Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Dear Times Editor, We at the Waitsburg Resource Center thank you (the Times) and the community for your support, especially this December. Community members donated 311 pounds of items for the 12 Days of Christmas. The Leos Club (Waitsburg High School students) / Waitsburg Lions Club collected over 700 pounds of food items, and Mrs. Hinchliffe’s first grade students over 176 items (145 pounds). Thanks also to those who faithfully contribute to the center throughout the year with food and hygiene products and monetary donations. In addition, w...
Touchet Valley Arts Council and the Liberty Theater concluded its last performance of Mary Poppins on December 7. It was our 19th fall musical production, and one of our most successful. When I say “our” I’m referring not only to the TVAC Board or even the Productions group who produced the show. I’m referring also to everyone from the stage crew to the audiences which made it happen. In fact, audiences are a key component to live theater. They are not passive viewers; they are active characters. Each audience brings a unique persona and energy...
Dear Editor: Full disclosure, while never descending to the level of a Grinch, I never could really fully celebrate the spirit of Christmas. I raised children and hopefully provided for them a Christmas-ish foundation, but personally never quite got it. That is until this weekend in Waitsburg. What a charming couple of days, from the wonderful vendors at Town Hall, to Santa at Ten Ton Coffee, to the grand finale of the parade, it had the magic I have been largely denied all of my many Christmases. At least in part it was knowing a bit about...
Dear Editor, Theater at its Best!! From the front rows I witnessed a full house at Dayton Liberty Theater, presenting Disney’s Mary Poppins musical. One could not have enjoyed more if seeing it on Broadway. The cast of 59 was magnetic, makeup artist, costumes, staging, design, pianist, everything was suburb and, selflessly given. Team-work was professionally over the top. More powerfully presented than one experiences today in most churches. Phillip Montfort Waitsburg...
By Rich Lowry The economy is in robust good health, but our social fabric isn’t. By two basic measures of social vitality, births and deaths, American society is faltering. Both the fertility rate and life expectancy are declining, in a sign that people feel less secure and, in some cases, have no hope at all. We are attuned to headline-grabbing economic statistics—GDP growth, the unemployment rate, wages—as monthly and quarterly metrics of American well-being, but they aren’t as telling as these more fundamental indicators. To put it bluntly...
Dear Editor: At this time of Thanksgiving, we pause to give thanks to those who enrich our lives. At the University of Washington School of Medicine in partnership with Gonzaga University, we are especially grateful for the growing community of friends, professionals and partners in Waitsburg, Dayton, Clarkston and Pomeroy who help us deliver top-ranked medical education every day. Thank you to the Waitsburg, Dayton, Clarkston and Pomeroy communities and physicians for warmly welcoming our medical students and enriching their education...
This has been one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. Since deciding to purchase the Waitsburg Times my main objective was to ensure the continuation of publication which began in 1879. Prior to owning the paper my only journalism experience was being an avid reader who appreciated the cultural and political relevance of print journalism. The Times is a paper of record, for Columbia County and Walla Walla County, and is vital to the communities that it serves. Papers of record are used to post important notices, record...
As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday we have been reflecting on what we are thankful for and wanted to update you on the what we have been up to at Ten Ton. Two years ago a plan was hatched in Seattle and a couple of city slickers made the journey east to a small town on the other side of the state. Using our combined years of experience in food service, the goal was to create a coffee shop within an existing, family-owned art studio. We dreamed of creating a beautiful, inviting space where people from all different walks of life could...
Politics can be a tough subject to talk about, regardless of where one falls on the political scale. As tough as it can be, politically-focused discussion is necessary, and an important part of our society. Jim Peitersen, a History and Politics college instructor for 23 years, who currently teaches at Walla Walla Community College, spoke to a crowd of roughly 30 people at the Dayton Memorial Library on Thursday at the Big Ideas talk, and left listeners with some great tips on how to discuss...
Now, with Washington mired in a Congressional impeachment inquiry that’s investigating the dealings of President Donald Trump, that divide has grown ever wider. Americans on all sides express a mixture of anger and frustration that they have been betrayed by their country, by their leaders or by their fellow Americans. That raises a question: Can the nation find its way back to some semblance of civility and reconciliation, or have things gone too far? “Even in down times, there’s always a road back if we give each other the courage to both loo...
To the Editor: First of all, I would like to thank the voters in Dayton, for turning out during our recent elections. Our participation was the third highest in the state. During the local campaigns for Mayor and City Council members, there was an endless amount of false information posted on social media. False accusations, misleading or erroneous information, did not afford the public the necessary and factual information they needed, prior to casting their votes. This demonstrated that social media is not the most reliable source of...
Dear Editor: Thank you so much to all the voters and supporters who helped me along the way to win this election. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m excited to move forward with serving this community and continuing to work on improving Dayton. Along my campaign trail, I have had the opportunity to speak with many of the residents who live and work here and who have given me insight on what concerns our community. I have been in contact with the various entities that serve the people and continue to fuel our city with great res...
With the cold weather comes an array of options to help those less fortunate. You can start assembling your 12 Days Box, by adding a shelf-stable non-perishable item to your box once a day for 12 days to donate to the Waitsburg Resource Center’s food bank. One can also sit down with your loved ones and do a little holiday charity shopping. Think about what local nonprofit agencies you already support. Do you spend your Friday evenings at the Mythical/Moveable Blue Mountain Blue Grass Jam? Like to go swimming here in Waitsburg? Consider d...
Our state’s economy and way of life hinges on low cost and reliable electricity. Since Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams were completed in the early 1940s, Washington has enjoyed both. We are accustomed to flipping a switch and our lights illuminate. Our state’s electricity supply is abundant and our transmission system is dependable. Washington is heavily reliant on hydroelectric generators----many of which are located in powerhouses on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Only during the severe dro...
Dear Editor: Over the course of the campaign, I’ve canvassed neighborhoods across the county and met with more than 2,200 residents on their front porch. I’ve also held meetings with major employers, institutions (colleges, university, school districts, etc.), governmental agencies, civic organizations and leaders from the business community. Through these conversations, I’ve heard a near-universal desire for expanded economic opportunity across the county. The world of economic development is highly competitive. Our country competes with...
Editor, In an October 13, 2019 Walla Walla Union Bulletin article outlining various candidates in the upcoming election, Dain Nysoe, incumbent candidate for Position 4 on Dayton City Council, had various comments on the proposed Touchet Valley Trail. I encourage you to read the full article for additional context, but among Nysoe’s comments was the following quote: “It’s a new idea, so some have expressed their opposition to the idea, and have either misunderstood the scope of the plan, or are just closed minded to new ideas.” The “scope...
Dear Editor, I was proud to run for Congress last year to stand up for my community. I’m so thankful to all of you who supported me with your donations, your time, and your kind words. I’m reaching out today because there is another important fight on your ballot this November. Initiative 1000/Referendum 88 is our best chance in two decades to end our state’s regressive ban on affirmative action and restore fairness and opportunity to all Washingtonians. As a higher education leader in Spokane, I saw firsthand the benefit that diversity has i...
Dear Editor, Thank you Everett Maroon for a detailed letter to the editor informing readers of the history of police deliberating on providing Narcan to victims of opioid overdoses. This will be instructive and helpful information as Waitsburg moves forward in broadening improved public health services to citizens. Terry Lawhead, Waitsburg...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act, legislation that Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) joined in introducing, overwhelmingly passed the House included in the EMPOWER Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781). This legislation will provide funding for colleges and universities to make physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology programs more accessible to underrepresented communities, including those who are racial or ethnic minorities or from disadvantaged b...
The Times welcomes Letters to the Editor and invites readers to share their ideas, concerns and thoughts on matters of importance on our Opinion Page. Letters to the Editor can be emailed to editor@waitsburgtimes.com, or mailed to The Times at P.O. Box 97, Waitsburg, WA 99361. Letters can also be hand-delivered to our office. Deadline for letters is Tuesday at noon. Letters may be no more than 400 words long. All letters must be signed by the writer(s) using their actual name, and complete...
To the Editor: When Blue Mountain Heart to Heart and other participating sites around the state gave our Narcan to law enforcement units, we did it on the agreement that it could be used both in the field to support laypeople in overdose, or to rescue a fellow officer should such a need arise. More precisely, we expected the medication would be used to reverse overdoses agnostic of whether that person was a law enforcement officer or not. At the time I distributed the naloxone to the Walla...
Imagine tuning into the Sunday morning talk shows and wondering if the politicians and commentators could possibly find something positive to say about one another or the state of affairs in America. Unfortunately, there is a better chance of snowball lasting in a sauna. But suddenly on October 20 there was a surprise: “BREAKING NEWS” moving across the bottom of the screen about an apple developed in Washington State. Television pundits ignored it; however, the internet was stocked with sto...
Dear Editor: Columbia County residents are fortunate to have the services we do through Columbia County Public Transportation. For the past few summers, CCPT has made available free rides for a portion of the summer season by using some of their designated funds in creative ways. What a gift to be so rural and yet forward-thinking about mobility for all of us! An initiative on this season’s Washington state voters ballot could change our local public transit services, and it needs your attention. Washington Initiative 976, “Limits on Motor Veh...
My name is Katie Leid and I am running for re-election to Dayton School Board, position #4. For those of you who are not familiar with me, I grew up in the Touchet Valley, graduated from Waitsburg High School, married my childhood sweetheart, followed and helped him receive his college and advanced degrees, raised two very successful children and completed my education at Washington State University over twenty years ago. We moved back “home” when I accepted the elementary/middle school principal’s position in Dayton in July, 2003. After an ama...
Ballots to vote for the next Mayor of Dayton will be arriving in the mail very soon. If you have not become informed regarding each candidate’s qualifications, I encourage you to do so. Too often in today’s society, elected officials are placed in their positions based on popularity or the likability factor, not based on the person with the best qualifications. Just because a person is your friend doesn’t make them the best person for the job. Dayton residents have three candidates willing to put their names forward for a job often met with...
