Good morning, Yakima.

The City of Mabton unveiled a commemorative bat, ball and sign at Mabton City Park to honor hometown hero Mel Stottlemyre—a longtime New York Yankees pitcher who grew up locally.

Community members, including his son Mel Jr., gathered to celebrate his legacy and enduring local ties.

Yakima launched a new Adopt-A-Block program with Yakima Valley Partners Habitat for Humanity that pairs volunteer groups with neighborhoods needing help with tasks like weeding and trash pickup—city leaders have already matched volunteers to three blocks, including one at City Hall. The program started last month and saw volunteers from Yakima Foursquare Church take first steps, and more residents will be able to ask for assistance soon.

Airbnb said it will use its anti-party system for Halloween weekend to block high-risk reservations and offer safer options—this five-year-old policy stopped over 40,000 entire home bookings in the U.S. and Canada last year.

Norah O'Donnell visited Yakima today for the Town Hall Speaker series at the Capitol Theatre—she spoke for an hour to a packed audience and shared highlights from her long career in journalism.

She also discussed her new book, We The Women—The Hidden Heroes who shaped America, which will be released in February.

Terrace Heights Elementary opened a new little free library outside its cafeteria to help children and community members get more books.

The library came through a partnership with the Terrace Heights Grange and will be added at Moxie and East Valley Elementary — making reading easier for local students.

The Sunnyside City Council declared October as breast cancer awareness month to mark 40 years of work on early detection and education.

Alysianna Aguirre helped lead the effort and the proclamation urged the community to spread hope, promote screenings and support those affected—an effort that underscores the city’s commitment to public health.

The Yakima Valley Libraries board approved an amended service contract proposal that gives Granger, Naches and Tieton officials until November 14 to decide on a plan that will phase in higher fees—75% in 2026, 85% in 2027 and 100% in 2028.

City officials will review the proposals as they plan changes to cover rising operating costs.

Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program is set to raise its premium rate from 0.92% to 1.13% starting January 1, 2026.

More than 218,000 workers claimed benefits totaling over $1.76 billion this year, and the cost split will have employees pay 71.43% while employers pay 28.57%—small businesses with fewer than 50 employees need not pay the employer portion unless they opt in—as confirmed by the Employment Security Department.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University found that a dye in henna may help treat liver scarring—a sign of fibrosis that can lead to liver failure if untreated.

The study in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy showed that the chemical lawsone lowered scarring markers in mice and scientists are now planning to develop a treatment.

A study of more than 85,000 UK Biobank participants showed that women got more heart health benefits from exercise with about 250 minutes weekly, while men needed 530 minutes to lower their heart disease risk by 30%—a finding that suggests exercise guidelines should be different for men and women.

Dreams and Fairy Dust Painting Event

2-4 p.m. — 5th Line Brewing — Ticketed event — Unleash your creativity with a guided painting session while enjoying the brewery's offerings.