BRIEFS

PARTY FOR LOCAL FIREMAN

DAYTON - Columbia County Fire District 3 will pres­ent an open house for Kris Darby, who will be leaving the Department on Dec. 14. Darby will be the new fire chief for GarfieldCounty Fire District 1 in Pomeroy.

The public is invited to come by the fire station, located at 206 W. Main Street in Dayton, between 1-6 p. m. on Dec. 9 to wish Darby good luck in his new position and thank him for 15 years of service to Columbia County as an EMT and firefighter.Coffee, punch, and cake will be served.

DONATE TO AT-RISK YOUTH PRESCOTT - This Christmas, Prescott's Jubilee Youth Ranch and Christian Academy is asking for donations to help provide educational and spiritual development to approxi­mately 100 young men. The goal of Jubilee is to help youth who are struggling or have been cast by bringing them into a community where they can grow in every area of their life, gradually moving away from dependency to relative stability as contributing members of their families and the communities where they live.

For more information about Jubilee Youth Ranch or to made a contribution, visit their website at www.jyranch.org, call (509) 749-2103 or mail Jubilee Youth Ranch and Acad­emy, 29 Jubilee Circle Prescott, WA 99348. Other items the school could use this holiday season are: Celcius thermometers, science graduated beakers, metric and standard rulers, metal math compasses, world wall maps and a couple of world globes.

ENROLL IN CITIZENS ACADEMY DAYTON - The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is now offering open enrollment for its Citizen's Academy sched­uled to begin in February 2011. This academy is offered just once per year.

The Citizen's Academy, designed to increase understand­ing between citizens and local law enforcement through edu­cation, has awarded certificates of completion to 80 students since 2008. The course is in high demand, and class size is limited to 20 students. Interested persons are advised to enroll early.

The academy is a 32-hour course requiring a commitment of one night per week for a 16-week period, with one evening for a field trip. Classes run about two hours each.

The presenters are deputies and personnel from the Co­lumbia County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol and local criminal justice and regional advocate services.

For more information, contact the Columbia County Sher­iff's Office at 509-382-2518.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

DAYTON - Dayton Mayor Craig George recently re­ceived an Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities. George com­pleted over 60 hours of training credits to earn this distinction and demonstrated valuable service to his community. The municipal leadership program is designed to enhance the ability of elected municipal officials by providing knowl­edge and skills to effectively operate within the law, plan for the future, secure and manage funds and foster community and staff relationships.

To earn this certificate, the official attends a variety of AWC-sponsored municipal workshops including session on budgeting, community planning, personnel and leadership. The courses help mayors and council members learn essen­tials of municipal service and improved their ability to work with council colleagues, city staff, and citizens.

HOSPICE OFFERS NEW GRIEF SUPPORT WALLA WALLA - Two new grief support groups, sponsored by Walla Walla Community Hospice, will begin in January. The groups will begin Jan. 5 and continue every Wednesday through March 9. A morning group will meet from 10-11:30 a.m., and an evening group will meet from 6-7:30 p.m. at the hospice office. The WWCH bereavement team will facilitate the group. The book, Understanding Your Grief by Dr. Allan Wolfelt, is used as a guideline. There is no charge, but participants are encouraged to register by calling the WWCH officeat 525-5561 or by emailing info@wwhospice.org before Dec. 30.

WASTE PLAN COMMENTS WANTED DAYTON - Columbia County Public Works is currently accepting written comment on the preliminary draft 2010 Comprehensive Solid Waste and Moderate Risk Waste Man­agement Plan. Written comment may be submitted to the Columbia County Public Works Department at P.O. Box 5 Dayton, WA 99328, or hand delivered to 415 North Guernsey Ave., Dayton. Written comment will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 31.

To view the draft plan, visit www.columbiaco.com.