I've been in the Valley since 1988. Grew up in Tacoma, went to high school and college in Oregon. Started my radio career in Raymond, Wash., in 1981, then moved to Texas and Pennsylvania before coming back to my home state. I love the Yakima Valley with its four seasons and lots of sunshine, and I love being a cheerleader for all of the good stuff we have in the valley. I've been married to my beautiful wife Kim for 31 years and I have three amazing daughters -- Brooke, Melissa and Brianne -- and two loyal four-legged sons, Leo and Shadow. In my free time I love to work out or head to the mountains or my favorite winery. At home I love watching my Hawks, Mariners and Huskies or cooking my favorite pasta dish. Oh, by the way I do own a pasta sauce business called "Bastinelli's Best." Shameless plug!
Mike Bastinelli
Firefighters Gain Upper Hand on Selah Area Fire
The Cottonwood 2 Fire burning in the Wenas Valley did not grow overnight. Janet Pearce with the state Department of Natural Resources says the fire had burned 9,500 acres and as of Wednesday morning and was 15 percent contained. Pearce says no homes or structures are threatened now, and firefighters are using the Yakima River to help create a firebreak...
Don’t Forget to Bark for Your Park!
The City of Yakima needs more of you to bark for your park. The city is trying to win an online contest with a grand prize of $100,000. If Yakima wins the contest the money would be used to help build a dog park at Franklin park. Yak...
Obama Pays Tribute to Seahawks
President Barack Obama helped hold up a 12th-man flag Wednesday as the president honored the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
It was the Seahawks' first Super Bowl win and the team's first trip to the White House. The president praised the Seahawks defense, its teamwork and its fan base -- "the 12th man...
Semi Takes Out Traffic Lights-First and Walnut is Closed
If you're thinking about driving down South First Street, you might want to rethink your route. A flatbed semitruck driving south on First tried to make a turn to head west on Walnut. The truck clipped a pole holding up all of the signal lights, knocking the lights to the street and shutting down the intersection...
Davis Grad Kupp Wins Jerry Rice Award
Jerry Rice has reason to take a liking to Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
But the legendary Hall of Fame receiver may have to realize Kupp could soar past the prodigious statistics that he produced in college.
On Monday, the Davis High School grad became the third recipient of the Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS national freshman of the year...
Nothing Like a Whitewater Rafting Trip
Recently Newstalk KIT took a group of listeners on a rafting trip down the Tieton River. The Tieton. Plan ahead for next year, or plan for a spring trip down the Wenatchee River the spring. Here are the links to find the details.
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Behind the Mike – A Proud Father Lets His Daughter Speak
Miley Cyrus was severely criticized for her provocative and downright nasty performance at the MTV Video Awards. While I admit the criticism was justified, I was discusted at the fact that very few people criticized the other participant in the performance, singer Robin Thicke...
Cobb Comes Back to Pitch Rays Past M’s
Alex Cobb pitched five strong innings in his first big league game since being hit in the head by a batted ball two months ago and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 7-1 on Thursday night.
Cobb (7-2) ended his night by striking out Nick Frankiln on a full-count pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth...
Yakima Police Unveil New SWAT Vehicle
Yakima Police unveiled it's newest weapon against crime. An armored SWAT vehicle. SWAT team commander Sergeant Gary Jones says it replaces the current Vietnam era vehicle which is owned by the U.S. Army but used by Yakima Police. Sergeant Jones says "compared to what we have now, this is a more versatile for what we do, we can hold more personnel, it can get into areas were the other vehicle
Tenants Get Eviction Notices at Track 29
Unless a buyer is found, the future of Yakima's one of a kind Track 29 is in doubt. Tenants have been given eviction notices to be out by the end of May.
Zillah’s Jeff Charbonneau is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Jeff Charbonneau. He won the 2013 National Teacher of the Year award. Charbonneau found out that he had won when he recieved a phone call from Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn. It was announced nationally today on the "CBS This Morning Program...
FBI Releases Pictures of Two Boston Bombing Suspects
The FBI today released pictures of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. The two suspects appear to be young men in their twenties or early thirties.