After threats of lawsuits and six years of negotiations, farmers and environmentalists signed an agreement Tuesday to restore fish runs on central Washington’s Manastash Creek without impeding irrigation.
Manastash Creek is a snowmelt-fed creek that flows into the Yakima River west of Ellensburg. More than 60 individual landowners across more than 4,000 acres hold water rights to divert water from the creek, with some rights dating as far back as 1871.
The agreement spells out requirements for new fish screens and other measures to improve fish passage and stream flows, as well as maintaining irrigation needs for farmers.
The agreement should serve as a model for resolving water conflicts in the region, said John Arum of the Washington Environmental Council.
Yakima: Dismissed leader says he may sue
The former head of the Washington State Migrant Council said he likely will take legal action against the agency’s board after he was ousted without explanation over the weekend.
Carlos Diaz said he was dismissed with little severance pay and no retirement benefits.
The board of directors of the nonprofit council voted 9-0 Saturday at a meeting in Sunnyside to remove Diaz and replace him temporarily with Luana Lumley, who will also remain chief financial officer while a regular replacement is sought.
Neither Lumley nor council board president Rodolfo Mendoza would say what led to the firing, citing confidentiality concerns in personnel decisions.
Chehalis: Teen sentenced for shooting
A teenager has been sentenced to 92½ years in prison for a drive-by shooting in downtown Centralia.
The sentence actually was less than 17-year-old Guadalupe Solis-Diaz Jr. thought he would face. He was expecting to get at least 150 years when he appeared Monday in Lewis County Superior Court, but prosecutors had miscalculated.
The former Centralia High School student was convicted earlier this month of six counts of first-degree assault and two other charges.
Six bar patrons escaped injury as gunshots were sprayed along Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia on the night of Aug. 11. Witnesses testified that the shooting was gang-related.
Solis-Diaz has maintained he was at home at the time, and defense lawyers say he will appeal the conviction.
Idaho: City benefits for domestic partners
The Moscow City Council has approved a resolution that provides insurance benefits to domestic partners of city employees.
The council approved the resolution 4-2 Monday at its final meeting of the year.
Regence Blue Shield of Idaho, the city’s insurance company, recently began offering a plan that covers same- and opposite-sex domestic partners. Employees who meet the insurance company’s requirements must also sign an affidavit to be eligible for the health insurance benefits.
Associated Press
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