Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 106
WALLA WALLA—The COVID-19 outbreak in our area has risen sharply over the past week, with 92 confirmed cases in Walla Walla County as of May 5 at 11 a.m. This is an increase of 35 cases from April 27. Walla Walla County experienced the first loss of life to the virus, when it was reported that a hospitalized local man passed away on May 4. He was in his late 70s with underlying health conditions. The Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. plant in Wallula, WA is among many other agribusiness plants across the country who are seeing spikes of the infection. Wit...
Visits to the emergency rooms have declined in Walla Walla county and across Washington since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Overall, the number of people coming to the Emergency Department are down significantly. On an average, pre-pandemic day, the Providence St. Mary Medical Center Emergency Department sees between 80 and 100 patients. Currently, it is seeing from 40 to 50,” said Kathleen Obenland, Director of Communications for Providence. “A concerning trend we are seeing are people with serious medical emergencies, such as stroke or heart...
Grocery stores and their employees have become front-line services in these stay-at-home times. The Waitsburg Grocery Store on Main Street has been busy during the quarantine. Supply-chain challenges, stocking products customers are used to, and increased delivery and curbside service has required long work weeks from owner Jamie McMillen-Smit. One of her first supply issues involved the price of eggs, which at one point reached three dollars a dozen while McMillen-Smit's cost was $3.21 a dozen....
Tyson Fresh Meats closed its Wallula plant on Friday, April 24 to begin working with the Walla Walla Department of Community Health (DCH) to test all 1,400 employees for the COVID-19 virus. Over 110 workers have tested positive for the virus as of April 24. Nine employees who reside in Walla Walla County are among those who have tested positive. The Walla Walla Department of Community Health (DCH) obtained test kits from the State of Washington Department of Health (DOH). It will take about three days for test results to come back. Results will...
According to Associated Press reports, thousands of people gathered in Olympia, WA on Sunday, April 19 to protest Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Protesters could be seen holding signs that read “End the Shutdown” and “Give Me Liberty or Give me Covid 19”. In nearby Richland, WA, the Tri-Cities Herald and YakTriNews.com reported that hundreds of protestors of all ages lined George Washington Way in front of John Dam Plaza with signs, American flags, and bullhorns. Hundreds of protestor...
While at the time of this writing, there are only 37 cases of COVID-19 in Walla Walla County, I have been keeping pace with the spread of the outbreak by checking in with friends around the country. On my return from my recent trip to the Dominican Republic in late February, I had the opportunity to visit with some dear friends in Brooklyn, in Kings County, New York. As of Monday, April 20, Kings County, NY was second only to Queens County, NY for total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 34,476 cases and 2,606 deaths. My...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County health officials confirmed on April 12 that the local case count for COVID-19 has more than doubled in the past week. Twelve additional residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since Friday, April 3rd. This brings Walla Walla Counties case count to 21. Columbia County, as of April 12, still has one positive test-case for the coronavirus. Six of the Walla Walla County cases are from the Burbank/Wallula area and are related to a workplace exposure (see Tyson Fresh Meats). Five of Walla Walla County cases are f...
WALLA WALLA—In 2019, 326 women and 174 children spent a total of 8,268 nights of rest in Walla Walla YWCA Domestic Violence shelters. Additional support this organization provides individuals in Walla Walla and Columbia County include sexual assault counseling, legal assistance in completing protection orders and support for victims during legal proceedings. With Governor Inslee’s 'Stay Safe, Stay Home' declaration in place, area residents are finding themselves in their homes 24/7, and that has some serious implications for providers of dom...
WALLA WALLA—An anonymous Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from twenty-three Blue Mountain region organizations have recently awarded grants of $99,000 to Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC); $14,460 to Providence St. Mary Foundation, and $25,000 to Project Timothy (Dayton). In disbursing resources from the Walla Walla Valley COVID-19 Response Fund, the committee prioritized local needs including food insecurity and hunger, homelessness, health and mental health. The BMAC food bank program, which includes Columbia and Garfield c...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School Superintendent Mark Pickel and Secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak met with their staffs on Monday, April 13 to discuss plans for a continuous learning model now that the schools will remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Grade 6-12 students will be moving to a remote, or digital learning model on April 27. Teachers at those grade levels will be presenting instruction via such platforms as Google Classroom and email. Until that time, the teachers have been connecting with their students t...
Columbia County's second largest employer and third-highest taxpayer began an orderly shutdown of its wheat-straw pulp mill on Sunday, March 29, and completed the suspension of operations on Tuesday, March 31. Although classified as a critical manufacturing facility according to Gov. Inslee's Stay Safe, Stay Home declaration, the Board of Managers decided to layoff 93 salaried and hourly workers, retaining only eight employees. "This action was taken to protect employees and their families and... Full story
The Board of Commissioners (BOC) for Waitsburg’s volunteer fire department, Columbia Walla Walla County Fire District #2, is advertising for the first paid Fire Chief position in the department’s history. The BOC is seeking a part time fire chief for the volunteer fire department. They are looking for an individual with a strong Emergency Medical Services background to serve the fire district which covers parts of both Walla Walla and Columbia County. The board hopes the new chief will be an effective leader to the department and com... Full story
When Governor Jay Inslee delivered his 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' declaration on March 13 announcing the closure of all public and private K-12 schools in Washington state, school leaders across the state were suddenly confronted with the problem of providing distance education to their varied students. Waitsburg Superintendent, and elementary school principal Mark Pickel reacted quickly, calling a stand-up meeting of all staff that afternoon. His elementary staff spent the upcoming weekend preparing “binders, packets and folders for six w... Full story
WALLA WALLA—The Blue Valley region is fortunate to have an option for an additional temporary inpatient hospital should there be a surge in hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providence St. Mary Medical Center has been working 12-hour days for the past three weeks to prepare the former Walla Walla General Hospital building at 1025 S. Second Ave. in Walla Walla to receive patients. The temporary hospital is located at the Providence Southgate Medical Park and will be an extension o... Full story
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Waitsburg Resource Center (Food Bank), is working to ensure that their volunteers and neighbors (clients) are all safe. As a result, they are currently open on Thursday afternoon from 2-4 p.m. Items are pre-bagged now, and the Resource Center will not be observing weight restrictions based on the number of people in each family group at this time. Neighbors will not be allowed in the building for self-selecting items. Neighbors are asked to wait outside on the s...
Ballots are in the mail for Waitsburg’s next City Council and Mayoral election. Although current councilmember Kate Hockersmith is listed as a candidate for Mayor, at the March 18 City Council meeting Hockersmith announced that she was taking herself out of the race and was throwing her support behind current Mayor, Marty Dunn. “Mayor Marty Dunn and I have been working together for four years and I feel very confident with the current city leadership. We are lucky to have a talented group of citizens returning to and running for City Cou...
Mayor Marty Dunn is once again up for re-election as mayor. Dunn, who has served on council since the early 2000s and served as mayor from 2004-2007 and 2016-present is running against Debra Callahan. When asked about Waitsburg's recent flood event, Dunn credited the City's Flood Response plan, the fact that the Main Street bridge had been replaced, and that the dike at the fairground area had been armored with helping to limit the damage to the town. "We still have more work to do, hopefully we...
The Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District #2 held their monthly meeting last Wednesday. Topics on the agenda included the hiring of a designer for a new, more user friendly website for the district, the announcement of a schedule for training events to be held in Waitsburg, the continuing discussion about the scope of the Fire Chief position, and the completion of the first Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) ‘mini grant.’ Commissioner Randy Charles of Waitsburg, stated that the gra...
Have you ever had a song grab you by the ears? I remember the moment I first heard the North Carolina group The Avett Brothers, (TAB) on a dark Thursday night in November listening to DJ Greg Vandy's (online) radio show The Roadhouse on kexp.org. Featuring traditional bluegrass instrumentation, with an undercurrent of punk energy, the song was "Shame" from the Avett Brothers fifth independent release, Emotionalism. It had a propulsive beat and haunting lyrics and was located firmly in my...
Dayton's Liberty Theater and the Touchet Valley Arts Council (TVAC) presents Memories the 2020 Variety Show on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at libertytheater.org. This dynamic event will feature musical numbers from 18 of the Theater's previous shows, with performers young and not quite so young, including eight-year-old Kayla Kuykendall and veteran performer Jack McCaw, a spritely 93. The show this year is being...
I had lost my sew-jo. That's the urge to get in there, pick a quilt pattern, sort through your fabric stash, start ironing and cutting, get ready to piece it all together, all the steps to start a new quilt. Life stresses, motherhood, a couple of bouts of illness, and the weeks turned into months where I hadn't started a quilt project. I'd maybe take a spin or two through Pinterest, to see what quilt ideas I had liked in the past, admired them, remembered why I liked them, and then turn off the...
The Walla Walla Church of Christ reached out to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc. for assistance and the nonprofit organization sent a semi-truck full of flood relief supplies from Nashville, Tenn. The supplies arrived in Waitsburg on Monday, Feb. 17. Two volunteers drove 2,200 miles with the supplies valued at $72,000. Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort immediately responds to any major disaster in the continental United States. They contact the leadership of local...
A special meeting was held prior to the regular City Council meeting on February 19, to address community responses to the recent flood of February 7. About 35 people attended, along with City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe and the City Councilmembers. Pastor Matt Wyatt of the Waitsburg Christian Church described his efforts which included helping organize the Waitsburg Flood Relief Committee. He thanked committee members; Margie Benson; food preparation, Jillian Henze; communications, Bryan...
Team Rubicon (TR), a veteran-led disaster response organization, is on the ground in Waitsburg. Team Rubicon focuses on serving vulnerable and at-risk populations affected by disaster. Formed in 2010 by Marine Corps veterans Jake Wood and William McNulty in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the name comes from the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" from a Julius Caesar battle, and refers to any group committing itself to a risky course of action. Initially requested by Umatilla County...
In action since early Friday morning on February 7, Pastor Matt Wyatt of the Waitsburg Christian Church has been leading the 'spontaneous volunteers' of Waitsburg to assist residents with the many needs following last week's flood. On Sunday, Feb. 9, a group of Waitsburg citizens formed the Waitsburg Flood Relief Committee which has been driving the many volunteer and supply efforts since then. Margie Benson, Jillian Henze, Bryan Martin, Joy Smith, Brian Treadway and Pastor Matthew Wyatt are...
