Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG-United States Army First Sergeant Mitch Kriebel walked 150 miles last week, with a weighted rucksack on his back. Kriebel is the founder of Ruck for the Fallen, a non-profit organization that raises money to support families of fallen first responders and military personnel. The organization also helps veterans face mental, physical, and emotional health challenges by inviting them to participate in 'ruck challenges and races' sponsored by military units and donations. For the...
COLUMBIA COUNTY—The Board of Columbia County Commissioners has gone on record to let Washington State Governor Jay Inslee know they are displeased with the COVID-19 Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan. The Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan is using a regional approach for a phased recovery. The state has designated eight regions, with Columbia County part of the South-Central Region, Kittitas, Yakima, Walla Walla, Benton, and Franklin counties. All eight regions start...
DAYTON-Fourteen students in the Dayton School District received winter coats and snow boots purchased from generous donations from Homestreet Bank and the Grace Episcopal Church "We are so fortunate to live in a community where people notice a need and step in to fill it immediately," said Judi Pilcher, VP/Assistant Branch Manager at HomeStreet Bank....
WAITSBURG—Pastor Matthew Wyatt made a big announcement over the weekend. In August, Wyatt and his wife, Krystal, will be moving to South Padre Island, Texas, to plant a church. Currently, he knows nothing about the plan, including housing, building, income, funding, etc. And though an extremely difficult decision, he knows in his heart that it is the right decision. “We chose to say yes to Him despite the lack of details. We know He will reveal those when the time is right. Every question you...
WALLA WALLA-The Blue Mountain Land Trust Blues Crew exceeded its goal during its donation drive this year. Donations from a large number of supporting individuals was nearly doubled by the match from the All In Washington Fund that resulted in a total in excess of $46,000. The monies will be used to complete the purchase of equipment to support the grooming efforts at Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area and many other projects of the Blues Crew in the coming year....
COLUMBIA COUNTY—At its January 20 quarterly meeting, the Columbia County Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) workgroup unanimously voted to submit its 5-Year Report to the State Conservation Commission, asserting that work plan goals and benchmarks aimed toward the voluntary protection of critical areas have been met. “By developing and implementing our own program, producers are freed from the historic one-size-fits-all regulatory approach to critical areas protection. Instead, the County and Conservation District work directly with local sta...
PRESCOTT—The Prescott School Board met on January 21 for a regularly scheduled meeting. Superintendent Justin Bradford shared COVID-19 vaccination updates, including information on a clinic held at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds over the weekend. He is encouraging school staff to get vaccinated, and he hopes to host a clinic at the school if the Health Department would be willing to allow it. The school’s nurse has agreed to participate, according to Bradford. He said that they are three weeks int...
DAYTON—2020 was a busy year for staff inside the Columbia County Planning and Building Department, primarily due to the Feb. flood. Work has continued apace, despite the COVID-19 slowdown. Planning Manager Dena Martin provided a synopsis for the county commissioners at their meeting last week. The Planning and Building department oversees county land use, zoning, comprehensive plan updates, and environmental uses. The department also provides building services for Columbia County, the City of Da...
Dear Waitsburg Community, We are writing you on behalf of the Waitsburg Resource Center and the Waitsburg Ministerial Association. We want to thank you all so very much for your generosity. These have been difficult times, but because of your gifts, we have been able to help meet the needs of many. Yours, Pastor Matt Wyatt, Waitsburg Christian Church, (916) 622-9932 Pastor Stan Hughes, Waitsburg Presbyterian Church, (509) 607-5409 (Please do feel free to contact either of us.)...
Last week, it was noted that there was no National Weather Service station in Waitsburg. While that is true, a reader wrote in to The Times to share that there is a WSU weather unit in Huntsville. The unit updates every 15 minutes, and data can be found at www.weather.wsu.edu, by following the Huntsville Unit tab. The unit was installed in April, 2009....
Washington State, under the leadership of Governor Jay Inslee, recently received national recognition for adopting the pandemic protocol established by scientists and health care professionals: “Against all odds some states have managed to keep the virus under control. Washington State, which recorded 37 of the nation’s first 50 coronavirus deaths, has kept in place a steadily adjusting suite of mitigation measures and now ranks 44th in deaths per capita. If the nation had achieved a rate comparable to Washington’s, about 220,000 fewer peopl...
This is the insert I wrote on my New Year’s cards for 2021. Since last year was so depressing, I wanted to do something positive, and this has helped me as well as several of my friends, so I thought I would share it with you so more people can benefit from it. Most of my friends have put the card where they can read it each day. I hope it will help others! Let’s make 2021 productive and fun! Let us not dwell on this past year for what might have been. We cannot change it, but we can learn from it and enter into 2021 with strong desires to ful...
Dear Neighbors, I am writing to express my concern for this lovely community that I have just become a part of. May God bless and protect you because I have some serious doubts that the Fire Department knows how. As you may be aware, my husband, Michael Moynihan, was recently let go from the Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District after only three short months of employment. Since he has yet to learn why he was let go, I can only assume it has something to do with the transition to a more professional fire department, one that would be respected by...
January 16 A vehicle left the roadway, striking a utility pole. The driver failed to stop and identify, as required. Waitsburg January 18 Jail resident found in possession of narcotics. Walla Walla January 20 A package theft was reported in the county. Waitsburg January 21 Male arrested for DWLS 1st. Burbank A fraudulent Small Business Administration in the amount of $93,800.00 was opened under the victim’s name and social security number. Burbank DUI driver arrested for suspicion of DUI Hit and Run, DWLS 3rd, and an outstanding warrant. C...
DAYTON-The Dayton School District kicked off the second semester of the school year on Jan. 21. Report cards will be mailed home for middle and high school students on Jan. 27 and for elementary school students on Jan. 26. Dayton School District Superintendent Guy Strot provided an update about the elementary school at the school board meeting last week. He reported challenges were keeping some elementary classrooms open during the two weeks after Christmas break because some of the staff were...
Delores Marie Nettles, born April 26th, 1940, passed away on January 24th, 2021 at Providence St. Mary's Medical Center. She is survived by her son, Scott Nettles, Grand-Daughter, Brandie Nettles, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and many loved ones she had adopted as family over the years. Delores moved here from Arkansas with her parents and siblings in 1948. The middle child of eight, she took on the role of caring for her entire family as early as she could, however she could. She... Full story
The parents of Samantha Henze and Ben Shafer, both formerly of Waitsburg, announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Neil and Linda Henze. She graduated from Waitsburg High School in 2013 and Walla Walla Community College in 2015. She is a supervisor at Idaho Pizza Company in Twin Falls, Idaho. The groom-elect is the son of Ed and Stasia Shafer, of Scappoose, Oregon. He graduated from Waitsburg High School in 2013 and Northwest Lineman College in 2018. He is employed by... Full story
WALLA WALLA—Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) is offering help to people who may be eligible to get a larger tax refund this year through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). BMAC reminds you that you must file a tax return, even if you don’t owe tax, to claim the EITC benefit. January 29, 2021, marks the 15th anniversary of Awareness Day, a nationwide effort to increase awareness about EITC and free tax preparation sites. In 2020, 22 million workers received more than $57 billion in EITC refunds. In Washington state there were 350,000 cla...
DAYTON—The Dayton Historical Depot Society has begun the 2021 Membership Drive. Community support and volunteerism are vital to continue the Historical Depot Society’s mission of preserving Dayton’s history and sharing it with others. Membership dues may be sent to Dayton Historical Depot Society, 222 E Commercial Ave., Dayton, WA 99328. Memberships cost $20/ for single memberships or $35 for a couple’s membership. For more information or to pay dues online, visit www.daytonhistoricdepot.org/support....
My column this week is different since my chat is with a young lady from 1912. Heather Kaas, a friend in Dayton, shared the story of how a 109-year-old autograph book from Waitsburg came into her life. "It was summer of 2019," she said. "I was working at the Weinhard Hotel before it shut down and changed hands. A couple came in, introduced themselves, and said they had old family connections in Waitsburg. Then they showed me this little paper book." She doesn't remember their names and thought i...
4 Streaming on PBS, BBC, Britbox and Prime Video This series may feel familiar; there was a long-running British series of the same name from 1978 to 1990. The new series has just been picked up for a second season and is currently streaming season one on PBS and the BBC. The story follows the adventures of James Herriot, a veterinarian in 1930s Yorkshire. It is based on the books by British veterinary surgeon Alf Wright, who wrote under the pen name James Herriot. In the first episode, we...
Hank Aaron passed away on January 22nd at the age of eighty-six. He was named to the All-Star team all but two of his playing seasons, the first, which he won the rookie of the year award, and his last. He holds the major league records for runs batted (2,297) and total bases (6,856). Aaron’s WAR total is a staggering 143.1 placing him fifth on the career leaders list. Aaron’s career WAR total is greater than the WAR totals of Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Stargell combined to put...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met January 20, 2020, for its regular meeting via conference call. All council members were in attendance. Before public comment, Mayor Marty Dunn offered some clarification on projects under consideration under the 2021 City Budget, which was passed in December. One project listed in the budget is the widening of West Fifth Street from Main Street to Arnold Lane. On Fifth Street, homeowners circulated a petition against the project, voicing a strong s...
DAYTON—A new vaccine clinic to administer vaccinations for COVID-19 has been set up at the county fairgrounds. Clinics will run three days this week, according to Stephanie Carpenter, the COO of the Columbia County Health System. Forty people are scheduled to receive their second dose on Tuesday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. This will be a dry run and to work out any flow issues, she said. Forty people will receive their second dose, and 160 people in Phase 1b will receive their f... Full story
