Yakima Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

MMIWP: Comunidades indígenas siguen alzando sus voces en la búsqueda de sus seres queridos

By Johanna Bejarano May 5, 2023

Al comenzar el mes nacional de concientización sobre los casos de mujeres y personas indígenas desaparecidas y asesinadas (MMIW/P), las familias siguen llamando la atención sobre las barreras y los retos que experimentan al abordar la crisis en Washington. Read More

MMIWP awareness events raise Native voices in search for missing loved ones

By Johanna Bejarano May 4, 2023

As the national awareness month on the crisis starts, families continue calling attention to the barriers and challenges they experience when addressing the missing and murdered indigenous women and people MMIW/P crisis in Washington. Read More

Language exchange program brings communities together in Yakima

By Johanna Bejarano May 3, 2023

Language exchange students work on activities during a class in Yakima. Credit: Johanna Bejarano / NWPB. Listen (Runtime 1:55) Read In Yakima, a community-based organization helps Spanish and English speakers… Continue Reading Language Read More

New online toolkit to provide help, comfort to families with missing loved ones

By Lauren Gallup May 1, 2023

Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1512 into law on Monday, May 1 as supporters and bill sponsors looked on.

By signing into law House Bill 1512, Washington state will create an online toolkit meant to assist families and law enforcement seeking to locate and recover missing persons. The act, known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Persons and Lucian Act, is in part named after Lucian Munguia, who was 4 years old when he went missing in Yakima last September. His Read More

Underground fire, harmful fumes prompt cleanup plan for Yakima landfill

By Courtney Flatt April 17, 2023

While hiking, Nancy Lust, with Friends of Rocky Top, watches a truck dump waste into a landfill in Yakima County. Lust lives near the landfill and has fought to learn… Continue Reading Underground fire, harmful fumes prompt cleanup Read More

Plazas Comunitarias ayudan a inmigrantes hispanos de Yakima a completar su educación básica

By Johanna Bejarano January 28, 2023

La edad no es un obstáculo para los inmigrantes hispanos que desean completar su educación básica. Ahora, el Gobierno de México se asoció con organizaciones locales para ofrecer un programa de educación para adultos en Yakima. El programa busca dar a las familias las herramientas para mejorar sus vidas. Read More

Plazas Comunitarias to help Hispanic immigrants in Yakima complete their basic education

By Johanna Bejarano January 27, 2023

Age is not an obstacle for Hispanic immigrants wanting to complete their basic education. Now, the Mexican government is partnering to offer an adult education program in Yakima. The program seeks to give families the tools to improve their life. Read More

Shooting in Yakima, Wash. leaves three dead, then suspected shooter later found dead

By Anna King January 24, 2023

A police officer in uniform wearing glasses stands behind a podium and in front of a background reading "Yakima Police" on his left is an American flag and a computer screen showing a map of where the suspect was found dead.

Yakima Chief of Police, Matthew Murray, addresses the public at a press conference, Tuesday. (Screenshot from Yakima Police Dept. Facebook) Listen Three people were fatally shot at a gas station… Continue Reading Shooting in Read More

Latinos continue to seek representation in Yakima

By Johanna Bejarano November 14, 2022

Washington Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, at a press conference in Yakima after Election Day. Credit: Audel Ramirez Listen (Runtime 1:05) Read A majority Latino population, redistricting and a renewed election… Continue Reading Latinos continue to Read More

School Districts In Central WA Try To Relieve Teachers’ Burnout

By Johanna Bejarano September 1, 2022

Stress, burnout, and teacher shortages are concerns in many parts of the Northwest. But, some school districts in Central Washington are different. They have no teacher shortages and officials are making teachers' mental health a priority. Continue Read More

‘It’s Putrid.’ Yakima County Neighbors Raise Air, Groundwater Concerns About Nearby Landfill

By Courtney Flatt August 2, 2022

Up on a hilltop in Yakima County, Carole Degrave used to spend hours outside, watching wildlife, eating an apple, and enjoying the calm. In her backyard, wind chimes blow softly in the breeze. A 30-year-old apricot tree shades the center of her yard. Read More

Sangre nueva en el Noroeste: Candidatos por primera vez en el Este de Washington

By Johanna Bejarano August 1, 2022

Las tarjetas para las elecciones primarias están en manos de los votantes de Washington. Deben ser devueltas o enviadas por correo antes del martes. De izquierda a derecha: Maggie Yates,… Continue Reading Sangre nueva en Read More

YVCG wants to create a Regional Crime Intelligence Center

By Johanna Bejarano June 24, 2022

Yakima County Sheriff Robert Udell, Yakima County Sheriff, held a press conference to discuss the ptalk about the Regional Criminal Intelligence Center proposal. Photo from live streaming via Facebook. Read… Continue Reading YVCG wants to Read More

Yakima quiere crear Centro Regional de Inteligencia Criminal

By Johanna Bejarano June 24, 2022

El sheriff del condado de Yakima, Robert Udell, ofreció una rueda de prensa para hablar de la propuesta del Centro Regional de Inteligencia Criminal. Captura de pantalla de la transmisión… Continue Reading Yakima quiere crear Centro Regional Read More

Farmworkers To Receive Heat Stress Kits

By Johanna Bejarano June 8, 2022

Poster about heat related illness. Credit: www.weather.gov. Listen NWPB’s Johanna Bejarano reports on heat prevention (Runtime 0:52) Read High temperatures are expected across the country but not as severe in… Continue Reading Farmworkers To Receive Heat Stress Read More

Estudiante de secundaria de Yakima gana concurso de arte del Congreso

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour May 23, 2022

Imagen de la obra “Silenced”, de Morgan Greene, que estará expuesta en el Capitolio. Read Una estudiante de último año de la escuela secundaria A.C. Davis de Yakima ganó el… Continue Reading Estudiante de secundaria de Yakima gana Read More

La Ciudad de Yakima ya no izará banderas privadas

By Johanna Bejarano May 12, 2022

La Ciudad de Yakima ya no izará banderas privadas Continue Reading La Ciudad de Yakima ya no izará banderas privadasRead More

At 83 Years Old, José Is Officially An American Citizen

By Johanna Bejarano April 14, 2022

According to data from the University of Southern California, 12.000 adult immigrants are eligible to become citizens in Yakima County. Ninety-four percent are Hispanics. José Tapia became a U.S. citizen in March. At age 83. Continue Reading At 83 Years Read More

A los 83 años, José es oficialmente ciudadano estadounidense

By Johanna Bejarano April 14, 2022

Según datos de la Universidad del Sur de California, en el condado de Yakima hay 12.000 inmigrantes adultos que pueden obtener la ciudadanía. El 94% son hispanos. José Tapia se convirtió en ciudadano estadounidense en marzo, a los 83 años. Continue Read More

Latino Voters Challenge Yakima Redistricting Map

By Johanna Bejarano January 26, 2022

A colored map of Yakima's voting districts.

Latino Voters Challenge Yakima Redistricting Map. Continue Reading Latino Voters Challenge Yakima Redistricting MapRead More

Votantes Latinos Demandan El Mapa De Redistribución Legislativa Del Estado

By Johanna Bejarano January 25, 2022

Map of Washington state showing Yakima County

Una demanda federal desafía el plan de redistribución legislativa del Estado de Washington. Individuos y organizaciones alegan que la nueva distribución diluye la fuerza de los votantes latinos en el Valle de Yakima y viola la Ley Federal del Derecho al Voto. Read More

Several Northwest Cities Set Record High Temperatures Over The Weekend, With More To Come

By Doug Nadvornick June 27, 2021

The Northwest is heading into the hottest days of its record-setting heat wave. CREDIT: National Weather Service

Several Northwest cities set record high temperatures for Saturday. Spokane was not one of them. Its official high of 98 fell two degrees short. In eastern Washington, Pasco, Hanford and Yakima were among those setting records for June 26. Read More

Investigation Reveals Nearly 200 Washington Police Officers With Credibility Issues Are Still Working

By NWPB News April 8, 2021

Tacoma Police and other law enforcement vehicles are shown near the site of a major incident Jan. 23, 2021, in downtown Tacoma. At least one person was injured when a police car driven by a Tacoma officer plowed through a crowd of people Saturday night who were watching a downtown street race. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP

A Crosscut investigation found at least 183 police officers flagged for issues such as dishonesty, bias and excessive force remain in law enforcement. Continue Reading Investigation Reveals Nearly 200 Read More

With Assistance From FEMA, A Mass Vaccination Site Opens In Yakima, And All Are Welcome

By NWPB News April 7, 2021

Hundrends of people waited in line in their cars at the Yakima mass vaccination site April 4, 2021. CREDIT: Esmy Jimenez/KUOW

What started as a slow trickle of people became a flood of cars over Easter weekend at the FEMA vaccination center in Yakima. And as April 15 approaches (when all adults are eligible for vaccination in Washington), some Seattleites are heading East for a coveted Covid-19 shot. Read More

Central Washington Ramps Up As Agricultural Workers Eligible For Vaccine; FEMA To Help In Yakima

By NWPB News March 23, 2021

After an hours-long wait, drivers pull up under a vaccination tent to get their first dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

Yakima County will soon get a boost to its existing vaccine distribution at an existing site set up at county fairgrounds. But unlike other sites around the state managed directly through the state, including in the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and Spokane, the Yakima site will have the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 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

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

Yakima Journalist Who Lost Her Mom To COVID: Don’t Let Gatherings This Season Take Yours

By Scott Leadingham December 28, 2020

Journalist Emily McCarty and her mother, Mary, who died in November, four days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Courtesy of Emily McCarty/Crosscut

Emily McCarty is a Yakima-based reporter for Crosscut/KCTS. Her mom, Mary, died in a Spokane hospital in November, four days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. McCarty wrote about her mom and her family’s personal experience in an essay titled “I lost my mom to COVID-19. Don’t let the holidays steal yours.” Read More

As Washington Restaurants Close Indoors Again, Some In Hard-Hit Yakima Say They Won’t

By Scott Leadingham November 24, 2020

Server Luis Velez opens a bottle of wine for customers Mary Graf, left, Sophie Mandel and Andy Peraza, right, shown through a sheet of plastic surrounding the table, on Wednesday, October 21 , 2020, at Spinasse on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

Earlier this year, Yakima County was among the worst-hit places for COVID-19 in Washington and the West Coast. It and the Tri-Cities region were among the last counties to open for indoor bar and restaurant service. Now, with another statewide closure, some restaurant operators are pushing back and refusing to close. Read More

Once The Center Of Pandemic In Washington, Yakima Shows ‘Significant Decline’ In Cases

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 20, 2020

File photo. Gov. Jay Inslee visited Yakima, shown here on June 16, 2020, as the county's coronavirus numbers continued to grow at a rate that suggested it would be hard for it to move beyond Phase 1 of reopening. The Health District then issued a masking directive to encourage more use of face coverings. Courtesy of Governor's Office

In June, the Yakima Health District was reporting as many as 200 new COVID-19 cases per day. Now, daily cases are in the 20s since Sunday, Aug. 16. Gov. Jay Inslee says the county’s early masking directive is the likely cause. Read More

Tri-Cities And Yakima County Get Additional Business And Recreational Openings Within Their Phase 1

By Scott Leadingham July 29, 2020

File photo. Customers flocked to the River Mile 38 brewpub in Cathlamet after it reopened its tasting room and patio in mid-May. Wahkiakum County is in the vanguard of Washington counties advancing through Safe Start reopening phases. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties have been approved for more business and recreational activities beginning this Saturday. The approval means additional operations within the counties’ current modified Phase 1 – not moving to a full Phase 2. Read More

Breweries, Wineries In Tri-Cities And Yakima May Need To Close Under Clarified Reopening Guidance

By Courtney Flatt July 17, 2020

Old Schoolhouse Brewery owner Jacob Young serves food to his customers. He says when there's little smoke and fires are far away, he sees more patrons.CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Wineries and breweries in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties must keep their doors closed for now, unless they serve food out of their own kitchens. That’s the updated guidance for the three counties, which are seeing some of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases in Washington. Read More

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Suit Alleges Latinx Voters Disenfranchised By Yakima County Election System

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa July 13, 2020

Dulce Gutierrez, right, Assistant Mayor of Yakima, speaks Jan. 5, 2018, during a news conference at the Capitol in Olympia about the need to address voter access in the state.

Yakima County is being sued over how it runs elections. In a lawsuit filed Monday, plaintiffs argue the current at-large voting system dilutes Latinx votes. That would violate the Washington State Voting Rights Act. A 2012 lawsuit against the city of Yakima claimed a similar disenfranchising voting system. Federal courts agreed in that case. Read More

Where To Get Masks And Testing In Yakima County As Coronavirus Cases Near 8K

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa July 7, 2020

A COVID-19 test kit. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has instructed state health officials to test all nursing home staff and residents in the coming weeks, according to a state doctor.

The county’s emergency management office has handed out more than 3 million pieces of protective equipment since March. That includes 770,000 masks to businesses, municipalities, and food banks and an additional 220,000 masks distributed to low-income residents. Read More

Governor Says Tri-Cities Has Seen ‘Astronomical’ Rise In COVID; Protesters Say ‘Inslee Is Non-Essential’

By Courtney Flatt June 30, 2020

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks at a news conference at Columbia Basin College in Pasco June 30, 2020. Hecklers yelling at him, some with signs and flags for Trump 2020 and Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, caused the event to be moved inside. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Over the past two weeks, Inslee said infection rates have increased six-fold in Franklin County and nearly five-fold in Benton County. The main thing that could help, he said: masks. “Yes, there’s controversy, as there is in any great, noble endeavor, but the vast majority of people in (the Tri-Cities region) want to beat this pandemic,” Inslee said. Read More

Governor Jay Inslee Issues Statewide Mask Requirement; Yakima Hospital Clarifies Capacity Question

By NWPB News June 23, 2020

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide mask-wearing requirement on June 23, 2020. CREDIT: TVW

After weeks of relying on voluntary compliance, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday afternoon announced an enforceable, statewide requirement that people wear face coverings when in public, including outdoors when six feet of separation can't be maintained. The new public health order, to be issued by the Secretary of Health, takes effect on Friday. Read More

Masks Will Soon Be Required In Yakima County As It Exceeds Capacity With Surging COVID-19 Cases

By NWPB News June 19, 2020

Astria Health closed its hospital in Yakima earlier in 2020 after a bankruptcy filing. It could reopen in a lease to the state during the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa / NWPB

As of Friday afternoon, 61 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Yakima County. Even though at least another 17 patients were transported out of the county, the region’s major hospital, Virginia Mason Memorial, had completely run out of hospital beds as of Thursday night. Read More

COVID-19 Cases In Yakima Jail And Coyote Ridge Prison In Eastern Washington Continue Rising

By NWPB News June 18, 2020

An image from the Washington State Department of Corrections website page for Coyote Ridge, a prison in eastern Washington with a capacity for 2,468 inmates. CREDIT: Washington DOC

Even as Washington counties work to reopen in various phases of the state’s four-phase reopening plan, county jails and state prisons and corrections institutions continue to deal with coronavirus outbreaks and COVID-19 infections. Read More

Jay Inslee Visits Yakima As County Continues To Grow As State’s Coronavirus Hotspot

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa June 16, 2020

A survey by the Yakima Health District found that just 35 percent of residents wear masks in public. That spurred the health district to issue a masking directive, hoping to get 80% of residents to use face coverings. Continue Read More

During Pandemic, Yakima Farmworkers Kept Their Jobs, Raising Risk Of Infection

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa June 13, 2020

Farmworkers in Yakima's fruit-packing industry walked off production lines in May and went on strike, demanding more protections against the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Emmanuel Anguiano-Mendoza (left) and Agustin López hold posters featuring David Cruz, a worker who died on May 30. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

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. Continue Reading During Pandemic, Yakima Farmworkers Kept Their Read More

What’s Driving The High Rate Of COVID-19 In Yakima County

By NWPB News May 20, 2020

In this photo taken Oct. 15, 2019, workers sort Granny Smith apples to ready them for shipping in a packing plant in Yakima, Wash. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

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. Continue Reading What’s Driving Read More

Central Washington Non-Profits Adjust To Provide Critical Spanish-Language Coronavirus Information

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa April 16, 2020

Non-profit adult education provider La Casa Hogar shifted operations online and canceled its 25th anniversary celebrations, scheduled in May, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, staff are working to ensure the immigrant community they serve is informed in Spanish on public health measures and resources to endure economic woes. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa / NWPB

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

With Coronavirus Hospitalizations Down In Yakima, Federal Resources Directed Elsewhere

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa April 14, 2020

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. Continue Reading With Coronavirus Read More

Coronavirus Pivots: Idaho Outfitter Gears Up For PPE Distribution; Yakima Hospital May Reopen

By NWPB News March 31, 2020

First responders in Moscow, Idaho will soon have access to more respirators, face shields and gowns. And in Washington’s Yakima Valley, a shuttered former hospital may soon be reopened by the state with the cooperation of its bankrupt owner to continue hospital service. Read More

‘It’s A Difficult Place To Be’: Yakima Construction Firm Preps For Mass Layoff — Just Like 2008

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 26, 2020

PaintSmith does business in Yakima (pictured) and Seattle with around 130 employees. Most have been laid off since Washington Gov. Jay Inslee mandated stringent measures to slow coronavirus spread. Courtesy ofPaintSmith does business in Yakima (pictured) and Seattle with around 130 employees. Most have been laid off since Washington Gov. Jay Inslee mandated stringent measures to slow coronavirus spread. Courtesy of PaintSmith Co. PaintSmith Co.

Like many decades-old businesses, Yakima and Seattle-based PaintSmith has had experience with layoffs. After the 2008 recession, the company went from 80 employees to just 10. It taught Smith that his company can survive financial downturns. Read More

14 Inmates Escape Yakima County Jail, Reportedly Over Coronavirus Concerns

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 24, 2020

Motorists captured video of Yakima County Jail escaping over a fence on Monday, March 23. CREDIT: Briseida & Alex Gonzalez / screengrab video / KAPP-KVEW

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

Yakima County Gets Stay-At-Home Order As President Trump Declares Emergency For Washington

By NWPB News March 22, 2020

Jess White, a registered nurse at UW Northwest, demonstrates to another nurse how to properly remove a mask on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at UW Medicine's drive-through testing clinic in Seattle. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

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

Federal Government Sues King County Over Ban Of Deportation Flights From Boeing Field

By NWPB News February 10, 2020

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

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

Group Aims To Address Pesticides In Central Washington’s Soil

By Courtney Flatt February 5, 2020

As more old orchard land in central Washington is converted into housing developments and schools, there are concerns over legacy pesticides in the soil where children play and families live. That’s especially true in Wenatchee and Yakima. Read More

Civil Rights Groups Claim Latinx Disenfranchisement In Yakima County, Ready To Sue

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 17, 2020

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

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. Continue Reading Civil Rights Groups Claim Latinx Disenfranchisement Read More