Bike safety, bike fun on agenda for Moses Lake bike rodeo

MOSES LAKE — All things bicycle will be the focus of the annual bike rodeo, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the ice rink and parking lot at the Larson Recreation Center, 2501 W. Broadway Ave. in Moses Lake. The bike rodeo has been a project of the Moses Lake Kiwanis and the Moses Lake Trail Planning Team since about 2019, with interruptions for the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time other sponsors have come on board. The bike rodeo was the brainchild of Kiwanis member Louis Logan, and he came up with the official name, “Bicycle Activities, Repairs, Giveaway and Skills.” It replaced a longtime Kiwanis project.

Legals for September, 25 2023

Two Quincy streets slated for improvements

QUINCY — Sections of Third Avenue SW and Sixth Avenue NE in Quincy are scheduled for improvements. Quincy City Council members approved bids for two separate road projects Sept. 19, with bid opening Sept. 28...

Knights defeat Wahluke 3-0 in SCAC opener

ROYAL CITY – The Royal Knights claimed a win in Thursday’s South Central Athletic Conference (East) contest against Wahluke, opening up league play with a 3-0 win over the Warriors. While the win is nice, Royal Head Coach Jens Jensen said the Knights are remaining humble after the league opener...

Legals for September, 22 2023

BASIN SPORTS RECAP: Eight teams reach top-10 in WIAA’s RPI

COLUMBIA BASIN – Teams from across the Columbia Basin began to enter league play in their respective conferences over the past week, battling it out on the field. Check out this week’s local sports recap for a look at how local squads fared in contests over the previous week. All scores and records are according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Police records for Sept. 22, 2023

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.

Wheels spin at Othello Demo Derby

OTHELLO — The Othello Demolition Derby brought a swarm of audience members to the rodeo arena at the Adams County Fairgrounds Sept. 13 during the 2023 Othello Fair. Warden resident Tomas Pruneda spoke about what brought him to the event. “This is my sixth year racing,” said Pruneda. “I just love to race. I mean, we go everywhere, we go to Moses Lake, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla. We're hoping to go to Spokane on Sunday … big adrenaline.”

Soap Lake changes city hall hours ordinance

The Soap Lake City Council voted Wednesday to approve a change in the city’s ordinances, switching City Hall’s public hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. indefinitely. The ordinance change came after council members passed a motion at the Sept. 6 council meeting to adopt the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. public hours. City employees will still work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ...

Legals for September, 21 2023

Operating hours may be reduced temporarily at Quincy Animal Shelter

QUINCY — The Quincy Animal Shelter hours may change temporarily as city officials work to add new staff. Municipal Services Director Carl Worley told Quincy City Council members Tuesday that it’s difficult for the existing staff to manage both the animals and the current hours. “The animal shelter is currently shorthanded until temporary employees are hired,” he said. “I think we’re down to pretty much two people at this point. So it’s sometimes difficult for them to meet the public at the door. Sometimes they’re in the back and don’t hear it.”

Grant Elementary upgrades on hold

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District is putting planned upgrades to Grant Elementary on hold, citing greatly increased costs of construction. An October public hearing is being planned to get public feedback on how to manage remaining bond proceeds intended for work at the Grant Elementary campus. “To say that we are disappointed that we cannot afford to fulfill the promises we made in the 2019 bond is an understatement,” wrote Ephrata School District Superintendent Tim Payne in a press release issued Sept. 15. “We turned over every rock we could to find the money needed to complete this project. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough.” In a release issued in June, district officials announced the remodeling of the Performing Arts Center at Ephrata High School, including the PAC gym, would be delayed. District officials anticipated the Grant Elementary project would go out to bid in the fall, but rising costs pushed the project out of the district’s existing budget.

Elevate Othello

Community event looks at building opportunities and enjoying ice cream this Saturday

OTHELLO — Othello residents are invited for some ice cream and a wide-ranging discussion about increasing opportunities in town Saturday afternoon. Organizers of the “Elevate Othello” project will host an ice cream social from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Othello City Hall, 500 E. Main St., to talk about what they’ve learned so far, and where residents want to go from here.

Basin sports schedule Sept. 20-26

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local cross country, football, girls soccer, swimming and diving and volleyball teams.

Legals for September, 20 2023

Moses Lake Ministerial Association hosts first United Community Worship Night

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Ministerial Association presented the city’s first inter-congregational United Community Worship Night Friday in the sanctuary of Restore City Church. Campus Coordinator at Youth Dynamics and Worship Leader at Grace Harvest Church Davie Sawyer, who was part of Friday’s worship team, explained the goal of the event...

COLUMN: Inslee right to support individual tutoring to help students make up for COVID learning loss

Earlier this year Senator John Braun (R-Centralia) introduced SB 5248 to provide funding for individual tutoring to help students recover from the learning losses resulting from the COVID school shutdowns.

Soap Lake water accounts cause frustration

SOAP LAKE – The city of Soap Lake has experienced an increase in past-due water utility payments and shut-off notices, said Mayor Michelle Agliano. However, city residents say the issue is as much with the city’s billing processes as it is with nonpayment. “Payments are due on the 28th,” said Agliano. “The late notices go out the 29th and then if we have not gotten a payment by, usually the 4th after the new billing, we start sending out shut-off notices, which are hand delivered to each resident and I’ll tell you what, there were a ton of them this time that had notices.” ...

Warriors fall in second-half Saturday

COULEE CITY – Though the score didn’t fall in the Warrior’s favor, ACH Head Coach Brandon Walsh said there were positive takeaways from Saturday’s 64-34 loss to defending 1B state champion Liberty Bell. ACH was down by a score after the first half, but the Mountain Lions outscored the Warriors 36-14 in the second half...

WSU becoming a destination for Latine students

PULLMAN - The number of students of Hispanic and Latino origin attending Washington State University has grown substantially in the last decade — up 75% to more than 4,000 students systemwide. That’s a national trend, but it’s also a reflection of the success of programs offered at WSU that support students and their families...