Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 781 - 805 of 1887
The much anticipated return of Family Story Time and Dinner begins on Tues., Sept. 5. This event will be ongoing on the first Tuesday of each month, at 6 p.m., through December. Book Chat, the “Not a Book Club Book Club,” returns on Sat., Sept. 16, at 6:00 p.m. We are looking forward to hearing what everybody has been reading, all summer. Plus, there is ALWAYS PIE!! The Friends of the Library meeting is at 4 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 20. Robot Club will meet on Sept. 22 from 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. Micah and Me Children’s Music Show, a dance party for tod...
DAYTON--The Washington state legislature recently approved a four-year, 7.3 billion education package to satisfy a Supreme Court ruling requiring the state to fully fund basic education. The burden of basic teacher salaries will now be shifted to the state from local districts and salaries will be paid depending on regional housing costs. The amount set aside from the package for 2018-19 biennium is $1.8 billion. Details about how funds will be disbursed and what the rules are, are being...
Campground 3 and Deer Lake Access road will be closed longer than anticipated as work has just begun on Rainbow Lake. Culbert Construction of Pasco has been awarded the project to deepen the lake so it can be reconfigured. The goal is to open up more flood plain for the Tucannon River, improve water quality to the Tucannon Hatchery, and to improve fishing in the lake. The project is part of the 2014 W. T. Wooten Floodplain Management Plan....
DAYTON— The final estimate from FEMA for the cost of repairing city roads damaged by winter snow and ice has come in at roughly $1,034,700.00, said City Administrator Trina Cole, at last week’s city council meeting. “FEMA provides 75% of the funding. The state authorized that portion of their capital improvement budget; they will provide 12.5%, and the city is obligated for 12.5%,” she said. “The money is in the bank,” she added. “As soon as we finish design and put it out for bid, we can go to construction.” Construction will take place early...
Plea Changes: -Benjamin Glen Smith, 34, Dayton; charged with rape of a child in the third degree, two counts of first-degree child molestation, two counts of second-degree child molestation, and two counts of third-degree child molestation. Court records state Smith did not want to go to trial and changed his plea to guilty on all counts, refusing the state’s offer for settlement. Following a pre-sentence investigation, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6. Smith, a former Washington State Penitentiary correctional officer, is being h...
DAYTON - Eleven-year-old Elsie Mann has had a fun summer filled with new experiences while representing Columbia County as the 2017 Jackpot Rodeo Queen. Mann, daughter of Jeni Richie and Chris Mann, said she is excited to be in the arena during Dayton's Jackpot Rodeo on Sat., Sept. 9. While many of her summer experiences – such as speaking in front of crowds – have been new, riding in the Columbia County Fairgrounds arena is not. Mann began competing in leadline barrel racing when she was jus...
COLUMBIA COUNTY – Every year, the weekend after Labor Day brings about a sense of joy for those both young and old in Columbia County. A weekend full of fun awaits as kids get a day off school and a chance to make money on the livestock they have been raising for the previous months. Of course, this is the Columbia County Fair. Another fixture of the fair each year, in addition to the livestock showing's and demolition derby, are the presiding Fair Hostesses, which are chosen by the Columbia C...
DAYTON—There will be something for everyone at the 2017 Columbia County Fair, which takes place this year on Sept. 8-10. Step right up and see if you have what it takes to win Freddie’s games! Freddie Prez is bringing games and contests to the fair, including the chance to win $10,000 in a Frisbee contest. Catch Freddie Prez roaming the Midway on Friday from 3-4:30 p.m., from 5:30-6 p.m., and from 7-9:30 p.m. On Saturday, Prez will be on the Midway from 3-3:30 p.m., and from 5:30-6 p.m., and...
Eighteen-year-old Josh Camacho was LifeFlighted from the Middlepoint Trail area in Columbia County when he was knocked unconscious after falling while attempting to climb a rock wall on Tues., Aug. 22. Camancho, of the Walla Walla area, was hiking with his girlfriend and father, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office press release. The group hiked two to three miles off the trail when Camancho decided to try and climb the wall. Comancho lost consciousness for a short time and sustained...
DAYTON – Excavation began in earnest this week at the site of Columbia Pulp's new straw pulp plant, about five miles west of Starbuck. Crews from Pacific Civil and Infrastructure, the general contractor for the new plant, moved equipment onto the site on Monday and began moving dirt. Nearly four years after Columbia Pulp first announced plans for its new plant, funding finally closed on Aug. 9, on both the equity and bond financing for the project. The Washington Economic Development Finance A...
DAYTON – Dayton resident and State Farm Insurance agent Bette Lou Crothers is doing what she can to support Dan and Ginny Butler in their quest to organize a Boys & Girls Club in Dayton. Now she needs community support to win $25,000 toward the cause. Crothers entered the Boys & Girls Club project in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist national grant competition in June. State Farm reviewed and scored the 2,000 submissions, narrowing it down to 200 finalists. The Boys & Girls Club made the cut. T...
DAYTON – The Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT), the nation's largest touring children's theatre, has once again partnering with the Liberty Theater to bring a week-long summer camp to our community, and a fabulous play to the Liberty stage. MCT has been touring for more than 40 years, sending team members to nearly 1,200 communities from Montana to Japan. These teams arrive in towns with a set, lights, costumes, props and make-up; just about everything they need to put on a play. The one t...
Dayton – Beau Sabin and Rick Nicely of Pillars of Society Woodworks, LLC have been tasked with moving a small log cabin from its current site in the backyard of a home on W. Richmond St., to its new location at the Smith Hollow School House Museum, and with its reconstruction. The cabin was unbuilt, beginning with the last piece added when it was first built. The pieces are being numbered, and photographed, before they are moved. "The more pictures, the more documentation, the better," said S...
DAYTON—With no immediate plan to replace Planning Director Karen Scharer, who is no longer employed by the city, and with the news that Columbia Pulp is moving forward with its development plans, local officials have been scrambling to put together a seamless plan for providing planning and building services, in the county, and in the city. On Aug. 9, County Planning Director Kim Lyonnaise told the county commissioners that his office is much busier than usual. He said that one day he yelled out of his office, to Greg Abramson and Meagan B...
At last week’s meeting the Columbia County Board of Commissioners signed agreements between the county and the U.S. Geologic Survey Department, and between the county and the Department of Natural Resources for high resolution lidar topographic mapping of the county, that will take place in the fall of 2017. Public Works Director Andrew Woods told the commissioners, “FEMA is on board for flood maps. The DNR is on board for slopes and rockslides. The USDS wants the maps, and the Corps will hap...
Note from the Editor: Dayton Code Compliance Officer Clint Atteberry, will be providing The Times with a monthly code compliance focus, beginning this month. Foot traffic safety is very important, and cars being able to see these pedestrians is paramount to their safety. Dayton code says that you must not have any vegetation over 30 inches high on any corner measured 10 feet from the corner. Trees must also be kept a minimum seven feet off the sidewalks to provide for adequate safety of pedestrians. Please help keep our sidewalks unobstructed....
DAYTON-Denise Smith of Deer Park, Wash., has been chosen by school officials to be the new Dayton Elementary Principal, and she will begin work , officially, on Monday, Aug. 7. "I'm so excited. I'm getting ready to move," said Smith speaking from her home in Deer Park, where she was busy packing her household. Smith plans to rent a home in Walla Walla for herself and her 16 year old son, Michael, who is a high school junior. Smith also has a 20-year-old daughter, Lexi, who is an incoming junior...
Aug. 3 Adult male arrested in Waitsburg on a warrant out of College Place....
DAYTON-Not only is Rachel Hutchens the WSU Extension Office Weed Control Board coordinator, but she is also the extension office manager, assisting WSU Extension Agent Paul Carter with accounts payable, writing publications, and planning for special programs like the Wheat and Legume Variety Tour which took place at the end of June. "We're a resource for information. I like being able to help people. I like the interaction with the public, and I like agriculture," said Hutchens, who paused...
DAYTON – Almost everyone in Dayton (and probably the surrounding areas) is aware that Dayton is home to the Columbia County’s Washington State University Extension Office. What many people may not know is that the office is also home to the County Weed Board, which is funded by a county assessment and tries to control weeds, as well as reaching out and educating the public on noxious weeds. Rachel Hutchens, who has been the County Weed Board Coordinator since October 2013, also recently became the Extension Office Manager, and combined the two...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Rural Library District Board of Trustees met last week to evaluate and discuss the structure of the staff positions and job descriptions, after the library lost two key staff members this month. Adult Services Specialist Howard Beuhler’s last day on the job was Aug. 4, and the last day for the Children/Young Adult Services Specialist Carolyn Laib was Aug. 11. “The board needed to add staff, sooner, rather than later,” according to Tanya Patton who serves as chairpe...
Dayton's National Night Out, held at the Dayton City Park on Aug. 1, was well attended....
DAYTON- City council meetings will take place at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month, beginning on Aug. 9, as approved by the city council at last week’s meeting. The city hall business office will be closed on Fridays, returning to Mon. -Thurs. hours beginning on Aug. 4, according to Mayor Craig George. George said there have been 20 hours of productive time lost due to the Friday business day. He also pointed out there had only been one customer on the prior Friday. Also, swimming pool hours have been changed to reflect an a...
DAYTON - Columbia Pulp I, LLC announced last week that it has entered into agreements for the debt and equity financing required to commence construction of its new straw pulp manufacturing facility near Starbuck. According to Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley, $133.6 million in tax-exempt bonds and $36 million in equity financing are expected to close simultaneously on Aug. 9. Construction should begin shortly thereafter, he said. If plans hold, the pulp mill will be completed and begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2018. Begley said the...
Arraignments -Edward William Terry, 31, Dayton; charged with three counts of first degree assault with a deadly weapon, third degree assault of a law officer, harassment of a criminal justice participant, and resisting arrest. Charges stem from an event on July 20 when Terry allegedly yelled threats at a woman who was talking on her cell phone in her parked car. When officers arrived Terry left the scene. When he was approached by a deputy his allegedly raised a machete, yelled, and came aggressively toward the officer. The officer, drew his...
