Rocket test causes boom near Moses Lake, no danger reported

MOSES LAKE — An explosion north of Moses Lake Tuesday night turned out to be harmless. “At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Stoke Space conducted a planned structural test at our Moses Lake facility as part of our Nova rocket’s qualification program,” Stoke Space Technologies Spokesman John Taylor wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “The purpose of the test was to pressurize a propellant tank to its structural margins, eventually reaching its designed failure point – a standard engineering procedure during qualification testing.” The Moses Lake Stoke Space Technologies facility is used to test reusable second-stage rockets to deliver materials into orbit economically, according to Columbia Basin Herald archives.

MLSD cross country students threatened with firearm

MOSES LAKE — Frontier and Endeavor middle school cross country students were approached by a vehicle whose occupants threatened them with a firearm Tuesday afternoon, according to Moses Lake School District Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon. “As we understand, law enforcement is actively investigating and nothing has been completely confirmed by law enforcement, but we were told that a vehicle drove up to a group of students and a gun was pointed at the students,” Shannon said. “That is where we are at this point; law enforcement is actively investigating the situation.” All students and staff are safe, and no injuries occurred. The students were en route to return to Frontier Middle School to be reunited with families as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Around 60 students were participating in the cross-country activity, Shannon said, and all of the parents and guardians of those students will receive a phone call from him explaining the situation. “The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of the Moses Lake School District,” Shannon said. “Regarding the situation this afternoon, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and provide all information to the public as it becomes available to us.”

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.

Building permits for July 11, 2025

Unincorporated Grant County

Sage Point development sports new look

MOSES LAKE — The newest development from CAD Homes is going vertical. “We’re offering 16 single-family lots … and on the second block there’ll be 19 condo-style townhouses that will be individually owned and operated under a (homeowners association),” said Blake Rollins of Nest Realty, who’s handling sales for Sage Point. “We’ve sold about four of them. We’ve got 12 units left on the single-family side, and then we’ll start on infrastructure for the townhomes.” Rollins celebrated Sage Point’s ribbon cutting Tuesday with the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce and CAD Homes. The event included tours of model homes and corn dogs from The Corn Dog Co. of Moses Lake.

American Honey to close out summer concert series

MOSES LAKE — The name came out of the blue. “When we started, we used to do these band barbecues, and we hadn’t come up with a name yet,” said Audre Belt, lead singer of American Honey, which will perform Friday in Moses Lake. “We had come up with these (names) … that seemed really cheesy. And one of the guys started pointing at random things on the table, and we happened to have a bottle of Wild Turkey American Honey whiskey. He pointed at it and said, ‘American Honey’ and we all looked at each other and we just knew from that moment that that was it.” That was in 2017, and the band is still making music around eastern Washington, although Belt is the only remaining original member. American Honey’s show will be the last performance of this year’s Moses Lake Summer Concert Series.

Remembering Charlie Kirk

MOSES LAKE – Dozens of people gathered for a peaceful memorial for Charlie Kirk the online political influencer, activist and founder of Turning Point USA who was assassinated last week at an event on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah. After Kirk’s passing, a variety of gatherings have been held calling for peaceful political dialogue after escalations in political attacks over the past few years.

One shot in Cascade Valley, suspect not in custody yet

MOSES LAKE – One person was taken to Samaritan Hospital after suffering a gunshot wound in an incident in the 7900 block of Dick Road in Cascade Valley Sunday evening. The suspect is not in custody as of 12 p.m. Monday, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. However, detectives are still investigating.

Mavericks defeat Shadle Park, even record at 5-5

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake boys basketball team evened its record at 5-5 with Monday night’s win over Shade Park, defeating the Highlanders 77-69 in a non-league home matchup. “We were feeling good, we’ve been playing better over the last few weeks,” Head Coach Craig Groth said. “Kids have been growing and learning the offense, learning the principles on defense and coming together as a team. They’re doing a really good job at that.”

Vikings start conference play with gritty win over Wenatchee Valley

MOSES LAKE -- The Big Bend Community College Vikings continued their impressive run, opening East Region conference play with a hard-fought 63-55 victory over Wenatchee Valley College on January 8th at the DeVries Activity Center. Coming off a strong 11-4 preseason, the Vikings showed their resilience in a game featuring dominance and late drama.

Vikings secure fifth straight victory

MOSES LAKE -- Riding a four-game winning streak, the Vikings aimed to make it five as they traveled to Walla Walla on Saturday to face off against the Warriors. BBCC got off to a strong start, holding the Warriors to single-digit points in both of the first two quarters and building a substantial lead, heading into halftime up 31-15.

Some Basin markets up, some down since 2024

MOSES LAKE — Median home sale prices changed from community to community around the Columbia Basin over the last year, according to the real estate website Redfin. In the Basin’s biggest community, Moses Lake, the median price of a home was $329,990 in July, according to Redfin’s data. That represents a drop of 7.4% from last July. Othello saw an increase of 7.6% to $360,000, and Warden’s median price was $371,000, a year-over-year increase of 12.3%. Ephrata’s median sale price was up 27.2% to $355,000, and Quincy’s was down 24.4% to $356,376. The median home price in Soap Lake was $261,000, a decrease of 19.2%. The median home sale price statewide was $648,300, less than half a percentage point lower than a year ago.

Samaritan hosting 24th annual charity golf tournament

MOSES LAKE – Samaritan Healthcare Foundation is hosting its 24th annual Desert Golf Classic charity golf tournament tomorrow with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. at the Links at Moses Pointe golf course.

Adopt Diva, a demure and mindful cutie

MOSES LAKE -- Diva is a torte point Siamese with very refined taste and around 4 years of worldly experiences. While other cats like to chase laser pointers and being menaces, she likes to spend her days in quiet contemplation on a plush surface basking in sunlight. Diva’s needs are simple: options for many naps, regular head scratches and sweet treats. She is spayed, up to date on vaccinations and microchipped. If you recognize her superior feline grace and would like a lovely companion, visit GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org and fill out an adoption form. If adopting isn’t feasible for you now but you would like to help a local shelter, visit the site and click “donate.”

Man arrested in Cascade Valley shooting

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a Nov. 16 shooting in Cascade Valley that left a man with non-life-threatening injuries.

Legals for December, 15 2025

New ordinance will allow some Moses Lake irrigation-only wells

MOSES LAKE — Public and semi-public organizations would be allowed to drill shallower-depth wells to help water their property under the terms of an ordinance reviewed by the Moses Lake City Council Wednesday. Water from those wells will be used for irrigation only. Mayor Dustin Swartz said the ordinance is designed to take some of the pressure off the city’s existing municipal water system.

Four Basin students honored at EOU

LA GRANDE, Ore. — Four Basin students were among 635 named to the Eastern Oregon University Dean’s List for the 2025 winter term, according to an announcement from the university. Qualifying students achieve and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while completing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework for the term. Moses Lake: Joselyn Hernandez, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, major Politics/Policy and Public Administration; Kali Kast, College of Education, major Multidisciplinary Studies Othello: Madisen Douglas, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, major Interdisciplinary Studies Warden: Kaya Enriquez, College of Education, major Elementary Education

Hayden breaks ground on Sand Hill Place

MOSES LAKE — Hayden Homes broke ground May 16 on its newest Moses Lake development. Sand Hill Place, located off Hansen Road in Mae Valley, is Hayden’s 13th development in Moses Lake. “Our goal at Hayden Homes is to offer homes to the area median-income wage earners, and that has allowed us to provide over 1,000 homes to hard working families and individuals here in Moses Lake and in Grant County,” said Kristen Skinner, Hayden’s regional marketing specialist for the south Washington region. The groundbreaking served as a bonus Business After Hours function with the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. Chamber members gathered at the site for the occasion, with lunch catered by Tacos El Rey of Moses Lake.

Moses Lake BMX holds Race for Life event

MOSES LAKE — Last weekend, Moses Lake BMX participated in the Race for Life Double competition that was held across Eastern Washington. Track Operator Jeff Niehenke said he was pleased with how the weekend went for his riders. “This is such a community builder to have everyone united behind the cause, like raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It really unites everyone, and it takes away the competitiveness, because we’re all driving for a similar cause to raise money to support something bigger than ourselves,” Niehenke said. The event was held across four tracks over the weekend, starting with Moses Lake BMX on Friday. On Saturday morning, BMX riders raced in Walla Walla before heading to Tri-Cities in the afternoon. The event finished in Spokane on Sunday.