The U.S. Department of Education is investing $23.2 million in a local program that helps middle school students start thinking about college.

WALLA WALLA -- The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla will get a $71.4 million upgrade over the next two years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday.

Sen. Mike Hewitt of Walla Walla expects to wield some clout when the Legislature resumes in January, even though he's in the Republican minority.

A 22-year-old man suspected of helping kidnap a missing Pasco woman five months ago pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing a rental car to skip town.

Four Washington River Protection Solutions employees at Hanford were placed on administrative leave based on preliminary findings of an investigation.

Two Kennewick sisters whose horses and cattle were seized after being found wandering this summer on neighbors' property in Finley have been ordered to pay $38,409 in restitution to Benton County.

A career criminal serving 28 1/2 years in prison for beating up a Finley man over a beef with the victim's girlfriend will get a few years shaved off his sentence.

WALLA WALLA -The Walla Walla School District is planning a holiday food drive Dec. 1-19.

A black student at Pasco High found graffiti that included a racial epitaph on her car Thursday morning.

The annex and portables at Pasco High School were evacuated Thursday afternoon because of a fire in a men's bathroom.

OTHELLO -- Six juveniles were stopped by Othello police early Thursday after they were spotted running away from a van that had just been stolen, police said.

WALLA WALLA -- The Know Your Government Conference will be holding an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Washington State University Extension office meeting room at 328 W. Poplar St., Walla Walla.

The founding class of the Washington State Academy of Sciences includes Subhash Singhal, an expert in fuel cells at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland.

An Oregon man spotted Thursday driving erratically along Interstate 182 likely suffered from a medical condition that impaired his driving, authorities said.

Washington State University Tri-Cities will not hold classes the week of Nov. 24.

Pasco police traffic officers are reminding drivers to make sure they're using their headlights when it's foggy, raining or snowing outside.

OLYMPIA -- The state Office of Financial Management has asked colleges and other state agencies to develop plans for cuts of up to 20 percent in expected spending.

A month from now, the director of Benton County Emergency Services will be out of a job.

Fans eager to catch the first Tri-City screenings of Twilight started arriving at theaters Thursday afternoon.

Kennewick man faces trial on theft charge

A Pasco man was sentenced to three months in jail for trying to stab a co-worker in the face with a knife.

A 45-year-old West Richland man is being held on $100,000 bail for allegedly harassing and threatening to kill a woman who had ended their relationship.

On a tight budget this holiday season?

The graduation ceremony at Hanford High School on Wednesday almost seemed like any other.

Another large bone thought to be from a mammoth that wandered Washington thousands of years ago has been found on a 27-acre site southwest of Kennewick.

The Government Accountability Office is investigating a program to compensate ill nuclear workers, including those at Hanford, and should have some preliminary findings to share with congressional leaders this spring.

Kennewick soon will be looking to fill a vacancy on the city council.

KENNEWICK -- The current economic climate may not be the best time to ask the public for money, Benton-Franklin Humane Society operations manager Ed Dawson admitted Wednesday.

There are images that stay with Tricia MacFarlan from her travels as a volunteer for Operation Christmas Child.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office is looking for a 55-year-old man who failed to register as a sex offender.

PROSSER -- Building a new Prosser High School to ease overcrowding is expected to cost district taxpayers $47.6 million, officials announced this week.

A car reportedly stolen in Pasco on Wednesday was later found in Kennewick after a resident called police about a suspicious vehicle in his neighborhood, Kennewick police said.

PENDLETON -- Native histories will be discussed at the Tamstslikt Cultural Institute this week at a book-signing and a film screening.

Student organizations are throwing a tailgate party at Washington State University Tri-Cities at 4 p.m. Friday.

Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help in identifying a woman who is using lost credit cards to buy items around the Tri-Cities.

A Maasai Voices of Hope fundraiser and African boutique will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at The Country Gentleman, 9221 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Expect minor delays on eastbound Interstate 82 Umatilla bridge today.

A burn ban on unnecessary use of uncertified wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces in Walla Walla County has been lifted.

The zesty scent of spaghetti sauce is unmistakable when you walk through the wide wooden doors of The Spaghetti Establishment in Kennewick, even on Mondays when the kitchen is quiet and empty.

Pasco looked far and wide for a new fire chief but ended up finding one in its backyard.

Residents of Hunt Avenue in Richland were divided Tuesday over whether to add sidewalks and repave the street in their historic neighborhood.

Kennewick council members adopted a $240 million budget for 2009-10, but without the support of outgoing Mayor Jim Beaver.

The Tri-City economy has done better than the state at hanging onto jobs as the national economy slows.

Makayla Valdez wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up.

Michael Rayfield Hodges was moved Tuesday to Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, where he'll be evaluated and treated for mental illness in an effort to restore his competency to stand trial.

The plan for the proposed Southridge area campus of Kennewick General Hospital has lots of "moving parts" and officials are working to put together the financing pieces.

A Benton City woman allegedly rammed her pickup into her in-laws' car Monday following a fight earlier in the day, the Benton County Sheriff's Office reported.

A 45-year-old employee of Days Inn in Kennewick was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly lured a co-worker into a hotel room Tuesday and assaulted her, Kennewick police said.

Richland police arrested two men after more than two pounds of marijuana and other paraphernalia reportedly was found in their apartment Monday.

Police in Sunnyside now say a 14-year-old runaway who's been missing since last month could be in danger.

About 30 Kennewick students won't have to settle for watching history unfold on TV when the country's first black president is sworn into office in January.

Fluor Hanford gave layoff notices to 65 workers Monday as the number of employees needed by the new central Hanford cleanup contractor becomes clear.

Speakers were split on whether the nation needs to get a faster jump on reusing spent commercial nuclear fuel or drop plans to reprocess it during comments at a public hearing Monday evening in Pasco.

DNA testing of a straw hat that could convict or clear Vicente Ruiz of charges of murdering five Pasco men 21 years ago is taking longer than his attorneys like.

A Franklin County farming family plans to start building a 30,000-head feedlot five miles southeast of Mesa next month.

Parents who are opposed to the Make Your Day discipline program at Chief Joseph Middle School are planning another meeting this week.

No one from the public showed up to say anything about Pasco's property taxes Monday, but that didn't stop the city council from chewing on it.

UMATILLA -- Some nonchemical munitions will be blown up at the Umatilla Chemical Depot on Wednesday as part of cleanup work.

MOSES LAKE -- A 28-year-old Moses Lake man allegedly hit two parked cars while eluding police in a high-speed chase, police said.

PROSSER -- The Prosser library will be temporarily closed this week as crews install a new heating system, Mid-Columbia Library officials said Monday.

A majority of West Richland residents decided to open their wallets to support two tax issues for a new ambulance service, but it wasn't enough to pass them.

SUNNYSIDE -- Sunnyside police have issued an arrest warrant for Armando "AJ" H. Gonzalez Jr., as a shooting suspect in last week's homicide.

Richland has hired a Texas man to serve as the new assistant city manager.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to temporarily close the main access road to the Wahluke Ponds of the Hanford Reach National Monument starting Wednesday.

Afro-Americans for an Academic Society's scholarship workshop is from 7 to 9 p.m. today and Dec. 9 at McLoughlin Middle School, 2803 Road 88, Pasco.

Instead of fighting for accused criminals in court, a veteran Tri-City lawyer will spend the next six months fighting overseas.

PASCO -- A 15-year-old Pasco boy allegedly drinking with his friends inside a van shot himself Saturday while playing with a handgun.

WEST RICHLAND -- West Richland officials hope to delay cuts in employees, parks and other services for at least a year by digging into the city's rainy day fund to balance the 2009 budget.

A 19-month review of 2006 school district travel expenses found that tighter travel rules could save cash-strapped districts more than $1 million over the next five years.

Tri-City area law enforcement officers will be watching vehicles at night beginning tonight, making sure people inside are buckled up.

KENNEWICK -- When Kyle LaPierre was a kid, he had no plans to work with his dad Duane building houses.

YAKIMA -- The fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ricardo Cabrera last week puts Yakima County on track for one of the highest homicide rates in years.

Army 1st Sgt. Tom Grego almost choked up as he walked out of the secured area at the Tri-Cities Airport on Saturday.

PROSSER -- The plan to build a new Prosser High School to ease overcrowding could expand educational opportunities for students outside the district's boundaries.

Cager Maleeah knows he never should have been behind the wheel of his car the night he was picked up on his fourth DUI.

The Department of Energy has installed more ground water sampling tubes along the Columbia River, adding to a 13-year-old program to collect data about possible contaminants entering the river from Hanford.

Seniors who belong to hiking clubs, collect school supplies for needy children, have published books about losing loved ones, drive friends' cats to the vet and are longtime members of the League of Women Voters were recognized Saturday at the third annual Lighthouse Awards.

Teams of parents, staff and community members are working in four Kennewick schools this year to boost family involvement, which is crucial to student success.

Eastern Washington should brace for two years of dry weather.

UMATILLA -- Oregon prison officials say nine inmates were put in a segregation unit and a housing unit was placed in lockdown after fighting broke out at Two Rivers Correction Institution.

Water levels in the Yakima River near Kiona and Benton City crested at 11 feet, two feet below flood stage Saturday and officials predicted water levels would continue to recede.

A public hearing on community needs in the Basin City area will be Monday afternoon.

On a good day with no wind, Jim Hattan can thread the needle in about 40 seconds -- while hovering 150 feet in the air and towing thousands of feet of cable.

Pasco officials plan later this month to demolish a mobile home that burned last spring because the owners have done little, if anything, to improve the property.

It's a good time to be in the auto repair business.

Tri-City residents will get something Monday that some Seattle and Portland residents are clamoring for -- a public hearing on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

RICHLAND -- Two strangers came to the rescue at an unusual Richland crash scene after a driver apparently became unconscious and ran his speeding car along some railroad tracks.

A state psychiatrist determined that a former arena football player suffers from psychosis and is not competent to stand trial on two separate attacks involving law enforcement officers.

A 28-year-old man will spend more than nine years behind bars for sexually assaulting a grade-school boy and threatening him if he told anyone.

The number of people drawing a state paycheck has dropped by 1,185 since Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered a hiring freeze in early August.

Water levels in the Yakima River could rise to as high as 11 feet by this morning and then begin to recede.

The National Weather Service has issued an air stagnation advisory for the Mid-Columbia, warning that pollutants may be trapped near the ground until Monday morning.

Rep. Larry Haler is recovering at home after having cervical spine surgery earlier this week.

Drug task force officers arrested an Irrigon man and his son after finding 18 pounds of marijuana that was either drying or packaged in their home.

A 41-year-old Tri-Citian was arrested on 25 counts of forgery after reportedly stealing a blank book of checks from his brother.

The city of Richland has reprogrammed the left turn signals at the intersection of George Washington Way and Columbia Point Drive in an attempt to improve safety.

Community members can tour the newly remodeled Hanford High School in Richland at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m. Monday.

A 15-year-old Kennewick boy was caught painting gang graffiti on the side of a grocery store building, police said.

A 39-year-old Pasco man wanted for attempted murder in California was nabbed in Kennewick after about seven years on the run.

Franklin County residents now have a new way to monitor sex offenders in the county.

Eight Tri-City children were welcomed into new homes Friday during the National Adoption Day event in Pasco.

Jason Lee Elementary School in Richland is having a winter clothing drive through Dec. 5. Community members are asked to donate new or gently used coats, scarves, hats and gloves.

An information fair today will show prospective students what Washington State University Tri-Cities' programs, student life and financial aid are all about.

A Kennewick teen was sentenced to three months in jail for helping steal a cooler full of about 100 chilled beers, then drinking them at his home.

A 24-year-old man admitted to robbing a Kennewick woman at gunpoint and taking her cell phone, laptop computer and car keys.

Kennewick police and fire officials are investigating a suspicious fire that damaged a 1995 Mercedes Benz 600.

RICHLAND -- Anyone with a drawer full of unwanted plastic bags can take a lesson from Rose Moore.

RICHLAND -- Washington State University Tri-Cities won't have to bear the financial brunt of the decision to send controversial former Provost Steven Hoch to the branch campus as a history teacher, officials said.

Mid-Columbians are starting to reap the benefits of a settlement between Bonneville Power Administration and electric utilities in the form of rate credits on their monthly bills.

WEST RICHLAND -- Barbara Clarke likes to watch birds in the Yakima River Delta, and her husband, Tom, enjoys taking pictures of wildlife near their home on Red Mountain.

Interest in the presidential campaign appears to have driven record voter turnouts locally and statewide.

WEST RICHLAND -- Liz Evett has done more in five months than many do in a lifetime.

A Prosser man entered a modified guilty plea to allegations he twice impregnated a teen girl during a yearlong sexual relationship.

WALLA WALLA -- Plant a memorial, learn about trees and help improve the Walla Walla Fairgrounds at a community tree planting Saturday.

The Hanford program manager for the Environmental Protection Agency is changing teams.

A former Tri-Cities Fever lineman charged with attacking law enforcement officers at the Pasco airport and in the Franklin County jail likely will be headed to a state facility for inpatient treatment.

Fire investigators have officially listed the cause of a blaze that destroyed a Kennewick home last month as "undetermined."

Three men suspected of robbing a Pasco jewelry store at gunpoint last month are in custody in Yakima on unrelated robbery charges.

A Bothell man tied up in a Kennewick roofing scam was ordered Thursday to repay $22,000 to two elderly people who paid for the work upfront with cash.

While some may associate the idea of federal earmarks with Alaska's infamous $398 million "bridge to nowhere," they also pay for some important local projects and services, congressional staffers said Thursday.

Two sisters have pleaded guilty to not keeping their cows and horses fenced up this summer on property in Finley.

A candlelight vigil and spaghetti dinner to help the family of two brothers killed Oct. 31 in a traffic accident is tonight in Burbank.

It didn't take long for police to catch a Pasco man featured in a Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers wanted bulletin.

A 21-year-old woman pleaded guilty to taking an SUV home from a Kennewick car lot and never bringing in a $6,500 down payment.

A new heating and air conditioning system at the Finley Community Center means those who use the center won't have to wear coats inside the building this winter.

AARP will hold senior driving classes in November and December. The eight-hour refresher classes allow seniors to update their driving knowledge. Classes, which cost $10, are:

Residents around the Yakima River are being warned to be on the lookout for rising water from recent heavy rains in the Cascades flowing into the river.

A lockdown on a unit at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla has been lifted, but things aren't completely back to normal yet, a prison spokeswoman said.

The Kennewick School District is a step closer to running a $68 million bond issue in March to build a new elementary school to accommodate growth and remodel a handful of other schools.

TRI-CITIES -- Self-service pick-up for DVDs at the Mid-Columbia Libraries has become so popular that patrons have helped themselves to nearly 550 movies at branches in Kennewick and Pasco without bothering to check them out.

Two women have been arrested and may face drug charges after a Richland officer spotted their car had tabs on it that belonged on another car, police said.

PASCO -- Franklin County prosecutors must decide by this morning how to charge a former Tri-Cities Fever lineman for a jail scuffle in which a corrections officer reportedly had a fingertip bitten off.

KENNEWICK -- A suspected car theft ring appears to be targeting Nissans and Hondas in Kennewick, police said Wednesday.

BADGER CANYON -- Once an Ohio farm girl, Evelyn Cataldo likes having elbow room between her and her neighbors.

YAKIMA -- Christine Pelayo has a video and a few pictures that show her murdered daughter.

Hillcrest Memorial Center will have a troop packages service day from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at 9354 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Two jazz concerts are planned this month in the Richland School District.

The Richland School Board is planning a study session at 9 a.m. Friday to discuss alternative learning, portables and the proposed science, technology, engineering and math high school in the works for the region. The meeting is at the district office, 615 Snow Ave.

The Washington State Horseman's Convention is Friday to Sunday at the Pasco Red Lion Hotel.

A public workshop to discuss a regional open space plan for the Tri-Cities will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at the Sandberg Event Center, 41st Avenue and Van Giesen Street, West Richland.

About 100 people, including Scouts and two dozen uniformed military officers, braved a drizzle and mid-50s temperatures Tuesday for a Veterans Day observance at the Regional Veterans Memorial in Columbia Park.

Retired judge Fred Staples isn't giving up on moving the county seat from Prosser to Kennewick and hopes more people will join his cause.

Some of Kennewick Irrigation District's 21,637 customers could pay up to 32 percent more for their water next year under a proposed new rate structure.

Despite less financial help from the counties than requested, the Benton-Franklin Health District probably will not be cutting more programs or staff than expected next year.