Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Waitsburg Commercial Club is holding its Annual Awards Dinner at the new restaurant on April 12. WAITSBURG-A pizza maker and a Bloody Mary mix master walk into a bar. No joke, the bar was the empty Anchor Bar located in the American Legion, post 35, building on Main Street in Waitsburg. Tom and Judy Bennett have embraced the building's history and want to incorporate the essence of the American Legion post and what it once was; good company and good food to their new business American 35. The co...
Bill and Teresa Ayotte have brought the beloved cafe back to Dayton DAYTON-After more than a year, Dayton-area golfers and foodies alike can finally enjoy their favorite Chicken Bill burger, breakfast, or chicken fried steak once again. Returning to the Touchet Valley Golf Course after taking a pandemic-year off, Chicken Bill's Cafe had its soft opening on March 31, and owners Bill and Teresa Ayotte have been busy ever since. "It's been so busy!" Ayotte said. "So many familiar faces are back."...
WAITSBURG—Next week is the Waitsburg Commercial Club Awards Dinner on April 12, at American 35. Since the club could not hold its annual event during the pandemic, it will be three times the fun this year. The club will be presenting awards for outstanding service from community members and businesses for the past three years. The last winners were awarded the 2019 Service Awards for their work in 2018. This year the honorees will receive 2020, 2021, and 2022 awards. The 2022 dinner is dedicate...
DAYTON—Columbia County is just one of many Washington government entities that received a Public Record Request from self-proclaimed ‘government transparency advocate’ Eric Hood. The state Public Records Act requires that state and local agencies disclose all records to the public unless the law specifically exempts them. Agencies must reply to requests within five business days to give an estimate of when records will be available and later provide a log to explain any redactions or exemp...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met for its regular meeting on March 23, 2022. Councilmembers Jim Romine and Jillian Henze were unable to attend the meeting. Mayor Marty Dunn, Councilmembers Kevin House, Court Ruppenthal, and Randy Charles were present. Twelve community members attended the meeting. After holding a brief public hearing, the council voted to vacate a defunct alleyway and give ownership to Paul and Karen Gregutt, who own the adjacent property. The alley has no utilities...
When Kate Hockersmith convinced me to join her music group after school in 2010, I never thought I'd be writing about it in The Times more than a decade later. I spent much of my childhood inspired by the Blue Mountain Troublemakers, a bluegrass band led by Hockersmith, who traveled as far as Sasayama, Japan (Walla Walla's sister city), to perform. Walking into the Hockersmith home as a peewee 4-H'er, I was awestruck by the music flowing out of the basement. The Troublemakers formed in 2003,...
DAYTON-The Port of Columbia Commissioners met Monday, March 21, for a workshop to discuss Touchet Valley Trail. As many as 39 people attended via Zoom, in addition to a packed conference room at the port. Public comment was not allowed at the workshop meeting. Executive Director Jennie Dickinson was joined by Ken Van Voorhis from SPVV Landscape Architects, Brain Hansen, and Adam Schmidtgall, from Anderson Perry (A.P.). Dickinson began the meeting going over a brief history of the trail,...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board held its regular board meeting at 6 p.m. on March 16, 2022. All members were present, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffin, and Korinda Wallace. Superintendent Guy Strot was also present in person, as was student representative Madison Richardson. The board approved the Consent Agenda without debate. During public comment, Pearl Dennis suggested the board consider hiring a non-certified superintendent as it appears to be allowed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (...
DAYTON—The Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment, offered through Columbia County Library, is aimed at helping adults acquire the skills they need in today’s workplace. “People without basic computer know-how are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding a job because employers expect basic computer skills for most jobs, including many entry-level positions,” said Todd Vandenbark, Library Director. “We joined Northstar because it will help our patrons have a better chance at getting jobs and getting ahead.” The free set of assessments includes...
WAITSBURG-A lack of volunteers at the Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 has had an ongoing impact on the community it serves, primarily Waitsburg. Fire Commissioner Ashley Strickland cannot stress enough that emergency medical volunteers are in dire need in the area, especially those who can respond to daytime calls. Still, it's not just Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) that are being sought. If being at the forefront of saving lives or battling flames is not your thing, the department...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia held its regular meeting at 5 p.m., March 9, 2022. Chair Genie Crowe, Commissioners Johnny Watts and Seth Bryan, and Port Director Jennie Dickinson, were present. There were members of the public attending in person and over fifty joining on Zoom. Board Chair Crowe opened the meeting with public comment. Dickinson began by reading two from many letters submitted to the board. County Commissioner, Charles Amerein, wrote of his fear that leasing port property to the H...
WAITSBURG-Spring is in the air, and there is opportunity at the upcoming Waitsburg Friday Market. Formerly the Waitsburg Farmers Market, the small outdoor market opened last year with a handful of local vendors, including Whoop'em Up Hollow Farms, Bread Head, and Dusty Britches Farm. This year, organizers are making changes as it prepares for opening day. Nancy's Dream Garden owners, Doug Biolo and Janet Lawrence, are the market's managers, and owner of Dusty Britches Farm, Noelle Olson, is the...
"My name is Olha, and I am in the capital of Ukraine, in Kyiv. We live in a shelter now. Today is the eleventh day of war, and I want to show you the place I live in." Kyiv, Ukraine-That was the start of a video sent to The Times via email on Tuesday morning. Reporter Beka Compton had a sinking feeling, knowing that while she sipped her morning iced Americano, the young woman who sent the email was getting ready to hunker down for another night of war. Olha Oltarzhevksa is a 22-year-old...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a regularly scheduled work session meeting at 6 p.m. on March 2, 2022. All Board members were in attendance. The night before, the School Board held a two-and-a-half-hour special board meeting which consisted of a long executive session. At the beginning of the meeting, Board Chair Jeff McCowen announced an executive session would be held under IAW RCW 42.30.110 (f). This section of the Open Public Meeting Act (OPMA) allows a closed session specifically t...
WAITSBURG-Since accepting bids for two properties on Main Street last month, the city sees the surplus process coming to an end by the March City Council meeting. The sale of 124 Main Street, the lot that the City of Waitsburg purchased as a pocket park in 2018, was tabled in November after the council questioned the real estate policy and its lack of flexibility in accepting bids. The first call for bids gave the city only three options after receiving qualified bids: accept the highest offer,...
Ukraine—The Russian military invasion of Ukraine has caused a fast-moving and dangerous humanitarian crisis. As the Russian troops have moved into the country, it has become clear that civilians are being targeted. The people of Ukraine have been forced to decide between becoming refugees, leaving their lives behind, or staying and resisting Putin’s forces. Finding food, gas, medicine, and safe shelter has become difficult for Ukrainians staying in the country. As it has become increasingly apparent that the Russian military is targeting civ...
WAITSBURG-It was a full house on Saturday night at the Royal Block, when a crowd of more than 30 gathered for a book reading by local author Markeeta Little Wolf's from her new book, The Wrestler's Daughter. Little Wolf knows how to hold an audience, and the Royal Block has continued to create a space that works well for readings and live music. With Little Wolf, you get both. Sound system checked, podium in place, and a petite guitar on its stand, she launched into an entertaining introduction...
DAYTON-The Columbia County Rural Library District welcomes the WSU Extension's Master Gardening Program for a four-week intro into all things gardening, starting with the dirty work- literally! The program begins on March 7 and the first Monday of each month, through June. Director of Library Services Todd Vandenbark said the first class would be about seeds and soil. An introduction to soil, additives, composting, and the benefit of worms will be the second session's topic, and the third...
Prescott finds solutions to bring swimming and drowning prevention training to students. PRESCOTT-Students at Prescott Schools will soon be headed to the Walla Walla YMCA for swimming, CPR, and first aid courses. WWYMCA Executive Director Karen Hedine shared that the new program was made possible through a Community Impact Grant, offered by the Sherwood Trust. Hedine said the grant supports two primary objectives: Providing drowning prevention and swim lessons for all Prescott School District...
WALLA WALLA—Due to declining cases of COVID-19 in the community, Providence St. Mary is easing visitor restrictions to allow two visitors/support people per patient beginning on February 23, 2022. The visitors must remain the same individuals throughout the patient’s stay/appointment and cannot rotate. They may come once a day and may not come and repeatedly go within the same day. Patients who are expected to pass away in 12 to 24 hours may have four visitors at a time, and those visitors may rotate. For example, if a family of 10 wanted to vi...
WALLA WALLA/COLUMBIA COUNTIES—Grocery stores, childcare facilities, gyms, bars, and restaurants are just a few of the indoor industries in Washington preparing for a sooner-than-anticipated mask mandate lift. Governor Jay Inslee Monday announced that Washington’s mask mandate will be lifted on March 12, instead of the original March 21 date. The announcement was made in a joint statement with the governors of California and Oregon, following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “We’ve continued to monitor...
PRESCOTT—Flat tires, locked doors, and empty gas tanks are just a few common car troubles that Roadside Northwest can help with. Brian Danaher said that he founded Roadside Northwest in 2014, after he worked various jobs in auto shops and service stations. He said he left the car repair industry because, at the time, it was notorious for trying to sell services that customers didn’t need. He was working for a roadside service company in Hillsboro, Ore., and upon leaving that job, he took his las...
Save the date! WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg Class of 2023 will show the movie Alaskan Nets on Saturday, March 19, a fundraising event presented by Alaska Airlines. The Alaskan Nets website states that the award-winning film tells the story of a small Alaskan village and their 2018 boys' basketball team. It's a story about life and a story about a community overcoming hardship. There are two sacred traditions on the remote Southeast Alaska island of Metlakatla: fishing and basketball. Waitsburg High S...
A news brief titled Dayton Historical Depot Society director leaving post was accidentally included in the March 3, 2022 print edition. The March 11, 2021 news brief announced the resignation of past director Tamara Fritze. Shellie McLeod is the current Depot Director & Events Coordinator of the Depot. Our apologies for any confusion....
WAITSBURG-Sales agreements will be negotiated with the city for two Main Street properties after bids were accepted at the February 16 Waitsburg City Council meeting. Mayor Marty Dunn, Councilmembers Jillian Henze, Jim Romine, Randy Charles, and Kevin House were in attendance. Councilmember Court Ruppenthal was not available for the meeting. During the public comment portion, Tom Bennett asked if there was a way to address the dog waste left on the sidewalks and in the alley behind his building...
