Mavericks take down Panthers

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake’s girls wrestling team improved to 4-0 in the Columbia Basin Big 9 league standings with Thursday night’s defeat of Wenatchee, taking down the Panthers with a 59-6 win in the dual. “I thought the team felt really good,” Head Coach David Peralez said. “It’s one of our last home duals before the end of the season, so we’re trying to clean up everything that we need to in order to get ready for districts, and it’s one of your last few times to represent Moses Lake here in front of the home crowd.”

USPS unveils stamp for the Year of the Snake

BOSTON —The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake stamp Tuesday, according to an announcement from the USPS. The Postal Service printed 21 million stamps that are now on sale at post offices and usps.com.

CTUIR, Corps of Engineers sign pact to improve Mill Creek fish passage

WALLA WALLA — Officials from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a signing Jan. 10 at the Corps’ Walla Walla District headquarters to honor a joint project to improve fish passage on Mill Creek, according to an announcement from the CTUIR.

Legals for January, 15 2025

Hands-on aerospace events for students coming to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The Apple STEM Network, in collaboration with a team of elementary educators in Moses Lake, will host three Family STEM Nights this spring, according to an announcement from the organization. These events, sponsored by the Boeing Company, aim to ignite curiosity and foster an understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, among students and their families, with a special focus on sustainable aviation fuel and the future of aerospace.

Moses Lake School District EP&O levy on February ballot

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake School District will submit an educational programs and operations levy to district voters on the Feb. 11 ballot. The levy, using local taxes, provides funding for programs and services beyond the state’s basic education requirements.

Ephrata’s Dave Johnson inducted into ABCA Hall of Fame

EPHRATA — Dave Johnson has received plenty of recognition at the local and state level for the success his baseball teams had while serving as the head coach at Ephrata High School, but the former Tiger baseball coach received a new honor last week – being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Moses Lake’s Richardson signs to play for Walla Walla CC

MOSES LAKE – Family, friends, teammates and coaches gathered at the Moses Lake High School commons on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate senior Paige Richardson signing to play softball for Walla Walla Community College. “It’s really exciting; it feels real now, now that all that’s done,” Richardson said. “Overwhelming, but exciting.” Richardson has been a three-year starter for the Maverick fastpitch softball team, earning numerous accolades from the Columbia Basin Big 9. In the 2024 season, Richardson was the Big 9’s Most Valuable Player and a unanimous first-team pitcher.

Wahluke district patrons to vote on capital levy Feb. 11

MATTAWA — Wahluke School District voters will decide the fate of a three-year capital projects levy in a special election Feb. 11. District officials are asking for $2.58 million over three years.

Volunteers sought for Wahluke facility committee

MATTAWA — Volunteers are being solicited to work on a long-term plan to address building maintenance and facility needs in the Wahluke School District. Superintendent Andy Harlow said the Facilities and Operations Committee will meet over the winter and spring with the goal of finishing a plan by June 30.

Lions Park expansion, planning for road improvements in 2025 Royal City budget

ROYAL CITY — Royal City will spend some of its reserves to expand Lions Park and will be working on designing improvements to Apple Avenue Northeast. Royal City City Council members approved the city’s 2025 budget in December. The city’s current expense fund is budgeted at about $2 million. It’s projected to end 2025 with about $1.9 million, a decrease from $2.2 million at the end of 2024. Janice Flynn, the city’s finance director, said the city will use part of the money for Lions Park improvements. The park is located on Camelia Street. “We’re spending some of our funds,” Flynn said.

Larry Pittack

June 24, 1947 — Jan. 2, 2025

Larry Gene Pittack, 77, went to be with the Lord on Jan. 2, 2025. Larry was born in Fresno, California on June 24, 1947, to parents Claudie C. Pittack and Carmelina A. (Paolercio) Pittack. They moved to Madera, California in 1955 and then to Wenatchee, Washington in 1963. He graduated from Eastmont Senior High School in 1965 and received an AA degree from Wenatchee Valley College in 1967. He was married to Patricia Hill in 1968. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1970 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked for Grant County Public Utility District in Ephrata, Washington starting in 1970. He worked in various positions leading up to the position of Hydro Supervisor, which he held when he retired in 2004. He married his wife Barbara in 1993. Upon retirement Larry and Barbara moved to Hamilton, Montana where they built a home and lived the remaining years of his life.

Four Seasons Farm Service

Serving the community year-round with practicality and a smile

EPHRATA — J.J. Heston, owner of Four Seasons Farm Service, was already familiar with the store long before he owned it. “All through high school and my young adult years, I’d say ‘Hey, Dad, what do I spray on this weed?’ ‘Go see (then-owner Bernie Martin),’” he said. “‘Hey Dad, where do you get fertilizer?’ ‘Go see Bernie.’ So I just kind of bypassed Dad and came to talk to Bernie.”

Replacing electrical system components requires care

MOSES LAKE — It didn’t end well for that power pole – that tends to happen when they get hit by a vehicle. Sometimes it’s a relatively minor incident, like the pole on Gumwood Street in Moses Lake that lost a four-foot section to a garbage truck Dec. 27. Sometimes it’s more serious, like the one on Road 26 Southwest that took out a distribution pole and cut power to about 1,020 customers Dec. 31. Or the lines that went down southwest of Quincy Dec. 26.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Best of the Basin issues

MOSES LAKE – Due to an export issue, some categories were not included in the Best of the Basin results distributed Tuesday. Results and corrections for affected categories are below. Full results may be viewed at: https://bit.ly/CBHBESTOF2024.

Shirley Jeanne Swank Lines-Lindahl

1929 – 2024

Shirley Jeanne (Swank) Lines-Lindahl, age 95, died at Grace Adult Family Home in Ferndale, Washington Dec. 22, 2024. She was born April 2, 1929, in Coulee City, Washington to Percy L. and Addie Jo (Emes) Swank.

REC Silicon announces closure of Moses Lake operation

MOSES LAKE — Owners of REC Silicon have announced the company will end production at its Moses Lake facility, beginning immediately, according to a press release issued Monday. The shutdown is expected to take about three months.

NEWS BITES for Dec. 26, 2024

ELECTRIC CITY — An RV camper was destroyed in a fire Friday alongside Osborne Bay south of Electric City, according to a statement from the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department.

MLSD Board endorses upcoming levy

MOSES LAKE —During the regular session of the Moses Lake School District board meeting held Thursday, board members unanimously endorsed the upcoming levy aimed at enhancing educational resources and opportunities for students. Board Chair Kirryn Jensen emphasized the importance of the levy in sustaining the district's educational quality.

Vantage Bridge work may cause weekend delays

VANTAGE — With about four weeks to go in the road construction season, projects are coming to a close around the region. A few roads are still subject to delays, or slowdowns, or otherwise interruptions, the busiest being the Vantage Bridge.