New Hampshire has joined several other states, including Washington, in reaching a multi-million dollar settlement with agrochemical giant Monsanto over alleged widespread PCB pollution, the attorney general’s office said Tuesday. The state alleges that PCB contamination polluted 104 waterways. In Washington State, PCBs have been found in bays, rivers, streams, sediment, soil and air, with … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon has approved a request for backup from the D.C. government and U.S. Capitol police as it prepares for trucker convoys protesting against pandemic safety measures beginning next week. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the request Tuesday for the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital. The … Read more
CLE ELUM – Washington State Patrol has charged an Ellensburg man for a rollover crash near Cle Elum on Saturday, in which he and a passenger were injured. Troopers say 27-year-old Tyler Lenander apparently was speeding when he lost control of his vehicle on SR 903 near SR 970, and overturned. Both he and a … Read more
MOSES LAKE – The Grant County Health District has confirmed another 10 COVID-19 deaths. Five of the deaths occurred in January and five in February, according to the health district. The deaths include four women and six men from Moses Lake, Ephrata, Soap Lake and Royal City. Grant County is now up to 247 COVID-19 … Read more
COLVILLE – The Colville School District board has made masks optional for students prior to the state’s indoor mask mandate being lifted on March 21. The board on Thursday passed a mask optional policy for students, effective on Tuesday, Feb. 22. School district staff will still be required to wear masks through March 21. The … Read more
EPHRATA – An Ephrata middle school teacher is facing disciplinary action for placing small pieces of duct tape on students masks to prevent them from falling under their noses in class. Ephrata Superintendent Tim Payne says someone complained that the teacher’s gesture was “crossing the line,” prompting the school district to do an internal investigation. … Read more
Frontier Middle School students got quite a scare when Moses Lake police say a mentally unstable man reached through the window of a classroom. Administrators reported the man was holding what might have been a weapon, but police determined it was a cologne bottle and there was no threat. He was arrested and police say … Read more
CHESAW – Investigators say they have more questions than answeres in the murder of an Okanogan County couple. Detectives said search warrants have been obtained as they continue to collect evidence in the case, and patrols also have been increased in the vicinity of Nealey Road, where the elderly couple were discovered dead at their … Read more
SPOKANE – A former Chelan Falls man who has eluded police for several years is now behind bars. The U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Eastern Washington says Jose Echeverria fled to Mexico after he was sentenced to 30-months in prison almost five years ago for underreporting the income he received from a produce business he … Read more
SPOKANE – A convicted felon found with four firearms during a June 2021 arrest near Bridgeport was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison. A judge ordered James H. Gallaher, who pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Spokane to felon in possession of a firearm, to 71 months in federal prison. Police recovered … Read more