MLSD closed Monday as teachers opt to strike, negotiations to continue

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District will be closed Monday as a precaution for a potential strike by the Moses Lake Education Association, the district’s teacher's union. MLEA said their executive board voted to initiate a strike starting Monday, if an agreement was not reached by Sunday night after negotiations ended.

GALLERY: November 2025 in review

COLUMBIA BASIN — November in the Basin began with memorials for the departed, surged through state sports championships and finally began to look like winter during Thanksgiving week. Here are a few highlights from last month.

Moses Lake teachers commit to Monday strike, if no agreement reached

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Education Association executive board voted to initiate a strike Monday if an agreement is not reached with the Moses Lake School District by the end of mediation Sunday, according to a statement from MLEA issued Friday afternoon.

Law, fire training scheduled Friday, Saturday in Moses Lake neighborhood

MOSES LAKE — Both the Moses Lake Police Department and Moses Lake Fire Department will be using houses near Samaritan Hospital for training exercises Nov. 28 and 29, with some of the activity possibly visible – and audible – in nearby neighborhoods.

Lions basketball returns with experience

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions are returning to the court this week with a team of experienced players after having no seniors last season. This year, Lions Head Coach Josh Kast said the team is going to use their experience to advance further. “They’re a young group and they’ve been doing nothing but progressing,” said Kast. “That’s the cool thing about a young group of kids is they’re going to grow and they’re going to learn significantly throughout their eighth-, ninth-, 10th-grade seasons and by the time they’re juniors and seniors they’re able to compete at a higher level.” The Lions concluded the previous season with a 13-9 record, qualifying them for the district tournament where the team won in the first round against Cascade Christian Academy, but fell in the second round against Soap Lake.

BASIN EVENTS: December 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Now that the Thanksgiving turkey coma has passed, it’s time to get off the couch and start the December festivities. Here are some things happening this month.

Mavs coach excited for new wrestling season

MOSES LAKE – After a year of improvement, the Moses Lake High School wrestling squad is ready to hit the mats once again. Head Coach Jose Tanguma said he gets excited when a new season arrives. “We have a good group of kids, a very strong freshman class that came up through our wrestling club, and in these kids, you can see they're very mature for being freshmen, and they're setting high goals for themselves," Tanguma said.

Seahawks favored over Vikings ahead of week 13 matchup

MOSES LAKE — The Seattle Seahawks (8-3) are set for a showdown at Lumen Field against the Minnesota Vikings (4-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m. According to ESPN, the Seahawks have a 69% chance to win. Head Coach Mike MacDonald is confident his players can bring the right level of physicality to the gridiron.

Young Devils team plans on statement season

WILSON CREEK – The Wilson Creek Devils girls basketball team is bringing a young, but talented group of players onto the court this season. Jeff Sackmann returns as the team’s head coach and plans to build off of last year’s successes. “We had a great group of girls and really had a mixture of a couple seniors that had played a lot and a few other girls who had never played before,” said Sackmann. “We just really kind of came together as a team and had a lot of fun.” The Devils finished the last season with a 13-9 record earning third in the Central Washington B league and made a deep run in the postseason. Their success in the regular season allowed for Wilson Creek to host Entiat where they would win 36-27.

Eagles look for a successful senior-led season

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake Eagles girls basketball team anticipates another successful season after finishing 12-9 last year. The Eagles return with another strong squad and a desire to earn a district title. “Last year we had a really good season,” said Eagles Head Coach Leonard Lundgren. “We were one game away from going to state.” At the end of last season, the Eagles made it into the second-place game at districts where they ultimately fell to Pateros to take third in the Central Washington B league. While this was an earlier end to their season last year, it leads to strong prospects as they enter this season.

Jacks hoopsters eye league breakthrough after transition year

QUINCY – After three straight league titles, the Jacks moved up to the Central Washington Athletic Conference last season and finished 7-14. Despite moving to a higher level of competition, Head Coach Scott Bierlink said he loved how his players competed. “The CWAC last year was loaded,” Scott said. “But we were real competitive. Kept most games close, so I was actually happy with our performance last year.” The Jacks made an appearance in the 2A district tournament play in game against East Valley but fell short 79-58. However, with their first year back in the CWAC behind them, Scott is confident his players will be ready to compete in a league he believes won’t be as top heavy.

$75M Ephrata schools bond to go on February ballot

EPHRATA – The Ephrata School Board unanimously approved to move forward on the $75 million bond proposition on the February 2026 ballot to replace Grant Elementary and Parkway Intermediate schools along with partially renovating Ephrata High School.

WA college football recap – Week 13

MOSES LAKE — As college football reaches the end of the regular season, most Washington teams are nearing key rivalry games. As they aim for a strong finish, see how they fared in week 13.

COLUMN: The military oath

So we all know from the get-go, the oath of enlistment is the same across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is codified in 10 U.S.C. §502. “I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

MLSD passes resolution due to potential teacher strike

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District Board of Directors passed a resolution on Thursday in response to an possible strike by teachers represented by the Moses Lake Education Association. MLEA members voted to authorize a strike if a labor agreement is not met by Friday, Nov. 28.

Bingo nights raise money for K-9 programs

MOSES LAKE — About 100 people filled the Moses Lake Taproom Thursday, hoisting pints and stamping bingo cards to support Columbia Basin K9s. So far this year, the bingo nights have raised a bit more than $100,000. “I’ve done a ton of fundraisers down there over the last couple of years, and that was probably one of the biggest ones,” said Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete, who served as MC and bingo caller for the event.

Port of Moses Lake spending $2.8M for military training upgrades

MOSES LAKE — Upgrading the military training area at the Grant County International Airport, extending sections of the fire suppression system and changing runways designations are among the projects in Port of Moses Lake’s 2026 capital budget. But Kim DeTrolio, director of finance and administration, said the capital budget is subject to change.

Jacqueline Lee Lowry

Jacqueline Lee Lowry, 79, passed away November 18, 2025 surrounded by her family in the comfort of her home. She was born in Ellensburg, Wash., then shortly after moved to Moses Lake where she lived out the remainder of her life. Jackie graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1964.

Blasting caps neutralized in Ephrata

Authorities remind public to take extra caution around dangerous materials

EPHRATA — Early afternoon Thursday, Ephrata Police Department was called for suspected blasting caps found in the northwest section of town at a construction storage yard. “They were found in a steel container. When they opened the container, they recognized that they were explosive devices. They immediately called MACC dispatch and the Ephrata Police Department responded,” Captain Troy Froewiss said.

WA Department of Health reaffirms vaccine safety, addresses autism claims

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Health made a statement Friday that vaccines are an essential tool for protecting people’s health. It also stated that it is joining health agencies and associations across the country, such as the Autism Science Foundation, in confirming that there is no credible scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism.