Local News

Yakima Valley Emergency ManagementYAKIMA, Wash. — Local officials are partnering with the Washington National Guard to establish a new drive-thru testing location at State Fair Park to make it easier for high risk individuals to get tested. The site is scheduled to open Tuesday morning and is expected to test up to 250 patients a day, which is in addition...

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary broadside punctuated with profanity, the Navy’s top leader accused the fired commander of the COVID-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt of being “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier. He delivered the criticism to sailors who had cheered the departing skipper last week. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly harshly criticized...

The first person incarcerated at a Washington prison to test positive for COVID-19 has stoked fears among other inmates and their families that the virus could rampage through crowded cell blocks. The man is housed at the minimum-security unit at Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC), the Department of Corrections announced Monday. After showing symptoms of infection, […]

KENNEWICK, Wash. — A Tri-Cities family is keeping themselves busy during the stay-at-home order while hoping to help other families do the same. Tom Bingeman, with the help of his sons, recently launched a YouTube channel called TAZ Kids Fitness. The idea was first planted during the harsh winter of 2018 when many families were snowed in. “We went to...

Despite worries about their health and those around them, many of the workers see themselves as crucial to getting the ventilators built quickly.

RICHLAND, Wash. — An employee with the City of Richland has tested positive for COVID-19, the city’s communications manager Hollie Logan said Monday. The employee was confirmed to have tested positive on Thursday, April 2. “For privacy, we will not be releasing a name or any circumstances surrounding the diagnosis. Staff assigned to that department were notified,” Logan said. Logan...

FINLEY, Wash. — Owners of the BnB Pet Retreat are offering to care for the dogs or cats of anyone who has to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 free of charge. “We heard some people were worried about it,” said Michelle Mensonides, owner of the facility. “People are not going on vacations, going to sporting events and things like that,...

BATON ROUGE (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic claimed its youngest victim yet in Louisiana on Monday — a baby born prematurely after her mother contracted the disease and was put on a ventilator. “The baby, because of the extreme prematurity did not survive,” said East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark, who blamed the mother’s COVID-19 disease for putting her...

Trios Health has launched an online community platform that allows friends, family, church communities and the community at large to connect with current patients.

While scientists and social media companies are fighting the spread of coronavirus disinformation on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, researchers are seeing a worrisome increase in nearly-unstoppable chain e-mails, text messages and WhatsApp chats full of false information that can be dangerous during a pandemic.

Thomas Lopez made national headlines in 2017 when, while stuck in gridlock on I-5 due to an overturned semi, he opened up his taco truck and started selling food to hungry motorists as they waited for the traffic to clear. Lopez died on Thursday at age 44.

In a YouTube interview, PeaceHealth COO Richard DeCarlo said Dr. Ming Lin’s warnings about hospital safety constituted a public health threat by potentially scaring people away from the Bellingham emergency department.

The move comes a day after the company announced its Seattle-area production facilities would remain closed indefinitely.

Interviews with more than a dozen Valley Medical Center employees, as well as emails and internal documents, underscore the concerns of many employees who said that COVID-19's sudden arrival left Hospital staff and administrators scrambling.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced Monday that due to the coronavirus outbreak schools will remain physically closed for the remainder of the school year and that the state’s more than 1.2 million public and private K-12 students will continue distance learning until the end of June. Schools have been shut statewide...

The closures were supposed last until at least April 24, about six weeks, but state schools chief Chris Reykdal has repeatedly stressed the shutdown could last longer.

SEATTLE (KCPQ) — Amazon is helping thousands of Seattle Public Schools students who do not have access to a computer during the coronavirus pandemic. The tech company is donating 8,200 laptops to elementary students in the state’s largest school district. Amazon and Seattle Public Schools announced the donation worth about $2 million on Monday with the Alliance for Education. They...

Our club has a mission to supply communications for the Benton/Franklin Counties Red Cross in the event their normal forms of communication are lost in time of a disaster.

Local law enforcement sees a spike in calls since the stay-at-home order was announced by Gov. Jay Inslee. If you have concerns or would like to report suspected violations on the new order, people are asked to follow their guidelines.

WASHINGTON - Every week Superintendent Chris Reykdal will post an update regarding School Closures, COVID-19, and important updates from OSPI during these very challenging times.

ELTOPIA,WA-The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is investigating an apparent homicide near Eltopia. Yesterday afternoon, Franklin County Sheriffs responded to a house where they located the body of a 19-year-old male, his name is not being released because his family has…

RICHLAND,WA- With social distancing restricting large gatherings, churches have needed to adjust how they worship. One church Life Church7 in Richland has shifted their services online. Every Sunday and different days throughout the week members of this church can still…

WASHINGTON- Due to the Coronavirus many industries across the world have had to come to a stop. One industry that has kept on going is the trucking industry with many goods having to be transported across the country.

TOPPENISH, WA- The Yakama Nation Tribal Council made a decision to continue its Stay Home, Stay Healthy policy and extend the temporary closure of Legends Casino Hotel through May 4th.

By Tiffany Scott The Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council is designated by Gov. Jay Inslee as a local/regional workforce development area.  We are responsible for convening and coordinating local workforce development programs and activities through a certified American Job Center called WorkSource Columbia Basin. In addition, we oversee TC Futures, a youth and young adult outreach, in partnership with the local Educational Service District 123.  The BFWDC is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our local community. We are committed to supporting those individuals and families…

The post Lost your job? Workforce council stands ready to help appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Since 17 February 2020, no new cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While this is a positive development, there is still a high risk of re-emergence of EVD given the current challenges related to limited resources amidst other local and global emergencies, continued insecurity and population displacement in previous hotspots, and limited access to some affected communities. It is therefore critical to maintain surveillance and response operations in the period leading up to the declaration of the end of the outbreak, as well as after the declaration – as outlined in the WHO recommended criteria for declaring the end of the EVD outbreak.

Ongoing outbreak response efforts continue, which include investigating and validating new alert cases, supporting appropriate care and rapid diagnosis of suspected cases (which continue to be detected), supporting survivors through a multi-disciplinary programme, and strategically transitioning activities. From 24 to 31 March, an average of 4082 alerts were reported and investigated daily. Of these alerts, 274 were validated as suspected cases, requiring specialized care and laboratory testing to rule-out EVD. From 23 to 29 March, 2376 samples were tested including: 1322 blood samples from alive, suspected cases; 365 swabs from community deaths; and 689 samples from re-tested patients. Overall, laboratory activity decreased by 14% compared to the prior week.

Pasco’s storied Moore Mansion is starting a new chapter after being sold by the couple who saved it from demolition.  Debra and Brad Peck, sold the historic mansion to a Kennewick couple who will run it as a residence and event center. The Pecks and the new owners will collaborate to ensure weddings and other events booked for 2020 go on as planned.  Sandrine and Thomas…

The post Pasco’s historic Moore Mansion sells for $2.7 million appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

All construction in Washington, including both residential and commercial, was ordered to be shut down at midnight March 25 after Gov. Jay Inslee’s office clarified that it is nonessential. Inslee’s Stay Home Stay Healthy order initially seemed to suggest construction was essential. New guidance issued two days later clarified that it is not, with the…

The post Governor halts construction during coronavirus stay-home order appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

No new cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 17 February 2020 (Figure 1).

By TCAJOB Washington state earned a B in social distancing, a better grade than Benton and Franklin counties’. Benton earned a C. Franklin got an F. The March 24 scores come from Unacast, a company that collects and analyzes smartphone GPS location data to compile a “Social Distancing Scoreboard.” It scores state and county level performance…

The post Interactive map shows how well (or not) we’re social distancing appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

The much-anticipated Grocery Outlet Bargain Market has opened at Richland’s Vintner Square, 2901 Queensgate Drive.  The store debuted March 24 with 30 employees. The newly built store joins the Target-anchored shopping complex at Queensgate and Duportail Drive. It is the third Grocery Outlet in the Tri-Cities, joining sisters in Kennewick and Pasco.  The new location is independently owned and operated by Nikki and Mike Sims. “This partnership…

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Tri-City businesses and nonprofits are rallying the community to support hospitals, health care workers, seniors and families struggling to secure the resources they need to combat the spread of coronavirus, which causes the deadly COVID-19. Here are some of the ways to help. O’Brien Construction collects respirators O’Brien Construction is challenging contractors to donate N95…

The post Tri-Citians urged to donate N95 respirators, food, cash. Here’s how to help appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

There have been no new cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 17 February 2020. However, because there is still a risk of re-emergence of EVD, it is critical to maintain surveillance and response operations until and after the end of outbreak declaration – as outlined in the WHO recommended criteria for declaring the end of the EVD outbreak.

Unfortunately, the response faces increasing limitations that could result in delayed detection and control of flare-ups. These limitations include a funding shortfall, ongoing insecurity and lack of access to some areas, and limited staffing and resources amidst other local and global emergencies.

“Open for Business” is the battle cry of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visit Tri-Cities.  The two business entities have launched separate sites with the same branding, “Open for Business,” to give area businesses a place to tell customers how they are adapting to severe measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus, which…

The post Chamber, tourism bureau offer businesses way to tell public they’re open appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating a health crisis that has claimed more than 120 rural hospitals in recent years.  As Washington residents adapt to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home Stay Healthy order to stay home to contain the spread of coronavirus, the state is racing to add more hospital beds to handle the influx of patients.  The Washington Department of Health…

The post UPDATE: Washington adding more than 2,000 hospital beds in coronavirus fight appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

On 18 February 2020, the National IHR Focal Point for Qatar reported one laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus infection (MERS-CoV) to WHO.

It has been over 21 days since the last confirmed case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been reported (Figure 1). On 9 March, the last 46 contacts finished their follow-up. These are important milestones in the outbreak as over one maximum incubation period has passed without any confirmed cases of EVD. However, there is still a high risk of re-emergence of EVD, and a critical need to maintain response operations – as outlined in the WHO recommended criteria for declaring the end of the EVD outbreak.

Extensive surveillance, pathogen detection, clinical management and other response activities are currently ongoing. These include, but are not limited to, investigating and validating new alert cases, supporting appropriate care and rapid diagnostics of suspected cases which continue to be detected each day, and supporting survivors through a multi-disciplinary programme to help mitigate potential risks of re-emergence. Over the course of the past week (4–10 March 2020), over 32 000 alerts were reported and investigated, and 2584 alerts were validated as suspected cases; requiring specialized care and laboratory testing to rule-out EVD. From 2 to 8 March, 2818 samples were tested including: 1574 blood samples from alive, suspected cases; 376 swabs from community deaths; and 868 samples from re-tested patients. Overall, this was a 16% decrease in testing compared to the previous week.

On 12 February 2020, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported an increase in the number of cases of dengue infection in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint-Martin. In January 2020, health authorities in the region declared a dengue epidemic in Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin and indicated that Martinique is also at-risk of an epidemic.

Dengue epidemics in these territories usually occur when there is a shift in the predominant circulating DENV serotype, and non-immune populations (e.g., tourists, new immigrants, or people not previously exposed to the circulating serotypes) are exposed to the new serotype through human movements within the territories or across neighboring countries. Local transmission occurs through the Aedes mosquito vector present on the islands and in French Guiana.