Othello man sentenced to 39 years for child sex assault convictions

OTHELLO — An Othello man has been sentenced to 39 years in prison following his conviction on charges for first-degree rape of a child, second-degree rape of a child and third-degree rape of a child with aggravating factors. According to a release from the Othello Police Department, Rodrigo Plascencia, 66, was sentenced Wednesday. The aggravating factors included Placensia’s use of a position of trust to facilitate the assaults, and an ongoing pattern of abuse.

QUINCY MAYORAL RACE: Candidate Q&A

QUINCY — The Quincy Mayoral Race consists of candidates, incumbent Paul Worley and Manny Rodriguez. Both candidates were given the same deadline and set of questions, that they answered as follows. Q: Data Centers and food processing are the two major industries that we see in Quincy. What diversification of the city’s economy would you like to see and how would you go about making that happen? Worley: I would like to see all types of businesses come to Quincy. Motels, fruit and vegetable processors, industries, retail stores like Target, and various types of sit-down restaurants. We will continue working with the Port District, Chamber of Commerce, along with the School, Hospital, and Fire Districts to make Quincy an inviting place to attract businesses for our citizens to enjoy.

Road report

Construction suspended for Labor Day weekend, but some restrictions still in place

VANTAGE BRIDGE — Most road construction will be suspended during the Labor Day weekend, although lanes and sometimes roads will still be closed. “All four lanes across the Vantage Bridge will reopen by 7 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29,” according to a press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation. “Travel will return to one lane in each direction by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2.” Road construction in Grant and Adams counties is in full swing:

Stolen forklift leads to Soap Lake power outage

SOAP LAKE — A Soap Lake man was arrested for DUI and theft of a motor vehicle after he allegedly stole a forklift from the Soap Lake School District and broke off a power pole. The man, who was not identified, also was charged with first-degree malicious mischief, according to a statement from Soap Lake Police Chief Patrick Canaday. The incident was reported at about 3:15 a.m. “The suspect drove the forklift off the school property after taking out several sections of fence from the football field. The suspect drove across Second Avenue Southwest on to Dogwood Street Southwest and struck the asphalt with (the) front forks, damaging a large portion of the asphalt,” Canaday said. “The suspect continued driving northbound on Dogwood, striking five parked vehicles on both sides (of the street). (He) drove the forklift eastbound on Main Avenue West with the telescoping fork rail extended.”

Ephrata PD logs for Aug. 28, 2025

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

COVID-19 breaks out in Grant Co. care facility

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Health District released a statement saying there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in a long-term care facility in Grant County. The facility was not named in the statement. “Our recent outbreak is a painful reminder that COVID-19 can still have a devastating impact, especially for older adults and people with underlying health conditions”, Grant County Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny wrote in the statement. “Our hearts are with the families and friends grieving the loss of their loved ones who passed away during this outbreak.”

Audit reveals issues in MLSD '23-24 spending

Corrective actions implemented prior to audit's publication

MOSES LAKE — Findings from a recent audit conducted by the Washington State Auditor's Office and published Aug. 18 have revealed compliance deficiencies within the Moses Lake School District regarding the management of federal funds in 2023-24.

SOAP LAKE MAYOR: Candidates Q&A

SOAP LAKE – There is one candidate and one write-in candidate for the Soap Lake mayoral race. Incumbent Peter Sharp is the only candidate listed on the ballot. However, Karen Woodhouse is running as a write-in candidate.

$30M hospital bond to run again in general election

EPHRATA – The Columbia Basin Hospital Board has decided to run its $30 million bond measure on the general ballot in November after it failed in the primary election. Chief Executive Officer Rosalinda Kibby during the Aug. 26 meeting said the district needed to work on getting more information out to voters. She explained that the primary didn’t even get enough voters for the bond package to pass. They needed 2,600 voters, but only 2,277 people voted in Ephrata, according to the Grant County Auditor results.

WDFW seeks comment on landowner hunting permits in Grant Co.

WILSON CREEK — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking for public comments on proposed updates to landowner hunting permits following recent changes in property ownership and management in Grant and Spokane counties.

Applications open for Community Police Academy

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Police Department is set to host its upcoming Community Police Academy, welcoming community members eager to learn about the inner workings of their local law enforcement agency.

RITZVILLE CITY COUNCIL: Candidate Q&A with Michelle Plumb

RITZVILLE – The race for the Ritzville City Council consists of two candidates, Michelle Plumb and Eric Ottmar. Plumb responded to a set of five questions presented as follows.

Driver safety a focus as school begins

MOSES LAKE – As schools across the Columbia Basin reopen this week, law enforcement officials are emphasizing the importance of road safety for students, parents and motorists alike. Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman is urging everyone to remain vigilant as the school year begins.

Moses Lake City Council Q&A

MOSES LAKE – There are two candidates running for Moses Lake City Council position five including Joel Graves and Jim Perez. Both Graves and Perez were concurrently presented with the questions below and given identical deadlines and word count restrictions for their answers. Both submitted their responses in a timely manner.

4-car injury collision near Quincy Valley Rest Area

EPHRATA — A three- to four-vehicle collision has been reported in the vicinity of Road 10 Northwest and state Route 28 south of Ephrata, according to MACC dispatch. At least one of the vehicles is a semi and injuries have been reported as of 3:30 p.m. Readers may wish to avoid the area. This report will be updated as information becomes available.

2025 Grant County Fair livestock results

2025 Grant County Fair livestock results

Four Basin students earn honors at Eastern Oregon U.

LA GRANDE, Ore. — Eastern Oregon University named 611 students to the Dean’s List for the 2025 spring term, four of them from the Columbia Basin, according to an announcement from the university. Qualifying students achieve and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while completing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework for the term.

Quincy house catches fire Sunday morning, no injuries

QUINCY – Nobody was hurt when a residence in Quincy caught fire Sunday morning.

MLSD approves balanced $144.6M budget for 2025–26

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake School Board unanimously approved a balanced budget for the 2025–26 school year during its regular meeting Thursday evening. The $144.6 million budget matches projected revenues with expenditures.

Big Sky Now: Building the bears with Northern Colorado’s Justin Walterscheid & Peter Costelli

The Northern Colorado Bears are gearing up for the 2025 Big Sky football season, and offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid and quarterback Peter Costelli are ready to lead the charge.