Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday.…
WA Supreme Court leaves high-capacity magazine ban in place
(The Center Square) – Washington's ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines will remain in effect after a Monday decision by the state Supreme Court.
Fire district proposals, commission races to be decided in Grant Co.
EPHRATA — Grant County voters will receive ballots this week for the primary election Aug. 5. Two county commission seats, two requests for increased fire dist…
Local legislators, bipartisan politicians call for reason in wake of attempted assassination
MOSES LAKE — Seeking ways to reduce the political temperature in a presidential election year, how to apply lessons learned in other political forums, improvin…
Washington panel eyes increasing jail-based voter participation
(The Center Square) – Although a proposal allowing convicted felons to vote from jail while serving a sentence failed to gain traction, there may be renewed ef…
Crime trending down in Moses Lake, Ephrata
MOSES LAKE — Crime trends in Moses Lake and Ephrata seem to be following the rest of the state - they went down between 2022 and 2023. A report on crime trends…
WA to spend $150M in CCA money on energy rebates
(The Center Square) – Washington state plans to spend approximately $150 million of taxpayer dollars generated from the Climate Commitment Act to issue residen…
Burgess says planning for growth part of Grant Co. Commission's job
MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commission candidate Kevin Burgess said county and city governments need to think ahead when planning for growth. Burgess is running …
New WA law gives green light to more red light and speed zone cameras
(The Center Square) – Washington drivers may soon see a lot more red light cameras and other automated enforcement cameras across the state, thanks to a law th…
IRS data: WA lost 18K people, $1.66B in taxable income in 2021
(The Center Square) – Washington state saw a net loss of 18,798 taxpayers and their families between calendar years 2021 and 2022, according to Internal Revenu…
WDFW to decide on 'endangered' status of gray wolves
(The Center Square) – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide later this month on lowering gray wolves’ status under the state’s endangered spe…
Newhouse focused on momentum in reelection bid
MOSES LAKE – Rep. Dan Newhouse, R–Wash., said he’s running for reelection because he feels like he still has work to do and because his time in office has conn…
Breaching Snake River dams could drop reservoirs, groundwater levels by 100 feet
(The Center Square) – As the Biden administration attempts to gain support for breaching hydroelectric dams in Washington, state and federal agencies are prepa…
State Women's Commission launches effort to close gender pay gap
(The Center Square) – The Washington State Women’s Commission has launched a campaign aimed at closing the gender pay gap in Washington state.
With a week to qualify, backers of WA energy choice initiative feeling confident
(The Center Square) – The final push is on for supporters of Initiative 2066 to gather enough signatures and turn in petitions to the Secretary of State’s Offi…
Smiley addresses priorities in congressional race
MOSES LAKE – Tiffany Smiley decided to run for Congress again, this time for the U.S. House of Representatives 4th Congressional District, after she said resid…