Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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To the Editor Four generations of my family have attended Dayton Schools and received a solid education here. I want to ensure that the children in our community continue to have the same opportunity for a quality, well-rounded education. That is why I am supporting the upcoming levy for Dayton Schools. The Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy will support Career & Technical Education (CTE), vocational programs, athletics, extra-curricular activities, food services, transportation, and more. The Capital levy will allow for...
WAITSBURG-Future Farmers of America (FFA) is one of the largest student-led organizations in the U.S. According to the National FFA website, there are almost 950,000 middle and high school students and 9,163 chapters across America, including Waitsburg's Student Chapter (WA0126). To every student, FFA is a unique experience. "FFA created a second family for me," said Alyssa Hollingsworth, vice president of the local chapter. "I've learned how to just be normal again, if that makes sense, like...
To the Editor: Usually, you have zero say about taxes. But this February, you have the opportunity to say No to a tax, when the Dayton School District puts forth two special levies seeking to extract from taxpayers, beginning in 2025, $1.41-$1.48 per $1,000 of assessed home value for a Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy AND $1.50 per $1,000 assessed home value for a Replacement Capital Levy for Technology, Safety, and Facility Improvements. Often, school levy supporters like to speak in terms of “cups of coffee,” as in, “Th...
In response to a November 23, 2023 Waitsburg Times article concerning Dayton School Board meeting. Dear board members It has come to my attention after reading a November 23 article in the Waitsburg Times that CCC member Aneesha Dieu stated that she wanted a bit of “heightened awareness” on what kind of books were being brought into the school. I would like to caution the board members and staff on entertaining such cynical ploys to undermine public education. Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed an unprecedented campaign of cen...
To the Editor: Thanksgiving is a time to be appreciative, grateful, and thankful. It is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for. I often say a silent prayer of thanks for my life in Dayton, an area, with a few exceptions, that doesn’t have wild, crazy, and destructive weather like tornadoes. I say a prayer of thanks for being able to safely walk around my community, meet neighbors, and enjoy conversations with people like Curtis at the post office, who is always cheerful and helpful. There are many people I am grateful for; some have b...
If the vision that launched Lions Club International (LCI) in 1917 still applies to local Lions Clubs across America, it surely applies to the Waitsburg Lions Club. Formed in 1940 as a chapter of LCI, Waitsburg’s Lions have been a stable element of social life and community service for 83 years, something not to be taken for granted. The club and others, including the Freemasons, Eastern Star, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), and Kiwanis, support community life and friendship, provide service and aid where needed, encourage c...
Letter to the Editor We believe that Mike Spring is the best choice for Columbia County Port Commission, position #2, due to his extensive leadership, business, and community service experience: Mike has been the fire chief in La Grande, College Place, West Richland, and Hanford as well as serving as a fire Commissioner in Columbia County. He has been involved in running a family farm business and has owned and operated two businesses in Dayton for the past ten years. Mike is a member of the volunteer fire department, and he and his wife,...
Dear Editor, I wholeheartedly support Christy House’s candidacy for the Waitsburg School Board. Christy’s intimate knowledge of the Waitsburg community and the unique culture of the Waitsburg School District, combined with her experience as the parent of two WHS alums and as a current board member, make her an outstanding choice for this essential role. Christy’s connection to the Waitsburg community runs deep. As a parent and board member, she has witnessed the successes and challenges of our local school system over the years. Her commi...
Letter to Editor Experience matters on the Waitsburg School Board. Having been a librarian, a preschool teacher/parent educator for the Walla Walla Community College, and a music teacher, I feel it is very important to vote for Christy House in the next election. Christy brings much-needed experience to the school board. I have known Christy since she moved to Waitsburg many years ago. I taught her younger son music and worked with her husband on the Waitsburg City Council. Christy brings a lot of talent to the School District. She works in the...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg Resource Center is gearing up for its annual Christmas baskets for the community. If you want to participate by donating or receiving a basket, visit the food bank, the Waitsburg Christian Church, or the Presbyterian church to share your information. Signups are for November. The center is also gearing up for its annual kid bags, where it donates cute little goodie bags to the Waitsburg Elementary School children....
There are two incumbent candidates that I think deserve to be re-elected: Court Ruppenthal for Waitsburg City Council and Christie House for Waitsburg School Board. Both have shown their ability to serve with open minds, common sense, and a deep commitment to their community. Court and Katie Ruppenthal have run a successful and popular business, Laht Neppur, one of two businesses in town that has stayed open under the same ownership since I moved here in 2012. Court is the only business owner on the City Council; our business community needs hi...
Dear Waitsburg Community: My friend Jennifer Bishop is running for City Council. I’d like to tell you a little bit about her, and encourage you to join me in giving Jennifer the vote. She has my full support, and I think she will be a great advocate for citizens of Waitsburg. Jennifer is a Waitsburg homeowner and taxpayer. She keeps her property beautifully, and it adds to the charm of our city. She participates in local events like the Main Street Christmas Tree contest, Waitsburg Celebration Days, and similar. Folks know they can count on Jen...
To the Editor: I join with you and your publication that this community, Columbia County, NEEDS a public swimming pool. Community members have been working hard since the closure of our beloved pool after the 2017 season. We are SO close! This fall, Proposition #1 will ask voters to approve creation of a POOL DISTRICT, under the state regulations that guide Parks and Recreation Districts, RCW 36.69.010. Approving a district is CRITICAL to move forward to build a facility that meets the needs of our community. A POOL DISTRICT can: Compete for...
To the editor, I feel that I must respond to a recent letter to the editor that stated a personal opinion about the book “Our Skin…” and stated that in that person’s opinion, “children do not even notice skin color.” I know, respect, and very much appreciate the person who wrote this letter and what they have done for this community, but I must respectfully disagree with this statement and perception. I can tell you that when my son was about four years old, we were living in a community with people from many different countries. My son and...
To the Editor: My library file dates back to 2005. Letters to the editor, as is mine, are combinations of opinions and facts. • For approximately 70 years, the City of Dayton operated the Dayton Memorial Library supported by city taxpayers. • In 2005 the county voted to form a taxing district to help fund the library to improve services. • The city and the county library district made an agreement to mutually operate the library. The county had the bulk of the cash, and the city retained their building and all the pre-county district mater...
To the Editor, A video from a private anti-library Facebook group emerged the other day. In it, Pro-dissolution spokesperson, Jessica Ruffcorn makes several false claims. The worst of these is that dissolving the CCRLD and shuttering the library are two separate actions. Ms. Ruffcorn claims to have “found out and reviewed and confirmed,” that “the building, the trusts, money, the equipment, the furniture and the pre-district collection” will revert to city ownership, “which means we will have a budget to run a library, at least temporari...
Dear Editor, This is a letter of support for the Columbia County Library staying open! The group of people that would have it closed have offered zero evidence of any child ever being harmed by the library, its books, the library board, or the previous library director. Only conjecture: conjecture is a guess, an inference, a theory, or prediction based on guesswork. That’s per Webster’s definition. According to the Columbia County prosecuting attorney to the best of his knowledge, there has never been a reported case of child abuse at the lib...
Dear Fire District 2 Residents of Waitsburg and Walla Walla County, We are absolutely thrilled to extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who cast your votes in favor of the levy lid lift for District 2. With these new funds, our small local fire department will continue to take significant strides toward enhancing our community’s safety and well-being. Our station has limited availability during the work week because most of the volunteer staff work outside of town. Your willingness to invest in our station paves the way for...
Letter to the Editor, I am concerned about the current situation with our library. It makes no sense to me that anyone would want to close such a valuable resource in our county. When the first petition to close the library showed up at the Senior Center, I read it ( as I was taught to read anything before I sign) and was immediately incensed that this was in the works! Then, I read some of the letters to the editor in the Chronicle. This motivated me to go do my own research. I do not listen to gossip and hearsay. My quest is to seek the...
To the editor, Some leaders of countries, cults, & religions know that if you keep most of your people uneducated or undereducated, they are easier to control to that leader’s viewpoint. That is one of the reasons our early U.S. leaders promoted public education for all, including women. Until then, most female children did not have access to learning to read. Ignorance increases hate! Those backing the proposition to dissolve our Columbia County Rural Library will cause all of us to lose our library. What will they put in its place? I...
To all Columbia County Residents Hear ye, hear ye. ‘Tis time for another ballot initiative. We must forbid ranchers from buying and raising bulls. Imagine what might happen to the pure innocent minds of our Columbia County teenagers if they witnessed a bull doing what bulls are purchased to do. It boggles the mind. All kinds of possibilities enter their imaginations. These terrible thoughts must be stopped before it’s too late. Then imagine 11 months later when the calf is born but the rancher has to help with the delivery. Oh my goodness! Suc...
Dear Editor, Regarding the movement to dissolve the library, there’s a lot of information that isn’t being represented accurately and in its entirety. To start, I keep hearing that “after a yearlong battle, a petition to dissolve the library was the only option left,” and yet public records show the first book challenge happened in September 2022, and the first signature on the petition was in February 2023. That is not a “yearlong battle.” Furthermore, many individuals were told that this petition was to specifically address several inappropri...
One does not admire the person who attends the Community Picnic and spits in the spaghetti sauce. It reminds us of the pesky kid we all knew who would play Monopoly until it was clear that winning was not a possibility for him, and who would violently upend the board sending the game pieces tumbling to the ground and run home, crying. The Dayton Library opened in October of 1937, the same year as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge. For 86 years, thousands of Columbia County men, women, boys, and girls have mad...
Dear Editor, Our library is a very important resource for us. Personally, the library is our only computer and our only copy machine. My daughter walks to our library at least twice per week. She checks out DVDs and books very often. Her favorite books are ones about knitting and crochet because she makes gifts for people. We don’t have a car. So, we do everything locally. Every week my daughter uses the computer at the library to check e-mail and print off the songs we sing for church. I help lead the worship at our church and need the c...
To the Waitsburg School District voters, My name is Tia Hays. I am running for Waitsburg School Board member because I love our community and want to support the kids in our district. I have 3 children in our district currently; a 1st grader, a 6th grader and a sophomore in high school. I have a vested interest in the quality of our kids’ education and school experience. My top priority is to help provide a superior learning environment not only for my children but for all children in our district. I stand for cooperation and transparency b...
