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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
