Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 787 - 811 of 5665
WAITSBURG—The warm spring sunshine is out, but it isn’t safe to put the face masks away just yet. Vaccination eligibility is expanding, however, bringing us closer to a mask-free future. In Walla Walla County, Group 1B, Tier 1, which includes all people 65 years or older, all people 50 years or older who live in multigenerational households, educators and staff for pre-k through 12th grades, and all childcare providers, is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccinations. Also eligible at this time in...
DAYTON—Columbia County Treasurer Carla Rowe believes the duty of the treasurer’s office is to collect taxes, not to make judgments on who is, or who is not, qualified for delinquent tax deferrals. That is what she says she will be required to do if one of two pieces of Washington state legislation, dealing with the state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus, pass into law. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1332 suspends interest and penalties during a state of emergency declared under RCW...
When I first landed in Dayton in 2012, I didn’t know anybody and wasn’t sure how I was going to find out anything about my new community. I got my first insight into the community through reading a copy of Ken Graham’s news magazine, Blue Mountain News. I want to thank Ken for that and for hiring me at The Times in 2015 to be the Dayton reporter. That put me on a fast track to knowing Dayton and being embedded in the community. I have had the good fortune to cover some pretty big stories for C...
The lion of early spring has roared, and shops are embracing the relaxed pandemic-related restrictions as they shake off the winter blues. As shoppers, we have gotten used to wearing face masks and the smell of hand sanitizer, and before we know it, we will be used to packing reusable shopping bags with us. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington shoppers use two billion single-use plastic bags each year. Most bags go in the trash once people get home and put their...
DAYTON-Work to remove sediment from the Touchet River, in the area of the Hwy. 12 and railroad bridges and the confluence of the Patit Creek, is on hold until the Columbia County Flood Control Zone District receives a cultural resource review permit from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Flood Control Zone District (FCZD) Administrator Charles Eaton told the FCZD board of supervisors that he hopes to have the permit in hand this week so work can begin in the next few...
DAYTON--Kelley Wolther, of Wolther Family Farm, has leased the garden at the Blue Mountain Station from the Port of Columbia. The Wolther family has been selling produce from the farm garden, on the South Touchet River, for the past few years, and they were looking to expand. "This was a good opportunity," she said. Wolther plans to sell fruit and vegetables, and she will have eggs for sale at the Co-op in about a month. She is also planning to offer $20 farm to fridge produce baskets with...
WAITSBURG-Seventy-five thousand pounds of food from participating sponsors was dropped off at the Waitsburg Elementary School parking lot over the weekend. The semi-trucks that hauled it disappeared as soon as the trailers were empty. Countless smiling volunteers helped distribute every single bit of food to anyone and everyone who drove up. The food was prepackaged in 30-pound boxes. Dairy staples, including yogurt and butter, and other essential pantry items like fresh potatoes, onions, and...
WAITSBURG—On March 15, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee released an emergency proclamation concerning updates to school reopening plans. The directive stated that all schools in Washington State must offer in-person instruction for elementary students by April 5, and in-person instruction for high school students by April 19. On March 25, the Washington State Department of Health adopted guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that lessened the six foot physical distancing requir...
DAYTON—Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack has wasted no time heading off a headache for local law enforcement due to the State Supreme Court ruling Washington State v. Blake on February 25, 2021. As reported in the March 18 edition of the Times, the ruling struck down as unconstitutional Washington’s strict liability drug possession statute, RCW 69.50.4013, which made possession of a controlled substance a felony. The Court’s ruling said the state law was unconstitutional becau...
WAITSBURG—House Bill 2005 was introduced in 2017 to improve the business climate in Washington State by simplifying the administration of municipal business licenses. The bill went into effect in July 2017. The Waitsburg City Council officially voted to align with the state’s business license system in November of last year. The bill stated that cities that require a general business license must partner with the Department of Revenue for issuance and renewal of any business license through the...
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Commerce opened applications for Working Washington Grants: Round 4 on March 29. Business owners can find information about the program and a link to the application portal at www.commercegrants.com. This is the fourth round of the Working Washington Grant program. Legislators approved $240 million for the current round as part of an early action bill that also provided additional funding for rent assistance and other COVID-19 response efforts. Some of the criteria outlined in this legislation i...
DAYTON—The Port of Columbia has been planning a Public Information Meeting for the Touchet Valley Trail (TVT) 30% design review for several months. Because all three Port commissioners will be in attendance at the meeting, it is considered an official public meeting and must follow the laws of the state of Washington, particularly the Open Public Meetings Act. At each point in the decision-making process, current guidance from the state regarding holding public meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic has been reviewed. Organizing the me...
DAYTON-At a special meeting last week, the Dayton City Council appointed Fred Crowe to fill the remainder of Matt Wien's term on the council. Wiens resigned from the Dayton City Council in January, but his term was to end on Dec. 31, 2021. Crowe will begin his service on the Transportation, Planning and Community Development, and Parks and Recreation committees, according to Mayor Pro-tem Dain Nysoe. Crowe and his wife Genie have lived in Columbia County since 2010. They were drawn to Dayton...
WAITSBURG—Spring has sprung, and daffodils aren’t the only things popping up around town. Last week, a couple of Waitsburg residents posted on social media, warning of solicitors going around town selling air purification products. According to the Waitsburg Municipal Code, solicitors are defined as: ‘Any person who goes from house to house or place to place in the City of Waitsburg selling or taking orders for or offering to sell or take orders for, goods, wares or merchandise, for prese...
THE TIMES-Roadside assistance is closer than ever for Waitsburg residents. Kyle's RSA, owned by Kyle Sickles, is now available for "everything but the tow." Sickles said that he got the idea for a roadside service business after speaking with local towing company owner Trevor Johnson, who suggested that Sickles start small with a service business before investing in a tow truck, and other necessary equipment. "They told me that it's a lot to take on," Sickles said. "They said to start with the r...
DAYTON-The Dayton Kiwanis Club met Thursday, March 25, at noon, for a regular meeting. Attendees heard from Dayton High School Alumni Keith Nealey, Director of Engineering at KIRO TV and esports enthusiast. Nealy has more than 30 years of experience creating graphics and integrating statistics for traditional sports broadcasts. He has worked with companies including CBS, ABC, and ESPN. He has worked closely with Seattle-based professional sports teams, the Sonics, Seahawks, and Sounders FC....
WAITSBURG-Monday, March 15, was the first day of the 2021 Homecoming Week at Waitsburg High School. The first costume challenge was Zoom Call Dress Up: Business on the top half, casual on the bottom. The Senior class won both the dress-up contest and the BuffPuff volleyball game, giving them a strong advantage over their lowerclassmen. Sophomore Natalie Teal was voted the "Best Dressed Girl," while Senior Shawn Evans was voted the "Best Dressed Boy." On March 16, the Seniors won the Spirit Day d...
WAITSBURG—Equipment purchase and financing, and ongoing flood control efforts were discussed at the Waitsburg City Council meeting on March 17. Meeting in person for the first time in over a year, councilmembers present were Mayor Marty Dunn, Kevin House, and Jim Romine, with Karen Gregutt joining the meeting via phone call. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe and two community members were also present. Waitsburg City Council will continue to hold their monthly meetings in-person at the W...
DAYTON—At their meeting on March 10, the Dayton City Council expressed reluctance to sign the Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with the County for Law Enforcement, Dispatch, and Municipal Court services. Columbia County Commission Chair Ryan Rundell went on record last week to talk about his frustration over the protracted negotiation process between the county and the city. He also addressed opinions expressed by some city council members at that meeting. Rundell explained the need for an updated I...
WAITSBURG—Between a major flood event and a global pandemic, repairs, and improvements for the levees surrounding Waitsburg have been slow going. At the March City Council meeting, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe shared an in-depth look at some of the issues, like easement rights and costs, that have impacted flood repair. A significant breach along the Touchet Riverbank, which runs along Preston Avenue, has been a major concern for years, especially after the February 2020 event. H...
DAYTON-The Columbia County Sheriff Office has hired David Walling and Riley Conahan as new deputies for the county. David Walling was raised in the Ellensburg area, graduating from Kittitas High School in 2014. He served as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for around six months before turning his focus to Pastoral Ministry, receiving a B.A. from Northwest University in 2018. After graduation, he began looking into Law Enforcement as a career. He was hired at the Benton...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, March 18, for a regularly-scheduled meeting. Board members Christy House and Ross Hamann were unable to attend the March meeting. The school board is currently meeting in-person, with a Zoom option for anyone interested in attending virtually. Before the business meeting, the school board held a public hearing to discuss whether or not to sell two district-owned properties. The two properties in question were willed to the district in 1975 as p...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School District is in the final stages of planning for the high school’s roof repair, a project that the board voted to approve in April 2020. Currently, the district is working with Design West Architects, based in Kennewick, WA, to complete the schematic drawings of the high school’s roof. Superintendent Mark Pickel said plans are being prepared for the bid process, but exactly when they would be complete was unclear. He plans to have information available at the upcom...
WALLA WALLA—In an attempt to normalize discussions regarding end-of-life, Walla Walla Community Hospice has started a book club. The structure of the club is relatively informal. Group members are encouraged to read a selection of the assigned book before each meeting and some thought-provoking questions are supplied ahead of time to guide the discussion. According to Brad McMasters, Community Outreach Coordinator for Hospice, the discussion ends up being pretty organic and free-flowing. The questions just fill in the gaps. The book clubs are o...
DAYTON—At the Dayton School District (DSD) board meeting last week, Superintendent Guy Strot provided a COVID-19 update, impact to the athletic program, how federal COVID relief funds will be spent, discussed an alternative learning program for fall, and changes to graduation requirements. He also spoke about an Innovia Foundation grant to help students achieve post-secondary education and training. Strot said under the statewide move to Phase 3 of the recovery plan, attendance at athletic e...
