Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1226 - 1250 of 1899
DAYTON – Levi Helgerson, of Dayton, was found not guilty of Assault of a Child late Friday afternoon. The unanimous jury verdict came after a two-week trial in Columbia County Superior Court, before judge Scott Galina. According to Columbia County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack, the defense rested their case Friday morning. Each attorney – Rea Culwell for the prosecution and Robert Van Dorn for the Defense – then gave a 45-minute closing statement. Slack said the jury began delib...
DAYTON—On Monday evening, Jennie Dickinson, Media Chairperson for the Coalition for Youth and Families, and Sergio Hernandez, from the Walla Walla Valley Children’s Resilience Initiative, hosted a screening of the documentary film Paper Tigers at the Liberty Theater, with a question and answer session afterward. Paper Tigers follows several students at Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla Walla for one year after a new model for approaching discipline was put into practice when LAHS Principal Jim Sporleder attended an educational con...
DAYTON – If you find yourself mingling with Winkies, Munchkins, Poppies, and Jitterbugs, there's only one place you can be – traveling the legendary yellow brick road to Oz. It's been twelve years since local actors have walked that road on Dayton's Liberty Theater stage, and they're about to do so again. The Touchet Valley Arts Council's 2015 fall musical, "The Wizard of Oz," begins Fri., Nov. 13. Following a four-year hiatus from the stage, Brenda Henderson and Mike Ferrians, who last co-...
A trial was underway in Dayton last week in the courtroom of the Columbia County Courthouse. Levi Helgerson of Dayton is facing a charge of first degree assault of a child for an incident that occurred in February 2014. Jury selection began Monday, Nov. 2, and the trial is expected to run at least through Friday....
DAYTON – The Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Monday heard a presentation from the former Public Works Director of Kittitas County about that county’s success in forming a flood control district. Kirk Holmes, who is now an engineer in the private sector, described his county’s history of flooding in the last couple of decades, and the process they went through to get voter approval to form a flood control district. That approval resulted in a property tax levy of seven cents per thous...
It was Halloween at the Salty Sea Dog Inn (a.k.a. Dayton's Weinhard Hotel) where dozens of tourists and locals dressed up and joined the fun for a Pirate-Themed Murder Mystery Weekend. Want to join in on the fun? The next voyage begins Nov 14....
DAYTON – Longtime Dayton resident and former Hawthorne Gallery owner Patti Eaton is on a historical quest to glean information about the Halpine Society, a fundraising group organized by the Dayton First Congregational Church in 1892. Eaton is especially interested to learn more about the hooked rugs made and sold by local women who belonged to the society. Eaton recalls, in her early years, hearing people talk about the church ladies making rugs. As a child, she had no interest in the group a...
DAYTON – The Dayton Chamber of Commerce is adding a new dessert course to its Christmas Kickoff Celebration this year: gingerbread. Kids in the Dayton and Waitsburg schools will compete this month in a gingerbread house-building contest to be sponsored by the Chamber. Each class, from preschool to high school is invited to enter a gingerbread house that the students will create together. Gingerbread house entries must be at least partially edible, but can be made out of just about anything. T...
DAYTON – Representative Terry Nealey, of Dayton has been awarded the “City Champion” award by the Association of Washington Cities. Nealey is one of six legislators recognized this year for their work to support city interests during the 2015 legislative session. In a press release, AWC commended Nealey for his work to try to craft solutions to problems and costs associated with costly public records requests, while maintaining public access to information. “For many years, Rep. Nealey has done a tremendous job supporting cities’ needs in...
DAYTON – On the morning of Wed., June 25, Dayton resident and volunteer fireman Mike Ellsworth set out on a fairly routine 24-mile bicycle ride from Dayton to just west of Waitsburg. On the return trip, Ellsworth was clipped by a vehicle, also heading east, knocked off his bike, and slammed into the borrow ditch in front of Bill and Joanne Poolman's home on Highway 12. "The last thing I remember is those two pink flamingoes on their porch," he said. In the meantime, Ellsworth's wife Kathy heard...
DAYTON – Dayton Memorial Library children's librarian Carolyn Laib doesn't need a watch to know what time school lets out. The library's newly remodeled basement quickly filling with children is clue enough. The new kid-friendly space is now filled with fun activities and will soon see the addition of a LEGO robotics program, courtesy of a Washington State Library/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant. The library's newly reconfigured space makes the downstairs more kid-friendly while k...
DAYTON – The Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Monday met with County Planning Director Kim Lyonnais to discuss potential changes to the county’s zoning ordinance to identify where marijuana businesses can be located. The Commissioners gave direction to Lyonnais to establish the following zoning designations for marijuana businesses: Marijuana growing operations will be allowed in all “A” (agricultural) zones, but not in “AR” (ag/residential) zones. Marijuana processing businesses...
DAYTON – The Columbia County Public Hospital District now has a new president of the commission, and a new board member. At their regular meeting last week, Commission Vice-President Jim Kime turned the gavel over to the board’s newly selected chairwoman Lisa Naylor, who will serve until January, 2016. The commissioners then selected long-time farmer and local resident Bob Hutchens to fill the seat recently vacated by Ted Paterson, who has retired. Hutchens spoke before the commissioners about h...
DAYTON—At their regular meeting last week, Dayton School District Superintendent Doug Johnson gave the directors some preliminary background information regarding the two levies that are set to expire in February. Johnson also stressed the importance of passing a resolution to place a levy proposal on the election ballot no later than December 4, in order to be received by the County auditor on December 11, as required. Johnson said the M&O levy, which funds between 20-25% of the District’s bud...
DAYTON—At their regular meeting on Oct. 14, the Port of Columbia Commissioners heard from representatives of Walla Walla Natural Foods, Inc. about that firm’s plans to establish a co-packing facility on Port land. Fruits and vegetables in jars would be processed at the facility, they heard, and opportunities would be given to other farmers to use the facility. According to Murray Eggers, co-owner/operator of Walla Walla Natural Foods, Inc., Americans need healthy, natural foods that are har...
DAYTON – The Columbia County Hospital District board of directors has narrowed its search for a new CEO to three candidates. Last week, Tom Tomasino, who recently left his CEO position at Whidbey General Hospital and Clinics in Coupeville, Wash., was interviewed by the board and met with community members in Dayton and Waitsburg. This week, the other two finalists, both internal candidates, were interviewed by the board. They are Lee Holter, who is currently Chief Financial Officer, and Shane M...
DAYTON – Social media expert, Josh Wade, will offer a free presentation on how to use social media to win and build business online. The four-hour course will take place at Dayton's Best Western Plus Hotel on Tues., Oct. 27, from 4-8-p.m. The class, which is hosted by the Port of Columbia and the Southeast Washington Economic Development Association, will focus on how to acquire new customers through the use of tools like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other online venues. Wade is a c...
DAYTON-Just what does "KP" refer to in golf parlance? Many of us do not know, but it is a sure bet that the ladies in the Touchet Valley Women's Golf Club do. The TVWGC members met recently at the LC at the Green restaurant for an end-of-season brunch, and to honor long-time members Janice Davis, Ellen Burris, and Marie Sullivan. Sullivan is the oldest member of the TVWGC, at ninety, and remembers golfing with her husband, Merle, at the Dayton Country Club and Golf Course in the 1940s and '50s....
DAYTON – On Monday, ag students from Dayton High School took a quick trip to the Columbia Compost facility a mile north of Dayton, on Eager Road. There, Steve Martin, Columbia Compost's owner-operator, explained to the students the process for turning yard waste into compost for use as a soil ammendment. To begin with, he explained, yard waste must be ground up, so it's dense enough to allow bacteria to feed, but loose enough to allow oxygen to circulate. Then water must be added – not too lit...
DAYTON – Seventeen participants, including private forest landowners, agency specialists and members of the public, attended a Forest Health Field Day on Oct. 8. Attendees were able to observe, analyze, and discuss forest health issues with field specialists. Forest insect and disease specialists Lia Spiegel and Mike Johnson shared professional advice and local logging contractors Dan Cully and JimBob Blumfield provided information on logging equipment capabilities, harvest costs, and c...
DAYTON—On Oct. 7, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution making October National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This was done in order to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities. As stated in the resolution, activities during October will reinforce the value and talent of people with disabilities in the workplace and in the community, and affirm Columbia County’s commitment to an inclusive com...
DAYTON-At their regular meeting on Oct. 7, the Dayton School District Board of Directors approved Dan Butler to fill board Position 3, recently vacated by Marchand Hovrud when she resigned at the beginning of September. During the board meeting Butler fielded a series of questions posed to him by the directors. Butler spoke about his 35 years experience in education, as well as his vision for the school district. "Education is my hobby, my life. Everything I do is around education," he told the...
DAYTON-Former Dayton School District Elementary Principal Katie Leid is running for the "at large" school board position currently held by Director Joe Huether, and one he will defend in the upcoming November election. Both Leid and Huether have considerable education and experience to bring to the Board. Recently retired from the Dayton School District Leid has been involved in education for a total of twenty-two years. She received her teaching credentials in 1991 through Washington State...
