Yakima County Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

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. Continue Reading Former Wapato Mayor Read More

Wapato City Official And Former Mayor Resigns Amid Washington State AG Scrutiny

By NWPB News July 22, 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

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

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

‘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

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

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. Continue Reading Mucho Amor (y Cafe) En Esta Estación de Tren en YakimaRead 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. Continue Reading A Whole Latte Love At This Yakima Train Station Turned 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

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

Six Years, Two Missed Deadlines, And Still Yakima Valley’s Water Needs Cleanup

By NWPB News December 21, 2018

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. Continue 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.Continue Reading Washington Had High Voter Turnout 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? Continue Reading How Does Your Ballot Get Counted In Washington? Veeeery CarefullyRead More

No, Hunters Did Not Open Fire On Australian Firefighters In Washington Near White Pass

By Emily Schwing September 11, 2018

The Miriam Fire has been burning around Washington's White Pass since late July 2018. The Yakima County Sheriff's Office says Australian firefighters were not intentionally targeted and shot at by hunters in the area. CREDIT: JUSTIN GELB/INCIWEB

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. Continue Reading 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

UPDATE: Central Washington Conrad Fire By Naches Nears Containment, Threat Level Lowered

By Anna King July 2, 2018

Overhead shot of the Conrad Fire burning outside Naches, Washington. PHOTO CURTOSEY OF KIMA-TV

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. Continue Reading UPDATE: Central 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.” Continue Reading Years After I-502, Legal Read More

Northwest Lawsuits Could Alter How ICE Handles Immigration Arrests

By Conrad Wilson March 19, 2018

Antonio Sanchez Ochoa was held in the Yakima County Jail on an assault charge. His attorneys argued authorities used an ICE administrative warrant to hold him. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ

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 Closes Road Near Rattlesnake Ridge Indefinitely

By Esmy Jimenez March 7, 2018

Yakima County Commissioners voted this week to officially close a road at the base of the slow-moving Rattlesnake Ridge landslide in Union Gap. Continue Reading Yakima County Closes Road Near Rattlesnake Ridge IndefinitelyRead More

Landslide Experts Walk Back Time Estimate For Rattlesnake Ridge Slide

By Tom Banse January 29, 2018

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. Continue Read More

Yakima County Braces For Landslide, Prepares Emergency Notifications

By Esmy Jimenez January 17, 2018

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

Landslide Threat South Of Yakima Leads To Evacuations Near Rattlesnake Ridge

By Anna King January 3, 2018

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. Continue Reading Landslide Threat Read More