Columbia Basin Events for April 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Spring has sprung in the Basin and it’s time to check out the flowers in Othello and Quincy, art in Coulee City, businesses in Ephrata and jobs in Moses Lake, among a host of other things. Here’s what’s happening in April:

Basin events for March 28-April 5

COLUMBIA BASIN — This week’s goings-on in the Basin include a car wash, an off-season farmers market, fundraiser auctions, movies and more. Here are some suggestions:

Westshore Drive, Vantage Bridge work signal start of construction season

MOSES LAKE — Spring brings with it new grass, flowers blooming, more sunshine and road construction. Most projects are scheduled to start later in the summer, but a couple are underway now.

Law enforcement logs for March 28, 2025

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 March, 28 2025

Advancing Tigers

Highly Capable Program lets students enrich their education

EPHRATA — A school district has all kinds of children in it, and those children learn at different paces. Some have learning disabilities and need a little extra help, while others excel in one or more academic fields.

Tigers and Huskies tie 1-1

Ephrata defense able to hold up against Huskies’ strong offense

EPHRATA – The hard-fought soccer game between the Ephrata Tigers and the Othello Huskies ended in a tie Tuesday night with both teams scoring one goal in the second half on the Ephrata pitch. “It was kind of back and forth and it came down to the wire; within the two-minute range they got a corner kick ... and put a goal on us,” said Tigers head coach Ivan Garay. “We didn’t let that break us up or put us down, we turned it around really quick.”

Infrastructure improvements continue in Ephrata

EPHRATA – Developments are continuing to take place in Ephrata as the city embarks on infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing community resources and ensuring the reliability of essential services. Ephrata Mayor Bruce Reim recently provided insights into ongoing initiatives, including the construction of a new water tower, road maintenance efforts, and a sewer system evaluation, all part of the city's commitment to investing in its future.

Overproduction, possible tariff retaliation - interesting times for tree fruit growers

WENATCHEE — An old saying – said to be Japanese, and said to be a curse – talks about living in interesting times. While it’s always an interesting time to be in the tree fruit business, times are especially interesting now.

More signs planned for busy Adams Co. intersections near Othello

OTHELLO — Additional warning and stop signs will be installed at 14 intersections in the Othello area. Adams County Commissioners approved $833,000 for the project Tuesday.

Gas prices on the rise: A look at national and WA trends

MOSES LAKE – As of Monday, the average price of gasoline in the United States has observed a notable increase, rising 6.3 cents from the previous week to settle at $3.08 per gallon, according to data from the website GasBuddy, which tracks prices from more than 12 million reports across 150,000-plus gas stations.

News beat: Ephrata fifth graders learn the ropes of journalism

EPHRATA — The Columbia Basin Herald recently acquired some competition in Ephrata. We’d be more worried if the journalists were old enough to, say, drive a car.

STUDIO BASIN: Fairs, guns and spring sports

MOSES LAKE – On this episode of the STUDIO BASIN Podcast, Cub Reporter Nance Beston and Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer talk about Senate Bill 5098, a piece of proposed legislation that would ban weapons in public areas where children may be present.

Wahluke looks to continue building team cohesion after strong start

MATTAWA – Wahluke soccer has started their 2025 season 2-1 and Coach Cele Lopez expressed pride in the team that has been built so far. This season the team has added new faces to the roster and is working on building a new defense. On top of this Coach Lopez has noticed a particularly strong bond that has been building among his players.

Area experts walk potential first-time home buyers through the process

MOSES LAKE — How to facilitate a first home purchase was the topic of a seminar in Moses Lake Tuesday. The Homebuying Process Workshop, hosted by Opportunities Industrialization Center, or OIC, of Washington, featured three experts in home purchasing and a ton of advice for people new to the process.

BASIN EVENTS CALENDAR: March 21-29, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — The sun is shining; the cranes are in flight and there’s a host of things to do in the Basin this week. Here are a few:

Road work set for next week in Quincy

QUINCY — Spring is in the air, and that means, among many other things, the start of road construction season. Road crews will be doing some crack-sealing work at night along State Route 28 in Quincy beginning Sunday night. Drivers should plan for some delays through Wednesday night at least, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation.

Law enforcement logs for March 21, 2025

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 March, 21 2025

New principal named for Wahluke’s Saddle Mountain Elementary

MATTAWA — Melissa Hattaway has been named the principal at Saddle Mountain Elementary beginning with the 2025-25 school year. “She’s replacing Kurt Hoffman who’s retiring after 40 years in education,” Wahluke School District Superintendent Andy Harlow said. “Melissa is a Royal High School graduate and has worked for (the Wahluke School District) for 15 years. This will be her first role as principal.”