Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 145
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on September 14, 2022, at the Port of Columbia and on Zoom. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. Members of the public attended using Zoom and in person. Johnny Watts did not attend. Dayton Resident Teresa Eier addressed her comments during public comment to Commissioner Bryan. She said Columbia County Commissioner Chuck Amerein told her to investigate issues for herself, which she said she had. The c...
DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on September 13, 2022. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Shannon McMillen, Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Kyle Anderson, Laura Aukerman, and Tiger Dieu were present at City Hall; Dain Nysoe was absent. The Interim 911 Director and Dispatch Supervisor, Desirae Lockard, gave a brief report, including an update on the 911 phone system, which will have an upgrade on September 20, 2022. She said 911 calls might be redirected to Walla Walla for up to six hours that day. With t...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met for its regular meeting on September 7, 2022. Present in the high school auditorium were board members Zac Fabian, Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, and Superintendent Rich Stewart. Grant Griffen did not attend, and Aneesha Dieu arrived during the “Character Strong” presentation. Participation was also available on Zoom. The Board approved the Consent Agenda, hiring Cole Kenney and Elizabeth Sutton as Elementary Paraprofessionals and Jeremy Trump as a volunteer Middle School Football coach. There were no pu...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board met for its regular meeting at 6:03 p.m., July 20, 2022. School board members Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, and Superintendent Rich Stewart were present at the auditorium. Aneesha Dieu attended on Zoom. The regular meeting followed a budget hearing held at 5 p.m. The board began the meeting by approving the Consent Agenda. During the public comment period, Jeremy Trump, a parent, and member of the Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine Committee spoke. “Thank you for the opp...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5:00 p.m., July 13, 2022, at the Port of Columbia and on Zoom. Port Executive Director Jennie Dickinson attended remotely using Zoom. Members of the public attended using Zoom and in person. The Commissioners approved the last meeting minutes, budget report, and vouchers. Dickinson reported on port properties. She said the non-profit Southeast Washington Alliance for Health would rent two suites at the Cameron Street Coworking, and Columbia River Detailing is moving into 521...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met at 6:08 p.m. on Wednesday, July 06, 2022, in the High School Auditorium and on Zoom. The meeting was delayed for eight minutes because of technical problems with Zoom. All board members were present except for Grant Griffin. Rich Stewart was in attendance for the first time as part-time interim superintendent. The newly hired secondary principal, Guinevere Joyce, was not present. Stewart discussed developing a three to five-year plan to construct a budget that reflects the priorities of the school d...
DAYTON – The Dayton School District held a special board meeting on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. in the Dayton High School Auditorium and on Zoom. For the first hour, the board held a joint meeting with the Waitsburg School Board to discuss the DW Combine. The combined school boards discussed ten items that were previously identified as issues that required further clarification. The two boards agreed to change policy to require principals, or their designates, to attend the monthly C...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., June 1, 2022, in the high school auditorium and Zoom. All members of the Dayton School Board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Madison Richardson (Student Representative), and Superintendent Guy Strot. The consent agenda included the resignation of M.S. math teacher Brenda Henderson and the hiring of Martin Surridge as an HS English teacher, Pam Nolan Beasley as the elementary STEM teacher, and...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held its regular meeting at 6 p.m., May 18, 2022. All Board members, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Jeffry McCowen, and Korinda Wallace, were present in the high school auditorium, Superintendent Guy Strot and student representative Madison Richardson. Members of the public attended in person and on Zoom. The board approved the consent agenda, including hiring two elementary teachers, Angela Kenney and Amanda Wade. It also included the retirement of the high school science teacher, Doug Yenney. Dr. C...
DAYTON- The Port of Columbia held its regular meeting at 5 p.m., May 11, 2022. All commissioners were present, Genie Crowe, Johnny Watts, and Seth Bryan. Port Director Jennie Dickinson was also present in person. Members of the public attended both in person and on Zoom. The meeting began with a presentation on affordable housing in Columbia County by Community Council representatives Catherine Veninga, Rachel Elfenbein, and Laura Prado. The presenters used the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition for affordable h...
Land purchase voted down in split city council vote. DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held a regular meeting at 6 p.m., May 10, 2022. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Misty Yost, Teeny McMunn, Dain Nysoe, Kyle Anderson, and Tyler (Tiger) Dieu were present at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church parish hall, while Laura Aukerman attended on Zoom. The city council voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to sign an annual membership for $35 with the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC). MRSC is a nonprofit organization o...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board convened a special board meeting at 7 p.m., May 9, 2022. The meeting was held in the Dayton High School auditorium and on Zoom. All school board members were present in person, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Jeffrey McCowen, and Korinda Wallace. The superintendent, Guy Strot, was also present. The first agenda item was the superintendent/principal search. Strot said two paths were open to the board, either hire a permanent Superintendent/Principal or hire an interim one-year Superintendent/Principal. Th...
Well, there are laws, but they never had many teeth, and for quite some time, they have had no teeth whatsoever. Court rulings have consistently determined that a show of disrespect towards the flag or the National Anthem is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. But the laws are still on the books, and they describe clearly what is considered respectful behavior and what counts as Flag desecration. Presumably, most people who openly display a flag that has been desecrated do so out of ignorance and not out of an attempt to show...
DAYTON – The Dayton City Council held a work session meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in person and on Zoom. All councilmembers were present; Laura Aukerman, Misty Yost, Teeny McMunn, Dain Nysoe, Kyle Anderson, and Tyler (Tiger) Dieu were present in-person, as was Mayor Zac Weatherford. The purpose of the meeting was for the council and City to work on a strategy to move forward on the City’s sewage treatment plant. Weatherford wanted to emphasize that the project was not dead after the council’s vote not to purchase the recommen...
The Columbia County Commissioners held a regular meeting on May 2, 2022. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The current Public Works Director, Amber Phinney reported that the county received its first $6,000 allotment from FEMA after waiting for more than two years. Phinney added the next allotment should be awarded next month for $93,000. Phinney commended Kellie Steinhoff for her work filing for the allotments and added that Steinhoff is working on paperwork for a third allotment. County Engineer Jeremy Weiland gave a brief updat...
Hidden in Plain Sight program scheduled for May. DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held their regular meeting at 6 PM, April 20, 2022, in the High School Auditorium and on Zoom. All members of the board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Korinda Wallace, and Chair Jeffrey McCowen. Madison Richardson, the student representative, and Superintendent Guy Strot were also present in the auditorium. Only a few members of the public were present in the auditorium, and fewer than ten were listening in on Zoom. The b...
DAYTON – A caboose on an active railroad track is not something most of us have seen in a very long time. Likely, most people under forty have never seen one. Few people have probably seen a caboose emblazoned with large block letters, "WARNING! REMOTE CONTROL." At Dayton's Caboose Park, visitors can see a yellow Union Pacific caboose up close. With its distinctive cupola, it is a great example of the cars once widely used. From the 1830s, cabooses were used to provide shelter for the crews o...
This is among Oregon's finest value brands, especially for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Samuel Robert makes two versions of dry, Pinot-based rosé, and both are excellent. The Conscious is priced a buck less than the winery's other rosé, and tastes more like a reserve, which is to say it is more precise and less fruity, with appealing minerality. The flavors are light, elegant and expressive, with watermelon and wild raspberry fruit. It's a fine counterpoint to the more fruity, bold Samuel R...
DAYTON – The Dayton City Council met at 6 p.m., April 12, 2022. All Council members were present, Misty Yost, Tiger Dieu, Marchand Hovrud, Dain Nysoe, Laura Aukerman, Teeny McMunn, Kyle Anderson, and Mayor Zac Weatherford. The Chamber of Commerce Director, Belinda Larsen, announced their awards presentations would be held on April 20, 2022, and they are working on the Dayton Days and All Wheels Weekend events. The Chamber is discussing parade routes with the County. The City Council handled s...
DAYTON – Actions taken by the Port Commisioners at the April 13, meeting may have ended years of work on the Touchet Valley Trail Project. The meeting at the Columbia County Fairgrounds Youth Building was standing room only and well attended on Zoom. Director Jennie Dickinson, Chair Gene Crowe, and Council Members Seth Bryan and Johnny Watts were present. The meeting began with public comments focused on the Touchet Valley Trail Project (TVTP). Concerns from those against the project included f...
When winter settles into the Walla Walla Valley like it did this year, short days and frigid temperatures compound into cabin fever in a hurry. Luckily, southeast Washington is the center of the universe, making travel to warmer climes quick and easy. Ali and I escaped to L.A. in mid-February and followed the coast north to Santa Barbara for a week of shorts and tees and walks on the beach. I was less than enthusiastic about making a trip to an unfamiliar major city, given my life's mission of...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board held its regular board meeting at 6 p.m. on March 16, 2022. All members were present, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffin, and Korinda Wallace. Superintendent Guy Strot was also present in person, as was student representative Madison Richardson. The board approved the Consent Agenda without debate. During public comment, Pearl Dennis suggested the board consider hiring a non-certified superintendent as it appears to be allowed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a regularly scheduled work session meeting at 6 p.m. on March 2, 2022. All Board members were in attendance. The night before, the School Board held a two-and-a-half-hour special board meeting which consisted of a long executive session. At the beginning of the meeting, Board Chair Jeff McCowen announced an executive session would be held under IAW RCW 42.30.110 (f). This section of the Open Public Meeting Act (OPMA) allows a closed session specifically t...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board convened their regular meeting, both in-person and over Zoom, at 6 PM, February 16, 2022. Present were Superintendent Guy Strot, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Vice-Chair Grant Griffen, Zac Fabian, Korinda Wallace, and Aneesha Dieu. The meeting was well attended by the public, both in-person and online. The Consent Agenda, consisting of past minutes and several personnel changes, mainly in the coaching staff, was approved unanimously by voice vote. Before the first public comment portion of the meeting, McCowen gave an...
DAYTON- The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regularly scheduled meeting at 5:02 p.m., February 9, 2022. For the opening public comment period, Jorie Aukerman, a resident of Dayton for four years and Executive Assistant at Columbia County Health Systems, spoke on the need for a childcare center in Dayton. She is the mother of an eleven-week-old child and said she is very interested in hearing the Port's presentation about the childcare center. Aukerman said she hopes to remain in her...
