William (Bill) Braden

June 17, 1971 — Jan. 10, 2025

William (Bill) Deen Braden, 53, born June 17, 1971, in The Dalles, Oregon, passed away Jan. 10, 2025, in Spokane, Washington, after a very brief struggle with an aggressive form of lung cancer. Bill attended school in Lind through his graduation in 1989. After graduation he moved to Moses Lake and began to attend Big Bend Community College studying auto mechanics to further his dream. Bill had found his calling early in life. He found his love to find out how things were built and operated at a young age with his grandfather and his father by his side. He then wanted to pursue that love of knowledge into his career of being a mechanic of all things. Nothing was too small or big for him to learn.

ESA to hold charity golf tourney in Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE – On Saturday, August 16, the Alpha Omega chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha will be holding a charity golf tournament at Lakeview Golf and Country Club. ESA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for local charities and families in need, event organizer Abby Smith said.

ESA holds annual charity golf tournament

SOAP LAKE – On Saturday, the Alpha Omega chapter of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha nonprofit organization held its annual charity golf tournament at Lakeview Golf and Country Club. According to President Abby Smith, the tournament was a success.

A walk for health

Coulee Medical Center to hold fundraiser walk for mammograms

GRAND COULEE — Coulee Medical Center will hold its Walking Together for Mammograms health fair and walk Thursday, to help put a new mammography machine to use.

Othello pool bond headed to Nov. ballot

OTHELLO — Othello residents will be asked to approve or reject a $3.55 million construction bond to make repairs and upgrades to the Othello Community Pool. The bond will be on the ballot in the Nov. 4 general election. The unanimous decision from the Othello City Council came after a lengthy discussion of the options. “I don’t think this is a very easy decision,” said Chris Dorow, the chair of a committee tasked with looking at the options.

Othello pool construction bond failing

OTHELLO — The fate of the Othello Community Pool, whether it will reopen and if so, how soon, will be in the hands of new Mayor Ken Johnson and a new Othello City Council. Johnson and the new council members will take office in January.

Building permits for July 25, 2025

City of Moses Lake Hayden Homes, 4300 block of Cove West Drive, new residence, $311,655.49. Pro Made Homes, 4200 block of North Sandy Court, fence, no valuation given. Jennifer Bell, 800 block of North Paxson Drive, plumbing, no valuation given. Carlos Socorro, 5400 block of Owen Road, addition, $20,000.

Big Bend loads up new ag mechanics certification

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College announced the establishment of a new Agricultural Mechanics certification program, according to an announcement from the college. “The launch of the Agricultural Mechanics certificate program is a direct response to the growing demand for skilled workers in our region’s ag industry,” said BBCC Dean of Workforce Education Michelle Morley via the announcement.

Arthur Sergio Castro

July 9, 1955 — July 6, 2025

Arthur was born to Cesar and Victoria Castro, who immigrated to Moses Lake from Mexico in 1949. The couple settled in a small farmhouse off of Stratford Road near Crab Creek. Arthur, the fifth of eight children, grew up a farm kid with his brothers and sisters. The Castros raised animals and young Art would fetch fresh milk from the farmer down the road. He and his brothers loved fishing near the creek and Art became an avid bass fisherman as an adult. Once, near Block 40, Art reeled in a largemouth bass that weighed nearly 12 pounds. Throughout his childhood and teenage years he worked construction jobs, drove potato trucks and learned mechanics. He graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1974 and soon after met the love of his life, Salina. Art and Salina were married in Moses Lake in 1979 and would raise four children in the Knolls Vista neighborhood.

Smoke forecast to stick around through Friday

MOSES LAKE — Wildfires and light winds have combined to produce poor quality throughout Eastern Washington, a situation that is forecast to persist for a few days. “We’re kind of under this stable (air) layer,” said Charlotte Dewey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane. “We don’t have a lot of (air) mixing near the surface.”

Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill

WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”

Potato Expo 2026 to be held in Dallas

DALLAS – Potato Expo 2026, North America's largest annual potato industry conference and trade show, is heading to Dallas Jan. 6-8 at the Gaylord Texan, according to an announcement from the National Potato Council. The event, hosted by the National Potato Council, invites U.S. and international potato supply chain partners to connect, share insights, and collaborate to kick off the new year.

Building permits for Jan. 17, 2025

Unincorporated Grant County Dec. 12-31

Boeing International updates safety and quality plan

SEATTLE — Boeing has unveiled enhancements to its Safety & Quality Plan, which focuses on four key areas: cultivating a superior safety and quality culture, investing in workforce training, simplifying production processes and eliminating manufacturing defects, according to a statement from Boeing.

Ephrata's Well 3 returns to service today after water quality tests pass

EPHRATA – The City of Ephrata’s Well 3 should be back up and running today, as long as the bacteria test results return from the lab negative, according to Public Works Director Rob Harris. “If water quality and purity and all the required standards, Well Three will be returned into service,” Harris said.

WA wildlife crop damage law signed

OLYMPIA – In a move to support farmers in less densely populated areas, the Washington State Legislature unanimously passed Senate Bill 5165, which aims to provide compensation for damage to commercial crops caused by wild deer and elk in designated frontier one counties.

Building permits for May 16, 2025

Building permits for May 16, 2025

Fixing the damage

It’s wise to have a pro on your side when filing a claim

MOSES LAKE — It was, as they say, a dark and stormy night. Now it’s the next morning, and you’re looking with dismay at the tree that the wind sent crashing into your roof. You’ve got homeowners insurance, of course, but where do you go from there? “I hope you have an agent, as opposed to an 800 number,” said Chris Arnberg, an American Family Insurance agent in Moses Lake. “If you just have an 800 number, a company … where you don't have an actual person whose job it is to provide individual service, if you call to ask about opening a claim, they're going to open a claim.”

State fire marshal encourages home sprinkler installation

MOSES LAKE — They’re in commercial and industrial buildings everywhere you go, but fire sprinklers are still a rarity in homes, where they could save lives, according to a statement from the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office. “Home fire sprinklers are designed to activate individually, targeting only the area affected by fire, which minimizes water damage,”Fire Marshal Chad Cross wrote in the statement. “They can be seamlessly integrated into new constructions or retrofitted into existing homes.”

Moses Lake man arrested after high-speed chase

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of felony eluding and other charges after allegedly leading local law enforcement and Washington State Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase Tuesday afternoon.