The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

COUNTY HIRES HEALTH DIRECTOR

DAYTON - Martha Lanman of Lewiston is Columbia County's new public health administrator.

Lanham, originally from Garfield County, began her job last month, following the firing of her predecessor, David Riggs, last fall.

Lanman worked for the Whitman County Health Department, where she handled grant writing and billing. Previously, she owned her own retail computer store and in worked in Australia computer software industry for five years.

Martha and her husband Bruce have five grown children living in Lewiston, Clarkston, Kooskia, Nampa and Boise, and 12 grandchildren.

SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANICS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Washington state farmers and ranchers transitioning to organic as well as established organic producers now have an opportunity to apply for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative funding to assist their organic efforts.

The USDA recently announced another $50 million in funding for the EQIP Organic Initiative, which provides a 75% share of the cost of implementing organic conservation measures to those who qualify - 90% for beginning, limited-resource and socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

This is the third year of the Organic Initiative. In 2010, NRCS obligated $24 million nationally with over $1 million going to Washington farmers and ranchers. This year even greater funding is available for Washington producers to plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns in ways that are consistent with organic production. The deadline for this application period is May 20, 2011.

GET READY FOR SHAKESPEARE

WALLA WALLA - The Power House Theater construction continues to progress as crews ready for the May 19th debut performance of "Merry Wives of Windsor."

The theater, which will be the home of Shakespeare Walla Walla and mirrors the Blackfriars Theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed, is beginning to take shape.

Designed to seat 340, the Power House Theater will transport the audience back to the Renaissance period with its towering balconies and half-round seating. The theater is garnering much media attention. The Tri-Cities Herald (front page) and Tacoma News Tribune ran stories in their May 1st Sunday editions and KEPR Television out of Yakima/ Tri-Cities broadcasted a full-length story on the new performing arts gem.

The cost of the project is estimated at $1.5 million. Shakespeare WW officials predict 10,000 people will attend performances throughout the coming year, and with the addition of more performances in future years, they say that number will grow.