Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 252
WALLA WALLA - The Columbia Walla Walla Fire District 2 volunteers and board are grateful for the voters' approval of the 2023 Levy Lid Lift. In allocating these resources, the department has prioritized hiring a full-time, paid Fire Chief. The department understands the importance of the community having an opportunity to give input on leadership of CWWFD2. Assistant Fire Chief Matt Spring formed a hiring committee of department and community members to begin the process. The committee reviewed...
OLYMPIA - On Tuesday, March 26, Senate Bill 5824, sponsored by Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) and requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, was signed into law in Olympia. The bill raised the required number of petitioners from 10% to 25% of eligible voters. In addition, eligible voters include all residents who pay taxes to fund the library district. "The Dayton library was on the verge of becoming the first library in the country to shut down because of a dispute over the books inside," Hunt sai...
WAITSBURG-Students and chaperones from Tamba-Sasayama, Japan, visited Waitsburg on April 2. Their first stop was lunch at Ten Ton Coffee, where barista Cheyenne Frohreich shared a scrapbook and photos from her exchange trip to Sasayama. Following lunch, the group walked down Main Street to the Bruce House where Waitsburg Historical Society members Sarah Wilson and Margaret Terry gave the group a tour. of the museum's collection. Next, the students experienced the creative side of town with...
WAITSBURG— Waitsburg City Council held its regular meeting on March 27 after being delayed one week due to council members’ availability. In public comment, Joy Smith told the council that with the success of new businesses in town, there is now a budding parking problem. She said Waitsburg Commercial Club and the city have used signage to direct visitors to additional parking, usually the city-owned property west of the Main Street bridge. Smith suggested it may be time for businesses to post parking options on their websites. She also sai...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners met for a special meeting on March 25, 2024. Chairman Jack Miller and commissioners Ryan Rundell and Marty Hall were present. The commissioners and County Prosecutor Dale Slack discussed changes to the county's coroner services required due to amendments to RCW 36.16.030. The coroner function must be separated from prosecutors starting in 2024. The commissioners decided not to turn the position into an elected office, choosing to appoint or contract...
WAITSBURG - Members of the Waitsburg Corral Wranglers and Pen Pals 4H gathered on Main Street Monday afternoon to break into four scavenger-hunting groups for their annual food drive. Each team received a list with nearly 50 items broken into 11 categories. Items were given values from 10 to 50 points each. The team with the highest point total would win the evening's philanthropic competition. Coveted items on the list included proteins like canned tuna, chicken, and ham, each with 40 points....
PRESCOTT - After losing Izzy in January, Tawnya and Mickey Richards have decided to begin another dromedary journey. Izzy left a big hole in the community and the Richards family's hearts. Hearing how his friends and neighbors felt about the sweet boy, Mickey knew they missed Izzy. However, finding a new camel was not only about the community. Mickey misses his friend of 17 years. Mickey asked Tawnya what she thought about a new camel. She was on board but asked if they could look for a baby...
DAYTON/PRESCOTT —The Club, which offers after-school and out-of-school programs, is working with community stakeholders to develop a water safety component as part of its summer program. Representatives from The Friends of the Dayton Library (FDL), Dayton Hospital, Kiwanis Club, and Prescott Joint Parks and Recreation met on March 7 to discuss the program. Club Program Director Shakira Bye told the group that there was a safety issue for kids in the community who do not have access to swim lessons. She said that until a pool is built in D...
DAYTON—The Friends of Dayton Memorial Library is hosting an innovative evening of conversation on Thursday, March 7, from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. Set up in a café setting, the event for Columbia County residents will be held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Dayton. The topic of the evening’s discussion will be “Books in Libraries,” exploring the challenges facing the public and school libraries in Columbia County. The Walla Walla Civility Project (WWCP) will provide the format and facilitate the event designed to enhance personal...
Council member Charles steps down WAITSBURG - Mayor Marty Dunn called the city council meeting to order at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Council members Cindy Bishop, Kevin House, Jim Romine, Jillian Henze, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe were in attendance. Hinchliffe introduced representatives from the Washington State Department of Commerce to present the city with a 2023 Governor's Smart Community Award. The Smart Project Award was given to the City of Waitsburg for its...
WAITSBURG - On February 11, the Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project (TVAMP) began recording local musicians for a new album to be released on CD. This is TVAMP's fourth production, preceded by two CDs for the Blue Mountain Troublemakers and one for Switchgrass Delta. TVAMP Project Leader Kate Hockersmith said, "We have so many wonderful local musicians in and around Waitsburg, and for years I've wanted to record local singer/songwriters. In early February, Mike Easton of Bar Bacetto,...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on February 21, 2024. Board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Aneesha Dieu, and Grant Griffin. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. The board approved the consent agenda, including hiring Danica Porter as the Middle School Head Softball Coach. Dayton FFA Trap Shooting Team members presented plans for an overnight field trip to the Wenatchee area. Six Dayton students expect to p...
DAYTON – At the beginning of the year, Ace Automotive began its journey offering domestic and foreign car repair at 527 Cameron Street in Dayton. Andres Lara, 34, bought Jay Ball's garage after working there for seven years. Jay's Garage offered serice for close to ten years at the Rock Hill Industrial Park. The Port of Columbia County signed a three-year lease with the new owner in December last year. "Jay and I had been talking for a while about his retiring and selling the place to me," s...
WAITSBURG — On Saturday, February 24, get your hiking shoes on and join Barbara Jaksa to hike up to the cell towers north of town to watch the Full Snow Moon rise. Meet up with Jaksa and fellow hikers in front of American 35, at 128 Main St, Waitsburg, at 5 p.m. The group will head out of town over the Main Street bridge. From there, the route follows Millrace Road east, left on Whoopem Up Hollow Road and left on the service road that leads to the top of the hill. The roundtrip hike is five m...
WAITSBURG -After rounds of competition beginning last September, four Waitsburg students have come out on top and will participate in the National Great Shakes Competition. Carter Barron, Chloe McCaw, Verbena McLaughlin, and Wyatt Parish will travel to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, in March. As a bonus, since Waitsburg students did so well at regionals, Olivia Kiefel, Jaylynn Gleason, and Lilian Carpenter will also attend the national competition as wildcards. Twenty-five Waitsburg...
WAITSBURG—This year, the Celebration Days committee has chosen the Armed Forces as the theme for the weekend. Waitsburg Celebration Days is on the third weekend of May and features activities including breakfast hosted by the American Legion at Town Hall, the Waitsburg Car Show at Preston Park, the ATV Poker Run at the fairgrounds, a Soapbox Derby, and the Parade. The committee encourages all our area clubs, school groups, local businesses, non-profits, equestrians, and anyone who loves a parade to sign up. The registration deadline is May 1...
WAITSBURG- The 2024 Booster of the Year Awards were presented by Club President Ross Hamann during halftime at the boys varsity basketball game against Yakama Tribal on Friday, February 2. Becky Harshman and Karen Huwe received well-deserved applause and recognition from the crowd attending the game. Becky Harshman nomination: "Becky is truly deserving of special recognition as she has served the booster club with tireless dedication and enthusiasm. Not only did she serve as a Club Officer and...
DAYTON — A special Dayton City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, was canceled on January 30. The purpose of the meeting was to convene an executive session to discuss pending litigation against the city and Council Member Laura Aukerman. A second agenda item for the meeting was for the council to consider a request from Aukerman that the city pay her legal fees in that case, US District Court Case No. 23-2-00790. The request was made Washington State RCW 4.96.041 and requires the council’s approval. The public could att...
The Waitsburg School Board met on January 18 for its regular meeting at the elementary school library. Vice Chairman Stephanie Cole, board members Abby Grende, Christy House, Sarah Boudrieau, and Chairman Carol Clarke enjoyed the students’ artisitc expressions of thanks for School Board Recognition Appreciation Month....
PRESCOTT—At its 2023 Annual Meeting, the Association of Washington Cities Risk Management Service Agency (RMSA) recognized the risk management efforts of members who improved their liability claims experience over the past year. The awards acknowledge the hard work RMSA’s members put into managing their risks and keeping their communities safe. Prescott Joint Parks &Recreation District (PJPRD) received RMSA’s 2023 Loss Control Leader Award. The award recognized (PJPRD) continual loss prevention shown over five years. In the letter annou...
WAITSBURG — On Wednesday, December 20, the Waitsburg City Council voted to approve a three-year contract for Snake River Little League (SRLL) use of the little league fields at the fairgrounds. Abby Grende of Waitsburg, acting on behalf of Waitsburg parents, worked with the city to draft the contract in response to a decision by the SRLL Board at its November 30 meeting to disqualify Waitsburg’s ball fields from use for the 2024 season. On December 5, 2023, the SRLL board posted a press release on Facebook announcing its decision. As sta...
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Commerce is pleased to announce the 11 winners of the 2023 Governor’s Smart Communities Awards. The program has been presented annually since 2006 and recognizes local governments and their partners for exceptional land use planning and development. The awards showcase the effective implementation of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). The honored local programs and projects serve as leading examples for other communities as they seek to address similar land use planning issues or look for i...
DAYTON —YWCA Walla Walla will open the waitlist on for its new childcare center, RoseMary’s Place, coming to Dayton in Columbia County. The waitlist for the YWCA-operated childcare facility will open promptly at 7 a.m. on November 15, 2023, at ywcaww.org/rosemarys/. Families in Dayton, Waitsburg, and neighboring areas needing childcare services this spring are encouraged to make note of this date and add their names to the list. The center is set to officially open its doors on April 1, 2024, and the first names on the time-and-date stamped lis...
WAITSBURG - The November 2023 ballots have arrived and Waitsburg has several contested races to decide. School Board, District 2 There are two candidates for Waitsburg School Director, District 2, incumbent Christy House, and first-time candidate Tia Hays. Hays has been a Waitsburg Home and School Association member for two years and a member of the school's booster club. Her professional experience includes 26 years in banking, and is now a Certified Pharmacy Technician at the VA Medical...
WALLA WALLA —Visit Walla Walla (VWW) is participating in the Rural Tourism Support program offered by State of Washington Tourism and would like input from the community to help create a vision of success and identify strategies to improve the visitor experience in the region. Anyone interested can participate in various ways - from showing up for a series of workshops and networking events to taking a brief survey to help VWW establish baselines for the project. The workshops are intended for anyone interested in strengthening the local t...
