Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 404 - 428 of 1887
WALLA WALLA-Incumbents Patrick Dennis, Jay DeWitt and Dennis Munden were all re-elected to the Columbia REA Board of Directors in the 2019 board elections. Jay DeWitt lives in rural Walla Walla county. He is co-founder of Dumas Station Wines and makes his living growing grapes and making wine. He graduated from WSU in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy and has had a varied career which includes crop protectant sales, crop consulting and farming. Dennis Munden (District 2) lives...
DAYTON-The Columbia County Senior Center, located at 403 E. Patit St. in Dayton, offers an array of activities for people sixty years old and older, said Stephanie Carpenter, R.N., who, along with Betty Keller, Barbara Gibson, Dawn Radebaugh, and Zella Powers make up the Southeast Washington Aging and Long Term Care Council of Governments Advisory Council, for Columbia County, of which Carpenter is the Chair. "We're trying to get seniors more involved in the community," Carpenter said about...
Columbia County Health System employees gathered last Friday to honor 94-year-old Eulalie Shreck, who recently retired after many years manning the hospital information desk....
DAYTON-At the Fairgrounds Pavilion last week, Columbia County Engineer Charles Eaton and Kirk Holmes, an engineer with consulting firm PERFEET, spoke about the intention of the Board of Columbia County Commissioners to form a county-wide flood control zone district (FCZD). The City of Dayton and the Town of Starbuck have passed resolutions in support of the BOCC's intention. "It's always fun to go back in time," Holmes said about the 1996 Touchet River and Patit Creek floods. "In 1996 there was...
Retiring Dayton Mayor Craig George was honored at a community reception on Tues., April 16. County and city staff, friends, and colleagues gathered to show appreciation for George's 15 years of service to the City. City of Dayton employees presented George with a gold watch inscribed," Thank you for 15 years of dedicated service to our community. 2019" Jake Hollopter, Adam Schmidtgall and Howard Boggs, representatives of City engineers, Anderson Perry & Associates, presented George with framed...
DAYTON-"We're hardwired for violence. The fact that you are sitting here right now means for generations and generations, there were people in your background who knew how to operate in violence, or else you would not be here today," Columbia County Under Sheriff Robbie Patterson said to the Dayton Citizen's Academy students during last Friday's class. Patterson said a course on self-defense is actually a course in violence, and he talked about the importance of understanding the difference...
DAYTON-The Dayton Chamber of Commerce, the Dayton Development Task Force, local organizations and Main Street businesses kicking off a program to beautify Dayton's Main Street. The Adopt-A-Storefront Program began as one woman's brain child. Former 4-H Program Coordinator Lorna Barth said she wanted 4-H clubs to be able to show off what they do and bring some attention to 4-H programs. "Earlier this year I was looking for ways to allow clubs in Columbia County to celebrate the 100th year of 4-H...
Good News in Dayton Schools Seven high school students attended the state Future Business Leaders of America convention. FFA teams continue to compete and prepare for State Conference. Some high school students recently provided daycare for a fundraiser sponsored by the VFW. Consent Agenda Dan & Ginny Butler donated $200 for band uniforms and Becky Wood donated $500 for band uniforms Jami Jo Trump is the new Camp Wooten Coordinator Duke Morrow is middle school assistant baseball coach; Jesse Mings is volunteer middle school baseball coach Bus...
By Carolyn Henderson Dayton artist Dawn Moriarty goes hunting whenever she can, tracks down her prey, and drags it down to her cave. Only she doesn't go after animals. Or anything alive, actually. What she does hunt are all sorts of paper products – tags, receipts, stationery, old sewing patterns, diaries, textbooks, ledgers – as well as vintage lace and fabrics. Her hunting grounds are antique stores, junk shops, yard sales, estate sales, secondhand stores, library sales, and anywhere else she...
Update: The below article was posted on The Times website on April 11, following last week's press deadline. Since the time of the original article, Superior Court Judge Scott Gallina was formally charged with second-degree rape, fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and indecent liberties. He was released on his own recognizance after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bail. On April 12, Dale Slack updated the Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney Facebook page saying, "I can confirm this...
DAYTON—Like dozens of rural districts across the state, the Dayton School District is scrambling to build a budget based on worse-case scenarios in the face of uncertain state funding. At an April 10 special meeting, the school board unanimously adopted Resolution 2018-04 which declares that the school is facing a financial emergency and allows for a reduction in staff, if needed. Superintendent Doug Johnson explained that the district is facing a potential 2019-20 funding shortage and is c...
DAYTON—The catch phrase, “Discover Dayton’s Diversity,” will be used in the City’s comprehensive plan and Boe Stevenson of Boe Designs created a corresponding graphic. Phrase development was initiated by City Clerk Trina Cole who suggested the Dayton Planning Commission come up with a phrase. The Commission held a brainstorming session and several options were sent out for for community members to vote on. “Discover Dayton’s Diversity” received the majority of the public vote and earned a sp...
DAYTON-Columbia County Emergency Management will celebrate National 911 Telecommunicators Week with an Open House on Fri., April 19 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The public is invited to tour the dispatch center, located at 341 E. Main Street, and meet the dispatchers. Refreshments will be provided. In light of National 911 Telecommunicators Week, The Times would like to issue a "thank you" to those who serve us in Walla Walla and Columbia Counties. Above are the faces of the telecommunicators and...
DAYTON—City of Dayton Mayor Craig George presided over a lengthy city council meeting last week, which will be his last before he retires on Apr. 30. “I really want to thank the council. I’ve been to many meetings in the state and the councils are pretty contentious and don’t always get along . . . Everyone in this council has always done what we all think is best for the citizens of Dayton and I appreciate that.” City council members Mike Paris and Delphine Bailey have both informed the council...
DAYTON-With The Club youth center nearing completion of its first school year, co-founder Ginny Butler said community members are still confused about how the center is funded. Butlers said that tremendous community support has allowed The Club to thrive and successfully accomplish its mission "to enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." Butler said funding of The Club is split into three separate...
DAYTON-The Walla Walla and Columbia Conservation Districts are the lead agencies for a restoration and improvement plan for fish and wildlife habitat on the Touchet River, from the SR 125 bridge at Waitsburg, upstream, into the upper reaches of the North and South Touchet River and Wolf and Robinson Forks. Landowners potentially impacted by the plan were provided with an overview of the process at meetings held last week in Waitsburg and in Dayton and they were invited to help shape the plan. Speaking in the Youth Building, at the Columbia...
COLUMBIA COUNTY—In April of 2018, Governor Jay Inslee approved 139 census tracts in 36 counties for Opportunity Zone status. One of those designations included the majority of Columbia County and allows the county to offer special federal tax breaks to encourage development and job creation. The Opportunity Zone program was a bipartisan proposal in Congress incorporated into the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It allows the governor of every state to designate up to 25 percent of eligible census tracts as Opportunity Zones – areas that are str...
DAYTON—The Frank E. Bauers American Legion Post No. 42 was organized in 1919, which was the same year the national organization was chartered and incorporated by Congress, according to Carla Rowe who has written a history of the Dayton organization based on the material published in various issues of the Columbia County Dispatch. She writes, "The Post is named after Frank Ernest Bauers, of Company M, 361st Infantry, ninety-first Division, wounded October 2, 1918 in the battle of Argonne in F...
DAYTON-The patriotic display honoring Columbia County veterans has been moved from the Smith Hollow Country Schoolhouse to the Palus Museum, at 426 E. Main Street. "The display was popular and deserved a more permanent location," said Paula Moisio, president of the Blue Mountain Heritage Society (BMHS). Moisio said the BMHS is collaborating with the Frank E. Bauers American Legion Post # 42 to honor local veterans who have served the nation. The expanded collection of items from local veterans...
DAYTON-In an April 11 emergency meeting, Columbia Commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 2019-22 which addresses the protection of Columbia County employees and elected officials. The resolution was drafted in response to the April 10 arrest of Columbia County Superior Court Judge Scott D. Gallina at the Asotin County Courthouse. Columbia County Prosecutor Dale Slack, who presented the resolution, briefed the commissioners on the case saying that Gallina had been arrested at the Asotin...
DAYTON-PacifiCorp is investing $3.5 billion to build four new wind projects and upgrade its Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington wind fleet. The upgrade includes "repowering" the 78 wind turbines at Marengo I, and the 39 wind turbines at Marengo II, east of Dayton. "Local communities may notice an increase in heavy equipment and vehicle traffic as early as May as work begins to widen leased access roads to allow for sufficient access to the sites," said Tom Gauntt, Media Spokesman for Pacific Power....
DAYTON-Beginning on April 19 the Blue Mountain Station Co-op will be open on Tues. through Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p. m., said Patricia Sacha, the manager of the Co-op market. Sacha said on Apr. 19 there will be a grand opening with special deals and a drawing for a $25 gift certificate for use either at the Co-op or in the new retail garden nursery. She said vegetable starts, succulents, perennials and herbs from Harmony Gardens and Glass and Verdurous Gardens will be for sale. Sacha...
DAYTON-There's something new brewing behind the Village Shoppes on Main Street. Enthusiastic artist Jessica Griffin is opening the Dayton Creative Co-op, a mixed-use art studio with community at its core. "It's something I've been wanting to do for a really long time and I finally got the nerve to go through with it," Griffin said. The co-op's grand opening is all day Thurs., April 4 (10:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.) and will feature cake and two giveaways. Of the giveaways, a denim jacket, complete with...
DAYTON-The Touchet Valley Golf Course is open for the season, with a new fee schedule that makes an already enjoyable course even that much more pleasurable. Previously, greens fees were $18 for nine holes and $22 for 18 holes. Now, a flat $20 fee gets all-day play. Power carts can be rented for $15. "One of the greatest things about this course is that it is so playable for all levels of players. It's a shorter course, that still challenging. It's walkable, and really, really good for seniors...
DAYTON-Railroad enthusiast and author Thomas Hillebrant spoke about the history of the Walla Walla and Dayton Rails at the Dayton Historic Depot on Mar. 21. Hillebrant said there was a "great clamor" from local grain producers, early on, to tap into world markets by rail. He said the first local rail ran from Wallula to Touchet and had wood rails. Baker Boyer Bank Founder Dr. Dorsey Baker financed it and it was completed in 1875. A "spider's web" of competing rail routes soon ensued, including...
