Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 976 - 1000 of 1905
DAYTON—Wed., Jan. 4, was Norm Passmore’s first day of service on the Board of Columbia County Commissioners. And it was a busy day for the commissioners, who are working with a leaner budget in 2017. The commissioners are facing a budget for 2017 that is $2.5 million less than last year. Last year’s board, including Dwight Robanske, who just retired, spent most of November and December working with the county auditor and various department heads to craft the 2017 budget. Early in December the c...
DAYTON—Jan. 25 will be a busy day for the Dayton School District, beginning with drug impairment training for staff, in Pomeroy, and ending with the district’s community visioning meeting in the evening. At their regular meeting on Jan. 4, the Dayton School Board heard from high school principal Paul Shaber about the drug impairment training, which he has set up, in conjunction with the Coalition for Youth and Families and local law enforcement personnel. “Mr. Shaber has been working on this...
DAYTON--A beginning sign language class is starting up on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Delany Room at the Dayton Memorial Library, according to Vicki Zoller at the library. Zoller said the class is for anyone who would like to learn an alternative method of communication with small children, or with family members who have lost the ability to communicate because of medical issues, such as stroke. Lois Farnsworth Whysong will teach the basic skills class. Additional monthly classes are being...
DAYTON--Benjamin Orozco made his first court appearance in Columbia County Superior Court on December 21. He was charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Dayton resident Lance Terry, and with first degree assault, in the wounding of Dayton resident David Eaton. Both crimes that took place, in Dayton, twenty years ago. Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney Rea Culwell said that Orozco has entered a not guilty plea to the charges. On July 7, 1996, Orozco and an acquaintance,...
The Triple Nickle chair lift was full Monday morning at Ski Bluewood, as skiers and snow boarders enjoyed the huge snowfalls that have hit the Blue Mountains this winter. Bluewood reported that 142 inches of snow have fallen at the ski area this winter so far. See story on Page 2....
DAYTON-Kim Clark, General Manager of Ski Bluewood, said business over the holidays has been booming. "There are lots of guests. Everybody's happy," he said. On Monday morning the day was sunny with 60 inches of fresh, packed snow at the summit, and 54 inches at the base. "We've had 142 inches so far this year, and we're not even a month into the season," Clark said. Ski Bluewood achieved its earliest opening in the past five years, on Dec. 9. The ski area 22 miles south of Dayton returns to its...
Arraignments -Benjamin Orozco, 42, Nayarit, Mexico; Charged with murder in the second degree and first degree assault for the shooting murder of Lance Terry in Dayton in July of 1996. Sheriff Rocky Miller has been working with the FBI to arrest Orozco who was located in Mexico in March, and has been held there. He was brought to the U.S. and served at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport on Dec. 15. He is being held in the Columbia County Jail on $2 million bail. He will be subject to electronic monitoring if he is able to post bond. Orozco entered...
DAYTON--Since taking over from Donna Hangar as the Columbia County 4-H Club program coordinator in April, Ashley Trevino has been working hard to increase membership, as well as to keep the eleven existing 4-H clubs on track. Trevino said she is happy overall, but would like to add more clubs to the list for older youth. "We have 38% of the middle school enrolled in 4-H. I couldn't be more delighted with this percentage," said Trevino. Trevino would like to see a higher rate of participation in...
DAYTON—Columbia County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack will still have a job, in 2017. The Garfield County Prosecutor, Garfield County Commissioners, Columbia County Commissioners, and the Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney have all stepped up to help secure Slack’s position. “Rea gave us permission to talk to Garfield County. Everybody wanted to save Dale’s position,” said Columbia County Commissioner Mike Talbot. Slack will continue to work his normal 35-hour week, with the same pay...
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DAYTON—An update on the status of the planned Columbia Pulp facility near Starbuck was given by Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson at the Community Economic Development Strategy meeting last Wednesday. Dickinson told participants that half of Columbia Pulp’s bond sold, but that private equity investors have pulled out of the process. Dickinson said that Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley told her that “due to the inability to close on the equity side of the transaction on the timeline needed for bond cap expiration, the transaction will...
DAYTON-2016 was an eventful year in Dayton and for Columbia County. *** Among the top stories were passage of the Dayton School District capital projects levy and maintenance and operations levy, after their failure in 2015. The four year $1.46 million M&O levy was approved in February. The M&O levy provides 25 percent of the district's budget, and helps support athletic programs, and food services. The levy will be used not only for ongoing maintenance and repairs, and to counter the effects of...
DAYTON – A recent settlement with Warren Orchards will help make major environmental improvements to the Touchet River near Dayton, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Ecology. The department says the river provides critical habitat for threatened steelhead. Warren Orchards was fined by Ecology for illegally watering their 100-acre apple and pear orchard along the river, after being ordered to stop irrigating during the state’s historic drought in 2015. As part of the settlement, Warrens agreed to take 20 acres of...
DAYTON – At last week’s Port of Columbia County board meeting, Port Manager Jennie Dickinson said there will be no groundbreaking for Columbia Pulp in December. “Since the election, the bond market is in turmoil,” Dickinson said. “They are wading their way through that tumultuous market. Interest rates on the bond offerings have sky-rocketed, not based on any facts, but just based on speculation and uncertainty, and they are still trying to sort their way through the bond market,” she said. “You go from a 4.5% interest rate, to an 8.5% inter...
DAYTON-Suzi Tasker has opened a new business in Dayton. Beginning last February, Tasker undertook a nine-month course through the Nutritional Therapy Association in Olympia, to become a nutrition practitioner. On May 31, she and her husband, Duane, closed Aardvark Granola Blue Mountain Station, to allow her to concentrate on her studies, she said. Tasker said that two years ago, she was struggling with some health issues that included two major surgeries to remove a benign but recurring tumor....
DAYTON— At last week’s meeting of the Port of Columbia Commissioners, the director of the regional Small Business Development Center in Walla Walla spoke about work he does with potential and established businesses. Joe Jacobs is a Certified Business Advisor and Accredited Business Planning Advisor, and he is part of a statewide network of organizations helping people to start and expand businesses. He also helps companies get ready to sell, he told the commissioners. Since 2012, Jacobs sai...
DAYTON – The “First Night” New Year’s Eve celebration will be held in the Dayton Elementary School Multipurpose room on Dec. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. The theme for this year is Family Game Night. Offerings include life-size games, family table games, basketball shoot, and team competitions. A cake walk, photo booths, and music and light show, are also planned. Columbia County Health System is providing hot dogs, chips, cookies and water. Drawings will occur at 7, 8 and 9 p. m., with a total of 12 door prizes. Drawings will be done in several...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Commissioners have signed off on the City of Dayton’s proposed lawsuit settlement agreement regarding prosecution services. Commission Chairman Merle Jackson signed the agreement during a budget workshop meeting on Dec. 5. “The agreement is settled with the city and we can move on,” Jackson said. On Dec. 8, Judge Jackie Shea-Brown ruled that the county is not responsible for County Prosecutor Rea Culwell’s legal fees associated with the lawsuit, because Culwell c...
Arraignments - Marshall Hernandez, 56, Dayton; charged with first degree burglary and assault in the second degree – strangulation. Charges stem from an incident on Oct. 29 in which Hernandez is accused of kicking open the door of a home and accusing a woman of taking his hair conditioner. He allegedly became enraged and pushed and strangled the victim. Hernandez reportedly told officers he suffers from blackouts when stressed and may have blacked out during the incident. He entered a plea of not guilty. Omnibus and trial setting are s...
Ski Bluewood opened for the season on Friday afternoon. Bluewood will be open daily from Dec. 15 through Jan. 2, with the exception of Christmas Day, when they will be closed. They will also close at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve....
DAYTON-Columbia County Commissioner Dwight Robanske is calling it quits after 16 years of service to the county. Robanske said there have been many ups and downs during that time, but he has mainly enjoyed working with the citizens and employees of Columbia County. Robanske said his interest in promoting economic development in the county and in Dayton was the reason he ran for a seat on the board in 2000. "I served on the Dayton Economic Development Steering Committee with Jennie Dickinson in...
DAYTON – The Dayton Chamber of Commerce presented results of their recently completed "Tourism in Dayton" survey on Tuesday evening. The event was held at the Liberty Theater. The Chamber's tourism survey was conducted in the late summer and fall. Questionnaires were given to visitors in town, and sent by email to people who have previously visited Dayton in the past two years. According to Dayton Chamber Director Andrew Holt, more than 1,000 responses were received, including 300 locally and m...
County Commissioner Mike Talbott and Fair board president Matt Johnson receive a check from Jim Cooper at Columbia Rural Electric Association in the amount of $10,000. The check will help offset costs associated with the new HVAC system at the Fairgrounds Pavilion....
DAYTON—When they met on Nov. 27, the Columbia County Hospital District Board of Commissioners approved a request from CEO Shane McGuire to apply for a loan to purchase a GE ultrasound machine for regular diagnostic and cardiac testing. So far this year there have been 362 ultrasound referrals, which adds up to eight months of work for an ultrasound technologist working one day a week, McGuire told the commissioners. All the physicians have been asking for ultrasound technology, he added. M...
DAYTON – Ski Bluewood announced on Monday that the ski area south of Dayton will open for the season on Friday. This date will mark the earliest opening for the area in the past five years. "We're excited about the snow and being able to open earlier this year," said Kim Clark, general manager of Bluewood. "The long-term forecast calls for above average precipitation, so this should be a great season." According to the Bluewood website, as of Tuesday morning the ski area had 26 inches of snow a...
