Rivard wants changes to Adams Co. government

OTHELLO — Adams County Commission candidate Hank Rivard said he believes county government should be run differently. Rivard is running against incumbent Jay Wiese. “There are a lot of things that need changing,” Rivard said.

Legals for July, 22 2024

RISING JUNIORS: Royal’s Jill Allred

ROYAL CITY – Royal pitcher Jill Allred carried a significant load for the Knights this spring, pitching every inning of the softball season during their 1A state title run.

Mae Valley housing going up

The Refuge development moves forward with home options

MOSES LAKE — The Mae Valley area is getting some more homes. Pro Made Homes, based in Kennewick, is building 52 homes at The Refuge at Mae Valley between Montana Street and the Moses Lake Golf & Country Club on the west end of Moses Lake.

Basin Summer Showdown coming next Saturday

EPHRATA — The Basin Summer Showdown car show will take to the streets in Ephrata again Saturday, July 27.

Police logs for July 19, 2024

The reports below were provided by the sheriff’s office or police department indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Ephrata going chrome

Annual Car Show & Shine set for Saturday in downtown

EPHRATA — The cars – and trucks, and motorcycles, and whatever else – will gleam in the sun again Saturday at the Anything with Wheels Show and Shine car show.

Legals for July, 19 2024

Murray plans school updates, announces priorities

EPHRATA – Ken Murray has stepped into the role of Superintendent of Ephrata Schools. In a community message on the Ephrata school’s website he elaborated on three focuses as the superintendent which include fiscal responsibility, facility updates and long-term planning.

City administrator provides Ephrata water update

EPHRATA – The city of Ephrata is working to upgrade its water systems on multiple fronts with a new water tower, redrilling two wells, regained water rights and upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment facility, according to City Administrator Ray Towery. That includes recently-installed freshwater and gray water infrastructure to take water to the new Grant County Jail and to take reclaimed water to the Port of Ephrata.

Red Raiders fall to Walla Walla

WARDEN – With districts beginning at the end of the week, the Othello Red Raiders wrapped up their regular season with a game against Walla Walla on Tuesday, falling to the Bruins 14-6 at Warden High School. The game, originally scheduled as a doubleheader, was played as a nine-inning standalone game due to a lack of umpires.

Small cities in Grant Co. see crime trending down

MOSES LAKE — The communities are smaller, so the incidents are fewer, and the percentage changes look more dramatic. But cities in Grant County are for the most part following the same trend in declining crime as the rest of Washington.

WA job market adds 7,100 jobs in June

OLYMPIA - Washington's job market saw positive growth in June, with an estimated 7,100 new jobs added and the unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.9%. While the unemployment rate had been slowly rising over the past few months, it still remained below 5% since summer 2021 according to the Washington Employment Security Department.

FIRE REPORT: Sunbanks Fire mostly extinguished

ELECTRIC CITY — The Sunbanks Fire that flared up Tuesday afternoon in Electric City was mostly out Wednesday, according to a statement from the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department. No flames were visible, but small flare-ups continued to appear. The fire burned 100 acres before it was extinguished, but no structures were reported lost.

Downtown businesses make the best of small spaces

MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot happening in the middle of Moses Lake, and it’s happening in smaller and smaller spaces. “Even with all the business closures that are happening around town, businesses that are still open are doing more initiatives to attract more people to their stores,” said Mallory Miller, director of the Downtown Moses Lake Association, which promotes the business community downtown. “We've got Artgarden, she's doing more classes. We've got Hello Nature which is bringing in things constantly. (Owner Magen Evans) is doing little sidewalk sales. So just bringing more people into downtown.” Moses Lake’s downtown business core has had its share of ups and downs over the years, as businesses come and go. Many of the businesses that were pillars of the downtown core 30 and more years ago – Pinky’s House of Fashion, Berry’s Department Store, Furniture West – are now the stuff of nostalgia. But in their place have come smaller concerns, many of them doubling and tripling up in the available spaces.

WSU releases spring 2024 honor roll

PULLMAN — One hundred nine Basin students were named to the Washington State University honor roll for spring quarter 2024, according to an announcement from the university. A student can be named to the honor roll either by achieving a grade point of 3.75 while enrolled in at least nine graded credits in a single semester provided that the cumulative GPA is 2.0 or better, or by achieving a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 based on at least 15 cumulative credits of graded work at Washington State University, provided that the semester GPA is 3.0 or better. These Columbia Basin students were named to the honor roll:

Nominations open for Outstanding Service to Veterans Awards

OLYMPIA — Nominations are being accepted for Washington state’s Outstanding Service to Veterans Awards, according to an announcement from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. The award honors volunteers, service officers, community members, Tribal veterans, National Guard members, or others who day in and day out go above and beyond the call of duty making sure veterans and their family members are cared for, according to the announcement. Whether they submit claims for benefits, arrange funeral honors for grieving families, coordinate events or donate countless hours in veteran’s hospitals or nursing homes, this is an opportunity to nominate them for one of seven Outstanding Service to Veterans Awards. This awards program is sponsored by the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, the announcement said. Award winners are invited to participate in the Auburn Veteran's Day Parade, followed by recognition at a special luncheon.

Legals for July, 18 2024

$42M tort claim accuses Washington AGO, WSU of racketeering

(The Center Square) – A potential subcontractor for a state police use of force database project who has had a long-running feud with the state Attorney General’s Office and Washington State University has now filed a $42 million tort claim that includes accusations of racketeering.

Soap Lake Folk and Food Festival off to a successful start

SOAP LAKE — Three-digit temperatures couldn’t keep folks away from the first annual Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival Saturday. “We had people messaging us on Facebook saying, ‘You know what, it was hot, but I still stayed in the park for 12 hours,’” said Kim Anderson, one of the organizers of the festival. “That's some dedication. They wouldn't have done that if they didn't really enjoy what was going on.”