Airborne adventure

Moses Lake Airshow returning June 20-21

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Airshow will take to the skies again June 21-22.

WISe program helps youth amid mental health crises

MOSES LAKE —The Wraparound with Intensive Services program is making significant strides in addressing the mental health needs of youth in Washington, according to the Grant County Direct Supervisor of WISe, Velma De La Rosa.

Traffic restricted on Vantage Bridge throughout June

Other Basin and regional road construction projects planned or underway.

VANTAGE — It turns out the Vantage Bridge will be reduced to one lane on weekdays in June after all.

Memorials to honor the fallen Monday in the Basin

COLUMBIA BASIN — Among the barbecues, festivities and relaxation of the three-day weekend, many Basin communities will take a solemn moment to recognize the reason for Memorial Day weekend. The Moses Lake Spring Fest, a tradition for more than 40 years, is adding a little patriotic remembrance into its Grand Parade at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, said Spring Fest Committee member Lori Valdez. “(This year) we ordered a very, very large flag that is going to encompass the street, and we have people who have volunteered to carry the flag. It will bring a tear to your eye if you’ve had a loved one serve.”

Hayden breaks ground on Sand Hill Place

MOSES LAKE — Hayden Homes broke ground May 16 on its newest Moses Lake development. Sand Hill Place, located off Hansen Road in Mae Valley, is Hayden’s 13th development in Moses Lake. “Our goal at Hayden Homes is to offer homes to the area median-income wage earners, and that has allowed us to provide over 1,000 homes to hard working families and individuals here in Moses Lake and in Grant County,” said Kristen Skinner, Hayden’s regional marketing specialist for the south Washington region. The groundbreaking served as a bonus Business After Hours function with the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. Chamber members gathered at the site for the occasion, with lunch catered by Tacos El Rey of Moses Lake.

BBCC info sessions incoming

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College’s last day for new students to sign up for new student enrollment sessions is June 10. For those still deciding on what they would like to study, Big Bend has recently expanded their programs with the addition of new bachelor's degrees.

U.S. House passes Trump-endorsed budget reconciliation bill

(The Center Square) – Republicans in the U.S. House Thursday morning passed the multi-trillion dollar budget reconciliation bill after more than a day of debate in committee before reaching the full House floor. The vote in the House was razor thin, 215-214, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against it.

Legals for May, 22 2025

Small sisterhood

Moses Lake Woman’s Club may be few, but they’re making a difference

MOSES LAKE — There may be strength in numbers, but sometimes those numbers are small ones. “We gave 600 diapers, plus other items (to New Hope),” said Margaret Schiffner, president of the 10-member Moses Lake Woman’s Club. “We donated 30 packs of baby wipes and over $273.” The club has had a relationship with New Hope for many years. The signature project for the nationwide General Foundation of Women’s Clubs is domestic violence, and local clubs partner with local domestic violence advocacy organizations. The diaper drive in March was part of a statewide effort by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Washington state, in which more than 12,000 diapers were collected by 24 clubs statewide with a total membership of 303.

‘Largest tax increase in state history’

Gov signs WA's $78B operating budget into law

(The Center Square) – Gov. Bob Ferguson rejected a wealth tax from fellow Democrats this session and repeatedly said he would look for budget savings, but on Tuesday – the deadline for doing so – he signed Washington state’s nearly $78 billion, two-year operating budget into law that raises taxes by roughly $9 billion over the next four years. The operating budget includes several tax increases, including a new business and occupation gross tax on storage units. The budget also includes increases to the state's two primary business and occupation tax rates on gross proceeds, an increase in the tax rate for service businesses with annual taxable revenue exceeding $5 million, and a broadened capital gains tax. There’s also a tax on the sale of electric vehicle credits, dubbed the “Tesla tax.”

EARH installs ‘virtual emergency room’ to expand ER care

RITZVILLE — East Adams Rural Healthcare rolled out a new telemedicine system last month that officials say will improve emergency room responses dramatically. “We’ve used it probably a good dozen times now,” said EARH Chief Nursing Officer Lurisa Sackman. “We have had nothing but positive feedback from the staff in regard to the help that it offers them, and no issues or concerns from patients.” The system is called Avel eCare Emergency, and it’s a video link between the hospital in Ritzville and a facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which has on-call physicians and other providers who can talk with the patient and providers, help with diagnosis and take down vital information while the ER staff is doing the hands-on treatment.

Report: Pacific Northwest states some of the worst for military retirees

(The Center Square) – The Pacific Northwest is home to the worst states for military retirees, with Washington state coming in No. 50 and Oregon ranking No. 51, according to a new study by WalletHub, a personal finance platform and app. WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three broad categories: economic environment, quality of life, and health care in its “2025’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees.” Rankings were also based on several subcategories, including retirement-friendliness toward veterans, job opportunities for veterans, and housing affordability.

Littering fines, plastic bag prices to increase this summer

OLYMPIA — In Washington, customers will begin to pay more for plastic bags, and those who choose to litter will be facing high fines after Gov. Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1293 into law Saturday. “People who dump garbage in our beautiful state must be held accountable,” said sponsor Rep. Mark Klicker, R-Walla Walla, in a statement. “Increasing the littering penalty for the first time since 1993 is an important step in addressing our horrible littering problem.” HB 1293, which received bipartisan support and ultimately passed with a 46-2 vote in the House and a 27-20 vote in the senate raises the penalty for littering to a class 2 civil infraction. Littering was previously a class 3 civil infraction.

Employers ready to recruit at WorkSource Hiring Event

MOSES LAKE — Folks who are looking for work will stand a good chance of finding it May 30 at WorkSource’s Spring Hiring Event.

Huskies become district champs

Othello High earn a slot in state tournament

RICHLAND – The Huskies (13-4-2) became 2A District champions in the Central Washington Athletic conference after their 2-0 victory over Grandview at Rich Leenhouts Stadium.

Big Bend expanding BAS programs

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College has added new Bachelor's in Applied Science programs in the last few years and updated existing programs to meet the needs of local businesses.

MLSD meeting addresses gang activity, youth safety

MOSES LAKE — Community leaders, educators, law enforcement officials and parents gathered at the Moses Lake School District Tuesday for a discussion on youth safety and gang activity. The meeting, which featured a panel of experts from various sectors, aimed to convey important information regarding the challenges and trends in the community while outlining preventive measures and fostering collaboration between families and institutions.

UW baseball falls to fifth ranked Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. – The Huskies (27-25) lost a competitive game against fifth ranked Oregon (38-13) with a final score of 5-3 on Sunday afternoon, according to a statement by University of Washington Athletic Communications.

Moses Lake homelessness town hall set for June 3

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents are being invited to discuss how the city will address homeless issues after the closure of the Open Doors sleep center 6:30 p.m. June 3 at Moses Lake City Hall, 401 S. Balsam St.

Building their way to nationals

Ephrata’s Parkway Pizzazz heading to national LEGO robotics championship

EPHRATA – Ten sixth-grade Parkway Intermediate students, two advisors and a Lego robot named Jeff will travel to New Jersey this week for the national Lego Robotics championship. For a handful of the students this is their first time on a plane, for others their first time on the east coast. For all of them, it will be their first time competing in the national Lego championship. “It was a really good experience working together because we all got to work as a team together. We do have some coders that code and people who worked on the innovation project, but we all share what we learned throughout the day,” Liliana Zaets said. “It was a really good experience because we learned a lot of things.” The Parkway Pizzazz team competed in state Jan. 18 and won the “Breakthrough” award at state competition. The award entered them into a lottery to compete at nationals. The group was selected from the lottery and now they are on their way to the American Robotics Open Competiton in New Jersey.