Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON-Whimsical costumes, confectionary props and a 70s vibe will captivate the audience that turns out to see the Touchet Valley Arts Council's 18th-annual fall musical production of "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka," which will debut at the Liberty Theater on Nov. 15. The show is based on the book, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," by Roald Dahl, and tells the story of the enigmatic Willy Wonka, who stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five candy bars made in his candy factory. The pr...
DAYTON-Judy Miller, a former Center Manager for Lincare in Walla Walla, is the new Clinic Director for Columbia Family Clinic and Waitsburg Clinic. Miller has been on the job Oct. 22, getting to know the staff in the clinics and hospital. An assessment of the clinics was recently performed by an outside consulting firm, and Miller said she and the staff will be looking into changes that will enhance the patient experience. Miller and her husband, Miles, like to spend time viewing the area...
DAYTON—An endowment to pay for all annual 4-H memberships has just been announced by WSU Dayton Extension Agent Paul Carter. In 2017 the state instituted an annual $25 membership fee for attendance in 4-H, a move Carter says was discriminatory to families having financial difficulties. So he set about to see what could be done to help them Carter said he recently met with the Blue Mountain Community Foundation to start the process of creating an endowment. The initial need is for $10,000 to e...
DAYTON-Kim Clark, General Manager of Ski Bluewood wants to get the word out about $400,000 worth of facility improvements that are sure to make this year's skiing even more "uplifting." "We have just completed the first lift improvement since 1986," he said. Clark said the old platter-pull has been removed and replaced with two conveyor-type lifts, one of which is the 120 ft. Easy Rider, with two separate teaching pods. The other is a completely covered, 400 ft. long, teaching area. The idea is...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Health System is close to signing a lease for the Port-owned building formerly occupied by Columbia County District Court, according to CEO Shane McGuire. During last week’s hospital district board meeting, McGuire said that the space will be used for the Certified Nursing Assistant program, as well as for an offsite education facility. McGuire told the hospital district commissioners that the first round of payments have been received from Washington Rural Health Acc...
DAYTON—The Delany Room was packed on Monday night as the Columbia County Planning Commission heard from the public and from stakeholders interested in a Site Plan Development Agreement Application for a proposed bitcoin mining center to be located on Columbia Rural Electric Administration property east of Dayton. After a short presentation from Leonard Ruff, the architect for the applicant, Eastern Mineland LLC, and followed by a lengthy Q&A session, the three members of Planning Commission present deliberated on the merits of the bitcoin m...
DAYTON— Columbia County Planning Director Meagan Bailey presented a list of 10 final docket items for inclusion in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan update to the board of county commissioners last week. However, Docket Items 8 and 9, which drew the most negative response from the public during an October 8 planning commission meeting, were removed. Bailey told the commissioners that Docket Item 8 was a request from the planning staff to revise the AR-2 minimum parcel size, which is a 10 acre/dwelling unit maximum density, and is more commonly called...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Public Transportation Board of Commissioners has placed General Manager Dwight Robanske on paid administrative leave without giving any explanation as to what is being investigated, or why. County Commissioner Mike Talbott said that an investigation will begin this week when attorneys from the state risk pool are brought up to date on the issue. “We don’t know anything, and we’re not going to know anything, until they make their decision,” said Talbott. Meanwhile the CCPT staff will cover duties normally performed...
DAYTON-Chelsey Eaton has been busy since beginning work three months ago as the program coordinator for the county public health department. Eaton said the health department just received a grant for $6,000 from Puget Sound Energy Foundation to purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) replacement batteries and pads, for the ones already in use, and for training personnel in how to use them in real life situations. "I went around the community and quite a few were expired," said Eaton....
DAYTON—The state of Washington has recognized the Dayton Elementary and Dayton Middle School for sustained improvement in student assessments over a five year period. “So that’s something to be happy with,” said Superintendent Doug Johnson at last week’s school board meeting. The Educational Service District will host an award ceremony for the schools in their region sometime in the near future, he said. Johnson also said that there are some students in the district experiencing homelessn...
DAYTON—The Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation has released a list of ten courthouses to receive grants for rehabilitation projects, and the Columbia County Courthouse is on the list. If state legislators include the rehabilitation projects in their Capital Budget for 2019-21, there could be a new HVAC system installed at the courthouse in November 2019, said county Maintenance Director Dave Finney. Finney said the county has been talking about replacing the aging...
DAYTON—Forty businesses participated in the first of its kind Main Street Open House, during Dayton on Tour, according to Chamber Director Melissa Bryan. And as a result, there are several sale offers pending, she said. Bryan said that local hotels and motels were at, or close to, full occupancy during the event. “The Art show at Wenaha Gallery was a smashing success, with 75 folks listening to the astronaut (Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger),” said Bryan. AJ Carriages provided event goers free...
DAYTON—The Dayton chapter of the American Association of University Women held a Candidates’ Forum to allow voters in Columbia County to hear from and ask questions of candidates for local races. Candidates for Columbia County Sheriff, Columbia County Commissioner from Dist. 3 and Columbia County Treasurer all appeared, along with candidates for two local seats in the Washington State House of Representatives. Columbia County Sheriff Columbia County Chief Deputy Joe Helm and Narcotics Deputy Jeff Jenkins share many ideas on how to move the She...
DAYTON-Former astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger was at the Wenaha Gallery Saturday during Dayton on Tour to present "Rocks to Rockets," the story of her evolution from a third grader inspired by geology and the astronaut Sally Ride to becoming part of a crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. In April 2010 the Discovery, with a crew of 13, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center with six tons of equipment and supplies for the International Space Station. "This was really an awesome time,"...
On Saturday, founder and master distiller Rusty Figgins released his new brandy, Clos Sainte-Rose XO, Edition No. 2, at XO Alambic, a distillery located at the Blue Mountain Station in Dayton. Figgins said this brandy is named after the historic St. Rose Mission in the Walla Walla Valley. Figgins said mission clergy blessed and served their own supply of brandy, after their communion wine had spoiled during the long trek westward. Clos Sainte-Rose XO received the Gold Medal for Best Brandy in...
DAYTON-Confectioner Nancy Monacelli said she is looking forward to moving into her new production and retail space in Suite H at the Blue Mountain Station this month. Mama Monacelli's Kitchen won't be open in time for BMS's Oktoberfest event this weekend, but will be open next week, and will be ready to help customers with all their daily and holiday needs, she said. "I'm looking forward to having my whole line in the suite," said Monacelli. The 1,080 sq. ft. suite will have clear sight lines,...
DAYTON-The Rehabilitation Department at Dayton General Hospital is staying open late to help accommodate customers' schedules. The department is now open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, according to Physical Therapy Assistant Bryce Scott. Scott, along with his partner Jessica Parry, who is also a licensed Physical Therapy Assistant, have been assisting the physical therapists on staff at Dayton General Hospital with an increasing patient load. At the...
DAYTON—Columbia County Planning Director Meagan Bailey told County Commissioners last week that the county’s Voluntary Stewardship Plan has been approved by a state technical panel on the Washington State Conservation Commission. VSP is an optional incentive-based program to assist landowners in protecting and enhancing critical areas, while promoting agriculture in the county. It is allowed under the state’s Growth Management Act, with the goal to reduce tension between competing GMA goals related to agricultural viability and protection of cr...
DAYTON—Dayton Elementary Principal Denise Smith and High School Principal Kristina Brown both gave reports during the Dayton School Board meeting last week. Sept. 19 was a late start day, and a trainer for the iReady assessment tool was on hand to help staff with the data, and how to use the software appropriately for assessing students in Reading and Math. Elementary Principal Denise Smith said the first benchmark testing for iReady is complete. “We are starting to dig into the data, to dev...
DAYTON—City Administrator Trina Cole told the Dayton City Council last week that her staff has been working to tie up “loose ends from the summer,” which includes the Washington Street FEMA project, and continuing work on the proposed water and sewer projects. Work also continues on the 2019 Preliminary Budget, she said. Cole said the city has just been approved for a $211,000 grant from the Regional Transportation Planning Organization, RTPO, for sidewalks on South 3rd Street, from Main Street...
DAYTON—The Dayton Historical Depot Society is inviting you to come out October 6, from 1 to 4 p.m., and take a tour of some of the beautiful historic homes in Dayton. “This year, a select group of four homes, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries has been chosen,” said Dayton Historical Depot Museum Director Tamara Fritze. “The homes showcase excellence in historic preservation and restoration, and creative modern interpretation of diverse architectural styles.” Fritze said the homes on th...
DAYTON-There is a for sale sign on Kathy and Craig George's lawn on S. 2nd St. in Dayton. Craig George has announced that he will resign his post early next year as Dayton's mayor. He told The Times that he and his wife, Kathy, will be moving to Tucson, Ariz., to enjoy the health benefits of living in a drier climate. He said they are in the process of having a home built in the gated community of Saddle Brooke Ranch, north of Tucson. "This is the first time we have really bought anything for...
DAYTON-Are you interested in bird watching, hiking, fishing, geocaching, sewing, canning, or playing the ukulele? Are your children interested in fossils, rocks and minerals, human anatomy, bugs, butterflies, chemistry, forensic, microscopes, or something called Ozobots? All you need is to be is 18 or older and possess a valid library card to participate in a new program at the Dayton Memorial Library called Library of Things. The Library of Things contains kits for children and backpacks for ad...
DAYTON—Topics of discussion at last week’s meeting of the Dayton School Board included how to tackle the district’s budget deficit for the 2018-19 school year, as well as a facilities update, athletic combine update and enrollment update. Budget Superintendent Doug Johnson said because budgeted expenditures exceed revenue by $225,000, the district will need to consider implementing cost savings in order to maintain its financial health. Johnson and the Board will take a “deeper dive” at the October 3rd workshop meeting. The elementary and high...
DAYTON-It will take teamwork between Elsie Mann and her horse, and the support of a community of caring people, for this 12-year-old barrel racer to achieve her dream of qualifying for Junior National Finals Rodeo. Mann, of Dayton, and her parents, Jeni Ritchie and Christian Mann, have been working to help her achieve that goal since she climbed aboard her first pony, Annie, at the tender age of 2 ½. It was then that she ran her first barrel race, at the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse...
