Nearly 80,500 acres burning in WA on Monday

MOSES LAKE — Washington’s fire season is heating up with nearly 80,500 acres burning across the state as of Monday. “Part of the reason that you are seeing a lot of those large fires on the landscape is because we had several lightning storms that moved through during red flag conditions,” Department of Natural Resources Public Information Officer Ryan Rodruck said. Despite this, the fire season is still under the 10-year average of about 470,000 acres with the state sitting at around 122,300 acres this year.

Building permits for July 11, 2025

Unincorporated Grant County

FIRE REPORT: Oct. 3, 2025

MOSES LAKE — Three larger fires were mostly contained this week with no further updates to be provided. There are around 132,000 acres actively burning in Washington as of Thursday afternoon, around 35,000 fewer than Monday.

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 26, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The fires below are burning nearly 139,000 acres across Washington as of Thursday afternoon. This is around 9,000 acres more than Monday and 29,000 more acres than last Thursday.

FIRE AND AIR QUALITY REPORT: Sept. 23, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The fires below have burned nearly 130,000 acres combined across Washington as of Monday afternoon. This is around 20,000 acres more than Thursday.

Tim Flint

Tim Flint passed away on June 11, 2025, at the age of 85 in Othello, Washington. Tim is survived by his devoted wife of 64 years Susan Flint; daughters Dawn Donahoo (Doug), Kimberly Detwiler and Becky Jo Flint (Scott Rodgers); grandson Jake; and granddaughters Ashley, Alyson and Jessica. Tim was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended schools in California. He graduated from Sierra High School and went on to Reedley College. In 1959, a blind date led to a lifelong partnership with Susan and they married in 1960. His early career included PG&E of California, but Tim’s passion for the outdoors led him to pursue a career in Wildlife Management and a move to the Pacific Northwest. Encouraged by his wife, Tim returned to college in his 30s, earning a BS degree in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho in 1974. He immediately joined the Washington Department of Fish and Game, where he served with distinction until he retired in 1987 due to post-polio syndrome. Tim’s life was one of quiet determination, deep love for family and a strong connection to nature.

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 12, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The fires below are burning around 91,400 acres across Washington as of Thursday afternoon. The blazes were causing air quality concerns regionally.

FIRE REPORT: Oct. 7, 2025

Fire season coming to an end

MOSES LAKE — The fire season is starting to come to an end in Washington, according to Department of Natural Resources Communications Manager Ryan Rodruck. “We’re certainly winding down the season,” Rodruck said. “I would say that for western Washington, we have seen that season-ending precipitation at this point. I would not expect any large, costly fires to materialize in western Washington at this point.” However, eastern and central Washington are still waiting for season-ending precipitation, which will likely not happen this week, Rodruck said.

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 30, 2025

MOSES LAKE — Over the weekend, there was growth of around 28,000 acres burning in Washington. As of Monday afternoon, there were nearly 167,000 acres burning across the state. The two fires that saw the most growth are both located outside of Wenatchee.

Cesar Elijhia Hernandez

January 30, 1997 –  April 16, 2025

Cesar Elijhia Hernandez, 28, passed away suddenly on April 16, 2025, in Adams County, Washington. Cesar was born on Jan. 30, 1997, to Eliza Guadalupe Beliz and Cesar Antonio Hernandez in Othello, Washington. The family relocated to Moses Lake shortly after, where Cesar would be raised and continue to live the rest of his life. Cesar was a lovable, energetic child. A joy to be around, he was attached to his loving aunts and uncles. When he was 8 years old, he was blessed with a sister, Alexandra Nava, followed shortly by a little brother, Antonio Nava. As a big brother, Cesar was loving and protective of his much younger siblings, as well as encouraging in all their endeavors.

More rain for Cascades, high winds for Columbia Basin this week

LEAVENWORTH — A second strong winter storm is projected to hit Washington this week, bringing heavy rains back to areas that were hard-hit by rain and flooding last week. Steve Bodnar, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane, said rain is forecast to start Monday, but won’t last as long.

FIRE REPORT: Oct. 9, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The two largest fires in the state, the Lower Sugarloaf Fire and the Labor Mountain Fire both had growth in acreage and containment this week. The Lower Sugarloaf fire grew nearly 2,000 acres from Tuesday bringing the blaze up to about 43,000 acres. However, containment also went up from 55% Tuesday to 77% as of Thursday. The Labor Mountain Fire grew nearly 1,000 acres from Tuesday. Containment saw improvement though going from 7% containment Tuesday to 15% containment Thursday.

Two Washington veterans cemeteries named among top 10 list

RENO, Nev. — Two Washington cemeteries were among the most beloved in America, according to a survey by Choice Mutual.

John Henry Randolph, Jr.

On Friday, January 10, 2025, John Henry Randolph, Jr., born September 6, 1945, departed from his earthly home and earned his wings as a heavenly angel. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Alliance Church, 1100 Grape Drive, Moses Lake, Washington. By Request, send flowers to the Alliance Church on the Saturday of service. Commitment Interment will be at Mountain Ridge Christian Fellowship in Brandon, Mississippi.

Judith ‘Judy’ Church

August 24, 1937 – November 3, 2025

Judith “Judy” Ann Church, 88, beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, passed away on Nov. 3, 2025, in Federal Way, Washington. Born on Aug. 24, 1937, in Portsmouth, Ohio to Eugene Samuel Crull and Eileen Pearl Hawkins Crull, Judy was the eldest of three sisters and a former resident of Moses Lake and Othello, Washington. A celebration of life will be held on Dec. 6 at Pillar Rock Golf Course in Moses Lake from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dress in your holiday colors. Join for lunch and share a story.

Section of Blewett Pass closed Thursday

LEAVENWORTH — Travelers between Ellensburg and Wenatchee are advised to look for a different route Thursday due to the daylong closure of U.S. Highway 97 over Blewett Pass. Crews will be cleaning up debris from September’s Labor Mountain Fire from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation. “Crews with the U.S. Forest Service and WSDOT have identified multiple sites to remove trees that could be a hazard and debris north of the summit,” the WSDOT release said. “The full closure of the road allows crews to work at several locations on the pass at once and expedite the work without pausing to allow traffic through the work zone.”

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 19, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The fires below are burning nearly 111,000 acres across Washington as of Thursday afternoon. This is around 11,000 acres more than Monday. The two fires that showed the most growth were the Lower Sugarloaf Fire, gaining around 3,000 acres since Monday. It remains as the second largest blaze in the state. The Bear Gulch Fire also showed growth of around 6,000 acres since Monday. The growth makes it the third largest fire in the state and bumps the Crown Creek Fire out of the largest three.

Early-season roadwork, work on North Cascades Highway, continuing

MOSES LAKE — It’s getting warmer, ever so slowly, and road construction will be ramping up soon, but few projects are underway yet. Washington Department of Transportation crews have finished the first phase of clearing the North Cascades highway, but it’s not officially open yet.

Legals for October, 7 2025

Balanced Attack Lifts Eastern Washington Past Eastern Oregon

CHENEY – Eastern Washington picked up its first win of the season on Monday night, defeating Eastern Oregon 91–73 behind balanced scoring, strong rebounding, and improved second-half defense. The Eagles were led by Isaiah Moses with 22 points and Straton Rogers with 17 points and 10 rebounds—EWU's first double-double of the season. Kiree Huie added 14 points, JoJo Anderson scored 13, and Alton Hamilton IV chipped in 10. EWU shot 52.2% and outrebounded the Mountaineers 42–31.