GRANDVIEW – The Yakima Valley Fair & Rodeo is back on and returns to the community calendar of traditional summertime events with a limited, two-day, 4-H and Future Farmer of America livestock program, Thursday and Friday, August 12 & 13, 812 Wallace Way, Country Park Center.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Monday, April 12 that Yakima County will not have to roll back to Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan, although an upswing in the two data metrics used to determine eligibility requirements indicated cause for concern by officials last week.

The City of Sunnyside will be conducting the first of two annual water system flushings this month. This process is conducted in April and October each year.

The Sunnyside School District Board took official action and voted unanimously for the return of students into the classroom for face-to-face learning, five days per week on Monday, March 29.

An agreed understanding was reached at the March 22 Sunnyside City Council meeting between the City of Sunnyside and Yakima County District Court, regarding a new option for a DUI court program.

The March 22 Sunnyside City Council regular meeting addressed the need to fill the District 3 vacant council seat. As of the March 19 submission deadline for appointment there were only two individuals, Jose Mendoza and former Sunnyside Mayor Julia Hart, applied with one applicant possibly living outside of the District 3 boundaries.

Based on current federal, state and county health guidance, the Sunnyside School District reported they remain at a standstill as they anticipate new directives for reducing the six-foot to three-foot distance requirements, which may be released as early as this week during a reopening schools discussion at the Special Board Meeting at the SHS auditorium Monday evening.

The Yakima Valley was recently chosen to host a joint effort from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Washington Department of Health (DOH) and Emergency Management Division (EMD), to run a COVID-19 mass vaccination site.

There was much deliberation during the March 8 city council meeting regarding three Washington State House bills. The bills’ overarching theme: more police training and less use of force.

OLYMPIA — All counties are eligible for Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington reopening plan on March 22.