Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON-CCHS CEO Shane McGuire provided the Hospital District board with a project update at their February meeting. The floor in the Dayton General Hospital Emergency Department was replaced in February. The old flooring was roughly nine years old and was showing significant wear. It was also becoming a risk for infection due to large gaps and cracks in the seams. The hospital's new generator will be delivered in the middle of March, and Nelson Construction of Walla Walla, will pour a pad for...
In 1992, ten years after Pheasants Forever came to fruition in Saint Paul, MN, Walla Walla’s Blue Mountain chapter (BMPF) held its first fundraising banquet. Among those responsible for its success were John and Bertha Hinchliff of Dayton, WA. Upon moving to the Dayton area from Lewiston, ID, the Hinchliffs purchased property near Turner and later a farm near Dayton. Fitting with their commitment to conservation, the Hinchliffs assisted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) by raising and releasing ringneck pheasant, bobwhite qu...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg Elementary students spent the first couple weeks of the year raising funds for the American Heart Association. The students raised a grand total of $5,185.96, breaking the school's record with ease. Established in 1983, Jump for Heart is an AHA program that raises vital money for research, while simultaneously encouraging exercise and healthy diets while teaching about heart health. The Jump for Heart program ends with a Jump-Off Day, where kids get to play jump rope games....
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is adopting the guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding post-vaccine behavior. If someone has been fully vaccinated, they can: • Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people in private residences without wearing a mask and, • Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household in private residences (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an in...
DAYTON-Although initial COVID-19 vaccination efforts have been uneven, incremental progress is being made, CCHS CEO Shane McGuire told the Hospital District Board of Commissioners at their meeting last week. "A lot of the story still remains about supply," he said. McGuire said inventory of the vaccine was initially managed to cover first and second doses. After the governor issued an edict requiring 95% of the vaccine should be used each week, vaccines reserved for second doses were used as...
DAYTON-Todd Vandenbark is the new Library Director for the Dayton Memorial Library. Vandenbark said he became interested in Library Science when a friend told him that libraries value people who come from diverse backgrounds and have varied work experience. Indeed, Vandenbark has had a variety of jobs. He has worked as a daycare teacher, computer tech support consultant, customer service rep at a major telecom call center, lifeguard and swim instructor, school bus driver, camp counselor,...
DAYTON-Adam Schmidtgall, Principal Engineer, and Brian Hansen, Project Engineer for Anderson/Perry & Associates, provided an update about progress on the Touchet Valley Trail design at the February meeting of the Port of Columbia commissioners. Schmidtgall said the intention is to have 30-percent of the trail design completed by the end of February to submit to the Port commissioners for review. "We believe a month and a half is enough time for a community meeting in mid-April," he said....
DAYTON—At their meeting in February, the Port of Columbia commissioners approved an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with NoaNet (Northwest Open Access Network) to provide broadband service to the Port office and to Port-owned businesses. Dickinson said the Port office will be used as a hub for a wireless system that will serve the tenants in the Rock Hill Industrial Park, and, possibly other businesses and residences, at that end of town. “According to NoaNet wireless system technologies have imp...
SEQUIM—After years of misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment, and fighting for each breath, former Dayton resident Fred Banks received a bilateral lung transplant in 2020. Now, his family is reaching out for help with the resulting medical costs. Banks was born and raised in Dayton before moving to Prescott and then to Walla Walla, where he and his wife Berniece raised three children. In 2015, he moved to Sequim, Washington, to be closer to a granddaughter battling childhood leukemia. Fortunately, h...
According to data provided by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, agricultural workers are at a greater risk of respiratory problems due to exposure to chemicals, dust, and naturally-occurring materials like crystalline silica. A multicenter case-control study in 2000 found evidence of interstitial lung disease, like pulmonary fibrosis, to farm and livestock workers. In 2006, a study found approximately 32% of ag-workers had pneumoconiosis (any lung...
WAITSBURG-218 Main Street has contributed its fair share to Waitsburg's history. Built in 1888 by G.W Loundagin, the Royal Block has housed many businesses including a hotel, multiple pharmacies, apartments, restaurants, a craft store. According to a souvenir booklet printed by the Oregonian in 1904, the building was known as the Loundagin Block & Hotel Royal. In 1977, Sid's Pharmacy, Treasures in Tole, and 'apartments' were listed on a Historical Registration application that encompassed the...
Liberty Theater in Dayton will be streaming a live production of this year's community variety show. The free show is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, and will be available on YouTube. This year's show will be directed by Liberty Theater production veteran Meghan Bromley of Starbuck. For many years, the Liberty Theater has presented delightful and entertaining variety shows produced, directed, and featuring talented Touchet Valley residents. The Spring 2020 show was canceled due to the...
PRESCOTT-The Prescott School Board met on January 18, at 7 p.m., via a hybrid meeting. Since the South Central Region is now in Phase 2 of the Roadmap to Recovery plan, the school board members met in person while guests joined via Zoom. The school board discussed proposed legislation currently being considered in Washington, which focuses on K-12 education. The first discussed was SB 5030, a bill related to the development of comprehensive school counseling programs. Superintendent Justin...
DAYTON—When they met last week, the Dayton School District Board of Directors approved a new dismissal time and bell schedule for Middle School and High School students. After March 1, dismissal will be at 2 p.m. for secondary school students. Superintendent Guy Strot said the District would send emails and letters to parents about the change. Information will also be posted on Facebook and the District website. Strot said lunchtime will be from 11:11 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. The Middle School h...
WAITSBURG—A hybrid meeting was the first glimpse into a return to normal at the Waitsburg School Board’s monthly meeting last Thursday. The board was able to meet in person while guests tuned in via Zoom. Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that high school students took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test on school-supplied Chromebooks. Typically the test is taken on paper and on-site. The secondary school staff has been reviewing traditional spi...
WAITSBURG—With the pandemic’s hardships in mind, Waitsburg Elementary set a goal of $2,500 for the annual Jump for Heart fundraiser. Superintendent Mark Pickel was pleased to share that the students raised a whopping $5,138, shattering the school’s record. This year, the event was held on two days, so Group A students and Group B students could participate during their respective in-person instruction days. To celebrate, the school will be hosting a pizza party for the highest-earning class...
OLYMPIA—Overdose deaths accelerated in Washington in 2020, increasing by 38% in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019. Most of that increase came from deaths involving fentanyl, a powerful opioid. Preliminary data show 835 overdose deaths in the first six months of 2020 compared to 607 deaths in the first half of 2019. Fentanyl-involved deaths more than doubled from 137 to 309 during that time. Most deaths involved multiple substances. The increase in overdose deaths was highest among groups already dealing with i...
WAITSBURG—At the Waitsburg City Council meeting on February 17, agenda items included municipal code changes to electronic signs, city elections, and zoning. Mayor Marty Dunn addressed recent posts on social media concerning snow removal in the city. Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider was scheduled to give the council an overview of last year’s criminal and other activity in Waitsburg. Sheriff Crider was unable to attend the meeting and did not submit a report. City Administrator Randy Hin...
PRESCOTT-The announcement that we have all been waiting for: The Tuxedo Bar & Grill, in Prescott, opened its doors for the first time since December on February 23- just in time for spring farming to begin! The bar and grill are now open Tuesday-Saturday, 12 p.m.- 8 p.m., with indoor dining at 25% capacity and awesome take-out options. For pick-up and take-out orders, call The Tux at (509) 849-2244. Food will be picked up at 105 D Street. Owner Pam Stueckle said she is beyond ecstatic to be...
DAYTON—At the Feb. 10 Port Commission meeting, Port officials discussed a letter and a petition signed by 37 people with concerns about whether there is a proposal to annex Port-owned property to the City of Dayton. The letter was written by Betty Longen, who owns property close to the Port’s Rock Hill Industrial Park, and it was read at the meeting by the Port’s Executive Director Jennie Dickinson. “I am adamantly opposed to annexation. We have circulated a petition showing our opposit...
OLYMPIA—Washington State Parks announces its annual recruitment for various park aide and senior park aide positions across the state. The available park aide and senior park aide positions are seasonal and non-permanent. Each summer, State Parks employs 400 park aides and 45 senior park aides to work the busy season, which runs from April through September. Park aides register campers, maintain trails, clean campgrounds and comfort stations, and perform various custodial maintenance chores. They also may work in park offices, interact with v...
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that a hospital in the South-Central Region of the Healthy Washington Plan misreported data, which led to a determination that the region remain in Phase 1 of Governor Jay Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan. When the region was the only one not move to Phase 2, it was brought to the attention of DOH that a hospital in the region appeared to be incorrectly reporting its hospital admission data. After learning that the hospital, Providence St. Mary Medical Cen...
DAYTON—City of Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford provided an update about the Interlocal Agreement with the county for Law and Justice, Dispatch, and Municipal Court services at last week’s city council meeting. The Public Safety Committee has reviewed the contract and provided it to the city attorney for review. It has been sent back to the county with a few minor recommendations, he said. Weatherford agreed with County Commissioner Ryan Rundell, who was at the meeting, about the need for cau...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg officials met Tuesday in an emergency meeting to discuss flood preparedness measures, as winter weather conditions indicate that a high-water event could be likely. City Councilmember Jim Romine said that the Flood and Emergency Preparedness Committee met and reviewed data and weather from the 1996 flood, finding enough weather condition similarities to be concerned about flooding over the next week. In 1996, the Coppei River experienced extreme flooding after heavy snowfall...
DAYTON-The Feb. 2020 flood that caused $7.2 million in damages at more than 120 locations has added extra work, time, and stress for County Engineer Charles Eaton and staff in the public works department. While much has been accomplished to repair flood-related damage over the past year, there are still roads, bridges, and levees in need of repair. Eaton said Wolf Fork Road, Robinson Fork Road, Tucannon Road, and South Patit Road's upper reach, where the road washed out, are still in need of...
