Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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From vibrant poinsettias to reclaimed furniture, Waitsburg businesses have everything you need to be the favorite Santa in your family. This holiday season, shop your local businesses, whether storefront or online, and share the uniqueness of where you call home with friends and family. Nancy's Dream Garden Center received their shipment of Christmas trees-be sure to ask about their holiday deals!... Full story
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met Wednesday, November 18, via conference call. The council heard from City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe as he led a public hearing regarding property taxes. There is no recommendation to raise property taxes within the City of Waitsburg; however, due to the increase in the district's assessed value, partly based on nearly $1 million in new construction, the levy per thousand will be raised from $2.05 to $2.07/.08. An in-depth view of the levy...
DAYTON—On Sunday, November 22, the Columbia County Public Health Department reported sixteen new positive cases of COVID-19; two cases are associated with Dayton schools. Dayton schools were closed on Monday, and the Dayton School District board of directors met Monday evening to discuss next steps. It was decided to move to distance learning on Tuesday and re-evaluate the situation over the holiday weekend, as more data becomes available. On Monday, November 23, there were 26 tests pending r...
WALLA WALLA—It’s that time of year when the temperature drops, the days get shorter, and there is a buzz in the air about the upcoming holiday season. For those preparing to celebrate the holidays, the Walla Walla Fire Department would like to remind you to take steps to help ensure the safety of your home and family. As the winter months settle in, and particularly around the holiday season, the number of structure fires tends to increase. This upsurge, typically starting around Thanksgiving and stretching through the new year, is due to unint...
WORLD WIDE WEB—Zoom announced it will lift its timed meeting limit on Thanksgiving so “your family gatherings don’t get cut short.” The video communications company announced in a tweet that the 40-minute time limit it usually has on its free meetings will be lifted globally on November 26 (Thanksgiving Day)....
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) asks the state’s laboratories that conduct the largest volume of tests to temporarily stop sending individual negative COVID-19 test results and instead send the department the aggregate number of negative test results per day. During this time, DOH dashboards will report positive cases each day, but not the total number of daily tests or percent positive. The DOH disease reporting system can receive and process approximately 33,000 total test results per day but is currently rec...
WAITSBURG—Basin Disposal, Inc., will only offer leaf pickup in Dayton. The garbage disposal company previously shared with our paper that there would be free leaf pickup for customers in Waitsburg and Prescott as well as Dayton. However, that offer has since been retracted. Basin Disposal customers in Waitsburg and Prescott may arrange to have leaves picked up by the company for an extra cost. Contact Basin Disposal, Inc at (509) 525-1711. The City has made a leaf disposal bin available for residents at the Waitsburg City shop. Access the b...
WALLA WALLA—The City of Walla Walla is accepting volunteer applications for the Arts Commission, Infrastructure Improvement Committee, and the Waste & Wastewater Advisory Committee. The arts commissioner position is designated for an artist who must reside in the City of Walla Walla. The term begins January 1 and expires December 31, 2023. The Infrastructure Improvement Committee has an opening for an engineer for a term expiring December 31, 2021. The Transportation Benefit District Improvement Committee and the Waste & Wastewater Advisory C...
Waitsburg, Dayton, and Prescott school districts are battling rising COVID-19 cases and have announced temporary closures or a switch back to virtual learning. COVID-19 cases are rapidly rising in both Columbia and Walla Walla Counties. In Walla Walla County, there were 571 active cases as of Tuesday, November 24. In Columbia County, there are 20 active cases. Confirmed cases in Waitsburg are now up to 18. Prescott School District Prescott School District moved back to the HOPE 1.0 learning... Full story
PRESCOTT—The Prescott School District met Thursday, November 19, for a regular meeting. The meeting was held remotely, via Zoom call. Business Manager Thomas Palumbo gave the Superintendent’s report. Superintendent Bradford was out for a family-related reason. Palumbo reported that the district is closely watching the COVID-19 situation in Walla Walla County. Palumbo shared a list of staff resignations, adjustments. Some teachers requested a leave of absence, and the district currently has a p...
Mail delivery is deemed an essential service by the government. Americans rely on the timely delivery of everything from prescription medications to Social Security checks. Many residents in our community must go to the post office to pick up or send mail and packages. Residents who are older or have underlying conditions do not always have the option to avoid making a trip to the post office. Our local postal workers work hard to ensure the facility, including the post office boxes, lobby, and... Full story
DAYTON—Mason Finney, a senior at Dayton High School and the ASB public relations manager, spoke at the Dayton School District board meeting last week. Finney said the middle school and high school students have voted for their choice of DW Athletic Combine mascot, and the ASB counted the ballots last week. The ASB is organizing the process under the direction of HS/MS Principal Kristina Brown. The top two votes will be selected, with a final vote sometime in the New Year. Finney also d...
Judilyn Marie Jones, age 76, of 818 S. 5th St, Dayton, WA died November 18, 2020. Judilyn joins her love, Eugene, who passed away in 2006. There will be no public service. Arrangements are being handled through Hubbard- Rogg Funeral Home in Dayton, WA Judilyn was born November 14, 1944, in Dayton, WA to Ethel and George Bailey. Judilyn graduated from Dayton High School in 1962. She married Eugene Jones on July 1, 1963. Judilyn had worked at Green Giant and tended bar at 410, Dorseys, and the... Full story
Leonard Eugene Reser, a longtime Newport, WA resident passed away October 25, 2020. Leonard was born September 30, 1941, to Gene and Fern Reser. He was raised in eastern Washington and graduated from Ritzville High School class of 1959. He was fascinated with science and was always reading and looking for new things to try. With a farming background, there weren't many things he couldn't fix or "MacGyver". Leonard lived a full life his way. He made a lot of friends and helped many people on his... Full story
DAYTON—An employee working in the Booker Rest Home tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which led to mandatory testing of all staff and all residents on Friday, November 20, and again the following Monday. Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire said the recent uptick of positive cases in the community would place an additional strain on the ability to protect nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations. On Sunday, the Columbia County Public Health reported 16 positive c...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Wednesday, November 18, for a regular board meeting. The board met via Zoom conference call. During the meeting, secondary principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that the secondary staff has been having conversations about moving back to online learning should the circumstance arise. She said if the school goes back to online learning, teachers would likely go with smaller ‘pod’ classes instead of having the entire class online at once. The pods were...
November 13 Violation of a no-contact order. Burbank November 14 Residential burglary and theft. Waitsburg November 15 Theft of identity papers. Prescott November 18 Malicious mischief at the county jail. Walla Walla...
DAYTON-Civil Deputy Tim Quigg has hit a major milestone at the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. On November 21, Quigg celebrated four decades of service, with no plans to retire anytime soon. Quigg took his first steps towards a long law enforcement career in March of 1980. He attended Washington State University, where he majored in journalism and minored in English, with aspirations of becoming a teacher or a writer. He was working as a clerk at Freddie's Food Mart in Dayton while putting...
This year our family Thanksgiving will be a virtual party, sadly, but then it does save me driving two hours each way to my sister’s house, just to sit in a corner and read or knit with a big glass of wine while she overcooks the turkey and focuses on her grandchildren. The guys sit glued to the TV, watching football, not moving or helping, because they can’t take a chance they might miss a throw, sack, or touchdown. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday; there are no mandatory gif...
Not long after Cookie had settled in, and I’d become infatuated with the idea of dog ownership, Mrs. G presented me with a slim volume entitled “101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog” by Kyra Sundance and Chalcy. “Wow,” I thought, “this is just what we need!” If the title hadn’t already hooked me, the cover photo of a lovely chocolate brown Weimaraner with a newspaper in his mouth and a look that said, “Here’s your paper – anything else I can b...
The Seahawks win last week over the Cardinals and the Rams win over Tampa Bay gives both teams an identical 7-3 record with six games left to play. Seahawks fans may have been hoping for the Buccaneers to beat the Rams in the Monday Night Football game, but the result could ultimately help the Seahawks playoff seeding. As I mentioned last week, Seattle’s schedule is favorable for the next four games playing the Eagles, Giants, Jets, and Washington. After that, they have two remaining division games. One at home against the Rams could decide t...
I was one of those early nerds who couldn’t wait to get my hands on the first Apple iPad. I had been using my iPhone to draw using an app called Brushes. One of my art heroes, David Hockney, had been doing daily drawings on his iPhone and sending them to friends. I was intrigued by the images. The phone was too small for me, and I embraced the larger iPad immediately. I took it traveling and found I could have full color to work with. Because the app allows for layers and transparency, it was m...
DAYTON-Santa's elves have been busy in Dayton! Though Santa will be more elusive than ever this year, he still needs letters to know what kiddos would like for Christmas. A drop box for letters to Santa, has been set up in front of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, 166 Main. Letters may be dropped off during business hours: Monday- Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Be sure to include a return address for a response from the jolly old elf himself....
Ten Years Ago November 25, 2010 This week’s early snow indicates the beginning of a cold season that could be a great year for Ski Bluewood, but disastrous for a Touchet Valley vulnerable to flooding from the Touchet and Coppei rivers. Daniel Huwe has just about exhausted his options. The 31-year-old man was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree assault by jury trial in Dayton in 2007. He was sentenced to 468 months, or 39 years, in prison and has repeatedly appealed. About 425 people attended the year’s Turkey Bingo at the Day...
If this sounds familiar, it is. I used this recipe last year (and the year before) about this time. It’s worth repeating. I used to make this after Thanksgiving when I had a family and trying to stretch all the leftovers I could. It’s very good and would be handy if there is still “leftover” company. Review received on Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash-Zenoby sent a message saying she made the recipe but used what she had handy, changing the bread crumbs to rice, no celery and Parmesan, but added yellow raisins and sharp cheddar cheese. She said it...