Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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The comprehensive plan, and potential litigation are discussed in public and executive sessions. LYONS FERRY MARINA– The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m., June 8, 2022, at the Lyons Ferry Marina after having a tour of that facility. The operators lease the marina and camping area from the Port of Columbia. All Commissioners were present in person, Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, and Johnny Watts. The Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, was also present. Some members of the public attended using Zoom. The C...
WAITSBURG/DAYTON—The Waitsburg and Dayton School boards met on June 1, 2022, for a joint meeting to discuss details surrounding the future of the DW Athletics Combine. The loosely followed agenda included discipline, middle school athletics, finances, and future joint board meetings. On the topic of discipline, Dayton School Superintendent Guy Strot and Waitsburg Superintendent Mark Pickel suggested the secondary principals handle disciplinary issues with the combine athletes. This would r...
DAYTON—Residents, business owners, and concerned neighbors gathered at Dayton High School last Wednesday, seeking clarification on the status of the city’s wastewater project. Concerns were raised after the Dayton City Council twice voted against a purchase that was one of the critical steps towards solving the city’s wastewater issue after a decade of planning. “What happens next?” was on everyone’s mind at the June 2 town hall gathering. Cynthia Wall-Fuller, Washington State Department...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., June 1, 2022, in the high school auditorium and Zoom. All members of the Dayton School Board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Madison Richardson (Student Representative), and Superintendent Guy Strot. The consent agenda included the resignation of M.S. math teacher Brenda Henderson and the hiring of Martin Surridge as an HS English teacher, Pam Nolan Beasley as the elementary STEM teacher, and...
DAYTON- A dedicated group of swimming and water safety enthusiasts are asking for help as planning for a new swimming pool in Dayton enters a critical phase. The Friends of the Pool (Friends) has contracted with Schemata Workshop, Seattle (architects), and Ballard King & Associates LTD, Highlands Ranch, CO (recreational facility planning and operation consultants). The firms will assist with data collection, development of a community assessment, and designs for a new facility. They will also...
The district to facilitate community safety sessions this summer WAITSBURG—Parents of Waitsburg School District students had a scare after a post on Facebook alerting users of a ‘school shooting threat’ was rapidly shared online. The events happened less than 24 hours after 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman in Uvalde, Texas. On Wednesday, May 25, a parent of a student enrolled in the district posted on social media that she was aware of death threats being made at the schoo...
PRESCOTT—On Thursday, June 9th, Prescott School will be having a unique all-school experiential art activity titled, “When the River Becomes a Cloud.” Prescott School’s long-term Artists-in-Residence, Amanda Leigh Evans and Tia Kramer, will choreograph students from Pre-K through grade12, in concert with school staff and teachers, into an embodied river that moves through the school campus. Wearing a rainbow of monochromatic shirts created for the event, the school community will move through a series of art experiences simulating aspects...
. WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board held a regular monthly meeting on May 16 at the Waitsburg Elementary School. All board members, Sarah Boudrieau, Christy House, Stephanie Cole, and Lisa Morrow, were in attendance, with Carol Clarke joining via Zoom. During the secondary principal’s report, Stephanie Wooderchak said the well-attended prom was enjoyable for all. Students from both Dayton and Waitsburg celebrated together at the combined event. Waitsburg’s Megan Forney was selected as the Wal...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held its regular meeting at 6 p.m., May 18, 2022. All Board members, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Jeffry McCowen, and Korinda Wallace, were present in the high school auditorium, Superintendent Guy Strot and student representative Madison Richardson. Members of the public attended in person and on Zoom. The board approved the consent agenda, including hiring two elementary teachers, Angela Kenney and Amanda Wade. It also included the retirement of the high school science teacher, Doug Yenney. Dr. C...
The weekend kicks off on Friday evening with the ATV Sunset Cruise WAITSBURG-The third weekend of May is here, and after two years of cancellations, Waitsburg Celebration Days is back and bigger than ever. The weekend-long event will kick off on Friday, May 20, with the annual Sunset Cruise ATV Ride. ATV riders can check in at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, near the former parimutuel betting booths, starting at 4:00 p.m. Route information will be available at check-in, and riders and drivers are...
DAYTON-The committee on the task force looking into developing a childcare facility and early learning center in Dayton will provide the public with an opportunity to learn more at a meeting on Monday, May 23 at 6 p.m. at the Columbia County Fairgrounds Pavilion. Former State Representative Terry Nealy will moderate the seven-member panel. Childcare will be provided. "There appears to be a lot of misinformation out there, including this is government-run daycare, that hospital district taxes...
DAYTON- The Port of Columbia held its regular meeting at 5 p.m., May 11, 2022. All commissioners were present, Genie Crowe, Johnny Watts, and Seth Bryan. Port Director Jennie Dickinson was also present in person. Members of the public attended both in person and on Zoom. The meeting began with a presentation on affordable housing in Columbia County by Community Council representatives Catherine Veninga, Rachel Elfenbein, and Laura Prado. The presenters used the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition for affordable h...
Land purchase voted down in split city council vote. DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held a regular meeting at 6 p.m., May 10, 2022. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Misty Yost, Teeny McMunn, Dain Nysoe, Kyle Anderson, and Tyler (Tiger) Dieu were present at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church parish hall, while Laura Aukerman attended on Zoom. The city council voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to sign an annual membership for $35 with the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC). MRSC is a nonprofit organization o...
WAITSBURG-Time to send The Times your yard sale information to be included on the official Community Yard sale Map. The map will be printed in The Times June 2 edition, on The Times Website, and on social media. Let us help buyers find your sale. Let us know the location of your sale. Please include any information about what you will have on offer. you can even send a few photos of your most delectable sale items. Include your name, contact number, or email for The Times' use only. Email...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg Celebration Days officials announced that Karen Peters Tonne and Dan Katsel will lead the 2022 festivities as the Parade Marshalls. Karen Peters Tonne is a lifelong area resident, including attending the Waitsburg School District for all 12 years of her schooling. She worked various jobs in the area before she took a job as a mechanical designer. She worked at Hanford, and later, at Key Technology, in Walla Walla. In 1964, Tonne was selected as a Days of Real Sport Princess,...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board convened a special board meeting at 7 p.m., May 9, 2022. The meeting was held in the Dayton High School auditorium and on Zoom. All school board members were present in person, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Jeffrey McCowen, and Korinda Wallace. The superintendent, Guy Strot, was also present. The first agenda item was the superintendent/principal search. Strot said two paths were open to the board, either hire a permanent Superintendent/Principal or hire an interim one-year Superintendent/Principal. Th...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Commissioners met on Monday, May 9, for a short work session. The only item on the agenda was ‘general discussion.’ Commissioner Marty Hall shared that he was heading to Pomeroy to meet with a representative concerning the Turkey Trail Restoration Project funding redirection. Initially, the project was supposed to take place in 2021 but was canceled by the Turkey Trail/Green Ridge Fire that burned last summer. Hall did not specify where project funds would be redirected, but he did note that they would still benef...
Well, there are laws, but they never had many teeth, and for quite some time, they have had no teeth whatsoever. Court rulings have consistently determined that a show of disrespect towards the flag or the National Anthem is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. But the laws are still on the books, and they describe clearly what is considered respectful behavior and what counts as Flag desecration. Presumably, most people who openly display a flag that has been desecrated do so out of ignorance and not out of an attempt to show...
Vicki Sternfeld-Rossi The 2022 Lions Club Rib Feed was a wild success, with sold out tickets, pans full of tender ribs, scrumptious side dishes, and the Don Thomas building full of friends and neighbors grateful for their community....
DAYTON – The Dayton City Council held a work session meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in person and on Zoom. All councilmembers were present; Laura Aukerman, Misty Yost, Teeny McMunn, Dain Nysoe, Kyle Anderson, and Tyler (Tiger) Dieu were present in-person, as was Mayor Zac Weatherford. The purpose of the meeting was for the council and City to work on a strategy to move forward on the City’s sewage treatment plant. Weatherford wanted to emphasize that the project was not dead after the council’s vote not to purchase the recommen...
The Columbia County Commissioners held a regular meeting on May 2, 2022. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The current Public Works Director, Amber Phinney reported that the county received its first $6,000 allotment from FEMA after waiting for more than two years. Phinney added the next allotment should be awarded next month for $93,000. Phinney commended Kellie Steinhoff for her work filing for the allotments and added that Steinhoff is working on paperwork for a third allotment. County Engineer Jeremy Weiland gave a brief updat...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met on Wednesday, April 20, for a regularly scheduled meeting. April was the first month that the council offered a Zoom option. The option will be available for future meetings, and log-in information is provided at www.cityofwaitsburg.com with upcoming meeting agendas. Those using Zoom said it was difficult to hear. The city is exploring options to improve the online sound quality for future meetings. Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office (WWCSO) pro...
Hidden in Plain Sight program scheduled for May. DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held their regular meeting at 6 PM, April 20, 2022, in the High School Auditorium and on Zoom. All members of the board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Korinda Wallace, and Chair Jeffrey McCowen. Madison Richardson, the student representative, and Superintendent Guy Strot were also present in the auditorium. Only a few members of the public were present in the auditorium, and fewer than ten were listening in on Zoom. The b...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met on April 21, 2022, for a regularly scheduled meeting. The middle school robotic class presented an overview of some of the projects they have been working on. The robotics class taught by Colby Starring has been learning everything from inventorying supplies, designing robots, implementing a design plan, and coding. Board member Carol Clarke asked if the students were able to work at home. Students said they could not work at home because they didn’t have access to the field-specific supplies from cla...
DAYTON – A caboose on an active railroad track is not something most of us have seen in a very long time. Likely, most people under forty have never seen one. Few people have probably seen a caboose emblazoned with large block letters, "WARNING! REMOTE CONTROL." At Dayton's Caboose Park, visitors can see a yellow Union Pacific caboose up close. With its distinctive cupola, it is a great example of the cars once widely used. From the 1830s, cabooses were used to provide shelter for the crews o...
