Good morning, Yakima.

Jorge Albarran, 32, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced on May 13 to eight years in prison—followed by three years on supervised release—for shooting a Sunnyside police officer during an Oct.

29, 2022 incident along Yakima Valley Highway.

Starting with Fall, Yakima Valley College will waive the application fee for residents while reducing fees for other applicants from $30 to $10 — applicants from Yakima, Kittitas, and Klickitat counties must show proof of local residency such as a valid state-issued ID or utility bill.

Washington Emergency Management officials urge residents to build survival kits with food, water, first aid supplies, and masks—lessons from the Mount St. Helens 45th anniversary show many are unprepared for another volcano eruption.

They noted recent earthquake activity has led to updated evacuation plans for Mt. Adams.

A county burn ban for unincorporated Yakima County will take effect on June 1 and last until Sept.

1, banning residential outdoor fires like bonfires and recreational fires to keep resources ready for wildfires amid high temperatures and dry conditions. Outdoor fireplaces, portable devices, cooking appliances, and patio warmers remain allowed and agricultural burning may be permitted by the Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency (violators face a $1,000 fine, arrest and jail).

Yakima County commissioners unanimously appointed Marshall Slight as county coroner to fill the vacancy left by Jim Curtice’s April resignation—Slight, who served as interim coroner since September 2024, will run in the November election.

Sunnyside secured $1M in funding to improve its wastewater treatment plant—$500,000 came as grant funds and another $500,000 as a low-interest loan.

Interim Public Works Director Cus Arteaga said the upgrades will stabilize the plant and improve methane gas management.

A study from Columbia University Medical Center found that heart attack patients who sat for more than 14 hours a day had 2.5 times the risk of another heart event or death.

Replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with exercise or sleep lowered the risk by as much as 50% — 50% with light activity and 14% with sleep.

Adventurous Scavenger Hunt in Yakima

3 PM – 12 AM — 27 N Front St, Yakima, WA — Ticket purchase required — Explore Yakima's historic sites in a fun-filled self-guided scavenger hunt.