WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A Walla Walla woman has been identified after a fatal crash near the city Monday afternoon. It happened on SR 12 and Smith Road, about five miles east of Walla Walla City limits. According to the Washington State Patrol, Deborah Backous, 68, was driving her vehicle going west just before 4:30 p.m. when she drove off the road and hit the guardrail. Troopers who responded to the scene reported it appeared Backous then drove into the eastbound lane and went down an embankment when the vehicle finally came to a stop. Backous died at the scene. Authorities said she was not wea ..read more

WALLA WALLA CO., Wash. – The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health confirmed Friday it is investigating a suspected outbreak of bird flu in the area. According to information from the health department, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sent biologists to an area where a large number of sick or dead waterfowl were found. Samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories to get a confirmation. Health officials from the state said they suspect the birds were infected with the H5N1 strain, which is highly contagious among the bird population. Officials s ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health confirmed Friday a person has died of the flu in Walla Walla County. County health officials said the person was over the age of 65 and had a positive case of the flu. It is not known if the person was vaccinated. The health department said the last two years has had a decrease in deaths and cases of the flu, due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions. These precautions included wearing a mask, social distancing and staying home when sick. The department said this year, the flu has returned in high numbers. Much of that has t ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Walla Walla fire officials are investigating after a house fire early Tuesday morning. It happened just after 2:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Elm Street. Crews from Walla Walla Fire Stations 1 and 2 responded, as well as crews from Walla Walla County Fire District 4 and College Place Fire Department. Fire officials said when crews got to the scene, fire had spread throughout the single-story home and attic. It appeared the home was boarded up and no one was living there, according to firefighters at the scene. It took the crews a little more than half an hour to put ou ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A third person has been arrested in the killing of a Walla Walla man that happened back in July of 2022. The Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office said a 16-year-old boy was arrested by the Pasco Police Department on December 16. However, when the crime happened, authorities said the boy was 15. Authorities said human remains were found off Kibler Road northeast of Walla Walla on July 5, 2022. Those remains were later identified as Miguel Perez Barragan, 24, who was from the Tri-Cities area. Two others have been arrested in connection to this case. A 14-year-old boy and a 16 ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Police are looking for assistance in identifying a person who broke into the water treatment plant, Nov. 4 around 8:40 p.m. “Some people are a little bit worried about it, that maybe his intention was to get in there and do something with the water system,” said administrative sergeant, Gunner Fulmer. The man is accused of running down the security gate at the plant last month. He broke the gate down using a dark blue Ford F-150. The truck has four doors, running boards, a tool box and aftermarket wheels. The front of the vehicle is also damaged from the incident. The man ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Walla Walla fire officials have released the cause of a house fire that happened Thursday morning in the city. Firefighters were dispatched to the 300 block of Grape Street just after 6 a.m. and as they got to the scene, they reported they could see flames coming from the home. Walla Walla Fire Stations 1 and 2 responded and Walla Walla County Fire District 4 was also called to the scene to help out. Firefighters confirmed there was no one inside and everyone was able to leave the home, however, one person was taken to the hospital due to being hurt in the fire. At this po ..read more

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Washington Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr., the state trooper who was shot in the line of duty on September 22, met with the hospital staff and the 911 dispatchers who he credited with helping save his life. Trooper Atkinson was in his vehicle at the intersection of Avery Street and West Poplar Street just after 5 p.m. on Setember 22. Information released by the Special Investigations Unit back in September stated a vehicle being driven by Brandon O’Neel, 37, of Walla Walla, rammed into Atkinson’s patrol car. O’Neel then allegedly shot Trooper Atkinson and drove away from the s ..read more

WALLA WALLA , Wash. – A Walla Walla man has been charged in a fatal crash that killed a College Place man on December 2. Marco Estrada Garcia, 30, is charged with vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle without ignition interlock. His bail has been set at $100,000. According to new information released by the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office Monday, Estrada Garcia was driving his vehicle without an ignition interlock. An ignition interlock is a program run by the Washington State Patrol. It’s a device that is attached to the ignition of a vehicle and is designed to prevent a motor vehicle from ..read more

TRI-CITIES, Wash.– Eastern Washington and Oregon residents woke up to a blanket of snow. The First Alert Weather Team tracked some of the heaviest snow over Prosser, Benton City, Tri-Cities, Hanford and Walla Walla early Monday morning. What started as a light snow event Sunday quickly gained momentum overnight in some locations. By 7am, 1-2″ was unofficially reported in downtown Yakima, with 4-5″ coming in as early estimates from the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. Snow will continue to taper off during the mid-morning hours. Temperatures will be cold today, so plan on icy conditions tonight ..read more