Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON – The annual Dayton High School Alumni Weekend is coming up on July 20 and 21. Several classes will be holding reunions that weekend, along with the traditional parade on Saturday morning, and many other activities. Longtime DHS Alumni Association members Dell and Phil Groom will serve as parade marshals. The Alumni Association is also giving special recognition to Dayton native Eulalie Schreck, who will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of her 1938 DHS graduation. The Alumni Association has announced some important changes from its p...
DAYTON – Columbia Pulp is now well on the way to having the employment impact in the area that community leaders have been hoping for for nearly five years. In an interview with The Times last week, Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley said that his firm received about 100 resumes during a job fair in Dayton earlier this month. Hiring fairs have also been held in Walla Walla and Pomeroy. “We will begin making offers in about three weeks,” Begley said. He said that most jobs at the company’s main facility near Starbuck will start in mid-to-...
DAYTON – Anybody wandering into downtown Dayton Friday evening will be excused if they think they’ve entered a small-town time warp and jumped backward 50 years. Classic cars cruising Main Street and ‘50s and ‘60s music in the air will engulf visitors to downtown, as Dayton’s All Wheels Weekend revs up. Friday afternoon, cars will begin rolling into town for the weekend-long event. Registration starts at 4 p.m. in front of Bette Lou Crothers’ State Farm office at First and Main. This is Crothers’ 24th year leading the committee that puts on...
DAYTON – Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell, came to an agreement last week with the College Place City Council to serve as prosecuting attorney for that city beginning immediately. Culwell told The Times she expects the College Place job to take about 10 hours per week, and she will do most of that work evenings and weekends. "They have a court docket twice a month, which lasts one to two hours each," she said. "Other than attending those, I'll do the rest of the work off hours." Culwell's...
Team ends successful season with loss to Onalaska for 22-8 final record YAKIMA – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team played two games each, Friday and Saturday, at the state tournament here, ending their season with a 11-4 loss to Onalaska Saturday afternoon. They were 2-2 at the state tourney and finished the season 22-8. In the first game, Friday morning, DW got shut out by a tough Adna team, 11-0, in six innings. DW had only three hits in the game, including two by Heidi Dobbs and one by Ariel Sandau. Pitcher Megan Robins gave up 14 hits. D...
WAITSBURG – Three candidates have filed in Walla Walla County to replace outgoing Sheriff, John Turner, who is not running for reelection. The Sheriff position was the only county-wide race to receive more than one candidate filing during the week-long filing period that ended Friday. Former deputy Tom Cooper, who ran against Turner in 2014, has filed to run again this year. He will face Whitman College director of security Matthew Stroe and recently appointed Undersheriff Mark Crider. All three filed as Republicans. Cooper is currently a p...
YAKIMA – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team grabbed the third seed from District 5/6 in the state tournament this weekend, after going 2-1 at the regional tournament here last weekend. They are scheduled to begin the tournament Friday at 9 a.m. against Adna. In the first regional playoff game Saturday, DW overpowered Liberty Bell, 9-1. The team built a 3-1 lead after four innings, before bringing in four more in the fifth and two in the seventh. Megan Robins, Ariel Sandau and Neylan Bryan led their team with three hits apiece. On the mound, R...
PASCO – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team got two lopsided wins here on Saturday to gain a number three seed going into the 2B District 5/6 Regional Tournament this weekend in Moses Lake. In the first game, against White Swan, DW knocked in 13 runs in the first inning on the way to a four-inning 16-1 win. DW had a total of 14 hits, including four by Hanna Becker and two by Elise Steinhoff. Scully Castorena allowed one run in four innings pitched, while giving up no hits. The DW girls played Tri-Cities Prep in the second game, and shut out t...
DAYTON – Beginning Thursday night and running for two weekends, the Liberty Theater lifts the curtain on this year's May Melodrama, "A Bad Day at Gopher's Breath." The setting is the Old West. The notorious Rawlins gang is getting ready to ride into Gopher's Breath to rob the bank. Never particularly adept in their careers as outlaws, the gang is finding success particularly difficult this time around, with the town's corrupt sheriff also in pursuit of the loot. Thrown into the mix are a b...
RICHLAND – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team began their first round of EWAC District playoffs at Columbia Field here on a high note, winning in a rout over Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat, 15-0, in a mercy-rule-shortened three-inning game. However, DW lost a heartbreaker in their second game, falling to Liberty Christian 11-9 in eight innings. In the first game, DW took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning before exploding for 11 runs to end the game on the 15-run rule. DW had 10 hits, and pitcher Megan Robins gave up no hits against LWK. E...
WAITSBURG – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team was able to end both of its games against White Swan on Sunday after three innings, due to the 15-run mercy rule. Final scores were 15-0 and 17-2. In the first game, DW jumped to a seven-run lead in the first inning before cruising to the win. In that game, DW pitcher Megan Robins threw three scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. The team had 15 hits of their own, including three each by Scully Castorena and Heidi Dobbs. In game two, DW plated 11 first-inning runs on their way to their second...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Commercial Club presented B.A. Keve with its 2018 Citizen of the Year service award on April 18, during the annual meeting and awards presentation at Waitsburg Town Hall. Emcee Larry Johnson described Keve as a "Waitsburg promoter" who is "passionate about our community." She is "extremely easy to like," and "would never intentionally offend anyone," he added. Keve was nominated by Cindy Standring, who described Keve as "the 'communicator' of Waitsburg." In her nominati...
On April 16, the Columbia County Commissioners voted 2-1 to select the Dayton Chronicle over The Times to be that county’s legal newspaper for 12 months, beginning July 1. (The Times was awarded the contract last year.) This year, Commissioners Norm Passmore and Merle Jackson voted to select the Chronicle, even though its bid was 61% higher than The Times’ ($7.36 per column inch, vs. $4.50 for The Times). Furthermore, The Chronicle uses a significantly larger typeface for its legal notices tha...
DW over Tri-Cities Prep, 16-1, 14-4 PASCO – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team took on Tri-Cities Prep here on April 17 and came away with two big wins, 16-1 and 14-4. In game one, DW got hot early and racked up 11 runs in the first inning. They plated five more in the next four innings before the game was called after five on the 10-run rule. Scully Castorena led her team with four hits. Hana Becker, Ariel Sandau, Heidi Dobbs, and Neylan Bryan got two hits each. Pitcher Megan Robins gave up only three hits in the game. In game two, DW again b...
WAITSBURG – The Dayton-Waitsburg softball team made quick work of Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat on Saturday in a double-header in Waitsburg. In the first game, a 21-0, three-inning rout, DW went to bat only twice, knocking in seven runs in the first inning and 14 in the second. The team had 14 hits, including three each by Hanna Becker and Megan Robins. Neylan Bryan had an in the park home run. Pitcher Robins gave up only one hit in her three innings pitched. “Along with being very aggressive on the base paths D-W had a solid defense and pitching day,...
DAYTON – Juan Castaneda, of Pasco, has pleaded guilty to multiple counts relating to a home invasion and shooting in Dayton last September, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. According to Columbia County Deputy Prosecutor Dale Slack, on April 4, Castaneda entered guilty pleas to counts of first-degree burglary and first-degree assault, both with firearm enhancements, and also to unlawful imprisonment. The charges stemmed from an incident at Cameron Court trailer park in Dayton on Sept. 20. Law enforcement reports said that Castaneda a...
"It's the most contentious issue we've faced since I've been a commissioner, by far." That was Walla Walla County Commissioner Todd Kimball, talking about a proposed zoning change to allow water bottling facilities in agricultural-zoned land in the county. Commissioner Kimball and I met at The Times' office in Waitsburg last week to discuss that contentious issue, and why he and fellow commissioners Jim Johnson and Jim Duncan voted unanimously to allow the Walla Walla Planning Commission to...
DAYTON – Pomeroy got an early 2-0 lead after a first-inning home run against the Dayton-Waitsburg softball team on Friday in Dayton, but it was all DW after that. The home team scored 10 times in the first two innings and cruised to a mercy-rule-shortened 14-3 victory after five. DW had 18 hits for the day, including three each by Hanna Becker, Scully Castorena, Megan Robins, Ariel Sandau and Heidi Dobbs. Robins pitched an outstanding complete game, giving up only three hits. Pomeroy: 2 0 0 0 1 – 3 3 3 Dayton-Waitsburg: 6 4 1 1 2 – 14 18 1 HR...
WALLA WALLA – On Monday, the Walla Walla County Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward an application by Waitsburg-area farmers Perry and Darlene Dozier to amend the county zoning code to allow use of their owned water rights for water bottling. The application will be included in the final list of proposed changes to the county’s development regulations, to be up for approval later this year. Last month, the Walla Walla County Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend denial of the Doziers’ requested zoning change. Two of the commi...
DAYTON – Bill and Teresa Ayotte grew up in food service. "Teresa's mother ran a café in Garibaldi, Ore.," Bill said. "I worked at a Spudnut shop in Richland as a teenager." Bill and Teresa are the new concessionaires at the Touchet Valley Golf Course, and their new venture, Chicken Bill's BBQ Cafe, is open for business. The café is currently open for lunch from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week. The menu includes burgers and sandwiches, as well as daily barbeque specials. "I do my own bar...
DAYTON – A group, including farmers, wildlife officials and local planning officials, has been meeting for two years to develop a new plan to meet state requirements for a Voluntary Stewardship Program in Columbia County. The program would supplant the current requirements for agricultural land in the county to follow the Washington State Growth Management Act. Don Brigham, a consultant in Clarkston, is the project coordinator and facilitator for the program. He said the new VSP will allow farmers and agricultural landowners to continue the p...
When a hiking trail thaws after it has been frozen for a couple of weeks, trekking it is a bit like taking a long walk in wet concrete. Monday was sunny and bright, so I decided to give the Rock Hill Trail, on Port of Columbia property near Dayton's west end, a go anyway. I did my best to stay in the adjacent grass, but that was not always possible. My boots collected a couple of pounds of sticky mud each, I'm sure. And I did some "boot skiing" a couple of times, but stayed upright. It was...
DAYTON – Columbia County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack announced last week that he will run for Columbia County Prosecutor this year. If elected, Slack would replace his boss, current Prosecutor Rea Culwell, who has announced she will not seek reelection. "While I am sad to lose a great boss, I am excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Columbia County in this very important capacity," Slack said. Slack joined the prosecutor's office in 2015. Prior to that time, he was in p...
If you’re a faithful reader of this newspaper you know that I’ve spent the last few weeks working in the Dayton Chamber of Commerce office while we – the board of directors – recruit a new executive director. (And if you’re not a faithful reader, thanks for checking in anyway.) You’ve also probably noticed that I haven’t been contributing a whole lot of writing to these pages recently. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a staff that is smart, talented and dedicated enough to put out an exce...
DAYTON – On Senior Night Friday, the DW football team dropped its final game of the regular season against Liberty Christian, 42-7. The loss ended DW’s season without a win. LC scored on its first drive, and then, after DW went three-and-out, got a second TD on the ensuing punt return. The DW D stepped up after that, getting three turnovers before the half. Junior Helm picked off a pass late in the first quarter, and then Cade Branson recovered a fumble caused by a Carson Allessio sack late in...
