Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 731 - 755 of 5688
DAYTON—Loyal Baker, the publisher of The Chronicle, was on the agenda for public comment at the July 14 council meeting. Baker asked the council to rescind its selection of The Times for the City’s official newspaper services. He offered as evidence to his complaint copies of the City of Dayton’s 2021-22 call for bids and the submitted written proposals from The Chronicle and The Times. Baker said the call for bids spelled out bid requirements, contract periods, and submittal requests. Under reward criteria, an eligible bidder must meet RCW r...
PENDLETON, Ore —With persistent extreme hot and dry conditions, active large wildfires, limited firefighting resources and concern for public safety, forest officials have temporarily closed the entirety of the Umatilla National Forest effective July 16 The objective of the closure is to proactively protect public and firefighter safety as work continues to actively suppress large wildfires in the forest, while also responding to new smoke reports. Hot and dry conditions have challenged firefighters in suppression efforts battling the Lick Cre...
PENDLETON, Ore.-The Green Ridge Fire, burning approximately 30 miles east of Walla Walla, continues to challenge firefighters as they battle rough terrain and compete against perfect fire weather conditions. As of Tuesday, July 13, the fire had burned approximately 338 acres in the Pomeroy Ranger District, jumping more than 100 acres over a 24-hour period. Currently, there are ten hand crews fighting the fire, six engines, and three water tenders. Northwest Incident Management Team 7 took over...
TOUCHET VALLEY-It will be a busy weekend in the Touchet Valley, so clear your calendars! From golf tournaments to demo derbies, fun is bound to be had. Friday, July 16, the Waitsburg Block Party will be in full swing at 6 p.m. Bring an entree to grill, plus a side dish or dessert to share at 702 Orchard Street in Waitsburg. BBQs will be available to use, and Walla Walla Dj David Long will keep the music playing. Grab your chairs, bring your favorite yard games, and spend the evening with...
WAITSBURG-A fire on July 9 claimed a barn, an RV, and other parked vehicles at a property on Waggoner Road. Responding fire crews were able to extinguish flames that spread to a nearby wheat field, burning less than one acre. A neighbor to the property, Lisa Lee, said she was working in her yard when she heard a boom, turned around, and saw a black smoke plume. She immediately ran inside, called 9-1-1, and reported the fire. At the time, she was unaware that it was a structure fire. "After I...
Over the weekend, a concerned citizen asked The Times for help locating owners of a distressed hog at the fairgrounds. The resident was out walking their dog in the early morning, could not readily see the emergency numbers at the barns. After reaching out to various people, the responsible parties for that animal were located and took appropriate action that morning. There are two hog barns located at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The Waitsburg FFA uses the yellow barn at the northwest corner of t...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met on July 1 for a council workshop. The meeting was open to the public and attended by ten members of the community. There was no public comment period during the meeting. Per the public notice dated June 29, any questions or comments could be passed on to the City Council via City Hall, located at 147 Main St., P.O. Box 35, Waitsburg, WA 99361, or (509) 337-6371. The first item on the agenda regarded City Hall. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe...
DAYTON-A special City Council meeting took place on Wednesday, June 30, to discuss future staffing at Dayton City Hall. The meeting was scheduled in the aftermath of the termination of the City Administrator, the Planning and Community Development Director, and the Public Works Director, by Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford, on June 16. Mayor Weatherford said the City Council would not take public comments or answer questions at this meeting or discuss anything that was not on the agenda. A public...
OLYMPIA—Govenor Jay Inslee issued an extension of the utility moratorium proclamation last week, which will now expire on September 30, 2021. This will be the final extension of the proclamation and the extension will align with the end date of the tenancy preservation bridge (21-09) to give Washingtonians struggling with housing payments time to prepare and seek assistance before both proclamations expire. “Utilities and housing are inextricably linked,” Inslee said. “Our priority is to keep Washingtonians safe and housed, and give them a...
WAITSBURG — Many state, county, and city officials ask the public to celebrate the Fourth of July without home fireworks this year. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing extreme heat conditions causing serious concerns over health and fire safety going into the Fourth of July celebrations. Even though the risk of fire increases significantly during extreme heat conditions, under Washington state law, local jurisdictions cannot impose temporary bans on fireworks. The times to purchase and use fireworks in the state are regulated under RCW 7...
DAYTON-It has been two weeks since Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford terminated the employment of the City Administrator, Trina Cole, the Planning and Community Development Director, Meagan Hayes, and the Public Works Director, Jim Costello. The mayor has been on a family vacation and attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful. However, the Times was provided with the following written statement from Weatherford to the Dayton City Council, dated June 16: "Although their work and dedication to our...
WAITSBURG — The Weller Library Board of Trustees met on June 23 at the Weller Library in Waitsburg. The three current board members, Jim Leid, Becky Huwe, and Elenora Montgomery, were in attendance. Librarian Rosie Warehime, Lane Gwinn, and Terry Lawhead were also at the meeting. The city’s proposal to surplus the current building and move the library to a new location was discussed by the board. There was confusion over Mayor Dunn’s explanation for removing the item from the city council’s agenda in June. Montgomery said the board has the pow...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today ahead of Washington’s upcoming June 30 reopening for individuals and businesses preparing to return to normal capacity and operations. “Washington has come a long way since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country was found in our state January 2020, and that is in no small part due to Washingtonians’ dedication and resilience in protecting themselves and their communities throughout the pandemic. “Because folks listened to the science and stayed home to stay healthy, wore mask...
WALLA WALLA — At a June 29, 2021, special meeting, the Walla Walla City Council did not express objection to the proposal of city officials to postpone the city’s July 4 fireworks display because of the current extreme heat and dry conditions. As such, the city is officially announcing the display will be postponed until an as-yet-unknown later date. At the special meeting, the Council voted to approve an ordinance that authorizes the city manager to prohibit the discharge of any or all fireworks within city limits. Pursuant to RCW 70....
OLYMPIA – The Secretary of Health’s mask order will remain in place even after June 30, which means that people who are not fully vaccinated need to continue to wear a face mask in public indoor settings even when things start to go back to normal as the state reaches a reopening milestone. All people, regardless of vaccination status, are still required to wear masks in certain places, such as schools and health care settings. In most other settings, people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask. Businesses and local aut...
WAITSBURG-A new athletic Code of Conduct, designed to fit the student-athletes of the Dayton Waitsburg Athletic Combine, was the center of discussion at the Waitsburg School Board meeting on June 17. Athletic Director Sam Korslund said the boys basketball team would finish the season in at least 4th place. The team was honored with a police send-off out of Dayton. The girls' season was unfortunately cut short by COVID-19. An awards banquet is planned for the end of the season, with the date and...
WAITSBURG—The potential surplus of 212 Main Street, which houses the Weller Public Library, was tabled for an unspecified amount of time during a regular City Council meeting on June 16. Waitsburg Mayor Marty Dunn removed the action item regarding the surplus, stating that the council needed legal clarification regarding the library’s infrastructure. “We (the city) know that we own the building, but we do not know any of the infrastructure or what is going on in the library,” Dunn said. “There...
Throughout its history, the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) has been involved in honoring and recognizing outstanding individuals in other professions who have made extraordinary contributions to K–12 education. WASA annually presents awards to recognize people and groups who have impacted education in the State of Washington. The individuals below were recently honored at Rebecca's Lodge, Starbuck, WA., in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Starbuck S...
WALLA WALLA— Two funds made available by Congresses’ CARES Act can help decrease the housing cost burden for low-income renters and homeowners. “Congress provided $5 billion in the CARES Act for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) made available to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus (CDBG-CV funds) program to states, metropolitan cities, urban counties, and insular areas,” according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Available assistance through Walla Walla County and the City of Walla W...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) is looking forward to meeting prospective students, parents, and other community members at an Open House to be held on the Walla Walla campus from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24. “We are excited to be back on campus and are ready to serve students in person,” said Melissa Rodriguez, Director of Outreach. “Now is a great time to start – or complete – an educational program, particularly because most of our students can qualify for financial assistance to get started. We are here an...
DAYTON-Rev your engines and head to Dayton this weekend, as All Wheels Weekend kicks off Friday, June 18, with the "Cruise for Gene" night cruise and Friday Night Music on the Court House lawn. According to Chamber Director Belinda Larsen, the event will motor on as usual, with the only exception being the partial sidewalk closure in front of the Eagles Lodge. The lodge sustained significant damage during a fire on June 8, 2021. After efforts by the city and others to clear the area of debris...
WAITSBURG—Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 (D2) fire commissioners met Wednesday, June 9, for a regular meeting. During the meeting, Ashley Strickland presented the revised Fire Chief job description, expectations, and recommendations to the board. The hiring committee began revising the job description and expectations for the Chief position, a few months back. The committee included Strickland, who acted as the head of the committee, Matt Spring, Brooke Mikesell, Dane Henze, Jake Long, and...
Waitsburg—On Wednesday, June 9, the Friends of the Weller Library met for their regular monthly meeting. The meeting was held at the Weller Library in Waitsburg and attended by approximately 30 people. Karen Huwe, past president of the group, welcomed everyone before turning the meeting over to new president Lisa Winnett. After the last meeting’s minutes were read and approved, Winnett opened discussion on the City Council’s possible decision to surplus the library. She said the group knew nothing of the plan until they read it in The Times...
DAYTON—A shooting incident on June 6 at the Shangri-La River Ranch RV Park, west of Dayton, left one man critically injured, and another has been arrested. According to the police report, Justin G. Karl, 40, was working on his motorcycle in the early hours of Sunday morning. His wife, Stephanie A. Karl, 48, could hear him working when she heard a loud noise. She went outside to find Justin yelling that he had just been shot. A Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the incident at app...
