Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 3144 - 3168 of 5705
DAYTON – Almost everyone in Dayton (and probably the surrounding areas) is aware that Dayton is home to the Columbia County’s Washington State University Extension Office. What many people may not know is that the office is also home to the County Weed Board, which is funded by a county assessment and tries to control weeds, as well as reaching out and educating the public on noxious weeds. Rachel Hutchens, who has been the County Weed Board Coordinator since October 2013, also recently became the Extension Office Manager, and combined the two...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Rural Library District Board of Trustees met last week to evaluate and discuss the structure of the staff positions and job descriptions, after the library lost two key staff members this month. Adult Services Specialist Howard Beuhler’s last day on the job was Aug. 4, and the last day for the Children/Young Adult Services Specialist Carolyn Laib was Aug. 11. “The board needed to add staff, sooner, rather than later,” according to Tanya Patton who serves as chairpe...
WAITSBURG – It may not be back-to-school time for Waitsburg students yet, but kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Nolan-Beasley spent last week in "school," honing her skills along with other select teachers from across the state. She spent the week at the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash. as part of the STEM-IT Now Project, which aims to strengthen the content knowledge and skills of selected expert teachers who are part of the SE LASER (Leadership Alliance for Science Education R...
WAITSBURG – Trevor Johnson, owner and operator of Johnson Family Towing, approached the Waitsburg City Council about the possibility of using an unused plot of land, between Midway Food Mart and Waitsburg Mini Storage as a specialized storage lot for his business. The council agreed to look into a lease of the property. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe said the parcel of land, approximately 60 feet wide, was reserved for an undeveloped street and there is already at least one shed over the right of...
New Business: -Held a public hearing on the city’s 6-year Transportation Plan. No one from the public spoke. -Adopted the city’s 6-year Transportation Plan. See full story in Aug. 3 issue. -Approved the Sidewalk Projects Award which will allow the installation of multiple sidewalks paid for largely by federal funding. Approximately, $30,000-$40,000 will come from city funds, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. -Approved Ordinance 2017-1042 to do away with utility water deposits. -Approved payment #2 on Main Street Bridge Rep...
Before you serve up any patties to your guests, commit these six commandments to memory. 1. Your meat matters. Choose wisely. If you want a really juicy hamburger, use ground beef that's a combination of 80 percent meat to 20 percent fat. The less fat, the drier the burger. 2. Handle with care. Throw out the hamburger press. The best burgers are hand formed using just enough pressure and taking no longer than necessary to form a patty. Don't press, mold and overwork. In your efforts to get a...
Dayton's National Night Out, held at the Dayton City Park on Aug. 1, was well attended....
Waitsburg's summer reading program wrapped up with stories, prizes, and a pizza party in the Weller Public Library on Monday....
WAITSBURG – How will the recent closure of Walla Walla General Hospital impact the Columbia County Health System, as well as Waitsburg and Dayton residents? CCHS CEO Shane McGuire was invited to a July 27 meeting of the Waitsburg Commercial Club executive board to address just those questions. McGuire attributed the closure of WWGH in large part to a lack of cooperation between WWGH and Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center, saying the two hospitals were in a constant battle over a rel...
DAYTON- City council meetings will take place at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month, beginning on Aug. 9, as approved by the city council at last week’s meeting. The city hall business office will be closed on Fridays, returning to Mon. -Thurs. hours beginning on Aug. 4, according to Mayor Craig George. George said there have been 20 hours of productive time lost due to the Friday business day. He also pointed out there had only been one customer on the prior Friday. Also, swimming pool hours have been changed to reflect an a...
DAYTON - Columbia Pulp I, LLC announced last week that it has entered into agreements for the debt and equity financing required to commence construction of its new straw pulp manufacturing facility near Starbuck. According to Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley, $133.6 million in tax-exempt bonds and $36 million in equity financing are expected to close simultaneously on Aug. 9. Construction should begin shortly thereafter, he said. If plans hold, the pulp mill will be completed and begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2018. Begley said the...
July 31 Simple assault on Lyons Ferry and Pickard roads. Reporting party was heading to Columbia County and was contacted by CCSO for statement and pictures. July 29 Vehicle prowl on E. Seventh St. Two victim’s vehicles were entered. One victim reported various items were stolen from their vehicle. July 21 Received a call reporting a lost wallet on Coppei Ave....
Arraignments -Edward William Terry, 31, Dayton; charged with three counts of first degree assault with a deadly weapon, third degree assault of a law officer, harassment of a criminal justice participant, and resisting arrest. Charges stem from an event on July 20 when Terry allegedly yelled threats at a woman who was talking on her cell phone in her parked car. When officers arrived Terry left the scene. When he was approached by a deputy his allegedly raised a machete, yelled, and came aggressively toward the officer. The officer, drew his...
On Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m., youth will learn some basic programming with Scribble Bots. On Wed, Aug. 16, at 2 p.m., youth will learn about the importance of recycling, and how to be good stewards of the planet. Wed., Aug. 18, at 4:30 p.m. is the deadline to complete and turn in Summer Reading Bingo Cards and be entered into the grand prize drawings. Winners will be notified on that day. The library will provide safe solar eclipse glasses for viewing the eclipse at the Blue Mountain Station on Aug. 21, at 9 a.m. The eclipse begins at 9:11...
Forty-four people participated in Sunday's Race For Grace 5K sponsored by the Waitsburg Christian Church to raise funds for a May 2018 service trip to help Embracing Orphans in Jamaica. Two participants were "virtual racers;" Carol Clarke and Diane Fortune participated from Cuidad de Saber in Panama. Participants ranged in age from 7 to 78 and raised approximately $500 toward the trip. The event was coordinated by Sandra Farley, and many volunteers manned the route and helped set up road...
DAYTON - In just over a week, the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) will arrive at Dayton’s Liberty Theater for a one-week residency. The summer theater program runs Aug. 14-19, giving approximately 50-60 local students roles in an original MCT production. First graders through seniors are encouraged to register. Actors have fun while learning how to present themselves in front of an audience, memorize lines and improvise, and draw on their creativity. The week ends with two public performances on the Liberty stage. This year’s produ...
DAYTON-At last week's hospital board meeting the commissioners approved a request from CEO Shane McGuire to proceed with the development of a hyperbaric wound suite at the hospital, which will be the first of its kind in the local community, he said. "I feel confident we can make a run at this. This is a new service line. It is not offered in the region. It would be exclusive to us, for whatever time we could maintain it exclusively," McGuire said. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat a...
DAYTON - Dayton hosted league opponents St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse-Washtucna (one combined team) and Colfax on July 25. The meet started with the first heats taking place at 4 p.m., and ended shortly before 8 p.m. Dayton finished third in the overall and women’s standings, while taking second in the men’s rankings on the day. This meet saw more competitors overall present than the first meet, and the day started off with freestyle events. Dayton scored points in the first race, the girls 12 and under freestyle, with Mallory Dowdy and Grace Tru...
DAYTON—The Board of County Commissioners has adopted two taxation propositions which will go before voters in the November 2017 election. Resolution 2017-16 is a proposition to fix and impose a sales and use tax at the rate of one-tenth of one percent, to be used solely for the purpose of providing funds for costs associated with financing, design, acquisition, construction, equipping, operating, maintaining, remodeling repairing, re-equipping, and improvements of the Columbia County E911 public safety emergency communications systems and f...
WAITSBURG – The replacement of Waitsburg's Main Street Bridge hit another glitch this month, but the Port of Walla Walla stepped in to meet the resulting financial shortfall, for the second time. At the July 19 city council meeting, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe gave a bridge update and informed council members that the contractors had run into an issue the day prior. Hinchliffe said there have been at least four bridges that existed prior to the recently demolished bridge. While digging to r...
WAITSBURG – At their July 19 regular meeting, the Waitsburg city council unanimously approved the city’s updated 6-year transportation plan. The plan must be updated annually, and includes a list of transportation projects that could reasonably be accomplished over a six year period, though most sit on the list longer than that, according to City Manager Randy Hinchliffe. The only change between this year and last is the addition of an item to consider widening the south end of east 7th Str...
Weller Public Library 212 Main Street, Waitsburg Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Storytime: Mon. 10:30 a.m. All the Missing Girls by Megan Mirenda - It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wound. The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler...
Dayton Memorial Library 111 S. 3rd Street, Dayton Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri., 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tues. & Thurs., 12-8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Storytime: Wed., 10 a.m. Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton - The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, decei...
You know it's wheat harvest in Waitsburg, when the McCaw crew is spotted cutting the wheat field surrounding the city water tower. Above: Three generations of the McCaw family bring in the crop. Guy McCaw and son Jesse run the combines while grandson, Caden, operates the bank out wagon. We're told that "Papa Jack" (Jack McCaw) takes great enjoyment in visiting the fields on occasion to make it a four-generation operation....
WAITSBURG – After investing more than a year and spending thousands of dollars for engineering reports, drawings, and structural assessments to determine if renovating the Waitsburg fairgrounds grandstands is feasible, the outlook is bleak. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe reported to council members that two engineers and a risk control representative have examined the grandstands and all three agree that the building is unsafe and that demolition may be the best option. Engineer John Raby was h...
