Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 5591
DAYTON--Jim Su'euga was appointed to Position 2 on the Dayton City Council at last week's regular meeting. He applied for the city council position to serve the community. Su'euga said he would be a good steward of community resources and act with integrity. Su'euga told the council that his method of handling conflict and controversy is to "talk it out" without being confrontational, polarizing, or divisive. His top priorities for the community are moving forward with the wastewater treatment...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5:00 p.m., July 13, 2022, at the Port of Columbia and on Zoom. Port Executive Director Jennie Dickinson attended remotely using Zoom. Members of the public attended using Zoom and in person. The Commissioners approved the last meeting minutes, budget report, and vouchers. Dickinson reported on port properties. She said the non-profit Southeast Washington Alliance for Health would rent two suites at the Cameron Street Coworking, and Columbia River Detailing is moving into 521...
WAITSBURG-On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, a fleet of county law enforcement vehicles, including a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV), took over the parking lot at Waitsburg High School for the best possible scenario: Training. The Walla Walla Regional SWAT team, made up of officers from Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office and the Walla Walla Police Department, took advantage of empty classrooms for an active shooter drill. The training began at 7:30 a.m. and finished around 2...
The Port of Columbia County and tenants of Dayton's Blue Mountain Station held its annual Foodstock event on Saturday, July 16. Port manager Tracy Clark, with the help of administrative assistant Kelly Hinds, took the lead in organizing the event this year. The set-up and tear-down of the stage, tents, and seating areas are done with the help of friends, family, and BMS tenants. Local handyman Tim Bren makes himself invaluable each year by delivering, setting up, and taking down the towering wat...
DAYTON-The Dayton High School Alumni Association gathered in Dayton over the weekend, celebrating their first official reunion since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the gatherings. Betty Ann and Cecil Fletcher were this year's Alumni Parade Marshalls. "We pick somebody active in the community, and who are alumni and active within our group, and who actively promote Dayton and our community," said Tammy Ketterman, DHS Alumni Association Secretary. "Both (Betty Ann and Cecil) are alumni and...
Anonymous donor gives $10k. WAITSBURG –A movement is growing in Waitsburg to see a municipal pool return to town. Waitsburg Parks and Recreation received responses from 110 community members to its survey asking the community to weigh in on potential programs for the city. Results showed respondents overwhelmingly prioritized a new swimming pool for the community. Waitsburg Parks and Recreation District (P&R) and Rural Youth Enrichment Services (RYES) are set to take action. Results from the P...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met at 6:08 p.m. on Wednesday, July 06, 2022, in the High School Auditorium and on Zoom. The meeting was delayed for eight minutes because of technical problems with Zoom. All board members were present except for Grant Griffin. Rich Stewart was in attendance for the first time as part-time interim superintendent. The newly hired secondary principal, Guinevere Joyce, was not present. Stewart discussed developing a three to five-year plan to construct a budget that reflects the priorities of the school d...
WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) announced the launch of Warrior Pledge, a new scholarship program that will provide free tuition and other support to eligible students, enabling them to enroll at WWCC regardless of their financial circumstances. The Warrior Pledge program starts with a pilot cohort of 50 students beginning college in Fall Quarter 2022. The program was created to help students who may not otherwise be able to enroll due to financial constraints. WWCC pledges to cover eligible recipients’ cost of tuition, boo...
DAYTON – The Dayton School District held a special board meeting on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. in the Dayton High School Auditorium and on Zoom. For the first hour, the board held a joint meeting with the Waitsburg School Board to discuss the DW Combine. The combined school boards discussed ten items that were previously identified as issues that required further clarification. The two boards agreed to change policy to require principals, or their designates, to attend the monthly C...
DAYTON—The Hospital Board of Commissioners has given the nod to hospital administrators to have Hallway II at the Booker Rest Home evaluated for turning it into a childcare and early learning facility, as proposed by CCHS CEO Shane McGuire at last week’s board meeting. Hallway II at the rest home is the wing closest to the Touchet River and Rock Hill. It will be empty later this year when many nursing home residents go to live in the new assisted living facility. McGuire said he was walking aro...
WAITSBURG-The first Small Town Big Heart Showcase is headed to Waitsburg this weekend. More than 20 vendors will set up at the Gary Thomas Lot at the corner of Coppei and Preston Avenues on Saturday, July 9, starting at 9:00 a.m. Sponsored by the Waitsburg Commercial Club, President Kim Smith said she hopes this will become an annual event. Smith said that while the vendor list is already extensive, more businesses may sign on before the weekend rolls around. Vendors will offer products from...
WAITSBURG—After recent Dayton City Council actions delaying compliance with Department of Ecology guidelines for effluent release, residents of Waitsburg brought concerns to Waitsburg city officials. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe contacted the Department of Ecology’s Water Quality Program manager Llyn Doremus for guidance. In an email response, Doremus stated that the effluent from the Dayton Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) meets the required permit limits for fecal coliform. “The fecal coliform content measured (weekly) has been signi...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg is a town that is full of heart, and when it comes to our kids, the community is ready to give at a moment's notice. The Jace Strong Fundraiser dinner, supporting a local nine-year-old battling cancer, was no exception, as nearly 300 people gathered last Saturday to help out. At the end of May, Jace Grende was rushed to the hospital where it was found that he had a significant brain bleed. He was airlifted to Seattle, where they discovered a large tumor that was pressing...
WAITSBURG—Waitsburg City Council gathered for a regular meeting on Wednesday, June 15. All council members were present. Joy Smith commented on a report she shared with the council before the meeting. The report had information regarding employment in the area, housing prices, and local effects of inflation. The noon whistle was brought up by a community member who asked if the city would consider bringing it back. The siren had been operated by Columbia County EMS, who had requested to end t...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met for their regular meeting at 6 p.m., June 15, 2022. All board members were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Madison Richardson (Student Representative), and Superintendent Guy Strot. The meeting was also available on Zoom. At the start of the meeting, Superintendent Strot announced four changes to the agenda. First, Strot said he plans to schedule a joint board meeting with the Waitsburg School Board to further discuss the athletic c...
They had a dream that they worked together to fulfill – and they did. Twenty-nine years ago, Ed Harri (who grew up in Dayton) and his wife Pat launched the Wenaha Gallery at 219 East Main Street. The couple, who both loved art, decided to share that love with Ed’s hometown by opening up an art and framing gallery in 1993. Though the Harri’s lived in Salem, OR, they hired excellent associates who kept in daily contact with them. Ed and Pat also drove regularly from Oregon to Washington to be in the gallery in person and connect with their clien...
WAITSBURG-On June 10, Waitsburg first graders released more than 130 spring chinook salmon into the Coppei River. This was the fifth year Mrs. Hinchliffe's class partnered with the Tri Cities Steelheaders for the Salmon in Schools Program. Students worked with instructor Alex Lau, learning about the lifecycle of the fish and raising their own school from egg to fry....
DAYTON—The Dayton City Council met on June 14, 2022, for a regular meeting. All council members were present in the meeting room. Many residents filled all available seats, and as many as 25 logged in on Zoom. Multiple public comments were heard, with the majority focused on the wastewater treatment project. All but one speaker, Kathy Berg, were residents of Dayton. Berg, a former Dayton City Councilmember now living in Walla Walla, encouraged current members to attend training and get i...
The comprehensive plan, and potential litigation are discussed in public and executive sessions. LYONS FERRY MARINA– The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m., June 8, 2022, at the Lyons Ferry Marina after having a tour of that facility. The operators lease the marina and camping area from the Port of Columbia. All Commissioners were present in person, Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, and Johnny Watts. The Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, was also present. Some members of the public attended using Zoom. The C...
WAITSBURG/DAYTON—The Waitsburg and Dayton School boards met on June 1, 2022, for a joint meeting to discuss details surrounding the future of the DW Athletics Combine. The loosely followed agenda included discipline, middle school athletics, finances, and future joint board meetings. On the topic of discipline, Dayton School Superintendent Guy Strot and Waitsburg Superintendent Mark Pickel suggested the secondary principals handle disciplinary issues with the combine athletes. This would r...
DAYTON—Residents, business owners, and concerned neighbors gathered at Dayton High School last Wednesday, seeking clarification on the status of the city’s wastewater project. Concerns were raised after the Dayton City Council twice voted against a purchase that was one of the critical steps towards solving the city’s wastewater issue after a decade of planning. “What happens next?” was on everyone’s mind at the June 2 town hall gathering. Cynthia Wall-Fuller, Washington State Department...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., June 1, 2022, in the high school auditorium and Zoom. All members of the Dayton School Board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Madison Richardson (Student Representative), and Superintendent Guy Strot. The consent agenda included the resignation of M.S. math teacher Brenda Henderson and the hiring of Martin Surridge as an HS English teacher, Pam Nolan Beasley as the elementary STEM teacher, and...
DAYTON- A dedicated group of swimming and water safety enthusiasts are asking for help as planning for a new swimming pool in Dayton enters a critical phase. The Friends of the Pool (Friends) has contracted with Schemata Workshop, Seattle (architects), and Ballard King & Associates LTD, Highlands Ranch, CO (recreational facility planning and operation consultants). The firms will assist with data collection, development of a community assessment, and designs for a new facility. They will also...
The district to facilitate community safety sessions this summer WAITSBURG—Parents of Waitsburg School District students had a scare after a post on Facebook alerting users of a ‘school shooting threat’ was rapidly shared online. The events happened less than 24 hours after 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman in Uvalde, Texas. On Wednesday, May 25, a parent of a student enrolled in the district posted on social media that she was aware of death threats being made at the schoo...
PRESCOTT—On Thursday, June 9th, Prescott School will be having a unique all-school experiential art activity titled, “When the River Becomes a Cloud.” Prescott School’s long-term Artists-in-Residence, Amanda Leigh Evans and Tia Kramer, will choreograph students from Pre-K through grade12, in concert with school staff and teachers, into an embodied river that moves through the school campus. Wearing a rainbow of monochromatic shirts created for the event, the school community will move through a series of art experiences simulating aspects...
