Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 295
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting on October 12, 2022, at the Port of Columbia conference room and on Zoom. Present for the meeting were Commissioners Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. Members of the public attended using Zoom and in person. The meeting focused on budget discussions, as the board must complete and approve next year’s budget by the end of November. Bryan objected to taking the legally allowed one percent increase to the Port’s tax levy limit...
DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held its regular meeting on October 11, 2022. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Shannon McMillen, Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Kyle Anderson, Laura Aukerman, Dain Nysoe, and Tiger Dieu were present at City Hall. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, as was decided at the last meeting. During the first public comment period, a citizen asked about the status of promised flood mitigation efforts planned by the city. Weatherford said he has been unable to schedule a meeting with U.S. Army Corps o...
DAYTON-The Dayton chapter of the American Association of University Women held a Candidates' Forum on October 5, to allow voters in Columbia County to hear from and ask questions of candidates for local races. Candidates for Columbia County Sheriff, Columbia County Commissioner from District 3, and the Joint Metropolitan Park District attended the event at The Liberty Theater in Dayton. Columbia County Commissioner District 3 Columbia County Commissioner Charles Amerein is seeking reelection to...
DAYTON-The Dayton Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold a Candidates Forum at the Liberty Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The public is advised to arrive at 6:30 p.m. in the theater foyer, where they can fill out question cards for the candidates before the Forum begins. The completed questions cards will be the only opportunity for members of the audience to ask questins of the candidates. A "Meet and Greet" session will follow the Forum. The Forum will be presented in two parts this year. Part one...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met for their regular meeting at 6 p.m., September 21, 2022. Present in the high school library were board members Zac Fabian, Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Grant Griffen, and Superintendent Rich Stewart. Aneesha Dieu arrived about 20 minutes into the meeting. Participation was also available on Zoom. Grace Trump gave the ASB report, including a summary of Homecoming activities. In his report, Combine Athletic Director Sam Korslund said thirty-six girls are participating in high school volleyball. All are c...
DAYTON- The Dayton City Council held its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on September 13, 2022. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Shannon McMillen, Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Kyle Anderson, Laura Aukerman, and Tiger Dieu were present at City Hall; Dain Nysoe was absent. The Interim 911 Director and Dispatch Supervisor, Desirae Lockard, gave a brief report, including an update on the 911 phone system, which will have an upgrade on September 20, 2022. She said 911 calls might be redirected to Walla Walla for up to six hours that day. With t...
COLUMBIA COUNTY-Virginia Schmidt is the ever-capable Clerk of the Board for the Board of Columbia County Commissioners (BOCC), in that position for a year and a half. Here is what this reporter learned by picking her brain last week and by following up with various department heads. Chris Mills, Columbia County's Assessor, has announced her last day with the County on Sept. 30. She has been with the County for over thirty years, first as the Chief Deputy Clerk in the Assessor's Office and the...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met for its regular meeting on September 7, 2022. Present in the high school auditorium were board members Zac Fabian, Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, and Superintendent Rich Stewart. Grant Griffen did not attend, and Aneesha Dieu arrived during the “Character Strong” presentation. Participation was also available on Zoom. The Board approved the Consent Agenda, hiring Cole Kenney and Elizabeth Sutton as Elementary Paraprofessionals and Jeremy Trump as a volunteer Middle School Football coach. There were no pu...
Meet Touchet Valley Golf Course's new pro on Saturday, August 27 DAYTON-The Dayton Valley Golf course has a new golf pro. Tyler Huff brings his experience working with novices to experts, golf pros, and college players to Dayton. Over the past five years, Huff has been a teaching professional and a nationally recognized club fitter at the Reserve Golf & Vineyards in Hillsboro, Oregon. He has taught top Pacific Northwest players, including Spencer Tibets and most of the former division-one...
DAYTON—The Friends of the Pool (FotP) and the Focus Advisory Group seek volunteers to serve on the proposed Columbia County Metropolitan Park District. The proposed district would be a new, unfunded taxing district to support the construction, maintenance, and operation of a new aquatic facility and other recreational facilities in Dayton and Columbia County. Five volunteers from the community are needed to make up the Park District Board of Commissioners. The Board will initially guide the management of the new district, complete contracts f...
DAYTON— Comments made at the August Columbia County Rural Library Board of Trustees meeting has left many in the community unsettled. During the public comment period elected officials County Commissioner Chuck Amerien and Dayton City Councilmember Laura Aukerman joined others to challenge the board and ask for certain books to be removed from the library’s collection. Since the meeting, comments on social media, including the Facebook page “Dayton (WA) Uncesnsored”, have been critical and often generating anger directed at the library board a...
DAYTON—Columbia County Sheriff Joe Helm spoke at length in his report to the Dayton City Council last week. Most notably, he reported about traffic stops and criticism he has received from some who say there have been way too many. Since January 1, the road deputies have made 748 traffic stops. Helm said the stops are not only for safety reasons but also to prevent crime and drugs from entering the community. According to the sheriff, Columbia County is a major drug route from the west coast t...
DAYTON-On Monday, Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire led The Times on a tour of one of the four cottages at Rivers Walk Assisted Living. The nearly completed cottage we toured was the "Palouse," which will soon house the memory care residents currently living at the Booker Rest Home. The new buildings provide all the same safety requirements but are quieter, brighter, and feels more homelike. "Palouse" has ten spacious and airy apartments. There are nine single occupancy rooms, and...
DAYTON-Shere Kan, Mowgli, and Baloo will take center stage at the Liberty Theater this weekend, in Dayton. Missoula Children's Theatre is back with their summer production of "The Jungle Book." The Missoula Children's Theater (MCT) visits all 50 States, five Canadian Provinces, and 16 different countries. With the exception of 2020, the Missoula Children's Theater has visited Dayton each summer for a week-long production of their choosing for many years. This year, a record-breaking amount of...
DAYTON—The Dayton School Board met for its regular meeting at 6:03 p.m., July 20, 2022. School board members Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, and Superintendent Rich Stewart were present at the auditorium. Aneesha Dieu attended on Zoom. The regular meeting followed a budget hearing held at 5 p.m. The board began the meeting by approving the Consent Agenda. During the public comment period, Jeremy Trump, a parent, and member of the Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine Committee spoke. “Thank you for the opp...
DAYTON--Diane McKinley, representing the Advisory Committee for the Friends of the Community Pool, was a special guest at the Dayton City Council meeting last week. The Advisory Committee is seeking a resolution from the council to place a proposition on the November ballot asking voters to approve the formation of a nonfunded county-wide Metropolitan Park and Recreation District. If the proposition is approved, grants will be sought to build the pool, and the District will then ask voters to...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
