Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Dear Editor, In my ministry, I’ve always tried to stay out of politics and publicly voicing my personal political inclinations. Why? Because I feel that my main job is to bring people together and to share the love of Jesus. The political arena can be a divisive area and can lean more on the individualistic rather than the whole, and that’s a tough area to navigate as a pastor. However, my wife and I recently placed our first-ever political sign in our front yard, and we were asked the question “What is it about this person that you feel so pa...
Dear Editor, I’m writing to express my ardent support for Matt Stroe as a candidate for sheriff of Walla Walla County. I met Matt as a student at Whitman College while working for the Security Department in a work study position. Matt is an outstanding director of security. He found innovative ways to improve safety on campus and gained the trust of students in a way that facilitated a to-my-knowledge unprecedentedly positive relationship between the student body and security. Outside of his accomplishments for the Security Department, Matt w...
By Jennie Dickinson and Kathryn Witherington, Port of Columbia One of the significant advantages of having new industries invest in a community is the potential of an increased tax base. In Columbia County, we have already seen the effects of this from one important industry – renewable energy. Before the wind industry invested in Columbia County, our tax base was just over $286 million. Ten years later, our tax base has risen to $868 million. This is an increase of 227%. For comparison, Walla Walla County experienced an 86% tax base i...
By Don C. Brunell Editor’s Note: The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday, after this column was written, that it had deadlocked 4-4 (with Justice Kennedy abstaining) on the Washington culvert case, and therefore the lower court ruling will stand. While much of the media buzz over declining salmon runs focuses on dam removal and predation by sea lions and cormorants, the U.S. Supreme Court is asked to decide whether Washington State needs to spend an additional $2.4 billion to replace more road culverts. In 2001, Western Washington Tribes sued c...
By Don C. Brunell Editor’s Note: Don Brunell is a regional business columnist who works out of Vancouver, Wash. This column will appear in newspapers throughout the state this week. Here’s a switch! Rather than closing another pulp and paper mill, a new one is under construction right here in Washington. Columbia Pulp’s plant on the Snake River will use a new technology that pulls cellulose out of the abundant straw left over from wheat and alfalfa harvests. The $184 million plant near Dayton is scheduled to open later this year. Tradi...
Submitted by the Waitsburg Commercial Club Executive Board The Waitsburg Commercial Club regards the Waitsburg Fairgrounds as an integral part of our event venue inventory to bring visitors and commerce to Waitsburg. It is important to start marketing and booking events at our Fairgrounds. Many art, food and music outdoor events are booked in Walla Walla County, particularly at privately-owned Wineries, that are very successful, without benefit of installed facilities for seating. Saying that no events can be booked at the Waitsburg...
Dear Editor, I apologize to the community for showing off doing wheelies with my old Ford Tractor in Saturday’s Waitsburg Parade, May 19th. A dumb, selfish thing to do and a bad example for the youth. Thinking about it later if an accident had happened, I would have spoiled the day’s celebration and lives forever. Please help me to thank God for His mercy and Grace that nothing bad did happen, and hope I will think beforehand and remember not to do dumb things again. Thank you all for a Forgiving heart. Philip Manfort Waitsb...
Dear Editor, I believe most would agree the discussion of the fate of the Waitsburg Fairgrounds Grandstands has been going on for too many years. Differing views by members of the latest Grandstand Committee regarding public support for the grandstands resulted in the recent Advisory Vote. The results of that vote left little doubt as to the “will of the people” but now even that is being questioned by some. If the Waitsburg City Council is still not willing to accept and act on the outcome of the advisory vote may I offer one final sug...
Dear Editor, There is a virus spreading across America. It harms the 1 in 5 Americans affected by mental health conditions. It shames them into silence. It prevents them from seeking help. In some cases, it takes lives. What virus are we talking about? It’s stigma. Stigma against people with mental health conditions. But there’s good news. Stigma is 100% curable. Compassion, empathy and understanding are the antidote. Your voice can spread the cure. May is Mental Health Month and Blue Mountain Counseling is raising awareness in the role men...
With spring finally arriving, I want to remind everyone of some items associated with wet and warmer weather. First, grass and weeds are not allowed to exceed five inches in height in Waitsburg, so please keep your lot(s) mowed and/or sprayed. Second, warm weather brings on puncture vine; depending on what stage you catch it, the best course of action is to spray it, burn it with a weed burner, or dig it up and throw it away. The city crew only has a limited amount of time to spray and doesn’t typically devote a lot of time to spraying road e...
Dear Editor, I want to share an opportunity for Dayton Parents and members of the community to help us make decisions about schools in our state. Our state’s lead office for education – the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal – just opened a survey to the public asking for input on public K-12 education investments for the future. This is the first time families, educators, students and community members will have an opportunity to give input about the areas where state leaders shoul...
On April 16, the Columbia County Commissioners voted 2-1 to select the Dayton Chronicle over The Times to be that county’s legal newspaper for 12 months, beginning July 1. (The Times was awarded the contract last year.) This year, Commissioners Norm Passmore and Merle Jackson voted to select the Chronicle, even though its bid was 61% higher than The Times’ ($7.36 per column inch, vs. $4.50 for The Times). Furthermore, The Chronicle uses a significantly larger typeface for its legal notices tha...
With the annual election over and the same city council re-elected to another term, the city of Waitsburg is moving forward with a variety of projects, including water meter replacement and various design and engineering work for future system improvements. At the last city council meeting, the council authorized my office to start the water meter replacement project, which at its base is the replacement of approximately 550 water meters throughout the city at an expense of about $300,000. With the majority of water meters being on average 60...
Dear Editor, Across the country, the “Age Wave” of older Americans are taking part in activities that promote wellness and social connection, sharing their wisdom and experience with future generations, enriching their communities. They’re working, volunteering, mentoring, learning, leading and engaging. Older Americans Month (OAM) recognizes older Americans and their contributions to our communities providing an opportunity to hear from, support, and celebrate our nation’s elders. This year’s OAM theme, “Engage at Every Age,” emphasizes th...
Dear Editor, In February of this year, 2018, an extraordinary thing occurred to benefit our dear town. By extraordinary, I mean something that doesn’t happen every day or even every year. Michael Haight and Cathy Lee-Haight decided to make some very large gifts for the good of our community. They gave to enrich and strengthen what we already have that is vibrant and to help a new organization get up and running. To the Dayton Historic Depot Society, they contributed $20,000 toward the operations endowment that the Depot has been working to i...
Dear Editor, Regarding the proposed water bottling plant, the commission looks at this decision as a “Land Use Issue” which I understand. In that regard here are points they need to consider: Use of the land is important, although the commission does not regulate morality, I doubt they would allow zoning for a house of prostitution. This is agricultural land, there is no industrial zoned area nearby. Wineries are agricultural and produce water as a product with added value. Irrigation returns the water to the ground from which it came. The irr...
It takes coordination and engagement on many levels when addressing behavioral health issues, and more so when delivering mental health services to persons who have the potential for violence. A recent example was when an Alzheimer patient “headbutted” Columbia County Sheriff Rocky Miller after he responded to a call for help at the patient’s home in February. An interesting conversation took place last week in the Columbia County Commissioners’ chambers between Sheriff Miller, Deputy Prosecutin...
Any trade war between the United States and China is worrisome, but if it escalated and tariffs are imposed, it will hit Washington particularly hard. Avoiding that possibility should be our primary goal. Our state is our nation’s third largest exporter, with more than half of the containers leaving Puget Sound heading to China. The Port of Seattle estimated that China trade alone accounted for $18 billion last year and 40 percent of our state’s jobs are now tied to trade. President Trump has...
In 2016 Washington lawmakers passed a bill called Ricky’s Law. The law allows mental health providers to order patients who are drug addicted into a locked detox center if he or she is an imminent danger to self or others. Ricky’s Law extends a law that already allowed health providers to confine people for mental health reasons. The law went into effect on April 1....
Dear Editor, The Waitsburg Times account of publisher Ken Graham’s interview with County Commissioner Todd Kimball was accurate as far as it went. It gave more than adequate coverage to the Commissioners’ perspectives on the Dozier’s request to start a water bottling business on their land. What was missing was any acknowledgment whatsoever of the well-reasoned legal, zoning and resource-savvy positions that oppose this misuse of the county’s valuable and limited water supply. The Times repeated the claim that since wineries and distilleries ar...
"It's the most contentious issue we've faced since I've been a commissioner, by far." That was Walla Walla County Commissioner Todd Kimball, talking about a proposed zoning change to allow water bottling facilities in agricultural-zoned land in the county. Commissioner Kimball and I met at The Times' office in Waitsburg last week to discuss that contentious issue, and why he and fellow commissioners Jim Johnson and Jim Duncan voted unanimously to allow the Walla Walla Planning Commission to...
Dear Editor, I am dismayed that “one of us,” the Doziers, would request permission to ship raw water out of our semi-arid area. Further, I am even more disappointed in our county commissioners for entertaining such a request. Our water should only be removed from our area in an added value state, such as farm or garden produce, not in tankers or bottles. Those of us who continually have to negotiate with state agencies to maintain our rights for irrigation water should find this bottled water request completely out of line and not be con...
Dear Editor, There are a bunch of wonderful people working hard to bring our annual celebration to our great, One-of-a-Kind, little city. That event is Waitsburg Celebration Days and it is being planned for the weekend of May 18, 19 and 20. So far, our community has responded very well to helping make this weekend really special. The Parade will once again be held on Armed Forces Day, and so the theme will be “Celebrate Waitsburg, the American Way”. As Waitsburg citizens are wonderful volunteers, we (The Parade Committee) are seeking nom...
Dear Editor, Several groups have offered input concerning the fairgrounds. The latest, the Grandstand Advisory Committee, was created by council. It was created to exist for a limited time which, I believe, has expired. Due to busy lives this committee met no more than a half-dozen times and never had all members present. There were varying opinions by Committee members at the last meeting regarding public interest. That led to the request for an advisory vote on the city election ballot. Currently the grandstands are a potential liability. Som...
Randy Hinchliffe: city of Waitsburg After many years under lease by the Days of Real Sport, Inc., the city of Waitsburg took back control of the Waitsburg Fairgrounds facility in 2005. The city proceeded to annex the property into the city limits and set up rules and guidelines for the use of the facility. In addition, we attempted to keep up with the multitude of deferred maintenance items present at the facility as a means to make them more attractive and usable again. With the end of small track horse racing in Washington and the...
