RICHLAND -- The three men in waders near the creek on the 18th hole at Meadow Springs Country Club on Wednesday weren't fishing for golf balls.

PASCO -- Voters living in the state's 16th District will have a chance July 21 to hear from the four people who want to represent them in the Legislature.

The Senate version of the Hanford budget for 2010 would increase environmental cleanup spending, but the House version would cut it.

PASCO -- People who want to start taking fall quarter classes at Columbia Basin College must apply for admission by Aug. 13.

RICHLAND -- Amanda Koopman and her youth group from the Church of Christ held an impromptu worship service in a parking garage in Honduras right before they left the country escorted by armed guards.

The fall of a Hanford worker 50 feet from a catwalk happened just as Washington Closure Hanford had received confirmation that it had made major improvements in its efforts to keep workers safe.

A public service will be Friday afternoon at the Franklin County Courthouse to memorialize the late Superior Court Judge Robert S. Day.

Tickets to a dessert gala for the newly renovated and expanded Richland Public Library are still available.

Alert citizens and quick action by police helped avert a potentially dangerous gang-related fight in Prosser, police said.

DESERT AIRE -- With a counter in one hand and a trigger switch in the other, Arnold Barney decided Tuesday which sockeye salmon was destined for a new home and which would return to the river of their origin.

A Sunnyside armed robber managed to avoid being arrested late Monday after running into a corn field after a high-speed chase, police said.

Kimberly Camp snatched moments from her busy schedule on Tuesday to listen to thousands of fans paying their last respects to pop icon Michael Jackson.

The Kennewick City Council decided Tuesday to spend $73.1 million to build a better community during the next five years by finishing dozens of projects throughout the city.

Many Ben Franklin Transit users are unhappy about proposed changes that include cutting routes, reducing services and charging a fee for the taxi feeder service.

A proposal to pay for a consolidated crisis response center by raising sales taxes in Benton and Franklin counties by one-tenth of a cent was rejected Tuesday by the majority of the commissioners.

Two people were hurt early Monday morning when a driver was hit by a Jeep as he tried to pull across Highway 26.

The Richland City Council on Tuesday accepted a report on municipal fireworks costs as evidence that the city's fireworks law is prudent.

A sex offender considered highly likely to reoffend is living in Pasco.

Two people were hurt early Monday morning when a driver was hit by a Jeep as he tried to pull across Highway 26.

A meet and greet with Teri Kessie, principal of the new Chiawana High School opening this fall in Pasco, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today at La Villa Espresso on Road 68.

A 19-year-old Moses Lake man was hurt when he was hit by a semitruck early Tuesday on Highway 170, just west of Warden, the Washington State Patrol said.

Kennewick Irrigation District officials think it would be wise to have public input in setting future water rates.

Some have called for several years now for Benton County to step up and provide comprehensive animal control.

A Richland youth group should be back on U.S. soil today after being escorted from Honduras by armed guards in the wake of a military coup.

RICHLAND -- A key element in the future of the Washington wine industry is being developed at the Tri-City campus of Washington State University.

The Pasco Fire Department and its counterparts across the Columbia River are bolstering their ability to work together across jurisdictional lines.

Richland and ConAgra Foods have signed a $1.4 million agreement for the city to sell land at Columbia Point to the company to build an administrative campus.

A Finley orchard lost a forklift, 400 empty apple bins, 150 young apple trees and other equipment in a fire that started about 12:30 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Retired Judge Robert S. Day was remembered Monday as a no-nonsense jurist who demanded professionalism and a respect of the law from all in his courtroom.

Kennewick's antique carousel and its 44 horses could have a temporary barn overhead if the city council agrees to build a storage facility next to the Dan Frost Municipal Services Complex on Chemical Drive.

Pasco city officials approved a special permit Monday allowing Central Pre-Mix to operate a hot-mix asphalt plant in west Pasco.

One lane of eastbound Highway 240 in Richland will be closed today as workers complete electrical maintenance on a power pole and the sign bridge.

The Kennewick Irrigation District may ask citizens to serve on a water rate advisory committee.

BURBANK -- A suspicious fire that "heavily damaged" a Burbank biodiesel manufacturing plant won't prevent the facility from operating for long if company officials have their way.

PROSSER -- Ben Franklin Transit riders in Prosser may have fewer options to get around town on Saturdays come August.

KENNEWICK -- When Josh Pasma said goodbye to his students at Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick last month, it was for more than summer break.

RICHLAND -- Richland Farmers Market organizers have launched a new Web site and magazine to promote the market throughout the year.

The observatory that was used to search the night sky above Rattlesnake Mountain for more than 35 years has been dismantled and hauled down the mountain.

Claire Swift bounced in her parents' living room, holding up the white fairy tale dress she'll wear for an upcoming pageant.

A red flag warning issued Sunday for the region as winds, lightning and thunderstorms move into the region remains in effect until 11 a.m. today.

Police officers, firefighters and dispatchers were kept busy as the sun went down and the Fourth of July revelry began.

Longtime Port of Walla Walla Commissioner Fred Bennett is calling it a day.

Fireworks are likely to blame for a 20 acre fire that lit the sky in south Richland, officials said.

Any other city celebrating its incorporation twice in two years might be a bit confused.

Saida Hernandez cherishes the small things about being a parent -- cooking a meal, taking her children grocery shopping, even changing a diaper.

A Caspian tern catching five juvenile salmon or steelhead for itself and a chick each day can take 150 fish a month from the Columbia River.

Maureen Correll cuts the motor and the aluminum boat glides to the shore as California and ring-billed gulls overhead loudly announce the arrival of trespassers.

Dozens of middle school girls spent Wednesday morning marching in place and spinning bright yellow, orange and blue flags in unison under the hot sun.

As Christine King of Pasco talked about the nearly 600 students from Columbia Basin College who recently received their GED certificates, she shook her head in amazement.

Saying it's hot outside may be an understatement -- scorching's likely a better description.

Two Benton Fire District 1 firefighters and a support volunteer were recently recognized for their service to the department.

Fourth of July festivities for the Tri-Cities will begin with cardboard boat races in the morning and climax with fireworks beneath a nearly full moon.

Families can get an up-close view of the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center's first exhibit before the center is even built.

When is a hot dog too hot?

BENTON CITY -- A proposed gravel and sand pit on Bureau of Land Management-owned land south of Benton City could be mined for 20 to 30 years, yield about 16 million tons of material and create about 100 jobs.

While some Tri-City youth may spend the summer getting a taste of the working world, several groups of youngsters are venturing down a career path.

A Grandview man was arrested by Sunnyside police after officers found him with one gram of methamphetamine packaged for resale, police said.

Kenn Nesbitt, a children's poet from Spokane, will be making the circuit of 11 libraries in the Mid-Columbia Library System in Benton, Franklin and Grant counties next week.

WARDEN -- A 61-year-old Moses Lake man was killed Friday near Warden when his motorcycle drifted across the center line and hit a car head-on.

So far, the 2009 wildfire season is shaping up to be a normal year.

A Level 3 sex offender considered highly likely to reoffend is living in Grandview, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said.

Get out the sunscreen and swimsuits.

The Department of Energy will consider the Hanford nuclear reservation as one of seven possible sites for long-term storage of the nation's elemental mercury, said a notice Thursday in the Federal Register.

Authorities believe illegal fireworks may have been used to blow up two mailboxes late Wednesday.

Greater Columbia Behavioral Health's member counties moved toward a tentative compromise Thursday that would rest budgetary decision making in the hands of elected officials.

A Pasco man who was beaten by a cellmate has lost his left eye and remained in a coma Thursday after about seven hours of surgery at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

A 23-year-old man who said he just wanted to destroy some personal documents is accused of starting a fire last September that burned property owned by the city of Richland and a resident and threatened horse stables.

Extra Washington State Patrol troopers will be patrolling Mid-Columbia highways during the Independence Day weekend.

The Pasco School District is opening its doors to a new high school this fall. Get the latest news and photos of what's going on at Chiawana High by visiting tricityherald. com/chiawana.

A Hanford worker who fell from a 50-foot-high catwalk Wednesday remained hospitalized in stable condition at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

Twenty-one teenagers and adult chaperones from a Richland church are cutting their mission trip to Honduras short after a military coup in the Central American country.

A Hanford worker was seriously injured when he fell through an access door to a catwalk 50 feet above the ground Wednesday morning inside a building at the Hanford 300 Area just north of Richland.

Kathy Balcom plans to sneak out of the Tri-Cities on this afternoon to try to beat the rush of holiday drivers on her way to Whitefish, Mont., a 61/2-hour drive.

The trademark orange apron from Home Depot might seem unlikely garb for a Miss Washington contestant, but it's exactly what Miss Tri-Cities Kyna Harris was sporting before a Miss Tri-Cities pageant rehearsal.

PASCO -- People who had neglected their traffic tickets were lined up this week at Franklin County District Court to get in on the final hours of an amnesty.

PASCO -- Dozens of middle school girls spent Wednesday morning marching in place and spinning bright yellow, orange and blue flags in unison under the hot sun.

A Pasco man reportedly beaten by his prison cellmate this week was targeted for trying to turn his life around and do the right thing, his sister told the Herald.

About 175 gypsy moth traps will be set in Benton and Franklin counties in the coming weeks, the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the owners of a Central Washington property where an illegal pesticide dumpsite was found will clean it up.

PASCO -- The mother of Tiairra Jo Garcia said Tuesday that the justice system has failed them as her daughter's second killer was sentenced to one year in jail.

PASCO -- A mighty riverhawk with talons outstretched went up on the front of the new Chiawana High School on Tuesday, where it's expected to welcome Pasco students for decades to come.

RICHLAND -- Doctors and nurses at Kadlec Regional Medical Center have been seeing double and even triple lately as new mothers gave birth to six sets of twins and a set of triplets in a week.

BENTON CITY -- A Benton City woman, still on state supervision after serving about 15 months in prison for the accidental shooting death of her boyfriend three years ago, is facing a new charge.

PASCO -- Two Pasco men pleaded innocent Tuesday to allegations they fired upon a rolled car because the occupants had earlier taken their money and marijuana.

CONNELL -- A Pasco man behind bars for threatening to kill a man in a 2007 attempted robbery is now fighting for his life after his cellmate reportedly beat him with a smudge pot inside a pillow case.

PASCO -- Two Pasco men pleaded innocent Tuesday to allegations they fired upon a rolled car because the occupants had earlier taken their money and marijuana.

Joe Harshman, a counselor at Kennewick High School who coached girls basketball for three seasons, was found dead Monday in the water south of Pelican, Alaska, where he owned a summer cabin. He was 57.

Sixty-thousand motorists pass beneath it every day, and thousands more can behold its sight from the far corners of the Tri-Cities.

Area health officials learned Monday that a Tri-City resident has a confirmed case of H1N1 influenza, known as the swine flu.

PASCO -- Owners of the Pasco Petland store on Monday denied charges the store gets its puppies from mills and brokers who mistreat animals that they crank out for profit.

PASCO -- Most of Franklin County's elected officials have decided to donate a percentage of their paychecks back to the county while their staffs take furloughs for the rest of this year as the county struggles to reduce a forecast $680,000 deficit.

KENNEWICK -- The alleged leader of a check forgery ring was arrested early Monday when an alert Kennewick hotel clerk realized her newest guest was wanted by police.

KENNEWICK -- Rep. Doc Hastings has been doing some math lately, and he doesn't like the way the numbers are adding up.

Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, and Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, will speak about the recent legislative session at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lampson Building in Kennewick.

The Benton County Mosquito Control District plans to do aerial spraying for mosquitoes over Mabton and rural areas near Prosser, Grandview and West Richland starting about 9 p.m. today.

The Columbia Generating Station in Richland remained off-line Monday after a "brief, minor fire" forced operators to shut down the nuclear energy plant manually Friday, an Energy Northwest official said Monday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has banned all activities likely to start a fire on refuges in the Mid-Columbia because of dry conditions heading into the holiday weekend.

Community Health Center La Clinica will receive about $1.1 million in federal stimulus money for updates and renovations, officials said Monday.

Franklin County's population has grown faster by percentage than any other county in the state since the 2000 census, according to new estimates by the Washington State Office of Financial Management.

Hanford workers have evaporated enough excess water from radioactive waste in underground tanks to free up space nearly equivalent to a new tank.

WALLA WALLA -- A man who died Saturday morning after dousing himself in gasoline and igniting it has been identified as a 51-year-old Walla Walla resident.

Officials say the indigent defense law approved by the Benton County commissioners Monday benefits both the county and its residents.

KENNEWICK -- Bill Taylor spent about an hour and a half at the state Department of Licensing office in Kennewick one day last week waiting to get his enhanced driver's license.

The Richland farmers market has just gotten a little more pedestrian friendly.

WALLA WALLA -- Classical music and rock 'n' roll are a natural fit for Mike Wenberg, chief executive officer of the Walla Walla Symphony.

Firefighters run into burning buildings to rescue victims and extinguish flames, but what happens if things get too hot and they need to get out quickly?

A Tri-Cities man is wanted for allegedly recruiting people to cash fake checks printed with business names he pulled out of the phone book.

BENTON CITY -- When Jane and Larry Pearson of Tapteil Vineyard and Winery on Red Mountain were looking to start selling their wine online a couple years ago, a solution came knocking at their door.

Franklin County employees were sent a letter last week thanking those who have volunteered to take furloughs and encouraging elected officials who haven't done so already to do the same.

BURBANK -- The several dozen falcons keeping watch over Jim Lott's Burbank blueberry fields are an evolving manifestation of his self-described penchant for "overdoing things."

WALLA WALLA -- A man died early Saturday outside a Walla Walla convenience store after apparently pouring gasoline on himself and igniting it, Walla Walla police said.

It was one of those "Oh, no" moments: Tom Doncaster reached for his wallet to pay for lunch and came up with hand empty.

Ben Franklin Transit fares are going up Wednesday.

When Laurie Ellis walked into the backyard of a Benton City home, she was quickly greeted by four old friends who excitedly jumped, barked and wagged their tails.

It takes a community to stand up against gangs and keep kids from getting sucked into the gang lifestyle, the state's top law enforcer said.

After agreeing in March to look more into creating a bicounty consolidated crisis response center, officials from both sides of the Columbia River said they've met and a response is coming, but not much else.

BENTON CITY -- A 13-year-old girl looks forward to a life with no more surgeries after Thursday, when she'll undergo the third open-heart operation of her young life.

BOARDMAN -- The Boardman Thunder Fourth of July Parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Front Street.

ATHENA -- The Athena City Council has placed a police officer charged with sex crimes on paid administrative leave.

PASCO -- Columbia Basin College has switched to its summer hours.

A fire weather watch was issued by the National Weather Service through tonight for the Columbia Gorge and the east slope of the Cascades because of expected low humidity, warm temperatures and winds.

LONGVIEW -- The Washington State Grange has named Jan Sass of Pasco -- founder of U.S. Troop Care Package -- its 2009 Volunteer of the Year.

STANFIELD -- Stanfield Public Library will hold a Fourth of July celebration Friday and Saturday at Bard Park.

UMATILLA -- The Umatilla Public Library will begin its Summer Reading Program with sign-ups at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

KENNEWICK -- Dog No. D-1 was missing a left hind paw.

KENNEWICK -- Police continue to look for suspects in a Kennewick gang shooting that left two teens hurt.

Two men are accused of steering a massive check-printing ring in which more than $15,000 was taken from Tri-City businesses with a cut of the profits going to a dozen operatives.

The gleaning season is starting out sweet for a local group of volunteers who harvest crops that otherwise would be left in the field.

KENNEWICK -- Sam Reed wants Washingtonians to be able to vote online.

KENNEWICK -- A 24-year-old man is accused of stealing dealer plates from a Kennewick car lot because he couldn't afford his own license plate tabs.

PASCO -- The gymnasium roof at Pasco High School will get a thorough examination after maintenance crews recently found ceiling tiles out of place.

PASCO -- During a recent Pirates discovery class in the Children's Museum of the Three Rivers, a 4-year-old approached museum director Jolene Hatke.

KENNEWICK -- A Kennewick woman faces an Aug. 10 trial on allegations she forged a doctor's signature on copies of prescriptions in order to get thousands of pain pills.

Fireworks sales begin Sunday in some areas of the Mid-Columbia, and firefighters in the region will be on alert because of high danger of wildfires and inconsistent laws in area cities and counties.

A suspect in a fatal Pasco shooting is scheduled to meet next week with a state psychiatrist, three weeks after he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

KENNEWICK -- Retired Superior Court Judge Fred Staples plans to be in front of the justice center on Monday collecting signatures for his petition to move the Benton County seat from Prosser to Kennewick.

RICHLAND -- An online public survey to seek public input for the future of the 146-acre Columbia Park west area has been opened by Richland.

FRIDAY HARBOR -- Friday was to be a special day for 4-year-old Richland resident Colin Ward, who was realizing his dream of searching for killer whales thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

PASCO -- The Pasco School District's C.L. Booth Education Center, 1215 W. Lewis St. in Pasco, will be closed the week of June 29-July 3 for the Independence Day holiday.

LONGVIEW -- The Washington State Grange has named Jan Sass of Pasco, founder of U.S. Troop Care Package, its 2009 Volunteer of the Year.

Thousands of hogs showed up Thursday for the annual Hogs & Dogs event at the Bombing Range Road Sports Complex in West Richland.

Gang members be warned: Kennewick cops are turning up the heat.

Marty Armstrong has eyes that giggle, a smile that sparkles and a heart filled with love for those she likes to call "the little people."

KENNEWICK -- A big family was complete again Thursday when Alexander, Galina, Inna, Yevgeniya, Kristina and Alexander Jr. returned from nearly two years in exile and rejoined their Korotkov clan in Kennewick.

WASHINGTON -- An amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have cut $1.2 billion in funding for cleaning up federal nuclear sites such as Hanford to provide additional money for the nation's missile defense system was turned down Thursday by the House.

The trial for a Pasco teen charged in an April slaying has been delayed two weeks.

The company that manages the Toyota Center in Kennewick on contract for the Kennewick Public Facilities District is bidding to manage a 4,300-seat arena in Wenatchee.

The Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant is back online after an about 47-day outage.

Car lovers waiting for Cool Desert Nights this weekend in Richland can prepare by checking out some cool car books available through the Mid-Columbia Libraries' website.

The Daughters of the Pioneers will hold a Pioneer Picnic at Sacajawea State Park on Saturday.

Greg Williams wants to share his love of flying with kids.

A Level 3 sex offender considered highly likely to reoffend has told law enforcement he doesn't have a permanent address but will live in Benton County.

PROSSER -- Tourism requires workers; so does farming.

The Prosser School District Administration Office will be closed July 2 and 3 for maintenance and observance of Independence Day.

Tracking dogs and more than 20 people, including search-and-rescue teams searched a 2-mile stretch of the Colorado River for three days, looking for a former Tri-Citian who fell out of a raft Saturday.

KENNEWICK -- Courtney Thompson doesn't like driving through the new roundabouts on Columbia Drive, at least for now.

Donald Schalchlin kept looking over his shoulder at his brother and aunt Wednesday as he listened to attorneys talk about how his mother and younger sister were killed 18 months ago.

Millions of dollars deleted this week from the Pacific Salmon Recovery Fund for 2010 may be restored in the U.S. Senate.

PASCO -- A forgotten rosebush sways as cement dust from a saw cutting cinder blocks blows by at the former Travel Inn in downtown Pasco.

A motorcyclist who hit a cow in the middle of Highway 28 just east of Ephrata was involved in a second collision just moments later caused by a suspected drunken driver, police said.

The Tri-Cities Fever could soon be right behind its fans, heading for the Toyota Center exits.

An unwed teenage mother from Yakima told her story on national TV Tuesday night -- "an all-American girl having all-American problems," in the words of her father -- in hopes of helping other girls make different choices than she did.

Added canine teams to screen cargo, including Washington fruit, onboard passenger planes came a step closer to reality Wednesday, and Congressman Doc Hastings' office said it would ensure timely shipment of perishable produce.

PASCO -- A 27-year-old woman pleaded innocent Tuesday to new charges connected to her involvement last year's fatal shooting of Tiairra Jo Garcia.

PASCO -- George Jenkins stepped up off the silver wing of "Betty Jane" the P-51 Mustang with a smile.

A family torn apart by a crash that left a 20-year-old Pasco man dead and his 25-year-old cousin charged with vehicular homicide came together again briefly Tuesday.

PROSSER -- The uninvited dinner guest didn't bother taking a seat, instead choosing to plant his furry hide on the cafe's floor.

Pasco Fire Chief Bob Gear may have moved into his new job in January, but finding a house in his new city has been more of a challenge.

WEST RICHLAND -- Mosquitoes in West Richland have tested positive for the West Nile virus -- the first confirmation of the virus in Benton County this year.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said Tuesday that she thinks health care reform has a significant chance of passing this year, but it's going to take a change in the culture of how different parts of the country deliver medical services.

Improving water supplies and fish habitat in the Yakima River Basin without building a massive reservoir will be considered next week in Yakima.

Richland and Kennewick could each save several hundred thousand dollars building their next fire stations if they worked together in addressing those needs, Richland Fire Chief Grant Baynes told the Richland City Council on Tuesday.

TRI-CITIES -- The civil unrest in Iran has many Tri-City Iranian Americans worried about the safety of family and friends.

When it came to getting reimbursed for optional legislator expenses last year, Republican Sen. Jerome Delvin of Richland was No. 1, spending $59,080 in taxpayer money.

Three months after Northwest members of Congress persuaded President Obama to reinstate $50 million for the 2010 Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the House of Representatives has said no deal, effectively terminating the program as of Sept. 30.

BENTON CITY -- Kiona-Benton City School District is putting its science curriculum in students' hands in an effort to raise sagging test scores.

The Mid-Columbia Library System is working to put the "broad" in broadband.

PASCO -- There is nothing more terrifying than glancing down into the bowels of a B-24 bomber at 1,000 feet and finding out there are parts of this aircraft that are wide open.

With mosquito abatement season in full operation by the Benton County Mosquito Control District, concerned property owners have several ways to learn how to avoid unnecessary exposure.

The Mid-Columbia Library System is working to put the broad in broadband.

Holding up a map of Washington for the Pasco City Council on Monday night, U.S. Census official Noemi Ortega pointed to Franklin County colored in red.

The city of Moses Lake last week went to court to defend its use of traffic cameras to enforce speed limits in a school zone. The city has been using cameras for traffic enforcement for about a year now, and the jury still is out on their effectiveness in promoting safe driving there.

A company whose driver was ticketed for allegedly speeding in a Moses Lake school zone took the city to court last week, challenging the city's use of cameras for speed enforcement.

Washington Closure Hanford has emptied 200 gallons of the hazardous chemical hexavalent chromium from an underground pipeline near the Columbia River, proving it has learned from its mistakes.

BENTON CITY -- It was 12:15 p.m., 15 minutes after the Benton City Food Bank opened, and about a dozen people were waiting outside the building's doors.

PROSSER -- Prosser has created an ambitious plan to add more sidewalks to residential streets and add bike lanes encircling the city.

A fire apparently started by a train Saturday night burned 250 acres along the tracks running parallel to Canal Drive and Highway 240 in Kennewick, said Chris Hutsell, acting captain for Kennewick Fire Station 2.

PROSSER -- Laws in science, unlike those in society, can't be broken, right?

Dwight McFarlane wasn't sure he'd make it. The single dad was working long hours at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center near Connell. There were days he'd drop his young daughter off at day care and not see her again until late at night, when he'd carry the sleeping girl to the car for the drive home.

KENNEWICK -- Nathan Gravelle, 22, of Kennewick took an oath Saturday, becoming an officer and a Marine in a commissioning ceremony at the Regional Veterans Memorial in Columbia Park.

Jamie Wheeler of Kennewick is fed up with taxes.

Nearly $60,000 in federal stimulus money will be used in the Tri-Cities to help victims of domestic violence.

WASHINGTON -- As the health care debate cranked up on Capitol Hill last week, Sen. Patty Murray talked about 10-year-old Marcelas Owens, whose mother lost her job, her health insurance, became sick and died.

With temperatures warming and the July Fourth holiday approaching, the Bureau of Land Management says rangers are on patrol to enforce a fireworks ban on all BLM-managed public lands in Washington and Oregon.

The Benton-Franklin Health District will offer free HIV testing for at-risk individuals Thursday.

Operation Thank You will be collecting items to give to troops and veterans at Thursday Live @ 5 concert events at John Dam Plaza in Richland.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties has been awarded a $12,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation to participate in the Summer Servings Food Program.

Sparks from a passing train reportedly caused a brush fire Saturday night that stretched along the railroad tracks running parallel to Canal Drive in Kennewick, said AJ Hill, fire coordinator with Benton County Fire District 4.

Meals on Wheels is seeking volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors in Kennewick.

Clear skies and warm weather are an open invitation for motorcyclists to hop on their bikes and hit the highways, but summer is also the most dangerous time of year for bikers, officials said.

A Pasco woman struck a deal with prosecutors and avoided more jail time for lying to police about a badly damaged van parked in her yard that was involved in the fatal shooting of Tiairra Jo Garcia.

Columbia Drive and its new roundabouts should open to traffic today, almost two days ahead of schedule.

Make Your Day will stay at Chief Joseph Middle School next year.

A judge said Friday that it was selfishness, not fear, that led Marnicus Lockhard to ignore his lover's pain and dump her somewhere in a suitcase.

Lining the halls downstairs at the Toyota Center on Friday night, Columbia Basin College students geared up for a long-anticipated moment: Graduation.