PASCO — The once homeless and hungry Lab mix mother who gave birth to 10 puppies during the holidays now is one proud momma.

MATTAWA -- A pregnant woman and her unborn child are dead after a shooting in Mattawa, the Grant County Sheriff's Office reported.

A 25-year-old man has pleaded innocent to allegations he attacked two security officers who were trying to break up a Kennewick bar brawl.

The next generation of ecologically friendly cars could be designed by a 2006 Hanford High School graduate and his team members.

PASCO -- Two men were arrested Sunday morning by a team of Pasco and Kennewick police officers in connection with an assault that occurred about 4 p.m. Friday.

The Hanford Advisory Board may have ended up more confused than ever after trying to get to the bottom of what it will take to operate the Hanford vitrification plant safely.

In the wake of a recent scandal involving an estimated $1 million allegedly embezzled from Franklin County, Mid-Columbia residents are asking how it happened -- and could it happen again in another agency?

A Guide to the Manhattan Project in Washington State has been released by the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

The Family Resource Center is selling Valentine's Day balloon bouquets to raise money.

PROSSER -- Jubilee Ministry and the city of Prosser are collecting nonperishable food items for those in need.

HERMISTON -- Umatilla Sage Riders will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss mutton busting, barrels and steer riding.

Editor's note:On Monday, the Herald looks at how public agencies in the Tri-Cities try to prevent embezzlement of funds.

If fraud is going on in any local governing agency in the Tri-Cities, a team of state auditors based in Kennewick will be looking to find it.

KENNEWICK — A 24-year-old Kennewick man who fell asleep during his Super Bowl party is charged with stabbing a guest because he was mad about being woken up because he was snoring too loudly.

Keith Meline is a competitive swimmer with an award-winning voice.

OLYMPIA -- State Sen. Jerome Delvin applauded the Senate's passage today of a measure aimed at producing less cumbersome and more responsible off-road vehicle (ORV) access to public roads.

School officials in the Tri-Cities are asking voters to get their ballots for Tuesday's special election in a dropbox or mailbox soon and not leave them to the last minute.

Rep. Terry Nealey, R-Dayton, and Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, will hold two town hall meetings next week.

Here is a listing of the agendas this week for Mid-Columbia public agencies:

Modern Living Services is getting closer to creating a home in Kennewick for disabled adults, and any Tri-Citian can help simply by buying a Papa John's pizza Wednesday.

More than 10,000 cars and trucks whiz past Ritzville on Interstate 90 each day. Some in the town of about 1,700 residents hope a wheat-themed interpretive center could lure some of those drivers to stop.

OLYMPIA -- With a unanimous vote Friday, members of the Washington State Senate approved Senate Bill 6027 to help the city of Sunnyside return clean, cool water to the Yakima River.

SUNNYSIDE -- This city might turn to a familiar face to finally put the former Monson feedlot to good use.

KENNEWICK -- Modern Living Services is getting closer to creating a home in Kennewick for disabled adults, and any Tri-Citian can help simply by buying a Papa John's pizza Wednesday.

Next time you visit one of the Tri-Cities' three brewpubs, consider toasting Aaron Burks.

It could be safer in the water around the Tri-Cities this summer, thanks to a specially designed underwater robot that has the potential to save lives.

KENNEWICK -- Ralph LeCompte calls the Kennewick School District a blessing.

Shawna Durham says pulling her two youngest children from St. Joseph's, a private Catholic school in Kennewick, was one of the options she and her husband considered when the recession hit and her family's budget tightened.

Jurors seated on a Pasco murder trial will have the unorthodox task of deciding if the woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend, before even considering if the couple had a domestic violence history.

KENNEWICK -- A 25-year-old Kennewick man accused of raping and beating a woman for four days is being held without bail in the Benton County jail.

Kathleen Flenniken didn't show much interest in poetry until after the birth of her second son in 1993.

Kennewick is seeking qualified vendors to submit proposals for the concession stands at the Ken Serier Memorial Swimming Pool, Lawrence Scott Park and Southridge Sports Complex.

A family of five was able to escape a fire in its Kennewick home early Friday without injury.

AARP has announced its Driver Safety Program course schedule for February and March:

PASCO -- Authorities were searching for a male suspect Friday night after a drive-by shooting in Pasco.

Two bills introduced by state Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, were approved by the state Senate late Friday.

The Kennewick Senior Center is sponsoring a two-hour Valentine Bingo and Dessert Social on Tuesday.

Women Helping Women Fund Tri-Cities will have an informational session from noon to 12:45 p.m. Thrusday at the Group Health office, 1009 N. Center Parkway, Kennewick.

Grant County health officials reported Friday that flu season officially has arrived.

KENNEWICK -- When Teresa Hernandez left for work late April 23, she told her 21-year-old son she would see him in the morning.

OLYMPIA -- An initiative seeking to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana will be decided by voters, Washington lawmakers said Thursday.

A proposed natural gas pipeline under the Columbia River to central Hanford could save taxpayer money and reduce greenhouse gases.

PROSSER -- Prosser High School Principal Kevin Lusk is suspended for a week without pay in connection with his wife, a convicted child molester, attending two out-of-town school functions.

When Rep. Maureen Walsh gave a heartfelt speech this week in support of legalizing same-sex marriage, she was talking to 97 of her colleagues in the Legislature.

Ben Franklin Transit officials are challenging an $8,000 fine for allegedly violating Washington's stormwater pollution rules.

A graduate of Toppenish High School who faked a pregnancy as part of a class project will make an appearance Saturday at the Barnes & Noble booksellers in Kennewick.

A Vancouver resident who has been outspoken about the way the state redraws its voting district boundaries is now asking the state's high court to weigh in.

Shalom United Church of Christ is sponsoring "Evolution Weekend."

YAKIMA -- Pam Tebow, mother of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, will be speaking at a luncheon Feb. 21 at the Yakima Convention Center.

Educational institutions including Washington State University Tri-Cities and school districts in Richland and Walla Walla experienced an internet outage of about four hours Thursday.

Tri-Cities Tea Party's open board meeting will be 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 15.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Washington Board of Education announced the winners of the third-annual Washington Achievement Awards earlier this month.

Kennewick High School's DECA is sponsoring a "Sack It to Goodwill" donation drive.

Hanford High School's music association pasta dinner will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

PULLMAN -- For longtime commercial beekeeper Eric Olson of Yakima, no sting is as painful as the one he felt last winter when he discovered his hives had gone silent.

Make-A-Wish Foundation is seeking volunteers to help make Tri-City children's wishes come true.

The new price tag for completing the remainder of Hanford nuclear reservation cleanup, plus some post-cleanup oversight, is $112 billion.

Franklin County commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday to fire Dennis M. Huston, who is suspected of embezzling more than $1 million from the county during the past decade.

KENNEWICK — Missing an old pocket watch or pair of Ben Franklin-style reading glasses?

Washington's largest wine company has pledged an additional $1 million to the Wine Science Center in Richland.

Mix horses with big-hearted teenagers, and in a few hours, there is a barn that's one step closer to being finished.

Tri-Citians won't be asked this year to approve a sales tax increase to pay for a regional aquatic center, performing arts center, new exhibit hall or interpretative center.

The Richland Parks & Recreation Department is holding its annual Middle School Night Out on Friday.

Grant County Health District officials are investigating cases of stomach illness in several Grant County residents who attended a recent cheerleading event in Everett.

A group of students from St. Patrick's School in Pasco are heading to a national competition for city design and engineering after taking first place in the state for the second year in a row.

The Department of Energy will take comments about a planned environmental study for a proposed natural gas pipeline at a meeting today. The meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Pasco Red Lion, 2525 20th Ave., with an open house at 6 p.m.

The death of a 61-year-old Connell man in a waste water pond at ConAgra has been ruled an accidental drowning.

Two Tri-City legislators focused on their daughters when deciding how to vote Wednesday on the same-sex marriage law.

Tri-Cities Cancer Center is sponsoring a free presentation on "Meridian Tapping for Pain Management."

A run/walk event in memory of a Montana woman missing since Jan. 7 will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Columbia Point Marina in Richland.

WASHINGTON -- For Republican Rep. Doc Hastings, it made good sense to secure a $750,000 earmark in 2009 for the city of Pasco.

Malcolm Bowie, Benton County's road engineer, will be doing double duty as interim road engineer for Franklin County until April.

A Franklin County official accused of embezzling an estimated $1 million from the county in the last decade was released from jail Tuesday without charges.

MISSION, Ore. -- A new research station will be melding traditional tribal knowledge with Western science to help restore hundreds of acres of Hanford land to its natural state.

Lawyers for a man charged with helping his brother gun down a Pasco couple were told Tuesday that they must continue to represent him.

The trial for a 48-year-old woman accused of driving drunk in a fatal Pasco crash has been delayed two weeks while her lawyer tries to negotiate a plea deal.

Gregg Warehime had been home only a few minutes Dec. 8 when he heard frantic banging on his front door and window.

Richland City Council members' appointments to other boards and commissions was supposed to be passed without discussion.

RICHLAND -- The Tri-Cities' infamous "400 days of sunshine" now are helping power Kadlec Regional Medical Center with the recent installation of an array of solar panels on the Richland hospital's roof.

Southridge High School Key Club is holding a Valentine's Day-themed event to benefit the Tri-City Food Bank.

The Pasco City Council this week unanimously approved hiring LCA Architects of Seattle to design the new Pasco Municipal Court facility.

WALLA WALLA -- Washington State Penitentiary's West Complex remained on lockdown Tuesday and will remain that way at least through the afternoon today.

A water line break Tuesday afternoon near Steptoe and Gage Boulevard disrupted service to apartments, homes and businesses in that area.

SOAP LAKE -- Two Lower Yakima Valley residents were injured here Monday when their tractor-trailer rolled off Highway 17.

RICHLAND — South Richland residents soon may have another option for their grocery shopping.

PASCO -- The recent embezzlement accusations against Franklin County official Dennis Huston are strikingly similar to the details of a federal case in 1986 that ended with him sentenced to four years in prison.

KENNEWICK — A 24-year-old Kennewick man was arrested early Monday for allegedly stabbing another man in the stomach.

RICHLAND — Layoffs are expected to be announced late this month at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, but lab director Mike Kluse hopes fewer than 100 jobs will be cut, he said Monday.

BENTON CITY -- Linda Brown lost her home and virtually all of her possessions Saturday to a fire, but it wasn't a total loss.

BENTON CITY -- Wayne Barrett says when he became principal of Kiona-Benton City High School, the 450-student school was "adult-centered."

Four property owners in Pasco's Kurtzman Park neighborhood will be required to install sidewalks themselves if they don't join a local improvement district.

Sen. Maria Cantwell hopes a bill reauthorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration will bring a new jet fuel research center to the Tri-Cities.

Dr. Neil Rawlins will be speaking on the MTHFR genetic defect.

A 71-year-old woman severely burned Sunday when a fire started in her room at Cedars Inn and Suites in Kennewick remained in critical condition Monday at a Seattle hospital.

The National Weather Service is warning of another morning with areas of dense freezing fog in the Tri-Cities today.

LitFest 2012 gets under way at 6 p.m. today with local avid readers giving literary reviews at Bookwalter Winery in Richland.

Lourdes Health Network's next "Dinner with the Doctor" will feature Dr. Todd Lang.

Visitors to the Kennewick library on Union Street have easier access to the internet and other digital discoveries with the newly opened technology center.

PASCO — Jo Brodzinski could be described as tireless.

KENNEWICK -- A 71-year-old woman was severely burned Sunday morning after a fire started inside her room at Cedars Inn and Suites in Kennewick.

Hanford officials have settled on a plan to clean up what may be the most highly radioactive spill at the nuclear reservation.

KENNEWICK Wade Wolfe has been in the Washington wine industry a long time, yet he continues to be amazed by its sustained growth.

Four units that house gang members at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla are in lockdown after a fight involving inmates Saturday evening.

KENNEWICK -- Homeless Tri-Citians soon will have a place where they can go during the day for a shower, to do laundry or just get some help.

Supportive housing for adults with disabilities, buying the first ever Tri-City teen homeless shelter and the first phase of a Prosser low-income housing complex may receive help from Benton County.

Freezing fog is expected over part of the Columbia Basin until about 11 a.m. today.

WALLA WALLA -- A man accused of telling a 15-year-old girl he didn't know to get into his pickup in Eastgate last fall has been acquitted of a luring charge in Walla Walla County Superior Court.

Half of a detached garage at a home north of Benton City was destroyed by fire Sunday.

CONNELL -- Highway 395 near Connell will be restricted to one lane in each direction on Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

A Pasco woman was injured Sunday morning after she rolled her SUV on Highway 240 about 20 miles west of Richland.

Richland's parks and recreation department is set to review its six-year master plan.

KENNEWICK After 36 years of celebrating anniversaries and Valentine’s Days, of arguments and make-ups, of raising children and growing old, Larry Gettmann and Jack Frisch of Kennewick can’t think of themselves as anything other than “married.”

BENTON CITY An estimated 16 small dogs appear to have perished in a house fire Saturday afternoon about six miles west of Benton City.

KENNEWICK Kennewick's play to get more industrial land gained ground this week in the state Legislature.

KENNEWICK The Kennewick Irrigation District is facing claims totaling more than $2.1 million from three former employees who say they were wrongfully fired.

The White House is asking Congress to lower the cap on federally reimbursed salaries for top government contractor executives, including those at Hanford.

KENNEWICK In October 2010, Kelly Knight's complaints of fatigue, muscle cramping and a feeling like a lump in her throat led to an shocking discovery -- a fist-sized cancerous tumor had grown on her thyroid.

Pasco City Council wants citizens to participate in a community forum to help shape the city's future.

OTHELLO -- A Connell man was injured late Friday after he lost control of his vehicle five miles south of Othello.

Areas of freezing fog are expected to continue until about 11 a.m. today.

Park Plaza, a retirement community in Walla Walla, is staging a Valentine's Day party that feature live music, a complimentary dinner and an election of the community's king and queen.

Here is a listing of the agendas this week for Mid-Columbia public agencies:

PASCO Franklin County official Dennis M. Huston, 65, might have embezzled more than $1 million from the county over a decade, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant alleged Friday.

YAKIMA -- A Yakima County judge has ordered the city of Toppenish to pay annual fees to the Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency.

Army Corps officials have identified the source of leaks in Ice Harbor Dam equipment after an oily sheen was seen on water below the Snake River dam.

KENNEWICK A Prosser High graduate who never expected a senior prank would end up costing a half-million dollars in cleanup and repairs asked a judge Friday to give him a second chance.

RICHLAND Sometimes, life does hand you a do-over. But it is neither free nor easy, and that is when Oxford House steps in to help.

A third case of whooping cough was confirmed Friday at Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick and health officials are investigating another suspected case at Kamiakin High School.

The Richland School Board fine-tuned its district's novel adoption process for high school literature courses Friday morning.

PASCO -- The Franklin County commissioners have called a special meeting for 9 a.m. Monday to evaluate complaints brought against a Franklin County Public Works manager accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the county over a decade.

When Amanda Foss of Benton City filed her taxes last year, she missed out on more than $1,000 in savings.

KENNEWICK -- It's an unpleasant subject, but Donna Furlong said it's one of those problems that can crop up in any school.

The Tri-Cities communities won't be getting a share of $30 million in state money to help keep stormwater runoff from polluting clean water sources in Washington this year.

KENNEWICK -- Second Harvest Tri-Cities will be a step closer Tuesday to having a new home.

Second Harvest Tri-Cities will be a step closer Tuesday to having a new home.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., introduced legislation Friday to extend aid to school districts that have land within their borders owned by the federal government.

PASCO — A Franklin County employee is accused of dipping into the county's coffers, and now he is being held in jail without bail.

KENNEWICK — A 34-year-old man with an obvious drug problem only was thinking of himself when he drove away after crashing into two motorcyclists, a Benton County judge said Thursday.

Democrat Jay Clough of West Richland announced Thursday that he will cease his campaign to unseat 4th District U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings and instead will enter the 8th District legislative race against state Rep. Brad Klippert.

Steps are being taken to increase protection of Hanford workers from asbestos after many workers raised questions about their safety in central Hanford, according to the Department of Energy.

Officials with the Kennewick School District confirmed Thursday two cases of whooping cough at Cottonwood Elementary and Desert Hills Middle schools.

The possibility of disposing of Hanford's high-level radioactive waste while a solution continues to be worked out for spent commercial nuclear fuel was raised Thursday at a Senate hearing.

Mid-Columbia school district superintendents had mixed reactions to a K-12 education budget proposed by House Republicans in Olympia on Thursday.

The National Weather Service has issued an air stagnation advisory for the Tri-Cities and the rest of the Mid-Columbia from 7 a.m. today to 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The Chaplaincy is offering a one-time seminar called "Understanding Grief" that is open to any adult grieving the death of a loved one.

PROSSER -- The Prosser School Board met in a closed-door executive session Thursday night with the district's attorney to discuss potential litigation.

Four people, including two Oregon State Police officers, were injured Thursday afternoon in a two-car crash on Highway 207 south of Hermiston, the Oregon State Police reported.

Community Education is offering a workshop on Microsoft OneNote, which allows users to collect and organize notes, photos, videos and web links.

McLoughlin Middle School is sponsoring a "hope run" to raise money for the American Cancer Society Franklin County Relay for Life.

WALLA WALLA -- Six candidates for Walla Walla's police and fire chiefs had a chance to "meet and greet" the public Thursday.

Kennewick General Hospital's Pulmonary Function Testing department has been moved to the Family Health Center, 203 W. Eighth Ave., Kennewick.

Volunteers are needed to clean up Bateman Island on Saturday.

The AARP Driver Safety Program has released new class schedules:

February weather should be near normal in the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service.

Ty Beaver has joined the Tri-City Herald newsroom as its education reporter.

A human jawbone found lying in shallow water of the Columbia River in October is Native American, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

A 21-year-old Pasco man was released from jail this week after accepting responsibility for his involvement in a beating that nearly killed a Moses Lake man.

A Walla Walla convenience store clerk shot during a robbery Tuesday was in satisfactory condition after undergoing surgery overnight, police said Wednesday.

When Mark Badeaux of Kennewick lost his security job with the impending closure of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, his family needed to cut expenses.

OLYMPIA -- A bill that requires the state to pass the K-12 education budget before all other budgets found support at a House committee hearing this week, but educators and parents worry the state does not have enough money to adequately fund education.

Benton County Treasurer Duane Davidson believes he can make more money for the county and special districts this year if public agencies agree to pool their funds.

The National Weather Service is predicting sunshine in the Tri-Cities today, but that is expected to be followed with plenty of fog.

A get-tough-on-gangs bill that supporters have been seeking for several years made it through a key committee this week with bipartisan support.

PASCO — A Pasco pizza restaurant was robbed Monday night and police are investigating whether there is any connection to Sunday's armed robbery in Kennewick.

KENNEWICK — No magic wand, secret formula or fad diet ever did the trick for Brian Steinwand.

A Pasco mother who had to bury her daughter last year because of her son's deadly actions told a judge Tuesday that her "heart is broken in pieces" but pleaded for a lighter sentence because he is missed at home.

Washington Closure Hanford is making preparations to start cleaning up the second of two high hazard burial grounds used to dispose of Hanford research waste near the Columbia River.

OLYMPIA -- State lawmakers are exploring a plan that could limit how governments respond to requests for public documents, allowing them to get a court order if they can prove that a request creates a "significant burden."

Paint, cleanup projects and bridge lights were on the minds of West Richland City Council members during Tuesday's workshop meeting.

Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers received a $5,000 donation from two Tri-City businesses to continue their effort to fight crime.

All incoming freshman, transfer students and graduate students are invited to Washington State University Tri-Cities' Cougar Saturday.

CONNELL -- Columbia Street in Connell was closed for several hours Tuesday after a water main broke and flooded the street.

Community Education is offering a two-day resume writing workshop.

A Kennewick woman critically injured in a fire last week that killed her mom is improving at a Seattle hospital.

PROSSER -- Washington State University Benton County Extension's monthly Grape Fieldman's Breakfast is set for Thursday.

PROSSER -- The Masada Shriners of Yakima plan a free screening clinic for area children in Prosser on Saturday.

Students at Jason Lee Elementary in Richland are collecting diapers for the Tri-City Diaper Bank.

The new year is off to a good start for Kennewick with the first installment of sales tax revenue better than expected, officials say.

State Rep. Terry Nealey, R-Dayton, plans to have a telephone town hall meeting today.

Oregon environmental regulators have assessed a contractor destroying chemical weapons almost $47,000 in fines for violations that happened before it finished incinerating mustard agent stored at the Umatilla depot.

Pasco and Richland are asking residents for input on cable television services. A survey is available at ci.richland.wa.us/cablefranchise or at pasco-wa.gov/cablefranchise.

A Yakima man rolled his car Tuesday night after he swerved to avoid an animal on Highway 24, about 22 miles west of Othello, the Washington State Patrol reported.

Ben Franklin Transit's service development manager speaks Thurdsay at the annual league birthday dinner for the League of Women Voters of Benton & Franklin Counties.

PORTLAND Two brothers who used to own a Hermiston car dealership and their former business manager are facing federal charges for allegedly defrauding KeyBank of more than $6 million.

KENNEWICK A 28-year-old West Richland man will be evaluated at a state psychiatric hospital after reportedly telling police that God sent him a guiding light directing him to kill his grandmother.

KENNEWICK A West Richland man accused of killing his grandmother has a history of drug use and mental illness that led to a five-year commitment in a state psychiatric hospital.

Kennewick's man and woman of 2011 are known for rolling up their sleeves and helping to get the job done, instead of just giving orders on a project or community event.

As Mid-Columbia school districts wait to see if voters will renew their operations levies, state lawmakers are looking at a bill that would prioritize K-12 education funding above all other state obligations.

MESA -- There is not much profit for dairy farmers to cream off a gallon of milk these days.

Anna King, a Northwest News Network correspondent, will give a presentation Feb. 7 in Richland entitled "Putting the Public in Radio News."

Anelare is closing its wine tasting studio in Kennewick's Southridge Village and opening a tasting room in Benton City.

Art teachers in the Richland School District are looking for parents and community members to form an arts booster club in the district.

WALLA WALLA -- Walla Walla voters will consider a measure to repair and maintain city streets calls for a two-tenths of a percent increase in sales tax within the city limits, a rate expected to raise about $1 million a year in the Feb. 14 election. Ballots were mailed last week.

A 31-year-old Kennewick man escaped serious injuries Monday after being hit while driving across Highway 12 at A Street in Pasco, the Washington State Patrol said.

Wendy's fans across the region are asking "where's the beef" after the sudden closure of several of the fast-food chain's operations last week.

Blue Mountain Community Foundation scholarship applications are available for area students in need of financial aid for the 2012-13 school year.

Owners, staff and residents at the Royal Columbian Retirement Inn and Assisted Living are celebrating the facility's 25th anniversary.

KENNEWICK -- An owner of a now defunct Kennewick gym accused of pocketing money from members wants the Benton County Prosecutor's Office off the case because several employees are alleged victims.

English would be named the state's official language if Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, has his way.

RICHLAND -- Richland police arrested Alison Lambie, 30, of Richland, early Sunday after her 2004 Dodge Durango ended up in the rough near the 18th hole of the Columbia Point Golf Course.

Benton and Franklin counties may be part of an alternative approach to managing agricultural lands despite some uncertainty about the new program.

KENNEWICK -- A referee's job, contrary to the uniform, is far from black and white.

KENNEWICK -- The thing that strikes Rachael Tengbom when she visits Maasai girls in Kenya is their nail polish. It is an indicator to her that teenage girls are teenage girls, no matter what country or culture they live in.

KENNEWICK — An information night for prospective Delta High School freshmen is 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Kennewick School District Administration Center at 1000 W. Fourth Ave.

YAKIMA -- Yakima School District officials are asking the city's voters to put more money into the district by increasing the local maintenance and operations levy.

YAKIMA -- Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences went from renter to owner of its student center last week when John Cadwell and his wife, Priscilla, officially donated the Cadwell Student Center.

YAKIMA -- Prosecutors have filed a felony charge against a Mabton man accused of using a Microsoft cloud drive to store child pornography.

CONNELL About 5:15 a.m. Jan. 6, Cole Vanderbilt no longer was the accused bully. He was the victim.

KENNEWICK — There will be an empty seat at the Sons of Norway annual lutefisk dinner Feb. 4.

A common refrain in the myriad comments about the Connell-Highland "flagrant foul" video was to call Cole Vanderbilt and Kennan VanHollebeke bullies.

Washington universities won authority last year to vary undergraduate tuition rates according to what different degrees really cost. But before they start charging future engineers more than English majors, schools are grappling with how it would affect the state's prepaid tuition program.

Ben Franklin Transit riders will see some newer buses decorated with a blue wave taking over routes.

Mid-Columbia schools could have more flexibility in arranging their school year calendars if a Kennewick lawmaker's bill makes it through the state Legislature.

When Jacqui Munson was pregnant with her infant daughter, she wasn't sure when her family would find a home.

SUNNYSIDE -- Jon Smiley, CEO of Sunnyside Community Hospital, will retire in March.

GRANDVIEW -- The Grandview Senior Program will hold a silent fundraiser auction Wednesday and Thursday.

The annual Go Red! Bazaar will feature more than 40 arts and craft vendors.

WALLA WALLA -- Walla Walla community members are invited to a "meet and greet" event with the finalists for the police chief and fire chief positions.

YAKIMA -- The latest anti-gang legislation in Olympia includes a new provision that could get the measure past a long-standing partisan roadblock.

Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels is the charity selected by Kennewick-based CityIntros for February, March and April receive of donations resulting from proceeds via discount coupons from Tri-City businesses.

Carmichael Middle School's seventh-grade math team won first place at the Washington State Math Masters competition.

Hanford High School Center Stage will perform The Music Man at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Feb. 10 and 11. There also will be a matinee of the musical at 2 p.m. Feb. 11.

Hanford High School's Stadium Echoes Music Concert will be featured on public access cable through Feb. 17.

The Pasco Parks and Recreation is offering a class on planning children's parties.

Columbia Basin College is offering a new accredited program in aerospace machine maintenance.

Marcus Whitman Elementary School in Richland wants volunteers for its reading improvement program.

Betty Bell Norton will be the featured speaker at the Thursday meeting of the Columbia River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Property owners in Franklin County must contact Franklin County Public Works by Feb. 15 if they do not want roadside spraying adjacent to their property and are willing to maintain the weeds on the roadside themselves.

The Burbank Public Library will hold a public forum at 6 p.m. Monday as part of its new strategic plan.

The Kennewick Senior Center is sponsoring free income tax assistance for seniors from 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Feb. 1 to April 11.

KENNEWICK — An elderly Kennewick woman was found dead inside her home Friday afternoon and a 28-year-old relative was arrested on suspicion of homicide.

KENNEWICK — Ryan Graichen was proud to be a Portland cop for more than eight years, telling the court at length Friday about his experiences on the force and how the stress eventually led him spiraling downward into a pornography addiction.

KENNEWICK When the Tri-City military and police community heard a terminally ill Kennewick High teen won't grow up to realize his dream of wearing a uniform, they mobilized.

A Pasco murder suspect who indicated in a letter to a judge that he may want to represent himself at trial, decided on Friday to keep defense attorneys on his case.

A bill regulating access to child pornography evidence will move to the state House, despite some concerns about constitutionality and fair trial rights.

Walla Walla Correctional Officer John T. Christy does not carry a gun.

YAKIMA -- Wildlife artist Floyd Broadbent was beloved by outdoors enthusiasts worldwide for his detailed paintings and carvings, but those who knew him remember his personality as much as his art.

Here is a listing of the agendas for the week of Jan. 30 for Mid-Columbia public agencies:

Keith Thomson, a former president of Fluor Hanford, died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 73 and had been battling cancer.

Mid-Columbia voters already have started to receive ballots asking them to consider school levies district officials say are needed to continue providing money for school operations and maintenance.

Another former purchaser for Fluor Hanford has reached a settlement agreement over allegations of accepting kickbacks.

BOARDMAN, Ore. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave ZeaChem its conditional commitment Thursday for a $232.5 million loan guarantee to build a full-scale biorefinery in Boardman.

RICHLAND — A few of Kayla Estes' classmates were noticeably grossed out as biologists dissected two adult chinook salmon in their science classroom at Richland's Carmichael Middle School.

Eighty-six kids missing from Washington are listed on a national missing children's website.

The dense underbrush under trees in Columbia Park didn't indicate anyone had been using the area as a temporary home.

WASHINGTON -- The United States should immediately start looking for an alternative to replace the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada, which cost an estimated $15 billion but was never completed, a presidential commission said Thursday.

More than 400 people -- including about 100 from Eastern Washington -- crowded the Washington Legislative Building rotunda Thursday to support immigrant rights.

Four individuals inducted into the Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame on Thursday represent the best of what farmers have and continue to do in meeting agriculture needs, said Dan Newhouse, Washington's director of agriculture.

RICHLAND — A state appeals court has overturned a decision that would have forced Richland to review planned changes to a housing development on Keene Road.

Two employees of a Kennewick dental office are accused of pulling off a sophisticated scheme involving at least 167 forged prescriptions.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has received a 2012 Excellence in Technology Transfer award for technology being used commercially that improves research sample analysis.

Richland is trying to find the money to build an estimated $30 million bridge across the Yakima River to relieve congestion on Interstate 182.

Energy Northwest may need to spend $30 million to $50 million to fulfill new safety requirements for multiple or extreme emergencies at its nuclear power plant near Richland, according to preliminary estimates.

A Kennewick company has the go-ahead from Franklin County to pursue a power plant in an irrigation canal that could become the first in the nation to use a new hydroelectric power technology.

RICHLAND -- Don't despair, sledders, the hill at Carmichael Middle School that Richland police closed Saturday will be available if it snows again this winter.