KONA News

KENEWICK, Wash.-- Last week, Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Health approved Benton and Franklin Counties to move into a modified Phase 1 of reopening. The modifications allow restaurants in Benton and Franklin Counties to open restaurants, but only for outdoor dining ...

UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore.-- Deputies in Umatilla Count are investigating a pair of shootings that occurred over the weekend.   Deputies responded to a report of shots fired Sunday, July 5, 2020 near SW 23rd St. and West Highland Ave. just out ...

OMAK, Wash.-- Department of Interior (DOI) secretary David Bernhardt announced Tuesday during a visit to Eastern Washington that the agency will not reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades. The North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan was initially introduced under the Obama administration, and underwent several years of review as part of the federal rulemaking process ...

RENTON, Wash.-- High school sports in Washington state will likely not happen until at least September due to concerns about COVID-19. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced Tuesday that in plans to resume football on September 5, with other fall sports are scheduled to begin September 7 ... Read More ...

KENNEWICK, Wash.-- Police in Kennewick are looking for three suspects believed to have been involved in an armed robbery that happened last month. The incident happened on June 8, 2020, when three men approached a victim in the parking lot of a business in the 4200 block of W ...

KENNEWICK, Wash.- After nearly 16 weeks, some stores at the Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick are re-opening. Some stores will remain closed until they are able to re-opening safely. "The health, safety and well-being of the community we serve will always be our highest priority, and we have developed a thorough and detailed set of protocols highlighting the exceptional measures we’ve im

TRI-CITIES, Wash.- The Benton-Frankin Health Department had not reported a daily COVID case count since last Thursday because of the holiday, so it stands to reason Monday's data release would be high. The four-day total for Benton County was 181 cases, 288 in Franklin, or an average of 45 and 72 a day, respectively ... Read More ...

TRI-CITIES, Wash.- Uncertainty over what the immediate future looks like in the wake of COVID-19, organizers of the annual Mid-Columbia Duck Race have canceled the event. “Because of the mandated restrictions, our ability to be in public places selling tickets would be extremely limited. At t ... Read More ...

TRI-CITIES, Wash.- After months of being stuck in Phase One of re-opening because of high COVID-19 case counts, Benton and Franklin counties are moving into a modified Phase One, or 1.5, at midnight Thursday night. The first domino to fall was an announcement Thursday afternoon by State Health Director Dr ... Read More ...

ELLENSBURG, Wash.- The 97th Ellensburg Rodeo has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, which was slated for Labor Day weekend, has only been shelved one other time in its history between 1942 and 1944 because of World War II ... Read More ...