Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 253 - 277 of 322
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...
DAYTON-Unique jewelry, beautifully crocheted afghans, and specialty chocolates are just a few of the items that the vendors at Main Street Marketplace have to offer. Now nestled in the former Bluewood Office building, 262 E Main Street in Dayton, the business opened briefly before the holiday season at the former Village Shoppes, just across the street at 245 E Main in Dayton. Main Street Marketplace closed after for moving and remodel purposes in early January. Owner Shane Laib said that the...
DAYTON-The Dayton Kiwanis Club heard from yet another successful Dayton High School (DHS) alumna at their April 22 meeting. Attendees enjoyed a presentation from Karen Doherty, a Senior Vice President at WSP USA. Doherty graduated from DHS in 1990, before attending Gonzaga University, graduating magna cum laude in Engineering. Doherty went on to start Doherty & Associates, which she operated for ten years. The business was purchased by HDR, an employee-owned design firm specializing in...
DAYTON-Perhaps you have noticed the Free Little Libraries located at Steve's Grocery and the Dayton Historic Depot. There is another one in Starbuck, which is soon to be relocated to the Starbuck Post Office. And two more are being planned for other locations in Dayton. You may have wondered how to use them and who is behind them. The concept is for people to borrow, or take, a book and replace it with one they have already read or are willing to share. According to Pam Russel, the idea for the...
P.E.O. Chapter BJ proudly nominated and now introduces SADIE SENEY, a recipient of this year’s STAR Scholarship. Sadie graduates from Dayton High School this year. She will be attending Washington State University to study Agricultural and Food Business Economics, with a long-term goal of returning to Dayton to co-manage her family’s farm, Seney Land & Livestock J.V. She is fascinated with how government works at all levels becoming an officer in the Associated Student Body in elementary, mid...
DAYTON-Chef Daniel Rossi thought that moving to a small, rural town like Waitsburg meant he could live out retirement peacefully, picking away at his banjo and sharing his musical knowledge. In 2020, he hit the road just moments before the global shutdown was announced, escaping the bustling cityscape of Los Angeles and driving north. He spent the pandemic with his partner, Vicki Sternfield Rossi, doing exactly what he set out to do in the first place, for roughly a year. The kitchen kept...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, April 21, at the Lions Club Building. During the meeting, the council answered questions from concerned community members and set a date for a public hearing to discuss potential options for the library building, 212 Main Street. Mayor Marty Dunn and Councilmember Paxton were unable to attend the meeting. Councilmember Paxton submitted a letter of resignation stating he and his family will be moving out of the area. Councilmember Karl Newell j...
DAYTON—June 5, at 1 p.m., has been tentatively selected for this year’s senior class graduation ceremony, according to DSD Supt. Guy Strot, at last week’s school board meeting. Strot was short on details but said more information would follow after Governor Jay Inslee’s May 7 COVID-19 update. Sam Korslund, the Gear Up Academic Specialist, has been chosen for the position of Athletic Director for the remainder of the school year. Strot told the board there is one internal candidate and one extern...
DAYTON-The Port of Columbia hosted a more than two-hour-long presentation on April 26, hearing from trail designers, various trail advocates, and agriculture representatives. Before the meeting, a group of nearly 20 community members gathered in front of the Port's driveway, holding signs that signaled they were against the trail. The group assembled in part due to the feeling that the meeting would not let them speak or be heard. Though outside, the group did connect to the meeting through...
DAYTON—Vicki Zoller from the Friends of the Dayton Community Center was a special guest at the Dayton City Council meeting last week. Zoller said fundraising efforts for the feasibility study for the pool/community center have slowed due to the COVID-19 situation. She has written two grants which were both rejected. “There is a lot of need out there right now, and there are not a lot of dollars,” she said. The group is still willing to be the fundraising arm for the $50-60,000.00 feasibility stu...
DAYTON-There will be a licensed daycare vacuum in Dayton, when the only current licensed provider drops out of the business at the end of June, said Paul Ihle, a Community Health Worker for the Columbia County Health System. "To the best of my knowledge, we are down to one licensed daycare provider, Susan Schlenz, and she has announced her retirement this June. . . I believe that Sylvia Demaris is currently not open for home daycare, and Haley Puckett dropped out of the business at the s...
WAITSBURG-Give a kid a paintbrush, or in this case, a cup full of acrylic paint, and they can change the world! In cooperation with the Waitsburg Resource Center, the Cardinal's Nest put on a Spring Break art program for Waitsburg students, April 5-7. The program included both art and STEM activities, led by Kathy Schirm, a paraeducator at Waitsburg School District, and the Cardinal's Nest after-school program's art instructor. The program has been unavailable this year due to pandemic-related r...
DAYTON-On Thursday, April 8, the Dayton Kiwanis Club heard from Dick Muri, City Captain for National Drive Electric Week Steilacoom. Muri has been a member of the Kiwanis Club in Steilacoom since 1993 when he helped start the local club. Steilacoom is a town in Pierce County Washington, on the south end of Puget Sound. "The joke around Steilacoom is 'don't talk to Dick Muri, or you'll become a Kiwanian," he joked before his presentation. Muri is the program and membership chair for his club and...
