Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Comet Neowise was discovered on March 27, 2020, by the infra-red Neowise telescope placed in orbit in 2009. It promises to be one of the more visible comets for viewing in a quite a while. A retrograde comet (it moves around the sun in the opposite direction of the Sun's rotation), Neowise orbits the sun once every 6,766 years - which means that no one will see it for a very long time. Don't miss it this time around if you want to see it! Comets are rather large frozen snowballs composed of...
WAITSBURG-If you need a good book this summer, look no further than the Weller Public Library. Librarian Rosie Warehime has gotten creative and with the help of her granddaughter/assistant, Jaidyn Brown has crafted a way to get books into readers' hands once again. Libraries across the nation have been closed since the coronavirus pandemic emerged earlier this year. Visitors are still unable to go in the building, so Weller Public Library is now offering curbside pickup for books, complete with...
DAYTON—The Port of Columbia Board of Commissioners is seeking interested candidates to submit applications to fill the District 1 position vacated by Dan Aschenbrenner. Dan and his wife have moved to a new residence in Columbia County that is not located in District 1. Commissioner Ashenbrenner was elected to the District 1 position last November. According to Port Executive Director Jennie Dickinson, Washington State RCW 42.12.070 states that the remaining commissioners of the Port District have 90 days to fill the vacant position with a q...
DAYTON—During their work session on Monday, the Columbia County Commissioners discussed whether to give county voters an opportunity to voice an opinion about creating a 51st state, called Liberty. Earlier this month Danette Bolyard, a spokesperson for the Liberty State Movement, presented the board with a petition signed by 30 people asking that an advisory vote be placed on this November’s general election ballot. Commissioner Chuck Amerein, who is in favor, said it can be viewed as a protest vote and would place the state legislature on not...
CLARKSTON, Wash.—Officials at Lower Granite Lock and Dam are closing dam crossings to the public for two weeks. The closure started on July 10, due to COVID-19 health concerns. Dam officials will provide an update status on crossings in about 14 days. Public dam crossings are still available at Little Goose Lock and Dam and Lower Monumental Lock and Dam. Travelers can call 1-888-DAM-INFO (1-888-326-4636) for the most current dam-crossing information....
DAYTON—A local favorite health and wellness center is reopening after a long COVID closure. VIVE is operated by Levi Sowerby, a health and wellness coach that provides customized plans to meet your goals. VIVE, located at 446 E. Main Street in Dayton opened again on Monday, July 13. Hours are Monday through Friday 6-8 a.m. and 4:30-7 p.m. Call (828) 989-1347 with any questions or visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/vivebody....
DAYTON—In an effort to raise needed funds for operations, the Dayton Historical Depot Society has adapted their Evening at the Depot fundraiser this year which complies with the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. This year’s event will consist of an online auction running July 25 - August 1, culminating with a fun Zoom event on the evening of August 1. The Society hopes to raise $40,000 with this event. The auction is open to everyone, buying an event ticket is not required to bid on this year’s items. While the auction is not open yet, infor...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School District Superintendent Mark Pickel held a second public input meeting on July 8 regarding the reopening of schools this fall. The virtual meeting was attended by 16 parents, guardians, and district staff members who had concerns and questions about the upcoming school year. The first public meeting held on June 30, was attended by four parents and caregivers. Superintendent Pickel started the second meeting by stating that all of the recommendations and guidelines t...
WALLA WALLA—Sherwood Trust is looking for community-minded leaders of all experience levels for its 2020 Community Leadership program. The no-cost program begins in September and culminates in the summer of 2021 with a collaborative project. The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2020. The Community Leadership Program has for 16 years strengthened local leadership and community-building abilities with a hands-on, interactive program to develop leadership and community-building skills for Walla Walla Valley residents. In collaboration with Rur...
DAYTON—Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson said the county’s unemployment rate held relatively steady, at 10.5 percent in May, compared to 10.4 percent in April. June rates are not yet available. The state unemployment rate dropped from 15.8 percent to 14.8 percent over the same period of time, she said. Additional emergency assistance is on the horizon to help local businesses and nonprofits. The Port will be the conduit for funds from three different sources. Dickinson sai...
Dear Editor: I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to attend the recent community event in Walla Walla that enabled local speakers to share their feelings about living in a racist society and was utterly impressed by the manner in which both presenters and other attendees respectfully treated one another. My experience has stayed with me and I have built upon it with conversations, readings, and exposure to history via other media. The willingness and capacity to listen to anybody with a very different story to tell are important attributes of matu...
I am writing in support of Mike Mitchell’s candidacy for Superior Court Judge. While the Superior Court Judges position is not on the primary, only on the general election ballot in November, many of us will be making our choices prior to that. I have known Mike for over 50 years, during which time he has been my attorney, a personal friend, and our family friend. I am supporting Mike, not because of our friendship, but because of his qualifications. He has been a criminal Prosecuting attorney, a criminal defense attorney, Mediator, A...
Dear Editor, We’re truly fortunate to have Danielle Garbe Reser running to represent the 16th Legislative District in the state senate. Danielle’s background and experience make her uniquely qualified for this position. She grew up in Moses Lake and earned a scholarship to Whitman College where she graduated with honors; she then attended Columbia University on full scholarship and earned her Masters in Public Administration. She served our country for 14 years with the U.S. State Department under both Republican and Democratic adm...
Dear Editor: With the August 4th primary election approaching I feel it is important that each voter examine the qualifications of the candidates and make a well-informed choice. As a taxpayer and resident of the 16th Legislative District for forty-seven years, I, along with the rest of the District, have been fortunate to have fiscally responsible elected officials throughout the years. Many of which have signed both sides of a paycheck and met that obligation with their own money. I feel very strongly that this single point should be a...
Dear Editor, In the course of her career with the U.S. Department of State under both Republican and Democratic administrations, Danielle Garbe Reser served the United States in a variety of roles. These roles included crisis management in response to both the Syrian war and the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002. As a diplomatic advisor to the U.S. Senate, Garbe Reser performed diligent work with the Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Returning to her Eastern Washington roots in 2015,...
Dear Editor: It was very disappointing to hear the first negative ad on the radio for this local election cycle. It was unclear whether it was supported by either the democratic candidate or the other republican in the race against Bill Jenkin but apparently someone is feeling threatened by him. To me that means he must be doing a good job. Jim Davison...
DAYTON—Dayton residents can phone the Dayton City Hall with non-emergency animal control complaints, and leave a message for staff in the city shops, who will be handling those calls said Mayor Zac Weatherford at last week’s meeting of the Dayton City Council, He said staff have been trained in handling those types of calls, and complaints will be investigated the following business day, including calls that come in after hours, or on weekends. The number to call direct is 382-4571. Wea...
Waitsburg School District’s board of directors spent last Tuesday at a three-hour-long retreat and training at the school’s library. The training was facilitated by Dr. William Jordan from Northwest Leadership Associates. Dr. Jordan has more than 50 years of educational experience, including serving as Walla Walla Public Schools superintendent, Prescott School District superintendent, and various educator positions. He is now a consultant at Northwest Leadership Associates. The board mem...
When I moved to Walla Walla just over two years ago, I knew little of wine. Family and friends assured me that would change. "Next thing you know, you'll have a cellar going," they said. Sure. At the time, I had an art major's experience with the everyday chardonnays and merlots that accompany gallery openings, most of which can be described as brassy and abrasive. Beyond that, I once tasted what I still consider to be the greatest wine ever, a 2000 Leonetti merlot aged fifteen years. Perfectly...
Although Mr. B will always be Number One among all of Cookie’s (surprisingly numerous) possessions, there is another favorite pastime, not involving the ball, which is tug-of-war. Our discovery of this was a late-breaking development. For many years Cookie showed zero interest in playing with anything other than Mr. B. Other types of balls were tried, to no avail. Small soft frisbees were tried – size appropriate – and Cookie, who can run, leap, twist and catch the ball on the fly, refus...
TVGC Secretary Jay Takemura said the Dayton Country Club hosted a very successful Second Annual Gene Crothers Memorial Golf Tournament at the Touchet Valley Golf Course, last Saturday. Takemura said thanks to the many donors, sponsors, and teams that participated and helped to make this a fun and successful event, over $13,000 was raised for the golf course irrigation project. Prizes were raffled off after the playoff and the following team winners were announced: Women's Division First Place:...
PRESCOTT—Pool Manager Kyra Hartley is happy to announce: “We hope to be open by the 23rd of July, I am very excited!” Due to the Stay Safe proclamation there will be some new rules at the pool: 1) all patrons must wear a mask when they are not in the water, 2) all staff will wear a mask unless they are on a high guard chair with a 6-foot perimeter, and 3) there can be no more than 25 people in the water at a time and no more than 5 in a section of the pool. Open Swim: The pool will be split into...
I would bet money that even Alan Turing couldn't solve the mystery of my Waitsburg garden. To say the least, this year has been an interesting experience trying to decode what grows, and why and where it grows. It will probably always remain an enigma to me. I planted eggplant from seed in a separate planter this year. I had three sprouts spring up and over the course of a week, one just wasn't making it, so I pulled it and let the other two flourish. We now have 2 very full and prolific zucchin...
So, you folks remember that writing contest thing at the law school I entered a couple months ago? Against all odds, I did well enough that I’ve got a new writing gig—Staff Editor at the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation. Don’t be too impressed. First of all, when I say against all odds, I mean against all odds. Really. I cried for about an hour straight after I turned in my finished product, finally calming myself down with the thought that my essay was bad enough to add some much-needed comic...
OUTSIDE-It's a tale as old as time: a spherical projectile thrust over a net and into the opposition's path is met and volleyed off at an angle. It's ping pong on a table, it's tennis (or pickleball, I guess) on a court, it's volleyball in the sand, it's Pong on a video game, but it is arguably best as badminton. Badminton takes a familiar concept and changes the pace of play with suspended animation achievable thanks to the aerodynamic quality of its shuttlecock, or birdie. Gameplay can be...
