Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
A red-tailed hawk takes flight against smokey skies on August 10. Air quality in Waitsburg is expected to reach unhealthy levels on Thursday and Friday, before clearing up a bit for the weekend....
DAYTON—Washington state’s legislation on police reform went into effect on Sunday, July 25, and has left many police officials across the state without needed clarification. Concerns over changes to police response based on House Bill 1054 and House Bill 1310, sponsored by State Representative Jesse Johnson, were discussed at an August 2 Columbia County Commissioners meeting. The State Legislature passed the police accountability measures in response to national, state, and local calls to reform policing after the deaths of unarmed Black Americ... Full story
DAYTON—A question on the minds of many in our community is why the Columbia County Health System (CCHS) does not require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Back in January, CCHS employees took an internal survey to assess their receptivity to the vaccine. According to Stephanie Carpenter, COO, one-third said yes, they would. One-third said probably, but not now, and one-third said they would not get the vaccine. Last week, Carpenter said that currently, only a little over half o...
WALLA WALLA, WA—In response to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Walla Walla and the emergence of the Delta variant, the Walla Walla Department of Community Health (DCH) and community partners are staging a Vaccine Blitz. DCH will open several vaccine clinics around the county throughout the next week to make the vaccine more readily available to the community. The dates and times of each clinic are listed below, and on the county vaccine clinic website. • Wed., Aug. 11: Walla Walla Community College, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Wed., Aug. 11: Provi...
OLYMPIA—Washington State Department of Health advises the public to take precautions while enjoying water recreation this summer. Harmful algae blooms have been found in some Washington lakes and rivers. Algae blooms can vary in appearance but commonly look like pea soup or are blue-green or turquoise in color. Harmful algae bloom occurs when algae with toxic strains start to grow in freshwater or saltwater. Freshwater algae blooms caused by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are most common in lakes but can occur in rivers and streams with w...
Sherman was born in Chewelah, Washington, to Robert R. Thomas and Anna C. Thomas. He lost his fight against brain cancer on July 26, 2021, at the Booker Rest Home in Dayton, Washington. He peacefully went to sleep in his bed. Sherman attended school in Colville, Washington, until 1963 when the family relocated to Dayton, Washington. He graduated from Dayton High School in 1967. Sherman spent two years at the Yakima Valley Community College. In 1970 he enlisted into the Army Reserve. He received... Full story
Jay Edward Thomas, 67, of Waitsburg, Wash., died at his home on August 1, 2021, due to natural causes. He was born in Walla Walla on February 23, 1954, to Donald M. and Wilma Waggoner Thomas, of Waitsburg. As a youngster, he showed beef cattle as a 4-H member and later, Future Farmers of America (FFA). He attended Waitsburg Schools, graduating in 1972. After graduation, he joined his father in the family farming operation. He met Donna Anderson of Ellensburg, Wash., at a plowing bee and they... Full story
Bob Darrel McGhee passed peacefully at his home in Waitsburg on July 18, 2021. He was 80 years old. Bob was born in Walla Walla, to parents Fawn and Robert Mcghee on December 3, 1940, at the family home. He attended grade, middle and high school in Walla Walla. After high school, he joined the Army. Upon leaving the Army, he returned to Walla Walla where he met and married the mother of his children, Gail McGhee (Clayson). He then moved his young family to Pasco, Washington to attend Columbia Basin College. He graduated CBC with a degree in... Full story
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council human resources and financial committees met Monday, August 9 for a work session. Due to the nature of the meeting, no action was taken on any agenda item. The council will meet for a regular monthly meeting on August 11, at 6 p.m. Frustration was a shared feeling across the attendees, as requests for specific financial paperwork have continued to go unfulfilled. Council members said that they have been requesting clear, concise line items regarding salaries for c...
WAITSBURG—It was a balmy Waitsburg City Council workshop on August 9, but members were happy to meet for the first time at the future home of City Hall. Due to the nature of a council workshop, no action was taken on agenda items. The City of Waitsburg now owns the property at 106 Main, after approving the purchase in July. During the workshop on Monday, the council began the discussion about the need to remodel the building to make the space work for city employees and the public. Part of t...
DAYTON--Guy Strot sat down with me last week to talk about his first year as the Dayton School District Superintendent and Elementary School Principal and his thoughts about the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Just days after completing a 390-mile bike ride in California, from Crescent City to San Francisco, he said his legs were still a little sore. “It was a lot hillier than I thought. And of the 390 miles, there were 300 miles with no shoulder, ranging from a six-inch shoulder, and 100 m...
DAYTON-The smoke cleared, and the weather cooled down just in time for the annual Evening at the Depot on August 7. Raising more than $39,000, Depot Event Coordinator Shellie McLeod said that the event was the most successful fundraiser to be hosted by the Historic Dayton Depot. The event included dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction. This year, McLeod said that the items were available for online bidding before the event. "Something new this year- we included a Murder Mystery Dinner Par...
Amazon Original The Pursuit of Love, based on the 1945 novel by Nancy Mitford, is set in the short period of time between World War I and II. Tensions and prejudices were still ripe amongst older adults, but young women were eager and ready to start their own lives. Cousins Fanny (Emily Beecham) and Linda (Lily James) are as inseparable as they are opposite. Fanny is well-educated, reserved, and content with a stable, steady life, going on to marry the scholarly Alfred and starting her own...
Times traveler and musician, Homero Oryarce, posing with the Times in Seattle as he and his family make their way home to San Jose. Come back soon!... Full story
The U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team won its fourth straight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last week. They beat France 87-82 for the gold medal, avenging their opening game loss in pool play. Aside from Kevin Durant team USA didn’t have top NBA players on the squad as we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully, it is a reminder that basketball has become an international sport, and the NBA is filled with players from all over the world. The team for France had five active NBA players on it; fortunately for the U.S. team, none were among the top p...
LYONS FERRY—The eighth annual SWIM the SNAKE event will be held at Lyons Ferry Marina and Lyons Ferry State Park on Saturday, August 14, 2021, beginning at 11 am. In addition to the non-competitive, open-water swim, event organizers continue to hold a two-stage, competitive (or non-competitive) relay, paddling in a kayak or paddleboard (only) from Lyons Ferry Marina to Lyons Ferry State Park, across Lake Bryan on the Snake River. After arriving at Lyons Ferry State Park, paddlers can enter t...
I recently heard an interview on one of my favorite National Public Radio shows, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, with Dr. Ellen Stofan. She is currently the Under Secretary for Science and Research at The Smithsonian Institute and was previously the Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. The “panelists,” who are comedians, were quizzing her with their space related questions. They asked, “did Matt Damon return from Mars?” and “did we really land on the moon?” along with other profoun...
WAITSBURG-A perk to living in a small town like Waitsburg is being able to walk your dog in safety. However, the downside to living in a farming community is the inevitable encounters with wildlife. Recently, Waitsburg resident Laura Tolman has seen coyotes close to the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, where she brings Callie, her 80-pound Labrador/Malamute/Husky mix, to run off energy. "One stalked my dog and got within 10, 15 feet. Really close-scary close!" said Tolman. "It looked at me and wasn't a...
Ten Years Ago August 11, 2011 The Green Giant has a hole, a giant hole. It’s squarely in the center of his tunic, which the jolly big guy dons with wreath and leafy boots on the steep hill overlooking the edge of Dayton like the town’s own “Hollywood” sign. Gary Lowe wants to fill the hole and if you’re a strapping high schooler, he’ll want your help late next month to complete the green tunic on the football field-sized figure, marking the last phase of a project that started almost two decades ago. “We’ll finally be done,” said Lowe, an opt...
America has a love affair with cheeseburgers. From fast-food to fine dining, there are different versions of this national favorite in every region. Inspired by the bounty of green chilis ready for picking in my back yard, I found myself craving a burger with flavors of the desert Southwest. Opting for flavorful ground bison spiced with garlic and coriander, I created a green chili "special sauce" to compliment with just the right amount of heat. Creamy pepper jack cheese and smokey bacon were...
Included on my cookbook shelf is a small well-worn paperback copy of Elena's Secrets of Mexican Cooking by Elena Zelayeta. Originally published in 1958, this 1973 edition of the cookbook was a gift to my recently married parents from my father's sister, Vicki. The recipes inside are brief, easy to follow, and clearly designed for a mid-century American audience using mild, often canned, ingredients that were readily available in the grocery stores of the time. As an adult, my interest in the...
