Missed the on-air news cast? Here are the top stories from the day.

Pasco man charged with vehicle assault

A Pasco man is in jail on suspicion of vehicular assault after trying to pass a car and causing a two-car accident Wednesday afternoon, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department reported. 27-year-old Paulin Balderas Ochoa in a 1997 Mercury Sable allegedly struck 56-year-old Raquel Mata while she was driving northbound on Glade Road about 2:23 p.m. Ochoa was passing another vehicle, heading southbound on Glade and struck Mata’s 2005 Chrysler 300 as he was attempting to get back into the right lane. A witness to the accident told officials that Ochoa was driving “fast and crazy” before striking Mata’s vehicle. Ochoa was booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion of vehicular assault and driving with a suspended license and was also placed on an immigration hold. Mata had a cut on her forehead.

Benton County wants families to claim their dead

The Benton County coroner says there's been an increase in the number of people who die and whose bodies are never claimed by families, even when families live nearby. Coroner John Hansens said families who refuse to pay stick the county with a $500 bill for cremation. Hansens says he has sympathy for indigent families in hard times, but to protect taxpayers he'll have to start taking the families to small claims court.

Pollution expected in Tri-Cities

The National Weather Service has issued an air stagnation advisory for the Tri-Cities and much of the Mid-Columbia from 9 a.m. Friday through at least 10 a.m. Monday. Upper-level high pressure is expected to severely limit the vertical mixing of pollutants near the Earth’s surface. As pollution becomes trapped near the ground, air quality will deteriorate. The poorest conditions are expected later in the weekend into early next week, according to the weather service.

New head of Mid-Columbia Libraries appointed

Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Board of Trustees has selected Kyle Cox to serve as the library district’s executive director following a closed-door session at a special board meeting today. Cox, an internal candidate for the position, was hired in September 2005 as communications director. In 2008, he was promoted to administrative services director, overseeing three departments. He has served as Mid-Columbia Libraries’ interim executive director since June 2010.

 

 

More From 870 AM KFLD