Moses Lake teachers vote to strike if contract not ratified

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Education Association, the teachers' union for educators in the Moses Lake School District, has voted to strike if they do not have a ratified contract by Nov. 28.

COLUMN: Is this the year for the Zags?

As the Washington air turns bitter and cold, sports fans will trade in the cold beer, perhaps for a warm cider, as they sit down for the start of the college basketball season. After a second-round exit in the NCAA men's basketball tournament last March, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are poised to bounce back this season.

Washington State fires athletic director Anne McCoy

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Washington State athletic director Anne McCoy has been fired. Jon Haarlow, the chief operating officer of the school's athletic department, will serve as interim athletic director. The Cougars will conduct a national search for McCoy's replacement, the university said Wednesday in a statement announcing the move.

Generations Church to offer trees, Christmas presents

MOSES LAKE — The Generations Church Christmas tree lot is both moving and expanding this year. “We’re moving our tree lot to our church property, and then we’re going to combine it with an indoor sale, which is hopefully a new and improved garage sale,” said Patty Culver, a member of Generations church who is organizing the sales. “We’ve weeded out the junk and focused on Christmas stuff: clothes and toys and books.”

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Support local causes this holiday season ...

If you’re looking to enjoy the holidays, you’re not alone. Across the Columbia Basin, people will be baking turkeys, holiday shopping, decorating their homes, and reminding children to behave or they’ll get coal in a stocking.

EWU loses to Weber State, heads next to Montana

CHENEY — The Eastern Washington University volleyball team fell Friday to Weber State 20–25, 15–25 and 23–25, according to a statement from EWU Athletics.

Classical sound

Concert Association show will highlight cello and piano, plus a little holiday fun

MOSES LAKE — The Central Basin Community Concert Association will present “Classical Sounds of the Season” Dec. 4. The concert replaced the one originally planned by pianist and Moses Lake native Collin Hansen, who was unexpectedly unable to come from Finland to perform. “Classical Sounds of the Season” will feature Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra cellist Kevin Hekmatpanah and pianist Yoon-Wha Roh.

Eagles conclude season at state tourney

YAKIMA —The Soap Lake Eagles volleyball season came to a close Wednesday morning after falling 1-3 to Wakiakum in the first round of the state tournament. Following the hard-fought battle, Eagles head coach Niki Noble said how proud she was of the way the team played this season.

Applications open for apple industry training program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Applications are open for a program designed to provide training and networking opportunities for young professionals in the apple industry. Recipients of the 2026 NextGen Apple Fellowship will be announced in February. The program is sponsored by USApple, the industry’s national trade organization.

Locals recognized for contributions to STEM

WENATCHEE — Three locals were honored at the NCW Tech Alliance Awards ceremony last week. Quincy High School student Gerardo Guerrero and Big Bend Community College Professor of Chemistry Lindsay Groce received the K-12 Future Technology Leader and STEM Champion of the Year awards, respectively. Cooper Cox, BBCC alumnus and current Washington State University student, was a finalist for the STEM College Innovator of the Year.

Educators share plans to ‘Educate Tomorrow’ at LEAD Summit

MOSES LAKE — During the first day of the LEAD Summit, local school district superintendents Carol Lewis from Moses Lake, Andy Harlow from Wahluke, Nik Bergman from Quincy and Ken Murray from Ephrata came together to discuss the challenges that schools are facing and their plans to adapt education into the future.

COLUMN: It’s time to get serious about solving our state’s energy challenges

For residents of the Pacific Northwest, January 2024 might be memorable because of the winter storm that brought ice and severe cold to the region, leading to major power outages. It might be memorable, but there’s also a good chance you have moved on with little or no recollection of that particular storm amid a jumble of winter memories. But for anyone who works for an electric or gas utility, the dates Jan. 12-16, 2024, really do stand out. That’s the week in which the region came dangerously close to not having enough energy to keep our homes warm and lights on. The memory of that storm, and the wakeup call that it provided about the urgent need to produce more energy, came up for discussion at the Energy Solutions Summit on Oct. 30 in SeaTac. The gathering was the first in a series of solutions summits stemming from Washington in the Making 2040, a long-term economic vision for Washington launched in June by the AWB Institute and Washington Roundtable.

Legals for November, 12 2025

College football recap – Week 11

MOSES LAKE — As the college football playoff rankings start coming out every Tuesday, teams are starting to battle for a spot in the big dance. However, week 11 proved to be a destructive week for both top Washington football programs.

Big Sky Now: Playoffs near as Montana teams and Idaho State hold the line

The Big Sky Now panel breaks down Montana’s dominant win over Eastern Washington, Idaho’s gritty road performance at UC Davis, and Montana State’s bounce-back victory against Weber State.

Eagles enter state tournament as thirteenth seed

COLUMBIA BASIN – The Soap Lake Eagles (12-4) finished second in the district tournament after overcoming Entiat 3-2 but fell to Waterville-Mansfield in the district final. The Eagles will compete in the state tournament this week, starting as the thirteenth seed.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: A proper thanks...

Like Rob Bates said in his column that sits next to this one in the print edition for Veterans Day, the “Thank you for your service” messages he gets each year on this holiday to honor living veterans can come across as uninformed, though well-intentioned and appreciated, nonetheless.

COLUMN: What does service mean to you?

Veterans Day for me means I will be the recipient of ritualistic platitudes such as “Thank you for your service,” from people who have no concept of the rewards or costs of service. I don't think those who repeat this mantra have ill intent, and I know that repeating such phrases is actually done with extreme gratitude. It is simply done without understanding the sacrifices that were made.

A heartfelt thank you from the CBH team

MOSES LAKE — The only reason the team at the Columbia Basin Herald can do our jobs is because of the dedication of veterans who have protected our Constitutional freedoms for well over 200 years. Freedoms like the First Amendment which guarantees a free press. We thank all of our local veterans for their contributions to preserving our freedoms and their hard work after their service to ensure the Columbia Basin is a wonderful place to live.

Soap Lake Salutes Fun Run celebrates veteran contributions

SOAP LAKE — On Saturday, a 2K and 5K fun run was held at Smokiam Park in Soap Lake. The fundraiser event was aimed at raising more awareness around Veterans Day, said event organizer Britton Baker.