RSS05/10/08 Around the Valley
Yakima Herald-Republic
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More 'Local'
- Man needing kidney transplant finds state program a hindrance
- 'Quality of Life' applicants sought
- Tea party gathering rescheduled
- Man pleads guilty to Sunnyside bank robbery
- Speaker says area needs to expand wine theme amenities
- Summer water supply dwindles toward D word
- Candidate can't convince baristas to quit
Legends Casino undergoing upgrade
TOPPENISH -- Legends Casino officials are asking patrons not to be alarmed over the recent construction tape and uprooting of carpet.
It's all part of a plan to raise the casino's main game-room floor to make it easier to change out older slot machines for new ones, Marketing Director Tim McGlynn said.
The floor will be raised nearly two feet to accommodate wiring underneath, and machines will be positioned in a way that will allow for more walking room, he said.
"Aesthetically, it's an improvement also," he said.
During the work, machines and table games may be shuffled a bit to accommodate construction, he said.
As part of the change, about 200 older slot machines will be changed out for the latest models. By August, the casino plans to upgrade 500 machines in all.
"They'll be the hottest machines on the market," McGlynn promised.
100th anniversary cookbooks for sale
GRANDVIEW -- Treat mom this weekend to a little hometown cookin' -- or at least, buy her the recipes for it.
The Grandview Kiwanis Club has compiled 222 local recipes into Grandview Centennial Cookbooks as a fundraiser.
Kiwanian Elizabeth Alba, who compiled most of the recipes, received the bound copies Thursday from Kansas-based Cookbook Publishers, in time for Mother's Day on Sunday.
The cookbooks aim to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Grandview's incorporation, which the city will celebrate in 2009.
None of the recipes are historical, per se, but many have been passed down through family members over several generations, Alba said. They include breakfast burritos, beer bread and -- Alba's favorite -- creme brulee French toast. That was submitted by Mike Birdlebough, a Kiwanian who sometimes makes it for the club's 6:30 a.m. meetings.
Other recipes include some from city and school officials under the category of "Celebrity Chefs."
The books sell for $8 between now and May 31 and $10 after that. Proceeds go to Kiwanis programs, including local scholarships.
To get a copy, call Alba at 643-1142.
Retired Army general to speak Monday
YAKIMA -- Former U.S. Army General Barry R. McCaffrey will speak at Yakima's Capitol Theatre on Monday.
A graduate of West Point Academy and Harvard University, McCaffrey served 13 years overseas with the Army and completed four combat tours.
In 1996, he became Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, where he served as a member of the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council for drug-related issues. He is now a national security and terrorism analyst for NBC News.
Tickets to attend his lecture range in price from $100 for VIP seating to $10 for upper balcony seating. The VIP tickets include admission to a reception following the talk.
For more information, call 853-2787 or 1-800-330-2787, or visit www.capitoltheatre.org or www.ticketswest.com.
'Giant Peach' takes stage in Yakima
YAKIMA -- Roald Dahl's exciting children's novel "James and the Giant Peach" will get a new twist when it's presented by the Sign Stage On Tour theater troupe.
A wing of the Cleveland Signstage Theatre, Sign Stage on Tour is a children's theater company with deaf and hearing actors that simultaneously blend the visual beauty of American Sign Language and spoken English.
How it works is the hearing actors sign and talk at the same time, while the deaf actors sign and their dialogue is voiced off stage. The result is a dual-language performance with nothing lost in translation.
"James and the Giant Peach," presented as part of the Allied Arts of Yakima Valley Family Theatre Series, will be performed at 7 p.m. Monday in the Davis High School auditorium, 212 S. Sixth Ave.
Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. For more information, call the Allied ArtsCenter at 966-0930.
West Valley house fire under investigation
YAKIMA -- A fire that caused heavy damage to a home on South 70th Avenue Thursday evening remains under investigation, city firefighters said.
Significant flames were already showing at the home, in the 600 block of South 70th off Tieton Drive, as the first callers reported the fire shortly before 6 p.m.
The fire apparently started on the back porch, but the man and wife living there said they did not have any likely ignition sources in that area, said acting Battalion Chief Rocky Willette of the Yakima Fire Department.
Investigators were continuing to check into the cause of the fire.
Flames extended into two rooms and entered the attic, causing heavy damage to the roof and attic. The loss was estimated at $100,000.
The couple were staying with friends and being
assisted by the American Red Cross. They had insurance, Willette said.
Event volunteers needed
MABTON -- Organizers of Mabton Community Days are seeking vendors and parade entries for the city's annual festival on June 7.
Some plans are still tentative, organizers said, but the city's yearly shindig will include a parade at 11 a.m. with music and activities to follow.
The celebration also features a Little Miss Mabton pageant at 7 p.m. on May 30. The pageant is open to girls in second and third grades.
The contestants and their families will hold a car wash from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Arby's restaurant in Sunnyside.
For more information, call Rachel Ruelas, 830-0918.
