Small-town miracle

Othello’s Christmas celebration features parade, tree lighting and fireworks

OTHELLO — Othello showed its small-town holiday spirit Saturday at the town’s annual Miracle on Main Street. “When I first had the dream to start this event, I just said, ‘Imagine Othello like a Hallmark movie,’” said Tania Morelos, head of the event committee and originator of the festival. “That was the goal and it looks like (people) are feeling it.”

Confluence Health refunding $1.8M following AG investigation

OLYMPIA — After an extensive investigation by the Washington State Attorney General's Office, Confluence Health has agreed to refund over $1.8 million to thousands of patients who were eligible for charity care but did not receive appropriate reimbursements for medical fees. The investigation revealed that Confluence Health, operating two hospitals in Central Washington, failed to refund payments made by patients who qualified for charity care after they had already made out-of-pocket costs.

Moses Lake Ag Parade fills downtown with lights and cheer

MOSES LAKE — It was foggy and chilly in downtown Moses Lake Friday, but the community spirit was warm for the Downtown Ag Appreciation Parade and Street Party. “I just talked to some people and they were, like, ‘This is our first year and this is awesome,’” said Downtown Moses Lake Association Executive Director Mallory Miller. The event, held the first Friday of December every year, has been a Moses Lake tradition since the 1990s, according to Columbia Basin Herald archives. Several blocks of downtown Moses Lake were closed off in the afternoon as parade floats lined up in the Surf ‘n Slide parking lot and partygoers in Sinkiuse Square enjoyed free french fries from Simplot, free hot cocoa sponsored by Spokane Teachers Credit Union and Viking Eatery, and free s’mores sponsored by Steve Crapson of Allstate Insurance and James Shank of Edward Jones. Other food and craft vendors did a thriving business in the streets.

Christmas lights, pictures with Santa signal arrival of holiday season in Quincy

QUINCY — Cold foggy weather did not keep children from making their Christmas wishes known to Santa after the biennial Christmas Lights parade Dec. 5. Santa set up shop at the Port of Quincy events center, and Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Catalina Blancas said everyone had a good time. “Everyone had a great time,” she said. The Christmas parade and visit with Santa are sponsored by the chamber every other year, alternating with its annual banquet. The Christmas Lights parade featured fire trucks, cars and farm equipment all decked out with lights, ending at the events center. Santa and Mrs. Santa got some help from Kent and Kim Bacon, who have been standing in for the jolly old elf and his missus for about 25 years. Children sat on Santa’s lap or clustered around him while parents snapped pictures.

Gesa scholarship applications open

RICHLAND — Gesa Credit Union is accepting applications for its scholarship program through the end of February, according to Gesa Vice President of Community Impact Brandon Allison. The credit union plans to award $150,000 to students at various stages in their education.

Mavs start winter swim and dive

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake High School Mavericks boys swim and dive team began their season last Thursday with a home meet against Eastmont, Eisenhower, Wenatchee, West Valley, Sunnyside and Davis. Mavs Head Coach Tony Preston said the meet was a great way to get the season started. “I thought it went really well,” said Preston. “This was a non-scored meet so we couldn’t really see how we stacked up there, but between us and Wenatchee we’re two pretty deep teams.” The meet consisted of five swim events and a diving event with the Mavs seeing multiple athletes making top ten placements in each. In the 50-yard Freestyle, Mathew Molitor took third with 23.30, Lennox Leeder took fourth with 23.32, Sam O’Shea took fifth with 23.34, Sam Molitor tied for eighth with 23.85 and Josiah Wallace took tenth with 23.89.

Eggers, Grossman lead Eagles to Big Sky-Summit League sweep

VERMILLION, S. Dakota — The fourth quarter is where the excitement is for Eastern Washington women's basketball as they complete another comeback. Eastern defeated South Dakota 67-63 on Saturday afternoon to go 2-0 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The Eagles improve to 5-4 on the season, while USD falls to 8-2.

Quincy Police Department Logs as of Dec. 9, 2025

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

Ephrata School District music director performing in 2026 Pasadena Rose Parade

EPHRATA — Columbia Ridge Elementary Music Director Alicia Keegan has been selected to participate in the 2026 Pasadena Rose Parade as part of the Band Directors Marching Band. This ensemble will comprise 350 band directors from across the United States, marching along a 5.5-mile route on January 1, 2026.

Gifts sought for MLSD bus drivers’ Tree of Sharing

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake’s school bus drivers still have a few gifts to buy, and they could use a little help.

Teachers return from strike, MLSD dismisses injunction

MOSES LAKE — Last week, the Moses Lake School District filed an injunction with the Grant County Superior Court over the Moses Lake Educators Association work stoppage. The injunction hearing was set for Dec. 9. However, a tentative agreement was reached Friday between the two entities, and teachers returned to school Monday, after five days of striking.

Rep. Tom Dent outlines his legislative priorities for upcoming session

OLYMPIA — As the 2025 legislative session approaches, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, has articulated a clear agenda centered on addressing critical aviation taxation issues, supporting wildfire management efforts and improving agricultural labor conditions – issues he believes are vital for the economy of Washington State.

Mavs lose in close game against Ferris

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks played in a close matchup against fellow 4A team in the Ferris Saxons but fell 63-64. The two teams fought hard through all four quarters, but ultimately the Mavs would come just short of a victory. “It was a tough game, real close from the start all the way to the finish,” said Mavs Head Coach Craig Groth. “Both teams played well and it just came down to they just made a couple more plays down the stretch than we did.”

Naomi Irene Chadwell

Sept. 20, 1928 — Nov. 26, 2025

Naomi Irene (Powell) Chadwell, of Moses Lake, Washington, passed away on Nov. 26, 2025, at the age of 97. Born on Sept. 20, 1928, in Baker, Oregon, to Fred and Eathel Powell, Naomi grew up in Baker City, where she attended local schools and graduated from Baker High School. She continued her education with a two-year college program in business. Naomi married Wallace “Dick” Chadwell, and together they began their family in 1948 in a small cabin on East Eagle Creek in northeast Oregon. In 1951, they moved to Moses Lake, Washington, where they raised their six children.

Rashid Shaheed returns kickoff 100 yards for TD and Seahawks blow away hapless Falcons 37-9

ATLANTA (AP) — With the game tied after a lackluster first half, Mike Macdonald knew his team needed a spark. The Seattle coach called on newcomer Rashid Shaheed to provide it. Shaheed returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and the Seahawks never looked back, beating the hapless Atlanta Falcons 37-9 on Sunday.

Word wizards

MLCA students take high honors in vocabulary competition

MOSES LAKE — These students know how to use their words. Forty-two thousand, four hundred thirty-eight of them, in fact. MLCA recently competed in the Vocabulary.com Vocabulary Bowl, and students demonstrated mastery of 42,438 words in a David-and-Goliath battle against schools with vastly larger teams. “We were competing against hundreds, if not thousands of schools,” said Moses Lake Christian Academy English teacher Hannah Pease. “We finished seventh in the nation, out of every size school, even schools with over a thousand kids.” MLCA, with fewer than 200 students in all grades, has been the top school in Washington for two years running in the Vocabulary.com Vocabulary Bowl, and this fall season placed second in the U.S. and Canada among schools with fewer than 500 students. The competition circled the globe with 966,716 participants, according to the website, from 20 countries.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...

An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.

Legals for December, 8 2025

Weather for the week of Dec. 8

Monday: Mostly cloudy and rain likely, with a high near 53. Mostly cloudy in the evening, with a low of about 42.

Bills begin streaming in ahead of WA’s 2026 legislative session

Washington lawmakers are warming up for a sprint.