COVID-19 NEWS
Keep up with all the fast-moving novel coronavirus news, particularly as it impacts the Columbia Basin.
COVID-19 update
RITZVILLE — Adams County Health Department administrators have reported another death related to COVID-19, raising…
New state COVID-19 czar cautious as she starts job
OLYMPIA — While the steps the state has taken in the last two weeks to close down nearly all public gatherings and events have “started having an effect,” it’s still too early to say what effect those steps have ha…
Coronavirus: Two Moses Lake women test positive
GRANT COUNTY - Two Moses Lake women have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Grant County Health District, bringing the city’s total to…
State and local officials warn of fraudulent charity scams
OLYMPIA — Washington residents are being warned not to donate to fraudulent charities as Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Secretary of State Kim Wyman issued a joint advisory regarding scammers.
Genie parent company sends employees home
MOSES LAKE — Genie parent company Terex announced on Monday that it was halting all U.S. production and sending workers home until early April.
Boeing halts ML operations
CHICAGO — Boeing is closing down its production operations in the state of Washington, including Moses Lake, for the next two weeks, the aerospace giant said on Monday.
Health district issues COVID-19 advice for employers, employees
MOSES LAKE — Grant County Health District officials recommended Monday that employers screen workers daily for symptoms of illness during the COVID-19 outbreak.
ML official: Don’t flush substitutes for toilet paper
MOSES LAKE — With toilet paper having become a scarce commodity and some people turning to alternatives such as paper towels, the director of the Moses Lake Public Works department wants to remind residents that no…
Delta parks planes in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — Delta Airlines has started parking some of its airplanes at Grant County International Airport.
Volunteers feel impact of Sandhill Crane Festival cancellation
OTHELLO — Planning for the 2020 Sandhill Crane Festival began in August 2019.
Inslee orders Washington to “stay-at-home”
OLYMPIA - Washington state will be placed under a “stay-at-home” order for a minimum of two weeks, effectively forcing the closure of all “non-essential” busin…
Coronavirus: Two new cases in Quincy, county total now at 25
GRANT COUNTY - There are now 25 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Grant County, with two new cases reported in Quincy early Monday evening, according…
MLSD hands out meals for kids
MOSES LAKE — They gathered outside seven elementary schools across the Moses Lake School District, with school buses carrying plastic crates full of sack lunch…
Front line: First responders gear up for the outbreak
MOSES LAKE — In a fire station off a quiet road near downtown, front line workers in the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus have just returned f…
Samaritan Hospital will check everyone before entering building
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Hospital officials are looking for — but not finding, at least not yet — additional ventilation machines and adapting more hospital rooms to accommodate possible patients with respiratory ill…
Samaritan to accept homemade masks, other donated equipment
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare of Moses Lake has joined a growing list of health care providers across the country turning to volunteers to bolster hospital supplies with homemade facemasks and other donated pro…