Graduations in the Basin coming soon

COLUMBIA BASIN – Area high schools will be celebrating graduation the first two weeks of June. The Columbia Basin Herald will be attending each of the ceremonies listed below and will provide coverage in a keepsake edition of the paper on June 12 so that graduates can have one issue that brings all of their graduation celebrations together with their friends at nearby schools. Additionally, look in tomorrow’s edition for a commemorative insert with photos of this year’s grads...

'Excited' and 'happy'

Wahluke life skills students off to college with a ROAR

MATTAWA — Getting accepted to college requires a lot of effort, some of it doing scary things. Three students in Wahluke High School’s life skills class didn’t let that stop them - they’re off to college next fall. “We’re going to (Washington State University) in Pullman,” said Juan Ramos...

Legals for May, 31 2023

Greater love hath no man ...

KELLOGG, Idaho –– There is a hill on the southeast side of Kellogg – at the top of that hill is Greenwood Cemetry. To find the headstone belonging to First Lieutenant Frank Stanley Reasoner, you’d have to make your way to the back of the cemetery where the veterans have their own special section...

Basin Business Journal looking for 40 standouts under 40

COLUMBIA BASIN — The squeaky wheel may get the grease, but sometimes the other wheels are working just as hard without making noise. That’s true in the business world, too: sometimes the people making the most difference are the quiet ones, flying under the radar. The Basin Business Journal would like to know about those people...

Legals for May, 30 2023

Vivian Vetter-Gama

Vivian Vetter-Gama, 83, passed away March 25, 2023, in Kennewick, Washington. Vivian was a 1959 graduate of Moses Lake High School. She raised her family in Othello where she was a billing agent for the city. Please join us for her memorial service on Saturday, June 17, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 616 E. Juniper St., Othello, Washington. The service will begin with a Rosary at 1:30 p.m. and Funeral Mass at 2 p.m. Everyone is also invited to attend a reception lunch beginning at 3 p.m. at the Othello Eagles, located at 127 E. Larch St., Othello, Washington.

Moses Lake School Board approves new elementary design

MOSES LAKE — The new Moses Lake elementary school scheduled for construction in Mae Valley should go to bid in late fall. Moses Lake School Board members approved a design for the building at the regular meeting Thursday. “The goal (is) to bid the project this year, before Christmas and the holidays,” said Matt Whitish of Design West, the lead architect on the project. “The construction schedule hasn’t changed. We’re looking to have a contractor on board at the very early start of 2024, and (to) still have construction completed in time for the school year in 2025.” ...

‘Beautiful cars’

Spring Festival car show fills the street with cool rides

MOSES LAKE — Two full blocks of cool cars. Their owners thought so, of course, and so did the spectators that filled West Third Avenue in front of Frontier Middle School for the Spring Festival car show Saturday. “Beautiful cars. Beautiful cars I haven’t seen in years,” said Noland Dominguez of the Lakesiders Car Club...

Legals for May, 26 2023

Top students

Boeing honors regional science, technology students

MOSES LAKE — Rebecca Noftle said her son Carter has always had a thing for numbers. “He’s that kid. When he was in preschool when I was tucking him into bed, and he goes, ‘Mom, when you close your eyes, do you think about numbers?’” Rebecca said. “He always did. He was fascinated with math.” That fascination has led Carter, a student at Royal High School, to look forward to educational opportunities. “I plan on going to (Brigham Young University) to study,” said Carter. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but I know it’s going to be related to computer science or engineering or something like that.”

Ephrata to host 2B,1B state baseball this weekend

EPHRATA – The 2B/1B State Baseball Tournament will be hosted at Ephrata High School on Friday and Saturday, the first time the school has hosted a state championship event, according to a release by the Ephrata School District. Semifinal games for both the 2B and 1B classifications are on Friday beginning at 10 a.m., with Mount Vernon Christian taking on Liberty Christian in the 1B semifinals. State championship games and third/fourth-place games will be held on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Each game will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of the previous game.

Fuhr seeks additional officers for MLPD

Police chief seeks $1M in funding to ensure police force is adequate

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr is asking the city council to consider adding up to $1 million to the police department’s annual budget to hire as many as six new officers, citing the department’s workload. “We run six officers per shift per crew and any given time, but with education and training, simply we average between four and five officers at any given that are working,” Fuhr told members of the Moses Lake city council on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, we are busy enough that four or five officers just doesn’t cut it anymore,” added the chief, who is also interim city manager.

WA building code update implementation delayed

OLYMPIA — The Washington Building Code Council voted this week to delay the implementation of the state’s 2021 building code to Oct. 29 as the council considers possible revisions for portions of the code, according to an announcement on the council’s website...

Bud (James) Williams

Bud (James D.) Williams, 78, was born July 22, 1944, to William and MaryJune Williams in Richmond, California. He went to be with his Lord and Savior on April 25, 2023. He was predeceased by his parents, his son Bill, his daughter Kathy and a great-grandson. He is survived by his wife Terri of 38 years; daughter and son-in-law Tami and Grant Torrey of Moses Lake, and son Michael O'Neil of Spokane Valley, 12 grandchildren and soon 25 great-grandchildren. Family was one of the most important things in Bud's life. Bud retired after 22 years from the Moses Lake School District as the plumber in 2015. Bud's work history prior to the district was in the construction trade. He completed the boilermaker apprenticeship program with Standard Oil in California. Bud was a man of exceptional talent in everything he did. He had numerous friends as well as his church family. Bud resisted the Lord for many years until one day he could resist no longer. We know Bud is in the loving arms of Jesus. He was a regular attendee of the Moses Lake Bible Church and the Living Water Baptist Church in Las Vegas.

Council OKs changes to Moses Lake parking code

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to the city ordinance governing when and how the city can impound vehicles, including those being used as residences and parked illegally. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken your nuisance and junk vehicle chapter and added to it the ability and the subsection revolving around them to impound unauthorized vehicles or those that are parked where they’re not supposed to be parked,” City Attorney Katherine Kenison told members of the city council at a lengthy regular meeting on Tuesday. Under the approved changes, Moses Lake Police officers may now impound vehicles illegally parked on public streets or rights of way or in city parking lots for longer than 24 hours unless the parking lot is governed by separate rules or the owners of the vehicle have obtained a parking permit from the city manager, according to the ordinance.

City, DAR honor Miyo Koba

MOSES LAKE — The city of Moses Lake on Tuesday, along with the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, honored longtime Moses Lake resident and businessperson Miyo Koba with a special award and a key to the city in a ceremony at Tuesday’s regular Moses Lake City Council meeting. “As far as I know, this is the first of its kind,” said Mayor Don Myers. “We created the key to the city and I will be presenting it to Miyo to acknowledge the recognition by the Karneetsa chapter of women in history.” According to Stephanie Massart, regent of the local Karneetsa Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the society was recognizing Koba for her place in local and national history as a Japanese-American who was interned in a camp during World War II, as well as helping her husband Frank to run Frank’s Market on Nelson Road for many years.

Woman arrested for stealing, selling metal pump parts

MOSES LAKE — Deputies with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Moses Lake woman on Tuesday accused of stealing metal from an irrigation equipment retailer and selling it for scrap to a local metal dealer, according to a GCSO statement. According to the statement, 38-year-old Magaly Diaz Luna was arrested after staff at Moses Lake Iron & Metal became suspicious of the brass pump impellers Luna was trying to sell them. Staff had recently been informed by Irrigators Inc. that pump impellers had been stolen from their Moses Lake property, the statement said, after Irrigators Inc. staff found a hole in their fence and several impellers missing from a pallet. Diaz had reportedly sold brass impellers to Moses Lake Iron & Metal six different times since mid-March, the statement said, and was paid the scrap rate of roughly $1,900. According to the GCSO statement, employees with Irrigators Inc. were able to identify the impellers as belonging to the company.

Police records for May 25, 2023

MLPD, EPD, Grant County Jail

Legals for May, 25 2023