Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 278 - 302 of 322
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
High-speed satellite internet may be the future for Columbia County residents, and a former Dayton resident is an early adopter and advocate. DAYTON-Self-proclaimed techie Phillip McKeen, of Walla Walla, may have a solution for rural households who may not have access to reliable internet connection. "Growing up in Dayton, with very limited internet options, I saw the value of Starlink when it came available," said McKeen. "When they opened it up for sign up, I signed up with my parents...
DAYTON—The Flood Control Zone District (FCZD) board of supervisors and the manager, Charles Eaton, are meeting before the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on the first Monday of the month. City of Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford came before the FCZD administrators on Mar. 1 to let them know about the City’s desire to take over the permitting process from the county for sediment removal from the Touchet River. Weatherford’s reasons were twofold; to exped...
DAYTON—It was a reluctant city council that agreed to sign a five-year contract with the county for Law Enforcement, Dispatch, and Municipal Court services last week during their regular monthly meeting. Dain Nysoe objected to “strong-arm tactics” contained in a letter from the county’s prosecuting attorney dated Feb. 22, urging the contract to be signed within two weeks of the date of the letter or face arbitration. As the Public Safety Committee Chairman during mediation, Nysoe said the con...
DAYTON—Fundraising efforts are paying off for the Friends of the Touchet Valley Golf Course, as they look forward to construction of an underground sprinkler system at the golf course. A fiscal sponsorship agreement was made with the Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF), Walla Walla, last year. According to Sean Thurston from the Friends of the Touchet Valley Golf Course, the agreement created a fund specifically for an irrigation reservoir allowing tax-deductible donations for the project....
Visit Fiesta en Jalisco at 400 West Main Street for the best Mexican food in town. Manager Oscar Guitron and his crew have spent time during the downturn to refresh the inside of the restaurant with new paint, brickwork, and tile. Guitron will display replicas of historic livestock brands in the restaurant bar in the next couple of weeks. Fiesta en Jalisco is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day, with daily lunch, dinner, and drink specials. Call for carryout orders at (509) 382-0606. Do...
DAYTON-The Dayton Chamber of Commerce announced the selection of the 2020 Community Choice Awards on March 3rd. Each year, nominations are taken for exceptional citizen, employee, business and youth, and a committee made up of a cross-section of the community makes the selections. Although the awards couldn't be presented at the annual banquet, the Chamber felt it was especially important to pay tribute to these outstanding individuals. Citizen of the Year: Denise Hoon Denise is a dedicated...
DAYTON—In February, U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, representing Idaho, District 2, unveiled a $33.5 billion proposal for breaching the four lower hydroelectric dams on the Snake River to address the problem of how to save salmon populations in Idaho, without disrupting the system that provides millions of people with electrical power. His proposal “The Northwest in Transition” calls for removing Lower Granite Dam, Little Goose Dam, Lower Monumental Dam, and Ice Harbor Dam, located in Washi...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
DAYTON—Middle and High School (MS/HS) Principal Kristina Brown has met with her staff to discuss strategies and interventions they can use to help students struggling with failing grades, she told attendees at last week’s school board work session. During the first semester of the school year, there were 34 middle school students with at least one F grade and 16 middle school students with at least one F. In the high school, there were 18 students with at least one F and 25 students with at leas...
