Ephrata dismisses Parks and Rec director

EPHRATA — Ephrata city officials are considering options to replace Parks and Recreation Director Traci Bennet after her employment was terminated. Ephrata City Council members confirmed Bennet’s firing on a 6-0 vote at the regular meeting Aug. 16...

Woman struck by train in Ephrata

EPHRATA — A 58-year-old woman suffered multiple injuries when she was struck by a train while trying to cross the tracks at the Ephrata Amtrak station shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Ephrata Police Chief Erik Koch said. “I heard that she had several fractures,” Koch said. “So, both legs, arm and a possible neck fracture.” ...

PREVIEW: 2023 Gridiron Guide

COLUMBIA BASIN – Eleven local football teams hit the field to begin the 2023 season later this week, and the Columbia Basin Herald has season previews for each school in Thursday’s Gridiron Guide. See below for a brief look at how each team is looking with the season on the horizon, with full previews in the Thursday edition of the Columbia Basin Herald...

FIRE REPORT: MLFD helping with Oregon Road fire; new blaze appears in Seep Lakes

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Fire Department is taking part in firefighting efforts for the Oregon Road fire, about 31 miles north of Spokane, according to a statement from the MLFD. Firefighter Paramedic Rick Kelly and Probationary Firefighter Paramedic Gary Lebacken have been assisting the Mid-Columbia Strike Team with structure protection, the statement said. The fire, which has been burning north of Spokane since Aug. 18, was up to 10,817 acres and was 49% contained Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Costs were estimated at about $9.3 million...

African Children’s Choir tour coming to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The African Children’s Choir will perform free Sept. 17 at Moses Lake Christian Church, located at 200 E. Yonezawa Blvd, according to the choir’s website. The choir will perform at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The choir is managed by nonprofit charity the Music for Life Institute. The African Children’s Choir Manager Tina Sipp said that this tour is only the second since the COVID-19 pandemic put the choir on hold for almost three years. “We're just very happy to have a chance to get the children in front of people again, you know, they have such a sweet message to the West. I just think people need joy and hope in their lives,” said Sipp. “The tour experience is so profound for them in terms of setting a new trajectory for their lives, giving them vision and hope for their future.”

Legals for August, 30 2023

Chow line

ROYAL CITY - Students, teachers and even Chief of Police Rey Rodriguez stand in line at Royal Intermediate School’s open house breakfast on the first day of school Tuesday.

Legals for August, 29 2023

GCFD 7 gets firefighting grant; small fires dot SW WA Cascades

SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7, based in Soap Lake, announced Friday it had been awarded a $590,400 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant, which will be paid out over a four-year period, is designed to help fire departments recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, according to the announcement. The money will go toward personal protective equipment for new recruits, leadership and career training, new member costs such as apparel and textbooks and a marketing program for recruitment, as well as replacing the fire station sign with a programmable LED sign to assist with disseminating vital information and recruitment information.

Legals for August, 28 2023

MLSD board approves 2023-24 budget

MOSES LAKE — The general fund budget for the Moses Lake School District will be $152.47 million for the 2023-24 school year. Moses Lake School Board members passed the budget without discussion at their regular meeting Thursday. The vote was 4-0. Board member Alana DeGooyer did not attend the meeting...

STUDIO BASIN: Samaritan Hospital cost, boil water advisory and upcoming fall sports

MOSES LAKE – On this week's episode of the Studio Basin podcast, Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer and Sports Reporter Ian Bivona discuss last week's headlines, including the cost changes for Samaritan Hospital, Ephrata's boil water advisory, the City of Moses Lake issuing a new graffiti ordinance and the Grant County Fair. Next, the two go over coverage for the upcoming Gridiron Guide, which previews each team in this upcoming football season, as well as recap the Moses Lake Roundup. The Studio Basin podcast can be found on your favorite podcast apps, or downloaded directly at https://bit.ly/3KYMIBb.

Police logs for Aug. 25, 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...

Legals for August, 25 2023

Gray and Oregon Road fires exceed 10K acres, continue burning

SPOKANE — The Gray fire, which started Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, was 58% contained at 10,016 acres Thursday, according to a statement from the state Department of Natural Resources. The blaze prompted the evacuation of the entire city of Medical Lake, as well as the communities of Lakeland Village, and Four Lakes, for several days, but all evacuations had been downgraded to levels 1 and 2 .by Thursday and SR 902 had reopened...

PBR bucks into Kennewick

KENNEWICK — Fans of Professional Bull Riders will have the chance to see the PBR in Kennewick early in September, with riders coming to Kennewick for the Challenger Series’ Tri-Cities Classic on Sept. 8 and 9. This is the third straight year that the PBR is coming to Tri-Cities, with the first event being held in 2021 when Newport native Cody Casper won with a three-for-three performance. Bill Henry won the 2022 edition of the Tri-Cities Classic. The Tri-Cities Classic is part of the PBR Challenger Series, which includes more than 60 events from May through October and ends with a championship hosted in Las Vegas in late October. The top 14 riders in the Challenger Series are all within 500 points of one another.

BBCC proposes Tech Hub for Grant, Adams

OTHELLO – The Adams County Board of Commissioners met in Othello Wednesday and heard a presentation from the Othello School District and Big Bend Community College on making Grant and Adams a national tech hub and supporting Othello students along the way. Big Bend Community College Vice President of Instructional Programs and Student Services Bryce Humpherys and Othello School District Student Services Director Amy Parris, who is also on the Big Bend board of trustees, ran the presentation...

Legals for August, 24 2023

Calling out cancer

Moses Lake City Council declares September to be Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake City Council declared during Tuesday’s regular city council meeting the month of September would be officially recognized by the city as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The council also unanimously passed a graffiti regulations ordinance...

Ephrata boil advisory lifted

EPHRATA — The boil water advisory for the city of Ephrata was lifted shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Ephrata City Administrator Ray Towry said. The advisory had been issued because of some concerns with water pressure and backflow into the city’s water infrastructure. “We felt very confident the results would indicate there was no threat to the community based on the situation, and we think the state drinking water people felt the same way. That’s why it was an advisory boil and not a full-blown boil order. It was strictly a precautionary step,” said City Administrator Ray Towry...