Ephrata accepts almost $600,000 chip sealing grant

EPHRATA — The Ephrata City Council unanimously accepted a nearly $600,000 Transportation Improvement Board grant to fund chip sealing on around 3.5 miles of arterial and collector roadways in 2026. “What this grant is for is to go in and chip seal like we did this last spring, to chip seal the roads that you see there, that are in the red,” Project Engineer and Grant Writer Dave Bren said.

Legals for December, 10 2025

Mattawa wastewater treatment facility nearing completion

MATTAWA — After a lot of work, repairs, refurbishment and upgrades of Mattawa’s wastewater treatment facility are nearing completion. Mattawa Public Works Director Juan Ledezma said crews are in the process of learning the new systems. “Staff has been receiving training as equipment is available, installed or comes online. There has been no tie-in yet, so basically no waste from the current system into the new system,” Ledezma told Mattawa City Council members Dec. 4.

Pope Leo XIV gets into Christmas spirit with prayer for peace at Spanish Steps

ROME — Pope Leo XIV got into the Christmas spirit Monday by taking part in a very Roman papal tradition: praying for peace at a statue of the Madonna near the Spanish Steps on the Dec. 8 feast day that kicks off the Christmas season. Leo greeted thousands of well-wishers who braved the cold to watch the American pope on his inaugural outing to the statue. They were treated to a popemobile romp through Rome's historic center, which has been decked out for the start of the holiday shopping season. The pope got a special honor from the association of shop owners of the Via Condotti, the chic shopping street that extends from the Spanish Steps and features such brands as Bulgari, Hermes and Prada.

Legals for December, 9 2025

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.

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.

BASIN SPORTS SCHEDULE: Dec. 8-13, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Winter sports have officially begun as local athletes aim towards new heights this season. See where the local teams will be headed this week.

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.

Legals for December, 8 2025

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

Washington lawmakers are warming up for a sprint.

Adams County Jail remodel to start in spring 2026

RITZVILLE — Remodeling of the Adams County Jail is projected to begin in May 2026, with the project completed by the end of next year. Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner said the project will put the county closer to reopening the jail. “We’re going to get a safer, more functional facility, updated to a standard we can manage safer and easier,” Wagner said. “It’ll allow for a lot of different things – easier access for the jail staff and inmate safety, (and) ability to allow more space to our dispatch area, which has been a major fire concern for several years. We’re making it a safer and better functioning environment.” Demolition is projected to begin in April. The jail was closed in 2022 following an inmate’s attack on another inmate and a corrections officer that left both severely injured. It’s been closed since. Wagner cautioned that even with the remodeling, additional staffing will be necessary.

Construction should begin in early 2026 on Othello broadband expansion

OTHELLO — Installation of additional fiber optic cables south of Othello is projected to start early next year. A bid for the project should be awarded before the end of this month or in early January. Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger said the timing of the project depends on selecting a contractor, a process that has hit a roadblock. “Until a contract and contract bond are executed we will not know an estimated construction timeline,” Yeager wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. Adams County received a $10.3 million Washington Department of Commerce grant in 2022 to expand fiber connectivity. The area south of Othello is the second and final phase of that project. The county is installing the fiber; providing internet service to homes and businesses will be the work of private companies. The new fiber backbone will provide access south and southwest of the Othello city limits, an area around the Othello Golf Club along West Bench Road and surrounding subdivisions. Some areas originally in the county project got fiber access from the expansion of private companies in the meantime.

Awareness helps prevent porch pirates’ success

EPHRATA — At least 58 million packages were stolen in the U.S. last year, with about 25% of Americans being the victims of theft, according to the United States Parcel Service. At the local level, there are thefts occurring regularly as well, but that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck being the victim, authorities say. “The experience of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office is that package theft happens regularly,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. “It is a crime of opportunity. When someone’s out looking to try and make a quick buck, they may drive through a neighborhood looking for unattended packages on the front porch.”

Six-peat!

Knights win sixth straight 1A state championship

ROYAL CITY – The Royal Knights (13-0) are the 1A state football champions for the sixth straight season. The Knights held off a late comeback by the Cashmere Bulldogs to win 21-20 at Husky Stadium.

Sheila Ray Verhey

April 14, 1936 – Nov. 30, 2025

Sheila Ray Verhey, 89. longtime Royal Slope farm matriarch and co-founder of Verhey's Peaches, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 30, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Born on April 14, 1936, in Wenatchee, Washington, Sheila moved with her family to Yakima at age 12. She attended St. Joseph's Academy prep school, where she would meet her future husband, Dan Verhey, a student at neighboring Marquette High School. After Dan completed his tour of duty in Korea, they married and moved to Pullman to begin their family. Following Dan's graduation from Washington State University, he took a job as a teacher at Royal High School, where, with Sheila’s support, he launched the athletic program and was the first athletic director and first coach of football and wrestling. The family settled in Royal City, which barely existed at the time, and soon established their family farm north of town.

BASIN EVENTS: Dec. 5-13

COLUMBIA BASIN — The holiday season is in full swing with community festivals, bazaars, performances and more. Ignore your inner Grinch, get out and celebrate with your neighbors. Here are some of the festivities happening in your community:

Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office

SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.

Republicans prepare for 'train wreck' as Democrats eye new taxes to fill $2B gap

(The Center Square) – House and Senate Republicans say they have a “front row seat to a train wreck” next month as the Legislature prepares to fill a $2 billion state deficit with more taxes amid record spending.

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.