Benton County News

A Grandview woman died early today after her car was hit head-on by another vehicle going the wrong way on Interstate 82 in Benton County near the Yakima County line, the Washington State Patrol reported.

A 30-year-old Kennewick man is in jail on $200,000 bail on charges he sexually assaulted a grade-school girl numerous times over 21/2 years.

There is no animal control center run by Benton County at this time. Local leaders have been talking for years to try and set one up.

Republican leaders will begin this week working to replace Bobbie Gagner as Benton County auditor.

The mail-in ballot takes some of the fun out of election day. Going to your polling place, chatting with poll workers and neighbors, and, best of all, getting the "I voted" sticker to proudly wear for the rest of the day -- the mail-in ballot just doesn't give you any of that.

Benton County Auditor Bobbie Gagner Announces she's retiring early. Gagner has been with the county for 34 years, and she's been the auditor since 1987.

Richland Housing Authority board members voted unanimously Thursday to turn its rental assistance voucher program over to the Kennewick Housing Authority starting in November.

A 5-month-old Pasco boy is the first confirmed child in the state to die from the swine flu, health officials said.

Deputy Prosecutor Scott Johnson is feeling a bit sentimental about what he's leaving behind but also looking forward to what's ahead.

The indefinite confinement of two child molesters has been upheld by the Washington Supreme Court, although in one case the offender had not committed any recent sexual violence.

The Pasco City Council voted Monday to replace its representative on the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments after a councilman misrepresented the city at a meeting last week.

Right now the Health District is keeping the vaccines at their Kennewick office under lock and key, but very soon they will go to area hospitals to complete the vaccination of our health workers.

Pasco's reluctance to join a multi-agency effort to determine the best place to put another bridge over the Columbia River "is throwing a curve ball" into a proposal to pay for the bridge siting study.

A Pasco man doing more than 16 years in prison for robbing a gas station kiosk is getting a new trial because a detective continued to question the suspect after he asked for an attorney.

Christopher Smart, the challenger, and Steve Young, the incumbent, are decades apart in age and experience as they vie in the Nov.

A fire at Big Toe Auto Salvage in Finley rips through 40 cars in the junk yard. Firefighters were called out at about 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Kennewick's only at-large city council seat has a longtime planning commissioner trying to replace a two-term incumbent.

The Community Lecture Series 2009-10 season will begin with some funky storytelling when Eva Abram weaves an engaging tale of where stories come from at 7 p.m. Oct.

A Richland man pleaded innocent Wednesday to allegations he continued to install satellite dishes while pocketing nearly $24,000 from the state for an on-the-job injury.

The FBI is investigating a fatal police shooting in Kennewick for a Justice Department review.