Esmy Jimenez, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

‘We Won’t Build It’: Northwest Tech Workers Struggle With Company Ties To Immigration Enforcement

By Esmy Jimenez January 14, 2020

Notecards handwritten by Tableau employees from a recent rally at Gas Works Park reveal what personally motivated them to 'draw a line', are shown on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, in Seattle.

The Southern border may be far from Washington state, but software used by immigration officials is built in Seattle. Now tech workers are grappling with their responsibility as the creators of that technology. Some have become unlikely activists.Read More

American-Iranians Say They Were Detained At U.S.-Canada Border. Federal Officials Deny It

By Esmy Jimenez January 7, 2020

The Peace Arch memorial monument in Blaine, Washington connects the U.S. and Canada as a port of entry. CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

Sixty Iranian-Americans say they were detained at the American border with Canada this weekend, according to CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations. Two other attorneys at the border, unrelated to CAIR, made similar observations. Customs and Border Protection denies those reports.Read More

Washington Attorney General Sues To Stop Federal Immigration Arrests At County Courthouses

By Esmy Jimenez December 18, 2019

Jesus Zepeda Salas marches in Ellensburg Sunday, Sept. 29, holding a sign challenging Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana’s legacy as the longest-serving sheriff in Washington State. Immigration rights advocates called on Dana to cancel a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement before his retirement in October. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

The suit filed in U.S. Western District of Washington targets the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Customs & Border Protection. The Attorney General's Office said the arrests were made while immigrants entered a courthouse to pay for non-violent, seemingly mundane things; think parking tickets, vehicle tabs, or to file restraining order.Read More

People Detained In Tacoma Immigration Jail May Spend 2 Months Or Longer In Solitary

By Esmy Jimenez October 14, 2019

Raul holds a keychain, a gift from his daughter, at his apartment. “When you lose everything… you lose fear too,” he says in a thin voice. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Raul went on a hunger strike to protest jail conditions ... and then landed in solitary. It’s routine for ICE to put detainees in solitary to monitor their health but it's unclear if officials placed him there for that reason, or as a disciplinary action.Read More

Seattle Teams With Rideshares For Transport To Immigration Interviews In Yakima, Portland

By Esmy Jimenez September 10, 2019

File photo. An Uber car and driver in San Francisco. CREDIT: Jeff Chiu/AP

Back in June, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that some citizenship interviews and naturalization ceremonies would take place in Portland or Yakima instead of the local Seattle office. Officials said it would help cut wait times. Now the city is helping provide transportation.Read More

He’s Been Living In A Seattle Church For A Year. ICE Detained Him At Immigration Check-In

By Esmy Jimenez July 17, 2019

Jose Robles poses for a portrait on Sunday, December 16, 2018, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Seattle.

For over a year, Jose Robles has spent his days in sanctuary at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle. Robles is an undocumented immigrant. He has a pending U-visa — that's for victims of a crime. But he's been in U.S. for about 20 years.Read More

Yakama Nation Radio Station Gets Tuned Back On Air 8 Months After Burglary Knocked It Off

By Esmy Jimenez July 8, 2019

KYNR host Ryan Craig at the station in February 2018, in front of the audio board that was stolen in October. CREDIT: Esmy Jimenez/NWPB

Typically, if you tuned in to KYNR 1490 AM, "The Voice of the Yakama Nation," you’d hear everything: local high school sports, birthday call-outs, musical guests. But eight months ago, the station was robbed and the broadcast came to a halt. That left 6,000 tribal members and other non-Native listeners without local news.Read More

Those Seeking Citizenship In Western Washington May Now Need To Drive To Yakima Or Portland

By Esmy Jimenez July 3, 2019

Newly sworn-in U.S. citizens gather for a naturalization ceremony at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va., in August. The Trump administration is planning to include a question about U.S. citizenship status on the 2020 census. Claire Harbage/NPR

Immigrants in South Seattle and Bellevue who applied for citizenship will now have to travel to Yakima or Portland for their naturalization interview instead of having it at the local Seattle office.Read More

Yakima And King County Airports Risk Funding Loss If They Don’t Cooperate With ICE

By Esmy Jimenez May 20, 2019

In this still image from a vide, detainees are loaded onto a Swift Air charter flight at King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in Seattle. COURTESY OF UWCHR/ALEX MONTALVO AND WADII BOUGHDIR

Seattle’s Boeing Field and the Yakima Air Terminal have a choice: Let Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights land at the airport or risk future money from the government. It started in April when King County Executive Dow Constantine issued an order to rid Boeing Field of ICE flights.Read More

ICE Lands Deportation Flight In Yakima After Losing Access To Seattle’s Boeing Field

By Esmy Jimenez May 10, 2019

After losing its only flight operator at Boeing Field last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement switched to the Yakima Air Terminal in Central Washington.Read More

For Sexual Assault Survivors, It’s A Struggle Just To Get Evidence Collected

By Esmy Jimenez April 21, 2019

EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Wash., has a sexual assault clinic staffed with a nurse examiner 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. One of the things they found, is that survivors would have to remain in the clothes they were attacked for hours before an exam and then had to leave in those same clothes. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/KUOW

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is pushing for more resources for survivors of sexual assault. For the third time, she's sponsoring a bill to increase the care available at medical centers nationwide.Read More

Tax Form Typo Or Undocumented Employee? Federal Government Again Sends ‘No Match’ Letters

By Esmy Jimenez April 16, 2019

Immigrant farm worker Defelia Hernandez works in the milking parlor at Gervais Family Farm in Bakersfield, Vt., Tuesday, March 9, 2010. The farm was among five dairy farm operations targeted in a federal crackdown on undocumented foreign farm workers where Clement Gervais says he believed two of his workers cited as unemployable had proper documentation. CREDIT: ALDEN PELLETT/AP

For the first time in seven years, the Social Security Administration is sending “no-match” letters. These notices alert employers that something isn't quite right with tax forms that were submitted by their employees.Read More

‘No Family Deserves To Have To Go Through This’: Missing And Murdered On The Yakama Nation

By Esmy Jimenez March 22, 2019

File photo. The reservation of the Yakama Nation in south-central Washington covers over 2,000 square miles, with areas patrolled by tribal, city and county law enforcement.

On Dec. 26, 2017, Myrna Cloud’s 23-year-old cousin went missing on the Yakama Nation reservation in Central Washington. D. Lloyd’s body was found in a rural part of the reservation four days later. The murder is still under investigation. Read More

Kittitas County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed, 2nd Officer Wounded After Responding To ‘Road Rage’ Call

By Esmy Jimenez March 20, 2019

Kittitas County Sheriffs Deputy Ryan Thompson CREDIT: Kittitas County Sheriff's Office

Kittitas County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Thompson and city of Kittitas Police Officer Benito Chavez responded to a vehicle incident Tuesday evening. The situation became a pursuit and ended in crossfire. Deputy Thompson was killed in in the line of duty. He was 42 and is survived by his wife and three children. Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Yakama Nation Treaty Rights In Gas Tax Case

By Esmy Jimenez March 19, 2019

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case on gas taxes and tribal sovereignty involving the Cougar Den gas station on the Yakama Reservation. CREDIT: GOOGLE MAPS

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided in favor of tribal treaty rights in a case between the Washington Department of Licensing and Cougar Den, a gas station in White Swan on the Yakama Reservation. Read More

Sexual Abuse Allegations At Migrant Youth Shelters Nationwide Include Several At Oregon Facilities

By Esmy Jimenez March 6, 2019

File photo / Yelp. Morrison Child and Family Services has multiple facilities in Portland and throughout Oregon.

A federal report shows that between 2015 and 2018 there were almost 6,000 reported complaints of sexual abuse at child migrant shelters nationwide. Documents show the non-profit Morrison Child and Family Services in Portland handled eight of those reports. Three of those incidents happened at other non-Morrison shelters the youth were previously at. Read More

Federal Judge Denies Injunction For Yakama Nation In Jurisdiction Case With Toppenish And County

By Esmy Jimenez March 3, 2019

Recently, a federal judge sided against the Yakama Nation in a jurisdiction case involving the tribe, the city of Toppenish and Yakima County. When a crime happens in Yakima County, a couple questions are key. One: Were either the victim or perpetrator Yakama Nation citizens? And two: Where exactly did it happen? Read More

Have Celiac Disease? Researchers Are Close To Delivering A Gluten-Free Grain For You

By Esmy Jimenez February 21, 2019

File photo. Ripe ears of wheat lit by the morning sunlight. CREDIT: WSU News

People with Celiac disease are a bit closer to enjoying gluten products again. With the help of genetic modification, a team of Northwest scientists have engineered a unique wheat variety that’s safe for people with gluten sensitivities and allergies. Read More

Washington’s Rental Housing Market Is Looking Better, Still Tight In Rural Areas

By Esmy Jimenez February 18, 2019

File photo. Seattle's rental housing market shows more availability than other areas of Washington, like Kittitas and Yakima counties, where new construction hasn't kept up with demand. CREDIT: TED S. WARREN/AP

Two months into this year, researchers are looking back at what changed on the housing front in 2018. According to the latest numbers from the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington, the statewide vacancy rate for all apartments is 4.26 percent. That’s better than it was last fall, but not by much.Read More

Mucho Amor (y Cafe) En Esta Estación de Tren en Yakima

By Esmy Jimenez February 14, 2019

Northtown Coffeehouse se mudó a la histórica estación de trenes de Yakima en 2013. Mientras que el tren de pasajeros finalizó en la década de 1970, todavía pasan varios trenes de carga todos los días. CRÉDITO: ESMY JIMENEZ / NWPB.

Esta cafetería en Yakima lo tiene todo. El cafe esta bueno, tiene un gran ambiente y el wifi nunca falla. Pero Northtown Coffeehouse también es reconocido como un lugar de bodas.Read More

A Whole Latte Love At This Yakima Train Station Turned Coffeehouse

By Esmy Jimenez February 14, 2019

North Town Coffeehouse moved to the historic Yakima Train Depot in 2013. While passenger rail ended in the 1970s, several freight train still go by every day. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB.

North Town Coffeehouse in Yakima has it all. Great espresso, great ambience and great wifi. It also has a constant line of wedding ceremonies -- over 370 last year. Read More

Seis Años de Trabajo Y Aún El Agua del Valle de Yakima Necesita Cambios

By Esmy Jimenez February 5, 2019

Martin Yanez and his sister Rosalinda Elsa Pina live in the Yakima Valley, near a large dairy. Their well water has high levels of nitrates, which can cause health problems. In the winter Elsa Pina uses extra gallons of water to make caldos, or stews. Boiling water with high levels of nitrates actually concentrates the contamination. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

For six years, Yakima County has been dealing with a complicated problem – nitrates in the groundwater. This month, after missing two other deadlines, a group of citizens tasked with finding a solution finally came up with a plan. For about 2,000 people, that’s good news because they’re closer to clean water. But some critics aren’t so sure. Read More

Still Sliding, Just Not So Fast: What’s Up With The Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide One Year Later

By Esmy Jimenez January 21, 2019

Rattlesnake Ridge Risk Map - Google Maps

At this time last year, authorities in Central Washington were on high alert because of the slow-moving Rattlesnake Ridge landslide near Yakima. A year later, what’s changed? The landslide isn’t quite over – yet. But it has slowed down significantly. Read More

‘We Need Action.’ Yakama Nation Leads Discussion On Violence Against Women

By Esmy Jimenez January 17, 2019

Charlene Tillequots is a member of the Yakama Nation’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Special Committee. Tillequots spoke at the meeting Jan. 14 meeting in Toppenish, saying, “We don’t need another study. We need action to address a human rights issue.” CREDIT: Esmy Jimenez/NWPB

On Jan. 14, the Yakama Nation held an all-day community meeting in Toppenish, Washington, to discuss violence that affects Native American women and girls. Over 200 people attended the community meeting, including Yakama tribal members, the Washington State Patrol, local police departments, and the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. Read More

New Map Shows Hotspots Of Environmental Health Hazards For Washington Neighborhoods

By Esmy Jimenez January 10, 2019

The Environmental Health Disparaties map shows concentrations of pollution combined with demographics to color code risk areas. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPT. OF HEALTH

The Environmental Health Disparities Map ranks neighborhoods from 1 to 10. Ten is coded in red, meaning a higher environmental risk while 1, being the lowest, is coded in blue. On that map, Yakima County is a big, red blemish. Read More

Learn Spanish With Esmeralda!

By Esmy Jimenez January 7, 2019

NWPB introduces Spanish lessons for children and adults on our Youtube channel and NWPB TV. Read More

FILM REVIEW: ‘Roma’ Captures A Portrait Of 1970s Mexico In All Its Complex Beauty

By Esmy Jimenez January 6, 2019

For the lead role of Cleo, director Alfonso Cuarón cast the first-time actor Yalitza Aparicio, a native of the state of Oaxaca. CREDIT: Carlos Somonte/Netflix

From writer and director Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men), 'Roma' is based on Cuaron’s childhood experiences and transports audiences back in time to a Mexico City in the 1970s.Read More

Washington HIV Infection Rates Stay Steady, Except for Yakima County Anomaly

By Esmy Jimenez December 6, 2018

Inside New Hope Clinic, quilts like this one adorn the hallways. Often they’re made by the families of HIV and AIDS patients. This one was used as coffin cover for Bobby Joe, a patient who died in 1997. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

The Washington State Department of Health released its annual report on HIV and AIDS this week, pegged to the Dec. 1 World AIDS Day. According to the report, 14,000 people are HIV positive in Washington, on par with past years.Read More

‘I’ll Always Remember Him.’ Yakima Nurse Reflects On Serving Patients Ahead Of World AIDS Day

By Esmy Jimenez November 30, 2018

Angeles Pulido has been a nurse for 18 years, inspired to get trained and work with HIV/AIDS patients in Yakima after reading a Time magazine article. She remembers patients like one of her first: “Deep black, deep black. To see those eyes. I’ll always remember him. He was one of the first patients I had the opportunity to be with.” Read More

Washington Had High Voter Turnout This Year, But Lower In Counties Like Yakima. Why?

By Esmy Jimenez November 30, 2018

If Washington voters don't mail in ballots, they can return them in person to drop boxes like this one at the Yakima County Elections Office. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

In 2018, San Juan County had the highest voter turnout at nearly 84 percent, while Yakima County had the lowest at 61 percent. One major reason for that gap: demographics. Read More

Yakima Valley Filipino WWII Vets Honored Decades After Losing Compensation For Service

By Esmy Jimenez November 11, 2018

Gregorio Ochoa Azurin was one of 17 Filipino WWII veterans honored in the Yakima Valley for their service. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Recently, 18 Filipino veterans received Congressional Gold Medal replicas at the Filipino Community Hall in Wapato, Wash. All but two were awarded posthumously. Read More

How Does Your Ballot Get Counted In Washington? Veeeery Carefully

By Esmy Jimenez November 5, 2018

Workers in the Yakima County Elections Office work to open ballots and verify information. Their work is done within public view behind a glass wall, for anyone to monitor. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

The 2018 Midterm election is upon us, and now it’s time to wait and make sure all the ballots are counted. But how does that process actually work? Read More

Latino Businesses Caught In Between ‘No’ And ‘Yes’ Campaigns Of Washington Carbon Tax Measure

By Esmy Jimenez October 31, 2018

Mary’s Boutique, owned by Mario Fuentes, in Yakima. According to a public list available on “No on 1631” Mary’s Boutique is listed as a business opposed to the carbon tax initiative. Fuentes says he never gave permission for his business to be published on that list and that he is in favor I-1631. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENZ/NWPB

Some Washington Latino-owned businesses say they were wrongly put on a list that claimed they were against I-1631, a state ballot initiative seeking to tax carbon emissions.Read More

More Than Radio: KYNR Brings Back ‘Voice Of The Yakama Nation’ After Theft

By Esmy Jimenez October 19, 2018

Earlier in October, someone broke into KYNR, stealing equipment and knocking them off the air. It highlighted issues not only of crime and safety on the Yakama Nation reservation, but also how important the station is to the community.Read More

A Sheepherder On Two Decades In Washington High Country ‘With Your Friends The Dogs’

By Esmy Jimenez October 12, 2018

Heraclio Delacruz is in his 18th year herding sheep in central Washington. “There’s no one to talk to, you’re alone, with your friends the dogs, the braying sheep." CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Heraclio Delacruz is a Peruvian sheepherder, in Spanish what’s called a “pastor.” This is his 18th year with the Martinez family sheepherding operation in Central Washington. " ... you’re alone, with your friends the dogs, the braying sheep," he says.Read More

Meet The Flockers: Ups And Downs Of A Washington Sheepherding Legacy

By Esmy Jimenez October 9, 2018

Geronimo DeLaCruz Lozano is one of the eight, H-2A workers who came from Peru to work with the Martinez family. He’ll spend most of his time alone with his dogs, walking across grasslands and mountains grazing thousands of sheep at a time. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ

In late September, the Martinez brothers moved about half of those 800 sheep from the mountainous terrain around Lake Wenatchee to the irrigated, emerald pastures of Connell, in Central Washington. They did it with the help of some highly skilled men: Peruvian “pastores” or sheepherders. All the way from South America, most of them have been with the Martinez family for decades.Read More

PHOTOS: Follow A Last-Of-Its-Kind Sheepherding Operation In Washington

By Esmy Jimenez October 4, 2018

Despite the time it took to wrangle the sheep into the trailers, the going out process is much faster. After a three-hour ride, the sheep are also ready to move around and get to fresh grazing grounds. If you look closely, you can also see an eager sheep peeking its head above the trailer. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ

A flock of 800 sheep calmly sleeps in the chilly September morning. They’re surrounded by stately firs and pines of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Mist hangs low on the mountains, creating a scene that feels like it’s from another time. And that’s because it is. Read More

Humo Afecta A Los Trabajadores Del Campo

By Esmy Jimenez October 4, 2018

Smoke-Kittitas-Valley-081718-Esmy-Jimenez

Probablemente lo han visto y sentido esta semana: una ola de humo en gran parte de la región. El humo viene de los incendios forestales en Washington, Oregón, Columbia Británica Canadá y California. A causado una mala calidad del aire, lo que hace que los expertos de salud adviertan: minimice su tiempo afuera. Read More

Pasco Dairy Workers Take Labor Case – And A Motor Coach – To Seattle For Hunger Demonstration

By Esmy Jimenez September 20, 2018

Miguel Cuevas was on the bus in Pasco early Thursday, Sept. 20, heading to Seattle for a five-day hunger demonstration with his fellow "Darigold Dozen." CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Dairy workers and members of the United Farm Workers union boarded a coach bus on their way to Seattle this week. It’s all for the start of a five-day fast to bring awareness to their Darigold Dozen campaign against the Ruby Ridge Dairy near Pasco. Read More

Washington’s Biggest Toxic Waste Polluter: A Mine (With Hanford Not Far Behind)

By Esmy Jimenez September 8, 2018

The Pend Oreille Mine operated by Teck is located in northeastern Washington near Metaline Falls. CREDIT: GOOGLE EARTH

Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been keeping track of big polluters through their Toxic Waste Inventory or TRI. The EPA has released their latest data for 2017. We crunched some numbers for Washington, and here are the results. Read More

Android App Reconnects Community To Yakama Indigenous Language

By Esmy Jimenez September 3, 2018

Keegan Livermore types out “Good afternoon” on the Ichishkíin-English keyboard he created. The app is available on the Google Play store for Android users only at this time. He hopes to have an iOS version later this fall. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

One of the 10 dialects of the Yakama Nation’s Sahaptin language is called Ichishkíin. With fewer than 50 fluent speakers, it’s considered endangered according to the Heritage University Language Center. But a new Android mobile app connects users to it.Read More

In MeToo Era, A Yakima Valley Dairy Worker Finds Her Voice

By Esmy Jimenez August 23, 2018

The old DeRuyter Brothers Dairy sits in Outlook, Wash. According to state records, before it sold, the operation had around 5,000 head of cattle on 500 hundred acres, making it one of the largest dairies in the Yakima Valley. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ

Maria Gonzalez started at DeRuyter Brothers dairy in February 2015. At the time, she was the first and only woman working as a milker. For Maria, working there was a step up in career and pay. But it also meant facing sexual harassment from a male coworker. It ended with losing her job. Read More

Smoke Makes Washington Farmworkers Cover Up, But No Regulations Require Provided Masks

By Esmy Jimenez August 17, 2018

Smoky skies in Central Washington this week have made it hard to see distant mountains, and harder for some farmworkers to breathe clean air. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

You’ve probably seen and felt it this week: a blanket of grey haze over large parts of the region. Smoke from wildfires in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and California has led to poor air quality, causing health experts to caution: minimize your exposure. So how do people who work outdoors fare? Read More

Attorney: Central Washington ICE Arrests ‘Hostage Situation’ As Mother Traded For Son

By Esmy Jimenez June 29, 2018

A protester outside the Yakima County Jail Wednesday, June 27 joins several others in calling for the release of detained immigrants. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made several arrests in Central Washington this week in Basin City and Pasco. In one case, a mother was detained even though agents were looking for her son.Read More

Marking End Of Ramadan Fast In Central Washington

By Esmy Jimenez June 15, 2018

The Islamic Center of Tri Cities (ICTC) hosted 400 people for Eid-al Fitr this year. Hala Abdelall (left) is a volunteer who helped organize the festivities and Ridha Mabruki [right] is the President of the center. The ICTC plans to expand this year with 10 additional classrooms and a bigger prayer hall for the growing community. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

The Islamic Center of Tri-Cities hosted around 400 people for Eid-al Fitr June 15, marking the end of Ramadan. To celebrate, the Center hosted an event complete with food, bounce houses for kids, and even pony rides. Read More

In Central Washington, Housing Crunch Exacerbated By Need For Foreign Farm Labor

By Esmy Jimenez June 11, 2018

Black and white photo of a Yakima neighborhood with text saying no vacancy

The housing shortage in Yakima is coupled with a farm labor shortage. When workers do come, where do they live? The largest farmworker complex in the state opened in Yakima this month. The revamped FairBridge hotel now hosts 800 beds for temporary farm workers. As it opens, critics think it may set a dangerous precedent: Other farmers might start buying up area housing for Read More

Largest Farmworker Complex In State Opens In Yakima As Concerns Of Housing Shortages Echo

By Esmy Jimenez June 1, 2018

The FairBridge Hotel in Yakima, Wash., is the site of the largest farmworker housing complex in the state.

Yakima will soon be home to the largest farmworker housing complex in Washington. The revamped FairBridge hotel officially opened Friday, June 1, and the first guest workers will be housed there beginning June 11th. Read More

In Roslyn, Historic Cemeteries Connect Immigrant Past To Present

By Esmy Jimenez May 25, 2018

In Roslyn’s Historic Cemetery, the section named for the Dr. David Starcevic Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge has been here since 1897. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

In Roslyn over this Memorial Day weekend, the sound in the cemetery is not the sound of silence. It's the sound of the past meeting the present. This weekend, people from around the state and country came to celebrate a new monument in the town’s historic cemeteries.Read More

Years After I-502, Legal Marijuana In Central Washington Is Far From Settled Law

By Esmy Jimenez May 14, 2018

Thirty states have legalized some form of medical marijuana. Nine of those states and Washington, D.C., allow recreational sale of the drug.CREDIT: TED S. WARREN

In the Columbia Basin, communities are pushing back on recreational marijuana by leveraging county regulations – regulations like Benton County’s new “Sight and Smell Ordinance.”Read More

‘People Are Giving Up’: Low Attendance, But Hope For Future, At Yakima May Day March

By Esmy Jimenez May 1, 2018

Maria Cuevas, a farmworker and community activist in Yakima, has marched in every Yakima May Day gathering since 1986, including with Cesar Chavez. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

May Day demonstrations happened around the Northwest May 1, including in Latino-concentrated Yakima. The peaceful gathering focused on immigration reform. But the turnout was low compared to previous years with only a couple hundred people there. Read More

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