Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON- New to Dayton since August 2024, Carissa Linder is the proud owner of the old Umpqua bank building at 257 East Main Street. Her vision for the building is to create a community art center, which she is calling "The Den". The Den stands for dynamic education network and will serve as a framework that inspires people to create in an accessible and enjoyable way. "We're all artists," she said. "If you think you're not, all I have to say is that you haven't found the thing that speaks to you...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the High School Library at 6:30 p.m. on May 20, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board members Pat Davidson and Grant Griffin participated in person in the school library. Aneesha Dieu and Ryan Paulson joined remotely. After routine administrative items, the Board accepted the personnel report, included in the consent agenda, which this month listed only three resignations: Tyler (Tiger) Dieu from the position of Grounds Custodian, Sarah Reser from the position of Mid...
WALLA WALLA - The Kirkman House Museum is hosting a week of fun for kids from Monday, June 22, to Friday, June 26. The Kids First Summer Camp offers young campers a variety of activities in history, science, and creativity, including a Bunker Hill water-balloon battle. Here is the line up for the week: Monday, June 22 Learn to write and illustrate a short story, make stick puppets, and put on a puppet show. Tuesday, June 23 Learn about plants and gardening. Make a Macrame hanger and plant a hang...
DAYTON – Mayor Pro-Tem, Michael Smith, called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 PM, May 12, 2026. All the other council members were also present in the conference room: Shannon McMillen, James Su’euga, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, and Dave Harvey. The meeting began with a moment of silence in honor and remembrance of the late Mayor, Roger Trump. Smith concluded the silence by remarking that Trump’s presence on the Council and in the City would be sorely missed. Early in the meeting, the council disposed of a numbe...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5:00 PM on May 13, 2026, in the Port conference room. Commissioners Mike Spring and Scott Hudson were present in person; Johnny Watts joined via Zoom. The Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, was also present, as was the Economic Development Coordinator, Shane Laib. In public comment, Chuck Ketterman asked about the owner of the straw plant and their plans. Dickinson said the owner had begun splitting employees between the Pomeroy facility and the former Columbia Pulp s...
On Saturday, May 2, a community planting and ribbon-cutting event was held for the Blue Mountain Butterfly Station. The idea for the pollinator waystation grew from a discussion at a community town hall meeting in September 2025. Kathy Ellsworth spoke at the meeting on efforts to protect the Western Monarch population, which has declined by over 95% due to habitat loss and climate change. Before the ribbon-cutting, Dayton Chamber of Commerce Director Brenda Larsen introduced project lead Jeff...
WAITSBURG - On April 16 – 18, Scouting America Troop 337 camped at the Lewis & Clark Trail State Park to help prepare the trails after recent spring flooding. The troop trimmed plants back, leveled and filled holes, and finally spread gravel on the trails to make seasonal maintenance easier. The scouts coordinated their clean-up efforts with Washington State Parks Ranger Andrew Johnson. He manages the Lewis & Clark Trail and Sacajawea Historical State Parks. "We were excited to perform this s...
DAYTON – The Dayton City Council met at 6 p.m. on April 14, 2026. Michael Smith presided as mayor pro tem in the absence of Mayor Roger Trump. Council members Shannon McMillen, James Su’euga, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, and Dave Harvey attended. The council approved the consent agenda and approved claims, vouchers, and warrants. There were no action items for the council to consider. Ryan Paulson, Public Works Director, told the council that the state has declared a statewide drought. This is the fourth year in a row that par...
DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met at 6:30 p.m. on April 15, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board Members Pat Davidson, Aneesha Dieu, Grant Griffin, and Ryan Paulson were present in the school library. The Board passed the consent agenda. In addition to routine administrative items, the agenda included hiring Leah Turner as MS Assistant Softball Coach and accepting Max Tritt as a volunteer HS Baseball Coach. Finally, the Board approved FFA participation in the FFA State Convention, May 13–16, 2026. Ale...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Commercial Club held its annual meeting and awards dinner at Waitsburg Town Hall on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Guests enjoyed dinner, wine and beer, and a dessert auction. Commercial Club President Tiffany Baxter nominated officers and attending members approved Brittany Crane as President, Karen Huwe as first Vice President, Paul Mantz-Powers as second Vice President, Joy Smith as Treasurer, and Tiffany Baxter as Secretary. After dinner, Karen Huwe presented Waitsburg...
April 17-19 and April 24-26 DAYTON - "Hello, My Name is..." This year's TVAC variety show was created around popular songs with names of characters that inspired each act. This year, the show features 60 talented local performers, including many brave newcomers. The cast and crew are comprised of volunteers aged 5 to 80, and include families and couples. This is the fourth year Jae Goodridge and Samantha Steinhoff have directed. Stephanie Snyder is the choreographer, and the talented Mary Luce...
DAYTON — The Port of Columbia Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on April 8, 2026. Commissioners Mike Spring, Johnny Watts, and Scott Hudson were present in the Port’s conference room, with Executive Director Jennie Dickinson and Economic Development Coordinator Shane Laib. The Board discussed a new law requiring government websites to be ADA-compliant. The Port will need to convert past posts and PDF documents into ADA accessible content. This includes creating text and audio descriptions for graphics and photos. Dic...
DAYTON - Dayton Elementary School's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students completed swimming lessons at the Walla Walla Y (formerly the YMCA) in February and March. The school provided transportation to the pool. The Friends of the Pool Committee covered transportation and lesson expenses, supported by grants from the Innovia Foundation, Warren Foundation, Columbia County/Dayton Community Foundation, and the Exchange Club of Walla Walla. Dayton School District pays reduced fees for the lessons...
PRESCOTT — In a letter to Superintendent Steve McCullough, Chris Reykdal, Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, informed ESD 123 that the petition to dissolve the Prescott School District had been rescinded. The decision was based on new financial resources identified and the Financial Oversight Committee’s recommendation. In the letter dated March 25, 2026, Reykdal summarized a series of events that demonstrate the district’s financial viability through the end of the 2026-27 school year. Between January 12, 2026, and March 25, 20...
WAITSBURG -Todd and Carrie Alexander are opening Atelier Waitsburg in the small town in the Walla Walla Valley. The atelier will offer a tasting room for Todd's wines and an event space featuring guest chefs. On Saturday, April 4, the couple invites their new neighbors to an open house from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. They will be serving wines and small plates and sharing their vision for the building on Main Street, which has been empty since the closure of Whoop 'em Up Hollow Café. The couple has...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg City Council met at the Waitsburg City Hall on March 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. Mayor Marty Dunn, council members Jillian Henze, Cindy Bishop, Kevin House, and Brian Richards were present; Jim Romine attended via Zoom. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe, Library Director Sarah Roberts, and Waitsburg Celebration Days Chair Abbey Grende were also in attendance. Before approving the agenda, the city's attorney, Jared Hawkins, asked to postpone action on the Waitsburg Celebration...
DAYTON - The Dayton School Board met at the high school's library at 6:30 p.m. on March 18, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board members Pat Davidson, Aneesha Dieu, and Ryan Paulson were present in the school library. Grant Griffin was not present. The consent agenda included approval of a $500 donation from Casey Colley and Jose Carlos Mendez for the fourth and fifth-grade ski program. The consent agenda was passed without debate. The ASB Treasurer,...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Health System will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch its new Equine Therapy Program on April 8 at noon. The innovative program expands the services offered by the Therapy and Rehabilitation Department. The program incorporates therapeutic interactions with specially trained animals to help patients work on balance, coordination, strength, confidence, and sensory processing as part of their rehabilitation. The program was developed by CCHS Occupational...
WAITSBURG - The Weller Library Board of Trustees and Library Director Sarah Roberts were considering options for displaying artwork at the library. Deciding on exhibiting paintings above the main room bookshelves, they purchased six 24" x 36" canvases. Roberts contacted local artist Lane Gwinn, who offered to do the first set of paintings. Gwinn painted six authors in black and white, with colorful imagery portraying their bodies of work in the background. "In this age of Artificial...
WAITSBURG - Rain and warmer weather over the weekend of March 14 and 15 caused flooding in Walla Walla and Columbia counties. In Waitsburg, city workers monitored the Touchet and Coppei rivers as rain and snow melt raised water levels. Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the city reached out early Saturday morning to warn residents in the areas most likely to flood. Overtopping from the Touchet River surged onto properties east of the Preston Bridge, on Highway 12. Many of the...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5:00 PM on March 11, 2026, in the Port conference room. Commissioners Mike Spring and Scott Hudson were present in the Port conference room. Johnny Watts was not present. The Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, was also present. In the first public comment period, Dayton Chamber Director Belinda Larsen said she was representing Friends of the Trail, a group that approached the Chamber about renewing interest in the Touchet Valley Trail. On behalf of the group, she asked t...
DAYTON - Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6 p.m., March 10, 2026. The mayor and council members James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, and Dave Harvey were present. Shannon McMillen was absent. Opening public comment, Dayton School District Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley expressed gratitude for city residents’ school support, including their volunteering and attendance at sporting events. He said the district and the kids appreciate the support. Transitioning to board app...
WALLA WALLA - Kirkman House Museum invites the public to step back in time as it reopens for its 2026 season on Saturday, March 21. Visitors can tour one of Walla Walla's most storied Victorian mansions and explore a curated special exhibit tracing the evolution of aprons from utility to fashion. Located just three blocks from Main Street in downtown Walla Walla, the museum will be open weekends this spring from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Admission fees apply. Children under seven. NARM cardholders...
OLYMPIA—Students in Washington have a variety of graduation pathways established by the state legislature in 2019. Among these is achieving a qualifying score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Since 2019, an increasing percentage of graduates have completed the ASVAB. The Office of Superintendet of Public Instruction reported that over 5,400 graduates (7.2%) reported completing the ASVAB as a graduation pathway in 2025. With more graduates completing the ASVAB each year, the OSPI has not had data to determine whether ASVAB c...
