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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 261 |
| 1915 | 294 |
| 1916 | 303 |
| 1917 | 264 |
| 1918 | 37 |
303 stories
- Prohibition Raids Reach Benton County Cellars
A Hover couple is left in tears after the Sheriff enforces the state's dry laws on their home-made vintage.
- The Great Spirit’s Empty Promise
High waters on the Yakima River thwart a final fishing feast for the Yakima people, highlighting a long-standing struggle over treaty rights and resource access.
- The Prosser Court House Bond Scandal
Two county commissioners bypassed legal procedure and public objection to rush through a massive $125,000 bond issue, triggering an immediate lawsuit and a firestorm of local outrage.
- The Secret Courthouse Bond Deal Benton County Tried to Ram Through
Commissioners Clements and McNeill authorized $125,000 in bonds for a Prosser courthouse after a closed-door plan their own lawyer admitted was designed to keep taxpayers in the dark. A Kennewick lawsuit put the deal before Judge Grady.
- A Fifteen-Million-Dollar Gamble on the Horse Heaven Hills
Voters prepare for a high-stakes bond election to fund the irrigation of 50,000 acres, warning that defeat spells doom for the district.
- Rabid Coyotes Put the Whole Columbia Valley on Edge
State College confirmed hydrophobia in a hog’s head from a Richland-area ranch, prompting dog quarantines and warnings that unusually bold coyotes could spread the disease through the valley.
- The Battle for the Beer Ballot
With prohibition looming, Washington voters prepare to weigh in on the 'Beer Consumers' Act' while other radical initiatives fall flat.
- Irrigation Bond Election Halted by Corporate Standoff
Horse Heaven growers demand transparency as power company refuses to disclose critical water rights data for the $15 million project.
- The Battle for Kennewick’s Waterfront
A bitter civic argument erupts over a harbor expansion plan, pitting proponents of organized public infrastructure against critics who fear taxpayer-funded overreach.
- A Ruinous Gale Sweeps the Valley
A severe windstorm lays waste to orchards and hay crops in Finley, leaving farmers to survey the wreckage.
- Tragedy in the Fields: A Family Destroyed by Mental Illness
A young man, recently released from an asylum, murders his mother and brother in a sudden, violent break near Bridgeport.
- The Midnight Rail Raid in Kennewick
Law enforcement turns a routine freight train inspection into a high-speed chase, leaving hoboes running for their lives.
- Rabid Coyotes Terrorize Richland Farmers
A bold coyote invades a local ranch, biting livestock and triggering a community-wide alarm over a potential rabies outbreak.
- The $37,500 Handshake: How Benton County's Tax Crusaders Blessed a Courthouse Deal
Prosser's anti-tax league swore it would guard the public purse to the last janitor's salary. Then its own man changed his mind on Monday, and the Kennewick editor noticed where the $37,500 went.
- The County Agent, the Sugar Beet, and the Strawberry Harvest That Finally Went Right
In his 1916 annual report, county agriculturalist Lee M. Lampson chronicled a quiet revolution in Benton County — homegrown seed, revived sugar beets, cooperative buying, and the federal employment office that finally matched a thousand strawberry pickers to the ripening crop.
- The Indignation at the Oiled Road
Citizens hold an 'indignation meeting' to condemn the poor state of the road between Finley and Kennewick and the officials responsible for its maintenance.
- The Yakima River’s Winter Rampage
Ice jams cause the Yakima River to rise eight feet in hours, devastating local sheep flocks and prompting emergency concern.
- The Stockyards That Were Really About Raising the Value of Sand and Sagebrush
When Pasco promoters pushed stockyards at Ainsworth, Kennewick’s editor saw a railroad, a packer and owners of “practically worthless” land getting a public subsidy. He wanted no part of it.
- A Gasser, a Picnic, and a Promise: Kennewick Bets on Oil and Gas
Drillers pause to case off 400 feet of water, 85 people picnic at the well, and a Yakima promoter promises a franchise — and maybe oil — by summer.
- Strawberry Growers Demand Outside Leadership
Kennewick berry farmers reject local management, insisting on professional oversight from outside the region to stabilize the market.
- The Battle for the Strawberry Market
Kennewick strawberry growers attempt to end internal price-cutting by forming a unified marketing union.
- The Day the Wind Blew the Farm Away
A survey reveals that a five-acre plot of land near Finley has literally blown away, leaving only a fraction of an acre behind.
- The Town That Forgot to Define Its Borders
A paperwork blunder in Kennewick’s precinct boundaries leaves residents of three major additions accidentally disenfranchised, forcing a two-month delay for harbor elections.
- A Near-Fatal Jolt at the Haystack
A routine day of farm repairs turned into a brush with death when a derrick cable made contact with a power line near Finley.
- The Rules of the Road Come to Kennewick
As automobiles begin to dominate the streets, City Hall codifies the right of way, speed limits, and the requirement for headlights and mufflers.