Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON – For several months, community leaders have discussed plans for an after school program for Dayton school children. Planning has been a collaborative effort, and funding has not yet been secured, but the ball is still rolling. School officials tried, at the end of the school year, for a grant to help fund the program but were unsuccessful. “I think it would be a good thing to continue planning to meet and discuss options for the future of some type of program,” Superintendent Doug Johns...
PRESCOTT – "I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world. I don't know how I ended up where I did, but I sure am glad," said NASCAR race car builder and crew chief, Chuck Carruthers. After 40 years in the industry, Carruthers is more than satisfied with life in Prescott, also known as "The Center of the Universe" on his business attire, website, and even the company car. Carruthers began building cars on the side, while attending Cal Poly Pomona College as a mechanical engineering major in the earl...
WAITSBURG – The summer food program at the Waitsburg Elementary School cafeteria is going strong in its second year, with the number of participants doubled over last year, according to Food Service Director Susan Wildey. "The program is great because children have a safe, fun place to enjoy free meals with their friends while networking and interacting with children they may never see or some they may never even have met," said Wildey. Breakfast and lunches are free to children age 18 and u...
A single combine was working in a field off of Ferris Road, south of Waitsburg on Tuesday. This year's start of harvest is one of the earliest ever....
Investigators are still searching for the cause of a fire late Sunday night that destroyed two homes on East Washington Avenue in Dayton. "Honestly I don't know if we'll ever find out what started it," Fire Chief Rick Turner, of Columbia County Fire District 3, told me on Monday afternoon. "We're still working on it, but the fire completely destroyed the house, and any little bit of evidence there was is probably gone." Nobody was injured in the fire, which started at 11:25 p.m. in an...
WAITSBURG – Two years ago, Councilman K.C. Kuykendall approached Waitsburg’s city council with a proposal to transfer management of the horse facilities at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds to a nonprofit organization that would oversee the creation and development of what he hoped would become the Blue Mountain Equestrian Center. That agreement was approved, with the city agreeing to a five-year commitment. At last month’s council meeting, Kuykendall announced he was ready to call an early end to the a...
SEATTLE – It may be a challenging trip, but 94-year-old Murray Fisher didn't hesitate a moment when he was invited to be honored by the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field as part of their "Salute to Those Who Served" program. Fisher will be recognized on July 25 for the role he played during WWII as a top secret code breaker – secrets he's now free, and proud, to share. Fisher attended school in Waitsburg until his senior year, when his father, who worked for the railroad, was transferred to Day...
Forty-five children, eight youth helpers and many adults made Starbuck's annual Vacation Bible School a success this year. Fifteen children reportedly received the Lord as their savior during the week-long "Growing with Jesus" themed event. Adults from Walla Walla, Waitsburg, Dayton and Starbuck helped with the Bible School. Children from those towns, as well as several out-of–area grandchildren, attended the Bible School. Many Dayton kids took advantage of the "Cool Bus" transportation from D...
DAYTON – Many people in Columbia County know what it's like to wake to the sound of roosters crowing. Even in some parts of town. For the caffeinated at heart in Dayton, a rooster in the morning means so much more. It means fresh coffee, conveniently located right off of Highway 12 on the western edge of town, served by the chipper, smiling and often psychic Judy Rowland. "People hardly ever have to order," Rowland said, claiming that she has memorized 95 percent of her customers' favorite d...
DAYTON – Executives with the Columbia County Health System are in the final stages of hiring an architect for the Dayton General Hospital upgrade approved by voters with a $5.5 million bond levy last year. Chief Operations Officer Shane McGuire reported to the hospital district board last week that two architects had replied so far to the ad that ran in both The Times and Dayton Chronicle for the last two weeks. The timeline for the project is to have an architect selected before the next b...
WAITSBURG – "But where do we put it?" That is the first questions parents ask insulin pump representatives, doctors, and diabetes educators when setting up a small child with a pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to help to manage their diabetes. Pocket Innerwear owners believe they have the answer, and the company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help make that solution available on a larger scale. "It can be overwhelming for a parent to figure out how to help a kid maintain, m...
WAITSBURG – John and Marilyn Stellwagen are once again hosting Waitsburg's unofficial Fourth of July Veterans March parade followed by a community potluck at Preston Park. The event continues to grow each year, with nearly 100 people attending last year's festivities. Everyone, including organizations like Rainbow Girls, Boy Scouts, etc. is invited to join the parade. Wave a flag or decorate your bike, stroller, wheelchair, or anything else in red, white and blue. Parade participants line up i...
Board members: Ross Hamann, Christy House, Marilyn Johnson, Randy Pearson, Greg Zuger. *The board was presented with expected costs of facilities priorities as determined by architects in preparation for upcoming capital projects bond request. The board felt that the estimate of $5.1 million (as opposed to the $4.8 million that would keep taxes the same) was too high and requested additional info and clarification of costs. *In response to feedback from the community, the board discussed changing the time of High School graduation from 8 p.m....
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg's city council is in unanimous agreement that it would like to see the city totally out of the fire and ambulance business. At the June 17 city council meeting, the council approved Ordinance 2015-1031, which will initiate the process of annexing the Waitsburg City Fire Department into Walla Walla County Fire District No. 2. Voter approval of the annexation will also be required. Plans include transitioning the Waitsburg Ambulance Service (WAS) into the district as well. B...
A visitor and his son get a close-up photo of a '32 Ford Highboy Roadster during the Show N Shine at last weekend's All Wheels Weekend event in downtown Dayton. Crowds were large and the weather was great for the 21st annual event....
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg resident Tysen R. Beckner, 25, was arrested last week in Idaho and now faces a felony charge of child assault in Walla Walla County Superior Court. Beckner was allegedly involved in a fight at the new Whiskey Creek Bar and Grill in Waitsburg on the night of June 17 during which his girlfriend, Waitsburg resident Shaylynn M. Johnson, was arrested on a warrant, according to court documents. According to relatives, Beckner was left in charge of two young children in the h...
DAYTON – Anyone driving Highway 12 can see it. The wheat fields are ripening quickly. Gone are the rolling green plains. In their place are fields of shorter-than-normal, already golden grains. And it's still June. The heavens haven't blessed the Touchet Valley with rain in quite some time. And with temperatures predicted to reach the triple digits over the weekend, any additional moisture to the ground before harvest is improbable. Local farmers have mixed feelings about the drought. The s...
DAYTON – Do you know your county building and permitting rules? Columbia County suggests you reacquaint yourself with them because officials have asked the planning department to brainstorm a way of “adding teeth” to current ordinances. Jake Davis, Greg Abramson and Kim Lyonnais, with the Columbia County Planning Department, presented information last Wednesday to commissioners on a county-wide problem with building-code violations. Dilemmas include everything from residents running unlicensed s...
Senior Class 4.0 GPA Gales-Alexenko, Luke Z. Grant, Hannah G. Larsen, Talen T. Philbrook, Emma c. Shafer, Tyler Walker, Samantha R. 3.25 and above GPA Lanning, Owen L. Leroue, Chance O. Mercado, Sofia C. Grant, Michael F. DeRuwe, Mikala L. Edwards, Bailey Acevedo, Devin Fisher, Nicole M. Salazar, Analise Wood, Paige N. Junior Class 3.25 and above Walsh, Stuart J. Branson, Zion I. Jones, Caitlyn A. Sophomore Class 3.25 and above Hays, Taylor A. Pope, Aislynne M. Dunn, Jacob M. Wood, Skylar Farley, Jared E. Adams, Emily A. Mercado, Selina L....
Randy Hinchliffe was the winner of the Waitsburg Friends of the Library Father's Day raffle basket. . ....
Workers were busy installing new water lines along the east side of Main Street in Waitsburg Tuesday, making a trip to The Times office especially treacherous for visitors....
DAYTON – The cause of death remains unknown in the case of Shirley "Ben" Gano, the 88-year-old Oregon man whose body was found near Starbuck last week, Columbia County Coroner Rea Culwell told The Times on Monday. Preliminary results from Monday's autopsy, however, indicate that the manner of Gano's death was natural, according to Culwell. More tests will be conducted, but at this time the cause of death could not be determined "due to the condition of the body," she said. Gano's body was locate...
DAYTON – Columbia County has filed criminal charges against county resident Darlene M. Savage, 70, alleging that she has been maintaining an unpermitted salvage or junkyard on her South Touchet Road property for over a year. The misdemeanor charge, filed in district court on June 12, followed a report signed by the Columbia County Planning Department Director Kim Lyonnais earlier that week stating that this particular property has been a problem since at least 2011. The junk, vehicles and o...
Dayton WWII veteran Owen Agenbroad (top photo) was the first Everyday Hero to tell his story last Thursday at the Dayton Memorial Library as part of this summer's reading program . . ....
WAITSBURG – Izzy-the-camel owner Mickey Richards says he would love to one day to write a book filled with stories about Izzy. If he does, that book will undoubtedly include a chapter on Izzy's most recent adventure as a television star. Last week, Waitsburg's favorite cuddly camel was doused in fake blood (Karo syrup and food coloring) and transformed into a gruesome member of the walking dead to perform in an episode of the SyFy channel series "Z Nation." The series, which is filming its s...
