Community Days: Warden residents, guests gather for annual celebration

WARDEN – Citizens of Warden filled up Ash Street and Warden Volunteer Park for the Community Days celebration over Labor Day weekend. From Saturday to Monday, people gathered as a community. Renay Jorgensen, the event’s primary coordinator and organizer, said on Monday that the event was going “way better than expected.” ...

Senior calendar and center directory for Sept. 2023

Below is a partial list of events that may be of interest to seniors in the Columbia Basin. To review more events, visit www.columbiabasinherald.com and click on the EVENTS link near the top of the page...

Layered learning

Onion Field Day offers growers and academics a chance to learn and network.

MOSES LAKE — The onion varietal trial in a field near Moses Lake is nearing harvest, but even once it’s in storage it’s still a work in progress. Like all farming, raising onions is a continual process of adjustment, which was highlighted during Onion Field Day Thursday. Co-organizer Carrie Wohleb, WSU Grant-Adams County Extension, said scientists planted 52 different varieties of onions. Brian Haddon, one of the many industry professionals in attendance, said farmers and industry experts were examining the onions for quality as they came from the field...

Quincy superintendent welcomes students back

Dear Quincy School District families,  Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer break...

Cougars open 2023 against Colorado State

PULLMAN – The long college football off-season ends on Saturday for the Washington State Cougars, who are preparing to travel to Colorado State for the 2023 season opener Saturday afternoon. “It’s very important to get a win and go 1-0, start fast on the year, because it gets that confidence going,” wide receiver Lincoln Victor said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It gets the ball rolling, and not only that, you get to see the mistakes you made and know we’re going to get better.” ...

Regional utility companies work to mitigate wildfire risks

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — The interaction of electrical lines and the landscape around them, especially trees, often ends badly - it can cause power outages any time of year, but in the summer in particular it can cause fires. Keeping fires from happening requires close attention to power lines and the areas around them, and that’s not just a summer job. “Fire season is a condition that can exist at any time of year,” wrote JoDee Black of NorthWestern Energy, based in Missoula, Montana via email. “Each year’s weather conditions impact those situations differently: Early season rains encourage plant growth which fuels fires later in the growing season, and winters with little snow leave dry plant material available for late season fires.” ...

‘Bushels of Fun’

Wheat Land Communities’ Fair kicks off today

RITZVILLE — In late summer and early fall, when county fairs are at their peak, the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair can easily slip under the radar. There’s no carnival, no big-name musical acts on the stage or clowns wandering the grounds. This year’s theme is “Bushels of Fun,” and that’s what it offers. “We're a small community fair serving the communities of (Ritzville), Lind, Washtucna and Benge,” said Lori Williams, a volunteer and fair board member. The event used to be called the East Adams County Fair, but the name was changed in 1981 when the fair moved to its current location outside Ritzville. The fair has no staff, just a board of volunteers. It’s grown in the last 42 years, according to its website, from a single building to 13 buildings and an amphitheater...

Coulee Medical Center important resource in isolated area

GRAND COULEE — Coulee Medical Center is one of those places that highlights the challenges and opportunities of rural medicine. “We’re just really looking to see what can we do that makes sense. That’s financially viable, that meets our mission and the needs of the community,” said Chief Executive Officer (and Chief Nursing Officer) Roberta Hicks. One of the examples is the Grand Coulee-based hospital’s obstetrics department, the only one in the area with the exception of Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak. Hicks said it’s a necessary service. “If you can make it to Omak from here, it’s 58 miles,” she said.

Running for more

Knights aim for fourth-straight title in 2023

ROYAL CITY – Hoisting a state championship trophy is something that every high school football player dreams of at some point in their career – now, the Royal Knights are aiming to do the same thing for the fourth straight full season.

'Starting fresh'

Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions take to the gridiron for the first time

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Christian Academy and Covenant Christian School are breaking new ground on the football field.

Soap Lake schools approve bargaining agreement for coaches

SOAP LAKE – After 14 years without a collective bargaining agreement, the Soap Lake School Board approved a CBA with the Coaches Association in the Soap Lake School District during Monday’s regular meeting. The agreement is in place until July 31, 2024. Board member Curt Dotson was initially against accepting the agreement without modifications...

On the front line

Job Corps students get first-hand experience fighting fires

MOSES LAKE — Wildfire season is frustrating. There’s smoke in the air, closed-off roads and evacuation alerts galore, but other than being careful with barbecues and praying for the firefighters’ safety, most area residents don’t see the fire line except in the newspaper or on TV. At the Columbia Basin Job Corps Center in Moses Lake, that isn’t the case. Students from the local center, along with Job Corps students across the country, are heading off to the firelines for weeks at a time, both to fight the fires and as support firefighting crews...

BBCC alum to teach poetry class at NCW Libraries

MOSES LAKE – NCW Libraries will be hosting poet and Big Bend Community College graduate Ricardo Ruiz for a two hour mindful poetry class Sept. 8 from at the Moses Lake Public Library, Sept. 9 at the Wenatchee Public Library and Sept. 19 at the Quincy Public Library, according to the NCW website...

ACDC to hold career showcases in Othello, Ritzville

OTHELLO — The Adams County Development Council will hold the 2023 Othello Career Showcase Oct. 24 at Othello High School and the 2023 Lind-Ritzville and Washtucna Career Showcase Oct. 19 in Lind-Ritzville High School, according to announcements from the council. ACDC wants businesses operating in Othello to take part in the event, which will be held inside the gyms of each respective high school...

FIRE REPORT: MLFD helping with Oregon Road fire; new blaze appears in Seep Lakes

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Fire Department is taking part in firefighting efforts for the Oregon Road fire, about 31 miles north of Spokane, according to a statement from the MLFD. Firefighter Paramedic Rick Kelly and Probationary Firefighter Paramedic Gary Lebacken have been assisting the Mid-Columbia Strike Team with structure protection, the statement said. The fire, which has been burning north of Spokane since Aug. 18, was up to 10,817 acres and was 49% contained Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Costs were estimated at about $9.3 million...

Race for Life series raises nearly $18K

MOSES LAKE – More than 100 BMX riders traveled to Moses Lake for the first night of the Eastern Washington Race for Life Series, part of a four-track series in collaboration with tracks in Spokane, Richland and Walla Walla. The Race for Life raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with the Moses Lake track raising $5,500...

Radio-controlled aircraft show could be part of Moses Lake Airshow 2024

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Airshow may add a separate event for radio-controlled aircraft in 2024. That’s one possibility discussed by Port of Moses Lake commissioners during a presentation on the 2023 air show at the regular meeting Monday. Terry Quick of Entco International, Seattle, among the event promoters, said organizers are looking for sponsors for an RC component of the larger air show. Radio-controlled aircraft have been part of the airshow, but their part would be expanded. “If we manage to get enough sponsorship to do it the right way, we’ll be bringing in world-class pilots and planes,” Quick said. “There are a couple of world champions that we’re talking to.”

Warden High institutes Work Based Learning program

WARDEN – The Warden School Board approved the credit offerings for a new state mandated Work Based Learning program, to be instituted at the Warden High School during the upcoming semester, during its regular board meeting Thursday...

Car show, parade, tournaments part of Warden Community Days

WARDEN — A community dinner, a parade, a beanbag tournament and a show full of cool cars are among the events scheduled for Community Days, scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Warden. This is the second year for the revived Community Days, and events are spread throughout the weekend rather than concentrated on one day. The car show kicks off the weekend Saturday morning at Warden Volunteer Park, 300 E. Fourth St. Cars will be on display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Renay Jorgensen of the Community Days committee said car owners can register their rides from 8 to 10 a.m. Entry forms are available on the Warden Community Days webpage.

MLSD board approves 2023-24 budget

MOSES LAKE — The general fund budget for the Moses Lake School District will be $152.47 million for the 2023-24 school year. Moses Lake School Board members passed the budget without discussion at their regular meeting Thursday. The vote was 4-0. Board member Alana DeGooyer did not attend the meeting...