Mavs boys in 12th after first day of Mat Classic

TACOMA – The Moses Lake High School boys wrestlers won most of their matches in the opening round of the Mat Classic tournament in Tacoma. Getting into second-round matches though, several wrestlers lost their bouts and went into the consolation bracket. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the boys were in 12th place with 40 points in the Boys 4A tournament. However, several matches continued past press time. The Columbia Basin Herald will have an updated story in the Monday paper.

Ephrata PD blotter for Feb. 21, 2025

EPHRATA - The reports below were provided by the Ephrata Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Other agencies are working on resolving issues with new dispatching software and will be providing blotter information once that has been resolved.

Several gun bills working their way through the Washington State Legislature

(The Center Square) – Friday marks a critical cutoff date for bills in the Washington State Legislature. This means bills must pass through a policy committee in their house of origin, or they are likely dead for the year. While several bills related to the regulation of firearms are moving ahead, a bipartisan bill to increase penalties for repeat juvenile offenders when it comes to gun crimes has not received a public hearing.

Hall Sisters to perform in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The tight, soaring harmonies of the Hall Sisters will fill the Wallenstien Theater March 24. “They’re dynamic,” said Judy Twigg, vice president of the Central Basin Community Concert Association, which is sponsoring the show. “They are one in a million. They’re four sisters who have been singing since they were young girls.” The Hall Sisters – Jessica, Natalie, Lydia and Valerie – come from North Carolina and grew up in a home filled with music, according to their online information. Their music combines heart-wrenching ballads and instrumentals, fiery Irish fiddle tunes, and country classics sprinkled with some pop.

Columbia Basin Events for Feb. 21-March 1

COLUMBIA BASIN — Spring may not be here, but you can almost see it coming. Here are a few things to check out while you watch the ground thaw: Feb . 21 LJ Polmateer Live performance by local musician LJ Polmateer of One Soulution. 5:30 p.m. at Michael’s Market & Bistro, 221 W. Broadway Ave., Moses Lake. Info: 509-765-4177. Open Mic Night

Building permits for Feb. 21, 2025

Unincorporated Grant County Jan. 25-31 Jourdon Collis, 12900 block of Road A.5 NW, manufactured home, no valuation given. Lopez Design LLC, 400 block of Southwest River Drive, Quincy, new residence, $700,786.56. Bruce Preston Construction Inc., 13000 block of North Frontage Road East, Moses Lake, shop, $1,098,103.45. DGR Homes LLC, 700 block of Southwest Bryce Place, Mattawa, manufactured home, no valuation given. Victor and Julia A. Sinchuk., 200 block of Southeast Pelican Drive, Moses Lake, new residence, $561,037.32. Matthew Adams, 4000 block of Northeast Orchard Drive, Moses Lake, new residence, $1,051,392.58.

Plastic bags are a good way to sow before the spring weather comes

MOSES LAKE — Winter may be wheezing out its last gasps, but we’re still a ways off from time to put most spring plants outdoors. Seeds can be planted ahead of time in milk jugs or ice cube trays, but there’s a third medium that’s had some success: plastic resealable bags. “You can start sweet peas in bags,” said Valerie Parrott, president of the Columbia Basin Garden Club. “You can start a lot of winter sowing things putting them in the (plastic) bags. Just line them up outside.” The bags should be filled with some sort of absorbent material. Parrott uses potting soil, but moss, coffee filters or towels are also options, according to the website Gardening Tips and Tools.

Legals for February, 21 2025

WA Senate passes bill to boost housing supply by eliminating parking requirements

(The Center Square) – Washington state needs to build more than one million housing units over the next two decades, but one proposal intends to clear the way by repealing the state’s minimum parking requirements. Spokane eliminated its parking requirements last year to encourage the development of empty lots around town. The Legislature wants to follow suit with Senate Bill 5184, but only for cities with more than 20,000 people, extending to roughly 60% of Washingtonians.

Bruce Johnstone

"Enjoy every minute. I can still remember the night Matthew was born. I brought him home, rocked him to sleep, and went to bed. I woke up the next day and I was fifty. Life happens fast." - Bruce Johnstone

Six Broncos headed to the west side to compete

RITZVILLE — As six Broncos get ready to hop on the bus for Tacoma, Coach Jason Hilzer said he’s proud of his team and is looking forward to seeing the brackets that indicate who his folks will be paired up with. “It’s been going pretty good. (We’ve been doing) drills, live wrestling and just kind of getting ready to look at the brackets and who they potentially would have to go against,” Hilzer said.

Moses Lake boys qualify eight, girls send 11 to Mat Classic

MOSES LAKE -- Nineteen total Mavericks qualified to wrestle at the upcoming Mat Classic, with the Moses Lake girls team qualifying 11 wrestlers and the boys team sending eight wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome. The Moses Lake boys took second at districts, scoring 214.5 points at the tournament. Sunnyside won the district tournament with 278.5 points.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: A good man on the team...

You never know when someone or something is going to enter your world and make a significant impact. About three years ago, the Columbia Basin Herald had one of those people show up and make a difference. Not just for us, for the Columbia Basin, the high school and youth athletes it holds, and for Washington sports writing in general.

Quincy takes large team to Mat Classic, hopes for hardware

QUINCY — Quincy girls wrestling coach Mark Kondo said the format for Mat Classic has changed, but his team will be competing against familiar opponents. Quincy moved to Class 2A at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, and Mat Classic changed to a new format for 2025, with a separate tournament for Class 2A. But Kondo said those changes really won’t make much difference for the Jacks.

Wahluke wrestlers set to represent Mattawa well

MATTAWA – The Wahluke High girls wrestling team is sending four athletes to the Mat Classic in Tacoma this weekend. The girls will be joined by Alex Tapia from the boys team and the hope is that he and his fellow Warriors represent the school well.

Huskies wrestlers work to achieve lofty goals in Tacoma

OTHELLO — Othello girls wrestling coach Sonny Rocha said the coaches set a lofty goal for the Huskies in the 2024-25 season, and he’s optimistic his team can reach it after earning the district championship this year. “Our goal at the beginning was to be state champions, so sending 14 quality girls, it’s going to be something that’s going to set us up for that stage,” Rocha said. “It's just going to be a matter of doing the same thing we’ve been doing all year.”

Mechatronics Meltdown: BBCC event highlights technology with fun

MOSES LAKE — Fans of the future will want to be at Big Bend Community College Saturday for Mechatronics Meltdown. “A lot of people don’t know that we actually have robots here at Big Bend,” said Mechatronics Club advisor Justin Henley.

MLSD eighth graders begin preparing for high school

MOSES LAKE — Vanguard Academy and Moses Lake High School students and staff spent time at Columbia Middle School Wednesday sharing the programs and opportunities available for incoming freshmen. “The academic journey for our eighth-grade students in the Moses Lake School District continued today with the first of three curriculum fairs that will take place at the middle schools here in the district today,” MLSD Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said. “Staff from Vanguard Academy and Moses Lake High School spent some time at Columbia Middle School talking to eighth-graders and showcasing not only the academic programs but the athletics and activities and other opportunities that each building provides to its students and giving the eighth-graders an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the various options that are available to them as they register for their upcoming ninth-grade year.”

Wanted: A friend to gift slobbery kisses to

SOAP LAKE — Frankie is a big, sweet pup who is full of hugs and slobbery kisses. He loves to play with other dogs and humans. He is around a year old which means he still has some of his puppy energy. He is a bullmastiff-boxer mix and weighs around 100 pounds. The sweet boy is up to date on shots and is neutered, now he is just waiting for his forever home. If Frankie is your kind of guy visit RockBottomRocker.org. If you can’t adopt this love bug but still want to help a local nonprofit visit the website and click the “donate” button. If you would like to drop off items to the shelter, they are in need of dog and cat food, cat litter, a 32-gallon garbage can with wheels, pee pads, toilet paper, paper towels and dish soap.

ECBID to begin irrigation season March 20

COLUMBIA BASIN – The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District announced it will begin to fill the East Low Canal for the 2025 irrigation season on March 20. The East Low Canal serves Moses Lake, Warden, Othello and Connell. Deliveries from the East Low Canal will begin to be available on March 25. However, deliveries to the East District’s Block 49 from the Potholes East Canal will begin earlier on March 17. Irrigation deliveries will be dependent on the demand for individual lateral systems. Pump plants will also be started when orders are sufficient for start-up of the plants. According to ECBID, water users should contact their respective Watermaster Headquarters in Moses Lake or Othello or contact their ditch rider to receive current information and schedules.