Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 788
DAYTON—The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office had a busy week last week. “We’ve been putting in a lot of overtime,” said Civil Deputy Tim Quigg speaking at last week’s Citizen’s Academy. Quigg said there were ten arrests made last week, primarily due to Deputy Foxe’s diligence. He said all the arrests stemmed from ongoing investigations. Three burglary cases, two motor vehicle theft cases, one criminal trespass, two outstanding warrants, four theft cases, two malicious mischief cases and one d...
DAYTON—The Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson frequently says jobs in Columbia County are counted by ones and twos, and the ones and twos are adding up. At last week’s Cup of Joe, Port Economic Development Coordinator Kathryn Witherington, introduced a few new businesses in Dayton to attendees gathered at the Winter Rose Café & Boutique. Winter Rose Café & Boutique All things led back to Dayton, according to Amanda Toms, who along with Tyler Usco, are the proprietors of the Winter Rose Café & Boutique. While living in North Ca...
DAYTON-The lowest gas prices in the area and the tastiest chicken curry can be found at the Hot Spot gas station and deli, located at 401 W. Main St. in Dayton. Swarit Gaur and his father, Prasoon Sharma, have been busy planning a road map to success since taking over the business in January. This includes sharing their own special chicken curry with the customers. Gaur said he and his father use only the freshest ingredients in the curry, which includes onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, cream and...
DAYTON-Items on the agenda at last week's city council meeting included an update on the city's Wastewater Treatment Plan Project. "We're getting closer in negotiations with some land owners," said Mayor Craig George. He said there will be an executive session to discuss property acquisition for the proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant Project at the March 13 city council meeting. George said a land swap is being conducted between the city and the county. He said the city will swap land owned nea...
DAYTON-"They make them in fun, flavored colors. They are very easy to use and are very discreet, too," said Chelsey Eaton, a county public health program coordinator. Eaton was talking about "vaping," or smoking e-cigarettes, and why that practice isn't as harmless as it appears. Eaton said e-cigarettes were first developed in China to help people stop smoking and they arrived in the U.S. in 2007. "At that time they were using simple juices. They weren't yummy. They weren't colorful," said...
Because most of my gardening experience has been in the desert, the prospect of getting to grow an English-style cottage garden when we moved to Dayton, in 2012, was beyond my wildest dreams. Little did I know there would be a constant running battle with the wildlife for dominance, beginning with the squirrels and deer. The squirrels made quite a summer production out of tearing the immature walnuts off the tree in the back yard, and chewing them, and spitting them, and running around burying...
DAYTON-"Women are going to be excited about it," Museum Director Tamara Fritze said about the new exhibit currently on display at the Dayton Historic Depot. This exhibit includes clothing, foundation garments, and hats and purses, from the 1890s through 1989, with accompanying history for each decade about fashion and culture. Fritze said it has taken about a month to finish the exhibit. "Matching the dress form to the clothing was the most challenging part," she said. "We had to come up with...
DAYTON—At their regular meeting last week, the Board of County Commissioners and Charles Eaton, the county engineer, discussed moving ahead with their intention to create a county-wide flood control zone district, a process that was started by City of Dayton Mayor Craig George and former County Commissioner Merle Jackson, early in 2017. At that time, Commissioner Jackson expressed concerns about recent high water events and the accumulating amount of gravel just north of the Highway 12 B...
DAYTON—The state Health Care Authority is providing Columbia County Health System with an initial award in the amount of $150,000 to help focus on the elements needed to achieve accreditation in Patient Centered Medical Home care, said CEO Shane McGuire in an interview last Thursday. “We’re getting quite a large sum of money that can actually influence change,” said McGuire. “The good news here is that we generally funded these efforts out of our operations budget, and figured out the reimbursement part as we went.” “We’ve been trying to do Pa...
DAYTON-This school year has been a learning curve year for the staff at The Club, Dayton's new after school program. Director Jim Pearson said some of the loftier goals originally set by the staff have been amended in order to spend more time on students' social and emotional skills. "We're learning a lot," said Pearson. "We've had to reevaluate our structure." Pearson said by the time the students get to The Club, they are tired of sitting and learning all day and are ready to have more free...
DAYTON-County Commissioner Norm Passmore has submitted his resignation from the Board of County Commissioners, effective Wednesday. Passmore said he, and his wife, Ann, have sold their house in Dayton, and they are in the process of retiring to their home in Oceanside, Ore. where they will be closer to their son's family in Portland, and their daughter and her husband, in Seattle. Recreational opportunities such as hiking are also calling, Passmore said. Passmore said there are a thousand acres...
DAYTON—The new Columbia County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, April King, isn’t all that new to the job in Columbia County. King said she served in the same capacity, back in 2003, when Colleen Fenn was the County’s prosecuting attorney and she enjoyed living and working in Dayton then. “I prefer the smaller communities where you can get to know people,” said King, who was born in Singapore. King said her father’s work as a geologist in the oil business took the family to far-flung places, from In...
DAYTON – There is a kitchen, but there is no breakfast or lunch program for the 18 K-8 students and seven preschoolers enrolled in the Starbuck School District. Surprisingly, that's nothing new. There hasn't been for about 15 years, according to Starbuck School District Superintendent Kevin Graffis. "That's just not acceptable," said County Public Health Director Martha Lanman. "We don't know how many are coming to school without breakfast." That could be remedied if school and public health o...
DAYTON-Associated Student Body (ASB) Vice-President Kira Boggs shared that group's activities with school officials at last week's school board meeting. She said the ASB has raised $500 for the Cush Family, who lost their home in a recent fire. A tropical poster-making contest for all the classes is currently taking place. The winners of the contest will get to wear "beachy stuff" in the commons. The ASB has been meeting regularly to work on the outdated school constitution. High School...
DAYTON--Since she was hired in November, Dayton School District's athletic director, Vicki Luper, has had her hands full. Although she works on a part time basis, Luper wears many hats, including pitch-hitting for High School Principal Kristina Brown, when Brown needs extra help. And, as Dayton's chief athletic booster, she has a visible presence on game days. "I enjoy being back in a small school," Luper said. "In a small community athletics are a big part of the community feel. I think that's...
DAYTON—Outside Superior Court last week, Benjamin Orozco’s attorney, Jane Richards, said Orozco’s poor health and the difficulty in locating material witnesses are responsible for the lengthy amount of time it is taking to bring him to trial. Richards said Orozco has suffered ill health ever since being held in a Mexican jail in 2016 while awaiting extradition to Columbia County to answer to charges stemming from the shooting death of Lance Terry and the wounding of David Eaton, for which he has plead ‘not guilty’. Since Dec. 2016, Orozco ha...
DAYTON--Robert Bryant, an independent auto repair mechanic, is opening an auto repair shop in Dayton this week. "It's a fact," said Bryant, who has been in the auto repair business since 1984. Bryant said he first worked in a Pendleton machine shop rebuilding engines, and he received training in auto repair while working at Round-Up City Dodge in Pendleton. That was followed by a brief stint operating his own auto repair business, "Mobile Technology". Bryant said he continued his formal...
DAYTON—Zac Weatherford was elected Mayor Pro-Tempore for 2019 by the Dayton City Council at their first regular meeting of the New Year. “I’m excited. Zac’s going to do a good job,” said Councilwoman Delphine Bailey who nominated him for the position. Mayor Craig George said that when he moves to Arizona in late spring, the council will have 90 days to appoint a mayor to serve until the end of the year. Affordable Housing The Port’s Economic Development Coordinator, Kathryn Witheringto...
DAYTON-When the Hospital Board of Commissioners met in December, Columbia County Health System (CCHS) CEO Shane McGuire took the opportunity to thank them for their show of support since he has been at the helm of the organization. "You have been great visionaries and you have been very supportive with this community. It has been challenging, but it has been impressive. There are a lot of elements you have allowed me to invest in to enhance services," said McGuire. "We are growing programs, making investments, and bringing on staff." McGuire sa...
DAYTON – In January, the Space Gatos, Columbia County's 4-H Robotics and FIRST Lego League Team, advance to the State Finals in Spokane, after winning the Community Connection Award at FIRST Lego Regionals in Pasco. Their coach, Jeanne Walter, said this is the third year the robotics team has advanced to the final competition. They are one of only six teams out of a field of 28 to do so. Teams compete in Robot Design, Project Presentation and Core Values, and Robot Mission Games. This team h...
DAYTON-If you think Victoria has a secret, wait until you meet Sylvia Charles in the Touchet Valley Art Council production of Nana's Naughty Knickers. This fast-paced romp, co-directed by Leah Stockton and Bev Startin, is a story about a twenty- something girl, named Bridget Charles, who comes to stay with her grandmother in New York City for the summer and discovers that her Nana, Sylvia Charles, is running an illegal boutique out of her apartment. Apparently, Nana is selling handmade naughty...
DAYTON-Tony Waldo, Operation Manager for Columbia Pulp, spoke about the Lyons Ferry Straw Pulp Mill at the annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Update meeting, on Dec. 19. Waldo said that construction of the facility has been a little behind schedule, but it will be operational late in the first quarter of 2019. "All the buildings and equipment have been set," said Waldo. "Right now they're working on piping and wiring, and instrumentation." Waldo said 60-100 skilled people will...
DAYTON—At the annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy update meeting on Dec. 19, community leaders discussed some of the projects in the Dayton area in the works, and progress that is expected in the next year. Dayton Development Task Force and Dayton Chamber of Commerce Dayton Chamber of Commerce Director Melissa Bryan said the Main Street Approach framework used by the Dayton Development Task Force is working, as people can see in improvements to the building facades, the r...
DAYTON—Craig George, President of the Columbia County Public Transportation Board of Commissioners announced that General Manager Dwight Robanske resigned at last week’s Board meeting. George said Robanske, who has been on paid administrative leave since October, tendered his resignation, effective Friday, December 14. Robanske had been placed on leave while various claims made within the transit agency were being investigated. George said Robanske received his regular paycheck on Dec. 18. In addition to that he will receive pay covering the ti...
DAYTON-Voters in Columbia County were busy this year, with the passage of two levies, along with an election that will result in changes to key positions, in Columbia County. In February, the Dayton School District passed another two-year capital-projects levy. This year the levies paid for new asphalt on the elementary playground and at the bus loading zone, a new heating system, the upgraded communication system, and repairs to the flat portion of the HS roof. The entrance to the elementary...
