George awarded state funding for well renovations

GEORGE — The city of George’s engineering consultants informed the George City Council during Tuesday’s regular meeting that the city had successfully secured state funding to improve their wells to help with an ongoing water shortage. City Engineer Jamin Ankney with Grey and Osborne Consulting said that since it was an emergency loan request, the Washington Public Works Board prioritized it above other funding requests and approved it sooner than they might have otherwise. “It’s a $601,000 funding package … to finish the Well 4 improvements and start design on deepening Well 3, possibly Well 5, to start the design on that,” said Ankney.

Soap Lake City Council discusses storm drain maintenance

SOAP LAKE — Wednesday’s Soap Lake City Council meeting saw discussion between city council members and the public regarding storm drains not being cleaned frequently enough, which may have caused flooding during recent rainstorms. An anonymous letter to the city, read by Mayor Michelle Agliano during the Mayor’s Message portion of the meeting, attributed flooding on the letter writer’s property – from a rainstorm on July 10 – to a buildup in nearby storm drains and asked that the city take responsibility on their end for keeping the storm drains in good working order.

Ephrata approves changes to new fire truck order

EPHRATA — Ephrata’s new fire truck is seeing a bit of a delay and will cost about $74,000 more than initially anticipated due to multiple factors, Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said. “It’s about $64,000 for engine, transmission and driveline and there’s another dozen components besides the engine and transmission,” he said. Another $10,000 in change orders to the fire engine have been submitted that will accommodate specific needs the Ephrata Fire Department has, Burns said. The change orders and other complications such as supply lines have delayed the overall process. The most recent change comes as the engine selected to power the truck – a 380-horsepower motor – is no longer produced by the manufacturer, Cummins. That model is no longer produced due to federal emissions requirements. However, a higher-horsepower motor – churning out up to 500 horsepower – will operate some of the fire engine’s secondary equipment such as pumps better, Burns said.

News bites for July 21, 2023

COULEE CITY – Emergency repair work to a three-mile stretch of U.S. 2 west of Coulee City began Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The project that will rebuild slopes and roadway and install new guardrail and permanent striping after a severe storm the afternoon of July 10 caused a washout of the highway west of the junction with Moses Coulee Road. U.S. 2 remains closed between SR 172 and SR 17 west of Coulee City, according to the WSDOT. This closure will remain in place through the emergency repairs, which are scheduled to take 30 working days. Travelers are reminded not to pass closure points and should use SR 17 north to SR 172 or SR 17 south to SR 28 as an alternate route. Detours add between 30-45 minutes of travel time, depending on time of day. Travelers are reminded to remain alert for agricultural traffic and plan for limited services. Access is still available to Jameson Lake Resort.

Police records for July 21, 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. Ephrata PD July 11 Report of a collision in the area of C Street and First Avenue Northwest. A trailer came loose from the vehicle towing it and struck a parked car. July 14 Report of a two-vehicle rear-end collision in the 10 block of Basin Street Southwest. No injuries reported.

Waterworks in development near Columbia Ridge

EPHRATA - Crews with construction equipment could be seen earlier this week near the newly-remodeled Columbia Ridge Elementary. The Ephrata School District and the city of Ephrata are working to build a new water tower in the area, according to a press release from the Ephrata School District.

Othello fire deemed arson, other fires continue statewide

OTHELLO — A fire in Othello was deliberately set Tuesday, according to a statement from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office...

Othello celebrates Lions Park upgrades

OTHELLO — Just in time for the beginning of the 8/9/10U Washington Little League State Tournaments this weekend, the city of Othello unveiled the renovations to the Lions Park Athletic Complex on Friday.

Police testify in Patriot Front trial

The lead detective who investigated the 31 members of Patriot Front found crammed into a U-Haul truck on their way to a 2022 Pride celebration in Coeur d’Alene testified he doesn’t think the group planned to commit violence.

Traffic study approved for Quincy’s 13th Avenue

Street would provide access to proposed Q-Plex

QUINCY — A contract to study traffic patterns and traffic volume on 13th Avenue Southwest, the first step in possibly widening it, was approved by the Quincy City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday. The contract for about $393,000 was awarded to Transportation Engineering Northwest, Bellevue. The vote was 4-0. Council member Dave Dormier recused himself from the discussion, saying he has worked with Transportation Engineering Northwest on other projects. The engineers will look at traffic from the intersection of 13th Avenue with SR 28 to Road 9 Northwest. The street provides access to Monument Elementary School and Quincy Innovation Academy as well as Lauzier Park. Quincy city officials are planning improvements to Lauzier Park, and among the possibilities is the proposed indoor sports facility called the Q-Plex.

George approves Quincy Valley Regional Parks District

GEORGE — The George City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the city’s participation in a proposal to form the Quincy Valley Regional Parks District. The proposal, which is scheduled to be on the November general election ballot, would fund a new field house and swimming pool in the city of Quincy Pat Haley, Quincy city administrator, spoke to the council about the planned facility, called Q-Plex, and answered any questions council members had regarding the parks district. “We wanted to make it regional so that it invites people into our town…and that’s what I’m proposing, that it becomes something that has value for everybody in the district,” said Haley.

Moses Lake council candidates detail views at forum

MOSES LAKE — Homelessness, growth, water and water use were among the topics addressed by four candidates for Moses Lake City Council at a forum Tuesday. Incumbent David Eck and challengers Jeremy Nolan, Gerrit Klein and Victor Lombardi answered questions and talked about what they see as the issues facing the city. Nolan said that, in his opinion, all the interest in the council race is a good sign, given that council incumbents often have run unopposed in the past. “I love that there are four of us up here sharing best ideas in this type of forum for this one position this year,” Nolan said. All four candidates said they got in the race because they wanted to make the community better.

Japanese beetle could spread across WA in 20 years

PULLMAN — Without intervention, the colorful but devastating Japanese beetle could make its way across the evergreen state within two decades, according to a study of their potential dispersion...

27th Spud Run

Othello car enthusiasts celebrate almost 30 years with annual car show

OTHELLO – The All Cities Classic Car Club hosted Othello’s 27th annual Spud Run car show Friday evening in front of City Hall, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Kiwanis Park. Bob Dovel, a member of the All Cities Classic Car Club and one of the original four creators of the Spud Run, said that the community responded really well to the event. “It brings people in, brings in tourism dollars…it brings people into town,” said Dovel...

Health fair, summer movie Friday in Mattawa

MATTAWA — Mattawa-area residents can watch a movie Friday night and get information on all things health-related at the same time. The city of Mattawa is sponsoring a combination and movie night and health fair beginning at 4 p.m. Friday at Hund Memorial Park, 101 Government Road. It's the second of three movie nights this summer. “We decided to do themes this year, (to) be able to provide more for the community,” said Mattawa Mayor Maria Celaya...

Legals for July, 19 2023

Patriot Front trial continues

Free speech is at the heart of the trial of five Patriot Front members accused of planning to violently disrupt a Pride celebration in Coeur d’Alene City Park in June 2022.

News bites for July 19

OTHELLO — CHS Sun Basin Growers recently donated to Adams County District 5, according to a statement from the fire district. CHS Senior Director of Operations Tyson Chick and Director of Operations Chris Guess last week presented a check for $10,000 to Chief Gary Lebacken. The money, provided by CHS’ Seeds of Stewardship program, will go toward replacing extrication tools with new tools that can be deployed faster, require less manpower and offer more capabilities than the current tools, according to the statement. The CHS Seeds for Stewardship program matches cooperative contributions for projects in rural communities, according to CHS’ website. Since 2020, more than 300 communities have benefited from matching grants. EPHRATA — Heavenly Roofing in Ephrata will hold a coloring contest this month for budding artists up to 12 years old, according to an announcement from the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce.

Fire update for July 19

FISHTRAP — The Snider Road fire, on Interstate 90 about 10 miles northeast of Sprague, was discovered about 2 p.m. Monday and had burned 520 acres by 4:30, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Level 3 evacuation notices were issued about 4 p.m., but had dropped to level 1 by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday morning the fire was mostly in the mopping-up stages, according to DNR spokesman Thomas Kyle. These wildfires were also burning in Washington as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the NIFC:

Renew hopes to resume housing assistance program soon

GRANT COUNTY — Grant County behavioral health provider Renew is hoping to take referrals again in the near future for its housing assistance program, after having to limit its new cases since January due to an overload of clients, according to LaVyonne Barnes, who supervises the program. Barnes stated that the program, which is an arm of Amerigroup’s state-wide Foundational Community Supports program, is vital to Renew’s behavioral health treatment efforts and to servicing the large number of clients struggling with a lack of housing. “We love the FCS program being part of Renew because we believe in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, meaning it’s hard for a client to address their mental health if they don’t even have their basic needs met.”