Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 460
OTHELLO – A large haystack caught fire Friday night at DeGroot Dairy. Area fire crews and local farmers responded quickly to contain the blaze at 755 Radar Hill, about seven miles south of the city. Fire officials said it was the third haystack fire in as many days, noting its common for haystacks to combust on their own in high heat. The fire is the second at the dairy in three years. In 2019, a fire destroyed one of the buildings at the dairy....
BASIN CITY - Thousands of rodeo fans turned out Friday and Saturday, June 25 and 26, to watch the second Freedom Rodeo. Temperatures neared 100 degrees at performance time Friday night and topped 105 at the start of Saturday's rodeo. To keep cool, several fans put on canopies on the rim of the arena, while at least one family brought a toddler wading pool and filled it with water. The event got underway Friday morning with slack competition and a vendor area, compete with...
UPDATE: Lind Fire Chief Kevin Starring corrected numbers released by the State Fire Marshal's Office yesterday. Starring said the fire was contained to 2,200 acres; the state incorrectly reported 20,000. About 30 residents chose to evacuate, but returned home after a few hours, he said. LIND - Fire evacuation notices have been issued for the community due to a fire burning in dry grass, sage and wheat. The State Fire Marshal's Office estimated the Lind Fire at 20,000 acres at...
ST. JOHN - Race fans may want to forgo hydroplanes and follow sprint boats. "It's so much better," Team Pelican Fueling owner and driver Dan Hatch of Pasco said. Hatch, son Dylan Hatch, elementary school principal Wendy Manthei and Darin Michelson, all of Pasco, were among a field of more than two dozen teams competing Saturday, June 19, at Webb's Slough. Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against a maze of channels, and against the clock. At speeds reaching more...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new eviction “bridge” program this morning, June 24, but landlords will not likely see rent payments any time soon. Inslee said the existing coronavirus-related eviction moratorium will expire June 30. However, under his new mandate, landlords are still generally prohibited from evicting tenants that owe past-due rent and even future rent, if a tenant has attempted to negotiate a lower rate or is seeking rental assistance money. That money will be available through county agencies once...
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may actually be in your home, a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend...
PASCO - The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch that will run from Friday afternoon through the end of the month. "Very hot temperatures are expected by the weekend and through at least midweek next week," the watch said. Temperatures may reach as high as 114 degrees is some areas of the Columbia Basin, according to the agency's forecast. "There is some possibility that all-time record high temperatures will be reached or exceeded during this heat...
BASIN CITY - The second Freedom Rodeo returns to the arena Friday and Saturday, June 25 and 26, with two adult performances and a youth competition. The rodeo was the only one in Eastern Washington to buck Gov. Jay Inslee's coronavirus-related shutdown orders last year. As a result, more than 5,000 people flooded the streets of Basin City for the town's annual Fourth of July parade and 3,000 spectators arrived for the inaugural Freedom Rodeo. While the rodeo and parade are on separate weekends this year, organizers are...
PASCO – Franklin County commissioners unanimously approved of closing out a $52,760 contract with Pavement Control Surfaces during their regular meeting Tuesday morning, June 8. The Hailey railroad crossing project was entirely grant funded, county records show. Under the contract that was approved Oct. 1, 2020, the company installed solar-powered flashing LED traffic lights with vehicle motion detection at a railroad crossing 1.3 miles south of Mesa. The work was completed Dec. 9 and county staff recommended closing the cont...
PASCO - The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 4. A Red Flag warning means weather conditions could lead to wildfire growth. "A dry cold front will move across the region late tonight into Friday. This will increase the westerly winds and deliver low relative humidity values beginning late Friday morning and continuing into the evening," the warning said. "Rapid fire spread with any new or existi.ng fires is possible."...
PASCO - Despite Gov. Jay Inslee's efforts to encourage residents to get vaccinated against coronavirus, most Eastern Washington residents are not jumping on the bandwagon. On Thursday, June 3, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new giveaway program that allows vaccinated residents to enter a drawing for freebies from businesses, sports teams and government agencies, including universities. He is pushing get 70% of residents vaccinated. The state Department of Health is estimating...
PASCO — Most of Eastern Washington will remain under a heat advisory through 8 p.m. Thursday night, June 3, as temperatures break into the 100s for the first time this summer. According to the National Weather Service, the Lower Columbia Valley can expect temperatures to remain at or above 100 degrees. The temperature already hit 104 degrees in the Pasco area today, June 2, officials said. "Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses," the National Weather Service advisory said,...
MESA — After 18 years, a local woman has won several arguments in a major round in court over being denied the right to video tape a City Council meeting and then being arrested. On Tuesday, June, 1, the state Court of Appeals, Division III found in favor of Donna Zink, a local resident who sued following the May 8, 2003, actions of the Mesa City Council and Mayor Duana Rae Ross. Zink sued the city after Mayor Ross illegally ordered Zink to stop recording a public meeting, records show. The mayor also called 911 and asked t...
PASCO — The Benton-Franklin Health District this morning rescinded it's recommendation for businesses to require masks due to the coronavirus. “With the availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 disease and transmission rates are improving in Benton and Franklin counties,” local Health Officer Dr. Amy Person. “It’s no longer necessary for our counties to have mask directives above and beyond the order from the Secretary of Health." The Health Department suggested in summer 2020 that businesse...
Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom. It’s not a coronavirus emergency that’s keeping Washingtonians from going back to work. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations with owners and managers trying to get their small businesses back on solid financial ground. Given residents’ frustration of being pent up for more than 14 months, you’d think that would be...
CONNELL - The North Franklin School District is investigating alleged racist remarks made by local students during a girls high school basketball game against the Zillah Leopards on Saturday, May 22. As a result of the allegations, students are being prohibited from attending future games. On the School District's social media pages, the district described the allegations. "Near the conclusion of the Saturday night basketball game against Zillah High School, the North...
OLYMPIA – The state Department of Labor and Industries is requiring business owners to verify employees have been vaccinated. Under the new May 21 mandate, the agency is also requiring employers to create a “log of workers who have verified they’ve been vaccinated and the date of verification. “I believe they are crossing the line,” farmer Sen. Mark Schoessler, R-Ritzville, said Tuesday, May 25, reacting to the new mandate. The rule also requires employers to check vaccination status daily as workers enter jobsites,...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a health information privacy bill Tuesday, May 18, because it may impede efforts to “incentivize” coronavirus vaccinations. House Bill 1127 – sponsored by Rep. Virginia “Jenny” Graham, R-Spokane, and others – would have provided increased protections for a person’s private health care information collected by non-health care providers and facilities under coronavirus protocols. Gov. Inslee called the language of the bill “very broad,” suggestin...
PASCO – While a number have candidates have filed for office this week, so far there are not any competitive races. Candidate filing week started Monday and concludes Friday, both in-person and on-line. As of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 19 – about halfway through the filing week – the following candidates had filed for the 27 offices that are up for grabs in the Nov. 2 general election: Connell City Council • Position No. 1/Mayor – Lee Barrow of Connell • Position No. 2 – John White of Connell • Position No. 3 – Patricia Barr...
VALE, Ore. - First there were two. Now, there are seven. During Tuesday's special election, voters in Baker, Grant, Lake, Malheur and Sherman counties approved of efforts to realign the Oregon-Idaho border to the west as the first step in joining Idaho. They join Jefferson and Union counties in supporting the "Greater Idaho" effort. Last November, voters in Jefferson and Union counties approved ballot measures calling on their officials to study seceding from Oregon and...
PALOUSE FALLS - A hikers was airlifted from Palouse Falls State Park to an area hospital Tuesday afternoon after he was knocked unconscious by a falling rock and hoisted from the waterfall basin. The man and his wife were hiking near the bottom of the falls when a rock "described as being the size of a football" fell and struck him, knocking him unconscious, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office reported. The 28-year-old man, whose name has yet to be released, was hoisted out o...
PASCO - Five voters led by a Pasco City Councilman have filed a petition to recall Gov. Jay Inslee from office for abusing the powers of his office during the coronavirus pandemic last year. The recall petition was filed with the Secretary of State's Office in Olympia on Monday, May 17. Gov. Inslee has yet to respond to the recall petition. Under the state Constitution, any elected official in the state can be removed from office for misfeasance, malfeasance and violating an...
OTHELLO — State officials say they have linked an E. Coli outbreak to contaminated yogurt from a local dairy farm. The state Department of Health said the outbreak is connected to yogurt produced by Pure Eire Dairy, owned and operated by Richard and Jill Smith, and sold at PCC Community Market stores. State health officials said Monday that at least 11 people, including six children younger than 10, have been sickened by the contaminated yogurt; seven have been hospitalized. The cases are in King, Benton, Snohomish and W...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee has set a target date of June 30 to allow the state to reopen in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. In the meantime, the governor will allow all 39 counties to be in his so-called Phase 3 of reopening beginning Tuesday, May 18. The only two Eastern Washington counties currently in Inslee's so-called "Phase 2" are Ferry and Whitman. In Western Washington, Cowlitz and Pierce counties are in Phase 2. “What we know now gives us the confidence to close this chapter in this pandemic and begin ano...
DAYTON -- State biologists plan to begin capturing Blue Mountains elk calves next week to help determine why the herd is in decline. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife hopes to capture 125 calves between Dayton and Asotin creeks, outfit them with radio-transmitter collars and then release them. "When a radio collar puts out a mortality signal, it'll serve as a trigger for our biologists to quickly get out and determine the cause," agency Game Division Manager Anis Aoude...