The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Help wanted signs are showing up in storefront windows across the nation, with 9.3 million job openings being reported in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists have been studying this most recent employee shortage and the effects the gaping holes in the workforce have had for businesses, workers and consumers.

Locally, businesses have had to adjust to the shortages. Waitsburg Grocery has had to close an hour earlier for nearly a month, missing out on the late-evening sales. In Dayton, Chief Springs Fire and Irons Brew Pub announced on Facebook yesterday...