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By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter – Fall 2020

Staff Reporter – Fall 2018

All content by Jessica Perez
Skip Jenson makes public comment via Zoom at the Board of Trustees Oct. 29 meeting.

Washington Federation of State Employees union representatives speak out about 56 layoffs

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 10, 2020

Last week at a Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting, Skip Jenson, a CWU employee and president of the local Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) union, spoke out against the 56 layoffs President...

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Republican Alex Ybarra is running unopposed for the 13th district state House seat .

Alex Ybarra recounts his first term serving in Olympia

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 3, 2020

Alex Ybarra is a Republican who has been representing the 13th district for two years.  Now that his term is ending, he is seeking re-election and is running unopposed.  The 13th district is one...

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[Video] Craft brewing gets a second chance

Jessica Perez, News Director
November 3, 2020

Earlier this year, the dean ordered the craft brewing program to stop recruiting students. Fears began to circulate that the program would be shut down. Then the program lost their facility in the midst...

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[Video] Local fourth grader starts a pumpkin-selling business

Jessica Perez, News Director
October 27, 2020

Michael Eberhart began selling pumpkins he grew himself a few weeks ago. He first started his business so he could earn enough money to buy an oculus, also known as a virtual reality set. However, Eberhart’s...

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Two Democrats are running for the office of lieutenant governor

Two Democrats are running for the office of lieutenant governor

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 27, 2020

Current Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib will be stepping down when his term ends in December. Two candidates now remain in the race for the position.  The first is Senator Marko Liias, and the second...

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As the election nears, candidates for Attorney General square off

As the election nears, candidates for Attorney General square off

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 20, 2020

Local elections take place in November. Americans will not only be voting for the U.S. president, but for their local officials.  One of the offices up for election is the office of the attorney general....

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[Video] Ellensburg students start hybrid-model classes

Jessica Perez, News Director
October 20, 2020

On October 5 the Ellensburg School District started a hybrid-model of classes. In this model, students attend classes in person twice a week and have classes online the rest of the time.  They started...

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Students in certain fields may be affected by Boeing’s decision to move production of the 787.

Boeing moves production of 787 to South Carolina

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 15, 2020

Boeing announced moving the production of aircraft 787 from Everett, Washington to South Carolina in 2021. This move would leave multiple people without jobs and call into question the job opportunities...

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Retail and restaurant jobs are becoming increasingly stressful

Retail and restaurant jobs are becoming increasingly stressful

Jessica Perez
October 13, 2020

People need to be kinder to retail and restaurant workers, especially during a pandemic. Retail and restaurant workers are working in a risky environment right now. They come into contact with a lot of...

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City council passes proclamation about Hispanic Heritage Month

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 7, 2020

On Sept. 21, the Ellensburg City Council (ECC) passed a proclamation intended to recognize the achievements of Hispanic Americans in Ellensburg. This proclamation also declared Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 Hispanic...

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Kittitas County Auditor and USPS assure ballots will be counted on time

Jessica Perez, News Director
October 7, 2020

Even though a Washington State judge blocked further changes to the United States Postal Service (USPS) until after the presidential election, some people are still concerned about whether their ballot...

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Wellness Center provides online mental health training for students

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 1, 2020

 Not everyone is prepared to deal with a friend having a mental health crisis. That is why the Wellness Center teamed up with a vendor called Kognito Campus to offer a virtual game that teaches students...

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[Video] Freshmen experience ROTC Training online

Jessica Perez, News Director
September 29, 2020

Marching and physical training are normally activities that are taught in-person to students in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Due to the pandemic, ROTC students had to adapt and learn...

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Inslee announces partial reopening of recreational activities

Jessica Perez, Central News Watch
May 5, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee announced a partial reopening of recreation starting May 5. The relaxation of recreational restrictions comes after a decline in hospitalizations was observed by the governor’s office....

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Driving safely in the snow and ice

Driving safely in the snow and ice

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
January 10, 2019

With winter weather approaching and the roads beginning to get icy, students have begun to take measures to ensure they are safe while driving home and around Ellensburg. Sophomore Hannah Whittington...

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Brooklane apartments are showing wear, age and pests are entering.

Brooklane Village showing damage from age

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 30, 2018

External parts of Brooklane Village, located northeast of campus, are beginning to look aged and outdated. Residents have not had any problems in the interior of their apartments, but hope to see some...

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Driving responsibly when winter arrives

Driving responsibly when winter arrives

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 15, 2018

With winter weather approaching and the roads beginning to get icy, students have begun to take measures to ensure they are safe while driving home and around Ellensburg. Sophomore Hannah Whittington...

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The fireplace in Moore Hall commons isn't needed just yet, now that the heaters have been fixed.

Heating back on in Moore Hall

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 10, 2018

During a routine maintenance inspection of all the buildings on campus, Moore Hall’s heating system was found to be unresponsive due to a malfunction with the heat exchanger part of the system. As of...

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First Latinx In Public Service Project

First Latinx In Public Service Project

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
November 1, 2018

Professor and Chair of the Law and Justice Department Paul Knepper organized a discussion centered around a project in which students interviewed successful Latinx pioneers in public service. The term...

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Out of all ages, freshmen are bringing their cars more this year than ever before.

Parking problems arise with new changes

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 25, 2018

This school year, quite a few changes have occurred related to parking at CWU. These include the price of parking permits, a student lot being turned into a faculty lot, the way students can submit appeals...

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Financial Aid's welcome window in Bouillon Hall.

Students run into problems with financial aid

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 18, 2018

With a new school year beginning, the Financial Aid Office has had to fix several mix-ups that have occured with students’ financial aid because of things being overlooked on their part. Students have...

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Laine Heikel discusses her role as Senior Project Manager at Confluence Health.

Panel discussions hope to attract women to industry

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 11, 2018

The first annual Women in Industry panel was held on Oct. 3 in the SURC Theater. It was hosted by the Department of Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction (ETSC) in efforts to attract more...

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Applying for a CWU parking pass takes a turn

Applying for a CWU parking pass takes a turn

Jessica Perez, Staff Reporter
October 4, 2018

CWU has implemented a new process for obtaining an on-campus parking permit this school year. The change occurred because of the new system that most departments upgraded to over the summer. “The...

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