Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 4193 - 4217 of 5705
PRESCOTT – The Prescott School District will ask voters to approve a replacement maintenance and operations levy in the amount of $650,000 for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. If passed on the Feb. 9 special elections ballot, the levy will replace the current $615,000 levy. While the total dollar amount is higher than the previous levy, the cost per $1,000 to residents is lower due to a rise in district property values. The proposed levy is estimated at $1.92 per $1,000 of assessed value. The 2014 maintenance levy was $2.33 per $1,000 a...
Columbia County Superior Court December 16, 2015 Sentencing: Terry Elmo Riner, 47, Dayton. Sentenced to 18 months confinement following a Revocation of Residential DOSA (drug offender sentencing alternative). He was charged in Oct. 2014 with possession of controlled substance other than marijuana, a Class C, felony but failed to comply with treatment and custody requirements and refused to submit a urine sample. Trials/Pre-trials Set: Joel O. Ballard, 23, Charged with assaulting a fellow resident at Patit Creek ARC on Nov. 29. Ballard was...
DAYTON—At their meeting on Dec. 21, CCHS hospital commissioners adopted a resolution finalizing the selection of Shane McGuire as CEO of the hospital district. They also approved the 2016 budget, and discussed the hospital remodel/redesign. The budget for 2016 shows projected net revenue of $12,537,174, expected expenses totaling $13,508,178, and an operating loss of $971,004. Non-operating sources of revenue, money from donations and grants, interest income, and tax revenue, adds back $...
DAYTON - In November, the Coalition for Youth and Families hosted the movie Paper Tigers at the Liberty Theater. Many community members have since responded, asking what is next. Coalition members say they hope to use the information and momentum from that event to help redefine their work. And they’re asking for the community’s help. Community members will soon be invited to a partial-day or day-long Strategic/Action Planning session that would take a look at the needs and resources of the community through the eyes of different groups, inc...
Twenty-fifteen in Waitsburg has been a year of celebrations and new beginnings. Local dignitaries visited the city during May's Waitsburg Celebration Days to recognize the city's 150th birthday and to dedicate the historic bronze statues that now reside on Main Street. Several new businesses – Whiskey Creek Sports Bar and Grill, Gleason's Galley, Tricho Cuts, and Ameri – hung their shingles; and Kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Beasley received national recognition (again!) for her teaching ski...
DAYTON – The news in Dayton and Columbia County in 2015 was highlighted by fires and marijuana legalization and updates from the Columbia County Health System and Columbia Pulp. Here's a brief review: January Keep Kate: A group of Dayton area residents formed a group whose purpose was to encourage the Dayton School Board to retain interim middle and high school principal Kate Wenzel permanently in that position. Wenzel was hired for the 2014-15 school year only, to replace outgoing principal A...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg residents probably noticed that their utility bills looked a bit different this month. That’s because the city recently upgraded its antiquated software to a more modern program, and is in the process of completing the conversion from old to new. The change will affect residents in a couple of ways. First, the new system assigned all new account numbers. This change only affects residents who use online bill pay, through their banks, to pay their utility bills. “It’s very important that people go into their bank’s...
History lessons are wasted on the young. In high school, I always earned an A grade in history, but I don’t remember actually learning much. You see, I didn’t really understand history, but I was very good at memorizing information. Historical figures and dates, as well as lectures and textbooks full of facts were “caught” then pitched back to my teachers with very little effort or understanding on my part. I found the stories interesting but I didn’t have enough life experience to comprehend the significance of those stories. Taxation...
Weller Public Library 212 Main Street, Waitsburg Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Storytime: Mon., 10:30 a.m. “Half Wild,” by Sally Green (Science Fiction): This second book in the Half Bad Trilogy will be enjoyed by fans of dark fantasy. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into hi...
WAITSBURG – Waitburg's city council expressed support of the proposed Waitsburg Raceway, with Mayor Walt Gobel saying, "It's obvious the council is for you," at the Dec. 17 City Council Meeting. However, official approval was put on hold to allow citizens the opportunity for input at a Jan. 6 public workshop. Walla Walla resident Brandon Kelly was stopped partway through his initial presentation on the proposed raceway at November's city council meeting and asked to return with specific plans r...
DAYTON – When you're browsing in Snapdragon Floral and Gifts shortly before Christmas, you might think you've traveled to the North Pole. Santa's workshop must look something like this. "We love Christmas," says Cara Watts, who, with her mother, Vicky Beckmeyer, operates the recently renamed Snapdragon. It shows. Their store on Dayton's Main Street sells Christmas decorations year-round. But as the holiday season approaches, the Christmas spirit takes over, with beautiful decorations and w...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg FFA member Sydney Fowble got an extra-special Christmas present this year: a $1,000 grant from the National FFA Foundation for her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) goat production project. Now she has the enjoyable task of figuring out how to spend the money. Fowble was selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide for her SAE project. An SAE requires a member to create and operate an agriculture-related business, work at an agriculture-related business, or c...
WAITSBURG – Come January, there will be a new face at the Waitsburg City Council table. New student liaison Stuart Walsh will be sworn in at the Jan. 20 city council meeting. The Waitsburg High School senior, and son of Jim and Anne Walsh, is currently president of both the associated student body and the National Honor Society. He is also Knowledge Bowl captain. Walsh was recently featured in a television spot as O'Brien Chevrolet's Student of the Month for October. Last year he served as N...
DAYTON – On Wednesday, Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley presented an updated timeline for groundbreaking for the firm’s straw processing plant, which it plans to build near Lyons Ferry in northwest Columbia County. He also talked about moving the company’s laboratory from Seneca Foods, Corp., to the former Columbia Cut Stock buildings. The discussions took place during the annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) meeting, held at the Columbia County Fire District #3 station. (See...
WAITSUBRG - Leona May Clarno passed away, at the age of 90, on Nov. 10, but will leave a lasting legacy. The longtime Waitsburg resident donated $20,000 to the City of Waitsburg, earmarked for use by the Weller Library. Clarno was involved in the Sherwood Trust for many years, and served as both an administrator and Secretary of the Board of Trustees. In her passing, she left substantial donations to many organizations. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the funds will be used...
DAYTON – Community leaders gathered at a luncheon on Dec. 16 at the Columbia County Fire District #3 station for Columbia County’s annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to amend and prioritize projects on a five-year economic development project list. Before the priority discussion began, John Begley CEO of Columbia Pulp, Inc., spoke about the latest plans for that firm’s development of a straw pulp plant near Lyons Ferry (see artic...
DAYTON—At a public hearing on December 2, the Columbia County Commissioners considered, and adopted, three resolutions pertaining to road projects for 2016. The Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program covers the years 2016 to 2021. It includes an updated listing of proposed road improvement projects, along with a revenue and expenditure analysis. A bridge inspection report for that was prepared by County Engineer Andrew Woods. The annual construction program for 2016 describes ten road p...
WAITSBURG – Following a second public hearing and two workshop sessions, the Waitsburg City Council approved the city’s 2016 final budget at the Dec. 17 meeting. The 2016 budget of $1.75 million shaved more than $1 million off of last year’s $2.8 million budget. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the drop in expenditures is mostly because there are no large capital projects slated for 2016. “We’ll replace a few small sections of water line, some storm line, some sidewalks...
DAYTON – The southeast Washington ski season begins Friday, as Ski Bluewood opens its mountain to skiers and snowboarders. According to a press release, the Skyline Express and Platter Pull lifts will operate beginning Friday, with the Triple Nickle lift to be determined. The ski area will open at 9 a.m., with rentals, food service and snow sports available. Ski Bluewood will operate daily from its opening Friday through January 3, except for Christmas day. Hours are 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. d...
WAITSBURG – Kindergarten students in Waitsburg now have even more to brag about when they describe their classroom teacher. Presidential Award-winner Pam Nolan- Beasley is now a national semi-finalist, being recognized as a cream-of-the-crop science teacher. Nolan-Beasley was one of two Washington teachers awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2012, She received a $10,000 cash award and a trip to Washington D.C. Last week Nolan-Beasley was n...
