Down at the Hal Holmes Community Center last week, a beaded lizard named Tepe made some new friends and made a few kids squirm. Dan Beck, a retired CWU biology professor, brought the 11-year-old reptile in for two shows as part of the Ellensburg Public Library's summer reading program. The program, called Unearth a Story, runs through August. Next up is an all-ages show, Tricks and Tales with Leapin' Louie, at 11:15 tomorrow morning at the library. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEW

Pints for Paws takes place at 4 p.m. today at the Iron Horse Brewery. The fundraiser supports Toby’s Hope Cancer Care of Washington. It’s dedicated to help families and their dogs fight navigating Lymphoma. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS A former Sunnyside fire chief, a fire protection engineer at Hanford, and a fire chief from Idaho are the three finalists in Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue’s search for a new chief. Fire commissioners for Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue publicly

The Master Gardeners hold their Plant Diagnostic Clinic at 11:30 this morning at the Armory — bring in whatever's ailing your garden and they'll help you sort it out. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS Drivers who cross the Columbia should plan ahead. Traffic restrictions return to Interstate 90 near Vantage this Wednesday, July 9th, as crews restart repair work on the Vantage Bridge. Expect lane reductions and slower going, so give yourself extra time if you're headed east. Kittit

Starting this week, the speed cameras in those zones come with a 125-dollar fine. Until now, first-time offenders got a warning, and the state handed out more than 85,000 of them since last spring. A second ticket runs 248 dollars. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The Ellensburg School Board is set to give Superintendent Troy Tornow a raise and a longer contract. The new deal runs through June 2029 and bumps his salary by 6,500 dollars, to 216,500. Tornow started as interim super

Looking ahead to the holiday, the City of Ellensburg and Kittitas County host a free America 250 Community Picnic Saturday, July 4th, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Unity Park LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The Ellensburg Public Library’s Summer Reading Program kicked off this week with a wide range of activities for kids and adults under the theme “Unearth a Story.” On Wednesday, July 22, kids will get to take shovels to a mountain of dirt to hunt for dinosaurs. While most of the childre

The Roslyn Public Library hosts its summer reading program, "Unearth a Story," at 11 this morning LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS A bankruptcy judge has cleared the way for Cle Elum to move forward. After a two-day hearing in May and more than two hours of argument this week, Judge Whitman Holt ruled from the bench that the city qualifies for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, overruling every objection from City Heights Holdings. City Heights is the developer still waiting on nea

The city is asking neighbors to let their lawns "go blonde" this summer. With the Yakima Basin in its fourth straight year of drought and mountain snowpack at just 36% of normal, Water Resources Manager Rebecca Springer told the council the city wants to cut peak summer water use by 10%. The voluntary "Go Blonde" campaign asks folks to keep lawns dormant but not dead — watering no more than three days a week, before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and fixing leaks within two days. Si

The 23rd annual Dachshunds and Friends on Parade returns to Unity Park this Saturday, June 20. Check-in and vendor shopping start at 9 a.m., the dogs march down Fourth Avenue through the farmers market at 10, and races and contests run until 2 p.m. New categories this year include best kisser and best smile. All breeds are welcome, and registration is required to compete. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The race to replace Congressman Dan Newhouse is crowded. Eleven candidates a

Want a word with the people who run the city? Two councilmembers will be at Rotary Park this Wednesday, June 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for "Coffee with City Council." LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The city of Ellensburg hosts its annual Juneteenth Community Celebration this Friday, June 19, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Unity Park. It's free and family-friendly, with a short opening program at 5 followed by live music and entertainment. Organizers say bring a lawn chair and stay a whil

Kittitas County 4-H is partnering with Be Crash Free to host a Dirt Bike Clinic on Friday, June 20th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The RideSafe Motorcycle Training Course is a hands-on four-hour program for youth ages 8 to 18 who want to learn safe dirt bike riding. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS Kittitas County Commissioner Cory Wright announced his resignation yesterday to accept the position of Executive Director of the Kittitas County Economic Development Partnership, a new county

Habitat for Humanity broke ground last week on three new homes in Ellensburg at 510 South Willow Street, across from Mountain View Park. The two-bedroom, one-bath homes — 975 square feet each — are expected to be finished by fall 2027. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS Habitat for Humanity broke ground last week on three new homes in Ellensburg at 510 South Willow Street, across from Mountain View Park. The two-bedroom, one-bath homes — 975 square feet each — are expected to be fi

A new dining destination has opened in Ellensburg: Yeay and Ta Grill is offering a new take on Asian cuisine. The Cambodian restaurant is offering a self-serve ramen bar — a place where patrons can stop, make their ramen and head out the door. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The Ellensburg City Council is taking a harder look at the roof over the Kittitas Valley Memorial Pool. The council agreed this week to commission a deeper review of the project, which carries a price tag of

The Ellensburg School District celebrated 18 retiring educators at last week's school board meeting with cupcakes and a lot of kind words. Among those wrapping up long careers: Marcy Matthews, who spent 40 years teaching business and technology at Ellensburg High School — she started on IBM Selectric typewriters and ended up teaching digital design. Lori Leach is also retiring after 36 years teaching math and PE, and Valley View Elementary principal Rob Moffat is stepping dow

It's also the last week to enter the Ellensburg Bike Month raffle. Download the free Adventure Lab app, log your rides, and pick up your raffle tickets at the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce Information Center through Friday. Prizes include a Catrike recumbent trike and gift cards to the Recycle Shop. -- LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS Cle Elum has more time to figure out how to pay its debts. A federal bankruptcy judge agreed to push the city's deadline from May 30 to July

The WSU Extension Master Gardeners hold their weekly Plant Diagnostic Clinic at 11:30 a.m. at The Armory — bring your sick plants and the volunteers will help you figure out what's wrong. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The Cle Elum City Council meets tonight to interview two candidates for an open seat on the seven-member council. Jessi Campbell, a longtime Cle Elum resident and Cle Elum Fire Department firefighter-EMT, and Sarah Hubbard, an associate director at Harvard Kenned

Looking ahead to next Tuesday, Seattle University professor and author Sonora Jha visits Central Washington University as part of the Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series. Jha will give a free craft talk at noon and a reading at 5:30 p.m. in Black Hall's Multicultural Center. Free lunch is served to people who come to the noon talk. Her novel "Intemperance" won a Washington State Book Award and was named a Best Book of 2025 by Library Journal. Both events include a Q&A and book

Ida Nason Aronica Elementary School is offering a free, full-day summer program for kids going into second through fifth grade. It's called DiscoverWorks. Sixty-three students are already signed up. The program runs June 22nd through July 30th and includes daily math and reading, breakfast, lunch, snacks, plus arts, science, sports, and field trips. Ellensburg is one of the few districts in Washington picked for the pilot year. Families should contact the school for registrat

Gallery One is hosting an Artist's Studio Tour this Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., featuring stained glass artist and photographer Julie Prather. Prather is a longtime Gallery One artist and the 2025 City Arts Treasure Award recipient. She has been making stained glass since 1974, and on Saturday she will open her art-filled home and studio to visitors and give several presentations about her work. Desserts, cheeses, and a special Prosecco drink will be served. Tickets a

There's a new spot for tacos and burritos in downtown Ellensburg. Abel Micheal Villa has moved his El Loco food truck into the brick-and-mortar space at 207 North Main Street, the location that sat empty after A Taste of India closed in December. Villa, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, ran the food truck in the Warrior's Quick Stop parking lot for five years before making the jump. His expanded menu adds guiso, tortas, soups, and seafood dishes like ceviche and aguachile to t

Quiet Cadence, the local horse-and-mental-health farm, has been picked to join Horses for Mental Health — an international fundraising campaign that brings together 130 organizations. Washington Rodeo Roundup Princesses Ana and Clara Jentges are serving as fundraising ambassadors for Quiet Cadence this month. LISTEN TO THE NEWS HERE NEWS The race to replace Greg Zempel as Kittitas County prosecuting attorney is shaping up to be a primary showdown. Three candidates have filed: