Bureau of Reclamation provides funding to Yakima Nation

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Bureau of Reclamation announced Thursday in a news release that the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation will receive approximately $293,000 for hydrologic modeling to improve groundwater recharge and flood control activities in Toppenish Creek Watershed...

Gordon Lee Killian

April 2, 1961 - July 25, 2023

Gordon Lee Killian, 62, of Potlatch, died Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at his home due to complications related to prostate cancer. He was born April 2, 1961, in Othello, Wash., to Lorin Dennis and Donna (Roylance) Killian, and attended Othello High School, where he graduated in 1979. He then attended Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho from 1979-80 and 1982-83...

Hot, dry spring dries up Eastern Washington

OLYMPIA — Water, water everywhere… or maybe not. The irrigation situation in Eastern Washington has made a turnaround compared to recent years. “We are not in a drought, officially,” said Emily Tasaka, communications manager with the Washington State Department of Ecology. “We've issued a statewide drought advisory. That's not the same thing as a drought emergency. It's not that we won’t call one later, but at this time we haven't issued a formal statewide drought emergency.” ...

Swinging into golf

Oasis RV Park and Golf Course manager shares tips and tricks to start golfing.

EPHRATA – Summer is the perfect time of year to go out on the green and learn how to golf, but for some, it may not seem like the easiest hobby to get into. Daneile Litterell from Oasis RV Park and Golf Course in Ephrata has some useful tips on how anyone can learn to become a golfer. According to Litterell, the first step to getting into golf is to go out and buy a set of clubs. The simple act of buying the equipment and getting out there is the first step to starting any new hobby, she said. For any rookie golfers, another good idea would be to start off on smaller courses such as the one at Oasis. A new player will feel less overwhelmed with their shot on a smaller course as opposed to a course that is larger, she said...

“It’s raised our profile”

TV coverage, playoff seeding and more in Wistrcill’s State of the Conference Address at Big Sky Media Day

SPOKANE – Growth in the conference’s television coverage, playoff seeding, the transfer portal and name, image and likeness were all part of Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill’s State of the Conference Address on Monday in Spokane, going over the previous year in the Big Sky as well as looking at the future. “It’s raised our profile,” Wistrcill said of the growth in media coverage. “People out east and in the midwest – they know about the Big Sky Conference, but I think what it showed to them is that we are a premier conference in FCS football and how big-time it is to be a part of Big Sky – the conference and certainly our football programs.” ...

Soap Lake City Council examines city budget

SOAP LAKE — Members of the Soap Lake City Council gathered Monday at the Soap Lake Senior Center for a budget workshop led by Fiscal Specialist Cheryl Brandt on correcting the city’s ongoing finance and accounting struggles. Brandt said during the workshop that the city needs more training for its staff on dealing with the financial aspect of running a city and budgeting for the year...

History's future

New Old Hotel Art Gallery director outlines plans for historic venue

OTHELLO – Samantha Copas took over the position of director at the Old Hotel Art Gallery, a nonprofit historical site, in early July after the former Director Jenn Stevenson left the position in order to teach. Copas said that the transition went well, with Stevenson – who had worked at the Old Hotel for eight years – training Copas for her first two weeks in the position...

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Covering the county seat

Last month, the Grant County Journal ran its last issue after more than a century of publishing and serving Ephrata and the surrounding area...

Law enforcement records for July 27

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...

Legals for July, 27 2023

Ephrata council offers appreciation for Adkinson

EPHRATA — The Ephrata City Council awarded former Interim City Administrator Kurt Adkinson with a trophy honoring his service to the community during its July 19 meeting now that new City Administrator Ray Towry is fully engaged in the city’s top administrative position.

Martinez Fellowship leads to opportunities for CWU education grads

ELLENSBURG - Two recent Central Washington University School of Education graduates have an opportunity to make an immediate impact in their local communities after being selected for the Martinez Fellowship(link is external) program. Beginning this summer, Marcus Culler and Martha Goodwin will participate in the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) program for the next two years, hoping to combine that experience with what they learned at CWU to become better educators...

Francis Oren ‘Buzz’ King

Buzz, 79, was born in Nampa, Idaho, one of six children of Francis S. King and Rose Marie McGuire King. Early in life his family lived in Owyhee County and later moved to Nampa where Buzz attended and graduated from High school. A part of his heart will forever belong to Owyhee County where great-grandparents, grandparents and parents were homesteaders. After high school he went into the National Guard during the Berlin Crisis. Upon his return he made several attempts at finding his career, working at a gas station and in insurance, and wiring panels at Boeing. After moving back to Caldwell, Idaho he became a journeyman electrician belonging to the IBEW at Dry Lake Electric in Nampa, Idaho. One afternoon he saw the line crews coming in and decided that was for him! He borrowed a pair of climbing hooks and went home to practice climbing poles. He soon became a journeyman lineman.

Ephrata gets airborne

National Flight Academy challenges local youth with fun

EPHRATA — The days start early - breakfast at 5 a.m. - are filled with classes, and in the middle of summer, too. But nobody cares. They get to fly. That’s the point of the National Flight Academy sponsored by the Civil Air Patrol. It gives young people the chance to get in the air. Cadets from throughout Washington and the West are attending the annual “Desert Eagle” academy at the CAP facility at the Ephrata Municipal Airport...

Murray announces UW semiconductor research grant

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Patty Murray, D-WA, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday a $10 million grant for semiconductor workforce development and research at the University of Washington...

CWU expects art history program to draw students regionally

ELLENSBURG - Central Washington University’s newest degree program has been a long time coming, and this fall it will finally become a reality. After ironing out the details for the past 18 months, the Department of Art + Design will be introducing a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, giving a number of current students an opportunity to pursue their passion without having to go elsewhere. The new degree offering will also provide incentive for art history aficionados to consider Central...

Well Adjusted

Chiropractor seeks to improve the quality of life for people living with spinal issues

EPHRATA — Columbia Basin Chiropractic is a place where people with a variety of musculoskeletal conditions can seek treatment.

Legals for July, 25 2023

Quincy to research property annexation requests

QUINCY — Quincy city officials will consider a request to annex two pieces of property on the east side of town into the city limits. If they are annexed, both properties will be zoned industrial. Municipal Services Director Carl Worley told Quincy City Council members July 18 that the application doesn’t commit the city to annexation. “The staff will proceed with the studies and analysis to see what impacts they have (on the city) and what they may have to provide to mitigate those impacts,” Worley said.

Floodfest floods Dry Falls Visitor Center with guests

COULEE CITY — Ice Age Floodfest returned to the Dry Falls Visitor Center over the weekend, attracting a wide array of people interested in celebrating and learning more about the history of the unique geology of the area. Floodfest is an annual event hosted by Washington State Parks at the Dry Falls Visitor Center to educate and celebrate the ice age floods that created the landscape along the Coulee Corridor. Other groups and organizations participated in the event with interactive booths and presentations set up around the grounds of the visitor center. The event has been hosted annually for over a decade but had a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.