Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG—At the April 18 meeting, the Community Health and Protection Committee (CHPC) discussed drug use, overdoses, and the use of naloxone to prevent deaths from opioid deaths. The CHPC was concerned about the increase in fentanyl use in the community. According to data from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), fentanyl replaced methamphetamines as the drug most involved in overdoses in Washington state in 2020. A big concern for local healthcare and law enforcement organizations is that people unknowingly purchase and use fake...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on April 12, 2023, in the port’s conference room and on Zoom. Commissioners Genie Crowe, Johnny Watts, Seth Bryan, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, were present. The commissioners discussed the Procurement and Public Works Policy to refine it before approval. Eventually, the commissioners decided to table the matter until the next meeting to have more time to study the issue. Reporting on port facilities, Dickinson said Columbia County Public Tra...
DAYTON- The Dayton City Council meeting was held at 6 p.m., April 11, 2023. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Laura Aukerman, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, Shannon McMillen, and Tiger Dieu were present at Dayton City Hall. Sheriff Joe Helm attended on Zoom and said the department’s two deputies are set to graduate from the state-required Basic Law Enforcement Academy on April 24, 2023. The sheriff’s office and the Coalition for Youth and Families are conducting a “drug take-back” event in the Bank of Idaho par...
OLYMPIA-Fifteen-year-old Waitsburg High School sophomore Cedar Stegall was a little nervous but mostly excited before traveling to Olympia as a Senate page the week of March 26. Stegall said she knew little before the trip but learned about the parliamentary procedure while she was there. She hadn't been particularly interested in politics but thought it would be a fun experience when it was announced at school. Waitsburg teacher Gabe Kiefel shared his experience serving as a page in his youth,...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg District students were the first to receive new electronic library patron cards donated by anonymous donors. The donation of $1,000 allowed the library to purchase 1,500 cards, more than enough for every Waitsbrug resident to have one. Library staff member Sarah Roberts visited K-5 classes between April 10-12 to present students with the new colorful plastic cards. Roberts also shared a Burke Box, the visiting exhibit on whales provided by the University of Washington's...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., on April 5, 2023, in the high school library. School board members Grant Griffen, Zac Fabin, Superintendent Rich Stewart, and Business Manager Jana Eaton attended in person. Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Aneesha Dieu, and Korinda Wallace attended using Zoom. The Board approved the recommendation to hire Ajay McNarland as the middle school (MS) Assistant Baseball Coach, approved Jeremy Trump as a volunteer MS Softball Coach, and accepted the resignation of a bus driver. The s...
WALLA WALLA-A documentary about the remarkable artist Ginny Ruffner will be presented at The Foundry Vineyards in Walla Walla on Friday, April 15. "A Not So Still Life: the Ginny Ruffner Story" will be followed by a Q & A session with the film's director, Karen Stanton-Gregutt. The movie, produced in 2010 by ShadowCatcher Entertainment, took 12 months to film and another six to edit. After the film debuted at the Seattle International Film Festival, Gregutt arranged a showing for her Waitsburg...
WAITSBURG-Hannah Peralez, an eighth grader in Waitsburg, is the 2023 Queen of Waitsburg Celebration Days. Peralez will ride Stubs, her 15-year-old chestnut quarter horse, to parades and fairs this year. Working with Paralez, Cheyenne (Shoun) Reed is in her first year as a fair court advisor. Reed grew up in Dayton and competed in barrels and roping competitions from 2013 through 2019. Her first horse was a small wild Mustang named Penny. At age 13, she had a great horse, a paint named Forrest...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg annual Easter egg hunt has been a tradition for the Rick and Terry Ferguson family for over 40 years. The Fergusons, with the Penny Hazelbaker family and fellow Waitsburg Grange members, prepare and dye all the eggs before the event. On the day of the event, they arrive early to rope off the areas for each age group, scatter the dyed and chocolate eggs, and award prizes to the lucky ones who find golden eggs. The Ferguson's daughter, Angela, has been a Grange member and...
WAITSBURG-Roseann Groom's high school leadership class has organized special events and projects for students and staff during the school year. This year, junior Blake French suggested an art show as a leadership class project. The work was exhibited at the school on March 29 and 30. Fifteen students entered creative pieces in categories including poetry, woodcraft, drawings, and home décor. Before the show, Susan DeRuwe, a retired Prescott School District art teacher, spent two days with...
WAITSBURG-Last fall, Waitsburg School's Superintendent Mark Pickel read an article about getting kids active in programs after the pandemic. The article encouraged schools to utilize faculty and staff members' talents, interests, and expertise to develop new student programs. Pickel contacted preschool teacher Eleanora Montgomery and her husband, Mark, who are skilled beekeepers. Mark Montgomery grew up in Western Washington, where his father raised bees as a hobby. After graduating from WSU in...
DAYTON – Local residents active in their community have been meeting with Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF) and Innovia Foundation to plan the Raise the Blues Endowment Campaign, which will contribute to a brighter future for Columbia County. The campaign invites residents of Columbia County to join with their neighbors to give back to the place they call home. Donors will have an opportunity to make an impact that lasts. BMCF has set two goals for The Raise the Blues Campaign; both will improve the future of our county. One goal is t...
WAITSBURG-Allison Bond is the founder and project leader for Rural Youth Enrichment Services' (RYES) Waitsburg Urban Forestry project. This mentoring project provided evergreen seedlings to Waitsburg Elementary School students on past Arbor Days. Bond arranged for a row of trees to be planted in front of the elementary school to celebrate International Day of Forests this month. Volunteers included Andrew Knee, Doug Biolo, Kate Hockersmith, Eric Umphrey, and Bruce Donohue, who joined Bond in...
DAYTON—Mayor Zac Weatherford called the Dayton City Council regular meeting to order at 6 p.m. on March 14, 2023. Council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Laura Aukerman, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, Shannon McMillen, and Tiger Dieu were present. Sheriff Joe Helm attended via Zoom and reported the number of traffic and other incidents from last month. He said two new deputies are doing well at the academy and are set to graduate on April 24, 2023, and will return to Columbia County to complete a fourteen-week Field Training Officer (FTO) pro...
OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) approved $2 million in low-interest loans and $150,000 in grants for economic development and public infrastructure improvements to spur business growth and job growth creation in communities throughout the state. • Columbia County – Will recieve a $50,000 grant to the Port of Columbia for the “BMS Craft Malt & Grain Cluster Study.” This planning study will determine the feasibility, optimal configuration, and next steps for developing the infrastru...
DAYTON—After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian -- a fighter who has nothing to lose. Rotten Tomatoes critics rated this movie with 88% f...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held its regular meeting in the high school library on March 15, 2023. School board members Chair Jefferey McCowen, Grant Griffen, Aneesha Dieu, and Zac Fabian were present. Korinda Wallace was absent. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. The board approved the consent agenda, which in addition to administrative items, included a Gear Up field trip to visit college campuses, donations, the resignation of an elementary para-professional, and the resignation and hiring of coaches. Approval of June 3, 2...
WAITSBURG-The annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser for the Waitsburg Town Hall was attended by around 150 guests on Saturday, March 18. Proceeds from the evening's ticket sales and auction will benefit the Waitsburg Town Hall Association's work maintaining and operating the historic community space. Town Hall Board President and head chef Jim Romine served a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner. Assisting Romine were board members Allen Huwe, Louie and Marie Gagnon, Ron Standring, and Ron...
UPDATE WAITSBURG-After interviews with staff and community members held on March 13, the Waitsburg School Board of Directors voted to offer the superintendent and elementary principal position to David Woods. The unanimous decision was announced on the district's website and on social media on Friday, March 17, 2023. Pending contract negotiations, Wood will start July 1, 2023. Chairman of the Board, Dr. Carol Clarke said in the announcement, "The Board of Directors is excited to invite David Woo...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting on March 8, 2023, at the port’s conference room and on Zoom. Commissioners Genie Crowe and Seth Bryan were present, and Johnny Watts attended using Zoom. Executive Director Jennie Dickinson was in attendance, and members of the public joined remotely and in person. The commissioners approved the last meeting’s minutes, monthly budget report, and vouchers without debate. Dickinson gave an update on port assets, including the seasonal opening of the store and restaurant at Ly...
WALLA WALLA-Spring officially arrives on March 20, but the 12th Annual Walla Walla Guitarfest on March 10 through 12 gave audiences in eastern Washington an opportunity to shake off the winter blues and replace them with blues of a different flavor. Performances over the three-day festival featured an array of blues, rock & roll, jazz, and gospel musicians scattered throughout downtown Walla Walla wineries, restaurants, the Marcus Whitman Hotel, and the VFW. 2019 Grammy-nominated musician...
WAITSBURG- This week, the Waitsburg Historical Society will hold its annual membership meeting on March 21, 2023, at 6 p.m. at the Weller Public Library. Anyone interested in learning, preserving, or sharing the history of Waitsburg should come to the meeting. The Waitsburg Historical Society was formed fifty years ago to create a museum and renovate the neglected Bruce Mansion. The Mansion was built in 1883 and is a prominent building on Main Street. According to The Times January 11, 1968,...
DAYTON – Starting on March 10, the Warren Community Action fund will accept grant applications from nonprofit and charitable organizations serving Columbia County and the surrounding area, including Waitsburg. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2023. The Warren Community Action Fund honors the deep roots of the Warren family and is focused on continuing the tradition of community service that Robert and Nadine Warren were passionate about. The Fund will award grants to support p...
WAITSBURG-High school students from six schools around the area attended the Waitsburg High School College and Career Fair on Thursday, March 9. Seventeen exhibitors were available to speak with students. Representatives provided information about colleges and careers, including health care, electrical, agriculture, and the armed forces. Waitsburg FFA students welcomed exhibitors and helped set up the one-day event. Members of the leadership class assisted throughout the day and restored the...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg FFA members and their advisor Nicole Abel were busy with three events this past week. Four students traveled to Pomeroy on Wednesday, March 8, and competed in Sub District Leadership events. Freshmen Regan Milliman and Kiya Mings recited the FFA Creed, and sophomore Chasity Paddock gave a speech on windmills being helpful or detrimental in a prepared public speaking competition. Alyssa Hollingworth gave an extemporaneous speech on FFA's influence on agriculture education in n...
