Tri-Cities Latino advocate Torres dies at 39

Blanca Torres, a Tri-Cities businesswoman and Latino community advocate, died Friday in a Seattle hospital of a ruptured brain aneurysm. She was 39.

A champion of the Washington State University’s Tri-Cities campus, Torres was co-chairwoman of the Destination 5000 fundraising committee. She also was a trustee of the Northwest University Foundation Board in Kirkland, Wash.

Torres was vice president of Tú Decides, a statewide, bilingual newspaper, and co-owner and president of EXPOnw, which organized Latino-focused events and conventions.

She is survived by her husband, Albert, and sons Isaiah, 14, and Ezequiel, 11.