travel company with over a million clients guided since its beginning. The Art of Living...
DAYTON —YWCA Walla Walla will open the waitlist on for its new childcare center, RoseMary’s Place, coming to Dayton in Columbia County. The waitlist for the YWCA-operated childcare facility will open promptly at 7 a.m. on November 15, 2023, at ywcaww.org/rosemarys/. Families in Dayton, Waitsburg, and neighboring areas needing childcare services this spring are encouraged to make note of this date and add their names to the list. The center is set to officially open its doors on April 1, 2024, and the first names on the time-and-date stamped lis...
WALLA WALLA — Sherwood Trust is awarding $102,000 in Impact Grants to eight organizations serving local communities, said CEO Brian Hunt. Impact Awards support youth, community outreach, and recovery programs. The competitive grants are available to organizations that have not recently received Sherwood Trust funding. “To support equity in our grantmaking, we want to make sure we are learning from organizations that have not applied or received Sherwood Trust funding,” said Hunt. “This year’s Impact grants were an opportunity to focus on...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on November 1, 2023. School Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, members Zac Fabian, Aneesha Dieu, Grant Griffin, and Interim Superintendent Rich Stewart were present. After approving the consent agenda, the Board interviewed Ryan Paulson for the vacant School Board position. Paulson was the only applicant and answered several questions from the board members. The Board approved Paulson’s appointment after an executive session. He will be sworn into office at the next meeting...
WAITSBURG - It was a scary time in the Preston Hall gym on Monday, October 30 for those who dared to walk through the haunted house. With the leadership of Waitsburg staff member, Dusty Wirtzberger, the gym was transformed into five rooms featuring scary clowns, a chainsaw madman, ghosts, goblins, and creatures with glowing green eyes. Numerous adults and students hung black plastic from the balcony to create a maze for attendees to venture through. The decorations were scary, and there was a...
DAYTON-This year's fall musical at the Liberty Theater is Disney's "The Little Mermaid," a story familiar to many of us from two Disney movies and the older, original fairy tale. It's the story of a young woman growing up, following her dream, and finding herself. It's also the story of a loving parent learning to understand who their child has become and letting them go into the world. And finally, it's the story of two families with different cultures learning to accept each other as their...
If the vision that launched Lions Club International (LCI) in 1917 still applies to local Lions Clubs across America, it surely applies to the Waitsburg Lions Club. Formed in 1940 as a chapter of LCI, Waitsburg's Lions have been a stable element of social life and community service for 83 years, something not to be taken for granted. The club and others, including the Freemasons, Eastern Star, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), and Kiwanis, support community life and friendship,...
WAITSBURG - The November 2023 ballots have arrived and Waitsburg has several contested races to decide. School Board, District 2 There are two candidates for Waitsburg School Director, District 2, incumbent Christy House, and first-time candidate Tia Hays. Hays has been a Waitsburg Home and School Association member for two years and a member of the school's booster club. Her professional experience includes 26 years in banking, and is now a Certified Pharmacy Technician at the VA Medical...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the High School Library at 6:35 p.m. on October 18, 2023. School Board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, and Grant Griffin. Superintendent Rich Stewart and Student Representative Madison Richardson were also present. Aneesha Dieu was not present. The board seat held by Korinda Wallace continues to be vacant. The Board approved the consent agenda, which included approval of Emily Uptegrove as a volunteer cheer coach, an FFA Dress Attire Donation from Candy Jones, scheduling a s...
WAITISBURG - The Weller Public Library offered patons and Waitsburg students an interactive experience on mammals using a Burke box from October 11 through 25. The Burke Museum provides the boxes which include museum-quality objects, artifacts, and activities covering culture, earth science, and life science topics. Library staff took the Mammal Burke Box to all the classes at the Waitsburg elementary school and several at the high school and middle school. The library will continue hosting...
WAITSBURG - Wearing pajamas to school and decorating the high school started Homecoming Week 2023. The week was filled with fun activities, dress-up days, a football game, and finally, the dance. On Tuesday, classes were assigned specific age groups for "dress your age" day. The first-year students dressed as babies, and each class "aged," with the senior class dressed as senior citizens. At the pep rally, the senior class lost a very competitive game of dodgeball; at their "old age," they...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m., October 11, 2023, in the Port Office. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. After dealing with some routine administrative items, the Commissioners began discussing the 2024 Budget, starting with the Executive Director’s salary. Crowe said Dickenson deserved a fifteen percent salary increase due to her role in committee meetings, numerous projects, and the management of the Blue Mountain Sta...
DAYTON — Mayor Zac Weatherford called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 p.m., October 10, 2023. Weatherford and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, and Shannon McMillen were present; Laura Aukerman was absent. Tammy Ketterman, from the Columbia County Assessor’s Office, briefed the Council on property tax options for the City, explaining terms such as “banked capacity.” Ketterman’s presentation was strictly informational as a prelude to preparing next year’s budget, so no action was ne...
DAYTON - The Club, Dayton's afterschool program, offers an innovative middle and high school music program beginning Monday, October 25. The organization will again partner with Walla Walla Music Organization (WWMO) to introduce students to skills needed in the music and live sound industry. Instructors from WWMO will be on hand to work with high school students on Mondays and with middle school students on Wednesdays. They will learn basics in music production, audio engineering, recording,...
WAITSBURG — The Waitsburg Parks and Recreation board completed a second survey asking the community to provide input on the direction of the district. The survey showed respondents continue to want the Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District and Friends of the Waitsburg Pool to keep working to make a community pool a reality. The survey results collected in September 2023 showed clear top priorities. Respondents were asked to rank a collection of priorities that ranged from building and improving infrastructure to creating activities and h...
DAYTON-An informational meeting about Proposition 1, the measure to create the Columbia County Pool District, was held on September 27, 2023, in the Delany Room at the Dayton Memorial Library. This was the second of three meetings planned by organizers to share information and answer questions about the measure appearing on the November ballot. Lisa Naylor presented a PowerPoint presentation and was joined by Chuck Beleny and Kevin Rust. Diane McKinley was unable to attend. Their presentation...
WAITSBURG - The fourth Waitsburg Happening will occur on Saturday, October 7. This Saturday, the businesses on Main Street will be celebrating National Old Farmers Day. Expect to see tractors, combines, hay bales, horseback riders, and enjoy special cocktails, entertainment, and treats. There will be vintage tractors and combines from Rob McKinney and Ed Burlingame displayed throughout town between 3 p.m and 6 p.m. The Plaza Theater will play "The 1919 Walla Walla Tractor Show." Artist Barb...
DAYTON-This month, in the Columbia County Rural Library District newsletter, Interim Director Ellen Brigham addressed concerns she has heard from the community about the library's connection to the American Library Association. First, she explained that the ALA does not dictate the policies at the Dayton library. Brigham said, "As far as I can tell, the ALA doesn't even have sample policies for libraries to pull from. When the Library Board drafts library policies, it looks at what has worked...
DAYTON-When Dain Nysoe retires on Dec. 31, after twelve years on the Dayton City Council, a new city council member, Joann Patras or Devin Greenup, will take his place. "I have enjoyed serving on the city council, but at the same time, I look forward to the end of my term in office," said Nysoe, who is grateful to have served along with other dedicated public servants. Nysoe said he appreciates the recent uptick in attendance by the public at council meetings and hopes more people will attend in...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the High School Library at 6:33 p.m. on September 20, 2023. School board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffin, and Aneesha Dieu. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. The board seat held by Korinda Wallace remains vacant since her resignation was announced at the June 14, 2023, meeting. The Board approved the consent agenda, including approval of Madison Richardson as the district’s student representative, a $1,000 donation to DHS Athletics from Van Ausdle Tir...
DAYTON-Mike Spring and Randy Schafer are running for Port of Columbia Commissioner representing District 2, the seat being vacated by Genie Crowe. "The Times" spoke with Spring and received a prepared statement from Shafer. Candidate Mike Spring Spring is excited about the future in Columbia County and believes with help from the community and through his gift of perseverance, much can be accomplished. He explained, "The primary goal of a port district is economic development for its...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Council member Jillian Henze and her older sister, Alison Beaudry, are golfing buddies. They play together about once a month every year during golf season. It’s a bonding time for them but it has a competitive side. “She has always been able to outdrive me,” Henze explains. “She would hit the ball much harder than me, but it’s usually off in the trees somewhere. I can hit the ball straight, but it takes me two hits to get the distance she can get in one.” Henze has bee...
DAYTON – The Kiwanis Club of Dayton, Washington, celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. The group was first organized at the Dayton Hotel on October 19, 1922. Like many fraternal organizations that started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kiwanis is organized around chartered local groups connected functionally and financially to an international governing body. Kiwanis International, established in 1915, states its mission as "dedicated to improving the world one child and one c...
