NCWLIFE Evening News

• This morning, Lee Elementary School students and staff organized a parking lot parade to support the school’s principal, Jamea Connor, in her fight against breast cancer.• Okanogan County has a new sheriff. Jodie Barcus took the oath of office yesterday, becoming the first woman sheriff to preside over law enforcement in that county.• The foothills trails around Wenatchee have reopened for the season, and you and your dog are encouraged to get out and enjoy nature this weekend.

• Tony Lee Harriman, an 84-year-old retired Air Force veteran, is riding his recumbent bike from coast to coast, to encourage support for homeless veterans.• The active-duty Army specialist accused of gunning down two women and wounding three other people has pleaded not-guilty a second time, this time in military court.• Testimony began this week in Phoenix, Arizona, in the murder trial of a Wenatchee man accused of killing his tenant.

• Chelan County sheriff’s deputies say an attempt to stop a speeding minivan outside Malaga turned into a high-speed chase Tuesday, in which the driver crashed into a ditch with two passengers on board.• Yesterday, the Eastmont School District lost its second portable classroom in the last three years to fire, and investigators say an air conditioning unit may be to blame.• Winter hibernation is finally over for one of Chelan County’s most distinctive art exhibits.

• A former custodian at Sterling Junior High in East Wenatchee will serve a year in jail for sexually abusing a 15-year-old student.•A Bridgeport woman who stabbed a convenience-store clerk in the face last fall was convicted by a jury last week of second-degree assault.• The 2026 Rails & Ales festival and rail jam competition helped usher out the winter on March 11th

• In Chelan County Superior Court yesterday, the driver in a 2025 crash that killed two youth passengers appeared on charges of vehicular homicide.• A Brewster physician must spend a year in federal prison and pay more than $400,000 dollars for providing patients with recalled and potentially unsafe medical devices.• An East Wenatchee man has been subpoenaed to give testimony in an Arizona courtroom in the murder trial of his own brother.

• The state’s Department of Labor & Industries is looking into two job site accidents in Chelan County, one of which killed a contract utility worker at Lake Chelan.• Douglas County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a case of drive-by gunfire in the area of Bridgeport.• Next week, bike advocates and traffic engineers from around the state will gather for the Washington Bike Walk Roll Summit at the Wenatchee Convention Center.

• In Phoenix, Arizona, trial is set to commence next week for a Wenatchee man charged with murder.• An East Wenatchee man who previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence was arrested for allegedly breaking into a home to confront his prior victim.• The Chelan city council is losing one member due to health reasons.

• Traffic crossing the George Sellar Bridge between Wenatchee and East Wenatchee was held up for public safety reasons today, after a person climbed to the peak of the bridge carrying a bicycle, and then tied the bike to the American flag.• Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted at airports around the country, but will not be coming to East Wenatchee’s air travel hub.• An initiative called ‘Pages of Redemption’ is bringing paperback books to county jails across Washington state.

• A Moses Lake man was sentenced last week to 35 years in federal prison for sexually abusing children and creating videos of the abuse.• In May 2025, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker were reported missing after their father, Travis Decker, failed to return them from a scheduled visitation.• The Behavioral Health Unit of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has secured nearly $55,000 in grant funding to support program growth without utilizing county funds.

• The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its animal partners. The agency announced yesterday that K-9 Elsa had passed away after a sudden medical emergency.• The Grant County Health District announced yesterday that it was notified of two confirmed measles cases in children this week.•Wenatchee High School’s Mock Trial Team is heading to Tacoma this weekend for its annual statewide competition.

• The Women’s Service League of NCW is giving away over 1,000 prom dresses to high school girls this Saturday and Sunday.• We’ve reported on the weekend death of Kasey Jo Emery of Chelan, who died Saturday after the SUV she was a passenger in struck the rear of an ambulance on Highway 97A.•The Small Business Administration opened a temporary office in Leavenworth last week, aimed at helping residents recover after the December storms.

• East Wenatchee City Hall was briefly closed Monday night after a suspicious briefcase prompted a bomb squad investigation.• Okanogan County has begun the search for a new sheriff, after the resignation two weeks ago of Sheriff Paul Budrow.• Each year, the Cascadia Conservation District hosts its “Picture Chelan County” photo contest, with winning work selected to grace the nonprofit’s annual calendar.

• A 24-year-old Chelan woman is dead after the SUV she was riding in slammed into an ambulance Saturday, and the driver now faces a charge of vehicular homicide.• A residential structure fire in the town of Bridgeport last week brought aid from surrounding fire agencies.• The Chelan County Commissioners will hold a joint community meeting at the end of the month to provide updates on their districts.

• The Washington State Legislature adjourned Thursday, concluding its regular session with a collection of bills that will impact North Central Washington, including the much-discussed "millionaire's tax.”• The Wenatchee School District plans to cut $2.5 million from its budget for the 2026-2027 school year — less than half of the amount that was originally expected.• At Wenatchee High School, students and parents gathered yesterday for a third annual Migrant Family Night.

• A former Chelan County Community Development employee is suing the county, alleging the department was a "hostile work environment" where she endured "on-the-job sexual assault."• Multiple people were injured in a three-car crash yesterday afternoon near Leavenworth. • Local utility districts struggled with wind-related power outages that began early this morning.

• Three Wenatchee Valley fifth graders got a big surprise today as the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival announced its 2026 Junior Royalty Court at Mission View Elementary• The Stehekin Valley is once again at risk for flooding as it braces for more rain and snowmelt this week.• The former Moses Lake physician accused of wounding a U.S. Marshal in a Florida shootout has now been formally charged.

• The Wenatchee Valley Humane Society is launching a partnership with East Wenatchee to trap and neuter feral cats that are living in the community.• Rescue workers teamed up to help a 42-year-old dirt biker who collapsed on a Saturday excursion up Tripp Canyon outside Cashmere.• Governor Bob Ferguson has signed the first tranche of bills to pass the Washington Legislature during this session, with more scheduled to receive his signature tomorrow.

• Columbia Valley Community Health has opened its new Youth Behavioral Health clinic in Wenatchee, designed to meet the needs of teens and young adults ages 13 to 25.• Two homes were struck by gunfire in the Bridgeport Bar area early Sunday morning, in what authorities believe is gang-related activity.•A 55-year-old Moses Lake man must serve 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to methamphetamine trafficking.

• A former Moses Lake physician was wounded and is now in custody after a police shootout in Florida, where he was arrested for an alleged sexual assault.• The National Park Service says it’s making federal funds available to partially rebuild the crucial road serving Stehekin.• Several Washington state legislators voted in favor of a war powers resolution meant to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

• The Washington Supreme Court says the Grant County Jail has broad immunity in a lawsuit brought by the survivors of an inmate who died from a heroin overdose.• he Wenatchee man arrested early Tuesday for an alleged knife attack on his girlfriend is now facing three felony charges, and Douglas County sheriff’s deputies say the assault was captured on home security video.• Chelan County is moving to assist the remote Lake Chelan community of Stehekin after the December floods.