Serving Franklin County, WA
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LIND — The Town Council approved a work order to provide an analysis of Well No. 7 during its meeting Tuesday, July 11. Work order No. 4 allocates $9,493 for labor toward the total $44.250 cost of the well project. The town has already approved funding for most of the rest of the project, officials said, noting it is also a qualifier for a future USDA grant to cover refurbishment of the well. Previously, the Department of Agriculture had advised the town that it was not under emergency status yet and needed to prove an e...
Solomon Asch performed some exceptional psychology experiments in the 1950s. His experiments showed the power of conformity when people sometimes agree with a group’s opinion, even when shown evidence the group is wrong. In the 1950s, Asch could not determine whether his subjects consciously changed their views or whether social cues unconsciously skewed their perception. In 2005, Gregory Berns answered this question by repeating Asch’s experiment with brain scans. Berns found the brain’s visual center changed what it perce...
PASCO — Benton Franklin Health District officials have issued a warning for the West Nile virus after detecting it in the Richland area. A mosquito in Richland tested positive for the virus July 21, officials said. More than a week prior, multiple mosquitos tested positive for the virus in the Grandview area of Yakima County. Those are the first instances of West Nile being detected in the state this year, officials said, noting no cases have been reported in people or animals, so far, this year. The virus has not been d...
Hydropower is an important source of reliable and clean energy for everyone in the. However, with the recent debate surrounding the Snake River dams concentrated on the benefits for and support in Washington state, we want to emphasize just how significant an effect these dams have on Idaho and why we must continue to protect them. As a U.S. Senator and the leader of an independent free-market research organization, we are unified in our effort to protect the Snake River dams and maintain their economic and environmental...
By virtually all key metrics, Washington’s environmental policies are failing. And yet, when was the last time politicians, environmental activists or the media expressed concern about policy failures? Speeches and news stories are filled with demands that we save the planet, describing threats to salmon, orca, forests and the climate. And yet, there is a remarkable lack of curiosity when real-world efforts fail to address those problems. One common thread is that e...
OTHELLO – A local man is facing a child rape charge after being caught in bed with a child. Manuel Trinidad-Ortiz, 32, of Othello, was booked into the Franklin County Jail following his July 19 arrest for first-degree child rape and residential burglary. According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Trinidad-Ortiz was arrested near a home in the 600 block of Wagon Road at about 12:30 a.m., July 19. He was booked into the jail in nearby Franklin County about six hours later. Deputies responded to the home after a mother all...
LIND — While residents wound down after a sunny summer day, the race for town council position Nos. 4 and 5 began to wind up during a candidate forum July 17. Modeator Robert Meader gave the candidates an array of questions to test where they stand on major issues, as well as how they handle the pressure of tense questioning. Five Position No. 4 candidates attended – Christopher Olson, Jamie Schmunk, Heather Reed, Richard Baldwin and incumbent Myra Horton. Richard Baldwin formally withdrew from the race due to personal iss...
OTHELLO – A local man remains in jail in connection with a reported arson July 18. Victor Jesus Perez-Villela, 28, was arrested and booked into the Franklin County Jail on a second-degree arson charge. He remained in the jail at press time. According to the Adams County Sheriff's Office, fire crews and deputies responded to a structure fire at ab out 3:35 p.m. July 18 in the 2100 block of West Moon Road. The suspect had fled on foot, records show. But Othello police located t...
ELTOPIA - With world politics and economics unstable, agriculture leaders are noting the value of local commodities has increased, but so have costs. The U.S. Wheat Association reported a rise in wheat pricing by an average of 23 cents. Corn rose 20 cents and soybeans rose 29 cents in their third weekly price report for the month of July. The report noted the price hikes may be due in part to the European Union's request that the ban on Ukrainian wheat imports be extended as...
PASCO — County Administrator Mike Gonzalez expects county government to lose nearly a third of its employees in the coming months. During a Franklin County Commission meeting Tuesday, July 25, Gonzalez said 32.5% of county employees are expected to leave. “Despite rising morale at the courthouse, we are still set to lose a percentage of employees,” he told county commissioners. Retention and hiring of employees has been an issue across a large swath of industries and government agencies since Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-1...