In early 2020, Mitchell Karstetter’s new side business was just beginning to pick up steam. The Quincy, Wash., farmer and his family had been growing hemp on about 40 acres for the past year, looking to capitalize on the growing demand for CBD products with a venture called Columbia Basin Hemp. But then the pandemic... Continue Reading →
When you consider where Jones Farms Inc. is today compared to when the business started 75 years ago, it’s hard to overstate how much things have changed. Company president Dennis Jones’ grandparents began farming alfalfa seed in Brownstown, Wash., in 1946 before relocating a few years later to the family’s current 320-acre plot between Granger... Continue Reading →
This time last year, the owners of Fiddle’s Coffee House in Wapato were admittedly a little spooked by the uncertain future brought on by COVID-19. Fidel Negrete and Efren Martinez had just opened the shop off West First Street and U.S. Highway 97 in November 2019 and they didn’t know how their business was going... Continue Reading →
I took these photos back in early March, when the "fall" sports season got underway around the Valley.
Mark it down: There will be a Toppenish Rodeo this year. After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 85-year tradition in 2020, all signs point toward a return of the city’s signature event July 2-3. “We absolutely plan on having a rodeo this year,” board President Randy Cobb said. “There are still a few hoops... Continue Reading →
The Selah Fire Department has undergone some major changes in 2021. But unless you have stopped by the station in the past few months, you may not be aware that there’s a new chief in town. Jim Lange, the former deputy chief, has been managing day-to-day operations at SFD since January and will officially take... Continue Reading →
Alvarez Farms has been around for 35 years, yet many of the family’s Central Washington neighbors have never sampled their abundant selection of organic produce. That’s because most of their customers live in the Puget Sound area, a three-hour drive from their 80-acre farm in Mabton (35 miles southeast of Yakima). “We don’t get a... Continue Reading →
Anyone wondering what’s been happening with the Toppenish Mural Society board of directors now has an answer. After nearly one year away due to COVID-19, the board convened its first formal meeting of 2021 on Thursday, Feb. 19. Now, the group has more clarity about how to proceed as it tries to rebuild community interest... Continue Reading →
Toppenish High School administrators would have been happy with the original construction timeline of August 2021 for their new competition gymnasium on the south end of campus. Now, they could be hosting events there by the middle of June. The general contractor, Chervenell Construction, had originally set a completion date of August for the 36,000-square-foot... Continue Reading →
Scientists with the Kittitas Reclamation District (KRD) in Central Washington have discovered an innovative way to help farmers, fish and the environment all at once, using existing infrastructure to deliver excess water to streams, irrigation canals and storage reservoirs. Launched in 2015, the Tributary Supplementation Program is the initial project under the 2009 Yakima Basin... Continue Reading →
