NCWLIFE Evening News

• Pybus Public Market is currently preparing for the annual Taste of Pybus fundraiser that supports its foundation.• The Wenatchee City Council has scheduled a roundtable discussion on Thursday to discuss the banner application process that ended up excluding Pride banners that would normally be displayed in June.• A 23-year-old man was arrested in Moses Lake for allegedly hitting multiple parked cars while driving drunk early this morning.

• Construction of the Confluence Parkway project has reached a major milestone. Last week marked a full year since construction began.• A brush fire burning near Highway 24 in Grant County burned an estimated 2,200 to 2,500 acres Sunday night before crews gained control Monday morning. • Candidates for public office in Chelan and Douglas counties filed for this year's elections with numerous races in contention.

• New research from Washington State University shows that renewable natural gas can be extracted from sewage, while also reducing the cost to treat the material.• A 78-year-old former resident of Grant County was sentenced Wednesday to two and a half years in federal custody for assuming the identity of a Vietnam veteran.• After a year’s hiatus, the Two Rivers Medieval Faire is back this weekend at the Chelan County Expo Center in Cashmere.

•  The Malaga man who allegedly fired a gunshot during a January home invasion was formally arraigned yesterday on a count of attempted murder.• U.S. Representative Kim Schrier was in Wenatchee this morning to highlight federal funding she helped secure for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.• Chelan County has paid $15,000 to a deputy with the sheriff's office, as part of a settlement over a public records lawsuit.

• A wine production facility in Grant County went up in flames Tuesday, with an estimated 4.5 million gallons of wine inside. • In a case that stems from a 2004 murder in Grant County, the Washington Supreme Court ruled today that criminals cannot seek to vacate their convictions until after they’re released from prison.• The state of Washington declared today its reliance on snowpack for its water supply is now an obsolete strategy.

• A home caught fire this morning in Malaga, killing a dog and displacing a family of four. • Elected commissioners of two NCW utilities are now serving on the board of Energy Northwest, the joint operating agency for Washington’s 28 public power districts and municipal electric services.• At Centennial Park today, a small group gathered to march and bring attention to the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People.

• A three-vehicle collision on Highway 97 late Friday killed two motorists and a 20-year-old passenger, leaving the road impassable until early Saturday.• Authorities have charged a Malaga man with attempted murder and related charges, stemming from a January home invasion and robbery in Wenatchee.• The Colville Tribes have received a gift of just over 22 acres of land along the Methow River.

• The 53-year-old man found dead in his cell Sunday at the Chelan County Regional Justice Center has been identified.• U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum made a commitment yesterday to build a new, permanent access road in Stehekin during a Senate committee hearing.•  The annual delegation from Misawa, Japan has arrived in the Wenatchee Valley, just in time for the climax of the Apple Blossom Festival.

• A Monday shooting in the town of Brewster left one man wounded and four juvenile suspects in custody. • Starting in October, air travelers can enjoy a new, nonstop flight out of Pangborn Memorial Airport to Portland.• The man who killed a Moses Lake mother of three will serve at least 20 years in prison for the crime.

• Two Wenatchee Valley men serving time in separate felonies have failed to overturn the conditions of their sentences.• A Wenatchee man who was among those arrested in the 2024 Net Nanny sting operation targeting people seeking to pay for underage sex has entered a guilty plea.• Candidates for public office will need to file with their county auditor’s office for this year’s primary and general elections, starting next week on May 4.

• Music, culture, food and history all came together at the Wenatchee Convention Center Friday night, where hundreds gathered for a record-breaking game of Lotería.• East Wenatchee police say two men were stabbed last night in the 800 block of North Baker Avenue in the parking lot of an apartment complex.• Another Wenatchee Valley city will go without the banners that typically adorn the streets for Pride Month each June. 

 Special edition of NCWLIFE Evening News on location kicking of apple blossom 2026

• Dressed in tiny uniforms and shiny badges, the new chiefs For A Day were appointed at noon today as part of the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival’s kickoff event.• Wenatchee resident George Crater Jr. is guilty on all counts in the 2024 murder of his tenant in a suburban Phoenix vacation home. •  A fundraising dinner thrown by one local ski area to benefit another brought in more than $7,000 last week. 

•  Geothermal energy could soon be developed in North Central Washington.•  One of the member tribes of the Colville Reservation has won a Canadian court case reinforcing its heritage in British Columbia.• Wenatchee High School wants the community to come inside. The Wenatchee School District is currently proposing a $295 million bond that would build a new high school and address failing HVAC systems in seven other schools.

• Two people are dead after a hit-and-run accident Sunday evening in Moses Lake evolved into a high-speed chase.• An East Wenatchee man who fired a handgun in the Wenatchee Valley Mall parking lot in September 2024 was sentenced in federal court last week to nearly 18 years in prison. • A new monument outside the Chelan County courthouse ensures even visually-impaired Americans can remain connected to their country’s flag.

• The national union representing U.S. Forest Service employees says the Trump Administration’s plan to reorganize the agency is an attempt to illegally carry out a reduction-in-force.• The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will soon begin conducting house inspections for disaster aid applicants in Chelan County, and throughout Washington.•  A man convicted of child rape in 2022 has failed for the second time to overturn his case.

•Five contestants over 55 years of age faced off last night in the 2nd annual Granny Apple Pageant, hosted by Colonial Vista Senior Living.•The murder trial of a Wenatchee man has entered its fourth week in Phoenix, Arizona, where George W. Crater Jr. is accused of fatally beating and torturing a tenant in his vacation home who fell behind on rent.•The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is asking for public assistance to identify a person who was at Highlander Golf Course when a burglary alarm went off.

• A fire broke out this morning at the Pointe Pest Control building in Wenatchee, and first responders believe it was human-caused.• The U.S. Forest Service announced today it was issuing $248 million in Secure Rural Schools payments for 2025.• A Wenatchee man originally charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse has now pleaded to reduced charges, after the Chelan County prosecutor’s office mishandled and delayed the release of evidence to his lawyers.

• President Donald Trump approved federal funding for several counties and tribal communities in Washington state following the disastrous December floods.• Detectives are investigating after a human body was found in Crab Creek in southwestern Grant County. • The Washington Department of Transportation is considering improvements to a two-mile stretch of Highway 97A outside of Chelan for bike and pedestrian safety.

• Opponents of Washington’s new millionaire tax have launched a court challenge to overturn it, and a Chelan County couple are among the plaintiffs.• An unidentified person is dead following a Monday rollover collision that ejected both occupants from the vehicle. • A Bridgeport woman convicted of stabbing a convenience-store clerk in the face received a nine-month sentence yesterday in Douglas County court.

• t’ll be at least another 200 days before the W.T. Clark Pipeline Bridge reopens to foot and bicycle traffic.• The driver in the November auto crash that killed two East Wenatchee boys must stand trial for vehicular homicide this summer.• The U.S. Department of Energy has  withdrawn its court effort to enforce rescind a policy that would have capped reimbursement for Washington’s state energy programs today.

• Five Grant County men were among seven arrested on April 1st when they allegedly sought to patronize sex workers in an Adams County sting operation.• Fifteen pieces of art created by North Central Washington students will be shown in Olympia this month after being named “Best of Show” in a local contest.• A Chelan man is suspected of attempting to break into an apartment and assaulting a deputy who responded to the call.

•  Residents in parts of North Central Washington should prepare to see smoke this week and possibly throughout the month as the U.S. Forest Service and partner agencies carry out prescribed burns.•  Chelan County sheriff's deputies say a man was rescued from Roses Lake north of Manson after his kayak overturned this morning.• Arbor Day doesn’t take place until the end of this month, but in the Wenatchee Valley, you can get ahead of the holiday by picking up your tree or shrub this weekend.

•Another round of youthful, would-be legislators can now apply for seats on the Wenatchee Junior City Council.•Campaign fundraising North Central Washington's state and local campaigns has taken off, with early numbers showing both tight races and major gaps.•Mosquito populations are rising in the Northwest, as is the threat of diseases they carry. 

• This morning, Lee Elementary School students and staff organized a parking lot parade to support the school’s principal, Jamea Connor, in her fight against breast cancer.• Okanogan County has a new sheriff. Jodie Barcus took the oath of office yesterday, becoming the first woman sheriff to preside over law enforcement in that county.• The foothills trails around Wenatchee have reopened for the season, and you and your dog are encouraged to get out and enjoy nature this weekend.

• Tony Lee Harriman, an 84-year-old retired Air Force veteran, is riding his recumbent bike from coast to coast, to encourage support for homeless veterans.• The active-duty Army specialist accused of gunning down two women and wounding three other people has pleaded not-guilty a second time, this time in military court.•  Testimony began this week in Phoenix, Arizona, in the murder trial of a Wenatchee man accused of killing his tenant.

• Chelan County sheriff’s deputies say an attempt to stop a speeding minivan outside Malaga turned into a high-speed chase Tuesday, in which the driver crashed into a ditch with two passengers on board.• Yesterday, the Eastmont School District lost its second portable classroom in the last three years to fire, and investigators say an air conditioning unit may be to blame.• Winter hibernation is finally over for one of Chelan County’s most distinctive art exhibits.

• A former custodian at Sterling Junior High in East Wenatchee will serve a year in jail for sexually abusing a 15-year-old student.•A Bridgeport woman who stabbed a convenience-store clerk in the face last fall was convicted by a jury last week of second-degree assault.• The 2026 Rails & Ales festival and rail jam competition helped usher out the winter on March 11th

• In Chelan County Superior Court yesterday, the driver in a 2025 crash that killed two youth passengers appeared on charges of vehicular homicide.• A Brewster physician must spend a year in federal prison and pay more than $400,000 dollars for providing patients with recalled and potentially unsafe medical devices.• An East Wenatchee man has been subpoenaed to give testimony in an Arizona courtroom in the murder trial of his own brother.

• The state’s Department of Labor & Industries is looking into two job site accidents in Chelan County, one of which killed a contract utility worker at Lake Chelan.• Douglas County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a case of drive-by gunfire in the area of Bridgeport.•  Next week, bike advocates and traffic engineers from around the state will gather for the Washington Bike Walk Roll Summit at the Wenatchee Convention Center.

• In Phoenix, Arizona, trial is set to commence next week for a Wenatchee man charged with murder.• An East Wenatchee man who previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence was arrested for allegedly breaking into a home to confront his prior victim.• The Chelan city council is losing one member due to health reasons.

•  Traffic crossing the George Sellar Bridge between Wenatchee and East Wenatchee was held up for public safety reasons today, after a person climbed to the peak of the bridge carrying a bicycle, and then tied the bike to the American flag.• Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted at airports around the country, but will not be coming to East Wenatchee’s air travel hub.• An initiative called ‘Pages of Redemption’ is bringing paperback books to county jails across Washington state.

• A Moses Lake man was sentenced last week to 35 years in federal prison for sexually abusing children and creating videos of the abuse.• In May 2025, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker were reported missing after their father, Travis Decker, failed to return them from a scheduled visitation.• The Behavioral Health Unit of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has secured nearly $55,000 in grant funding to support program growth without utilizing county funds.

• The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its animal partners. The agency announced yesterday that K-9 Elsa had passed away after a sudden medical emergency.• The Grant County Health District announced yesterday that it was notified of two confirmed measles cases in children this week.•Wenatchee High School’s Mock Trial Team is heading to Tacoma this weekend for its annual statewide competition.

• The Women’s Service League of NCW is giving away over 1,000 prom dresses to high school girls this Saturday and Sunday.• We’ve reported on the weekend death of Kasey Jo Emery of Chelan, who died Saturday after the SUV she was a passenger in struck the rear of an ambulance on Highway 97A.•The Small Business Administration opened a temporary office in Leavenworth last week, aimed at helping residents recover after the December storms. 

• East Wenatchee City Hall was briefly closed Monday night after a suspicious briefcase prompted a bomb squad investigation.• Okanogan County has begun the search for a new sheriff, after the resignation two weeks ago of Sheriff Paul Budrow.• Each year, the Cascadia Conservation District hosts its “Picture Chelan County” photo contest, with winning work selected to grace the nonprofit’s annual calendar.

• A 24-year-old Chelan woman is dead after the SUV she was riding in slammed into an ambulance Saturday, and the driver now faces a charge of vehicular homicide.• A residential structure fire in the town of Bridgeport last week brought aid from surrounding fire agencies.• The Chelan County Commissioners will hold a joint community meeting at the end of the month to provide updates on their districts.

• The Washington State Legislature adjourned Thursday, concluding its regular session with a collection of bills that will impact North Central Washington, including the much-discussed "millionaire's tax.”• The Wenatchee School District plans to cut $2.5 million from its budget for the 2026-2027 school year — less than half of the amount that was originally expected.• At Wenatchee High School, students and parents gathered yesterday for a third annual Migrant Family Night.

•  A former Chelan County Community Development employee is suing the county, alleging the department was a "hostile work environment" where she endured "on-the-job sexual assault."• Multiple people were injured in a three-car crash yesterday afternoon near Leavenworth. • Local utility districts struggled with wind-related power outages that began early this morning.

• Three Wenatchee Valley fifth graders got a big surprise today as the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival announced its 2026 Junior Royalty Court at Mission View Elementary• The Stehekin Valley is once again at risk for flooding as it braces for more rain and snowmelt this week.• The former Moses Lake physician accused of wounding a U.S. Marshal in a Florida shootout has now been formally charged.

• The Wenatchee Valley Humane Society is launching a partnership with East Wenatchee to trap and neuter feral cats that are living in the community.• Rescue workers teamed up to help a 42-year-old dirt biker who collapsed on a Saturday excursion up Tripp Canyon outside Cashmere.• Governor Bob Ferguson has signed the first tranche of bills to pass the Washington Legislature during this session, with more scheduled to receive his signature tomorrow.

• Columbia Valley Community Health has opened its new Youth Behavioral Health clinic in Wenatchee, designed to meet the needs of teens and young adults ages 13 to 25.• Two homes were struck by gunfire in the Bridgeport Bar area early Sunday morning, in what authorities believe is gang-related activity.•A 55-year-old Moses Lake man must serve 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to methamphetamine trafficking.

• A former Moses Lake physician was wounded and is now in custody after a police shootout in Florida, where he was arrested for an alleged sexual assault.• The National Park Service says it’s making federal funds available to partially rebuild the crucial road serving Stehekin.• Several Washington state legislators voted in favor of a war powers resolution meant to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

• The Washington Supreme Court says the Grant County Jail has broad immunity in a lawsuit brought by the survivors of an inmate who died from a heroin overdose.• he Wenatchee man arrested early Tuesday for an alleged knife attack on his girlfriend is now facing three felony charges, and Douglas County sheriff’s deputies say the assault was captured on home security video.• Chelan County is moving to assist the remote Lake Chelan community of Stehekin after the December floods.

• The Common Ground Community Housing Trust is accepting applications for its affordable homes on Ninth Street in Wenatchee.• The Washington state Legislature has passed a bill to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings.• The killer of a young mother in Moses Lake has entered a plea in her death.

•An East Wenatchee man is jailed after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend in the neck early this morning. The assault was reported just after 2 a.m.•The state of Washington and the federal government are expecting to pay roughly $180,000 dollars for temporary repairs on Beaver Hill, a steep and winding road grade just outside the town of Plain.•The Washington Legislature is sprinting toward a March 12th deadline to pass the new state budget, with a possible $2 billion dollar deficit despite the proposed millionaires tax.

• About 70 people gathered at Memorial Park in Wenatchee on Sunday to protest recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, joining anti-war demonstrations held across the country.• The early access lottery is open for the North Cascades National Park. • There’s a new sheriff in town. Tyler Caille, the Douglas County undersheriff for the last seven years,  was sworn in this morning by County Commissioner Dan Sutton.

• A Moses Lake man accused of murder in the death of his grandfather in 2024 has entered a guilty plea.• The veteran fire chief for the city of Manson and its surroundings has announced his retirement.• On Saturday, the Chuck Wagon Ministries food pantry will begin operations at the King’s Harvest Church of Christ in Wenatchee.

•An elderly Grant County man who plotted from prison to have his ex-wife and daughter killed cannot be released on medical grounds, despite documented health problems.•A Wenatchee 16-year-old was struck and injured by another teen Tuesday in the parking lot of Winco Foods, and now that driver is facing hit-and-run charges.•The Chopaka Lake and Cold Spring Campgrounds in Okanogan County are at risk of closure due to state budget cuts.

•A Manson business owner and his son no longer face federal charges for illegally importing emissions devices.•A Wenatchee Valley mental health counselor was sentenced Monday to one month in jail after inappropriately messaging or touching two of his clients — ages 14 and 18 — told police that he had inappropriately messaged them or touched them.•Central Washington lawmakers are working to put together funding for public building and infrastructure projects in the Wenatchee Valley.