Yakima County has the most COVID-19 cases per capita among West Coast states. The largely Latinx agricultural workforce helped secure the backbone of the local economy.Read More
So far this month, more than 400 Yakima Valley fruit packing workers have gone on strike, according to Familias Unidas Por La Justicia. The farmworker advocacy group, based in Skagit County, is helping these workers organize committees, negotiate with employers and seek legal advice. Read More
Yakima County has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections among counties on the West Coast. That means a larger portion of the county's population has tested positive for the coronavirus compared to other counties.Read More
News and information on the COVID-19 pandemic released by state and local governments is primarily in English. And though health districts and emergency management offices translate some of that information into Spanish, immigrant communities in places like the Yakima Valley still struggle to access that information. Read More
Even with increasing numbers in Yakima County, there’s some good news. Health officials say they’re seeing fewer new hospitalizations — meaning the much-watched curve could be flattening.Read More
Construction industry advocates are asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to allow more home building to continue under his “stay home, stay healthy” order meant to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
According to the county Department of Corrections, the captured inmates told officials they were upset after Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide order to stay at home to fight the coronavirus pandemic and “the virus outbreak has them all scared.”Read More
Coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and Idaho. As of Sunday, March 22, Washington had nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, with at least 95 deaths since the outbreak began. Idaho’s official number stood at 47 cases, with most in Blaine County. Read More
The United States Department of Justice is suing King County over its ban on deportation flights from Boeing Field. A King County executive order banned deportation flights from Boeing Field in April 2019. Since then, ICE has diverted detainees to and from Yakima airport by bus.Read More
Civil rights groups are poised to sue Yakima County over their election system, alleging it dilutes Latinx votes in violation of the state Voting Rights Act.Read More
An outbreak of Hepatitis A that’s been spreading throughout Washington state has reached Yakima County. It’s expected to grow over the winter, according to the county health district. The district has confirmed 18 cases of Hepatitis A since declaring an outbreak Nov. 7. The state Department of Health has confirmed 124 cases this year, mostly in King and Spokane counties.Read More
Environmental and Latino groups are hosting a clean drinking water forum Saturday, Oct. 26. The goal is to help people learn how they can get their water tested – and why it’s important.Read More
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
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
Informe critica a Yakima por vuelos ICE de deportación, mientras la ciudad explica dilema financiero
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
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
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
A city official in Wapato has resigned following allegations that he used his former position as mayor to enrich himself. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the official, Juan Orozco, in June for violating ethics and open meeting laws. Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
An Australian newspaper is reporting that hunters shot at two firefighters from down under while they were battling the Miriam Fire near White Pass, Washington. But law enforcement has debunked the claim. Read More
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
A large wildfire is burning outside of Naches, in central Washington. It started Sunday afternoon, and is called the Conrad fire. It’s currently estimated at more than 5,000 acres and about 20 percent contained.Read More
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
A youth detention case in Oregon could prove significant for immigration policy, possibly giving ICE more power over local jails. Or it could undercut their efforts to arrest people in the country illegally, especially in jurisdictions that are reluctant to cooperate with the agency.Read More
Yakima County Commissioners voted this week to officially close a road at the base of the slow-moving Rattlesnake Ridge landslide in Union Gap.Read More
Geology experts with Washington's Department of Natural Resource have quit making predictions for when a slow-moving landslide might break loose. About 20 acres of the hillside are in motion near Union Gap, just south of Yakima.Read More
The Rattlesnake Ridge landslide in Central Washington is moving at 1.6 feet per week. The area south of Yakima is on private land and next to Anderson Quarry where Columbia Asphalt operates. If it continues on its expected path, the slide threatens Interstate 82, a mobile home park, and possibly the Yakima River.Read More
Officials in Yakima County are strongly urging residents living below a shifting mountainside near Union Gap to evacuate. A huge crack that appeared on Rattlesnake Ridge last year is beginning to widen. Read More
