Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 300 - 324 of 1899
DAYTON—Seth Bryan is running for Dayton City Council Position 6 against incumbent Byron Kaczmarski in the Nov. 5 General Election. “This is my first time running for public office,” Bryan said. “I believe it is important to serve the community I live in, and I am grateful for this opportunity.” Bryan said he likes the fact that Dayton doesn’t have big city amenities, big city attitudes, big city prices or big city taxes. “There is a sense of pride here that can seldom be found in more populous...
DAYTON⎯Parents of Columbia County children are invited to bring their little ghouls and goblins to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Halloween afternoon for trick or treat goodies again this year. Now in its ninth year of operations, Sheriff Joe Helm, his staff and volunteers are once again offering trick or treat goodies the afternoon of October 31st between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Volunteers will be at the front steps of the Columbia County Courthouse during those hours distributing bags of goodies donated by members of the...
DAYTON—If you think state Initiative 976, better known as the $30 Car Tab Initiative, will only affect Sound Transit, on the west side of the state, think again. If I-976 is approved by voters, Columbia County Public Transportation stands to lose forty percent of the state’s portion of its largest source of funding, which is through the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Grant program, said Steve Mertens, CCPT Finance Manager. He said if I-976 is approved by voter...
DAYTON-If the Flood Control Zone District is approved by the voters on Nov. 5, County Engineer Charles Eaton will be its administrator. Eaton has released the following statement: "Since 1964, Columbia County has been declared a federal disaster area six times due to flooding. The flood of 1996 caused over $30 million in private and public damages. A flood of this severity today would take a serious toll on general fund budgets, even with the FEMA, Federal Highways Administration, and Army Corps...
DAYTON-Inside the home, history is a verb. Artifacts that we keep are imbued with both sentimental, but also historical value. Part of the human experience is the stuff we collect. Equally important are the environments that hold them, our homes. The construction of shelters and lodgings demonstrate the technology of a given time in action, magnifying the lens on events that happened there. The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the The National Park Service, is the official...
Dayton-Homestreet Bank, managed locally by Judi Pilcher, contributed $2,000 to The Club's Summer Program Scholarship Fund. This money will provide financial assistance to area families who are unable to afford the fees to participate in The Club's Summer Program. This is the second such donation made by Homestreet Bank. "We are so grateful to contributors like Homestreet Bank, and their commitment to the community. These funds will help immensely in providing quality summer programs for the...
DAYTON-Since becoming the WSU Dayton Extension Agent fifteen years ago, Paul Carter said youth enrollment in 4-H has increased from 75 to 102, this year, and remains steady. "It is very important to know that we still view the youth of the county as our primary program area," Carter said. "These kids are the future of the community and we see that every day as many of them stay here, or leave, and then return to make this home." "If I could I would have every kid in the county in 4-H sometime...
DAYTON-The Historic Dayton on Tour will take place on Sat. Oct 5. Activities include; the works of local artists displayed at various locations, around town, the Annual Historic Home Tour, the Main Street Open House, wagon rides, Oktoberfest at the Blue Mountain Station, and artists Paul Henderson, Alison Oman, and Sandra Haynes at the Wenaha Gallery. The Boldman House Museum will also be open to the public for tours between the hours of 1-4:00 p.m. Master Gardener Susie Rogers will be in the...
Jake Holopeter, a physical engineer with Anderson Perry & Associates, spoke at a special city council meeting, last Monday, about the terms of the one million dollar Public Works Board Pre-Construction Loan, which was granted to the city to buy property for its land acquisition discharge wastewater treatment plant facility project. Because the City has been looking into a different method of treating effluent, Holopeter said he would recommend turning the loan back to the Public Works Board and...
During the Columbia County Fire District Three open house on Sunday EMT Darvin Parvinen demonstrated Lucas, the new mechanical chest compression machine, which was purchased with EMS levy funds. Lucas attaches directly to the patient and provides uninterrupted, steady compressions while en route to the hospital, Parvinen said. He said before purchasing Lucas it took seven to eight EMTs to provide chest compressions on patients during a forty-five minute run to the hospital. With the help of...
Dayton City council members Delphine Bailey and Zac Weatherford are on the ballot to be Dayton's next mayor. Cindi John is running as a write-in candidate. Voters will get the chance to hear from the candidates at a candidate forum on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Dayton's Liberty Theatre. City Council candidate Cara James will also be present, as will the following unopposed candidates: Dain Nysoe running for Dayton City Council Position #4, Ryan Ryndell running for Columbia County...
Former Washington State Representative Terry Nealy said Gary Lowe approached him several years ago about creating a pull-out along Hwy. 12 for people to stop and view the Green Giant image, on the hillside, just west of Dayton. Rep. Nealy said he pitched the idea to the people at the state Department of Transportation, shortly before he retired from the legislature in 2018. "The DOT responded very favorably, and said they'd widen the highway at a favorable location, but the community would need...
DAYTON-Roughly ninety people attended the Touchet Valley Trail open house, at the fairgrounds Pavilion, in Dayton, on Monday, Sept. 16. Joy Smith President of the Waitsburg Commercial Club spoke to the attendees about the importance of outdoor recreation and trails to the economic vitality, health, and safety, of the local communities. Smith said she ran an overnight rental for seven years, in Waitsburg, and two thirds of the overnight guests came with bicycles. Also ten percent of renters were...
Immunizations Dayton School District Superintendent Doug Johnson said the state legislature has changed the laws used to guide school districts regarding immunization policies and infectious diseases because of its concerns about the return of measles. The exemptions for the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, which were granted for personal and philosophical reasons, are no longer. Exemptions are still possible based on religious reasons, Johnson said. School employees and children enrolled in school who have not received the MMR, and cannot...
DAYTON—During their regular session on Monday, Sept. 16, the Board of Columbia County Commissioners adopted the county’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan Update, and its three new ordinances regarding; water availability for the new building, critical areas, and zoning. Some of the Hirst decision language was incorporated into Ordinance 2019-04, regarding water availability for the new building, said Dena Martin, Planning Associate. “It generally doesn’t affect us, but it is in there,” she told the...
DAYTON-Columbia County Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman said $1500 is all it would take for 28 students enrolled in the Starbuck School District to have lunch prepared by the Dayton General Hospital dietary staff and have them delivered four days a week for the entire 2019-2020 school year. That number is based on a cost of $3 per child, and all lunches meet the state requirements for nutrition, said Lanman. Last year lunch was delivered to Starbuck schools, twice a week, and this was...
DAYTON— With the budget deficit in mind the Dayton School District Board of Directors and Administration have agreed not to fill the vacant position for elementary school principal. At their monthly work session last week, Superintendent Doug Johnson discussed with them his plan to reassign some of the duties and responsibilities of that position. “Fortunately, there are many experienced and talented employees willing to accept new responsibilities,” Johnson said. At that meeting the board approved a plan for compensating those who are accep...
DAYTON—The Port of Columbia is sponsoring a class in Home Buying 101 on Thurs., Sept. 12 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Port of Columbia office at 1 Port Way in Dayton. Shawn Brown with Evergreen Home Loans and Julie Bickelhaupt with Blue Mountain Realtors will present information on what it takes to become a homebuyer and what to expect during the mortgage application process. To register for this free class contact Kathryn Witherington at Kathryn@portofcolumbia.org or by phone at: (509) 382-1871. In addition, the Washington State Housing F...
DAYTON-Setting up for the fair last week was no easy task. Just ask Rose Engelbrite, the Superintendent in charge of the Pavilion. Englebrite referred to last Wednesday as "panic day." She said the booths had to be set up by 10 pm that night for the next day's judging of them. When she came on board eighteen years ago, Englebrite said bales of straw were used to divide the entries. Now the booths are constructed out of wood frames. "It's really changed a lot," she said. There were over thirty...
Around the age of 10, a certain percentage of girls goes crazy nuts for horses. Artist Alison Oman of Clarkston was one of these girls, and her experience was idyllic: she learned to ride in the fields and parks around her home in London, England, just like a character in a book. Adding to her passion for horses was the discovery of drawing, which meant that when she wasn't riding horses, she was drawing them. Years later, upon moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, Oman added a third love...
Teacher Jeff McCann and Dayton Middle School students took advantage of fair traffic to hold a carwash outside HomeStreet Bank on Fri., Sept. 6. The students are working to raise money for a ski trip later this year....
LYONS FERRY—Columbia Pulp stands on the threshold of its facility startup with a “go live” date the week of Sept. 15, According to Columbia Bio-Polymers Product Manager K.C. Kuykendall. Kuykendall said the Lyons Ferry facility has transitioned the site safety program from the general contractor (PCI) to the Columbia Pulp program and oversight. In addition, the Pomeroy pilot plant has temporarily delayed operations as of the end of August in preparation for the Lyons Ferry facility startup. “All operational maintenance staff are reporti...
DAYTON-"Timeless Traditions" is the theme of the 130th Columbia County Fair, and from the time of the opening ceremonies at 9 a.m., on Fri. ,Sept. 6, until the fair close, at 5 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 9, young and old alike are sure to enjoy this year's line-up. Entertainment Freddie Prez's popular Crazy Contests will return this year. See Freddie Prez at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., on Friday, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., on Saturday, and at noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday. Also, catch Freddie Prez's $5,000 Frisbee...
September is National Library Card Sign Up Month! If you haven’t already, come to your local library and get sign up today. Additionally, banned book week takes place from September 22-28. Censorship keeps us in the dark. Keep a light on, by reading a banned book. Discovery Kids 10-11 a.m. Every Wednesday A new, revamped and improved interactive story time for those in the toddler years! Come sing, dance, play and learn with our Flash the Sloth. Family Story Time 6-7 p.m. September 5th Story time with the whole family. Take the stories home a...
