Marie Miller

May 1, 1926 – June 24, 2024

Marie Miller, 98, was born on May 1, 1926, on a farm near Ute, Iowa and passed away peacefully on June 24, 2024, at Columbia Basin Nursing Home in Ephrata, Washington.

BASIN Events calendar for July 2024

MOSES LAKE – As June rolls into July, the days are getting a bit warmer, the fish are biting and the car enthusiasts, golfers and children of the Columbia Basin are celebrating their season. The events below are a partial listing of what is going on in Grant and Adams counties. July 4 events will be published separately to ensure folks can celebrate our nation’s birthday.

Dementia at home

How to set up a house to be safe for those suffering from cognitive decline

MOSES LAKE — A dementia diagnosis is a tough thing to hear, and it changes things all around the patient. Those changes extend all the way to how a patient’s home is arranged. “Most homes are not designed with the needs of someone living with dementia in mind,” wrote Jennifer Reeder, director of educational and social services for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Ephrata grad takes mound in state all-star baseball game

EPHRATA – Ephrata graduate Cody Black wrapped up his high school career by taking the mound in one final baseball game last weekend, suiting up for Team Rainier in the Washington All-State Baseball Series in Yakima.

Chip seal project will cause delays on Highway 97A

CHELAN — Drivers on US Highway 97A should be prepared for delays as construction crews work on chip-seal projects between Chelan and Wenatchee. Crews will be repairing sections where drivers have worn down the pavement, starting July 1 and 2, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation. After July 2 work will be suspended until July 8 and then will continue through the week of July 11. Crews will be chip-sealing from 7 a.m. to about 5 p.m.

Water safety patrols increase next week

CRESCENT BAR — Marine Unit deputies with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office will be out on county lakes and the Columbia River Next week as part of a campaign to reduce incidents of boats being operated by impaired drivers.

Law enforcement logs for June 28, 2024

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 June, 28 2024

STRENGTH: Tony Leibelt

On the front lines of his hometown

QUINCY – After 36 years as a firefighter, Tony Leibelt has seen it all. He’s stood on the front lines of wildfires, he’s rescued rock climbers on the cliffs above the Columbia River and once he even delivered a baby on a bathroom floor. Some of the calls are routine, some are tragic, and some are just plain weird.

STRENGTH: Jason Hilzer

LRS coach Hilzer back to coaching after bout with leukemia

RITZVILLE – Jason Hilzer has been coaching football, wrestling and baseball at Lind-Ritzville/Sprague for nearly a quarter of a century, assisting and leading the way in battles on the gridiron, wrestling mat and the diamond.

STRENGTH: Don Nutt

Coulee City artist lives out his dream supporting other artists

COULEE CITY – Don Nutt has been an artist all his life. “Every 5-year-old likes to draw and color,” he said. “I just never really stopped. Family members gave me how-to-draw books, (which was) the 1960s YouTube.”

Batcopter creator’s home destroyed

SOAP LAKE – Looking at what is now left of his home after a structure fire Tuesday evening, Gary White of Soap Lake, known for his community involvement with his passion for all things Batman, including his replica Batcopter, admitted that he was still in shock from the events that took his home in the 500 block of Main Avenue East in Soap Lake and two of the family dogs’ lives.

RISING JUNIORS: MLCA/CCS’s Johnny Ferguson

MOSES LAKE – While tip-off of the fourth/sixth-place game at the 1B Boys State Basketball Tournament was an early one for the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School boys basketball team, sophomore Johnny Ferguson wasn’t going to let the Lions finish the year with a loss.

Ephrata High FBLA to compete nationally

EPHRATA – Several Tigers are headed to Florida. Not the four-legged kind, but the kind that have a fascination with professionalism and wander the halls of Ephrata High School. Ephrata High Future Business Leaders of America club advisor and EHS media teacher Ryan Shannon said he’s very proud of this year’s FBLA team.

Independence Day traditions take center stage in George July 4

GEORGE — July 4 being a day of tradition, the nation’s birthday will be celebrated in the traditional fashion at the annual celebration in George.

Legals for June, 27 2024

Kirk T. Hartman

Oct. 22, 1945 – June 8, 2024

In his last days, Kirk was asking anyone he spoke with if he could have a new body. Well, the Lord was listening, and he received a new body in Christ on June 8, 2024. His earthly body was just too tired to fight anymore after many years battling various illnesses.

Family fun set for Neppel Landing this weekend

MOSES LAKE – To further support their members with shops adjacent to Neppel Park and to just simply have the community out for a good time, the Moses Lake Downtown Association is having a family picnic day at the park this Saturday.

WA Golf Men’s Amateur Championship tees off in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – The 2024 WA Golf Men’s Amateur Championship teed off at The Links at Moses Pointe Tuesday morning, bringing in amateur golfers from across the state, as well as some from Idaho, Oregon and Canada.

Sentenced defendant thankful for arrest

Long-term opiate addiction led to poor choices, woman says

EPHRATA – Melissa Shelby Mattingly, 48, of Moses Lake was sentenced after entering guilty pleas on six felony charges – and thanked the court for compassion and said that her arrest was a blessing. “I think my arrest probably saved my life, and although I am facing an exorbitant amount of time away from my children and my parents, I know that I am lucky to still have my life, and I hope that I can at least use my experiences to let other people know that this is the result of fentanyl,” Mattingly said prior to sentencing.