Enrique Pérez de la Rosa, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

What Does It Take To Get A New Apple Variety To Market? A Lot. And Cosmic Crisp Shows It

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 22, 2019

Even after 20 years of development, there’s still more research to be done on Cosmic Crisp, particularly around ‘green spot,’ pictured above, a cosmetic defect whose causes are not entirely understood by horticulturalist but are likely caused by a calcium deficiency, according to WSU researchers. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

After more than 20 years of development by the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research Commission, the Cosmic Crisp is ready to come to hit store shelves. The goal of new variety is to be attractive to consumers, easy to grow and easy to store over a long period of time.Read More

Comunicación en español vital durante emergencias regionales, según funcionarios en Washington

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 17, 2019

About 20 homes burned in this Pateros neighborhood, which included the mayor at the time, Libby Harrison, and her mom’s home behind her. The community church behind it survived, but the pastor’s home next door burned. CREDIT: Scott A. Leadingham

Después del incendio del Complejo Carlton en agosto del 2014 en el condado de Okanogan, funcionarios estatales de emergencia recibieron comentarios preocupantes de la comunidad hispana afectada.Read More

Wildfire Lessons Teach Counties How To Communicate With Spanish Speakers In Other Disasters

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 17, 2019

Communication is key in emergencies. That’s especially true when the people you’re working to protect don’t speak English. That’s why Washington emergency management offices are working on their language skills — whether for a fire, earthquake or any emergency.Read More

Woman Sues Okanogan County, Alleging Jail Illegally Kept Her In Custody For Immigration Request

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 10, 2019

The Okanogan County Courthouse and jail in Okanogan, Wash. CREDIT: Joe Mabel CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Maria del Rayo Mendoza Garcia was arrested in March this year for allegedly committing a misdemeanor assault, according to the lawsuit. She was detained pending arraignment in front of a judge. But before that could happen, Mendoza’s status as an undocumented woman caught the eye of federal immigration authorities. Read More

Defensores Exigen a Sheriff de Kittitas Que Rompa Contrato Con ICE

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 3, 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

Defensores de derechos de inmigrantes marcharon en Ellensburg para exigirle una cosa a Sheriff Gene Dana antes de jubilarse: cancele el contrato entre el condado y ICE. Read More

Advocates Call On Retiring Kittitas County Sheriff To End Contract With ICE

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa October 2, 2019

Immigrant rights advocates have one last request for Sheriff Gene Dana. On Sunday, they marched down Ellensburg’s Main Street to the Kittitas County Courthouse calling on Dana to terminate a contract between the county and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Read More

Yakama Nation’s KYNR Back On Air After Nearly A Year Without Its Voice

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa September 12, 2019

The KYNR building in Toppenish, Wash. The station was knocked off the air after a burglary in Oct. 2018. CREDIT: ENRIQUE PÉREZ DE LA ROSA/NWPB

Almost a year later, KYNR, "the voice of the Yakama Nation," is broadcasting again after a burglary knocked them off the air. Staff were heartbroken for themselves and their listeners. Tribal members and others in the community depend on the station for news and information.Read More

¿Ha sido huesped en un Motel 6? Podría tener derecho a recompensa estatal

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 28, 2019

The hotel chain Motel 6 agreed on Thursday to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Washington state claiming hotel guest information was improperly provided to immigration officials, according to Attorney General Bob Ferguson. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

Según una demanda de 2018, Motel 6 entregó la información privada de más de 100,000 huéspedes al Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, sin órdenes judiciales. Ahora, pueden reclamar parte de una resolución con el estado de $12 millones. Read More

Stay In A Western Washington Motel 6? You May Have Claim On A $12M Settlement

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 28, 2019

Motel 6 turned over the private information of more than 100,000 guests to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, doing so without warrants or consent. Now, those guests can claim their part of a $12 million settlement. Read More

Informe critica a Yakima por vuelos ICE de deportación, mientras la ciudad explica dilema financiero

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 22, 2019

A man detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement waves back to activists from the Yakima Immigrant Response Network Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 as they wave signs and call out "no estas solo, you are not alone." CREDIT: ENRIQUE PÉREZ DE LA ROSA/NWPB

Un portavoz de Yakima dice que la ciudad vigila de cerca las operaciones de ICE que ocurren localmente. Sin embargo, el Centro de Derechos Humanos de la UW allega que “Yakima permanece responsable por su rol en envío de detenidos para ser abusados en otros sitios.”Read More

Report Criticizes Yakima For ICE Deportation Flights, As City Explains Financial Quandary

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 21, 2019

A new report from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights estimates that on average 160 people in ICE custody now flow through the Yakima airport each week. The city receives money for each of those flights, and is at risk of losing millions in federal grants if they don't allow them.Read More

Former Wapato Mayor Arrested, But Judge Throws Out Case

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 14, 2019

Former Wapato mayor and city administrator Juan Orozco in Yakima County Superior Court Aug. 14, 2019.

After his arrest Tuesday on suspicion of official misconduct, the case against former Wapato mayor and city administrator Juan Orozco was thrown out of the Yakima County Superior Court in a preliminary hearing.Read More

Wapato Mayor Fires Police Chief, But Likely Won’t Be Mayor Much Longer

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 9, 2019

Former Wapato mayor and city administrator Juan Orozco, left, was appointed to the newly created position of city administrator by new mayor Dora Alvarez-Voa, drawing scrutiny and a state investigation. Courtesy KAPP-KVEW

The city administrator in the Yakima Valley town of Wapato stepped down last month after a lawsuit from the state Attorney General’s office alleged he used his influence to enrich himself. And now other city leaders are being pushed out.Read More

In Rural Washington, Pediatricians A Scarce Commodity As Medicaid Payments Aren’t Enough

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 19, 2018

Dr. Steve Hutton closed his pediatric practice in Aberdeen, Washington, earlier this year. CREDIT: ENRIQUE PEREZ DE LA ROSA

For the past 16 years, Jill Hutton has been managing a pediatric clinic in Aberdeen that once treated 70 to 100 children a day. But now it’s empty. She’s working on shutting it down. For providers with large portions of their patients on Apple Health, the low reimbursement rate makes it difficult to stay in business.Read More

Washington Legislature Declines Bill To Address School Shootings

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 9, 2018

File photo of the Washington Senate gallery. CREDIT: WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE

After the recent mass shooting in Florida, Washington state lawmakers faced immense pressure to enact gun control legislation. But a bill to address school shootings made little progress, despite Democratic control of the House and Senate.Read More

Washington High School Students Rally In Olympia For Gun Control

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 7, 2018

High school students rallied at the Washington state Capitol Tuesday demanding restrictions on purchases of military-style weapons and tougher background checks. CREDIT: ENRIQUE PEREZ DE LA ROSA / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

More than 100 Washington high school students rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday, March 6 demanding restrictions on purchases of military-style weapons and tougher background checks.Read More

Age Restriction On Semi-Automatic Rifle Purchases Moving Through Washington Legislature

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 1, 2018

The Washington Legislature is considering a bill that would raise the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. CREDIT: MICHAEL SAECHANG / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/HJQMT6U

President Donald Trump has called on Congress to raise the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. In Washington state, a proposal to do that passed a major legislative hurdle Thursday when it was voted through a powerful Senate committee.Read More

Washington Republicans Propose Voluntary Firearm Training For Teachers

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 28, 2018

The Washington Legislature has sent a ban on bump stocks to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. A bump stock is a trigger modification device that make a semi-automatic rifle function more like an automatic weapon. CREDIT: JON CONNELL

Lawmakers in Washington state continue to look for ways to prevent mass shootings in schools. On Wednesday, Republicans in the state Senate proposed creating a voluntary training program for school staff on how to respond to an active shooter.Read More

Amid Opioid Crisis, Washington State Looks To Treatment Alternatives

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 28, 2018

The opioid crisis has spurred a movement in medicine to find alternatives, including non-pharmacological options like dry needling. CREDIT: DR. HEATER TICK

The opioid epidemic has torn through the United States in recent years. Washington has not been spared. In 2016, more than 42,000 people died from opioid overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 700 of those deaths were in Washington, according to the state Department of Health.Read More

Washington House Passes Bump Stock Ban, Senate Passage Uncertain

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 23, 2018

Washington State Capitol CREDIT: BRIANHE / WIKIMEDIA

The Washington state House passed a ban on bump stocks Friday, Feb. 23. It's a gun modification that allows certain weapons to fire more rapidly. Legislators debated the ban under the shadow of last week’s school shooting in Parkland, FloridaRead More

Net Neutrality Protection Passes Washington House

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 9, 2018

Washington lawmakers vowed to protect net neutrality after the Federal Communications Commission rolled back the Obama-era regulations. Now that effort is making progress.Read More

Future Washington Teachers May Need More Training On Native American Culture, History

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 8, 2018

Washington State Capitol in Olympia. PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA USER JAY8G / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Future teachers in Washington may have to get more training in the history, culture, and treaty rights of Native American tribes. That’s a requirement of a bill currently before the state Legislature.Read More

Lyft, Uber Drivers In Washington May Face Fingerprint Background Checks

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 2, 2018

Uber and Lyft drivers may soon have to undergo tougher background checks in Washington state. Lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require drivers to pass a fingerprint background check before being allowed to operate.Read More

Driving Without A License In Washington Could Soon Be Decriminalized

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 29, 2018

Washington lawmakers are considering reducing the penalty for driving with a suspended or revoked license. Right now, it’s a gross misdemeanor and can lead to fines, hefty court fees and even jail time.Read More

Washington Lawmakers Consider Lifting Affirmative Action Ban

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 26, 2018

Pedestrians walk in the rain near the Legislative Building, Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., as cherry trees display their spring blossoms. CREDIT: TED S. WARREN/AP

Affirmative action has been forbidden in Washington for the last 20 years, but now state senators are considering repealing the ban. After a vote of the people in 1998, state government bodies have been barred from giving preferential treatment to minorities in public education, hiring and contracting. Read More

Washington May Raise Minimum Age To Buy Tobacco

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 22, 2018

Young smokers in Washington may have trouble getting a pack of cigarettes in the near future. Lawmakers are considering raising the minimum age to buy tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21.Read More

Washington Lawmakers Propose $300 Million For Rural Broadband Access

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 17, 2018

While Washington lawmakers have vowed to protect net neutrality, thousands of people in rural communities still lack access to high speed internet. That may change if a big budget proposal goes through this year.Read More

Las Vegas Shooting Victims Testify In Olympia On Proposed Washington Gun Legislation

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 15, 2018

Washington legislature Gun Legislation Hearing - 011518

Hundreds of people crowded hearing rooms in the Washington state Capitol Monday to testify on proposed gun control legislation. Several of the people who testified in favor of a ban were victims of the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.Read More

Gun Rights Advocates Rally In Olympia Against Bump Stock Ban, Background Checks

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 13, 2018

Washington state Rep. Representative Matt Shea, R-Spokane, speaks at the ''Rally 4 UR Rights'' gun rights rally in front of the state Capitol steps in 2018. CREDIT: ENRIQUE PEREZ DE LA ROSA / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

Gun rights activists from across Washington state rallied in Olympia recently. They came to protest proposed gun control legislation that supporters say will reduce mass gun violence. Most were openly carrying weapons including pistols and semi-automatic rifles.Read More

Ban On ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ Could Make Progress In Olympia This Year

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 11, 2018

A bill to ban the controversial practice of trying to change the sexual orientation of LGBTQ people is making its way through the Washington Senate. It considers so-called "conversion therapy" for people under 18 "unprofessional conduct” for health care providers.Read More

Washington House Passes Bill For Free School Breakfast Funding

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 10, 2018

school breakfast on red tray stock image

The Washington House passed its first bill on the third day of this legislative session. It would require high poverty schools to offer breakfast after the start of the school day and is a priority for Democrats.Read More

Climate Activists Urge Washington Lawmakers To Take Action In 2018

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 8, 2018

Climate activists rallied today at the state capitol, the first day of the legislative session. They want Washington state to be powered exclusively by renewable energy within 10 years. Read More