Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1889
DAYTON- Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council meeting to order at 6 p.m. on December 3, 2024. Trump and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Laura Aukerman, Joann Patras, Kyle Anderson, and Shannon McMillen were present at City Hall. Michael Smith was not present. Sheriff Helm kicked off the meeting by reading monthly statistics. He mentioned positive comments he’d received regarding the city’s new radar speed signs installed at both ends of Main Street. Helm said the sheriff’s office is participating in “Toys for Tots,” an...
DAYTON - The health system in Columbia County is tackling a growing challenge with a blend of innovation and compassion. With 28.6% of the county's residents aged 65 or older-a figure expected to rise to 32% by 2030-the Columbia County Health System prioritizes the needs of the county's aging population. To address healthcare challenges and improve patient outcomes, the critical access hospital district launched the multi-disciplinary Population Health Team. "Our community's aging presents...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners met at 5 p.m. on November 13, 2024, at the port’s conference room. Commissioners Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson, were present. Gerry Kaiser spoke during public comment, asking the commissioners to direct Dickinson and her staff to pursue state and federal grants to repair the port’s rail system. He said the federal government has given $150 million to nine municipalities in the state of Washington for rail improvements. Dickinson presented the month...
DAYTON — The Columbia County Parks and Recreation Pool District will host a town hall meeting to present and discuss the proposed excess levy on the November 2024 ballot. The public meeting will be held at the Dayton Multipurpose Room at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. The Parks and Rec commissioners encourage community members to come and learn first-hand about the proposed excess levy, ask questions, and have an open conversation about the pool district’s needs, goals, and pri...
DAYTON- Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council meeting to order at 6 p.m. on September 10, 2024. Trump and council members Teeny McMunn, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, James Su’euga, and Shannon McMillen were present at City Hall. City Council members Laura Aukerman and Joann Patras were absent. During the first public coamment period, Dayton resident Theresa Eier spoke on concerns over the city’s contract negotiations with Columbia County for policing services by the sheriff department. Sheriff departments in Washington state are mor...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on August 14, 2024, at the port’s conference room. Commissioners present were Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. There was no public comment during the first opportunity to do so. The commissioners handled the usual administrative items, including approval of past minutes and the monthly budget. The commissioners briefly discussed next year’s budget, due this November. This fall, a federal financial audit of the port...
DAYTON - The Touchet Valley Café at Dayton General Hospital once served staff, visitors, local students, and the public. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the café has been closed to the public. In a recent letter to the editor in The Dayton Chronicle, a community member questioned why the beloved café remains closed. The writer reminisced about meals at the café, and particularly the clam chowder on Fridays. They wrote that reopening the café could benefit the hospital district fina...
DAYTON—Ryan Rundell and Marty Hall are running unopposed for four-year terms on the Board of Columbia County Commissioners, representing Districts 1 and 2, respectively. When elected in November, January 1 will be the start of Hall’s second full term in office. Hall looks forward to continuing the daily tasks associated with his position on the board and wants people to know about three of the most important accomplishments during his time in office. In a prepared statement, Hall said the cou...
DAYTON — Since opening in 2017, the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center at Columbia County Health System (CCHS) has become a beacon of hope and healing for residents in Southeastern Washington. This state-of-the-art facility specializes in providing advanced treatment for chronic and non-healing wounds. The CCHS wound care center is part of a network of over 600 facilities partnered with Healogics, a national provider of advanced wound care services. With a commitment to evidence-based treatments and patient-centered care, the wound care center b...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the Dayton High School Library at 6:31 p.m. on July 17, 2024. School board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, board members Zac Fabian, Ryan Paulson, and Aneesha Dieu present. Grant Griffin was not present. The session was Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley's first board meeting. The board passed the consent agenda, which included the resignations of Danica Porter, H.S. science teacher, and Susan Richter, food service assistant. Wheatley also announced Tanya Patton's resi...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on July 12, 2024, at the port office. Commissioners Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson were present. The Commissioners first dealt with several administrative items, including a detailed examination of the monthly budget report and the 2023 annual report. There were no new leases to announce. Next, the meeting shifted to the public hearing on the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan. There was no public input, so the comm...
DAYTON - An innovative diabetes education program at Columbia County Health System shows promising results in managing diabetes for residents. Spearheaded by Ruth Yutzy, RN, a Diabetes Education Specialist, the program is part of the health system's broader effort to address chronic health conditions in the community. The diabetes education program offers comprehensive support and education for individuals diagnosed with diabetes. It aims to improve their quality of life through better blood...
DAYTON — Columbia County Health System (CCHS) is taking significant strides to enhance the health and well-being of the local community through its innovative Population Health Program. This initiative aligns with the national Healthy People 2030 campaign, which aims to improve health outcomes, eliminate disparities, and create environments that promote health for all individuals. Population Health is a national, comprehensive approach designed to improve the health of all individuals within a human population. The program focuses on three k...
DAYTON — The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m. on June 12, 2024, at the Lyon’s Ferry Marina. Commissioners Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and Executive Director Jennie Dickinson were present. Watts arrived near the end of the meeting, saying he stopped to assist at a vehicle accident scene. There was no public comment during the first opportunity to do so. In the budget report, Dickinson said it was a low-expense month. Nothing unusual, she commented on the progress of the lighting project. Dic...
DAYTON – The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:30 p.m. on May 22, 2024. School board members Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Ryan Paulson, Aneesha Dieu, Grant Griffin, and Superintendent Rich Stewart were present. The board approved the Consent Agenda, which included administrative items and the approval of Polla Laib’s retirement at the end of this school year. Laib has been a teacher for 43 years, the last 38 years at Dayton Elementary. Much of the board meeting consisted of two insightful presentations. The fir...
DAYTON – The Port of Columbia Commissioners held their regular meeting at the port's office on May 7, 2024. Commissioners present were Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, Mike Spring, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. During the first public comment period, Teeny McMunn thanked the port for its assistance in the community-wide flea market held at the fairgrounds over the weekend. The commissioners handled several administrative items, including the budget report and vouchers. There were no n...
OLYMPIA - On Tuesday, March 26, Senate Bill 5824, sponsored by Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) and requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, was signed into law in Olympia. The bill raised the required number of petitioners from 10% to 25% of eligible voters. In addition, eligible voters include all residents who pay taxes to fund the library district. "The Dayton library was on the verge of becoming the first library in the country to shut down because of a dispute over the books inside," Hunt sai...
DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners met for a special meeting on March 25, 2024. Chairman Jack Miller and commissioners Ryan Rundell and Marty Hall were present. The commissioners and County Prosecutor Dale Slack discussed changes to the county's coroner services required due to amendments to RCW 36.16.030. The coroner function must be separated from prosecutors starting in 2024. The commissioners decided not to turn the position into an elected office, choosing to appoint or contract...
DAYTON—Each year in December, the Port of Columbia holds its Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) meeting for stakeholders in the community to review and update an ongoing five and ten-year project list, cast ballots for the three projects each of them deem most important for the community, listen to guest speakers about progress on current projects, and learn about specific economic indicators for Columbia County. This year, stakeholders voted for their top three project priorities i...
DAYTON - Columbia County Health System announced the retirement of esteemed doctors Dr. Gwynneth Neace, a board-certified pediatrician, and Dr. Lewis Neace, a board-certified emergency medicine physician. The two talented physicians chose to come home in 2016 to lend their considerable skills to the communities they love. Giving back to the towns where they were raised has been the capstone of their accomplished medical careers. After eight years of devoted service, they have decided to retire....
DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met in the high school library at 6:36 p.m. on December 6, 2023. School Board members present were Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Zac Fabian, Aneesha Dieu, and Grant Griffin. Superintendent Rich Stewart was also present. Matthew Smith, who briefed the Dayton City Council on the Community Needs Assessment the previous evening, gave essentially the same briefing to the school board. The board turned its attention to EPO (Educational Programs and Operation) Proposition 1 and Capital Levy Proposition 2. The EPO would f...
DAYTON — People residing in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease. Columbia County Health System is committed to changing that. For efforts to optimize acute cardiac care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities, Columbia County Health System received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Rural Recognition Bronze award for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The Americ...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 PM, November 8, 2023, in the Port Office. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. During the first public comment period, four individuals supported Lyon’s Ferry Marina and the effort to maintain KOA membership by adding required pull-through sites. Bryan objected to approving the last meeting’s agenda because its summary incorrectly characterized one of his statements as saying the breakwater at Ly...
DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held their regular meeting at 5 p.m., October 11, 2023, in the Port Office. Commissioners present were Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and the Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson. After dealing with some routine administrative items, the Commissioners began discussing the 2024 Budget, starting with the Executive Director’s salary. Crowe said Dickenson deserved a fifteen percent salary increase due to her role in committee meetings, numerous projects, and the management of the Blue Mountain Sta...
DAYTON-Mike Spring and Randy Schafer are running for Port of Columbia Commissioner representing District 2, the seat being vacated by Genie Crowe. "The Times" spoke with Spring and received a prepared statement from Shafer. Candidate Mike Spring Spring is excited about the future in Columbia County and believes with help from the community and through his gift of perseverance, much can be accomplished. He explained, "The primary goal of a port district is economic development for its...
