Local Students Involved in Vaccination Challenge
Yakima County Health officials are doing all they can to increase the number of people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 in the valley. The latest effort is called Race for Community Immunity and five Yakima County High Schools are involved in the challenge. It started on May 19 and the students are now in a race to see which student body has more people vaccinated. Schools involved in the challenge include Davis High School, Eisenhower High School, Yakima Online, La Salle High School, and Toppenish High School. A press release from the Yakima Health District says as part of this challenge, eligible students are encouraged to get vaccinated at the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at Yakima State Fair Park or at Mobile Vaccine Unit locations. Every week, the Yakima Health District will provide updates on the percentage of students vaccinated by schools. Only those 16 and older will count as part of this challenge.
New Public Private Partnership to Reduce Homelessness
Reducing street level homelessness by 25% within the first year. That s the goal of a new program soon to be launched in Yakima that will help remove people from the streets of Yakima and help them change their lives. On average Yakima has about 700 homeless on city streets and Mike Johnson sees many of them on a daily basis. Johnson is the Executive Director of the Yakima Union Gospel Mission. Johnson is excited about a public private partnership now under development between the mission and the city and county. He s calling the program Operation Creating Hope. He says the city of Yakima has agreed to provide two police officers dedicated to homelessness. The officers work would be funded by the county and the Mission would provide manpower through the Mission outreach program. The partnership is being formed, according to Johnson, to address the chronically homeless population. In other words people who police and the mission
Yakima Man Killed in Tuesday Crash
A 20-year-old man from Yakima was killed in a one vehicle crash in Yakima on Tuesday night. Yakima Police Officers were called to the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue for a report of a car crash just before midnight. Authorities say people called police to report the crash saying the driver struck a tree and was not responsive. When officers and medical responders arrived they found the driver, who hasn t been identified dead at the scene of the crash. Police say the driver was speeding westbound on Pacific Avenue when he tried to pass a motorcycle. Police say the driver tried to pass the motorcycle by using the center two way turn lane but he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then left the roadway and struck a utility pole and a tree. A press release from the Yakima Police Department says the driver was partially ejected and killed instantly on impact. The crash was reported at about
Filing Week Underway In Yakima County
Making it official. That s what a lot of potential future politicians are doing this week. It s candidate filing week in the state of Washington. Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross says filing is free for some but most will have to pay a fee. He says anyone running for a full time position will pay a filing fee that s equal to one percent of the salary.
Three Yakima City Council seats are up for election this year. Seats in Districts 2, 4 and 6 are open seats this year since the incumbents, Jason White, Kay Funk and Brad Hill are planning to run for reelection. People have already announced they re running for the two of those seats. Pastor Matt Brown, former Yakima County Juvenile Court manager Lisa Wallace, property manager Garth McKinney and state financial examiner Sam Johnson, have all announced they re running for a seat in District 6. Businessman Tony Sandoval and communications specialist Janice Deccio have announced they’re running f
City Construction Work on Local Roads Starts Monday
Yakima city crews will be busy next week with water line work on North 40th Avenue. The work will result in traffic restrictions on North 40th Avenue between Summitview Avenue and Lincoln Avenue starting Monday, May 17, through Thursday May 20. Work on the project will begin at 7:00 a.m. and last until 3:30 p.m. each day. City officials say traffic will be limited to one lane in both directions in the area where the work in happening.
Access to homes and businesses in the project area will be maintained as best as possible and emergency vehicles will be allowed through the project area if necessary.