Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 460
PASCO — Franklin County is moving to Phase 2 reopening status following an announcement today, Oct. 13, by Gov. Jay Inslee. The governor announced that he will also boost Benton, Yakima, Chelan and Douglas counties to the same phase of his coronavirus quarantine reopening plan. The counties are the last five to still be in a "modified" Phase 1. The Benton County Health District confirmed the upgraded status, with Health Officer Dr. Amy Person crediting residents. “The residents of Benton and Franklin counties have sub...
VANTAGE — The state Department of Fish and Wildlife expect to kill at least 15 bighorn sheep in the Quilomene herd in eastern Kittitas County due to a virus. They also expect to test at least another 10-15 animals in the 220-250 population herd to see if they are infected, and by extension, if the herd is infected. The action comes after a Washington State University veterinarian confirmed a Mycoplasma bacteria infection in a domestic ewe found Oct. 1 with seven bighorn rams in Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. The bacteria...
PASCO – In only about a month’s time, write-in candidate Steve Bauman has collected $16,000 in campaign funds in his bid for a Franklin County Commission seat. Bauman, a Republican, is facing off against disavowed Republican Lowell “Brad” Peck and Democrat challenger Kim Lehrman for the District No. 1 seat. Bauman registered as a write-in candidate on Sept. 4, according to state Public Disclosure Commission. His candidacy came as the Republican Party declined to endorse incumbent Peck, who eked out a very narrow win in the...
OLYMPIA — Republic Police Chief Loren Culp came out swinging and kept incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee on the defensive during their only planned gubernatorial debate Wednesday night, Oct. 7. Culp, R-Republic, blasted Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, for mismanaging state agencies, violating state and constitutional rights, and a lack of leadership. "What we have right here in Washington is a leadership crisis," Culp said as the one-hour debate kicked off. Rather than defend his r...
PULLMAN - The Police Department has released the body-video camera footage of Washington State University basketball coach Kamie Ethridge issued a $150 citation Aug. 28 for violating Gov. Jay Inslee's coronavirus quarantine orders. The municipal ticket was written as a civil infraction under the city's nuisance party law, which prohibits parties in the city. Pullman and Washington State University, as well as the city of Cheney and Eastern Washington University, have...
MALDEN – The Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought to Babb Fire victims here were infested with maggot larvae. Whitman County Washington State University Extension Agent Stephen Van Vleet confirmed the infestation this morning, Friday, Sept. 18, following testing. "I picked them up on Wednesday evening," he said. "We photographed and secured them. And yes, they are infested." The governor presented the apples locally Sept. 10 as the state's "first installment" on s...
MALDEN – While the Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought here last Thursday continue to sit in the bin he presented the mayor with, others he delivered to Bridgeport and Omak contain maggot larvae. Those apples were dispersed and Douglas County officials are now trying to locate them. This morning, Wednesday, Sept. 16, Chelan-Douglas Horticulture Pest and Disease Board Director Will Carpenter called on anyone with information about the contaminated apples to call or e...
MALDEN - Access to the Whitman County towns of Malden and Pine City continues to be restricted as crews continue to mop up Babb Fire hotspots. The fire grew to 15,266 acres and was 90% contained, according to Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team No. 10, which was managing fire operations until 6 p.m. Monday evening. At least 110 firefighters and 26 engines remained in the area. Local fire officials have since assumed control of the wildfire the swept across southern...
ELTOPIA - Franklin County Republicans disavowed one of their own incumbent candidates tonight, Thursday, Sept. 10, and decided to back a write-in candidate for Position No. 1 on the county commission. By a 25-1 vote, the Franklin County Republican Central Committee opted to endorse write-in candidate Stephen Bauman, a local farmer and developer. By the same margin, the committee also opted to donate $1,000 to his campaign fund. The move comes only a week after incumbent and fo...
MALDEN - Don't call them wildfires. Call them "climate fires." That was the message Gov. Jay Inslee gave reporters during a brief appearance about noon today, Thursday, Sept. 10, in one of two cities nearly wiped out by the Babbs Fire. That press conference followed a presentation he made to town residents and leaders only minutes before, a presentation in which he requested all media be excluded. Inslee arrived in a black SUV via Pine City-Malden Road, passing numerous "Culp...
MALDEN — High winds and dry weather conditions propelled a wall of flames southwest across rural Spokane and Whitman counties Monday, leveling homes, businesses and government offices. Approximately 75 percent of structures in Malden burned to the ground, including City Hall, the post office, a gas station and a historic church. Burned out cars were visible throughout town adjacent to what was left of homes and garages. Local ranchers and residents manned hoses and buckets of...
PASCO - A local man is facing a possible second-degree assault charge after going on a machete-wielding tirade in the parking lot of a convenience store last Tursday, Sept. 3. Ricardo Sanches, 37, was booked into the Franklin County Jail on an investigative hold on the assault charge and harassment, police records show. Police arrested Sanchez after officers were dispatched to the Circle K conventience story at the intersection of Court Street and 26th Avenue for a report of...
PASCO - A local woman remained in the Franklin County Jail on Wednesday, Sept. 9, accused of stabbing her roommate over the weekend. Jennifer Arriaga, 21, is being held on $2,500 cash bail in the Franklin County Jail for second-degree assault, jail records show. She was arrested about 3:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, and booked into the jail at 5:05 a.m., records show. According to records, police responded to a reported stabbing in the 1000 block of West Pearl Street. Officers...
BASIN CITY - A wildfire raced along the edge of the city Monday, Sept. 7, destroying at least two homes. The homes were located along North Canal Boulevard and Loen Drive, but winds driving flames nearby fields of dry grass and sagebrush also spread the fire to the structures and vehicles parked nearby. According to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, nobody was injured. Meanwhile further east in the county, flames from another fire rapidly moved through dry fuels near...
Last week, the Idaho House of Representatives approved legislation calling for Gov. Brad Little to end his state’s emergency declaration. Shortly thereafter, the Idaho Senate followed suit, albeit approving different legislation. Maybe that’s what our governor, Jay Inslee, is afraid of. Maybe he’s afraid our elected legislators will end his shutdown and tackle an ailing budget that he has yet to responsibly address. Or maybe he just enjoys muzzling other political leade...
TACOMA - A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that gun-control measure Initiative 1639 is constitutional. U.S. District Court of Western Washington Judge Ronald Leighton, a Whitworth University graduate, issued his ruling Monday on the gun control measure. Under I-1639, semi-automatic rifles are redefined as "assault rifles," adults 18-20 are barred from having semi-automatic rifles, and dealers are required to sell safes and gun locks and prohibited from selling them to out-of-state residents. The law also made owners...
OLYMPIA - A new coronavirus-related mandate ending most motorsports statewide went into effect today, Monday, Aug. 24. Under a new directive from Gov. Jay Inslee, "participant-only motorsports spectators, camping, races and events are not allowed" in Phase 1-2 counties. The order became effective at midnight. Under the order, go-kart tracks, off-road vehicle and other motorsports facilities are barred from operating. The order also applies to on-water motorsports, such as...
PULLMAN — Police Chief Gary Jenkins has authorized officers to ticket individuals who refuse to wear a mask while coronavirus orders from Gov. Jay Inslee remain in effect. In a press release Wednesday, Aug. 19, on the decision to allow enforcement of mask mandates, Jenkins said his officers “stand between those who are law-abiding and those whose actions risk the health and safety of others.” “Violators of the governor’s proclamations not only put the violator’s health at risk, but the health of our entire community,...
KAHLOTUS — The School Board voted unanimously Aug. 6 to reopen the school campus this fall despite concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus. Students will return to daily on-campus classes Aug. 31, the first day of the 2020-21 school year, the board decided. Students will have to wear masks and stay at least 6 feet apart. Parents not wanting to send their student to school will have an online public school education option. The decision is similar to neighboring district Washtucna, which is in Adams County. Students there will a...
REPUBLIC - It's too little, too late. Regardless, a Monday, Aug. 10, report from the Secretary of State's Office shows Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Loren Culp picking up another Western Washington county - Grays Harbor - in last week's primary election. Meanwhile, he ceded a smaller county to another conservative candidate, Raul Garcia, who now claims two counties. While the shift in counties continues to narrow the gap, it won't make any difference in the outcome of...
OLYMPIA - After counting of almost 500,000 late-arriving ballots, Republican candidates have cut into incumbent Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee's lead in the Aug. 4 primarily. As of 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, Loren Culp had reached 17.17% of the statewide vote, up about a half-a-point since the initial tally. Gov. Inslee had slipped about the same amount, down to 50.82%. Despite the slip in percentage, Gov. Inslee will still walk away from the primary with a commanding win. As of Th...
CHENEY — Gov. Jay Inslee “strongly recommends” public and private students in 34 of the state’s 39 counties stay home this fall. His recommendation came during a press conference this afternoon, Aug. 5, in which he was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and state Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy. The governor said he was not issuing legally binding orders, but would expect school districts to heed his advice and that of state health offices as it relates to returning to campus while the Wuhan coro...
PASCO — Franklin County voters will not likely have the opportunity in November to vote on creating the "51st state" out of Eastern Washington’s 20 counties. During a Franklin County Commission meeting this morning, Aug. 4, commissioners unanimously rejected the idea due to the organizer’s non-responsiveness. According to county Administrator Keith Johnson, during a meeting in July commissioners agreed to put the measure on the ballot if the Liberty state organizers paid the $4,000 cost of adding it. They also said appro...
PASCO — Franklin County officials are concerned Benton Franklin Health District employees may be “harassing” businesses that are not enforcing coronavirus-related face mask madates. Commissioner Clint Didier brought up the issue during a meeting this morning, Aug. 4, after receiving complaints from owners of businesses on 20th Street. “Are they currently out checking into businesses and threatening them with fines,” Didier asked County Administrator Keith Johnson, referring to Health Department employees. “No, absolutely...
WASHTUCNA — A dark and mostly empty gymnasium didn’t take away from Calby Ann VanHollebeke’s evening Saturday. As the only member of the Class of 2020 to show up for graduation, VanHollebeke of Kahlotus took the sole seat on the stage, helped by her brother, Jess VanHollebeke, who served as the graduation column leader. Only four family members and a handful of School District employees were present for the Pomp and Circumstance that was also live broadcast in a digital forma...