Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 252
DAYTON - The Club, Dayton's afterschool program, offers an innovative middle and high school music program beginning Monday, October 25. The organization will again partner with Walla Walla Music Organization (WWMO) to introduce students to skills needed in the music and live sound industry. Instructors from WWMO will be on hand to work with high school students on Mondays and with middle school students on Wednesdays. They will learn basics in music production, audio engineering, recording,...
DAYTON - Time is of the essence for Dayton resident Lisa Naylor as she moves up the national transplant waiting list. She has been on the list since 2018; the average wait can take five years or longer. This week, she will start dialysis to help maintain her level of health as she waits for a new kidney. She will need the treatment for the rest of her life or until she receives a transplant. While a transplant would not cure her kidney disease, it would significantly increase quality and extend...
WAITSBURG - Landscape drawings and paintings by Barb Jaksa will be exhibited at WAG in Waitsburg from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Jaksa creates landscapes from a road-level view, making them feel intimate and familiar. "I am a contemporary artist inspired by the Western landscape I have extensively traveled. I first visited the area in 2016 and recently returned to Waitsburg. I was drawn to the expansive and inspirational Palouse of southeastern Washington," said Jaksa. The...
DAYTON-An informational meeting about Proposition 1, the measure to create the Columbia County Pool District, was held on September 27, 2023, in the Delany Room at the Dayton Memorial Library. This was the second of three meetings planned by organizers to share information and answer questions about the measure appearing on the November ballot. Lisa Naylor presented a PowerPoint presentation and was joined by Chuck Beleny and Kevin Rust. Diane McKinley was unable to attend. Their presentation...
WAITSBURG - The fourth Waitsburg Happening will occur on Saturday, October 7. This Saturday, the businesses on Main Street will be celebrating National Old Farmers Day. Expect to see tractors, combines, hay bales, horseback riders, and enjoy special cocktails, entertainment, and treats. There will be vintage tractors and combines from Rob McKinney and Ed Burlingame displayed throughout town between 3 p.m and 6 p.m. The Plaza Theater will play "The 1919 Walla Walla Tractor Show." Artist Barb...
DAYTON-This month, in the Columbia County Rural Library District newsletter, Interim Director Ellen Brigham addressed concerns she has heard from the community about the library's connection to the American Library Association. First, she explained that the ALA does not dictate the policies at the Dayton library. Brigham said, "As far as I can tell, the ALA doesn't even have sample policies for libraries to pull from. When the Library Board drafts library policies, it looks at what has worked...
Waitsburg exhibiting artist and art educator Greg Tate is preparing his Main Street studio for October watercolor and drawing classes. On display at the space are paintings and ceramics by the artist. For more information email Tate at tateartwaitsburg@gmail.com and sign up. A member of ArtWalla, Tate recently worked long hours on ArtSquared, the annual fundraiser featuring over one thousand 6" x 6" square art pieces....
DAYTON-When Dain Nysoe retires on Dec. 31, after twelve years on the Dayton City Council, a new city council member, Joann Patras or Devin Greenup, will take his place. "I have enjoyed serving on the city council, but at the same time, I look forward to the end of my term in office," said Nysoe, who is grateful to have served along with other dedicated public servants. Nysoe said he appreciates the recent uptick in attendance by the public at council meetings and hopes more people will attend in...
ROSALIA-The Waitsburg Cardinals traveled to Rosalia to play the Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves on Friday, September 22. Though the Rosalia team, led by RB Isaac Bone and QB Westley Bryan, made some impressive plays, the Cards took the lead early, shutting out the Timberwolves by halftime. Waitsburg won the toss and deferred, kicking to Tekoa-Rosalia. It was three and out with a sack by Senior Ruben Yutzy, and the Cardinals took over. Waitsburg Sophomore Brenton Segraves gained four yards on his...
DAYTON - Proposition 2 will not appear on Columbia County's general election ballot this November. Columbia Superior Court Commissioner Julie Karl ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, Neighbors United for Progress, Elise Sever, and Gerald Kaiser, in their lawsuit to block the measure from the November ballot. The hearing was held on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Columbia County Courtroom in Dayton, Wash. After entering the courtroom, Karl asked the filled courtroom to observe proper decorum. She...
DAYTON - Neighbors United for Progress (NUP), a political action committee in Dayton, has produced a booklet in response to the effort by citizens sponsoring Proposition 2 to dissolve the Columbia County Rural Library District. Authored by Tanya Patton and Diane Longanecker, both of Dayton, the booklet provides information about the history of Dayton's Public Library and the creation of the Columbia County Rural Library District. It also includes the official wording of the proposition for the...
COLUMBIA COUNTY–In an emergency hearing on Wednesday September 6, 2023, the Columbia Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the County from printing ballots for the November general election that include Proposition 2. Neighbors United for Progress asked the court for a fourteen-day TRO, citing irreparable harm to voters should the rural library district dissolution measure be placed on the ballots. A lawsuit filed by NUP on August 29, 2023, asserts that City of Dayton voters would be denied constitutional voter a...
DAYTON-It takes an army of good-natured volunteers to put together the displays for the Columbia County Fair at the Pavilion. There are over thirty booths and displays in the Pavilion, featuring food preservation, garden and produce, baking, floral, fine arts, needle craft and sewing, photography, quilting as well as booths advertising businesses and fraternal organizations. For each, there are superintendents who are there to accept the entries and display them to be judged. Rose Englebrite...
WAITSBURG-The the Waitsburg Historical Society proudly announces Barbara Danforth as the 2023 Pioneer of the Year. Danforth never thought in her wildest dreams that she would one day be "Pioneer of the Year." Both sides of her family were pioneers in Oregon but moved to the farm outside Waitsburg in 1928. "I was stunned as I never dreamt I would receive such an honor," said Danforth. Born at the original Walla Walla General Hospital on May 6, 1930, Barbara was an only child and raised on a farm...
WAITSBURG-On Monday, August 28, 2023, Scout Troop 337 convened a Court of Honor at the Lions Club building in Waitsburg. The troop is a joint Cub Scout and BSA Troop with a history in Waitsburg. After years without scouting, Troop Committee Chair Sarah Roberts, Cubmaster/Committee member Jon Roberts, Scoutmaster Justin Stegall, and Assistant Scoutmaster Tim Hollingsworth began meeting in March to bring back Troop 337. The first official troop meeting followed in April. The evening's events on...
Dayton — Neighbors United for Progress (NUP), Columbia County’s bipartisan political action committee, has filed a lawsuit that may save the Columbia County Library. The group filed a suit on August 29, 2023, asking the Columbia County Superior Court to issue an injunction prohibiting the Columbia County Auditor’s Office from placing Proposition 2—a ballot measure to dissolve the Columbia County Rural Library District—on the November 2023 ballot. The suit also asks the court to recover a...
WAITSBURG–Weller Public Library has a new Library Supervisor. At the August Board of Trustees meeting, the board offered library support staff Sarah Roberts the position of Library Supervisor, to replace Librarian Twila Tate. Tate submitted her letter of resignation earlier in the board meeting. "It has been a pleasure to work with the Board of Trustees, Waitsburg City Council, the City Administration, and the Friends of Weller Library for the past year to improve library services for the C...
WAITSBURG - There is more to Barbie than just the new movie, though it is a must-see. There is Fashion. Since the doll came onto the market in 1959, Barbie and her friends have gone through decades of style trends in clothing, cars, houses, and accessories. On Saturday, August 26, local artist Gail Gwinn will participate in the Waitsburg Happening with a display of Barbie couture at The Waitsburg Art Garden (WAG.) There will be dolls wearing Mattel's original fashions and exceptionally well-made...
DAYTON-The group, represented by Dayton resident Jessica Ruffcorn, continues to garner attention from national print and televised media over efforts to dissolve the Columbia County Rural Library. The Seattle Times is the most recent newspaper outside of Columbia or Walla Walla Counties to publish an article about the potential of Dayton's public library becoming the first in the country to be closed due to collection content. The article is available at https://tinyurl.com/5nscwbck. Allen Leist...
WALLA WALLA – The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for portions of central, north-central, northeast Oregon, and central, south-central, and southeast Washington through 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Dangerously hot conditions are expected, with temperatures between 103° to 110°, and residents should take precautions. To assist Walla Walla and area residents who do not have access to air conditioning during the hottest part of the day, an emergency cooling station will be open at the Christian Aid Cen...
DAYTON-"The Nation," a weekly magazine, published "The Small-Town Library That Became a Culture War Battleground," an article chronicling recent history and current efforts to defund the only public library in Columbia County. Over the past months, Reporter Sasha Abramsky interviewed community members who hope to defund the Rural Library Tax District and those fighting to retain the institution. The article puts Columbia County's issues in context with similar efforts nationwide. Where other...
LYONS FERRY-The tenth annual Swim the Snake event will be held at Lyons Ferry Marina and Lyons Ferry State Park on Saturday, August 12, 2023, beginning at 11 a.m. In addition to the non-competitive, open-water swim, event organizers continue to hold a two-stage, competitive (or non-competitive) relay, paddling in a kayak or paddleboard (only) from Lyons Ferry Marina to Lyons Ferry State Park across Lake Bryan on the Snake River. Upon arrival at Lyons Ferry State Park, paddlers can enter the...
WAITSBURG-Heavy metal comes to Waitsburg. Not the music but artwork created by Karl Newell and Terry Hofer. The pair produces decorative and functional art from spare parts, farm equipment, old tools, and almost anything rusted. They are giving new life to the objects they discover on their journeys. This week, their work will be displayed at Waitsburg Art Garden (WAG) from August 4 through August 6 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Newell and Hofer have been friends and collaborators for years,...
Waitsburg City Council met for its regular meeting on July 19, 2023, at city hall. Kelly Steinhoff will be returning to Waitsburg City Hall. City Councilmembers Jillian Henze, Randy Charles, Jim Romine, Court Ruppenthal, Kevin House, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe were in attendance. The council approved Ordinance 2023-1082 updating the Waitsburg Municipal Code regarding nuisance abatement and imposing a fine for non-compliance after the first notice. The council approved contracting with Vision Municipal Services to...
DAYTON - The second petition submitted to put a proposition to dissolve the Columbia County Rural Library District on the November ballot has been certified. The Columbia County Auditor's Office found 163 signatures of the 186 submitted on the petition were from qualified voters registered in the county's unincorporated areas. Petitioners needed at least 107 qualifying signatures, representing 10% of registered voters in the unincorporated areas of the county to be certified. The library board...
