Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON—Mayor Zac Weatherford talked about mitigating damages to the Dayton portion of the levee caused by the 2020 February flood in his report to the Dayton City Council last week. There are three projects which will be done in the spring and summer months, he said. The projects include; the Front Street Bridge Rip Rap Replacement Project and removal of less than 50 cubic yards of sediment from the Touchet River, the North First Street Rip Rap Replacement Project, and repairs to the damaged s...
This past week, it has been noticed that the newly hired fire chief for Columbia-Walla Walla (CCWW) County Fire District 2 has been missing. Waitsburg residents have noticed an increase in activity at the local fire station on Main St. since Michael Moynihan joined Fire District 2. The new Chief made a good first impression on local building owners who are aware of the fire-fighting vulnerabilities of 120-year-old commercial buildings that share walls. The sight of new volunteers and multiple...
DAYTON-Elizabeth Jagelski is known for being a vivacious, musically gifted person with a kind heart. She has contributed her directorial expertise to six of the Touchet Valley Art Council (TVAC) theater productions and her acting skills 13 times. She is also a devoted music teacher at Berney Elementary in Walla Walla. To say she has not been herself lately would be putting it mildly. She, her 72-year-old husband, Tom, and her 89-year-old father, Juan Arebalos, have all been infected with,...
DAYTON-Columbia County Sheriff Joe Helm's overarching goal is to get back to the fundamental basics of law enforcement; through proper staffing, handling calls appropriately, providing deputies with the proper equipment, and establishing a good relationship between his office and members of the community. When Helm took office on Jan. 1, 2019, he began to implement his goals and ideas and was well into it, early in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and social distancing guidelines began...
Republican Mark Klicker was officially sworn into office as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives to serve the 16th Legislative District on Friday, January 8, 2021. "I am very humbled and honored to serve the people of the 16th District," said Klicker, in a release. "These are challenging and unique times in the state. We need to come together on both sides of the aisle to find solutions that help everyone, and get Washington moving forward again." As he begins his term in...
WASHINGTON —The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced today that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) would re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially, only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, January 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, January 13. The PPP will open to all participating lenders shortly after that. Updated PPP guidance outlining P...
As he enters into his third year of racing, Koby Harris will represent three racing companies WAITSBURG-Waitsburg's favorite remote-control car racer has signed yet another racing contract as he heads into his third year on the track. Koby Harris, a senior at Waitsburg High School, signed a progressive deal with Tekno RC, an RC car parts company known throughout the industry for its proven car body styles and parts. A progressive deal means that as Harris' racing career continues to excel, he...
WAITSBURG-Many students are eagerly anticipating the start of the new sports seasons after traditional fall and winter sport schedules were cleared to keep athletes safe. At this time, Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA) has labeled sports as 'high,' 'moderate' or 'low' transmission sports, based on contact players have during training and game play. For example, Golf is a 'low' risk sport, while basketball is considered a 'high' risk sport. WIAA uses individual county COVID-...
WALLA WALLA—As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) employees and incarcerated population, the Department of Corrections (DOC) has updated policies and procedures to better combat the virus at facilities throughout Washington State. Starting April 10, 2020, DOC mandated the use of facial coverings for staff at all DOC locations, and on April 17, the DOC expanded the mandate to include facial coverings for the incarcerated population. On November 6, DO...
DAYTON—On Dec. 16, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire provided the hospital board of commissioners with an update on projects designed to improve the hospital’s ability to treat COVID-19 patients, as previously reported in The Times on Dec. 10. McGuire presented the commissioners with “firm” cost estimates for four of the five projects. The Medical Vacuum project, Medical Air project, and the Medical Gas projects came in close to, or below, budget. The new hospital generat...
DAYTON-On Dec. 29, Dayton General Hospital Pharmacy Manager Cheryl Pell administered the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to DGH employee Mike Paris, kicking off vaccinations for essential health care workers and first responders, according to Phase 1A guidelines from the Washington State Department of Health. Pell said 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine were received at the hospital pharmacy on Dec. 23, followed by another 100 doses on Dec. 28. She said each vial of the vaccine contains ten...
OLYMPIA—Governor Inslee announced Tuesday the “Healthy Washington- Roadmap to Recovery,” a new COVID-19 two-phased recovery plan. Starting January 11, 2021, Washington will follow a regional recovery approach with each region beginning in Phase 1. The state has been divided into eight regions. Walla Walla and Columbia Counties, along with Benton, Franklin, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties, are in the ‘Southcentral Region.’ For the region to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, the following metrics must be met: • Decreasing trend in two-week rate of COV...
WALLA WALLA—The Jonathan M. Wainwright Medical Center in Walla Walla received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines just before Christmas, on December 22, and is currently in the process of vaccinating all Walla Walla VA essential health care staff. “The Walla Walla VA is pleased to be offering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to its health care personnel,” said Chris Bjornberg, Medical Center Director. “Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all Veteran...
DAYTON—The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Columbia County. The Columbia County Health System (CCHS) has received 300 doses. At this time, CCHS has started giving immunizations to healthcare workers and first-responders, and will advance to Phase 1B when given guidance to do so by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Columbia County Public Health will be organizing a list of interested individuals who would like the vaccination and fit into Phase 1B, which is currently d...
OLYMPIA—Washington State remains in a highly precarious situation, even as COVID-19 transmission begins to flatten. A report released on December 24, 2020, showed that there has been a substantial decrease in transmission, however, it is not enough to reverse the skyrocketed rates that followed the Thanksgiving holiday. The report indicates, based on the timing of this trend, the case count plateau may be due, in part, to the current restrictions on gatherings and certain businesses. The report finds include: • COVID-19 transmission is pla...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) met on Dec. 21 to adopt various budgets, sign the ILA with the City of Dayton for Law and Justice, Dispatch, and Court services, and hire an attorney for the Indigent Defense contract. During the meeting, the BOCC adopted a 24 million budget for 2021, including a 2-percent cost of living adjustment for county employees. The BOCC also signed the five-year contract agreement with the City of Dayton for Law and Justice, Dispatch, and Court s...
DAYTON-The Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has announced that Cindy L. Horowitz will be joining the office as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney on January 1, 2021. Horowitz has served as an Assistant District Prosecuting Attorney from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office in New York. Since 2017, she has served in the Domestic Violence and Appeals divisions of that office. Before working as an ADA in Brooklyn, Horowitz was a securities regulations attorney and an attorney for the...
WAITSBURG-Keeping with the 'chaos' theme of the year, 2020 offered some extreme weather events. On Tuesday, February 4, the National Weather Service reported 3.8" of snowfall in the area. On February 5, the snow was washed away by .69" of rainfall, setting a short-lived record. On Friday, February 6, the rainfall record was surpassed once again, with the area receiving .91" in less than 24 hours. The frozen ground, paired with heavy precipitation and sudden, warm weather, created the perfect...
WAITSBURG - "Two weeks to flatten the curve." In March, Washington State enacted a "Stay Home, Stay Safe" mandate as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe. Now, as 2021 knocks loudly, we are still staying home, and Waitsburg has done what Waitsburg always does in a challenging situation: Rolled with the punches It became apparent early that two weeks might have kept the local hospitals from being overwhelmed and kept cases low in our little town, but it wasn't going to stop this virus. Our...
4 isn't necessarily a year we want to look back at too closely just yet. There was no shortage of bleak headlines, it's true, but this year also proved how well the Touchet Valley bands together in adversity. Most viewed stories on Waitsburgtimes.com by month ❏ January 1884 Local racer signs deal with racing company ❏ February 4266 Waitsburg homes and farms underwater ❏ March 3486 Inslee announces statewide social gathering restrictions ❏ April 1477 Walla Walla County COVID-19 cases doubled i...
DAYTON-2020 has been a year like no other in Dayton's collective memory. In February, the county experienced severe flooding on the North and South Touchet rivers and Patit Creek. The flood, which caused $7.2 million in damage to county infrastructure, was followed close on its heels by the COVID-19 pandemic which sent health and safety personnel scrambling to prepare the county. People were told to wear masks and limit social contact with others. Some did, and some did not. Government offices w...
After more than four years with The Times, Teeny McMunn is retiring. Since joining the team, Teeny has handled a long checklist of essential newspaper needs. She has handled advertising, legals, bookkeeping, payroll, taxes, and subscriptions. If you needed a subscription or renewal, Teeny was the gal who made sure the paper was in the mail. Needed to place an ad? Talk to Teeny. Birthdays, obituaries, birth announcements, and the inevitable correction, Teeny was the driving force! Her job didn't...
DAYTON—Dr. Kyle Terry, Medical Chief of Staff at Dayton General Hospital, touched briefly on vaccine distribution and safety protocols for patients and staff when he spoke to the hospital board of commissioners on Dec. 17. Terry said COVID-19 vaccines would be distributed according to population numbers. With 2-percent of the national population, the state of Washington State will receive 2-percent of the vaccine. He thought Walla Walla County would receive the first distribution of the Pfizer v...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met on December 16 for a regular meeting. The board discussed an inter-fund loan and reviewed budget amendments. The Council also held the final public hearing for the 2021 City Budget. At the November 2020 meeting, the City Council discussed a potential second round of business grants to use the remaining amount of the CARES Act funding the city received. Due to time constraints, it was decided to use the money for infrastructure purposes, focusing on w...
DAYTON—The Dayton Chamber of Commerce has announced the annual award banquet’s cancellation because of COVID-19 restrictions. However, the Chamber is accepting nominations for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce 2020 Community Choice Awards. “It is especially important that we still pay tribute to the exceptional businesses, organizations, and citizens in our community who have gone above and beyond in 2020.” To make a nomination, fill out the electronic form found on the Dayton Chamber website...
