Moses Lake sit-sleep-lie ordinance approved

MOSES LAKE — New regulations in Moses Lake for sleeping, lying or sitting on sidewalks within a designated zone during specific times of day were approved Tuesday by the Moses Lake City Council. New rules governing shopping carts taken from businesses also were approved, but any fines levied against businesses that own shopping carts will be deferred for 90 days. Council member Deanna Martinez asked for additional time to look at alternatives for dealing with shopping carts once they’re abandoned.

Immigration arrests surged last month in Washington

Federal immigration arrests across Washington rose sharply in June as the Trump administration continues its aggressive nationwide push for deportations, according to new data. Arrests in June, more than 275, were at least double any month since President Donald Trump reclaimed the presidency in January. At the same time, the share of arrestees in Washington with criminal records dropped sharply, to less than one-third. The figures come from the Deportation Data Project out of the University of California, Berkeley, where researchers received the information via Freedom of Information Act requests. The data runs through June 26. “I think that every community member in our country who is watching the news and comes from an immigrant family is increasingly concerned about their safety here,” said Caedmon Magboo Cahill, director of policy advocacy at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington chapter.

Fiscal Fallout: How Washington Medicaid spending quintupled over a decade

(The Center Square) – Washington state’s Medicaid spending has quintupled, or increased five times over, since the 2013-15 biennium, according to an analysis by The Center Square.

Soap Lake plans upgrades for dog park, Smokiam Campground

SOAP LAKE — In a bid to enhance recreational amenities and boost tourism, the city of Soap Lake is currently undertaking upgrades to both its dog park and the Smokiam Campground. Mayor Peter Sharp elaborated on these enhancements, citing community engagement and improved safety as primary motivators behind the initiatives.

Legion A Warriors playoff run ends in Medical Lake

COULEE CITY – The ACH Legion A Warriors ended their season July 20 after a competitive 8-13 loss against the Medical Lake Dirt Dawgs. Despite the loss, head coach Hunter Lee was happy for his players to get the experience of playoff baseball. “It was a great experience for our guys to be able to play in a playoff type format, and in a bunch of games and not a lot of days, lots of guys got to pitch, played a ton of baseball and close games for all of them. It was a great experience for us,” he said.

ACH Legion 18U set for the state tournament

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline American Legion 18U baseball team played four games over the weekend to determine their spot in the state tournament. ACH would end up making the state tournament and placing as the number five seed overall. “I look at it as, it’s kind of wide open,” said ACH Legion head coach Mike Correia. “If we get the pitch performance that I’m hoping we get, I don’t see any reason why we can't push towards the end and maybe make a run at winning the whole thing.”

$30M hospital bond goes before Ephrata voters

EPHRATA – Those living in and around Ephrata will see a measure on their ballot for the August 5 election for a $30 million bond measure requested by Grant County Public Hospital District 3 – which most residents likely know as Columbia Basin Hospital. The measure has been in the works for some time. “The board started talking about this more seriously right before COVID, and then COVID hit, and everything took a back burner to that,” said GCPHD 3 Board President Amy Paynter.

Mavericks Eli Anderson competes at Fargo National Championship

MOSES LAKE — On July 14, Mavericks boys wrestler Eli Anderson competed in the Fargo National Championship in Fargo, North Dakota. While he did not get the outcome he hoped for, Anderson feels like it was a valuable experience. “The tournament itself was really big, and there was a lot of good talent there from across the nation, and so I felt like just being there was really special and unique. I learned a lot as well,” Anderson said.

Mariners successful weekend series against Astros

SEATTLE (AP) — Randy Arozarena hit a solo home run and Luis Castillo threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 6-1 on Friday night. Arozarena hit an elevated fastball from Astros left-hander Brandon Walter (1-3) out to left-center field in the fourth inning for his 18th home run of the season. In the process, Arozarena became only the second player in the majors this season with 10 or more home runs over a 14-game stretch.

Moses Lake Police Department logs for July 21, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Moses Lake Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Dan Newhouse advised not to hold public events after man arrested for making death threats against GOP congressman, his staff

WASHINGTON — Just about every time Rep. Dan Newhouse posts on Facebook, the comments start pouring in with the same question from his constituents across central Washington. “When is your next public meeting??? Would love to ask some questions!” one person wrote under a post celebrating the Grand Coulee Dam’s anniversary on Wednesday. “In the area yet again and STILL no time for a Town Hall,” another commented after the Republican lawmaker posted photos from an event in Richland on July 10.

Report: WA among states with major funding gap in needed bridge, road improvements

(The Center Square) – A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts finds Washington among U.S. states struggling to make the investments necessary to preserve and maintain transportation systems, including roads and bridges. “A situation that in turn threatens economic development, the safety of millions of drivers and residents, and the long-term sustainability of public budgets,” according to the report. In fiscal year 2024, the latest year of available data, states spent about $247 billion – roughly 8% of their total expenditures that year – on roadway assets.

Summerfest draws crowds to Royal City

ROYAL CITY — Any way you measure it, Summerfest was a success. “I would say on Friday we had over 2,500 people, and then after the parade on Saturday, we had over 3,000 people in the park,” said Summerfest Committee Chair Jill Larsen. That’s more than the population of the town, she added, which was about 1,900 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census.

QPlex design paused for more research

QUINCY — Quincy Valley Parks and Recreation commissioners have reconsidered the original design of the fieldhouse in Lauzier Park, known as the QPlex. Pat Haley, parks and recreation executive director and Quincy city administrator, told Quincy City Council the reconsideration of the design started with a conversation about facility operations. “It quickly became evident that it was going to be a big organization, and the simple structure that we had in mind wasn’t going to be suitable,” Haley said.

ACH Legion 18u takes two wins in Ephrata

EPHRATA – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline American Legion Warriors 18u baseball team earned two wins while hosting a pre-playoff tournament in Ephrata Wednesday afternoon. The team earned wins against both Trail AA Orioles 17u and Ferris Legion AA allowing them to host their first round of bracket play today at noon. “I like how we’ve been playing, I hope we can continue to do what we need to do when we need to do it,” said ACH Legion coach Mike Correia.

Detours near Ephrata, delays near Moses Lake as construction ramps up

MOSES LAKE — The balmy summer days where there’s almost no delay for road construction are coming to an end – the part with no road construction, not the balmy summer days. Work starts Monday on some major projects, including a roundabout at the intersection of Nat Washington Way and State Route 282. Tom Gaines, Grant County central services director, said the work will require closing SR 282 at the intersection. “This is a major impact,” Gaines said.

Legion A splits doubleheader in playoffs

HARTLINE – On Wednesday, the ACH Legion A Warriors hosted the first round of their playoffs in Hartline. They split their doubleheader against the Trail Orioles A and the Cheney Summer Hawks A teams. Head coach Hunter Lee said he was proud of how his team rallied. “We got the job done. We want at least one (win), so we get to advance to the knockout round this weekend, but we definitely have to limit the walks and hits by pitches,” Lee said.

Ephrata mayoral candidates debate issues

EPHRATA – Ephrata Mayoral candidates came to the Columbia Basin Herald office Monday to talk about their positions on the issues. Incumbent Bruce Reim and opponent Steve Oliver answered questions around transparency, tax burdens, criminal activity and the local economy.

Grant PUD donation program gets new name

Power district offers multiple ways to help those struggling with electric bills.

EPHRATA — Because it’s used year-round, the Grant County Public Utility District has renamed its donation program. “Share the Warmth” is now “Share the Light.” Cary West, the PUD’s senior manager of customer solutions, said the name change better reflects the intended use. “Probably back in the 1980s is when we (started) Share the Warmth, but we’ve rebranded it to promote it throughout the year,” West said. “When it was Share the Warmth, it was promoted more during the winter months. But we have summer peak (usage) and winter peak usage, so the need is there year-round.”

Community lends support to family following boat fire

LAKE ROOSEVELT — A severe boat fire has left the Marchand family grappling with challenges after a gas explosion resulted in serious burns to multiple family members. Shawn Marchand, his adult daughter Morgan, and her two young children suffered significant injuries in the incident, which occurred at Lake Roosevelt while they were attempting to aid a person stranded on the water.