This weekend's stormy weather led to multiple lightning-caused fires in the northwest forests of Kittitas County. Photo by Finn Gallagher
NEWS
Herion, Mills advance in judicial race
Matt Mills will face Chris Herion in the Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Position 1 general election. At the end of Tuesday’s counting, Mills led Margie Alumbaugh by 60 votes for second place behind Chris Herion. More votes were counted Thursday and Mills padded his advantage over Alumbaugh to 265 votes, 3,194 to 2,929. Herion leads the race with 4,019 votes. Results become official when the election is certified on Aug. 20.
Multiple fire starts over the weekend
Lightning sparked multiple fires in the northwest portion of Kittitas County this weekend. As of Sunday, there were five reported fires, with the Thomas Mountain Fire and the Stave Creek Fire the largest at 10 acres. Forest Service officials requested people recreating on Kachess Lake maintain a large distance from planes drafting water from the lake to fight the fires. The Thomas Mountain Fire was visible from the Suncadia resort. A fire near Ryegrass on Saturday reached six acres before it was contained and extinguished.
Work slated for Unity Park
With the Bull back in the park, work continues at Unity Park this week. City officials said 180 cubic yards of concrete, or 18 dump truck loads, will be placed in the park this week. Unity Park’s grand opening is set for October, but the park is supposed to be usable for the Hoedown in the Downtown at the end of August.
After-hours at Heritage Distilling
The Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce August after-hours event is from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Heritage Distilling in Roslyn. The event is open to the public, and all retail businesses are invited to join.
Help with financial aid forms
Central Washington University is offering a workshop to assist high school juniors and seniors in filling out the federal financial aid forms from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday at Samuelson Hall Room 170. A free dinner is included.
Cop of Top on Thursday
The Ellensburg Police Department’s annual Cop on Top event is from noon to 6 p.m., Thursday, at Fred Meyer. The event features law enforcement leaders "stranded" on the roof of Fred Meyer to draw awareness and raise donations for Special Olympics. All donations support Kittitas County athletes. This year's event includes raffle prizes and a hot dog BBQ. Back-to-school backpacks will be lowered from the roof for the first 150 kids attending the event. Goodie bags will also be lowered down for kids. Raffle tickets are $1 or $5 with different prizes for each level.
Women Build starts this week
Kittitas County Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build starts on Thursday. This event allows women to come together, learn new skills, and support local women homeowners. Group builds take place Thursday through Saturday, and individual builds will occur on Wednesdays through Aug. 30. Funds support the next six homes of the 18 being built at the Ellensburg Stuart Meadows site. Information is on the Kittitas County Habitat for Humanity Facebook page.
LUNCH
The FISH Open Table Lunch is spaghetti and meatballs, garlic green beans and applesauce. The lunch is open to all seniors age 60-plus from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Ellensburg, and noon to 1 p.m., in Cle Elum. Meal sites are the Ellensburg Open Table and the Cle Elum Seventh-day Adventist Church. The community lunch for anyone needing a hot meal is from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Ellensburg location.
WEATHER
The forecasted high today in Ellensburg is 85 degrees. Sunset is at 8:17 p.m., and the expected nighttime low is 58 degrees. Winds will be 20 to 35 mph.
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