Yakima County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a drive-by shooting at a residence in Toppenish Two male victims reported that two young males in a vehicle outside the residence made threats about harming the residents before driving off The suspects then returned and opened fire One of the victims said he returned fire from his backyard as the vehicle fled Deputies arrested Antonio Castaneda and his 14-year-old brother on charges of drive-by shooting and assault During Castaneda's preliminary hearing and I don't know if it will end up meeting what’s necessary for assault one I don't know where the state’s gonna go but there certainly is enough a drive by shooting and there's every reason to believe that there are bullets fired from the vehicle at home," said Swan and he currently remains in the Yakima County jail A court battle is heating up over a warming shelter in Central Washington The Yakama Nation is running a 24-hour shelter for people who are homeless The city of Toppenish wants to limit how often the shelter is open The Yakama Nation sued the city of Toppenish to be able to operate the Iniitnu’t Cold Winter Shelter for 24 hours a day District Court for the Eastern District of Washington granted a temporary restraining order allowing the shelter to continue its 24-hour schedule through Wednesday That’s when a hearing is set to decide the shelter’s hours “The need is very much there,” said Jaydin Howe “We have well over 300 of our unhoused relatives out there on the streets nontribal members stay at the shelter as well he said at least 115 people have taken advantage of the shelter’s services often housing 20 or 30 people a night and others during the day something that is kind of hard for them to come by,” Howe said This isn’t the tribe’s first go at a 24-hour shelter the Yakama Nation opened up a 24-hour warming shelter at its old police station and detention center the Yakama Nation began looking for a new spot to provide warm meals and beds for people this winter A building owned by the Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic had previously been used as a 24-hour shelter by a religious organization It’s located on the reservation in Toppenish “With dangerous temperatures expected this week we are out of time and must open the Iniitnu’t Cold weather Shelter for our collective community … We would prefer to be partners in this effort.” 18 letter that the building had “deficiencies.” Court documents show that included a lack of fire sprinklers and alarms The city didn’t want to be held liable for any injuries that might occur “If the building’s health and safety deficiencies were corrected we would be dealing with a much easier set of problems to solve,” Ford wrote the tribe said it installed alarms and fire extinguishers in each room as well as emergency exit maps near the fire extinguishers The building had previously been operated as a 24-hour shelter by the Sunrise Outreach Center of Yakima State laws “allow for religious organizations to use a building for a winter weather shelter but they would still need to comply with health and safety codes of the International Building Code International Property Maintenance Code and International Fire Code,” Timothy Smith The city of Toppenish didn’t respond to interview requests The tribe has also argued that as a sovereign the city of Toppenish doesn’t have authority on reservation land the timing changes for the shelter have confused employees and the people who need its services “ It’s kind of hard for our relatives on the street to build that trust if we can’t stay open and we can’t stay consistent,” Howe said When the shelter was only open for six hours a day he said they would have to kick people out Sorry.’  That was one of the hardest things.” Northwest Public Broadcasting Watch Online Listen Online Download KTNW Schedule Download KWSU Schedule Public Inspection Files FCC Applications About Us Contact Information Jobs Public Documents Who We Are Coverage Area Support Us Pledge Today Leadership Circle Vehicle Donation Estate Planning Business Support & Community Sponsor Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University.PO Box 642530 | Pullman WA 99164 E-Mail: info@nwpb.org | Phone: 1-800-842-8991 | Fax: 1-509-335-3772 Editorial Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use has temporarily closed its doors following a code violation A red sign on the restaurant's door reads "condemnation of the premises." 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Click to create a yakimaherald.com user account A Toppenish School District levy replacement is passing in Tuesday’s special election A total of 1,020 ballots have been counted which can be counted so long as they are postmarked by election day A simple majority is required for the measure to pass Ballots were mailed to more than 5,900 voters who reside in the school district on Jan Final election results will be certified on Feb Toppenish Superintendent Toron Wooldridge said the proposed levy would bring in around $12 million over four years for a wide variety of programs and services that are essential to the district School levies fund operating costs and programs that are not fully funded by the state and extracurricular activities like sports and music It also would fund school security enhancements If voters pass the proposed levy, the Toppenish School District will be eligible for another $24.8 million in levy equalization funding from the state The new levy will decrease the rate a homeowner in Toppenish pays in property tax is $3.21 per $1,000 of assessed home value per month The proposed levy would be a 71 cent decrease to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed home value per month and would last through 2029 Questen Inghram is a Murrow News Fellow at the Yakima Herald-Republic whose beat focuses on government in Central Washington communities. Email qinghram@yakimaherald.com or call 509-577-7674 Please select all the ways you would like to hear from us: You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails For information about our privacy practices We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device The City of Sunnyside has posted an update on Facebook regarding its ongoing technical outage which continues to impact internet and email services the ATF has likely completed its investigation into an alleged fire at a local fruit winery The City is awaiting authorization from the winery and its insurance provider before Yakima County technicians can begin repair work and utility payments can still be processed in person at City Hall City officials say they are exploring options to improve internet reliability including potential fiber access through the Sunnyside School District The cities of Sunnyside and Toppenish are experiencing significant service disruptions affecting digital and communication systems internet issues tied to a broader Yakima County provider outage have impacted city email and online services The situation has been further complicated by an ongoing investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into a recent fire Sunnyside officials said utility payments can still be made in person phone lines are currently down at City Hall as well as the police and fire departments City crews are working to repair the damaged lines but there is no estimated timeline for when full service will be restored Officials in both cities have thanked residents for their patience and say they will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available A state investigation has uncovered 66 alleged safety violations by Cascade Natural Gas following a September 2023 liquefied natural gas (LNG) fire in Toppenish that killed one person and injured another According to a news release issued earlier this month by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) Pipeline Safety staff the commission recommended a $5,668,595 penalty against the Kennewick-based utility during an LNG transfer at a temporary fueling site a Southern Pines Trucking driver pulled away from the active transfer too early resulting in the release of approximately 83 barrels of LNG The gas formed a vapor cloud that ignited after coming into contact with a nearby ignition source The fire led to fatal injuries for 62-year-old Earnest D a contractor on-site who died two days later despite receiving medical care but did not result in further injuries or reported environmental harm The commission’s staff alleges that Cascade Natural Gas failed to follow multiple safety protocols including properly securing equipment and adhering to emergency procedures Investigators say these violations contributed to the release and ignition of the LNG The commission will review the complaint and evidence before making a final decision on the recommended penalty Cascade Natural Gas did not respond to a request for comment Toppenish-area voters will be receiving ballots to vote to replace a school district levy during the Feb "I'm glad that voters will get the opportunity to be informed and make a decision," Toppenish Superintendent Toron Wooldridge said of the proposed levy Wooldridge said the proposed levy would net the district around $12 million over the course of four years which would be used for a wide variety of programs and services that are essential to the district If voters would pass the proposed levy, the Toppenish School District would be eligible for another $24.8 million in levy equalization funding from the state The new levy would be a decrease in the amount a homeowner in Toppenish has to pay the average home value in Toppenish is nearly $264,000 The current levy costs the average homeowner $858 annually It would go down to $660 annually under the proposed levy Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross said in an email Ballots will go out to the over 5,900 voters that reside in the school district on Jan Ballots must be dropped off or postmarked by 8 p.m Editor's note: This article was updated to clarify comments by Wooldridge This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, email news@yakimaherald.com — The city of Toppenish has been awarded $1 million from the Washington State Public Works Board to address emergency improvements at its wastewater treatment plant The funding comes after a sludge pipe burst under pressure in February prompting the city to seek an emergency grant Executive Director of the Washington State Public Works Board explained the grant's purpose: "It's available for local governments when public works projects are made necessary by a natural disaster or an immediate and emergent threat to the public health and safety due to an unforeseen or unavoidable circumstance." The grant comprises a $500,000 loan at 0.86% interest and a $500,000 grant which Toppenish will use to address the plant's issues highlighted the financial challenges faced by small cities like Toppenish but trying to make those improvements and stay ahead has been a real challenge," Ford said "What we experienced was we had some pieces of equipment that failed on us Treatment plants are built with backup systems Ford emphasized the necessity of the repairs "The wastewater treatment plant is not something that we can choose to fix or not fix and the last thing we want to do is further burden the citizens with those costs Ford noted the unusual nature of the pipe failure it's pretty rare to have a pipe fail in the way that it has As far as the paying off of the loan aspect The Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources is working with researchers at the UW Smart Transportation Applications & Research (STAR) Lab and AIWaysion to study the deadliest intersections with the help of Mobile Unit for Sensing Traffic sensors funded by the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium sends real-time information like vehicle volume and speed weather conditions and the presence of pedestrians it can send out a warning and alert traffic engineers The sensor could also clarify the need for more emergency services and inform traffic safety measures The state is planning on installing several roundabouts along Highway 97 this year See also: How a UW-created sensor is making roads safer for the Yakama Nation and Washington drivers Email: magazine@uw.edu Paul RuckerPublisherJon MarmorEditorHannelore SudermannManaging EditorShin Yu PaiStaff WriterCaitlin KlaskDigital EditorJason ClarkArt DirectorAbout UW MagazineUW Magazine is published four times a year in March A quarterly e-newsletter with additional digital content is emailed in October Subscribe and manage your subscription © 2025 University of Washington | Seattle © 2025 University of Washington | Seattle The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency plans to cancel the lease for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office in Toppenish The lease is set to expire on September 30th This decision is part of a broader effort to reduce federal spending with the department targeting over $660 million in savings by ending leases nationwide Representative Jared Huffman expressed concern over the impact of these cuts noting that many of these offices are already underfunded and understaffed “Closing these offices will further erode services like public safety and housing assistance—services that tribal nations rely on for their well-being and self-determination,” Huffman said in a written statement While no additional BIA offices in Washington state are impacted other lease cancellations are planned in states such as Arizona the Department of Government Efficiency’s “Wall of Receipts” proposes ending the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office lease in Yakima The Yakama Nation and the city of Toppenish settled a lawsuit regard Iniitnu’t Cold Weather Shelter resolving the city’s concerns about liability and opening the door to a future permanent shelter The settlement did not require either party to pay and was a good compromise “There’s oftentimes room for people to make a compromise and that’s what was done here,” Heid said The settlement allows the Yakama Nation to operate the shelter for years to come with an eye on developing a permanent shelter on Yakama Nation-owned land in the next five years The Yakama Nation operated the 50-bed cold weather shelter on First Avenue in Toppenish for 24 hours a day during the winter giving homeless community members a place to stay during dangerously cold temperatures City officials initially tried to limit the shelter to operating six hours a day citing concerns about building code violations The city was concerned about liability risks and lawsuits and sued the Yakama Nation Yakama Nation attorneys said even though the shelter building was owned by the Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ Clinic it was in the Yakama Nation and therefore subject to its authority noting the Yakama Nation’s inherent sovereignty on the Yakama Reservation when it comes to the winter weather shelter It also says the Yakama Nation will provide liability insurance coverage to the city if it is named in a lawsuit related to the shelter’s operation It adds that the city will send representatives to meet with the Yakama Nation annually and submit letters of support to the Yakama Nation as it pursues a permanent shelter In a hearing on Jan. 14 both sides said providing safe housing was important during the winter Dimke asked the city and the Yakama Nation to communicate better and go to mediation Heid said they were able to reach an agreement after several meetings “For something that could have been a big fight in court Jasper Kenzo Sundeen can be reached at jsundeen@yakimaherald.com and welcome to another edition of Rent Free we cover the battle between tribal government sovereignty and local land use law the shortcomings of common antieviction policies and a potential boom in modular housing construction Yet another homeless shelter has had to go to court to protect its ability to shelter people from the elements Dimke issued a temporary restraining order preventing the city of Toppenish from limiting the hours of operations of a cold weather shelter operated by the Yakama Nation tribal government in the town "We are thankful that the Court's decision allows us to continue providing heat and shelter for our unhoused Yakama Members, as well as anyone else who needs shelter services in our Yakama Reservation Community," Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis said in a statement to the Yakima Herald-Republic The Yakama Nation's plan to open a 50-bed shelter in a building owned by a local Toppenish nonprofit had been in the works since September You are reading Rent Free from Christian Britschgi and Reason Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The initial plan had been to open the shelter on November 20 and operate it 24 hours a day during the cold winter months In the months leading up to that open date the Yakama Nation had met multiple times with city officials to outline their plans and address any of the city's concerns the city didn't formally support or oppose the new shelter But a few days prior to the shelter's opening Toppenish's city manager sent the nation a letter saying that city regulations prevented the warming center from operating for more than six hours a day the Yakama Nation told the city that its rights under an 1855 treaty with the federal government prevented the city from regulating its shelter the Yakama Nation went ahead with its planned 24-hour operations When the city continued to try to restrict the shelter's operations, the Yakama Nation sued in the U.S demanding preliminary and permanent injunctions preventing Toppenish from regulating its shelter Limiting the shelter's operations to just six hours a day "directly threaten the health and safety of enrolled Yakama Members, and therefore threaten the political integrity, health, and welfare of the Yakama Nation," reads the lawsuit The city had been given until last Tuesday to respond to the nation's lawsuit Judge Dimke issued a temporary restraining order that would allow the shelter to open for 24 hours Dimke cited the below-freezing winter temperatures as evidence of irreparable harm that would result if the shelter weren't allowed to open all day She demurred on granting more permanent injunctive relief until the city responded to the nation's lawsuit Local land use regulations often frustrate homeless shelters' ability to serve people in need Recently, Rent Free covered the case of Kalispell, Montana, attempting to shut down the local Flathead Warming Center right as it was about to open for its winter season. Earlier this month, the warming center won a preliminary injunction allowing it to open while its lawsuit against the city plays out A new working paper on residential evictions finds that the costs of eviction are high to a landlord that landlords frequently offer temporarily delinquent renters forbearance agreements as a result and that the most common tenant protection policies likely do little to ultimately prevent evictions The paper authored by researchers at Yale University and the University of Chicago and uploaded to the National Bureau of Economic Research website this month found that an eviction typically costs a landlord two to three months' rent As a result "landlords usually allow tenants to default for multiple months before incurring the costs of eviction and the majority of evictions involve tenants who are persistent non-payers," researchers wrote is that common tenant protections like short-term rental assistance and increased eviction filing fees do little to alter a landlord's decision to pursue an eviction If a landlord expects a tenant is unlikely to ever pay rent again they'll be unmoved by the government providing short-term rental aid and undaunted by the costs of a lengthy eviction process they're going to want their nonpaying tenant out if a landlord expects a tenant will return to paying rent short-term rental aid or a yearlong eviction process is only a secondary deterrent to them pursuing an eviction They were already willing to work out a deal Researchers argue that a primary effect of these tenant protection policies is to keep nonpaying tenants who'll eventually be evicted in a unit for longer Affordable, mass-produced modular housing that's snapped together onsite is a decades-old dream that always seems just out of reach. One of the nation's largest apartment builders might be making mass modular housing a reality. The Wall Street Journal reports: Greystar Real Estate Partners on Monday is opening a six-building modular apartment complex project assembled using this alternative construction method aiming to combat the chronic delays of traditional developments making it one of the largest multifamily modular projects in the U.S Findlay is the first property developed at Greystar's modular factory in Knox The developer has six more modular projects in its U.S pipeline that will also be built at the Knox site transported to the final building site and then stacked on top of each other like jumbo Lego blocks Proponents say this type of building can be completed faster using fewer workers and with materials that can be purchased at a bulk discount You can read some of Rent Free's past coverage of the ups and downs of the manufactured housing industry here Rent Free is a weekly newsletter from Christian Britschgi on urbanism and the fight for less regulation Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Christian Britschgi is a reporter at Reason Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Fire officials said the fire is a reminder for people to have working smoke detectors in their homes A 32-year-old man was killed when the camp trailer he was living in outside Toppenish was destroyed in a fire Tuesday morning Yakima County Fire District 5 crews were called to 8750 Larue Road shortly before 8 a.m Firefighters found the trailer engulfed in fire according to a news release from the fire district Yakama Nation Tribal Police said two people living in the trailer were able to get out Chief Deputy Yakima County Coroner Marshall Slight said Hanson Fire officials said one of the trailer’s residents was using candles to heat the trailer but the fire’s origin is not known at this time Reach Donald W. Meyers at dmeyers@yakimaherald.com A pedestrian was killed near Toppenish Tuesday night after being hit by three cars A pedestrian was killed Tuesday night near Toppenish after being hit by three cars The unidentified man was walking on State Route 22 west of Casey Road around 4:50 p.m when three eastbound vehicles approached Casey Road and hit the pedestrian according to a Washington State Patrol news release of Toppenish stopped his 2015 Toyota Corolla at the site Troopers are considering the first driver to be the suspect in the case Chief Yakima County Deputy Coroner Marshall Slight said the person had not been identified as of Wednesday morning Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Yakima County Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at https://yhne.ws/crimestoppers — Solarity Credit Union will relocate its Toppenish branch to Union Gap in 2025 as part of an effort to better serve more members and expand both consumer and business banking opportunities in the area While the new Union Gap location is still being chosen Members can continue to use the drive-up and exterior ATM for transactions during this time The move is aimed at improving access for members and enhancing banking services in the growing Union Gap area The Toppenish City Council voted 6-1 in December to approve the city’s 2025 budget which includes significant cost-saving measures to address financial challenges The $29.8 million budget reduces the general fund deficit to $350,000 a major improvement from the $1.4 million shortfall anticipated last year achieving this reduction required eliminating staff positions and cutting funding for several programs Key changes include the removal of the fire chief and grounds maintenance technician positions The fire and police departments will also merge into a single Public Safety Department The police chief will take on the role of public safety director with captains serving as deputy chiefs for both divisions and sometimes the uncertainty is extremely scary for everyone,” said Mayor Elpidia Saavedra “But we will continue to work together to ensure our city is safe and stable While parks services are not entirely eliminated they have been scaled back to minimal levels “It was very humbling for me to try to find some funding for our pool,” said Saavedra and local organizations are all struggling to ensure they also are working within their budgets.” Mayor Pro Tem Loren Belton noted that approving the budget was a necessary step for the city we have to move into the year with a balanced budget But just because we move into January with this budget does not mean we stop seeking revenue and funds for these operations.” City officials expressed their gratitude to staff and departments for their cooperation during the budget process and emphasized their ongoing commitment to finding additional funding to support affected services “We’re trying to ensure everybody is taken care of in the long term,” Saavedra added The Toppenish Police Department has reduced its office hours and made staffing cuts due to a city-wide budget deficit though officers will remain on patrol 24/7 The department’s new office hours will be Monday Toppenish Police Captain John Schwarder reassured the community that the department is committed to public safety and if anyone needs to reach a police officer in Toppenish the department has temporarily relocated to a different building with plans to move to a permanent facility later this year Ezequiel Morfin has resigned from his position on the Toppenish City Council after just one year who was appointed to fill the Position 4 seat in March 2024 announced his resignation on March 12 through a post on Facebook I inform you that I have stepped down from city council due to a medical emergency situation that my family and I encountered unexpectedly and I have to address to protect my family’s well-being,” Morfin wrote Despite stepping down from his council duties Morfin expressed plans to continue collaborating with local and state organizations the city is now accepting applications to fill the vacant Position 4 seat The appointee will serve until November 25 unless elected to the position during the next election applicants must be registered voters in Toppenish have lived in the city for at least one year prior to the appointment and not hold another public office or be employed by the city Toppenish School District voters will decide on the replacement of a school levy during this month's special election Toppenish Superintendent Toron Wooldridge said the proposed levy would net the district around $12 million over the course of four years If voters pass the proposed levy, the Toppenish School District would be eligible for another $24.8 million in levy equalization funding from the state Noemi Salazar Perez (driver) and Jesus Sanchez Rosales were driving to the intersection of Branch Road and US-97 According to Washington State Patrol Perez “failed to yield the right of way” to Berzain Santiz Santiz and Martin Entzin Gomez driving north on US-97 Santiz in his 2015 Chrysler 200 hit Perez’s BMW killing Perez and injuring Rosales and Gomez Santiz then fled the scene on foot and was taken into custody shortly after the accident Rosales and Gomez were transported to Yakima Memorial Hospital November is Native American Heritage Month different events celebrate these communities Heritage University will host the award-winning actor Adam Beach in Toppenish His visit is closing out the university’s events recognizing the Native American communities’ contributions Beach will share his childhood experiences on the Dog Creek First Nation Reserve in Manitoba Beach is a member of the Saulteaux First Nation He is known for his characters in movies like “Smoke Signals” and “Suicide Squad.” Beach was also featured on the TV series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” Julia Polk is the director of Retention in Students Affairs at Heritage University just trying to go back to those communities where he can continue to plant the seed for other young generations to want to believe in their dreams,” Polk said faculty and staff before his public presentation media relations coordinator at Heritage University Beach is also an advocate for Indigenous people and a motivational speaker “He’s going to be doing a lot of talking about himself but sharing the possibilities they [young people] can see possibilities for themselves as he saw possibilities for himself,” said Mance The event will be at the Smith Family Hall from 11:00 a.m The best local sports coverage in the region — City leaders in Toppenish are developing a Transportation Safety Action Plan and asking residents to help identify dangerous intersections and suggest improvements Several high-risk areas have already been identified Proposed solutions include enhanced crosswalk markings The goal of the plan is to improve street safety while positioning the city to secure future grant funding to address these issues “We were hoping that the public would come and provide us what they felt were some critical transportation issues associated with safety both from a motor vehicle standpoint and a pedestrian standpoint as well really important,” said City Manager Dan Ford The draft plan is expected to be completed in March and finalized by June Citizens are encouraged to share feedback through the city’s website or Facebook page The City of Toppenish and the Yakama Nation have reached a settlement in a lawsuit concerning the Iniitnu't Cold Weather Shelter a move that ensures the shelter will remain open and sets the foundation for a permanent facility in the future The agreement follows months of legal disputes and negotiations. the cold weather shelter provides 24-hour emergency housing for homeless individuals during the winter months “We worked out some language that ultimately made its way into this agreement but we’ve also addressed the immediate issues for this year,” said Dan Heid City officials had initially proposed limiting the shelter’s operating hours to just six hours a day and raised concerns about building code violations including the absence of a sprinkler system the Yakama Nation asserted that the shelter though housed in a building owned by the Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ Clinic operated under its jurisdiction and authority “We addressed those concerns in the agreement The tribe will provide an insurance policy that protects the city in the event of a lawsuit we acknowledged that this shelter is a project the tribe is running under its jurisdiction The settlement also outlines plans for a permanent shelter with an expected completion date within the next five years the shelter will continue to provide support to the community “I anticipate that once the tribe identifies a permanent location the services will be more consistent and better aligned with the community’s needs,” Heid said Both parties have agreed to collaborate more closely in the future including holding annual meetings to address shared concerns it ended with an agreement that both sides can be comfortable with The agreement lays the groundwork for a stronger working relationship between the City of Toppenish and the Yakama Nation ensuring both parties are aligned on future goals and responsibilities The Yakama Nation declined to comment on the settlement stating that they are not engaging in public discussion at this time.