Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG-A small herd of whitetail deer swam across the Touchet River on a sunny January afternoon, before running along the levee at the north end of town. What was once a grassy, hard-to-enjoy path has been transformed into a wide walkway, as excavators made necessary levee repairs. Enjoy Waitsburg's walkability, check out the local wildlife, and get some fresh air. Remember to leash your pups, and be sure to remain physically distanced if you cross paths with other walker...
WAITSBURG—The Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 (CWWCFD2) Board of Commissioners met on January 13, 2021, via Zoom call. More than 20 community members, commissioners, and volunteers logged in to attend the meeting on Zoom. Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 commissioners are Chairman Jake Long, Randy Farley, Randy Charles, Deb Fortner, and Bruce Abbey. Anne Higgins serves as the District Secretary. All commissioners were present, with the exception of Commissioner Deb F...
DAYTON—When it comes to COVID-19, the Times tries its best to deliver up to date, factual information, but it is hard to keep up when the data changes so quickly. Take the information released to the public, over the last couple of weeks, from the Columbia County Public Health Department and officials in charge of the vaccination process here in Columbia County. On Thursday, Jan. 7, the Times reported that COVID-19 vaccinations would be administered through a phased approach from the Centers for...
DAYTON- In a press release on Tuesday afternoon, Columbia County Health System (CCHS) CEO Shane McGuire said Governor Jay Inslee had expanded the B1 group to include all people aged 65 or older and 50 years or older in multigenerational households. Inslee permitted community health systems to begin widescale vaccination of this phase in addition to expanding the group. The number of people in this category for the Hospital District is approximately 1,300 people. CCHS has already started... Full story
OLYMPIA—As part of a new plan to increase the number of Washington residents vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, Governor Inslee Monday announced changes to state infrastructure for increased vaccinations. To assist with the administration of vaccine doses currently on hand, the Department of Health (DOH) will coordinate volunteer vaccinators in Spokane, Kennewick, and Bellevue. It will connect all vaccine administrators across the state to assess where additional assistance is needed to reach the new goal of 45,000 Washingtonians v... Full story
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla Community College is recruiting area students and parents for its American Dream Academy. This program prepares families with little or no higher education experience to successfully manage their students’ transition from high school to college. WWCC offers a series of five free classes designed to provide all the information students need to make college a reality. These half-hour to 45-minute sessions will be offered online over Zoom beginning Feb. 1 through Feb. 5. The evening sessions will be offered concurrently in...
WALLA WALLA—The housing crisis in the Walla Walla region has reached a tipping point. Thankfully, this problem is not unique to the region. With a decrease in affordable housing across the nation, community-based groups have been experimenting with creative solutions to alleviate the problem. These efforts to provide access to safe, comfortable housing to low and middle-income families have led the charge for communities like ours. In 2018, the Walla Walla Community Council (WWCC) recognized t...
Change is the only thing permanent in the world since the beginning of time. Though not popular or easy, it can be progressively profitable. Absolute honesty and unselfishness are usually the missing factors omitted from decisions made in secrecy. Discharging Fire Chief Michael Moynihan is a blemish on the character of Waitsburg’s “One of a Kind” pride. It must be challenged. Sincerely, Phillip Monfort Waitsburg... Full story
Before (left) and after (right) photos of levee repair along a section of the Touchet River. This area, which runs parallel to Willard Street, sustained significant damage in February, 2020. Enough bank was washed away during the flooding that old train trestles were exposed, leaving the bank and property above extremely vulnerable....
DAYTON—Mayor Zac Weatherford talked about mitigating damages to the Dayton portion of the levee caused by the 2020 February flood in his report to the Dayton City Council last week. There are three projects which will be done in the spring and summer months, he said. The projects include; the Front Street Bridge Rip Rap Replacement Project and removal of less than 50 cubic yards of sediment from the Touchet River, the North First Street Rip Rap Replacement Project, and repairs to the damaged s...
Robert Edwin Newbury passed away on the evening of January 4, 2021, after a long and excruciating battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis. For a man enduring unimaginable pain and suffering each day, he was incredibly caring, thoughtful, and loving. Bob had an amazing sense of humor and loved nothing better than to bring a smile to anyone's face, no matter how his own day was going. Bob was a miracle. He was sustained by the love and devotion of his wife Clarece Elaine Newbury who gave her all to... Full story
Roy Allen Shea, passed away Thursday, January 14, 2021 at Booker Annex Rest Home in Dayton, WA. He was 90 years old. Roy was born April, 7, 1930 in Dayton to Clarence Shea and Olga McCauley Shea. He was the oldest of four boys born to the couple. When their parents divorced in 1940, all of the young boys moved in with their grandparents, Thomas and Bertha Shea. They were raised at the family home on 4th street. Roy graduated from Dayton High School in 1948. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served during the Korean conflict in Radar Gunner... Full story
Now in the heart of winter in the Blue Mountains, the days are short and wet in the wheat country and snowy in the higher timber. Aside from the usual chores neglected over autumn and the holiday season, staying active is important to ward off the suffocating clutches of cabin fever and depression in our short and sometimes foggy days of the early calendar year. Of the myriad ways to entertain oneself, the most popular outdoor activities are rather obvious. Ski Bluewood is a prime option. But...
I've known Roz Edwards for almost thirty years. I've also known how fun storytelling can be for kids and what she began to do when the world shut down with COVID-19 is a story I needed to hear. Edwards, like many grandparents, has always enjoyed reading to her grandchildren. In March, she read a book about Marco Polo to her youngest granddaughter, Margot, through Zoom. That month, schools went to distance learning, and she knew many kids weren't going to have that experience. It was also time fo...
Tampa Bay travels to Green Bay this week to determine who will represent the NFC in this year's Super Bowl. During Aaron Rodgers' storied career, it's easy to forget that he has played in and won the Super Bowl just once. It was back in the 2010-2011 season when he defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Rodgers has only made it to the Conference Championship game four times, in 2010, 2016 2019, and 2020. Tom Brady is 9-4 in Conference Championship games and is 6-3 in the Super Bowl. The...
So far, 2021 has done a fine job of proving itself. From national headlines to local weather, it has been textbook crazy. On January 13, an atmospheric river flooded over the Pacific Northwest, pelting residents with extreme winds and heavy rains. The weather triggered landslides that eventually closed I-84. Data provided by the U.S Weather Service (USWS) Pendleton showed gusts peaking at 70 mph in Walla Walla. Data specific to Waitsburg was unavailable, as there is not a USWS in the area. Some...
A train derailed just outside of Waitsburg last Friday, along Bolles Road. It was a non-injury event, and crews were on site with cranes to lift the car back onto the track....
My “office” is a built-in desk located in an alcove upstairs in what is now our master bedroom. Next to our library, gym, and my staging area for Zoom business meetings, it’s a cozy little space. Zoom cocktail parties work on the couch or at the dining room table; but, when I have a Zoom business meeting, I strategically place the computer on a table in the library with our over-flowing bookshelves as a backdrop. Just like TV news reporters and politicians, it provides a perception of intel...
Ouch, Netflix opted to start 2021 a little harshly by removing The Office, all nine seasons of which have gone on to stream exclusively via Peacock, NBC’s new streaming platform. In its stead, Netflix has added new episodes of original series such as Disenchantment and pick-ups like Magicians. History of Swear Words (2021) is a solid comedic docuseries starring Nicolas Cage. The show delves deeply into the etymology of all the dirtiest expletives and digs into what makes them so satisfying to s...
PRESCOTT– Pasagna to Go, a Walla Walla based food truck, was in Prescott on January 16. According to posts on the Prescott Happenings Facebook page, organizers are already planning on a second food truck event....
Ten Years Ago January 20, 2011 Reid Helford, the popular and award-winning manager of the Liberty Theater, has announced his resignation and will leave his position by the end of April. When a building grows to be as old as the First Christian Church in Dayton, it collects stories. The 125-year-old structure has stood on the corner of Third and Park Streets in Dayton, overlooking the schoolyard across the street for so long, it has seen generations of Columbia County residents come forth into the world, mature to adulthood, and sometimes move...
All sorts of stories aim to explain how this dessert got its name, but we have not come to any consensus (according to Wikipedia, anyway). I’ve heard the pastries were invented by a shoemaker’s wife who stared down the cobblestone lane waiting for her sweet to return. She put together a smattering of sweet and tart fruits for her husband, the cobbler, to gobble. Similar desserts have been and are still called by various names such as tart, pie, etc., with only subtle differences between the...
AUBURN—Junior Achievement of Washington is partnering with the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the STEM Education and Innovation Alliance, and Career Connect Washington to launch the State of Innovation Challenge. This virtual, career-connected problem-solving challenge invites Washington state youth to design and share their solutions to some of the biggest issues Washington’s employers and communities are facing now. Issues including COVID-19, the state food supply, and creating sus...
A shout out to the friendly and fast response I received from City of Waitsburg’s public works specialists, Devin Griffen and Kyle Gradwohl. This morning, as the two city workers were attending to a repair on a Main Street sidewalk, I told them about a concern I had about water coming into the basement of my commercial building on Main St. More a soaking than a leaking, but disconcerting and new to the building. After they finished their work, they went back to the office and relayed my issue with Jim Lynch who immediately sent them back to c... Full story
