Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 460
SPANGLE — More than 450 people stood on the Liberty High School baseball field Thursday evening, Aug. 12, singing the National Anthem. A World War II-era P-51 fighter flew overhead, piloted by Jared Segebartt of Moscow, Idaho, as the "Stars and Stripes" waved in the wind. Some in the crowd waved American flags; others hoisted signs demanding the governor rescind his edict requiring public school students to be masked when classes resume in the coming weeks. On the dais, 9th L...
OLYMPIA - As 9th Legislative District parents are demanding Gov. Jay Inslee rescind his public student mask rules, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is calling on the governor to require teachers be vaccinated. In an Aug. 12 letter, Reykdal says he is "strongly encouraging" the governor to require public school employees be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus as a condition of employment. "I am strongly encouraging you to issue an executive order...
COLFAX — A local state lawmaker is calling on the governor to rescind his order requiring public school students to wear masks on campus. Ninth Legislative District Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, wrote a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday, Aug. 9, calling for him to back off the gubernatorial mandate. In addition, 24 other Republicans signed onto the letter. The 9th Legislative District includes Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Whitman and southern Spokane Counties. Citing the state Department of Health and the national C...
Parents of public school students in the 9th Legislative District have had enough of coronavirus-related mandates from Olympia. Shutter schools, curtail sports, wear masks, limit field trips and restrict access to graduation. Those actions have not been embraced here. And neither has Gov. Jay Inslee’s renewed call for all public school students to remain masked for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Area parents are pushing back. This week, led by a group from Fairfield, many p...
BURBANK — One man was killed and another injured after a crash seven miles east of the city Friday, Aug. 6. Ricardo D. Ozuna Pena, 30, hometown unknown, was killed when his 2001 Honda Civic crossed the centerline and struck another vehicle head-on at about 5:10 a.m., the Washington State Patrol reported. Pena was eastbound on state Highway 124 at the time of the crash, the patrol reported. The westbound vehicle, a 2000 Toyota Rav4, was driven by Noe C. Pompa Beltran, 44, of Pasco, the patrol reported. Beltran was t...
SEATTLE — State workers who fail to get inoculated against the Wuhan coronavirus virus may be fired under an order from Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday, Aug. 9. During a press conference, Inslee said he is now requiring most state employees and on-site contractors and volunteers to get one of the experimental vaccines for the virus as a condition of employment. The order also requires private health care workers and long-term care employees to get vaccinated or face termination, as well. “It is the mission of public servants and...
PASCO — Leo A. Perales closed the gap between him and Nikki Torres after two days of ballot counting in the Aug. 3 primary election race for City Council. After Wednesday's count, the margin stood at 101 votes. The tally, so far, shows Torres with 900 votes and Perales with 799, or 39.51% and 35.07%, respectively. In third place, Irving L. Brown Sr. has collected 451 votes, or 19.8%. With 118 votes, Steven X. Martinez is a distant fourth with 5.18%. Only the Top 2 vote-getters advance to the general election. Franklin C...
PASCO — City Council candidates Nikki Torres and Leo A. Perales appear to be headed to the Nov. 2 general election. The initial tally of tonight's primary election, shows Torres with 721 votes and Perales with 610, or 40.41% and 34.19%, respectively. In third place, Irving L. Brown Sr. has collected 353 votes, or 19.79%. With 92 votes, Steven X. Martinez is a distant fourth with 5.16%. Only the Top 2 vote-getters advance to the general election. With only 6,410 ballots counted countywide, so far, 34,521 ballots could r...
PASCO — After two counts, Amy Freeman Phillips still leads the race for the School District No. 1, Position No. 5 seat. Phillips leads grew after Day 2 of counting. She leads Michelle Andres and John Kennedy by more than 400 votes each after the Aug. 4 count. After two counts, Phillips has 3,001 votes, or 37.15% of the ballots counted. Andres was second with 2,573 votes, 31.85%, and Kennedy third with 2,474 votes, 30.62%. Only the Top 2 vote-getters advance to the Nov. 2 general election. So far, voter turnout in Franklin C...
PASCO — The initial tally of today's primary election shows Amy Freeman Phillips with a commanding lead in the race for the School District No. 1, Position No. 5 seat. Phillips leads Michelle Andres and John Kennedy by more than 300 votes each. As of the initial count, she had 2,388 votes, or 37.51% of the ballots counted, as of 8:15 p.m. Andres was second with 2,014 votes, 31.63%, and Kennedy third with 1,937 votes, 30.42%. Only the Top 2 vote-getters advance to the Nov. 2 general election. So far, voter turnout in F...
CHENEY - During a state Redistricting Commission public outreach meeting July 24, speakers overwhelmingly backed changes that would shift two counties east. With the population shift over the last decade, several people testifying during the hearing called for Adams and Walla Walla counties move out of the 4th Legislative District (Central Washington) and into the 5th Legislative District (Eastern Washington). "Eastern Washington is not just everything east of the Cascades,"...
PASCO — With only one day left in the primarily election, voter turnout appears low in Franklin County. As of today, Monday, Aug. 2, the Franklin County Auditor's Office had received only 5,533 ballots, according to the agency's website. The Auditor's Office reported that's only about 13.85% of the registered voters in the county. On the ballot are two races — one for a Pasco City Council seat and one for a Pasco School Board seat. Four candidates are vying for the City Council District No. 3, Position No. 3 seat. The can...
PASCO — Two days after Gov. Jay Inslee reaffirmed his order requiring all public school employees and students to wear masks on campu to prevent coronavirs spread, the School District says it is “reviewing all of the new updates.” District administrators stopped short of saying they will enforce a mask mandate, instead opting to say they “will communicate details to all staff and families prior to the start of school.” The first day of school here is scheduled for Aug. 31. The brief School District statement follows a Wednesd...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday, July 28, ordered all public school districts in the state to require students and employees to wear masks on school grounds when classes resume in the fall. During a press conference, Inslee blamed the need to wear masks on residents who have chosen not to get vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus. “We will continue our existing policies regarding masking; all students and employees will be required to wear masks around each other in the building, regarding of their vaccination sta...
SPOKANE VALLEY - Leading law enforcement officers from across Eastern Washington are warning residents that new laws will make it difficult to serve the public on possible criminal activities. During a press conference Thursday, July 22, nine police chiefs and eight sheriffs gathered at Center Place to voice their concerns about Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1310 and House Bill 1054, and Senate Substitute Bill 5066. Those laws went into effect at 12:01 a.m., Sunday,...
On Tuesday, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz announced she was halting all public access to state Department of Natural Resources-managed lands in Eastern Washington effective Friday, July 23. The closure includes roads, trails, campgrounds and recreational areas. Her excuses — fire season and drought. Hello! It’s July in Eastern Washington! This time of year east of the Cascades, it’s fire season. It’s also a time where we generally get high heat and little rain. T...
BELLEVUE — The Second Amendment Foundation is celebrating a U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found laws preventing handgun sales to adults ages 18-21 unconstitutional. In a 2-1 decision Tuesday, July 13, the court — in a 141-page ruling — found that restricting handgun sales to adults ages 18-20 is arbitrary. The cae is Tanner Hirschfeld; Natalia Marshall v. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives; ATF Acting Director Marvin Richardson and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Writing for the major...
CHENEY — Two Franklin County cowgirls were among the Cheney Rodeo contestants last weekend. Jennifer Casey of Mesa and Kaite Breazeale of Pasco were both on the ticket for Saturday's nights peformance. Breazeale rode fourth in the performance, completing the cloverleaf pattern in 18.10 seconds. That run put her in the Top 10 for the three-day event, sending her home with $67. Officials breakaway roping results were not reported. In addition to the two Franklin County c...
Power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts? In the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of...
CHENEY - If you haven't gotten vaccinated against the 2019 Wuhan coronavirus, you're not alone, at least not in Eastern Washington. Overall in the 20 counties here east of the Cascades, only about 1 in 3 residents have been fully vaccinated with the experimental inoculation. Comparing state Department of Health coronavirus vaccinations to the U.S. Census' 2021 projected populations in each county, only one Eastern Washington county has a vaccination rate topping 50%....
CLARKSTON — Two area fire chiefs have asked for state assistance battling blazes today, Wednesday, July 7. Asotin County Fire District No. 1 Chief Noel Hardin has asked for help containing the Asotin Complex Fire. And Whitman County Fire District No. 14 Chief Jay Reisenauer has requested assistance with the Wilma Fire. The two chiefs asked for state mobilization within an hour of each other this morning. The Wilma Fire is burning in dry grass and brush in Whitman County, officials said. The blaze was reported at 6 a.m. t...
PASCO – Darigold Inc. announced today that it will be a new, state-of-the-art premium protein and butter plant here. The 400,000-square-foot, $500 million plant is being designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%, compared to existing plants. The announcement follows an agreement with the Port of Pasco. “Our producers have been at the vanguard of the dairy sector for over 100 years, constantly building on their outstanding record of sustainability and stewardship practices,” Darigold CEO Stan Ryan said. “They are pro...
PASCO - A local man graduated today, Wednesday, June 30, from the Washington State Patrol Academy and received his assignment. Travis R. Hullinger completed more than 1,400 hours of training prior to being commissioned by Chief John R. Batiste the ceremony today. Hullinger received two awards in addition to his commission - the Top Overall Cadet and the Core Values awards. The Top Overall Cadet Award recognizes the trooper cadet who demonstrated great courage to overcome...
This Sunday, our nation celebrates Independence Day. And on this 245th birthday of our United States, it's important to take time to remember why we mark July 4. Sure we celebrate the holiday with barbecues and fireworks, parades and apple pie. But that's not what it is about. Independence Day is about freedom from tyranny. It's about being able to own property, speak your mind, worship how you want, gather together, be protected from government corruption and overreach and,...
HANFORD SITE - The National Weather Service is predicting the hottest temperature in the country today will be here on the former nuclear reservation. According to the agency, the high today is predicted to reach 119 degrees, at least 2 degrees hotter than nearby cities. Pasco, Kennewick and Richland are expected to top out at 117 degrees today, setting a new all-time high for the Tri-Cities area. The hottest June 29 on record was in 1904, when the temperature there hit 107...