Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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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...
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Health has extended RSV immunizations for infants through April 30. RSV immunizations are usually available from October to March. This extension gives parents more time to protect infants who have not received RSV protection. “Extending RSV immunizations helps keep babies out of the hospital while disease activity remains high,” said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, State Health Officer, DOH. “If your infant is younger than 8 months or a higher-risk toddler between 8 and 19 months old is not immuniz...
OLYMPIA - The Washington State Parks system stands as a historic institution, predating the National Parks system and overseeing 122,000 acres across the state. Many of Washington's most iconic landmarks, such as the Deception Pass bridge, Palouse Falls state waterfall, and orca sightings at Lime Kiln, are found within state parks. Washington's state park system attracts residents and tourists. They see the most visitors per acre of any other state-managed lands agency, with more than 40...
DAYTON - The Dollar General store at 221 West Main Street in Dayton is now open. To celebrate, the company invites the community to a grand opening event on Saturday, March 14, at 8 a.m. Join the Dayton Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the new business. The first 50 adults will enjoy $10 gift cards, and the first 100 customers will receive a DG tote bag. "At Dollar General, we believe the addition of our new Dayton store provides positive economic growth for the...
WAITSBURG - The Columbia Walla Walla County Fire District #2 holds between two and four trainings a month to learn and maintain essential skills. Last week, the district's Assistant Fire Chief, Dane Henze, ran an innovative training to familiarize the firefighters with the efficient use of their Personal Protective Equipment, including Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. At the Waitsburg station, eleven firefighters participated in a game of dodgeball while wearing full firefighting PPE and...
DAYTON-A "Waystation" for the endangered Western Monarch butterfly is in early planning stages for a half-acre site at the Blue Mountain Station. With generous support from the Port of Columbia, a newly formed committee is working to make the Waystation and Pollinator Garden a reality. Spring is here, and there is much to do. The committee is seeking community-wide participation from people with extensive gardening experience, as well as from youth groups and seniors. Financial support and...
WAITSBURG - The 2026 Waitsburg Celebration Days Royalty Coronation was held in Waitsburg Town Hall on Saturday, February 21. The new royalty court, Kayla Kuykendall, Alexis Jones, Keely Harshfield, and Kinsley Tinnons, greeted guests as they arrived at the hall. The members of the court began their journey at try-outs in October 2025. The girls rode their horses, gave speeches, and were interviewed by the judges who scored their performances. Alexis Jones earned the highest score and the honor...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board convened at the high school's library at 6:30 p.m. on February 18, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board members Pat Davidson, Grant Griffin, and Ryan Paulson were present, with Aneesha Dieu joining remotely. The Board passed the consent agenda, which included approval of past meeting minutes, accounts payable and payroll, a donation of $3,157 from the FFA Alumni for the FFA State Convention, and an overnight school trip f...
DAYTON — Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6 p.m. on February 10, 2026. Trump, council members James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, Shannon McMillen, and Dave Harvey were present. The council approved Resolution 1585 to authorize a funding agreement with the Department of Ecology for the design of the new wastewater treatment facility. The council also approved Resolution 1586, authorizing the Mayor to sign a grant agreement with the Transportation Improvement Board for the des...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on February 11, 2026, in the Port conference room. All Commissioners were present in the Port conference room: Mike Spring, Johnny Watts, and Scott Hudson. Also present was the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. Dickinson broached the need to expand the port’s conference room to accommodate the public at well-attended meetings. Currently, overflow attendees can view from the hallway or watch via video feed from the main office. Dickinson suggested expanding int...
PRESCOTT - Efforts by the Prescott School District, Parents and Teachers Organization, City of Prescott, and community members continue to work hard to save the Prescott schools. Creative fundraising ideas include the City of Prescott purchasing the school district's Teachers Cottage to relocate city hall, and the successful Brick Fundraiser. Upcoming events include a Community Indoor Sale, featuring donated items. All proceeds will go to the school district's general fund. The sale will be at...
OLYMPIA - Rosalie Ross, an eighth grader at Enterprise Middle School in West Richland, recently spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. She was one of 13 students who served as Senate pages for the third week of the 2026 legislative session. Ross was sponsored by Washington State Senator Perry Dozier. "It was a pleasure to have Rosalie page for us this week," said Dozier. "This program is a great opportunity for students to learn about the...
WALLA WALLA - Blue Mountain Heart to Heart has been awarded $1,000,000 from a congressionally directed appropriation sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell. The funds are to be used towards a new BMH2H facility in Walla Walla. The proposed project will convert a 14,000 sq. ft. warehouse at 3 W. Poplar to a state-of-the-art clinic, classroom, social services, and case management facility. Outpatient services at this site will include substance use treatment, individual and group counseling, a small...
WAITSBURG - From January 23 to 25, eight members and four leaders of Waitsburg Scout Troop 337 spent their annual winter campout weekend in below-freezing temperatures. There was no snow, as the group had hoped, only temperatures from 13 degrees to the low 20s. Scouts Ameilia Alleman, Natalia Alleman, Shylo Hedges, T. J. Hollingsworth, Kaitlynn Miller, Katherine Roberts, Victoria Roberts, and Sidian Stegall braved the cold temperatures, sleeping in tents at Lady Bug Campground. Troop leaders...
When the 8 lb. 9 oz., 21-inch boy arrived, no one guessed that a mighty Cardinal had just entered the world. Monte Pettichord was born in Walla Walla on February 18, 2005, to Danny and Phoebe. Growing up, Monte enjoyed many outdoor activities, often involving a ball of some sort, other times a fishing pole. Pettichord attended school in Waitsurg from second grade through high school. At school, Pettichord's love of sports grew, and by high school, he was an accomplished athlete. He won...
Waitsburg City Council met for the first meeting of the year on January 21, 2026. Council members Jennifer Bishop, Kevin House, and Brian Richards, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe met at City Hall. Jim Romine and Jillian Henze were in Olympia, Wash., for City Action Days, a conference hosted by the Association of Washington Cities. Romaine joined the meeting in progress via Zoom. After approving the minutes from the December meeting, the council heard year-end reports from the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office, Weller Publi...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on January 21, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board Members Pat Davidson, Grant Griffin, Aneesha Dieu, and Ryan Paulson were present. The board passed the consent agenda, which included hiring Mary Ann Walling as an elementary teacher and Mike Garrett as a high school volunteer golf coach. The consent agenda accepted a book vending machine from the Friends of the Library. There was no public comment. Four members of the e...
WAITSBURG -Last Saturday, January 24, the Waitsburg Alumni Association President, Deanna Tipton, presented a $1,000 donation to Ross Hamann, President, and Julie Karl, Vice President of the Waitsburg Booster Club. The Waitsburg Alumni Association's mission is not only to support graduates through scholarships and financial support but also to foster a sense of community through events and gatherings, and to facilitate networking opportunities for alums. "The board feels that it's important to...
WAITSBURG — Waitsburg School District has a two-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy on the Feb. 10, 2026, ballot. This levy will replace Waitsburg’s current levy, approved by voters in 2024, and is now up for renewal. This is not a new tax. If taxpayers approve, the school district will use the levy to support school programs not fully funded by the state. Please feel free to contact the Waitsburg Superintendent’s Office at 509-337-6301 with questions or to learn more about the school levy. 2026 Levy Quick Facts...
GOLDENDALE, WASH. - Americans are accustomed to having all the electricity we want, when we want it. As more of our electricity comes from wind and solar, managing the grid has become more challenging. Wind and solar generate electricity during limited conditions, which may not align with demand. One solution to maintaining consistency is using battery storage for renewable energy. However, storing using traditional battery technology requires substantial infrastructure and maintenance. In...
COLUMBIA COUNTY - Bluewood Ski Resort offers a variety of racing programs, skiing and snowboarding, and accessible programs. Pete Korfiatis, Bluewood's general manager since 2021, has extensive experience in alpine racing and coaching. He was a nationally ranked alpine ski racer by his late teens and later held multiple positions with the U.S. Ski Team, including coaching for the men's team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Korfiatis brings a wide range of winter sport experiences to the mountain...
