Yakima

Washington State AG Sues Yakima Valley Farm for Allegedly Displacing Local Workers with Foreign Labor

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Yakima, Washington — The state’s attorney general has taken legal action against a local farm, alleging improper practices surrounding the employment of foreign workers. AG Nick Brown filed a civil rights lawsuit on Friday against Cornerstone Ranches, claiming that the farm dismissed American workers to replace them with H-2A visa employees. The H-2A visa program permits foreign nationals to work temporarily in the U.S. in agricultural roles, but only when employers provide evidence of a labor shortage among local workers. According to Brown, Cornerstone Ranches misused this program by misleading local job seekers about available … Read more

Judge Blocks Repeal, Paves Way for Yakima Committees on Environment and Equity to Reconvene

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Yakima, Washington – In a significant turn of events, a Yakima County Superior Court judge has temporarily halted the dissolution of key civic committees, a move initiated by the local city council last year. The recent court order temporarily suspends the ordinances that had abolished the Sustainable Yakima and Community Integration committees, which focus on environmental health and social equity respectively. Judge James Elliott ruled in favor of the Yakima Citizens for Civic Engagement, an advocacy group that has been striving to have these committees reinstated. This decision opens the door for these groups to … Read more

Judge Authorizes Recall Petition Against Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice, Signatures Collection to Commence Soon

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YAKIMA, Wash. – A judge has confirmed the adequacy of recall charges against Jim Curtice, the Yakima County Coroner, allowing a recall petition to officially proceed. According to the judge’s ruling, the court-approved synopsis of the recall petition remains as it has in previous weeks, albeit with a minor correction in pronoun reference to Curtice. During the proceedings, Judge Kevin Naught highlighted that the endorsement of the document by the involved parties does not denote agreement with his decision but merely acknowledges the formal aspects of the synopsis. “Mr. Pickett and Mr. Goodman, there is … Read more

Victory for Community Voice: Yakima Judge Upholds Civic Group’s Challenge Against City Committee Restructuring

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Yakima, Wash. — A recent decision by a Yakima County Superior Court judge has marked a victory for a local advocacy group, Yakima Citizens for Civic Engagement, which challenged the city’s move to dissolve two advisory committees and alter the structure of three additional ones under the Planning Commission. Citizens of Yakima had raised concerns by filing petitions against the city’s decision, which were initially dismissed due to an alleged insufficient number of signatures. The legal twist came when Judge James Elliott decided to apply a lower signature requirement established by Yakima County Auditor Charles … Read more