Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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The secret garden is teeming with life!...
DAYTON—Columbia County is one of five counties in Washington that has been approved to move from Phase I to Phase II of Governor Jay Inslee’s Phased Approach for Reopening Washington Plan. Eligible businesses on the list for Phase II may open only after the state publishes its guidelines for that specific sector. The state is working to complete the guidelines and will publish each of them as they are finalized. Individual businesses are allowed to reopen when they have the ability to imp...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg residents’ participation rate in the 2020 census is in the lower half for all of Washington state. So far only 40 percent of town residents have completed the survey. If you haven’t filled out a census form yet, go online and let’s get Waitsburg’s participation up to 100 percent! The Census Bureau resumed field operations in the state on Monday, May 11. Census workers will resume delivering invitations and questionnaires to households that did not receive them before field operations were suspended in March. Census wo...
WAITSBURG-Twelve hundred is a big number, especially when it is the 'projects completed and donated' tally. That is the number of cloth face masks that Skip and Lois Winchester, of Waitsburg, have sewn with the help of a few family members. Now, they are asking for the community's help finding elastic for the last 200 or so masks. "It's been a lot of fun," said Lois. "The family time has been very nice, especially during these times." Lois, who is a sewer by trade, said that the roughly 1,400 ma...
The results of 38 pending COVID-19 test results from workers and inspectors at the Wallula, WA Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. plant will be released later this week, according to an email from the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health on Monday, May 11. The last update from the DCH about the plant dated May 4, 2020 reported that 1,258 Tyson employees and 19 USDA inspectors have been tested, 1,239 test results have been received and 147 workers have tested positive. Workers at the plant reside in multiple counties including Walla Walla,...
WALLA WALLA—In observance of Memorial Day, the grounds at Mountain View Cemetery will be open to the public from dawn until dusk on May 22-25. Due to COVID-19, below are a few considerations for those planning to visit on Memorial Day weekend; • Visitors are asked to strictly observe social distancing requirements while at the Cemetery. • Families are encouraged to use the online burial service to locate those memorialized at the Cemetery. This tool can be found on the City’s website at wallawallawa.gov. • Those planning to visit the Cemetery...
DAYTON—The Dayton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted on May 6 to cancel All Wheels Weekend, the 26th annual car show scheduled for Father’s Day Weekend, June 19-21. The decision to cancel was based on concerns over bringing large crowds into the community during the four-phase reopening of businesses due to the coronavirus pandemic. “It would not be wise or socially responsible to bring large crowds from outside into our community right now,” said Board Director Bette Lou Crother...
DAYTON—The Dayton Memorial Library is undertaking the initial collection, maintenance, and eventual archive of accounts of coronavirus in Columbia County. The purpose of this Community Memories Project is to encourage agencies, organizations, and individuals to document their actions and experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak. Caitlyn Dare, a staff member at the library, is asking for submissions of poetry, prose, diary entries, photographs, music, art, memes, videos, data collection, or any other medium that can be stored digitally. ...
OLYMPIA—Gov. Jay Inslee announced the launch of a statewide contact tracing plan on Tuesday, May 12 that will allow more businesses to open and more people to be active in public while helping to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19. “Contact tracing is another tool in our toolbox for tackling COVID-19 in Washington,” Inslee said. “While we need to continue physical distancing, this will allow us to get a better handle on who gets sick and how the virus is spread, which is vital to re-opening our economy.” Local health departments will lead...
CAMP MURRAY, Wash.-On Monday, May 12, Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved applications from Wahkiakum, Skamania, and Stevens counties to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's Safe Start plan. This brings the total to eight counties. Last week, Secretary Wiesman approved variances for Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry and Pend Oreille counties. Businesses in the counties approved to move into Phase 2 must wait to reopen until guidance has been released for their industry...
OLYMPIA—Unemployed workers throughout Washington will get jobs to help the state address and recover from the COVID-19 disaster, receive training for in-demand careers and get targeted help with their job search. The $12 million disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Labor also will help the state’s workforce system adapt to providing services virtually during and after the pandemic. The grant will: Place laid-off workers into jobs to respond to or mitigate effects of the COVID-19 disaster, including positions in emergency man...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg Elementary will hold Kindergarten and Preschool registration for the Fall of 2020 on Monday, May 18th. There will be a drive thru station to pick-up registration packets from 8 a.m. to noon. The registration drive thru will be in the bus zone at the elementary school building. There will be another drive thru for drop-off of registration packets from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, June 8th. All children who turn five, on or before, August 31 and live within the Waitsburg School District boundaries are eligible to register for Kin...
CAMP MURRAY, Wash.—Immunization rates among children appear to be dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic. This leaves children and communities at risk. Providers in Washington’s Childhood Vaccine Program reported a 30 percent decrease in vaccinations for March and potentially a 42 percent decrease in April as data continue to be reported. The amount of vaccine ordered by providers in March also fell both in Washington state and nationwide. “We are concerned that babies and kids aren’t getting all the vaccines they need to protect them,...
Exploring the outdoors feeds our souls and helps keep us healthy, when done responsibly. Yet, as we begin to once again enjoy these benefits, we must keep the wellbeing of all of us in mind. For several weeks, Washington residents have put protecting their families and communities above enjoying our natural landscapes. As leaders in Washington’s outdoor recreation community, we want to say thank you for this sacrifice. Fortunately, as Washington’s state-managed lands, including parks, forests, natural and wildlife areas, begin to reopen for...
April 15 Malicious Mischief investigation in Waitsburg at 137 Main Street, Waitsburg, WA. April 21 Residential burglary that occurred sometime over the last week at an address in the 17000 block of E. HWY 12, Waitsburg, WA. May 5 Someone illegally dumped a bunch of garbage in between the old barracks at the Airport, 180 E. Lear Ave., Walla Walla County. May 6 A man and his wife were attacked by their own dogs at an address in the 500 block of Gose Street in Walla Walla County. May 8 A compound bow was located in the back of a pickup truck, on...
May 14: Daniel Thomas Reese, Marge Tabor, Maggie Pietila, Lynna Larsen, Lee Fisk, Marilyn Robert, Barbara Wood, Suzie Payne, Debbie Fisher, Brian McKenzie and Alison Huwe. May 15: Pete Rohde, Charlie McCown, Tiffney Hawks, Bryce Scott and Ron Standring. May 16: Gladys Cadruvi, Helen Hall, Bobbie Jean Thomas, Sherrie Land, Genny Menino. May 17: William Keith, Sally Geiger, Kurt Wittman, Elizabeth Mech, Eric Keith, Drew Bennett and Janelle Meier, Jimmy Dunleavy. May 18: Becky Hodges, Dinah Lindsey, Virginia Reece, Vicki Ruley, Tessa Dutton,...
"Sometimes it takes more faith when there is no miracle." -Author unknown SPOKANE-Former Waitsburg resident Whitney Marie Baker, 35, of Spokane Valley, died May 7, 2020, at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. She was born March 26, 1985, in Walla Walla, to Loyal and Kathy (Berry) Baker. Her first days involved hospitalization at Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle due to medical complications following her birth. She was later diagnosed with a deletion and duplication of chromosome 22q... Full story
DAYTON—The filing period for all Columbia County offices up for re-election this fall ends on May 15 at 4 p.m. Open offices include Columbia County Commissioner District No. 1, and Columbia County Commissioner District No. 2, along with Precinct Committee Officers. Candidates seeking to file must observe the social distancing of six feet while in the county auditor’s office. The auditor’s office is located on the second floor of the County Courthouse at 341 East Main Street. May 18 at 4:30 is the final day for a candidate to withdraw from...
I know that we cannot remain a "sheltered at home" state forever; so I need to start facing reality. I am not usually a procrastinator, but since sheltering, I have seen a definite change in my behavior. Since I know I will be home all day again tomorrow, what's the rush? The dirty laundry will still be dirty, the dust will only have grown (like my grey hair) and my windows will still be foggy. Today is Monday, and the start of a new week; thoughts of my mother came flashing into my head. She...
Finals are over. I'm done. I'd say I'm "finally" done, but that just feels like a bad pun even though I didn't intend it as one and-ugh. Forget it. Finals are over. If you can't tell from that car crash of an opening paragraph, I'm still a bit burnt out from last week's academic shenanigans. To be sure, my mental acuity is improving-I can more or less carry on a conversation now and I've stopped drooling on my shirt-but it's going to take me a bit to get back to normal. And with my luck, by the...
(On The Road Part Three) We all travel for many different reasons, but one defining feature for any type of travel, whether for business, pleasure or pure adventure, is that it breaks you out of your day-to-day routines. If you work at home, and your family basically consists of your spouse and a dog, as ours does, then travel will throw a monkey wrench into just about everything. One big reason for Cookie’s initial displeasure upon embarking (pun intended) on her first big road trip was this t...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County commissioners met with fairgrounds General Manager Bill Ogg last Friday to discuss the viability of the 2020 Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days amid the pandemic. Roughly 30 events scheduled at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds have been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in more than $30,000 in revenue loss. Commissioners are concerned that, if the fair goes on as scheduled, the event may not be successful enough to cover expenses. Fair M...
When the Times last wrote about the Liberty Theater in Dayton, we described the efforts and planning that went into the staging of their celebratory 20th anniversary variety show. Set to open on Friday, March 20, 2020, the event was sadly derailed by the coronavirus. The program was to feature favorite musical numbers from the Touchet Valley Arts Center's live theater productions over the past 20 years and was being directed by Peggy and Cara James. Since that time, theater staff and board have...
DAYTON—Most of us are acquainted with the five stages of grief, which are; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, and most of us have experienced grief, firsthand, through the loss of a job, the loss of financial security, the end of an important relationship, or through the death of a loved one. Can the feelings we are experiencing about the reality of COVID-19 be thought of as a grief reaction? Chrisann Christensen, the Clinical Director at Blue Mountain Counseling thinks so, a...
A group of 60-80 people gathered in downtown Walla Walla on Sunday, May 10 in protest of Gov. Jay Inslee's 'Stay Safe, Stay Home' proclamation. Organizer Kevin Davis of Dixie, WA spoke to those assembled using a loud speaker, warning that the partial shutdown of the local economy unfairly favored some businesses over others. Most who participated chose not to wear masks or observe six feet of social distancing space. Drivers passing by honked their horns and waved, receiving waves in return...
