Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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As a business owner and just a person trying to make ends meet every month, I’m always looking for value. It makes me happy to feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth. How about you? Businesses that pay the Waitsburg Commercial Club annual dues expect something in return. As a business owner, I know I do. Since becoming an active board member and now as the club’s president, I’ve been asked what exactly Commercial Club does?” A few weeks back, I compiled a list of the club’s programs that help benefit the Waitsburg business community. It was publishe...
Business owners of Waitsburg! My name is Judy Bennett, and I am the new President of Waitsburg Commercial Club. I want to thank you for voting for me, and to tell you a little about how I intend to serve you and your enterprise this year. Under my guidance, Waitsburg Commercial Club will commit to the following: Digital and analog support of your events and promotions Fostering economic development through relationships with regional Chambers of Commerce, Waitsburg Business Park, Visit Walla Walla, Small Business Resource Center, Port of Walla...
To the Editor: I was disappointed as I read the article in last week’s edition addressing the controversy over the Dayton Public Library. I had hoped that at least local journalists still held to the principle of fair & balanced reporting. That article was anything but fair and balanced in my opinion. I don’t completely dispute the points made by the library director concerning free speech & availability of information, but more the way the parent(s) who are petitioning were characterized. It does not appear that anyone even contacted Jes...
Thank you sincerely for your expression of sympathy & kindness. It is deeply appreciated & will be remembered alwaysby the family of Betty Ann Fletcher...
Dear Editor, A mental health crisis, just like a physical health crisis, can be devastating for individuals, families, and communities. Over the last year, it is my understanding that our county contracted with Comprehensive Healthcare to provide crisis response/care. Our community’s current approach to crisis care has led to delays and denial of services that create undue burdens on the individual, our law enforcement emergency department, and our justice system. The current approach to Crisis Healthcare must be transformed, and I am requestin...
Substance abuse disorders pose a heavy societal burden, endangering individuals and families and sapping resources from healthcare and multi-disciplinary systems. It tears through communities impacting everyone. Historically most strategies for addressing substance use disorders have centered on punishment; we have known for decades that addiction is a medical condition, a treatable brain disorder, not a character flaw or a form of social deviance. The rising number of drug overdose deaths and the changing legal status of drugs pose new challen...
Dear Editor, Regarding efforts to defund the library, I question if the real reason is that “they” think the library has more reserves than needed, therefore, no more tax money should go to fund it? If that is the reason, then, in my opinion, the library board and the public should request a meeting with County Treasurer Carla Rowe. Have a conversation about expense versus income. Perhaps the portion of the property tax the library receives might be lowered, reducing reserves. I don’t know, but if I had a concern in that area, I’d ask questio...
To the Editor; Wow! Someone wants to defund and close the library. This is the best evidence yet of the necessity of the library in this community. Libraries are places of knowledge - and information we cannot always find within our families. Libraries have become a place of technology, making computers, fax machines, and scanners available to those without the resources to personally own this technology. If you’ve applied for a job in the last couple of decades, you know applications are completed and sent online. So are government p...
To the editor, I don’t discuss politics any more in situations where there will be nothing but an impasse and an argument. Call it avoiding the “elephant in the room” (or donkey, as the case may be), there are more important issues than complaining about things. Even the weather is a worthier topic of discussion because it affects us directly, and we can decide whether to throw a tarp or grab a lighter jacket. Einstein once said, “A problem cannot be solved at the level at which it originates.” I’m an average mathematician, but I get his sta...
To the editor, I love stories about faraway places like Tri-cities, for example. Wenatchee is a faraway exotic paradise as I understand it; further north is the untamed Okanogan River Valley with its small wild west settlements. I’m sure others venture further and could regale me with tales of bright lights, big cities, or tales from the heart of the people encountered. I have heard that’s the most important thing, the people encountered along this journey we take. They are the important part, with their differences or similarities. We fin...
Dear Editors: I read the letter in last week’s paper written by Regina Weldert, a valued, productive business owner in our county and a beloved friend to many. That there should be one ounce of fear in her for her own safety as well as her other trans friends in Washington or across the country, is a statement of failure on the part of all of us that call ourselves Americans. We founded this country not on Judeo-Christian standards, but on the freedom of the individual and the freedom of independence. When our Declaration of Independence s...
As many Columbia County residents know by now, there is a petition circulating that proposes to put the dissolution of the Columbia County Rural Library District on the ballot. Dissolution of the district would result in the permanent shuttering of the library. All the books would be sent to the State Library to be redistributed or destroyed. All the computers and other equipment would be surplussed, along with the furnishings. The building itself would be returned to the city and would likely remain empty unless or until the city finds funds...
To the Editor The Dayton Memorial Library has been a hot topic of conversation for months now. These conversations are important. Expressing our concerns is a part of civic discourse as long as we do so respectfully. My concern is access to information. Did you know that there are over 29,000 items available through our library district? (For perspective, the controversy has been over 11 books.) What a resource for our community! Our librarians are also an excellent resource for library patrons. They are knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you,...
To the editor: I have been struggling a little these last few days. I had an attack of ego the other day that I am still trying to get right sized. I recognized it quickly and started measures to alter course. But more troubling is the constant barrage of disparaging words that I hear from state houses around this nation. As a human being in this most marginalized category, it is troubling to read the news or listen to talking heads on our media. Every day, I am met with this negativity. Yet I insist I must take the high road. But I talk to my...
To the editor, I serve on the Board of Trustees for the Columbia County Rural Library District. I would like to speak to the issue of books in the library that some members in the community want removed from the shelves. At our regular meeting a week ago, the board was asked to consider an appeal by Marcene Hendrickson regarding Juno Dawson’s book “What’s the T .” The vote was 4 to 1 to reject the appeal. My reason for rejecting the appeal is because the board is bound by the collections policy. The only two questions we the board had to cons...
To the Editor, Dayton Library Board Meeting February 27, 2023—I was greeted by protestors carrying signs wanting to have a book banned from the library. The meeting room filled up mostly with protesters. Prior to the board’s discussion of the book. There was a lecture about our 1st Amendment rights conducted by Dr. Tamara Meredith. She talked about the rights of each individual to see and receive information from all points of view without restrictions. After the board discussed the book to be banned. The chairperson stated that if you had actu...
Dayton deserves great leadership. The City Council members were elected or appointed to handle our tax money and make responsible decisions in the best interest for the City of Dayton. As an elected official in local government, you are responsible for conducting yourself in council and in public with respect and dignity. To ensure you have a complete understanding of acceptable behavior, each of you were required to read, to sign, and to uphold the guidelines within the ethics handbook. I am writing this letter because the council members and...
This letter is to let you know how much I enjoy your local writers. Brad Trumbo’s “ Palouse Outdoors: The Final Day” in the February 2nd issue was so evocative of season and place that although I have absolutely no interest in hunting, I wished I were there in the “crisp bluebird morning” among the golden wheat straw and prickly wild roses. Popo Ott’s vignettes offer really unusual and interesting mini-adventures. Luke Chavez’s recipes look delicious, but I confess to not having made one yet. And last but not least, Vicki Sternfeld-Ros...
Dear Editor, As we go about our daily lives in Dayton, WA, we encounter many, many wonderful individuals. I have the privilege of knowing a group of such individuals; a group that works as a team and makes up the Dayton Eagles Aerie and Auxiliary #2618. The Dayton Eagles Auxiliary #2618 have been raising money to support the Aerie and their community they love, for over 70 years. The Aerie and Auxiliary has and continues to fundraise and donate in a multitude of ways. Donated swim passes for all the kids in town Helped with band uniforms for...
Dear Editor: By proclamation of the governor, January is School Board Recognition Month. It's a great time to recognize our elected community members who selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public schooling for our youth. School board members in Waitsburg are entrusted by this community with responsibility for an annual budget of $ 5.2 million, 274 students, 45 employees and 3 academic buildings. School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be q...
To the Editor: During the past three years, our Senior Center has continued to serve meals twice weekly for delivery and added outside pickup when the dining room was closed. Throughout the past three years, practical precautions have been taken to keep everyone safe and healthy, and we can proudly say that not one case of Covid19 has been reported from an exposure at the Senior Center. Is anybody in City or County Government aware that Dayton has a Senior Center? You would never know it by gauging how much attention it has received from the...
Dear Editor, As the year closes on 2022 for Weller Public Library, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the people and organizations that have contributed to the success of the library this year: Weller Public Library Board of Trustees, who give their time volunteering in support of the library and staff. Library support staff Sarah Roberts, whose skill and experience have been responsible for the new library webpage, social media posts and overall organization of the face of Weller online. Library support staff Amanda With...
Madam Editor, I write to bid fond farewell to a Starbuck, Washington institution. Rebecca’s Lodge closed its doors after serving its last meal on Saturday, December 17, 2022. Tiina and I drove to Starbuck from Waitsburg that morning to mark the end of an era and to enjoy a great breakfast. The house was full of folks catching up with family and friends. Being a small town (population 120), everyone minded their own business. More or less. It was about 9:30 a.m. when a young couple sat with their children at the next table. They began by o...
Dear Editor and readers of The Times, As I began my exit through the hallways behind the scenes at a mall last week, I saw my Santa's Helper and asked if the reindeer were okay. He smiled and said the young ones always think the grass is greener outside the pens. This time not only was that grass greener, but it was artificial. Alas, a learning experience for another young reindeer. You see, Santa's sleigh is pulled by experienced reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,...
Dear Editor and readers of The Times, I am taking the time to send a follow-up letter to the Editor of the Waitsburg Times after a fabulous weekend spent in the Waitsburg area visiting with children of all ages. Not only did I visit with children in Waitsburg at Ten Ton Coffee but had the opportunity to visit the Walla Walla Senior Center and the Kirkman House Museum. The Senior Center hosted a bazaar to welcome the holiday season. I was invited to visit the vendors, staff, bazaar patrons, and their children. I had a surprise visit from the...
