TOPPENISH — With Toppenish being part of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation as well as having a large Hispanic population, cultural diversity is certainly not a new concept to anyone living in town.

Pictured: Austrian Rotary exchange student Yvonne Maringer addresses area Rotarians Sept. 23, at the Yakama Nation Cultural Center. Maringer will spend the full school year as a senior at Toppenish High School. Photo by William Lewis

TOPPENISH--Jim and Ana Thomas of Wapato celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a reception in their honor Aug. 9 at the Ashue Grange.

Pictured: Ana and Jim Thomas

TOPPENISH — Eighth graders in Dawn Milnes’s science class at Toppenish Middle School learned a little bit more about math and science than what’s in their textbooks last Thursday, during a presentation from the pilots of Phoenix Rotocraft, a northwest based commercial flight services company.

Pictured: Toppenish Middle School eighth-graders gather around a Phoenix Rotocraft helicopter Thursday in Toppenish. Photo by William Lewis

Former astronaut Jon McBride talks to students at Zillah Middle School last week. McBride served as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam era, and flew 64 combat missions while deployed to Southeast Asia with fighter squadrons 11 and 103. As an astronaut, McBride was pilot of STS 41-G, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 5, 1984, aboard the Orbiter Challenger. This was the first crew with seven members. During their eight-day mission, crew members deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, conducted scientific observations of the earth with the OSTA-3 pallet and Large Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with an EVA and associated hydrazine transfer. Mission duration was 197 hours and concluded with a landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 13, 1984.

Bicycling enthusiasts can enjoy a scenic ride and help support the White Swan after school program at the same time when they sign  up for the Tour de Swan, scheduled for Oct. 4.

Losing a family member to a drunk driver is a permanently life-altering experience.

Pictured: Members of the Toppenish High School FFA group work on their display Sept. 25, the day before the Central Washington State Fair opened. Students are, from left, Vanessa Rodriguez, Ofilia Peralta, and Abby Gamble. Photo by Chris Thorn

Instructor Jim Ide will teach Basic Ballroom and Beyond dance classes including basic footwork, framework, spins, and turns to music from the 40s and 50s.

You’d have to say that Jim and Kristine Russi have a knack for making the best of things.

Pictured: Kristine Russi shows off a bottle of Junkyard Red, the latest release from Piety Flats Winery, which she and her husband, Jim, own. Staff photo

TOPPENISH - The 20th anniversary of the annual Mural Society Dinner and Art Auction, will be held Oct. 18, at the Toppenish Eagles hall.