Greg Halling

Well, yes and no. There weren’t always bees. And when there were, I couldn’t always get a good photo. (The camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max sucks. The one on my 6s was better. Apple, are you listening?) Anyway, I keep planting flowers, so there should be more bees next year.

How can something be so horrifying and so funny at the same time?

Black and gold honeybee gathering pollen on the orange spiky center of a purple coneflower.

Something beautiful for this day: Honeybee on a Magnus coneflower, Yakima, Washington (July 2025). #bees #coneflowers

Renée Lopez's photography cruises from Yakima Avenue right into Washington, D.C. Renée Lopez is a photographer who has built a career focused on documenting women in lowrider culture, a perspective often overlooked and underestimated. Originally from Yakima, she recently had work

"For Lopez, lowriding is much more than custom paint and hydraulics. It’s heritage," @sararae-yhr.bsky.social writes for the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Too many apples? Overproduction worries cast cloud over WA harvest Washington's apple crop was projected to hit near-record levels this year, prompting concerns of depressed pricing from growers and other industry leaders who have been grappling with increased…

Demand for older varieties like Red and Golden Delicious and "once-newer" varieties like Fuji and Gala, which peaked around 2016 are falling, much faster than the supply has been falling. Coverage from Questen Inghram at the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Commentary: If Trump ignores a court order and deploys National Guard, what’s next? What if President Donald Trump chooses to ignore the federal district court’s order blocking the use of national guard troops in Portland? It is not hyperbole to say that such

"If court orders can be defied, then the president can violate the Constitution and any law with impunity knowing that there are unlikely to be any meaningful consequences," Erwin Chemerinsky writes for The Sacramento Bee.

Pat Bagley (@bagleycartoons.bsky.social) Stalin once asked how many divisions the Pope had An army of humanity is no small thing

Fresh ink from Pat Bagley.

White chrysanthemums with butter yellow hearts.

Something beautiful for this day: Chrysanthemums, Yakima, Washington (October 2025). #flowers

The Wire is the only television series that’s ever mattered.

YouTube video by Remember The 80s RY COODER - Get Rhythm (1988)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Club El Mundo Elegante. It gives me great personal pride and pleasure in presenting to you — umm, the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces!

Relevant question. Watching Beetlejuice even as we speak.

YouTube video by Paste Magazine Justin Townes Earle - Ain't Waitin' - 7/4/2010 - Codfish Hollow Barn - Maquoketa, IA

Friday night Justin Townes Earle. Because he was too damned good to forget.

Purple star in the ivory center of a deep purple hollyhock bloom.

Something beautiful for this day: Black hollyhock, Yakima, Washington (October 2024). #flowers #hollyhocks

Eeyore the dog helps a Florida deputy find a missing 86-year-old woman, video shows A dog named Eeyore became a hero by leading a Florida sheriff's deputy to a missing 86-year-old woman who had fallen while walking him.

Good boy, Eeyore! Story and video by The Associated Press.

Washington will not require priests to report child abuse disclosed in confession • Washington State Standard Washington has ended its effort to force Catholic priests to divulge information on child abuse and neglect they learn of in confession.

Clergy must still tell authorities of potential mistreatment, but will not have to divulge information they hear in confession, under a settlement of lawsuits challenging the requirement. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)

'It's clearly failing': Local experts say 2021 law is keeping children in unsafe homes Local experts say the Keeping Families Together Act has made it more difficult to remove children from homes where they might experience physical or psychological harm.

The presence of illicit substances, inadequate housing and mental illness are a few of the conditions that do not constitute imminent risk of physical harm, according to 2023 Washington law. Coverage from Loryn Kykendall at the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

WA’s food aid program for infants and mothers now funded through October • Washington State Standard Washington mothers and their babies have access to food benefits through the end of October, even though the government remains shut down.

When the federal shutdown began Oct. 1, officials said money for the benefits could run out in a couple of weeks. (Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard)

WA GOP supports Trump's use of troops “Portland today, Seattle tomorrow.” Washington state Republicans support Trump’s use of federal troops in Portland and other U.S. cities — some say it’s time for Seattle to be next.

Trump’s crackdown on Democratic-led cities has been cheered by a cadre of conservative Seattle-area podcasters and social media influencers who frequently tangle with leftist protesters — and have reported instances of being harassed or assaulted at protests. (Jim Brunner / Seattle Times)

If Trump brings war to Chicago streets, chaos will come for us all | Opinion He was elected to bring tough immigration enforcement, not to throw the rights of U.S. citizens out the window to get it done.

"What is happening in Illinois won’t stay in Illinois," writes Kansas City Star columnist David Mastio.

Editorial Cartoon: Dave Whamond (Oct. 10, 2025) Click here to view this image from yakimaherald.com.

Fresh ink from @davewhamond.bsky.social, as seen in the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Yellow sunflower with a red ring, brown center and blue heart.

Something beautiful for this day: Sunflowers, Yakima, Washington (September 2025). #sunflowers

From screen to cellar: Kyle MacLachlan’s playful pursuits Actor and vintner Kyle MacLachlan blends his passions for creativity and fun through both his Pursued by Bear winery and his latest acting role in "The Lowdown." At his Walla

"For the "Twin Peaks" star, fun is foundational to his creative outlets, from acting to winemaking to creating content for social media," Elise Sanders writes for the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Major solar farm in eastern Washington on cusp of approval A large solar farm proposed in eastern Washington appears on course to clear a critical regulatory hurdle this month, despite opposition from the Yakama Nation.

As envisioned, it will have 160 megawatts of solar generating potential, enough to power up to 32,500 homes, according to the company website. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)

I’m not sure there’s a number.

Appeals court panel appears ready to allow National Guard troops into Portland The ICE building in Portland was the scene on June 14, July 4 and Sept. 1 of three large, tumultuous protests over the administration’s immigration crackdown.

In recent weeks, typically no more than a few dozen people have gathered to yell at federal officers and stand near its driveway. (Maxine Bernstein / oregonlive.com)

Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks A judge has blocked the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area for two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois.

It’s a victory for Democratic officials who lead the state and city and have traded insults with President Donald Trump about his drive to put troops on the ground in major urban areas. (Sudhin Thanawala & Christian Fernando / AP)

The Beattitudes come to mind.

One side believes them. The other does not.

Gun deaths among high schoolers on the rise, WSU study finds  • Washington State Standard Firearm-related deaths are up dramatically among middle- and high school-aged youth, according to a new study.

The data showed that firearms are the leading cause of death for urban high schoolers, surpassing motor vehicle collisions. (Emily Fitzgerald / Washington State Standard)

New regulations will lower wages for H-2A farmworkers Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced new regulations surrounding the Adverse Effect Wage Rate — a move that could lower farmworker wages in Washington and other states across

The Department of Labor estimates the new interim final rule will transfer $2.46 billion from H-2A workers to H-2A employers annually. Coverage from Olivia Palmer at the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Commentary: Anyone calling Bad Bunny un-American needs a geography lesson Is there a better inkblot test for America right now than reaction to Bad Bunny being the halftime act for Super Bowl LX?

"Detractors like Lewandowski and Johnson want to make English being Bad Bunny's second language an indictment of his patriotism, as if growing up speaking English is a criterion for citizenship. It isn't and never has been," LZ Granderson writes for the Los Angeles Times