Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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[Editor;s Note: This is the first in a short series of articles that will appear on this page about the importance of preserving and restoring the historic buildings in the Touchet Valley] Growing up in Dayton, I knew that our downtown was a special place. It had a wide expanse of street and wide sidewalks where bikes could be ridden without hitting anyone. The stately old buildings that graced each side were like old friends. They had a certain feel and smell when you walked in that made you th...
Dear Editor: Waitsburg Celebration was another huge success, thanks to a bunch of involvement from the community, its citizens, and its organizations. We are so proud to be living in this town, and enjoying our annual celebration as it is now and remembering the way Waitsburg has celebrated this weekend in May for so many years! The event(s) could never have happened without the help of many people in this city. First, the Celebration Days Committee: they started meeting in October and have worked tirelessly throughout the entire fall, winter...
Dear Editor, Because Washington State’s presidential primary is meaningless--except to gather names for major political parties (which smells like public use of dollars for the benefit of private groups) the Secretary of State and Attorney General’s offices were contacted. Responses from both referenced RCW 29A.56.060 submitted as an initiative to the legislature and passed in 1989. Simply put, if the legislature provides funds a Presidential Primary is held. This year the cost of the Presidential Primary is estimated at $11.5 million. Con...
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Reports suggesting that the search for a third candidate has stalled, lacks money or faces insurmountable hurdles to qualifying for ballots in 50 states are inaccurate. Bill Kristol, editor of Weekly Standard and one of several Republicans driving the search, recently told this column: “Our research and groundwork show an independent bid is doable. I think someone credible will seize the moment within the next couple of weeks.” And yet the problem of finding an actual candidate has dogged the group. There is no doubt that Sen. Ben Sasse, R-N...
At the age of 16, Heather Troupe received a diagnosis of chronic severe depression and a prescription for an antidepressant. Eight years and 20 pounds later, she was sleeping poorly, felt a lot of anxiety and had lost her therapist because of insurance complications. Looking to “fix herself,” as Troupe, of Knoxville, Tenn., put it, she began using an elliptical machine every day at the gym, hoping to sweat away what was ailing her. Today, Troupe, 33, has been medication-free for nine years and credits her daily exercise habits with helping her...
Donald Trump had always described his run for president as unique. Going it alone without support from senior leaders of the Republican Party may just be another thing that sets him apart. “Does it have to be unified? I’m very different than everybody else, perhaps, that’s ever run for office. I actually don’t think so,” Trump told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. A growing roster of Republicans have said they won’t back their party’s presumptive nominee in November, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who compe...
I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposed action to dissolve the residential historic districts in the City of Dayton and to ask my fellow homeowners in these districts to reconsider this decision. I am wearing two hats while writing this – one as the owner of a home in the Southside Historic District, and one as a person who has attempted to promote tourism and business development in Columbia County for the last 17 years. Historic Preservation has been a huge catalyst in the economic diversification of our community and the r...
Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Tuesday night, turning his sights on Hillary Clinton, who, he says, will be easy to beat. She will not be - at least not for him. But Democrats must avoid making a similar mistake, dismissing Trump based on his historically high negative poll numbers without understanding why people are voting for him. Imagine a Trump supporter. The image conjured up might be a loud white man, middle-age or older, probably “poorly educated” (as Trump has put it), perhaps wearing a white tan...
Dear Editor, Lyons Ferry Marina would like to thank the County Commissioners, Port of Columbia and the County Engineer for helping to resolve a posible interruption of our business by a road construction project on Lyons Ferry Rd. Originally slated for June & July 2016 this project would have closed the road for 60 days during our peak season. An alternate road closure date has been set to start on or after August 15th 2016. Although not ideal we will only have a few weeks of our summer season affected instead of eight. We wish it was later,...
Now and then a worthy economic proposal comes along that seems as politically unattainable as it is sensible. Then, on closer inspection, you see that it’s more than a policy-wonk’s fantasy. And you wonder whether it could actually prevail. This may be happening with the concept of a universal basic income. The notion that government should guarantee every citizen an annual stipend of, say, $10,000 -- no strings attached, no questions asked -- is being studied by politicians, economists and policy experts worldwide. Think of it as Social Sec...
Often derided as a blot on rural landscapes, wind turbines got bigger and stronger than ever anyway. The next generation are even larger and designed to withstand an Arctic battering. The granddaddy of them all is a machine with rotors that cut a 538-foot (164-meter) swath made by a Vestas Wind Systems venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. A single blade is 80 meters, about the entire wingspan of an Airbus A380 jumbo jet. In the intensely competitive wind turbine business, it's rare for...
Dear Editor, In response to the April 21st article in the Times, regarding staff cuts in the Waitsburg School District, we as educators would like to share some additional insight and encourage community members to attend the May 11th school board meeting in Preston Hall at 7:00 pm. Reducing the certified teaching staff by 1 to 3 people is likely to cause significant changes for Waitsburg students. This could include, but is not limited to, fewer elective classes offered at the high school, loss of continuity and belonging in the middle school...
A proposed road construction project may have severe consequences for Lyons Ferry Marina this summer. As managers of the marina we want the public to be aware of the impact this may have on the marina and summer recreation opportunities. The project will affect Lyons Ferry Rd immediately adjacent to the marina entrance. The proposed project will result in the road being closed to all traffic traveling to and from Walla Walla and Tri Cities via Lyons Ferry Road for two months! Yes, detours and alternate routes are available. But all either take...
One would think we could celebrate the recognition that Harriet Tubman will be given on future $20 bills without demeaning former president Andrew Jackson as a “monster,” asa recent Huffington Post headlinedid. And summarizing his legendary tenure as being “known primarily for a brutal genocidal campaign against native Americans,” as reported in The Post, offers an indication of how far political correctness has invaded our educational system and skewed our national consciousness. This dismissive characterization of one of our great preside...
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The announcement by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew that Harriet Tubman will take the place of Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill has caused some grumbling. Senator Lamar Alexander, who like Jackson is from Tennessee, expressed grave misgivings about the swap. Donald Trump said the change was “pure political correctness.” But there’s one major political figure who would be thrilled by the news: Jackson himself. Jackson’s presence on the notes of the Federal Reserve has always been a slap in the face to the seventh president, who unequiv...
This probably will beggar belief for the millions of Americans struggling to meet this year’s April 18 deadline to file their income tax returns, but the IRS says it has gotten better at handling taxpayer questions. Two years ago, only 38 percent of the taxpayers who called for help got the assistance they needed. Last year, the number went up to 70 percent. That the IRS counts this as progress is not exactly reassuring. But it’s very much in keeping with the long and vexed history of what is known as “taxpayer assistance.” For seven decades...
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At the ripe old age of 70, Highlights - that magazine staple of pediatricians' offices and often the first piece of mail a kid used to get - is moving into the digital age. But with a brand as notable and recognizable as Highlights', the magazine didn't want to simply slap its articles and puzzles onto a mobile screen. So it took its time, said Kent S. Johnson, chief executive of the Highlights for Children Inc., which prints the beloved magazine with the tagline "Fun with a Purpose." It also...
It wasn’t the hardest phone call I’ve ever made, but it was certainly awkward. I was cold-calling the National Rifle Association. Because the NRA is well-known for offering gun safety training, I wanted to know whether the organization had ideas on how to reduce the number of firearm suicides. Half of all suicides in the United States are by firearm, and roughly two-thirds of all firearm deaths are suicides. Given the NRA’s opposition to virtually all gun regulation, I knew this was a touchy area. A far harder call was the one I received from...
For more than a century, boys and girls with an abiding curiosity about harvesting corn and raising cattle found refuge in their local 4-H Club, which developed deep roots in America's farming communities that make up the fruited plains between the country's coastal population centers. But a new effort, slated to begin this month, is seeking to broaden the group's traditional scope beyond agriculture, aiming to push it into the 21st century by forging more of a connection with the nation's...
Dear Editor, On behalf of the After School Task Force, we want to thank the many volunteers who contributed to a very successful After School Pilot Program which concluded on March 31, 2016. There is no doubt that the program would never have happened without the countless hours of preparation and facilitation on the part of our volunteers. A total of 50 youth, grades 3 – 6 participated in art, dance, gardening, soccer, basketball, football, and granola making. We want to thank the following volunteers for their commitment to the program: S...
When members of Manhattan’s media elite come to Mark Halperin’s home for dinner, Halperin likes to ask his guests whether they have spent more time in Paris or Staten Island. More often than not, his guests select the destination that does not offer regular ferry service from Battery Park. Halperin’s dinner quiz provides a glimpse into what conservatives have long mocked as the cloistered existence of liberal elites who report on a nation they don’t understand. Republican critics have long complained that these media elites are schoole...
