A small group of demonstrators who use the Social Security system organized a gathering today outside the Wenatchee office, complaining of long wait times for service, and the possible impact of future cuts. As Wenatchee’s city administrator prepares to leave her job, the city is debating how to recategorize the job itself.  And a former police chief of Moses Lake has died.

A Moses Lake man who opened fire on pursuing deputies three years ago will serve more than 37 years for the crime. Landlords and tenants now know the upper ceiling for any rent increase next year. And it’s now been 51 days since the Decker sisters — Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia – were found murdered in the Upper Icicle Valley. NCWLIFE spoke last week with Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison, whose deputies found the Wenatchee girls’ bodies, and who have been carrying out the investigation ever since.

Neither driver was injured in a T-bone, rollover collision at the intersection of Okanogan Avenue and Spokane Street. Police are on the lookout for a traffic violator who eluded officers on Monday evening by driving across a pedestrian bridge and hiding in the Horan Natural Area. And Monday’s rainstorm over the Pomas Fire proved to be good news for firefighters.

A fatal shooting Sunday night in Ephrata left one man dead and led to two arrests. A motorcyclist from East Wenatchee was killed Saturday in a collision on Highway 153 outside Pateros. And the Wenatchee School District is facing what it calls a QUOTE “significant and immediate challenge” as the U.S. Department of Education withholds billions in federal funding for schools nationwide.

The ringleader of a drug trafficking organization that operated in Okanogan County and throughout eastern Washington has been sentenced to 19 years in prison. An account manager for an East Wenatchee social services agency is accused of embezzling nearly $20,000 from its vulnerable adult clients. And Rock Island resident Lorene Vehrs will celebrate her 105th birthday this Sunday.

Police have released more details surrounding the recent five-car collision that injured Pioneer Middle School PE teacher Brian Vickery. Wenatchee Valley firefighters discovered flames creeping between two floors of a commercial building early Wednesday. And Fire crews have now dumped about 1.6 million gallons of water on the Pomas Fire, burning since June 13th in the Glacier Peak Wilderness west of Entiat.

A brushfire visible from around the valley broke out about 12:30 this afternoon, burning near the 3300 block of the Eastmont Avenue Extension. Three juveniles were injured in a single-car crash near George on Tuesday after a 17-year-old driver fell asleep at the wheel. And two drivers were issued citations in a two-car rollover wreck near the intersection of South Wenatchee Avenue and South Viewdale Street yesterday.

Wenatchee police say a missing Wenatchee man last seen in the area of Saddle Rock Trailhead has been found dead after a brief search. Multiple agencies became involved in a rescue after a lone climber fell while ascending a remote mountain on Monday. And a brushfire near Omak on Monday became the latest fire to require a statewide mobilization for first responders.

A local Eastmont High School student has gone viral on the popular video platform, TikTok, for offering free haircuts in the community. Trial is due to start next week in a former utility inspector’s lawsuit against the East Wenatchee Water District. And about 77 street, road and sidewalk improvements are scheduled as part of the city of Wenatchee six-year transportation plan, approved by the city council Thursday night.

The grandfather of Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia Decker extended his family’s thanks to the Wenatchee  community Thursday, in the wake of the girls’ murder last month. And students and community members gathered today at Pioneer Middle School to sign a banner in support of PE teacher Brian Vickery, who’s recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash on July 3rd.