Quincy man robbed, abducted at gunpoint in Ephrata

MOSES LAKE — A 23-year-old Quincy man was robbed and abducted Feb. 29 in Ephrata, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department.

STUDIO BASIN: Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete, K-9s and state basketball

EPHRATA -- Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete joins Managing Editor R. Hans "Rob" Miller and brings along GCSO's two canine handlers, deputies Zane Bundy and Luis Jimenez. The two are working with new K-9 officers, Malie and Uno respectively, which the department just obtained. Together, the deputies describe why they wanted to work with police dogs, the selection process for Uno and Malie, the benefits of K-9 officers on the force and how training their new partners is going.

Samaritan sees 2023 operating loss

MOSES LAKE — According to a preliminary review, Samaritan Healthcare finished 2023 with an operating loss of about $2.86 million. Chief Administrative Officer Alex Town said the year-end report prepared by Samaritan’s financial department must be reviewed by an outside auditor before it’s submitted to the state.

News Bites for March 4, 2024

News Bites for March 4, 2024

Basin sports schedule March 6-12

COLUMBIA BASIN – Spring sports arrive this week with golf, soccer, baseball and more taking over as priorities at schools across the Basin.

Moses Lake man arrested in child porn investigation

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested Tuesday on child pornography charges, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

School resource officers offer human connections at MLSD campuses

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Police Department Officer Ray Lopez said the biggest part of the job of a school resource officer – also known as an SRO – is to make connections.

Two Lewis-McChord pilots taken to hospital after crash

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) — An Army helicopter crashed at a military base in Washington state during a routine training exercise Monday night, sending the two pilots to a hospital.

House burns twice in same night in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A residence in southeast Moses Lake burned twice Tuesday, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Fire Department.

Washington state election summary

OLYMPIA – Washington state general elections will be held Nov. 5, with a primary election Aug. 6. According to the Washington Office of the Secretary of State website, the primary is a “top 2” primary, which allows voters to choose among all candidates running for each office.

Law enforcement logs for March 1, 2024

The reports below were provided by the sheriff’s office or police department indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Big machines, happy children

Mothers of Preschoolers Touch a Truck set for April 27

MOSES LAKE — Little kids love big machinery. The two go together like peanut butter and jelly. And they’ll come together again on April 27 at Touch a Truck behind Moses Lake Presbyterian Church. “We will have face painting, a balloon man, a little photo prop area,” said Brittney Ketterer, one of the event’s organizers. “And tons of trucks.” Tons indeed. There will be police and fire vehicles with flashing lights and sirens, a dump truck, a backhoe and a minibus for children to climb on and explore. The National Guard will bring vehicles too, and there’ll be a Moses Lake Demo Derby car and Tow Mater from the movie “Cars.” “Usually the sirens are on and the horns are going,” Ketterer said. “The kids can climb in and out of some of the trucks to explore them, check them out, honk horns.”

WA Legislature greenlights AG’s proposal for state AI Task Force

OLYMPIA - A bipartisan proposal requested by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson to establish an Artificial Intelligence Task Force in the Attorney General’s Office successfully passed in the state senate with a bipartisan 30-19 Monday vote.

Warden updates payment agreement with ACPR

WARDEN – Warden City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to increase the payment per animal for dogs sent to Adams County Pet Rescue from $50 to $150, updating the city’s five-year-old agreement with the shelter and potentially helping the city pick up more strays.

Othello Schools share strategic planning feedback

OTHELLO – Othello School District Superintendent Pete Perez and Tammy Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of The Scholar First – an educational consulting organization based in Washington – shared a presentation during Monday’s Othello School Board meeting on feedback from the district’s ongoing strategic planning process.

Othello Municipal Court achieves first anniversary

OTHELLO – It’s been a bit more than a year since the city of Othello ended its interlocal agreement with Adams County for court services in favor of establishing its own Othello Municipal Court. Municipal Judge Carolyn J. Benzel said the court has since grown into a well-functioning system.

Basin sports schedule March 27-April 2

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local baseball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and track and field events.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: We are Ephrata Town Hall set for March 28

EPHRATA – The Columbia Basin Herald will be hosting a town hall at the Ephrata High School Performing Arts Center at 6 p.m. on March 28 with representatives from the City of Ephrata, Ephrata School District, Columbia Basin Hospital, Ephrata Chamber of Commerce, Port of Ephrata and Grant County Sheriff’s Office on a panel.

Basin home market more stable than statewide, despite home sales decline

COLUMBIA BASIN — Home sales in Washington in 2023 were down from the previous couple of years, but the change in Grant and Adams counties was much less severe, according to data released recently by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Property crimes such as vandalism may qualify as hate crimes in WA

OLYMPIA – Some property crimes now can be classed as hate crimes if they are racially motivated or if they target other marginalized communities. Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, said he was motivated to press for changes in what can be classed as a hate crime when vandals attacked a gay pride display in Spokane that shocked the community.