Washington sports schedule Aug. 23-29

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s Washington sports schedule, featuring local and statewide sporting events.

RECAP: Red-hot Mariners shine, Seahawks pick up preseason win

SEATTLE – The red-hot Seattle Mariners strung together their seventh-straight win on Tuesday night, riding high after a sweep of the division rival Houston Astros. For more on the Mariners, as well as a look at the Seahawks and Storm, read along below.

Enrollment projections drop in Othello School District

OTHELLO — Othello School District officials anticipate district enrollment for 2023-24 school year to be the equivalent of about 4,463 students, a decrease of seven students from actual enrollment in the 2022-23 school year. The preliminary budget was presented to Othello School Board members at the Aug. 14 meeting.

Legals for August, 23 2023

Ephrata boil-water advisory still in effect

EPHRATA — A boil-water advisory remains in effect in Ephrata, at least until city officials learn the results of tests on water samples taken Monday. Full test results are expected Wednesday morning. The advisory was issued for the northeast and southeast parts of town, wrote city Administrator Ray Towry in a Tuesday press release. It does not include the Grandview Heights neighborhood. The boil-water advisory was issued Monday afternoon following a malfunction of sensors that regulate the city’s water reservoir system. City officials expected some preliminary test results Tuesday night.

GoFundMe hub set up for fire victims

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — A centralized hub has been established at GoFundMe for anyone who would like to help people affected by wildfires in eastern Washington, according to an announcement from the fundraising site. The hub will direct people to organizations that GoFundMe has verified as legitimate, to keep scam artists from preying on potential donors. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the wildfires burning throughout Eastern Washington,” GoFundMe Communications Manager and Spokesperson Jeff Platt wrote in the announcement. “At GoFundMe, being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. To help keep the platform safe, donations are processed by our payment partners, held, and then released only to the person named as the recipient of the funds (the beneficiary). Before funds are transferred to the beneficiary, their personal information must be verified. If any questions arise, our processors will hold the funds until the recipient is verified.”

Going to market

Hard work pays off for youth at livestock sale

MOSES LAKE — It’s kind of a high point, the moment when hard work is rewarded in hard cash. Livestock sales are an integral part of a county fair, when a 4-H or Future Farmers of America student sees the benefit from all the effort they put in through the year raising a heifer or a pig or a goat. “What’m I bid? What’m I bid? Do I hear 1,900? 1,900! Do I hear 2,000? All done, all gone…” said auctioneer Chuck Yarbro Jr., machine-gunning the ritual auction phrases Friday morning at the Grant County Fair’s Kenny Ardell Pavilion as one young person after another brought a critter into the ring to be sold. The teens looked nervous but proud as they showed off several months’ to several years’ worth of work.

Legals for August, 22 2023

Spokane-area fires claim two lives, trigger evacuations

SPOKANE — Fires in the Spokane area, including two over 10,000 acres, claimed at least two lives as well as causing evacuations and traffic hassles over the weekend. A body was found in the area burned by the Oregon Road fire north of Spokane on Sunday afternoon, according to an Associated Press report. Another person died in connection with the Gray fire that started Friday west of Spokane. The Gray fire had grown to 10,014 acres by Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire was 10% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $1,250,000. The blaze prompted the evacuation of the entire city of Medical Lake, as well as the communities of Lakeland Village and Four Lakes. Interstate 90 is closed to traffic between the Four Lakes and Tyler interchanges until further notice, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Traffic is being detoured both directions on SR 904 through Cheney.

Chamber, sponsors give breakfast to fair youth

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, with help from local businesses sponsorships, provided breakfast for 4-H, Future Farmers of America and Washington State Grange members and their families Sunday morning at the Grant County Fair. The breakfast was served from the window of the Chamber’s vendor building at the fairgrounds. Chamber President and CEO Debbie Doran-Martinez said that the breakfast is specifically meant for children and families who are busy packing up and preparing their livestock to go home on Sunday. “We do it every year,” said Doran-Martinez. “Those kids have worked really hard all week long, with their animals. They're part of the attraction of the fair for city kids to come and see that life, and so we just want to want to feed them.”

‘Very preliminary’ 2024 Grant PUD budget released

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD customers could see an overall 2.5% rate increase in 2024. The preliminary 2024 budget was released for the first review at the PUD commission meeting Aug. 8. John Mertlich, senior manager of financial planning and analysis, called it a “very preliminary” review. According to information presented to the commissioners, the Aug. 8 presentation meets a state-mandated requirement. Commissioners will approve a resolution to file a preliminary budget today, also meeting a state requirement. The budget will be presented for two public hearings in October, and commissioners will approve the final version in November.

'It’s always a good show'

Roundup wraps up with strong showings from competitors

MOSES LAKE — The 80th year of the Moses Lake Roundup was celebrated Thursday through Friday, when competitors from around the world traveled to Moses Lake for a chance to take home thousands of dollars in the rodeo. “It’s a good rodeo, good contractors,” saddle bronc rider Jake Clark said. “Great hospitality – they treat the competitors great here.” The stands in the Rodeo Arena were packed each of the three nights of the Roundup, watching the numerous competitors take part in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, breakaway roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. “This is a great crowd; they all get into it the whole rodeo. It’s not just the bull riding,” bull rider Laramie Mosley said. “It makes it fun when you show up here and see the stands full, everybody cheering and hollering. It makes it enjoyable.”

Boil water advisory issued for Ephrata

EPHRATA — Ephrata residents in the southeast and northeast sections of town are being advised to boil city water before drinking it. The boil-water advisory was issued by city officials late Monday afternoon. Residents should bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute and let it cool prior to using it, according to a press release from City Administrator Ray Towry. Samples of the water have been sent to a state-certified lab for testing, he wrote. “The test requires 24 hours in the lab. The city anticipates receiving results by Wednesday,” Towry wrote.

Pedal tour

Swedish father and son travel across U.S. by bike

OTHELLO — Axel Andersson said his travels on a bike, which brought him and his dad Eric to Othello Thursday, started with a dilemma back in 2018. “It was after my first year in university, and I didn’t know what to do during the summer,” he said. “So I said, ‘I’m going to bike through Sweden.’ And the longest I’ve ever biked before that, I think, was seven miles or something like that.” ...

Legals for August, 21 2023

Three local fires spring up, and one killed in fire near Medical Lake

MOSES LAKE — If going out the front door Saturday morning felt – and smelled – like walking into a giant ashtray, there’s a reason for that. The Air Quality Index in most of central Washington, including the Columbia Basin, was rated unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency, using data from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The AQI, determined by measuring particulate matter in the air, ranged between 163 in Mattawa and 190 in Ritzville. Moses Lake’s AQI was 176, while Quincy was at 182 and Soap Lake was at 189. The air in the Spokane area was even worse, according to the EPA, with AQIs well over 300 in places. For the air to be rated as healthy, the AQI must be lower than 50...

Soap Lake adjusts office hours, discusses waste disposal

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake City Council voted four to two during Wednesday’s regular meeting to approve temporary changes to City Hall’s public hours. The council also heard a presentation from the Grant County Health District on an out-of-compliance solid waste disposal site. For the next two weeks, starting Monday, Soap Lake City Hall will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with employees taking staggered lunches so someone will always be available to the public. Mayor Michelle Agliano said that the temporary change is meant to help devote more hours in the morning to training Soap Lake’s two recently hired city hall employees...

STUDIO BASIN: Council conundrums, fair fun and derby daring

MOSES LAKE – On this episode of the Studio Basin podcast, Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer and Sports Reporter Ian Bivona go over last week's headlines...

Police logs for Aug. 18, 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...

Building permits for Aug. 18, 2023

City of Moses Lake, unincorporated Grant County