Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 438 - 462 of 2504
Assuming that reducing greenhouse gases are an ongoing challenge, we need government policies and the “political will” to turn our nation’s entrepreneurs and researchers lose to take risks and innovate. We must establish reasonable laws and regulations that also protect our environment and our citizens’ health and safety while providing jobs and affordable products—no easy task. Science Daily has published some promising research relating to carbon dioxide. Here are three examples: First, resear...
Hi, my name is Rod Johnson and my wife Lisa and I moved here to Waitsburg back in January. I have been told that in Waitsburg you are still new in town until the 2nd or 3rd generation. So I guess we are really new. Now I was actually born in Dayton, and while we moved away when I was an infant, we moved back when I was a teenager and I was there through my early twenties. Now I'm back and we love it here. We have been warmly welcomed here, and I have to say that the folks around here are super...
Let's take a break from our society's normal crudefest for a brief moment to honor civility. Cokie Roberts epitomized civility. She was no pushover -- far from it. When it was required, she was as hard as nails. In today's nasty society, she sometimes needed to be. But somehow, she maneuvered through all of our disagreements in ways that were entirely agreeable. Yes, I know: By now, you might be tired of hearing about Cokie from her colleagues and buddies. But Cokie's life is a symbol of what...
Dear Editor: I appreciated the side by side editorials in the recent Times and hope readers felt the friction of perspectives. Business pundit Don Brunell applied his predictable economic views to praise two controversial industries, forest management and railroads while heartbroken Swedish climate change spokesperson Greta Thunberg chastised politicians for their longstanding negligence. Brunell declares the success of his highlighted industries but laments their ‘story’ is not better publicized although I am certain that expensive public rel...
By Don C. Brunell Many years ago, a reporter asked George Weyerhaeuser, then CEO of Weyerhaeuser Co., why his company spent so much time and money informing its workers, public officials and people about its business of growing trees and converting those trees into lumber and paper products. His answer was simple. “People need to know what we do and why what we do is important to them.” He believed if people and elected officials understood Weyerhaeuser, they would make thoughtful decisions bas...
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, addressed the U.N.'s Climate Action Summit in New York City on Monday. Here's the full transcript of Thunberg's speech, beginning with her response to a question about the message she has for world leaders. "My message is that we'll be watching you. "This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with...
I would like to take this opportunity to show my support for Byron Kaczmarski and Dain Nysoe who are both seeking to serve the Dayton City Council for another term. I have served on council as well as the finance committee with both of these men and have found them to be very well informed on the issues. I believe that every decision they made is made with the best interest of the citizens of Dayton in mind. The have had to make many tough decisions and those decisions have been made with thoughtfulness and integrity. For these reasons I will...
In comment to the negative letter in the Dayton Chronicle on 9/11/19 Miss Bailey is qualified for the position of City Planner She was the most qualified out of the several applicants for this job. Also, would the county have hired an unqualified planner? She has proven to the city to be above and beyond excellent in our dealings with her. One of the best planners we’ve had in my 19+ years on the council. She does NOT have big west side ideas like some people are spouting about. She is taking this job very seriously. Sometimes people don’t lik...
Dear Editor: The Touchet Valley Trail public meeting in Dayton Sept 16 was great. The Port of Columbia and Waitsburg Commercial Club put together informative presentations by staff, planners and technical experts and the audience was receptive. I enjoyed encountering and discussing more issues and answers than I expected to hear about because citizens who wanted evidence of intense due diligence got it. The trail is a complex project equal to any major infrastructure investment providing important outcomes to our communities and this is the...
The data is staggering: an estimated one in four businesses won’t reopen after a major disaster. The economic impact is crippling: the loss in revenues, inventory, property, wages and even jobs has an incredible ripple effect on local economies and global supply chains. The human impact is devastating: the stress and loss that comes from a disaster can be overwhelming, to say the least. Yet, studies show an estimated two out of three small businesses – or in some studies as high as three out...
Dear Editor, Upon reading Mr. Davison’s letter to the editor in the Sept 5th edition, I wanted to add another perspective. While Mr. Davison makes some valid points I will say upfront that I have a difference in opinion. I would prefer to see the City Hall remain at its current location and make only the renovations required to make it a safe and functional facility. We don’t need to do a total renovation/restoration in the short term, we can budget for and do further renovations over time, something along the lines of a 10 year plan. The...
When I returned to The Times in January of this year, it was with the goal and intent of helping new publisher Lane Gwinn and The Times staff achieve a shared vision of what The Times should and could be. In my first editorial of this year I wrote, “Our hope is that our readers walk away from each issue with something new to think about, talk about or apply to daily life.” I think we have accomplished that goal, and I hope that you, our readers, do as well. It is with some regret, that I ann...
Dear Editor, As a resident of Columbia County since 2010 and an avid cyclist in both Columbia County and Walla Walla County, I would like to make my voice heard in support of the Touchet Valley Trail. The trail as it is proposed is much needed. As a cyclist who often finds themselves on Highway 12 between Waitsburg and Dayton, I can say with authority that riding a bicycle on Highway 12 is both scary and dangerous. There are alternate routes for a cyclist to take. Those routes add miles and themselves are on roads frequented by large hauling...
Dear Editor and Waitsburg City Leaders, There are many arguments for keeping City Hall where it is, and the same can be said for moving to the former Jehovah’s Witness location. Most for keeping the current location deal with historical issues/opinions rather than practical ones, though this would not be the first time City Hall has been re-located. One of the arguments against moving has been the risk of another flood. My guess is adequate storage of records could be found to keep them safe in the event of another major flood. If there is a n...
By Andrea Weckmueller-Behringer Planning gives shape to, and documents, the vision of the desired future; as such, planning includes weighing possible options and alternatives, analyzing impacts and benefits, assessing potential challenges and obstacles, formulating strategies and actions, and seeking out funding and other resources. Currently, this very process is also being applied to the Touchet Valley Trail – envisioned as a paved multi-use pathway – connecting the cities of Dayton and Waitsburg. This proposed trail project was the hig...
Dear Editor: In response to the Letter to the Editor submitted by Melissa Bryan and Caitlyn Robins regarding the Dayton Chamber of Commerce board, I would like to share my experience and what I have observed. Melissa Bryan was, by far, the most difficult chamber director in over 28 years. Working for Bette Lou Crothers (Chamber Board Member), we have taken on many extra duties during All Wheels Weekend and the months preceding. These duties include stuffing packets, stamping, folding, selling shirts/merchandise/raffle tickets, and helping with...
While drones are coming of age in firefighting, they are also establishing a foothold in restoring fire-scorched forests. Firefighting drones grabbed the spotlight last April 15 as viewers around the world watched Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris go up in flames. It has stood for over 850 years, through wars, natural disasters, and everything in between including the fire. At first, it appeared the iconic building would be completely destroyed; however, French firefighters used thermal vision drones to direct their hoses and get an upper hand of...
Dear Editor, The Club’s six-week summer program wrapped up on August 2, 2019, and all indications are that it was a resounding success. Many area agencies and organizations played a huge role in that success. Columbia County Health System, Columbia County Transportation, Columbia County Public Health, Columbia County Fire District #3, Columbia County Rural Library District, The Liberty Theater, Friends of the Dayton Community Pool, Blue Mountain Counseling, Prescott Parks & Rec District, YWCA of Walla Walla, Lewis & Clark State Park, and the U...
Dear Editor, How do you make change in an organization you have no way of holding accountable? How do you make a statement heard around the community? You resign. You stop accepting the status quo - stop doing the same things while expecting a different result. We as employees of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce can no longer accept a lack of training, negligible participation, and ignorance surrounding the daily operations of the Chamber from our Board of Directors. With this letter we hope to bring to light some of the issues affecting the...
More battery-operated cars and trucks are making their way onto streets and highways, so why not trains? That may not be too far off if BNSF tests are successful. BNSF Railway and Wabtec (formerly GE Transportation) are developing a battery-electric high-horsepower road locomotive--the type that moves freight trains between Seattle and Chicago. Once all the equipment and support systems are in place, the plan is to run tests between Stockton and Barstow, California, (350 miles) beginning in late 2020. BNSF and other railroads are already using...
Dear Editor, Our heartfelt thanks to all who helped put our wheat fire out last Thursday afternoon. The McCaws...
Dear Editor, Heartfelt thanks go out to fire districts and local farmers who responded to our fire this Thursday off the middle Waitsburg Road. With winds and wheat crop fueling the fire, our ranch homestead and buildings were surrounded by flames, and the selfless actions of the volunteer fire crews and farmers are the only reason the homestead was left unscathed. Fire districts in Walla Walla and Columbia counties as well as area farmers, please know how much we appreciate you and the time and effort you dedicate to this area to keep us...
Dear Editor, Last week’s column by Don Brunell tries to address the challenges we share in providing adequate energy supplies but is a disservice to the aggressive efforts of Washington state citizens, businesses and elected officials in developing efficient lasting solutions. By rewriting selected negative news reports on recent legislative decisions in Sweden and ignoring numerous other factors relevant to our very difficult energy choices, he feeds the often promoted attitude that industrialized countries must simply stop progressive policie...
Sweden and Washington State are very similar. Both have strong “green” movements and are quickly moving to eliminate all carbon-emitting fuels from cars and power plants. The caution for Washington elected officials is not to jam through hastily mandate programs which have significant unintended consequences such as has happened recently in Sweden. Washington and Sweden are aggressively working to put more electric vehicles on the road. Transportation is Washington State’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but our GHG levels are p...
While nearly all communities depend on volunteerism in some form or another, I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that small towns like Dayton and Waitsburg would fail to function without the concern and dedication of the many volunteers that help keep them running. Once one begins brainstorming all the volunteer-based organizations, programs and even individuals that take care the many needs in our communities, it’s hard to find an end to the list. It is our local firemen, board, committee and club members, event organizers and “just...
