FIRE REPORT: Ephrata area fire shuts down SR 17

EPHRATA — The Marksman Road fire, which blazed up quickly east of Ephrata Tuesday and closed SR 17 for a time, was contained quickly thanks to a lot of interagency cooperation, according to Grant County Fire District 13 Chief Jim Stucky.

Seller’s market remains in Grant County

MOSES LAKE — Grant County is still leaning in favor of home sellers, according to a report from Rocket Homes reviewing home sales for the month of June. While the market price was lower in Grant County than the state average, the market still favors the seller to some extent.

Basin events for July 5-13

COLUMBIA BASIN – If you’re looking to get out and about after enjoying the Independence Day holiday, The Columbia Basin has several things going on over the next week.

Building permits notices for July 5

Building permits notices for July 5

Road construction projects to resume Monday

SOAP LAKE — The slope stabilization project on State Route 17 north of Soap Lake is scheduled to be finished sometime between late August and early September. The project area is the section of SR 17 from Soap Lake to the Lake Lenore Caves, where the road runs between Soap Lake or Lake Lenore and the rock embankment. The idea is to stabilize the rock face.

Legals for July, 5 2024

Moses Lake likely eyeing contracted EMS services

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake City Council members may be considering eliminating the city-funded ambulance service and hiring a private contractor, according to a statement released by the Moses Lake Firefighters Local 1258.

Red Raiders claim two wins

WARDEN – Playing at Warden High School while Othello’s field is being renovated, the Othello Red Raiders defeated the Vakima Valley Blues in both games of Tuesday’s doubleheader, winning 8-2 and 15-4 to improve to 4-6 this summer.

WDFW to decide on 'endangered' status of gray wolves

(The Center Square) – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide later this month on lowering gray wolves’ status under the state’s endangered species law.

Othello PD looking for leads in missing juvenile case

OTHELLO – The Othello Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance to locate 15-year-old Serenity Ayala who went missing on Sunday, June 30. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts should contact OPD at 509-488-3314 and reference case number 24-O02636.

Two Moses Lake wrestlers compete at 14U women’s national duals

WESTFIELD, Ind. – Two wrestlers from the Moses Lake Wrestling Club were on the 14U Washington Girls team that took second in Greco-Roman and fifth in freestyle at last month’s USA Wrestling Women’s National Duals in Indiana.

‘A pre-party before the party’

Purple Party set to fight Alzheimer’s on July 18

MOSES LAKE – Losing your grip on memories is not only frustrating for Alzheimer’s Disease patients and their families, but it’s something that impacts the community in multiple ways. On July 18, the Columbia Basin community will have a chance to come together to support the fight against the condition by participating in the Purple Party, a precursor to the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s set for September 14.

Construction cost for new Grant Co. Jail finalized by late July

EPHRATA — The actual cost of the new Grant County Jail should be finalized around the end of July. County officials are forecasting it will come in below the guaranteed maximum price of $131.56 million.

FIRE REPORT: Wildfire closes SR 17 near Ephrata

EPHRATA — A fire broke out Tuesday in the northern portion of the Y formed by State Route 17 and SR 282, according to first responder alerts. The fire, a few minutes southeast of Ephrata was reported a little before 6 p.m. and had burned an estimated 500 acres. The fire resulted in a closure of SR 17 between SR 282 and SR 28 to ensure public safety. A cause was unknown but initial reports indicated it began at the Ephrata Gun Range. The fire was named the Marksman Street Fire. Further information was not available by press time. The Dearinger fire, which has been burning in the North Cascades about 40 miles northeast of Everett since June 22, is 80% contained at 48 acres, according to the Western Washington Incident Management Team.

Royal Intermediate welcomes new principal

ROYAL CITY — For Royal Intermediate School’s new principal, it’s sort of a homecoming. “I grew up around Royal, my whole life,” said Karl Edie, who officially became the principal at RHS at the beginning of July. “My mother worked for the Royal Review (newspaper), a long time ago. So I’m excited to be back among the great people in Royal City.”

Beyond Wonderland drug suspect arraigned

EPHRATA – Chriss U. Wright, 31, of Puyallup was arraigned Tuesday in Grant County Superior Court on four charges associated with his arrest at the Beyond Wonderland EDM festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre on June 20.

Suspect in hospital indecent liberties case arraigned

EPHRATA — A former Samaritan Hospital employee, Mitchell Dee Jones, was arraigned in Grant County Superior Court Tuesday morning facing two charges of indecent liberties with someone who was unable to consent. Jones entered not-guilty pleas for both charges.

Exchange students to head to Yonezawa, Japan

MOSES LAKE — The exchange is on again. The Moses Lake-Yonezawa Sister City Student Exchange, which has been on hiatus since 2020, will resume this month as three Moses Lake students visit Yonezawa, Japan. Ambassadors Keziah Roman Panlaqui, Emmanuel Zepeda Lopez and Ethan Ramsey will leave on July 25, accompanied by chaperone Amador Castro, to spend 10 days in Moses Lake’s sister city. While in Japan, they’ll stay with three Yonezawa students and their families, and on Aug. 7, those Japanese students will return the visit and spend 10 days in Moses Lake. Moses Lake and Yonezawa have been sister cities since 1981, according to the program’s website, and the student exchange was organized shortly thereafter. The program was originally suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Terry Moore, treasurer for the Moses Lake-Yonezawa Exchange Program, but the publisher of the Yonezawa Shimbun newspaper, which handled the exchange from the Japanese end, passed away soon after, and the exchange was mothballed indefinitely. Until April, when a group called the Yonezawa International Relations Association reached out through a translator who had assisted the newspaper in the past.

Legals for July, 3 2024

State Auditor's Office: Government employee embezzled nearly $900K

(The Center Square) – A former management analyst at the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings spent nearly $900,000 via fraudulent credit card purchases, according to a report released Monday by the state auditor.