Grant and Adams county tentative election results for Nov. 2022

The results below are not official until confirmed. Only opposed races are indicated. Additional election results will be provided as they are available. Counts below are as of 8:12 p.m. from the Washington Secretary of State’s office. Additional ballots may be outstanding and counted provided they were postmarked by Nov. 8, 2022...

Adkinson takes interim city administrator role in Ephrata

Koch promoted to chief

EPHRATA - The City of Ephrata experienced a few changes Monday as Ephrata Police Chief Kurt Adkinson stepped down as chief and took over the role as interim City Administrator for the City of Ephrata. Captain Erik Koch was appointed as the new Chief of Police. “My life has been spent in law enforcement so I am excited to put my eyes on a new challenge,” said Adkinson...

Moses Lake woman arrested for possession of stolen car

OTHELLO — A Moses Lake woman was booked into the Adams County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle after an Adams County Sheriff’s deputy stopped the car she was driving Monday morning...

Fatal medical emergency causes Othello-area crash

OTHELLO — A Benton City man’s car crashed after the man suffered a fatal medical emergency Monday morning. Troy Wilson, 61, was driving north on State Route 17 about one mile northeast of Othello when he suffered an unknown medical emergency, according to a press release from the Washington State Patrol. The incident occurred at about 6:47 a.m. Wilson’s car ran off the road to the right, coming to rest in the northbound ditch, the press release said. He was transported to Othello Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Dept. of Ecology to host water webinars

SOAP LAKE - According to a city of Soap Lake press release, the Department of Ecology is inviting the public to two upcoming webinars about rulemaking and to consider designating Soap Lake and three rivers as an outstanding resource water. An outstanding resource water is a subset of high quality waters under Environmental Protection Agency guidelines...

Suspect barricades himself in RV outside Ephrata Walmart

EPHRATA - A man is in custody after a several-hour-long standoff at the Ephrata Walmart parking lot Monday night. Grant County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Kyle Foreman said Ephrata Police Officers responded to a call of a disturbance at the Dollar Tree, 1551 Nat Washington Way Ste A in Ephrata at about 6:30 p.m. When officers responded, Foreman said, the suspect, identified as Paul Cardwell, 62, of Bremerton, pulled a knife on officers and then proceeded to barricade himself inside his RV parked in the Walmart parking lot, neighboring the Dollar Tree. Over the course of about three to four hours, law enforcement requested the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team and tried to negotiate with Cardwell to comply and surrender, according to a GCSO statement. Officers detonated a flash bang at about 10 p.m. in an effort to get him to leave the RV. Later, tear gas was deployed in the RV. When that failed to work, GCSO K-9 Edo, whose handler is Deputy Tyson Voss, entered the RV and took Cardwell into custody at about 11:10 p.m. Cardwell was transported to Columbia Basin Hospital for treatment and was lodged in the Grant County Jail upon release from medical care. Cardwell has been booked on suspicion of intimidating a public servant, harassment (threats to kill), criminal trespassing and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He is being held without bail. Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at [email protected].

CWU honoring veterans this week

ELLENSBURG - The Central Washington University Veterans Center is hosting a series of events all week in honor of Veterans Day. “It’s a great chance for our servicemen and women to get out there and feel recognized,” said Veterans Center Director Ruben Cardenas in a CWU press release. “That’s what RED Week is all about.” ...

Zags Clinch Three Championship in Finale of the Gonzaga Invitational

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga men's tennis team concluded their 2022 fall tournament season with their performance in the final day of the Gonzaga Invitational earlier today. This was the second consecutive season that the Zags clinched three championships in their respective brackets.

Big Plays Not Enough for Eagles Against No. 15 Idaho

Eastern Washington football made the short road trip to Moscow to play No. 15 Idaho today (Nov. 5). Eastern put up two scoring plays of 70+ yards, but the Vandals would win the game, 48-16. The Eagles fall to 1-5 in the Big Sky and 2-7 overall this season. Idaho improves to 5-1 in conference and 6-3 overall. The start of the game was promising for Eastern, as Wyatt Hawkins kicked a 35-yard field goal and Keshaun King picked off Idaho inside their own territory. The Eagles were unable to take advantage of the turnover and were stopped on fourth down at 5:56 in the first quarter. Idaho then scored 21 straight points between the first and second

Cougars split season series at No. 16 Oregon as comeback falls short

EUGENE, Ore. -- Pia Timmer had 19 kills, Laura Jansen added 17 and Katy Ryan finished with a team-leading five blocks, but Washington State volleyball (17-8, 9-5 Pac-12) fell in four sets at 16th-ranked Oregon (17-6, 10-3 Pac-12), 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23, on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for WSU against the Ducks and was the first of the season in which the Cougars finished with more blocks (7-4) and a higher hitting percentage (.313-.307) than their opponents.

Weather Forecast for Monday, Nov. 7

Monday: A chance of rain and snow before 8 a.m., then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible. By Monday night, A 20% chance of snow before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31, while Tuesday night is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. By Wednesday night, it is expected to be partly cloudy, with a low around 12. Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. By Thursday night, it is forecast to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Friday, Veterans Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Source: National Weather Service

WSU develops new biogas process

RICHLAND — A Washington State University research team has developed a new method to treat sewage sludge and turn it into biogas – methane – that could help reduce the cost of waste treatment and help the environment, according to a WSU press release. The process involves adding oxygen-rich, high-pressure steam to help break down and convert as much as 85% of the sludge to biogas, which can be burned in the same way natural gas is burned, to generate heat and electricity, the press release said. Most wastewater treatment plants in the United States utilize an anaerobic digestion process in which bacteria, with no oxygen present, break down sewage waste. However, according to the press release, the process is inefficient and creates a fair amount of sludge, much of which is dried and carted to landfills. The high-pressure steam is added before anaerobic digestion, the press said, allowing oxygen to act as a catalyst in breaking down complex molecules. “This is not a very high-tech solution,” said Birgitte Ahring, an engineering professor at WSU. “It’s actually a solution that can be useful even at small scale. The efficiency has to be high or else you cannot warrant adding the extra costs to the process.” WSU is working with Richland-area clean-tech startup Clean-Vantage to help further develop and commercialize the technology, which was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Power lines downed as fierce windstorm blows across basin

MOSES LAKE — Damage was minimal in the Columbia Basin following Friday night’s windstorm even as recorded gusts topped 50 miles per hour in some parts of the region, according to the National Weather Service office in Spokane. NWS meteorologist Charlotte Dewey said the high wind recorded at the Grant County International Airport was 49 miles per hour, while the NWS recorded winds of 66 miles per hour in Mattawa — the highest speed in the county. Gusts of up to 51 miles per hour were recorded in Quincy, with winds reaching 41 miles per hour in Othello, 49 miles per hour in Ritzville, and 40 miles per hour in Lind. “The storm was pretty potent,” Dewey said. Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kyle Foreman said damage in Grant County was restricted to downed power lines, though there was a chimney fire in the 10000 block of Kory Lane north of Moses Lake that the wind pushed down the chimney. Foreman said crews from Grant County Fire District 5 responded and took care of the fire quickly.

Royal City drug takeback removes unneeded drugs from circulation

ROYAL CITY — The prescription drug take-back program in Royal City brought in 46 pounds of unused prescription medicines this month, even if the take-back events themselves aren’t overwhelming, the Royal City City Council heard at its meeting Tuesday. “At our first event, we collected about 20 pounds (of prescription medicines), which we thought was a huge success for our first event,” Royal Community Prevention Coalition Coordinator Brisa Sanchez told the council. “And then the second event, we only collected about 15, so just a small amount. This event we collected a little bit less.” The events are held twice a year, and the first was in October 2021, Sanchez told the Herald in an interview Wednesday...

Keeping it out of the landfill

Household hazardous waste collection helps keep homes, environment safe

MOSES LAKE — On a recent Saturday in late October, Joan Sieverkropp stood in the parking lot of the Grant County Public Works Department’s road service building on Wheeler Road asking people what kind of toxic chemicals they had in the backs of their cars. And then taking those chemicals off their hands. It’s something Sieverkropp, solid waste program coordinator for Grant County Solid Waste, does regularly at various locations across the county, including twice a year in Moses Lake. “People can bring the hazardous waste that they’ve collected,” Sieverkropp said. “Sometimes people come yearly, it’s like a social event for some people.” ...

Q&A with Adams Co. Sheriff candidates

With the general election next Tuesday, the Columbia Basin Herald submitted some follow-up questions to candidates running for office in Grant and Adams counties. Incumbent Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner and challenger Matthew Carlson each received the same questions. The Herald appreciates the candidates’ taking the time to answer the questions...

Focusing on equine dental care

February is National Pet Dental Health month, a time when pet owners are reminded that routine oral care is an important aspect of their animal’s well-being. Just like their small animal counterparts, large animals such as horses also require veterinary attention to keep their mouths in top shape. A white and brown horse stand next to a hitching post; equine dental care pet talk..

Law enforcement reports for Nov. 4, 2022

EPD, MLPD, jail

Juveniles in custody in connection with homicide

One dead, one injured after Sunday shooting in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Two juveniles wanted in connection with a Sunday morning homicide in Moses Lake have been arrested, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department. According to the MLPD statement, one juvenile was arrested early Monday morning on Westshore Drive in Moses Lake while the second was arrested Wednesday morning in Ephrata after he turned himself in to officials at the county’s juvenile court...

Talbot puts on QPD badge

QUINCY — Alan Talbot was sworn in as the newest patrol officer for the Quincy Police Department during the regular Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday. Talbot was the city’s animal control and community service officer before becoming a patrol officer...