Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 76 - 98 of 98
WARDEN — A new pump station seven miles northeast of the city will provide irrigation water to nearly 10,500 acres of farmland. The EL 47.5 station was dedicated Thursday afternoon, May 27. About 50 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, was among several state lawmakers who helped secure funding for the $20.8 million project. Dye represents the 9th Legislative district, which includes Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield, Whitman and part of S...
OTHELLO — State officials say they have linked an E. Coli outbreak to contaminated yogurt from a local dairy farm. The state Department of Health said the outbreak is connected to yogurt produced by Pure Eire Dairy, owned and operated by Richard and Jill Smith, and sold at PCC Community Market stores. State health officials said Monday that at least 11 people, including six children younger than 10, have been sickened by the contaminated yogurt; seven have been hospitalized. The cases are in King, Benton, Snohomish and W...
MESA — Franklin County commissioners unanimously approved a conditional-use permit allowing nearly triple the number of cattle on a rearing facility near Columbia Flats Dairy this morning, April 13. The permit will allow the 634-acre rearing lot – often referred to as a feed lot – at 1170 Pepiot Road to expand from 3,500 to 10,000 cows. The lot is located more than two miles from the dairy. Zoning regulations generally allow up to 1,000 cattle on feed lots in the county, unless commissioners approve a conditional-use permi...
PASCO — Douglas Farms will provide a pop-up, outdoor coronavirus vaccination clinic for 250 farmworks Friday, April 9. Vaccinations will run from 8:30-11:45 a.m. at the Douglas packing facility, 110 Taylor Flats Road. "This is an important milestone in protecting essential farmworkers from COVID," Washington State Tree Fruit Association spokeswoman Lexie Robinson said. "Interestingly, while vaccine hesitancy has been much discussed in the inland empire, it’s not the case at Douglas. The company reports that nearly 100% of...
PASCO – A new airline has announced it will include service between Pasco and Burbank, Calif., when its flights get off the ground later this month. Avelo Airlines will officially begin service April 28 between Santa Rosa and Burbank Hollywood, Airport. The next day, April 29, it will add service here with three non-stop flights a week between Pasco and Hollywood Burbank Airport. The airport, formerly known as Bob Hope Airport, is less than 20 miles from Los Angeles and about 43 miles from Disneyland. After the Pasco s...
COLFAX — The USDA Farm Service Agency reported the largest planted crop last fall in Whitman County is soft white winter wheat. About 95% of acreage was reported by Dec. 15, tracking a list of crops and other uses for land. The largest is soft white winter wheat at 285,664 acres planted. The second highest number was 116,297 acres in native grass — representing area never planted and containing sagebrush lands, shrub-steppe, and the breaks of the Snake River. Much of this is used for grazing. “It’s being harvested by a cow r...
CONNELL — The new Dollar General store opened quietly in town Jan. 23. The store is located at 182 E. Hawthorn St. Reminiscent of general stores of yesteryear, Dollar General sports a variety of products, including housewares, beauty and health products, cleaning supplies and more. The store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m....
OLYMPIA - As of Jan. 1, low-wage earners and some salaried employees are being paid more for their efforts on the job. Across Eastern Washington and some areas west of the Cascades, the minimum wage increased 19 cents per hour, from $13.50 to $13,69, according to the state Department of Labor and Industries. The minimum wage in the cities of Seattle and SeaTac increased to $16.69 per hour and $16.57, respectively, the agency said, noting those minimum wages are set by city...
COLFAX - Have you noticed the amount of hay trucks on Whitman County highways late this summer and fall? The harvested area for hay is up by 60,000 acres in Washington since 2019, according to the Oct. 1 statewide crop production report from the USDA National Statistics Service. It means more trucks shipping the harvest. Reasons why are connected to potatoes and the timing of rain. In a normal year, about 160,000 acres of potatoes are planted statewide. In 2020, the number is...
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities' Fair Jr Livestock Sale is now live with bids closing at noon Thursday, Sept. 3. "We have a committee of people who can assist with your bidding needs and are here to help," Livestock Sale Manager Lori Williams said. "Animals may be purchased for custom processing or be turned where the buyer pays the difference between the market and purchase price." Bidders can register at www.booker2bid.com. For questions, email wlc...
PASCO — Gesa Credit Union is sponsoring Hunger Action Month this month, including Hunger Action Day on Sept. 10. During the month, Gesa is matching every dollar donated up to $20,000, with the money focused on continuing to get food where it's needed most throughout Second Harvest’s service area. Second Harvest is a food bank warehouse set up in Spokane in 1971. “Gesa’s generosity is especially welcome this year, as so many folks are impacted by the coronavirus,” Second Harvest CEO Jason Clark said. “Our friends at Gesa tru...
CONNELL — A Hermiston, Ore.-based company may be bringing broadband internet to rural communities in North Franklin County. Blue Mountain Networks LLC officials said last week that the company is looking at the viability of low-cost, fiber-optic services in Connell first, and later in Mesa and Kahlotus. Blue Mountain Neworks already operates the George Network and Easter Oregon Telecom, which provide services to rural areas of the Columbia River Gorge and Eastern Oregon. The city of Connell has already approved a franchise a...
ODESSA — The formerly shuttered livestock processing facility here has a new lease on life, with the new owners using the facility to help launch a direct-sales beef program. Miles Curtis, who ranches near Odessa, Ewan and Tokio, bought the facility this spring. The facility had formerly been operated by the non-profit group Cattle Producers of Washington. The new plant, called Limit Bid Packing, processes the beef for Curtis’ direct sales program, as well as processing ani...
PASCO — The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District will cease full Saturday service on Sept. 12. Officials said that from Sept. 12-Oct. 19, ditchrider services will be performed only Monday-Friday. On Oct. 20, the district will begin draining the canal system. For questions, call Dave Solem at 509-547-1735....
CONNELL — It's a downtown block party, again. The city is blocking off downtown streets from Adams to Borah for an evening of outdoor shopping and dining. Streets close at 4 p.m.; the event begins at 5 p.m. Downtown roads are expected to reopen at about 9 p.m....
KENNEWICK - What do you want to see in the Port of Kennewick's Waterfront District? Communities are asked to take part in developing the plan. The port is creating a Waterfront District Master Plan to guide development for the next 15 to 20 years. The plan is to create a "cohesive vision for integrating Clover Island, Columbia Gardens Wine and Artisan Village, The Willows, and Cable Greens," according to port officials. It would connect to the Port of Pasco's land on the...
PASCO — Franklin County officials are concerned Benton Franklin Health District employees may be “harassing” businesses that are not enforcing coronavirus-related face mask madates. Commissioner Clint Didier brought up the issue during a meeting this morning, Aug. 4, after receiving complaints from owners of businesses on 20th Street. “Are they currently out checking into businesses and threatening them with fines,” Didier asked County Administrator Keith Johnson, referring to Health Department employees. “No, absolutely...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee says he will pursue sanctions against a business that challenged the legality of his coronavirus-related shutdown orders. During a Thursday afternoon, July 16, press conference, the governor gloated in a court victory in Spokane in which a judge dismissed the Chelan-based Slidewaters lawsuit against him. “The court firmly dismissed a court challenge,” he said. The lawsuit alleged the governor had overstepped his authority and in doing so would be forcing the owners to remain closed. Slide...
KAHLOTUS – T.J. Harder is excited to be carrying on the farming and ranching tradition started by his family generations ago. After graduating as the LaCrosse Class of 2020 Valedictorian, Harder is putting in long hours on the family wheat farm before he heads to Washington State University in the fall, where he will double-major in Agricultural Economics and Business. "College will be way harder (than high school), but I'm hoping it will be fun," Harder said while taking a s...
PASCO — The city began handing out coronavirus reopening packs today, Wednesday, July 15, to businesses at the Pasco Farmers Market. The packs included 50 single-use face masks, floor markers for social distancing, entrance signs and a clear counter barrier to help separate clerks from customers. The packs were offered to help businesses reopen in the wake of Gov. Jay Inslee's coronavirus quarantine and shutdown orders....
MESA — Farmers and other land owners willing to provide hunting access on their land may be eligible to receive funding from the state. The state Department of Fish and wildlife has $2.7 million to help with hunting program costs and private land access. Some of the funds will be used for the Hunt by Reservation system and increasing hunting opportunities for big game, turkey, upland game, waterfowl and more. "We are honored to receive this grant funding to expand our current opportunities and private lands access statewide,"...
WHITMAN COUNTY — Stripe rust has been discovered in varieties of winter wheat on the Palouse and actively producing spores. The rust was first spotted in Washington State University's experiment fields around Pullman. Dr. Xianming Chen, WSU research plant pathologist said the appearance of the rust is normal for the Palouse and is about a week earlier than last year. “Stripe rust occurs in the Pacific Northwest, especially the Palouse region, every year,” Chen said. “Significant damage occurs three of every five years....
BURBANK -- A Volvo truck dealership has expanded its operation to serve the Tri-Cities area. Northwest Equipment Sales opened a new 30,000-square-foot facility on 10 acres. It is the company's fourth location. The Burbank location has five service bays, four of which are drive-through, company officials said. When operating at capacity, it will have 18 employees and an inventory of parts valued at $250,000. The new center will be able to accommodate up to 15 trucks simultaneously, officials said. Northwest Equipment Sales...