Samaritan Healthcare asking for $130 million construction bond authorization

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan hospital district patrons will be asked to accept or reject a construction bond for up to $130 million in a special election April 27. If approved, the bond would pay part of the cost of building a new Samaritan Hospital. District commissioners voted 5-0 to authorize the bond request at the commission meeting Tuesday, without discussion...

JoAnn F. Braun

JoAnn F. Braun was born JoAnn F. Grinolds in Sandpoint, Idaho on Feb. 3, 1941. She moved to Moses Lake in 1946 with her parents and sister Arloa Davis, all of whom have passed. JoAnn has been a longtime resident of Moses Lake. She graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1959. She was married in 1957 and had five children, of whom two passed away and three are living: Christine M. Williams, Steven A. Williams and Troy L. Williams. Shawn A. Caine passed in 2017 and Brian H. Rolison passed in 1982. JoAnn also is survived by 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. JoAnn’s husband Joseph A. Braun passed away Dec. 10, 2016. He was the love of her life. They liked to go four-wheeling in the sand dunes and take trips to Reno and Las Vegas.

Facing the past

Racial restrictions still on the books in some Basin neighborhoods

MOSES LAKE — When you buy a home, there are often neighborhood covenants that come with the property. Sometimes you have to have your house set a certain distance back from the street, or you can’t put up a shed as a second residence, or you can’t run certain kinds of business out of the house. And on paper, at least, sometimes you have to be white to live there. “Starting in the mid-20th century in eastern Washington, and earlier in some other places, developers began adding racial restrictions,” said Dr. Larry Cebula, a professor of history at EWU and managing director of the project. “These typically read ‘only members of the white or Caucasian race will live here.’ There’s usually a kind of codicil saying ‘excepting servants thereof.’ So if you had a servant who was a person of color, they could live there. Most of the racial covenants we find in eastern Washington reads like that. Sometimes there’s a list of who can’t live there: ‘No Negros may live here,’ ‘no members of the Asiatic race,’ – something like that. The language varies, but it’s usually only whites.” ...

Legals for January, 26 2023

Bill looks to bring plea bargain transparency

OLYMPIA - A bill in the Washington State House would bring transparency to the plea negotiation process in the criminal justice system. "For the most part, the criminal justice system in our state is very transparent. The courts are open to the public during trials. We can see the jurors, judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys. We can watch people testify in court," said Rep. Gina Mosbrucker (R-Goldendale), ranking member of the House Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee. "However, plea negotiations in Washington state are often done behind closed doors, which many of my constituents are concerned about." ...

Quincy examines pool, water, sewer issues

QUINCY — Quincy city officials are beginning the process of planning for water and sewer projects designed to upgrade the city’s utility systems. Quincy City Council members voted Tuesday to advertise for proposals for a number of studies, including one that would analyze the city’s existing sewer system. Quincy Administrator Pat Haley said in an earlier interview that the city has reached 85% of its sewer capacity. When that happens the city is required by the Washington Department of Ecology to conduct an analysis of the system and options for enlarging it...

Back in the game

Big Bend Cooperative Preschool re-opens in new digs

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Cooperative Preschool is back. The preschool, which had operated on the Big Bend Community College campus since the 1960s, was forced to shut down like so many other things in the summer of 2020. Now it’s found a new home at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moses Lake. “We were part of the college,” said preschool Board Member Jennifer Hickok. “And then we leased a spot at the college and the college, right before COVID, canceled our lease. And so we had to find a new place to be. Of course, it was during COVID, where are you going to go? It was really hard to keep open. The previous board actually made the decision to close because there was nothing we could do.” ...

Grant County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse prepares for service

MOSES LAKE - The Grant County Sheriff's Mounted Posse has been getting back into the saddle and preparing for the call of service. “We try to represent the Sheriff’s Department and be a part of the community as much as possible,” said Trisha Cox, Captain of the Grant County Sheriff's Mounted Posse...

Timme, Hickman lead No. 9 Gonzaga past Santa Clara 81-76

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Drew Timme and Nolan Hickman scored 20 points each and No. 9 Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 81-76 on Saturday night. Julian Strawther had 18 points and Ben Gregg grabbed eight rebounds to help the Bulldogs (14-3, 3-0 West Coast Conference) get their 25th straight win against the Broncos. Gonzaga has won 48 of the last 50 meetings.

Sitting pretty

More than half of Washington homeowners equity-rich

COLUMBIA BASIN — Lots of homeowners are in good shape this year. A recent study by analysis firm ATTOM Data Solutions indicates that nearly half of mortgaged residential properties in the U.S. were considered equity-rich, meaning that the amount owed on them was no more than half the estimated value, the report said. “The way you make money on your home is your equity,” explained Jessie “Weno” Dominguez, CEO of Imagine Realty Group in Othello. “And the way you look at equity is as your savings account. So if I purchased a home, let's say, four years ago, right before the craziness, for $200,000, I put 5% down, I owed $190,000. I've been paying it for five years and owe now $170,000. I kept the house up, maintained it, kept it pretty nice. As home values rise, the prices continue to go up. That same home is now worth, let's say, $425,000, and I owe $170,000. So I'm equity-rich.” The study indicated that in the third quarter of 2022, 48.5% of mortgaged homes were classed as equity-rich, compared to 48.1% in second quarter and 39.5% in the third quarter of 2021. In fact, the the third quarter of 2022 marked the 10th consecutive quarter in which the proportion of equity-rich homes increased, according to the ATTOM report.

WDFW researchers use drone to collect pygmy rabbit data

COLUMBIA BASIN — From January until March, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff and researchers will fly drones over known pygmy rabbit locations on state- and federally-managed lands in Grant and Douglas counties, according to an agency press release. "The purpose of these flights is to test drone and sensor capabilities and effectiveness for tracking pygmy rabbit distribution and numbers in snowy conditions," Taylor Cotten, WDFW conservation assessment section manager, said in the release. "Researchers will also use the drones to help determine the survival rate of reintroduced pygmy rabbits." The release states WDFW will use the drones to take photos that will be used to gather certain data in a safer and more efficient way than current methods.

Legals for December, 29 2022

Legals for December, 28 2022

Analyst: Gas prices likely to continue falling

MOSES LAKE — It may be the welcome Christmas surprise this season is steeply falling gasoline prices, which have fallen more than $1.30 per gallon in the last six months and look to fall even more, according to Patrick DeHaan, the head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy. “It could fall another 50 cents per gallon if nothing changes,” DeHaan said...

Analysis: Russell Wilson trade looks like Herschel Walker's

DENVER (AP) — The most lopsided trade in NFL history sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for two fistfuls of players and draft picks that served as the pillars of the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s. The Russell Wilson trade isn't quite so cockeyed, but eight months in it sure looks as one-sided as any deal since the Walker washout that Jerry Jones immediately dubbed "The Great Train Robbery."

Dolores (Dee) Mary Braun

Dolores Mary Braun, 87, of Moses Lake, Washington passed away Nov. 12, 2022. Born Aug. 20, 1935, to Jose and Pomposa Gomez in San Bernardino, California, she was the first of four children for the Gomez family. Dolores married Joseph A. Braun in early 1956, moved to Spokane, Washington and began their family. In the years following they had five children together, and moved to Moses Lake, Washington in 1960. Dolores loved her family. She loved having children around, and in a neighborhood full of kids, there was never any lack of childhood goings-on. While social media had yet to be imagined, it didn't take long for word to get around about warm homemade cookies coming out of Mrs. B's oven. While she was always Mother to us, she was also willing to be a mom to others as well, offering love and advice as she could. After retiring, Dee enjoyed trips to the casino for a little bit of gaming action, the Mariners and Seahawks, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially Makayla and Cassie Jo.

Retelling meth's challenges

Local author writes book detailing drug abuse and recovery

EPHRATA - Patrick Durkin, also known by his pen name, Boston Bornagain, recently published a book called “Fire & Ice: The Meth Bible” depicting the struggles of a methamphetamine addict and his road to redemption. “That book, it's a book I wrote for the kid who’s trying drugs for the first time, (but) it's also a book about people looking for answers,” said Durkin. “I think everybody, even here in Grant County, everybody is affected by methamphetamine substance abuse.” Durkin also used his pen name to represent the main character in his book. As the story unfolds, Boston lives through a lot of the same or similar experiences that Durkin has had over the last 25 years. As Durkin put it, the story is based on 98% of the truth. Durkin’s book tells of the bad, the ugly and the scary that comes with illicit drug use. He brings to light what the “meth lifestyle” is really like. “There’s a whole underworld in the shadows of the places we live and it’s all over this country,” said Durkin...

Moses Lake taking first steps on new police station

MOSES LAKE — It looks like Moses Lake is going to get a new police department building on Central Drive. In a 5-2 vote, members of the city council approved a plan seeking a design to build a new, two-story, 23,000-square-foot police department headquarters along Central Drive on a five-acre lot the city owns across from Smulligan’s Pizza and BBQ. “I felt that we’ve discussed this at length,” said Council Member and Deputy Mayor Deanna Martinez, referring to several previous meetings in which the council was given proposals for both remodeling the current police station and building anew on Central Drive. “We need to bring this forward for the budget and for long-term planning.” ...

WSU develops new biogas process

RICHLAND — A Washington State University research team has developed a new method to treat sewage sludge and turn it into biogas – methane – that could help reduce the cost of waste treatment and help the environment, according to a WSU press release. The process involves adding oxygen-rich, high-pressure steam to help break down and convert as much as 85% of the sludge to biogas, which can be burned in the same way natural gas is burned, to generate heat and electricity, the press release said. Most wastewater treatment plants in the United States utilize an anaerobic digestion process in which bacteria, with no oxygen present, break down sewage waste. However, according to the press release, the process is inefficient and creates a fair amount of sludge, much of which is dried and carted to landfills. The high-pressure steam is added before anaerobic digestion, the press said, allowing oxygen to act as a catalyst in breaking down complex molecules. “This is not a very high-tech solution,” said Birgitte Ahring, an engineering professor at WSU. “It’s actually a solution that can be useful even at small scale. The efficiency has to be high or else you cannot warrant adding the extra costs to the process.” WSU is working with Richland-area clean-tech startup Clean-Vantage to help further develop and commercialize the technology, which was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Fire and power

Utility companies discuss fire season with UTC

LACEY - The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission held a virtual post-fire-season update with three utility companies; Puget Sound Energy, Avista Utilities and Pacific Power Thursday morning. “I know as late as October, we were dealing with wildfires in the state of Washington and this has become something of the new normal and it is imperative that our electric utilities make sure their infrastructure is safe and that their customers are safe during the risky fire seasons in our state,” said UTC Chair David Danner said in his opening remarks. The meeting allowed a representative from each utility company to give a presentation about how they prepared for fire season, what they faced this fire season, community outreach and education and plans for preparing for the 2023 fire season. UTC commissioners Danner, Milt Doumit and Ann Rendahl were active in asking each representative more in-depth questions about information in their presentations.