Local and state officials provide update on COVID-19 response
KENNEWICK, Wash. - As Washington state has reached 5,000 COVID-19 deaths, officials said it's important to not let our guard down against the virus. "Together we will heal,…
Family
Yakima Police seek information on separate runaway juveniles
YAKIMA, Wash. — Officers at the Yakima Police Department (YPD) are currently searching for two runaway juveniles from the area. While their disappearances came within a short span of each other, the two incidents are expected to be separate. Be…
Washington educators are now eligible to be vaccinated
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Earlier today, President Joe Biden assured the country that there would be enough vaccine doses to innoculate all American adults by the end of May. During that address, he urged state leaders to provide vaccinations for teachers,…
New affordable healthcare center coming soon to Kennewick
KENNEWICK, Wash. - A new health center for low-income families is coming to Kennewick. Miramar Health Center is part of the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic company. This will be their fourth location in Tri-Cities. They also own a Miramar…
Kennewick mother arrested for threatening teenage son with handgun
KENNEWICK, Wash. — An intoxicated woman was apprehended by the Kennewick Police Department for allegedly threatening to shoot her teenage son and for resisting arrest on Sunday evening. According to a post by the Kennewick Police Department's Facebook page, officers…
A family is trying to get 'orbisculate' into the dictionary to honor their dad who died of Covid-19
You know when you dig into a grapefruit and, suddenly, its juice squirts you in the eye? There's a word for it. Hello, orbisculate. It's a word that the Krieger family of Boston is trying to get into the dictionary…
‘This can be done safely’: Gov. Inslee advocates for more in-person learning during visit to Spokane
SPOKANE, Wash.– Governor Jay Inslee is ready to get your kids back in a classroom. He was reassured of that after a Tuesday visit to Stevens Elementary in Spokane. “They teach lessons in these schools, and the lesson I’ve taken…
Umatilla County moves from extreme to high risk after commissioners appeal to state
HERMISTON, Ore. - On Tuesday, Governor Kate Brown announced 16 Oregon counties will move into new phases on February 26th,…
After three drug overdose deaths in the Tri-Cities, local experts offer advice to prevent addiction
PASCO, Wash. - Over the weekend, the Pasco Police Department responded to three drug overdose deaths. Sergeant Pruneda with…
Hanford High School mourns loss of second student who died by suicide
RICHLAND, Wash. — The community at Hanford High School was stunned following the news that a student died by suicide on Sunday. This is the second death of a Richland School District student by suicide since the start of 2021.…
Brother, sister reunited after over decade apart
Caro, Michigan (WNEM) -- A reunion years in the making involving a man whose family thought he was dead. They had lost touch because he was homeless and his search for relatives took him across the country before he thumbed…
84 days later, Pasco man returns home after COVID-19 diagnosis
PASCO, Wash. - After 84 days away from home, recovering from COVID-19, Mike Welch, from Pasco, is back. Welch was diagnosed with COVID-19 just before Thanksgiving…
Pendleton mother, who lost infant son to COVID-19, shares story in hopes of raising awareness
PENDLETON, Oreg. — A Pendleton mother who lost her infant son to COVID-19 has shared her story in an effort to raise awareness and comfort other moms experiencing loss. On Thursday, the Umatilla Public Health Department confirmed an infant with…
Could flooding in Umatilla County happen again? Experts monitoring snow melt
UMATILLA, Ore. - It's been over a year since the Umatilla River flooded throughout many towns, causing damage to infrastructure and homes. To this…
WSU Tri-Cities psychology class partners with nonprofit camp program
RICHLAND, Wash. — Students from the 'Statistics in Psychology' class at WSU Tri-Cities are putting their skills to use for a good cause: A nonprofit camp for children with serious medical conditions. According to a release from WSU Tri-Cities, students…
City of Hermiston to receive $250,000 loan to rebuild playground destroyed by fire
HERMISTON, Ore. -- Nearly two years after a massive fire severely damaged Funland Playground in Hermiston, the city is receiving $250,000 in federal funding to help rebuild. On Thursday, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced the city…
First time buyers, many of them women, driving gun sales to surge in Washington state
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - Gun sales surged across the country and Washington state added to that momentum. The state ranked 17th in the country for the most guns sold last month. It may surprise you that much of that demand is coming from first time…
Pasco School District to be a part of COVID-19 school testing program
PASCO, Wash. - The Pasco School District will be one of 48 throughout the state to offer COVID-19 testing on campus. The Department of Health has partnered with…
Washington Legislature passes graduation waiver measure
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Legislature has approved a bill that would waive some graduation requirements for individual students during a state of emergency, like the current coronavirus pandemic. The Senate on Tuesday passed the measure on a 45-2 vote,…
Tri-Cities restaurants celebrate phase two reopening
KENNEWICK, Wash. - For months, restaurants' tables have sat empty, takeaway and delivery turned into the norm, as did outdoor dining in the cold. "It's eerily quiet," Kelly…
Tri-Cities student athletes greatly affected by pandemic restrictions
PASCO, Wash. - As the Tri-Cities faces another set back in reopening, so do student athletes. "We're kind of like a race horse in the starting gate,…
Tri-Cities mayors 'disappointed' in Gov. Inslee's phase decision
KENNEWICK, Wash. - A day after Governor Jay Inslee decided to keep the South Central Region in phase one of reopening, local mayors have shared their disappointment.…
CDC: Strong evidence in-person schooling can be done safely
The nation’s top public health agency, the CDC, said Friday that in-person schooling can resume safely with masks, social distancing and other strategies, but vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening. The Centers for Disease Control…
House stimulus bill would expand eligibility for Affordable Care Act subsidies
The latest House coronavirus relief stimulus bill would make more people eligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years, temporarily fulfilling one of President Joe Biden's campaign promises. The bill, introduced this week by House Ways and Means Committee…
