I recently watched both “Naruto” and its sequel, “Naruto: Shippuden” with my boyfriend at his request. It was an endeavor that took us six months of watching intricately plotted, at times convoluted...

Representatives from several departments went over winter quarter health and safety strategies, testing plans and the potential of campus being a vaccine site. This information, released  at a meeting...

An announcement outlining a timeline of groups that will be eligible for the vaccination in upcoming months was made Wednesday, Jan. 6. This timeline is phase B of Washington's vaccination plan as described...

Students who live, work or attend in person during winter quarter are required to take a COVID-19 test before in-person classes resume. In an email to campus, Dr. Carylin Holsey, director of the health...

  Per recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, the Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT) has made a second, shortened quarantine procedure for individuals...

A three week extension on current statewide restrictions and economic support for small businesses and unemployment benefits was announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The statewide restrictions,...

Members of Kittitas County’s Incident Management Team (IMT) gave updates regarding their various sectors’ public health and future COVID-19 related plans during their first community meeting. The Nov....

In response to a lasting spike in COVID-19 cases the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) called “extremely alarming,” Gov. Jay Inslee has implemented new statewide restrictions on travel, gatherings...

Skip Jenson makes public comment via Zoom at the Board of Trustees Oct. 29 meeting.

New COVID-19 testing protocols, including the announcement of mandatory testing, and information on class modalities were sent to the student body in an email from President James L. Gaudino on Nov. 3....

Only one additional positive case of COVID-19 was found following a second wave of testing of the residents of Wendell Hill Hall B last week, where the university previously announced an outbreak. This...

President James L. Gaudino discussed CWU’s handling of a “manageable” number of COVID-19 cases in the student body over the current quarter.  Additionally, he explained health and safety related...

Eight additional students have tested positive for COVID-19 following the testing of every resident of Wendell Hill Hall B, according to a statement released on the CWU website.  This mass-testing...

2017 was a huge year for indie games, of which I am a major fan. Games made without the backing of a large studio, often crowd-funded, developed over several years, made with a tiny development team...

A student out enjoying the unexpected rainfall.

Following an email sent by President James L. Gaudino confirming 16 positive cases of COVID-19 on campus, further information on why the university has not been disclosing case numbers and how it has been...

Sixteen students were confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 by an email sent to the campus community by President James L. Gaudino on Sept. 24. According to the email, most of the students are...

CWU has secured promised health and safety resources for students and employees this fall quarter, along with assembling a COVID-19 task force to respond to any positive cases of COVID-19 that occur on...

Following the decision to open campus during the pandemic, a number of health and safety measures have caused changes on campus. Many of these have taken the form of physical changes made to spaces on...

CWU has announced the new launch date of the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Compliance form students and employees will be required to sign stating they understand and agree to the university's COVID-19...

Blackbaud, the cloud computing and customer relations provider for the CWU Foundation, was targeted by a ransomware attack in May, according to a letter sent to Foundation members on Aug. 11. Credit card...

Update A statement from the university, published to the CWU website Aug. 13, announced that the form all students and employees will be required to complete has been put on hold and will not appear...

UPDATE An email addressed to the CWU community, sent out by President James L. Gaudino on July 24, announced that due to COVID-19 case numbers growing nationally and regionally, CWU must limit the number...

Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) has announced the deaths of three more long-term care facility residents. It was not specified which care facilities they were residents of. To date, long-term...

Gov. Jay Inslee’s orders, which reduce the maximum number of people who are allowed to gather, went into effect statewide on July 20. Kittitas County now has a gathering restriction of 10 people, reduced...

On July 19, a Kittitas County resident living in the long-term care facility Pacifica Senior Living died from COVID-19. According to a press release from the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD),...

Kittitas County Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson has directed the City of Ellensburg to close Irene Rineheart Riverfront Park due to increased numbers of COVID-19 cases in the county. This includes...

In light of new restrictions from Gov. Jay Inslee, the Kittitas County Fair's in-person events have been canceled this year according to a press release from the Kittitas County Event Center. Inslee...

Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) reported three COVID-19 outbreaks in association with the long-term care facilities that have seen positive cases in the past week. All patients are currently...

Details on how housing and dining are expected to function during the upcoming fall quarter were given at the July 15 Wildcat Wednesday meeting held online by CWU’s orientation team. Housing According...

Details on how health services are expected to function during the upcoming fall quarter were given at the July 15 Wildcat Wednesday meeting held online by CWU’s orientation team. Student Health...

Details on how many aspects of student life are expected to function during the upcoming fall quarter were given at the July 15 Wildcat Wednesday meeting held online by CWU’s orientation team.  Fall...

A third long-term care facility in Kittitas County has confirmed cases of COVID-19. The county’s Incident Management Team (IMT) was notified of two residents of Pacifica Senior Living in Ellensburg who...

Kittitas County’s Incident Management Team (IMT) is responding to over 10 more cases of COVID-19 occurring in both long-term care facilities that reported positive tests in the past week. The IMT reports...

On July 8, Kittitas County received positive test results from two staff members of the Kittitas Valley branch of Prestige Post-Acute and Rehab were confirmed to have COVID-19.  The Incident Management...

On July 6, Kittitas County learned a staff member of Meadows Place Assisted Living Community was confirmed to have COVID-19. The employee is now in isolation and the county’s Incident Management Team...

Kittitas County has seen a “significant” increase in COVID-19 cases following the move to phase three of Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased reopening plan, according to Kittitas County Public Health Department...

As of June 23, Kittitas County has been approved by the state to enter phase three of Gov. Inslee’s phased reopening plan. Phase three lifts new restrictions, outlined in a county public health department...

On June 18, Kittitas County submitted an application to enter phase three of Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased reopening plan. Phase three would lessen restrictions to allow nonessential travel, more businesses...

Kittitas County’s Incident Management Team (IMT) announced in a press release it has begun drafting an application for the county to enter phase three of Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased reopening plan. This...

An individual at both the June 1 and 2 protests for racial equality in Ellensburg tested positive for COVID-19. The county’s Incident Management Team (IMT) is in contact with the individual. A Kittitas...

ASCWU signed and released a letter calling on administration and faculty to immediately make all final exams optional. This decision comes following consideration of the novel coronavirus pandemic and...

A small protest of about 10 people was held outside of the Kittitas County Courthouse in conjunction with protests taking place around the country on May 30. Protests are being held in response to the...

Services will be closed over the summer and staff will be reduced, an email to the student body from President James L. Gaudino said following the May 15 Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. These decisions...

Cloth face coverings that cover the nose and mouth will be required in Kittitas County beginning May 23. They will be required when indoors, in confined public settings and when unable to maintain six-foot...

Note: This story was updated on May 11 after originally being posted on May 10. Kittitas County has 49 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of May 10, with that number subject to change as more test results...

Kittitas County will be applying to immediately begin phase two of Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased reopening plan, county officials announced during a press conference. Called a variance, the application will...

The Kittitas County Business Coalition held a protest against statewide health orders in front of the county courthouse on May 1. At the core of the protest was the concern that businesses, particularly...

Several updates to changes related to COVID-19 in the county were announced via a series of press releases by the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD).    Medical services available Residents...

CWU has joined other institutions nationwide in participating in the Light It Blue tribute. Beginning on April 15 and going through April 30, Barge Hall will be lit up from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. with blue...

It’s okay to let yourself grieve the experiences that a pandemic has taken away from you.  Many, if not all of us, plan our lives ahead to some degree. From flexible daydreamers to detail trackers,...

CWU Dining Services has terminated the majority of its student employees, according to Director of Dining Services Dean Masuccio. This was announced via an email employees received from Assistant Director...

With the transition to entirely online classes, students are not the only ones facing a learning curve as the quarter begins. CWU professors are also working to adapt as they move a diverse array of classes...

President James L. Gaudino announced CWU would not reduce staff through June 30 at the April 9 board of trustees (BOT) meeting. Additionally, he announced that all Cabinet members including himself have...

An email was sent to the student body from President James Gaudino detailing which fees the university would be waiving for the upcoming spring quarter. This information was sent out 11 days before the...

In response to statements made by Board of Trustees (BOT) member Gladys Gillis calling for the university to lay off employees as a cost saving measure, ASCWU members have signed a letter rejecting her...

“We need to set our concerns about employee welfare aside and maintain the priority of university welfare,” said Board of Trustees (BOT) member Gladys Gillis at the livestreamed March 31 meeting. The...

Kittitas County residents have been ordered to remain in their homes by Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson, by means of an official health order.  Soon...

A fifth patient has tested positive for COVID-19 in Kittitas County, according to a press release from the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) on March 23. The patient is a 59-year-old...

The Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU) are liquidating all funding to go towards students who need financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students can apply through...

A Kittitas County press release states the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) is recommending that if possible, people shelter in place, or voluntarily isolate in their homes, to avoid exposing...

The fourth case of COVID-19 in Kittitas County is an employee of Lincoln Elementary School. This is according to a Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) press release sent out this morning.  The...

Around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, there was an electrical fire in one of the dorm rooms at North Hall. There were no injuries. Riley Kizziar, a resident of North Hall, said she was doing homework...

The premise behind the infamous “Cats” (2019) is simple: a group of cats called the Jellicle Cats meet once a year. They have a song and dance based competition called the Jellicle Ball, where...

A motion was made at the Feb. 12 Services and Activities (S&A) committee meeting to cease consideration for all future supplemental funding requests until a decision could be made about how best to...

Senate Bill (SB) 6561, which aims to create an undocumented student loan program, passed through the Senate on Feb. 18 and now must make it through the House of Representatives.  The most recent version...

“I don’t drive my car anywhere anymore,” freshman Kennedy Shook said, speaking in regard to how parking on campus affects her. “When I do move my spot, I have to go park out all the way in the...

As part of a funding agreement, the City of Ellensburg agreed to begin the process of annexing sections of county land. When negotiating funding for a 2017 roundabout project, Kittitas County and the City...

Typing “bullet journal” into a search engine will yield photo after photo of strikingly detailed, hand drawn full page spreads. Things like ornate headers and doodled borders abound. They’re creative,...

Students are seeking out mental health services more now than ever before, with 69% of students reporting a perceived need for counseling services from 2016 to 2017, according to CWU’s The Healthy Minds...

Ellensburg resident Paula McMinn, representing the environment and 459 people who signed a petition, proposed changes in front of the Ellensburg City Council that would put Ellensburg on track to “go...

Editor’s note: In the Jan. 23 edition of The Observer, it was printed that SB 5395 (sex ed) died in the senate committee last year when it actually died in the house committee. There were also inaccuracies...