KONA News

All seven judges from the Benton-Franklin County Superior Court filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Franklin County Court Clerk Michael J. Killian. The suit is in response to a January 2018 order from the court requiring Benton and Franklin County Clerks to maintain paper files of all cases in their offices...

Benton County Fire District 4 holds an informational meeting Thursday evening to talk to residents about a proposed plan to add a 20 year, $7.5 million dollar bond on an upcoming ballot. The money would be used to build a new fire station in the western part of the district to cut down on response times and save more lives...

Oregon State Police are investigating an accident that left a motorcycle rider dead in Umatilla County on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. According to a press release from OSP, the accident was reported at about 2:15 p.m. Troopers responded to the accident at the I-84 overpass on SR 395 near milepost 12...

SEATTLE (AP) - Washington state's sales tax exemption for new electric vehicles is expected to end sometime this summer after efforts to extend the break stalled during the recent legislative session. The current exemption expires in June 2019 or once 7,500 electric vehicles have been registered with the state - whichever comes first...

SEATTLE (AP) - Officials say 250 animals have been seized from `deplorable' conditions on a farm south of Tacoma. KING-TV reports investigators took more than 250 animals, including miniature horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and approximately 200 birds into custody last week in Thurston County...

Fire crews put out a fire that caused extensive damage to a Pasco home but everyone was able to get out safely. Pasco Firefighters say when they arrived to the home off the 500 block of South Douglas Avenue Wednesday morning, the back side was fully involved in flames and a portion of the front of the home...

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The Spokane Police Department has fired an officer who was arrested on domestic violence charges last year. The Spokesman-Review reports that while criminal charges were dropped, an internal investigation found Officer John Scott had violated department policies...

A Seattle artist recently completed a 50-foot mural of the native Tri-Cities environment for a Richland elementary school. School officials say the painting was completed thanks to a grant from the Washington State Art in Public Places program...

SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) - Oregon wildlife officials were forced to trap and euthanize a cougar in response to several sightings of the animals in and around the town of Silverton. The Statesman Journal reports Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy says the cougar was euthanized because it was considered a "public safety risk...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's unemployment rate did not budge in February. The state Employment Department said Tuesday the jobless rate was 4.1 percent - the same as in December and January. The month saw strong job gains in retail, construction and health care...