Grant County PUD commissioners planning more study sessions

EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District commissioners will cut their business meetings to one per month and add a workshop instead, according to a resolution under consideration by PUD commissioners Tuesday. Commissioner Tom Flint said it’s an attempt to become more efficient. “We’re getting rid of some of the commission meetings, but we’re adding work study sessions,” he said. The longstanding schedule has been business meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday, with a workshop, if needed, on the third Tuesday. If commissioners approve the updated resolution, the first business meeting of the month will be eliminated. The change would go into effect on Jan. 1.

Soap Lake council discusses hiring freeze, legal counsel

SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake City Council voted to hire a short-term secondary attorney and to begin a temporary hiring freeze at the Dec. 3 regular council meeting. Both items were added to the agenda during the meeting and passed with 4-1 votes. Council member Judith Gorman voted no on both matters.

Ban on police face coverings pitched ahead of WA’s 2026 legislative session

California in September became the first state to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings, in response to immigration raids where federal agents wore masks. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state over the prohibition last month. Democratic lawmakers here in Washington are now planning similar legislation. Washington’s proposal, spearheaded by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, and Rep. Julio Cortes, D-Everett, resembles California’s law. The Trump administration says the California policy jeopardizes the safety of federal officers, including those from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and is unconstitutional because it tries to regulate federal activities.

Washington state faces two-front challenge to meet future energy demand

(The Center Square) – As Washington state invests in the electrification of its public transportation fleet while preparing for a ban on privately owned new gasoline-powered vehicles in 2035, regional energy stakeholders are addressing the practical issues of having the transmission lines necessary to meet demand.

Iowa State hires Jimmy Rogers as coach after Matt Campbell leaves for Penn State

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State wasted no time finding a replacement for Matt Campbell, hiring Washington State's Jimmy Rogers as its football coach on Friday night. The Cyclones moved quickly after Campbell left to take over for the fired James Franklin at Penn State on Friday. They agreed to a six-year deal with Rogers, who led Washington State to a 6-6 record in his lone season after a two-season run at South Dakota State that included an FCS championship.

Young Huskies team falls in first two matchups

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls basketball team fell short in their first two matchups of the season, losing 33-50 on the road Tuesday against Omak and 32-46 at home against Connell. Despite this, the young Huskies team is still optimistic. “Things didn’t go too bad, but they could’ve gone a lot better,” said Huskies sophomore Khloe Valdez. “Could have connected a little bit better as a team and talked some more.” Following a tough loss against Omak, the Huskies returned home on Thursday to play the Connell Eagles in another nonleague matchup. In the first quarter, the Eagles scored eight unanswered points before the Huskies put up four by the end of the quarter.

Mini-farm for sale has deep Grant County roots

SOAP LAKE — There’s a little piece of history in the mini-farm for sale east of Soap Lake. “It’s been with the same owner since the 1930s,” said Anna Van Diest of Moses Lake Realty Group, who is listing the 25.19-acre property at 20226 NE Adrian Road, just south of SR 28. The well, still in use, was dug in 1931, she added, more than two decades before the Columbia Basin Project brought irrigation water to the Basin. There’s not much left now of the town of Adrian, but if things had gone a little differently in 1910, the Grant County Courthouse might have been located where the farm now stands. When Grant County was formed out of the eastern part of Douglas County in 1909, the city of Ephrata, then just over 300 people, was named the county seat. The people of Adrian got up a petition the following year to grab the county seat away, according to the Washington history site historylink.org, but were defeated in a 945-802 vote. A few remnants of the town and the railroad cutoff nearby are still visible from the road or in aerial photos.

Wahluke falls to Tri-Cities Prep in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 46-24 in their home opener by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars. Despite the loss, Head Coach Makai Hirai said he was proud of the effort his players gave on the court. “That was the biggest thing that I took away is we had a lot of effort. We have a lot of girls who are hungry, and the coaches were excited about (that). Our girls look pretty motivated ... they’re working hard,” Hirai said. The Jaguars started fast and held the lead the entire game. Tri-Cities Prep put up double-digit scores in each quarter except for the third. The Warriors finished strong with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars came out victorious.

Lions’ Ferguson hits 1K points in win over Entiat

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions basketball team earned a statement 75-29 win in their season opener against Entiat. During this victory, Lions senior Johnny Ferguson hit a personal milestone of 1,000 career points. “I didn’t even know that I was going to hit 1,000,” said Johnny. “I was pretty shocked and it was a surreal moment.” The Lions started the game off with a strong offensive front while also preventing their opponent from scoring for the majority of the first quarter, gaining an early 25-7 lead. This continued into the second quarter as the speed and physicality of the Lions’ game plan kept Entiat down to extend the lead to 49-13 by the end of the half.

Local organizations collect Christmas presents for children

MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot of talk about the true meaning of Christmas, but it’s hard to deny that one of the best parts is seeing children open their new toys.

Moses Lake Police logs as of Dec. 3, 2025

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

Operation Human Freight leads to multiple arrests in Fife

FIFE — In an action aimed at combating human trafficking and prostitution, the Washington State Patrol has arrested nearly a dozen individuals in an overnight operation dubbed “Operation Human Freight.” The operation, which took place on November 25, 2025, was orchestrated by the WSP’s Commercial Vehicle Division in response to reported suspicious activities near truck stops in Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties.

Mavs pull ahead of Tigers in season opener

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers and Moses Lake Mavericks basketball teams faced off in their first game of the season on the Tigers home court. It was a close competition, but ultimately the Mavs came out on top with a 48-37 victory. “It was a little slow in the beginning, but I think it’s just first game of the season, I think we have really good guys and I’m excited for the season,” said Taggart Rathbun, a junior for the Mavs. The Tigers took control in the first quarter, scoring 13 points and holding the Mavs to only three. Moses Lake quickly turned things around in the second quarter where they scored 17 points to tie up the game at 20-20 at the end of the half.

Warriors fall short in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.

Legals for December, 3 2025

GCFD 8 looking for assistant chief

MATTAWA — Applications will be accepted through Friday for the assistant chief job at Grant County Fire District 8, with the first round of interviews scheduled for Dec. 15. Barb Davis, GCFD 8 business manager, said the district hasn’t had an assistant chief for a long time. “It’s kind of a new position,” Davis said. The assistant chief will take over some of the jobs now split between Davis and GCFD 8 Chief Matt Hyndman.

WA college football recap – Week 14

MOSES LAKE — Rivalry weekend saw some eventful results. Some teams saw unexpected shortfalls while others secured bowl game eligibility. With Eastern Washington and Central Washington finished for the year, that leaves the Cougars and the Huskies. See below how they fared in their final games of the regular season. Washington State (6-6) vs Oregon State The Cougars punctuated their regular-season finale with a 32–8 victory over the Oregon State Beavers to secure bowl eligibility, according to a statement by WSU athletics. The Cougars improved to 6–6 overall with the win, marking the program's third bowl appearance in the last four seasons.

Eagles fall in overtime against N. Texas

DENTON, Tex. – The Eastern Washington Eagles (1-6) fell 71-79 on the road in overtime against the University of Northern Texas Mean Green (5-2) in their last matchup. The two teams remained close for the entirety of regulation, but Northern Texas would come up just ahead in overtime to secure the victory.

Moses Lake Council approves temporary ice rink fix

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to rent replacement equipment to keep the Larson Recreation Center ice rink functional.

WA senators pushing on federal legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington senators are making progress on several pieces of legislation at the federal level. Washington’s two senators have been able to pass four pieces of legislation in one chamber this session, so far. Of those, two are resolutions designating April as the “Month of Military Child” and designating a week in Feb. as “National School Counseling Week.”