ellensburg Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Honoring women’s history through poetry

By Lauren Gallup March 1, 2023

The newspaper clipping that mentions Rachel Page. Photo courtesy of Cory Eberhart.

A group of poets in Kittitas County will honor eight important Washington women in verse. March is Women’s History Month, and this Friday at Gallery One in Ellensburg, the poets will perform their crown of sonnets, a succession of seven, separate sonnets, at the Women’s History Month Poetry Extravaganza. Read More

How Do We ‘Bridge The Divide’ Across The Northwest? We Ask That In Re:Building Democracy

By NWPB News February 23, 2021

Deepening polarization is eroding faith in the electoral and democratic process on which our democracy depends. What can we do to cultivate mutual respect, repair damaged relationships, and reweave a civic fabric frayed from years of growing division? In this episode, produced by NWPB, we discuss working and speaking together in the Northwest in a climate that is Read More

All Washington Counties Can Advance To Phase 2 Reopening As State Fixes Hospital Data

By NWPB News February 14, 2021

Sign on restaurant door in Spokane saying when it will reopen from covid closure with multiple dates crossed out and finally saying "who knows"

The south-central region of Washington's 8-region area for coronavirus restrictions can immediately reopen. That news came Sunday from the state Department of Health. It means the counties encompassing Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Ellensburg can advance to Phase 2.Read More

School Sports Make A Comeback In The Northwest, With Mask Rules Adding Level Of Difficulty

By Tom Banse February 10, 2021

Ellensburg High School coach Jeff Hashimoto, in orange, leads masked cross-country team members on a long training run on February 8. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

Rescheduled fall sports seasons for high school athletes are kicking off this month in large parts of Washington state and Oregon. The general happiness this brought came with a dose of consternation among some coaches and families over strict COVID-19 safety guidelines set down by state health authorities.Read More

What It Takes To Open Washington Schools During The Pandemic

By NWPB News January 15, 2021

Paraeducators Jerilie Biery, left, and Nadia Ulyanchuk, right, administer required health check-ins with students before school starts at Chief Moses Middle School on Jan. 11, 2020. CREDIT: Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut

As school districts across the state scramble to transition their classrooms safely from the online world back to the real world, they may benefit from the advice of the dozens of Washington districts that welcomed students back into their halls this past fall.Read More

From Pullman To Ellensburg To Bellingham, College Towns Feel The Coronavirus Economic Slump

By NWPB News September 24, 2020

The Cougar Cottage in Pullman, known widely just as "The Coug," is a staple for students, staff and alumni during the year, especially football season and celebrating big events like graduation. It's been open as it could during the pandemic, with safety measures in place. Courtesy of The Cougar Cottage

Online classes and no fall college sports spell trouble for Washington college towns like Pullman, Ellensburg and Bellingham that lean on a higher education-fueled economy.Read More

Across Washington, People Show Up Big In Smaller Cities And Towns To Support Black Lives Matter

By NWPB News June 21, 2020

Fran Cuhtahlatah stands in protest at the corner of North Main Street and West Fifth Avenue in Ellensburg, Kittitas County, June 14, 2020. While other local residents have protested recently, Cuhtahlatah has been out quietly protesting in the community for the past three years. CREDIT: Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut

Small, mostly white rural towns across Washington are standing up in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests. Although dwarfed by comparison with the thousands protesting in places like Seattle and Portland, the people standing up against racism in smaller numbers do not think their message should be dismissed or watered down because they aren’t big enough to make Read More

Kittitas County Can Moves To Phase 2 Reopening, Three Weeks After Outbreak Paused Application

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa May 27, 2020

Kittitas County paused its application to reopen some businesses early after positive COVID-19 case at food processer Twin City Foods in Ellensburg. CREDIT: Google Maps - July 2012

Many Washington counties have qualified to move on to Phase 2 and reopen certain businesses ahead of others. More than 20 already have. But Kittitas just got approved – after being one of the first counties to qualify. Read More

UPDATE: At Least 34 COVID-19 Cases At Ellensburg Food Plant Pauses Kittitas County’s Reopening Plan

By NWPB News May 11, 2020

Health officials in Kittitas County have found at least one new positive case of COVID-19: a worker at a Twin City Foods processing plant in Ellensburg. The news came Friday after more than three weeks of no new confirmed cases. That plus the county’s low population made Kittitas County eligible to lift social distancing measures earlier than other parts of the state.Read More

He Spent $50K On A Tag To Kill A Noted Kittitas Valley Elk. What’s The Real Cost Of Trophy Hunts?

By NWPB News October 29, 2019

File photo of the Ellensburg-area elk that residents nicknamed Bullwinkle. The elk was shot and killed in 2015 by hunter Tod Reichart in an area the state had closed to hunting. Courtesy of Washington DFW.

Over at least two decades, Washington business owner Tod Reichert spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying exclusive hunting licenses he used to kill more than 100 elk. His license for the Ellensburg hunt, a “governor’s tag” auctioned to fund elk-related conservation efforts by state wildlife managers, cost him $50,000.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