Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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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...
DAYTON – In January, Robert Bryant marked 40 years of car repair experience as he celebrated Dayton Auto Repair's fifth anniversary. He and his wife Shelli opened the shop at 218 W. Main in January 2019. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than forty percent of Washington's small businesses that opened in 2019 were still in business five years later in 2023. Bryant said he considered himself fortunate to have beaten the odds, especially opening shortly before the s...
WAITSBURG-Present for Waitsburg City Council's regular meeting on January 17 were Mayor Marty Dunn and council members Kevin House, Jim Romine, Jillian Henze, and Randy Charles. Due to an injury, new member Jennifer Bishop attended by Zoom. During public comment, Kate Hockersmith told the council that she hoped to use the fairgrounds for an annual youth bluegrass festival beginning with a one-day event this summer. She would not use the grandstands the first year but encouraged the city to prese...
WAITSBURG-Future Farmers of America (FFA) is one of the largest student-led organizations in the U.S. According to the National FFA website, there are almost 950,000 middle and high school students and 9,163 chapters across America, including Waitsburg's Student Chapter (WA0126). To every student, FFA is a unique experience. "FFA created a second family for me," said Alyssa Hollingsworth, vice president of the local chapter. "I've learned how to just be normal again, if that makes sense, like...
WAITSBURG – The Weller Library Board of Trustees met for its monthly meeting on January 9. Present were Chair Marie Gagnon, Rebecca Wilson, Sherri Erikson, Beka Compton, Library Supervisor Sarah Roberts, and City Council representative Jillian Henze. Vice-Chair Jim Leid was absent. Roberts reported that community members and participating businesses expressed appreciation for the StoryWalk program held in December, while the library saw increased foot traffic and book circulations during the m...
WAITSBURG & DAYTON — On December 27, Abby Grende, an advocate for Waitsburg Little League parents, met with Snake River Little League (SRLL) President Jessica Ruffcorn and Little League District Representative Brennan Moore to discuss a potential contract for 2024. The three-year contract, approved at the Waitsburg City Council meeting on December 20, allows SRLL to use the Waitsburg Fairgrounds ballfields beginning with the 2024 Little League season. Grende said the terms of the agreement w... Full story
WAITSBURG — Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District Commissioners met at Ten Ton Coffee on January 4 for its first regular meeting of the new year. The newly installed commissioners Curtis Lysher and Holly Lachowicz took their oaths of office. Commissioners Bart Baxter, Wendy Carter, and Beth Daves were all in attendance. Waitsburg City Council member Jillian Henze told the commissioners that $5,000 for the development of a dog park was included in the approved 2024 city budget. The exact l...
DAYTON-American Legion Frank E. Bauers Post No. 42 in Dayton is looking to begin a new chapter at a time when at least one in 10 persons living in Columbia County is a United States military veteran. Post Commander Tim Hollingsworth of Waitsburg took over the role last fall. He served in the Washington Army National Guard for 20 years. His wife, Brandi, served eight years. She now serves as Treasurer of Post No. 42. "We want this to be a time for reinvigorating our post," said Hollingsworth....
DAYTON - When Dayton resident Denise Lane took her first trip to Nepal last year, she hoped to learn about effectively delivering medical and therapeutic care to some of the world's poorest people. She's still learning. Lane is Columbia County's only acupuncture practitioner. She's been at it for 13 years, the last five at the Therapy and Wellness department at Columbia County Health System's hospital in Dayton. This year, she has expanded her practice by offering services in Waitsburg at Blush... Full story
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...
DAYTON - The Touchet Valley has a new source for fresh "low-and-slow" Memphis-style barbeque with a New York twist. R and B BBQ opened its doors at 232 East Main Street in Dayton on December 8 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Owner Rex McNicol was on hand during a recent lunch-hour visit to give a tour. McNicol says he began slow cooking 16 years ago and entered competitions four years ago. "If we won top prize, we'd still make more money off vending than we did the prize itself," he...
WAITSBURG – In the late afternoon of November 29, Waitsburg was the scene of a vehicle accident on the north side of town following a 20-mile police pursuit by Walla Walla Police. The suspects' vehicle, a motorhome, damaged three power poles near the intersection of Preston Avenue (Highway 124) and Coppei Avenue (Highway 12.) The motorhome landed in a lot across from Preston Park, ending the chase. It left Main Street commercial and residential customers in the dark for several hours. The pursui...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's Friends of the Pool with Rural Youth Enrichment Services (RYES) hosted a Pool Kick-off celebration and fundraiser at the Royal Block Wine Bar on Thursday, November 16. The event featured a silent auction, Walla Walla DJ music, and Daniel Rossi catering. Pool Committee member Wendy Carter and Waitsburg Mayor Marty Dunn made speeches on the efforts to build a public pool in the city. Jesse Brown was recognized for her ideas and energy in making the well-attended event...
WAITSBURG— All members were present at a meeting of the Waitsburg School Board on Wednesday, November 15. Secondary Principal Joe Wirtzberger reported that he was pleased with the district’s overall full-time enrollment attendance rates. However, the high school’s junior class is currently under expectations, with half of that class under a 90% attendance rate. He said that the administration will continue to look at ways of improving that statistic. Wirtzberger reported that the Preston Hall...
I've had a lot of time to rest and heal following a traumatic injury. After a while, it gets hard to rest unless you can keep your mind occupied. One bed-rest activity I found is a computer adventure platform game called "Gris." It was released in 2018 by Spain's Nomada Studio. The name "Gris," Spanish for gray, is the name of the character you inhabit throughout the game. I typically don't have time for gaming besides the occasional Sudoku or crossword while waiting in a doctor's office. The...
If the vision that launched Lions Club International (LCI) in 1917 still applies to local Lions Clubs across America, it surely applies to the Waitsburg Lions Club. Formed in 1940 as a chapter of LCI, Waitsburg's Lions have been a stable element of social life and community service for 83 years, something not to be taken for granted. The club and others, including the Freemasons, Eastern Star, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), and Kiwanis, support community life and friendship,...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Council member Jillian Henze and her older sister, Alison Beaudry, are golfing buddies. They play together about once a month every year during golf season. It’s a bonding time for them but it has a competitive side. “She has always been able to outdrive me,” Henze explains. “She would hit the ball much harder than me, but it’s usually off in the trees somewhere. I can hit the ball straight, but it takes me two hits to get the distance she can get in one.” Henze has bee...
DAYTON – The Kiwanis Club of Dayton, Washington, celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. The group was first organized at the Dayton Hotel on October 19, 1922. Like many fraternal organizations that started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kiwanis is organized around chartered local groups connected functionally and financially to an international governing body. Kiwanis International, established in 1915, states its mission as "dedicated to improving the world one child and one c...
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...
DAYTON - Waitsburg's Natalie Knudson, a freshman at Walla Walla High School, has been dancing since age four. Erika Greenup, recently of Dayton, has been sewing since age six. Her husband, Devin, had a knack for contorting his face in all sorts of funny ways. His parents called him the next Jim Carrey. These are the new directors who are working hard on this fall's Touchet Valley Arts Council (TVAC) production of "The Little Mermaid," scheduled for a 13-show run beginning November 9 at the...
WAITSBURG—As luck would have it, the timing of a recent call to Waitsburg’s Deanna Coulston was almost perfect. Getting in touch with Coulston to talk about the P.E.O Sisterhood (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Chapter BE revealed that the local group will celebrate 100 years of existence in May 2024. “This is great!” Coulston said in a recent interview. “Our chapter started in 1924, and we’ll soon be starting to make plans for how to celebrate next year.” Waitsburg’s Sisterhood has...
PRESCOTT-The Touchet Valley Aquacize group held its season-end luncheon at the Tuxedo Bar & Grill in Prescott on Thursday, August 31. Group coordinator Carol Anderson reported that this was the seventh summer of the group's water exercise and lap-swim activities at Prescott Pool. Twenty-two women and two men participated this year, totaling 432 "swim visits" by the group. Adult men and women of all ages are welcome to join; regular swim fees apply. Anderson says the lifeguards provided by the...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's new school chief doesn't see himself as a "top-down" kind of administrator. Think of him as being more of a round-table man. Woods came to Waitsburg from the East Wenatchee School District, where he served as the middle school Assistant Superintendent and Special Education Director for 900 students. He earned a bachelor's degree from Montana State University. His master's degree and principal and superintendent certifications came from Washington State University. He is...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg City Council convened at city hall for its regular meeting on August 16, 2023. Present were Mayor Marty Dunn, council members Randy Charles, Jillian Henze, Court Rupenthal, Jim Romine, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe, and city attorney Jared Hawkins. City attorney Jared Hawkins was also present. Member Kevin House was absent. Hinchliffe gave an update on the city's Public Hearing Capital Facilities Plan. Hinchliffe said there are minor updates from last year. The council...
PRESCOTT—On Saturday, August 26, the Prescott Pool will celebrate its 65th year with an all-day public party at the Prescott Pool. Built by the Prescott School District in 1958, the district operated the pool for 23 years until it could not continue funding. In 1981, Prescott voters approved the creation of a junior taxing district for parks and recreation. The Prescott Joint Parks and Recreation (PJPR) operates the pool and maintains park grounds with funds from an annual Maintenance and O... Full story
