Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 912 - 936 of 5665
WAITSBURG—Most big game hunting seasons have come to a close. As hunters finish processing their deer and elk, reports of animal carcasses disposed of by hunters in the Touchet River have begun coming in. Hunters who do not have access to fields or ditches to dump their game carcasses may be tempted to leave the remains in rivers or other waterways, with hopes that the carcass will wash away. Wildlife officers would like to remind hunters that there are many options to dispose of the unusable re...
WALLA WALLA—It’s just after 10 a.m. Monday morning, and Kathryn Witherington, Executive Director of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation (DWWF), is already brimming with ideas. When we met back in August 2019, Witherington worked for the Port of Columbia and kindly escorted me through all the businesses that seemed to be thriving at the Rock Hill Industrial Park. Since then, her talent for ideation has led her to Walla Walla County, where she is still finding personal ways to connect local bus...
Budget includes water/sewer utility rate increases DAYTON—The Dayton City Council adopted the 2021 City Budget at their meeting on Tuesday, Dec.1, and Mayor Zac Weatherford presented the following: Built into the Budget are proposed water and sewer utility rate increases for all service types. The average residential customer will see an increase in their utility bill of $10.65 each month. Weatherford said the City Council delayed an increase in these rates in 2020 in exchange for deferring c...
DAYTON—The Dayton School District Board of Directors met Wednesday, December 2, for a regularly scheduled board workshop session. During the session, Superintendent Guy Strot gave a brief update on the Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine mascot. After speaking with Superintendent Mark Pickel, Principal Kristina Brown, and Principal Stephanie Wooderchak, Superintendent Strot said that the schools would keep their individual mascots. Dayton School District will still be represented as the Dayton B...
DAYTON—Jennie Dickinson, the Executive Director for the Port of Columbia, is on the board for the Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO). She is asking the community to provide input to a Regionwide Active Transportation Plan being developed by the RTPO. Dickinson said the RPTO is developing a website for the Regional Active Transportation Plan. The site will include maps of city sidewalks, showing gaps to fill to connect walking routes. There will also be maps with r...
DAYTON—For the past few months, Columbia County Health System (CCHS) CEO Shane McGuire has been talking to the Hospital District Board of Commissioners about five small works roster1 projects that could improve the hospital’s ability to treat COVID-19 patients and help the Health System with its response to a potential surge of COVID-19 in the community. Cost for the five projects is estimated at 1.1 million and are listed below in order of priority: 1. Upgrade the currently undersized hospital...
DAYTON—The 2020-21 season at Bluewood opens the weekend of Dec. 11-13 as the winter sports area welcomes skiers and snowboarders to the mountain. As of Monday, Dec.7, there are 24 inches of snow at the base and 24 inches at the summit. On Friday, opening day, the first chair will be at 9 a.m. Throughout the weekend, hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with the Skyline Express, Triple Nickel, and Easy Rider conveyor lifts all scheduled to be spinning. “We’re super excited to welcome everyone back up on the mountain,” says Kim Clar...
WALLA WALLA—“Emily Anne McClenny had not set the world on fire with accomplishments at the young age of 7 1/2 years old, but she had worked her way into the hearts of many with her infectious smile,” wrote Nancy McClenny-Walters on what should have been her daughter’s 40th birthday. “While her life ended at 7 1/2, her story did not.” For the past 32 years, McClenny-Walters has put Christmas decorations up on her daughter’s birthday, pausing for a moment from advocating against impaired driv...
The famous Tuxedo Bar and Grill announced they will be temporarily closing, taking a breather until the COVID-19 pandemic-related dining restrictions are lifted. Owner Pam Stueckle took to social media to make the announcement, saying that it’s ‘not goodbye, just see ya later!’ The closure went into effect on December 1, 2020. It is unclear when the dining restrictions will be lifted enough for the Tuxedo to reopen. The little bar and grill, located at 105 D Street in Prescott, has drawn diner...
DAYTON—WSU Extension Agent Paul Carter is retiring, effective Jan. 4, after over fifteen years of service to Columbia County. Carter came to Dayton in April 2005, as a 52-year-old college graduate, from southern Indiana. He said he was looking for an Extension position somewhere in the west. He found that opportunity in Columbia County. “For me, it could not have turned out better, one of my passions is farming, and this position has given me the opportunity to be very close to that occupation a...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School District announced over the weekend that secondary students would continue learning from home through December 18, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the area. Shortly before students departed for Thanksgiving Break, the school district announced that students would temporarily return to the virtual learning model out of an abundance of caution as COVID-19 cases surged in Walla Walla County. That temporary return has been extended for Preston Hall Middle School...
Washington State Parks (WSP) are ratcheting up their virtual amenities for those who, due to adverse weather or COVID-19, cannot visit the parks in person. WSP recently launched new learning opportunities to connect students and families to parks via their new Virtual Learning Parks webpage. There and on the WSP YouTube channel, students and park patrons will find videos produced to be used at home, in a virtual classroom, or as part of any online learning. Essentially, a field trip with no perm...
From vibrant poinsettias to reclaimed furniture, Waitsburg businesses have everything you need to be the favorite Santa in your family. This holiday season, shop your local businesses, whether storefront or online, and share the uniqueness of where you call home with friends and family. Nancy's Dream Garden Center received their shipment of Christmas trees-be sure to ask about their holiday deals!...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, November 18, via conference call. The council heard from City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe as he led a public hearing regarding property taxes. There is no recommendation to raise property taxes within the City of Waitsburg; however, due to the increase in the district's assessed value, partly based on nearly $1 million in new construction, the levy per thousand will be raised from $2.05 to $2.07/.08. An in-depth view of the levy...
DAYTON—On Sunday, November 22, the Columbia County Public Health Department reported sixteen new positive cases of COVID-19; two cases are associated with Dayton schools. Dayton schools were closed on Monday, and the Dayton School District board of directors met Monday evening to discuss next steps. It was decided to move to distance learning on Tuesday and re-evaluate the situation over the holiday weekend, as more data becomes available. On Monday, November 23, there were 26 tests pending r...
DAYTON—Mason Finney, a senior at Dayton High School and the ASB public relations manager, spoke at the Dayton School District board meeting last week. Finney said the middle school and high school students have voted for their choice of DW Athletic Combine mascot, and the ASB counted the ballots last week. The ASB is organizing the process under the direction of HS/MS Principal Kristina Brown. The top two votes will be selected, with a final vote sometime in the New Year. Finney also d...
DAYTON—An employee working in the Booker Rest Home tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which led to mandatory testing of all staff and all residents on Friday, November 20, and again the following Monday. Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire said the recent uptick of positive cases in the community would place an additional strain on the ability to protect nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations. On Sunday, the Columbia County Public Health reported 16 positive c...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Wednesday, November 18, for a regular board meeting. The board met via Zoom conference call. During the meeting, secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that the secondary staff has been having conversations about moving back to online learning should the circumstance arise. She said if the school goes back to online learning, teachers would likely go with smaller ‘pod’ classes instead of having the entire class online at once. The pods were...
DAYTON-Civil Deputy Tim Quigg has hit a major milestone at the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. On November 21, Quigg celebrated four decades of service, with no plans to retire anytime soon. Quigg took his first steps towards a long law enforcement career in March of 1980. He attended Washington State University, where he majored in journalism and minored in English, with aspirations of becoming a teacher or a writer. He was working as a clerk at Freddie's Food Mart in Dayton while putting...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County continues to experience rising COVID-19 cases. As of Tuesday, November 24, there were 571 active cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Sixty-seven new cases were announced on Tuesday, and new deaths were announced over the weekend, bringing the death total to 18. Fourteen COVID-19 cases are currently hospitalized. The Washington State Penitentiary has 117 active cases from a recent breakout. One man, in his sixties, passed away after being transported to a medical f...
WAITSBURG—The City of Waitsburg asks that residents stay close to home this Thanksgiving season and follow Governor Jay Inslee’s recently announced travel and shopping restrictions. To date, there have been 13 Waitsburg residents that have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. To help slow the spread, City Hall will remain closed to the public. Employees will be in the office, but residents are asked to contact City Hall via phone call or email for questions, concerns, and bill services. Cit...
DAYTON—A new five-year Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with the County for Law Enforcement, Dispatch, and District Court services was the main topic of discussion at the Dayton City Council meeting last Thursday. According to the ILA terms, the City will pay the County an additional $200,000 for those services, beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, with rates adjusted annually. The total amount paid to the County will be roughly half of the City’s $1.2 million Current Expense Budget. Because of the inc...
WALLA WALLA-Walla Walla Community Hospice (WWCH) has chosen to cancel their annual Evening of Elegance dinner and auction in February. Though this event has brought in record revenue for the non-profit agency in the past two years, it was a decision WWCH felt they had to make. "Not only did we believe we would have lackluster results, but more importantly, we couldn't imagine burdening the generous small businesses for donations after the year they've experienced and the ambiguity of our...
DAYTON-The Town That Still Believes still does, but because of the COVID-19 situation, things will look a little different this year. Instead of the usual Christmas Kickoff over Thanksgiving weekend, Dayton Chamber Manager Molly Weatherill-Tate and her assistant Lauren Parsons have been working on plans for Believe! A Small-Town Celebration. This year, the Dayton Chamber will not be able to hold the indoor Festival of Trees; however, they are offering local businesses the loan of one of the...
With rising positive cases in the City of Waitsburg, the City would like to remind all citizens to stay home unless the travel is essential, wear your mask and maintain social distancing whenever possible....
