Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON-In November 2015, Norm Passmore's dental practice closed in Dayton, and treatment options for Medicaid patients became slim. Realizing the importance of preventative dental care to whole-body health, the Columbia County Health System administrators got busy. The result is the Columbia Family Dental clinic located on the Dayton General Hospital campus at 1012 South Third Street. Since the grand opening on June 30, Audra Morgan DMD, Michael Strang DDS, Registered Dental Assistant Cherie...
In just a few days, cows, curly fries, and farm critters will take over the Columbia County Fairgrounds for a "Blue Ribbon A-Fair." For the young horsewomen from Rocking D Riders 4-H club, the fair began early after the Columbia County Fair Horse Show was moved to an earlier weekend to solve time and space constraints. Having the show held on a weekend before the fair allowed fans and riders to distance themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic safely. Under the guidance of 4-H leader Shelli Bryan...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board called an emergency meeting on Monday, August 30, to discuss switching to remote learning for middle and high school students. Columbia County Public Health officials agreed with the decision to go remote for secondary students, Superintendent Guy Strot told meeting attendees. “This is a good opportunity to try and get cases back under control, instead of letting it grow to a much larger issue,” Strot said. Over the weekend, Superintendent Strot said that one v...
DAYTON—On Aug. 12, The Times reported on the vaccination rate for the Columbia County Health System employees, which stood at about 52 percent. Columbia County Health System (CCHS) CEO Shane McGuire said some of the 218 employees had reacted strongly to Governor Jay Inslee’s Aug.9 proclamation that health care workers be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18. A few have resigned in response to the mandate. However, he said ongoing support is being provided to help CCHS healthcare workers with their decisi...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board met on August 18 for a regular school board meeting. Dayton School District had its first day of the 2021-22 school year on August 24. Before the business meeting, Superintendent Guy Strot spoke on recent mask mandates, which went into effect on Monday, August 23. Strot said that, aside from health-related risks, the school district had multiple reasons to comply with the mandate. According to Strot, the school’s insurance company has stated that they will not ins...
DAYTON—A 2020“Washington Child Care Industry Assessment” sponsored by the Washington Department of Commerce characterizes Walla Walla and Columbia counties as childcare “deserts.” This means 96-percent of families in Columbia County and 18-percent of families in Walla Walla counties do not have the childcare they need. In 2020-21 three in-home providers in Columbia County closed their doors, pushing the county into a childcare crisis. The issues for parents who seek care for their children...
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council met Wednesday, August 11, for a regular meeting. The council continues to meet in person, with the option to join via Zoom. During the first public comment period, council members heard from Howard Novak urging them to consider hiring more than one animal control officer. Novak said he had been attacked or threatened by a dog on more than one occasion. Mayor Zac Weatherford said the city is currently working with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to create and...
DAYTON—A question on the minds of many in our community is why the Columbia County Health System (CCHS) does not require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Back in January, CCHS employees took an internal survey to assess their receptivity to the vaccine. According to Stephanie Carpenter, COO, one-third said yes, they would. One-third said probably, but not now, and one-third said they would not get the vaccine. Last week, Carpenter said that currently, only a little over half o...
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council human resources and financial committees met Monday, August 9 for a work session. Due to the nature of the meeting, no action was taken on any agenda item. The council will meet for a regular monthly meeting on August 11, at 6 p.m. Frustration was a shared feeling across the attendees, as requests for specific financial paperwork have continued to go unfulfilled. Council members said that they have been requesting clear, concise line items regarding salaries for c...
DAYTON--Guy Strot sat down with me last week to talk about his first year as the Dayton School District Superintendent and Elementary School Principal and his thoughts about the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Just days after completing a 390-mile bike ride in California, from Crescent City to San Francisco, he said his legs were still a little sore. “It was a lot hillier than I thought. And of the 390 miles, there were 300 miles with no shoulder, ranging from a six-inch shoulder, and 100 m...
DAYTON-The smoke cleared, and the weather cooled down just in time for the annual Evening at the Depot on August 7. Raising more than $39,000, Depot Event Coordinator Shellie McLeod said that the event was the most successful fundraiser to be hosted by the Historic Dayton Depot. The event included dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction. This year, McLeod said that the items were available for online bidding before the event. "Something new this year- we included a Murder Mystery Dinner Par...
DAYTON-A return home was the perfect start for Dayton's newest tire and service business, Van Ausdle Tire. Owned and operated by Dru and Brooke Van Ausdle, formerly of Pomeroy and Dayton, respectively, the business has had a booming opening month after their July 6 opening. Located at 36713 Highway 12 in Dayton, in the former J-Har Logging building, Van Ausdle Tire currently offers tire service and sales for cars and light trucks, commercial and ag tire services, custom wheels, and "all the...
DAYTON—Senate Bill 5044, passed by the Senate in April, was the topic of the public comment period at the July Dayton School Board meeting. The bill, which reads, “Concerning professional learning, equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism in the public school system,” requires public school districts to designate one of three professional learning days to focus specifically on equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism training. The parent, who had approached the b...
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council has passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Zac Weatherford to execute an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between Columbia County and the City of Dayton for temporary Planning Department services. This will be on an hourly basis, as needed, and as availability and resources allow. It is hoped personnel in the County’s Building and Planning Department will step in on a temporary basis to fill the void after the City’s Community Development and Planning Director was termi...
DAYTON—Loyal Baker, the publisher of The Chronicle, was on the agenda for public comment at the July 14 council meeting. Baker asked the council to rescind its selection of The Times for the City’s official newspaper services. He offered as evidence to his complaint copies of the City of Dayton’s 2021-22 call for bids and the submitted written proposals from The Chronicle and The Times. Baker said the call for bids spelled out bid requirements, contract periods, and submittal requests. Under reward criteria, an eligible bidder must meet RCW r...
DAYTON-A special City Council meeting took place on Wednesday, June 30, to discuss future staffing at Dayton City Hall. The meeting was scheduled in the aftermath of the termination of the City Administrator, the Planning and Community Development Director, and the Public Works Director, by Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford, on June 16. Mayor Weatherford said the City Council would not take public comments or answer questions at this meeting or discuss anything that was not on the agenda. A public...
DAYTON-It has been two weeks since Dayton Mayor Zac Weatherford terminated the employment of the City Administrator, Trina Cole, the Planning and Community Development Director, Meagan Hayes, and the Public Works Director, Jim Costello. The mayor has been on a family vacation and attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful. However, the Times was provided with the following written statement from Weatherford to the Dayton City Council, dated June 16: "Although their work and dedication to our...
DAYTON-Rev your engines and head to Dayton this weekend, as All Wheels Weekend kicks off Friday, June 18, with the "Cruise for Gene" night cruise and Friday Night Music on the Court House lawn. According to Chamber Director Belinda Larsen, the event will motor on as usual, with the only exception being the partial sidewalk closure in front of the Eagles Lodge. The lodge sustained significant damage during a fire on June 8, 2021. After efforts by the city and others to clear the area of debris...
DAYTON—A shooting incident on June 6 at the Shangri-La River Ranch RV Park, west of Dayton, left one man critically injured, and another has been arrested. According to the police report, Justin G. Karl, 40, was working on his motorcycle in the early hours of Sunday morning. His wife, Stephanie A. Karl, 48, could hear him working when she heard a loud noise. She went outside to find Justin yelling that he had just been shot. A Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the incident at app...
DAYTON-The Dayton Eagles building caught fire around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8, and was quickly, fully involved. The fire appeared to be contained just before 5:30 p.m, as firefighters from College Place entered the building to check for 'hot spots, according to a social media post by Columbia County Port Director, Jennie Dickinson. Columbia County Fire District 3 was joined by crews from Waitsburg, Dixie, Walla Walla County District 4, Walla Walla ladder trucks, and Walla Walla strike...
DAYTON—A shooting victim is in critical condition after an incident at Shangri La RV Park, in Dayton. Justin G. Karl, 40, of Dayton, sustained gunshot wounds to the stomach and chest and remains in critical condition. The shooting happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 6. Joshua B. Wilson, 25, was arrested later that morning. Wilson, who is the son of the RV park’s owner, claims he was shooting at what he thought was a wild animal in the bushes. After learning that it was a hum...
DAYTON-A visit that turns into a new home doesn't happen to everyone, but that's exactly how Belinda Larsen ended up calling Dayton home. As the new Dayton Chamber of Commerce Director, Larsen is driven by community and economic development, and keeping Dayton as welcoming for all guests as it has been for her. "When I told people I was moving to Dayton, they were all like 'Oh, what a neat place! Dayton is such a fun town,'" Larsen said. "Not one person questioned the move." Larsen, formerly of...
DAYTON—The Economic Development and Steering Committee met for a regular meeting at noon on Tuesday, June 1. Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson reported the Port was being awarded another grant from the Innovia Foundation. Prior funding from the foundation provided startup grants for businesses in Dayton that did not qualify for COVID-19 funding, including the Main Street Marketplace and Table Rock Meat Company. Applications for new startup funds will be available for pickup so...
DAYTON—Columbia County Health System officials announced on Thursday, May 20, that two residents at the Booker Rest Home had tested positive for COVID-19. One resident was vaccinated against the virus and was asymptomatic. The other resident was not vaccinated and was stable at the time of the release. “Between March 2020 and March 2021, all visitation at Booker Rest Home was suspended to protect residents from COVID-19. The sacrifices made by our residents, staff, their friends, and families during the year of lockdown, were without que...
DAYTON—New and enhanced lifts, a snowmaking system at the base, and a more robust power generation system are among improvements happening at Bluewood in a $4.5 million development and expansion plan slated for the next three years. “This is the most exciting set of upgrades at Bluewood since we opened more than 40 years ago,” says Kim Clark, Bluewood’s General Manager. “The development plan, which is already underway, will keep our familiar hometown vibe on the mountain while providing even more features and fun for everyone. For months no...
