A new mural is being planned for the City of Murals this fall, and anyone familiar with the decades-old collection will be familiar with the artist. Kennewick painter Don Brown, who has been involved in numerous Toppenish mural projects over the years, is currently working on a concept that will appear on the exterior of... Continue Reading →
Growing fruit can be a guessing game from one year to the next. But what if growers had the ability to predict their crop yields and manage labor resources based on scientific data instead of just a hunch? innov8.ag, a Walla Walla, Wash.-based agricultural technology startup, believes it may have a solution to all of... Continue Reading →
Ever since Tonasket, Wash., orchardist Flor Maldonado was young, she knew she wanted to be involved in the family business. The 28-year-old co-owner of Maldonado Orchards remembers playing inside apple bins while her parents, Aristeo and Evelia, worked their 45 acres near the Canadian border. It feels like only yesterday that she was riding on... Continue Reading →
Jacqui Gordon doesn’t know where she would be if it weren’t for all of the support she has received from other people in the Washington state agricultural industry over the past 10 years. The Ecuadorian-born horticulturalist came to the United States in 2011 as an intern for the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC) and... Continue Reading →
Ever since high school, Levi Brewer — aka Leviticuss — has wanted to make a career out of making music. The 2010 Selah High graduate and independent music production company owner has been steadily building his brand over the past decade. Now, he is starting to see a return on his investment. “I have a... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to know what may have been if the Selah High boys basketball team got to play a full season in 2021. Led by two-time defending CWAC MVP Noah Pepper, the Vikings rolled to a 13-0 overall record, beating four CWAC opponents three times each and also taking down Class 4A opponent Davis on... Continue Reading →
The Selah High wrestling team was on fire this season, going undefeated in league dual meets before earning seven individual titles at the CWAC championship tournament on June 9 in Grandview. The Vikings advanced 12 to the district finals and also picked up five third-place finishes on their way to the unofficial league title (no... Continue Reading →
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 →
If all of the pieces fall into place, Toppenish High School athletes could be competing against other schools in their league as soon as Feb. 15. The South Central Athletic Conference’s target date for interscholastic competition may or may not be reached, given the stubbornly high COVID-19 infection rates in Washington’s south-central region (still averaging... Continue Reading →
There will be sports at Selah High School this month — practices, at least. Athletic Director Jake Davis said new COVID-19 safety guidelines issued Jan. 5 by state public health officials have made it easier for school officials to understand how to proceed. Additional guidance from the Washington Athletic Activities Association (WIAA) on Jan. 12... Continue Reading →
Ana Bazadoni is proud of everything she has accomplished since moving to Yakima from Uruguay 18 years ago. Few people can say they have learned a new language, earned three college degrees, started two small businesses and raised twin boys — all while caring for an ill spouse — in such a short time. But... Continue Reading →
The Waddington family of Central Washington has been farming and raising beef cows for nearly 30 years. But the business doesn’t look anything like it did back in 1991, when Justin and Tyler Waddington were teenagers and their parents, Tim and Marilyn, started farming hay in the Yakima Valley town of Harrah. In fact, Waddington... Continue Reading →
High school sports returned to the Yakima Valley over the past month, but just like that, everything is up in the air again. When the county moved into phase two of the state’s Safe Start plan on Oct. 13, football, volleyball, girls soccer and cross country teams from Yakima to Sunnyside were allowed to practice... Continue Reading →
There’s still much work to be done, but the Vintage Valley Parkway extension project in Zillah is now less than nine months away from completion. Work on phase one of the extension, located north of Interstate 82 between Buena Road and the existing Vintage Valley Parkway, started early this year and could wrap up by the middle of... Continue Reading →
Fall sports are back at Selah High School — on a limited basis, anyway. The first scheduled events for the football, volleyball, girls soccer and cross country teams aren’t until March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But since Yakima County recently moved into phase two of the state’s Safe Start plan, dozens of Selah High... Continue Reading →
The availability of medical services in Selah has increased significantly this fall with the arrival of the Best Practices Healthcare Center off East Goodlander Road. A multi-specialty family medical clinic opened Nov. 2 on one side of the former Astria Health clinic at 715 N. Park Drive — which closed earlier this year — and... Continue Reading →
Heather Surginer has been a professional photographer for nearly 20 years, but until this month, she’s never had a studio that suits her as well as her current space in Viking Village. The owner of HK Photography opened her new Selah location on Nov. 6, and she couldn’t be happier. “Now, I’ve got room to... Continue Reading →
Looking back at my prediction a couple months ago that the NFL season would be scrapped due to COVID-19, boy am I glad I was wrong. Like many of you, I’ve been loving the first month of the pro football season, thanks in large part to the 5-0 start by the Seattle Seahawks. We’ve seen... Continue Reading →
Like every other athletic director in Central Washington, Toppenish High School A.D. Brett Stauffer is ready for some football. And volleyball, and soccer, and cross country. Top-Hi is one of more than 1,000 high schools around the state being forced to sit out the fall sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with case... Continue Reading →
If you see a guy with a pink beard cruising down the highway on a Harley this fall, don’t be surprised. For the third year in a row, D.J. Blankenship of Konnowac Pass will be dying his white beard pink throughout the month of October to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Three years... Continue Reading →
Long before there was an established wine industry in Washington state, Gary Cox was helping lay the groundwork when he was a graduate student at Washington State University. The Ellensburg, Wash., winemaker was among the volunteer wine-tasters who participated in the state’s original wine project, launched by legendary viticulturist Walter Clore in the mid-1970s. More... Continue Reading →
School is back in session and the leaves are beginning to turn. But one thing is conspicuously missing from our lives this fall: high school sports. In most years, the Selah High School football team would be wrapping up its non-conference schedule, preparing for CWAC play to begin. The Vikings’ volleyball and girls soccer teams... Continue Reading →
Members of the Selah community are still trying to find their bearings after a catastrophic wildfire began raging in the Wenas Valley on Aug. 31. In just 10 days’ time, the Evans Canyon Fire consumed about 76,000 acres and destroyed six homes and six outbuildings. Driven by high winds and tinder-dry conditions, the fire forced... Continue Reading →
Just two months ago, Nana Kate’s owner Catherine Platt wasn’t sure how she was going to keep her Selah café and coffee shop open. She had already lost two-thirds of her typical revenue due to the statewide shutdown, and without being able to offer indoor seating for the foreseeable future, Platt’s business of seven years... Continue Reading →
Who could’ve imagined back in March that we might have to go an entire year without high-school sports? First, the spring season was wiped out due to COVID-19. Then came fall sports. Now we’re all collectively crossing our fingers that there will be a winter sports season. But, at this point, would you put any... Continue Reading →
Northwest fruit growers have had trouble for years finding enough workers to help them during harvest season. Across the industry, labor availability has become such a concern that many farmers are desperately searching for technological innovations that can help offset the steady decline in manpower. The situation has continued to worsen this year due to... Continue Reading →
She may be only a few years out of college, but Kady Porterfield is already commanding attention from the Northwest agricultural community. Just five years into her career in Central Washington, Porterfield has ascended to a number of key leadership positions, expanding on what she learned growing up on a ranch in Macdoel, Calif. Now,... Continue Reading →
Chris and Aubree Cherry felt like they were making a good decision last year when they moved to Selah to open a new Grocery Outlet. As the store prepares to celebrate its one-year anniversary next month, the young owner-operators say moving to Selah has proven to be not only the right decision, but also the... Continue Reading →
Family-owned businesses are a staple in the Yakima Valley economy, but only a select few have been around for more than 50 years. Count Selah Trailer Camper Sales among the lucky ones. The recreational trailer sales and service provider at 518 S. First St. opened in 1965 and is still going strong today. Their secret? ... Continue Reading →
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Sports fans are going to have a lot of free time on our hands this fall. Some readers are probably getting tired of my doom-and-gloom predictions for the fall season. If you’re an optimist, I can’t say I blame you. But optimism requires a reality check once... Continue Reading →
Austin Allred enjoys being a dairyman in every way, but for him, the cows are the highlight. “Ever since high school, the biggest draw for me has been the animals,” said the owner of two Central Washington dairies, who started out raising heifers on the family farm in Royal City, Wash., in the 1990s. “I... Continue Reading →
It’s good to see sports starting to make a comeback. Players, coaches and fans have been going through some serious competition withdrawals during this quarantine spring, and we’re all ready for some live action. Over in Selah, the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak has played about a dozen baseball games over the past two weeks against... Continue Reading →
When K-12 classes abruptly ended in mid-March due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, few educators in Washington had any idea what might lay ahead. A statewide stay-at-home order came next, followed by a full cancellation of in-person instruction on April 6. Some school districts around the state struggled early on to react... Continue Reading →
When most people hear the word “hemp,” they typically think of CBD oil, textiles and heavy-duty clothing. CraftAg LLC is looking to add recreational smoking to the list of potential uses for marijuana’s cousin. The recently formed partnership between CraftAg Enterprises and Seneca Foods Corp. is set to release its first retail product this spring... Continue Reading →
What’s worse than being stuck at home for two months? Being stuck at home for two months without sports. Now that we finally have an excuse to sit on the couch all day, we can’t truly enjoy our free time when there are no live sports on TV. Not only can we not watch our... Continue Reading →
Mark and Cheryl Barrett each come from a long line of orchard families, but that doesn’t mean they wanted to do things the way they’ve always been done. Looking to chart their own course, the Yakima, Wash., couple combined everything they had learned from the previous three generations of farmers and started their own business,... Continue Reading →
When you operate a fruit company in the apple capital of the world, you’re always trying to find an edge. That’s why Yakima Valley grower-shippers like Apple King are constantly searching for ways to stand out in an increasingly competitive industry. The family-owned, vertically integrated company in Yakima, Wash. — which traces its roots back... Continue Reading →
My heart sank a little last week when the governor officially canceled school for the rest of the year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Not just for my kids, who won’t get to see their friends and teachers for another five months. Or for my wife, a preschool teacher who won’t be able to host... Continue Reading →
The past month has been a trying time for every city and small town in America. Statewide stay-at-home orders due to the novel coronavirus outbreak have prevented people from patronizing local businesses, prompting some difficult decisions about the future. Many small business owners in the Yakima Valley aren’t sure if they are going to make... Continue Reading →
Things have gotten real in a hurry. In a matter of days, we went from normal, everyday life activities to a societal shutdown of epic proportions. COVID-19, aka “the coronavirus,” has paralyzed our very existence, closing schools and universities, canceling sports at all levels, slowing airline travel to a crawl, shuttering bars and restaurants, wiping... Continue Reading →
The first six weeks of the Yakima Valley College women’s basketball season must have felt like an eternity to Jenni Johnson. The former Toppenish High School star is used to being at the center of the action, but due an eligibility issue, she had to sit out the first 10 games before she could suit... Continue Reading →
