•A Wenatchee police officer says he was temporarily blinded by a handheld laser, and the man who allegedly held it now faces a criminal charge.
•A proposed bill in Washington state would limit agencies who use automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, from retaining collected data for longer than 72 hours.
•A Leavenworth couple rang in the New Year, celebrating more than just the start of 2026. Rebecca and Abraham Bray welcomed Chelan County’s first baby of the year.

•An East Wenatchee man who confessed to the fatal shooting of his neighbor was sentenced today to nearly 17 years in prison.
•The Washington State Department of Commerce admitted this week that it significantly inflated the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would be reduced by eight Climate Commitment Act projects, attributing the mistake to a data entry error.
•The East Wenatchee City Council on Tuesday held its first regular meeting of the new year, where it rejected four lodging tax requests.

•Just as Highway 2 was beginning to adjust to limited traffic, Tuesday’s burst of winter weather caused some complications at Stevens Pass and elsewhere.
•Chelan County’s Solid Waste program is extending its free flood disposal voucher program to next week.
•The West Coast Health Alliance says it will ensure continued access to vaccinations after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for children.

•Confluence Health anticipates beginning construction on a new cancer center in November, which will expand space available for care while consolidating services into one location.
•An Eastmont School Board member already charged with assault and stalking in Chelan County now faces felony domestic violence charges in Douglas County.
•Sheriff’s detectives in Grant County are looking into a set of collectible thefts from storage units in the Moses Lake area.

•Chelan County Commissioners approved a resolution today supporting the Rivercom 911 sales tax measure on ballots next month.
•The continuing closure on Highway 2 in Tumwater Canyon has made Chumstick Highway the only route between Leavenworth and Coles Corner.
•An employee at a care agency who admitted embezzling nearly $20,000 dollars from vulnerable adult clients has been ordered to serve jail time and work release.

•The Wenatchee Valley YMCA announced an agreement on Tuesday that will ensure the long-term future of the Lake Wenatchee YMCA camp.
•Investigators say they've connected a residential fire that killed two people last August to an arson suspect, who died one week after the incident.
•The Washington State Department of Transportation plans to reopen a section of Highway 2 near Skykomish on Sunday.

•The Colville Confederated Tribes are mourning the violent deaths of a tribal court employee and her son, apparently in an act of domestic violence.
•Leonard Evans Used Cars will close its doors January 31st after 70 years in operation.
•The news from 2025 was so vast, and carried such weight, that we can’t do it justice in one evening. Tonight is Part 2 of our look back at the year that just passed, in all of its hope and heartbreak... Including one story that devastated a family, and their entire community.

•A water main broke Monday morning on Wenatchee main downtown street, sending water onto the roadway and forcing street closures.
•Washington state has launched a guide for residents to find information on financial and recovery resources after the historic flood emergency earlier this month.
•At the end of each year, our news team looks back to find the stories that made the past 12 months unique and unforgettable.

•One person is dead after a December 19th officer-involved shooting outside Tonasket, and a special police unit is investigating.
•With the windstorms and flooding of 2025 in the rearview, Chelan County’s longest-serving commissioner took a look back at the crisis.
•Fish hatcheries around Chelan County are on the road to recovery from the recent atmospheric river event.

•In a split vote this morning, Commissioners for the Port of Chelan County passed their resolution approving the creation of a Malaga Tax Increment Finance District despite loud public opposition to the project.
•The Chelan County Solid Waste program is offering a free disposal voucher program for residents to rid of debris from wind storms and flood damage.
•A Palisades man is accused of breaking into the firing range used by local law enforcement, and making off with lifesaving equipment and spent casings that he later sold for scrap.