Ephrata girls fall to East Valley

EPHRATA — Down by one with under a minute on the clock, Ephrata senior Alessa Soto drained a three-pointer to give Ephrata a 50-48 lead over East Valley (Yakima); however, the Red Devils answered with a three-pointer of their own on their next possession, defeating the Tigers 51-50 Tuesday night. “We were going possession for possession,” Ephrata Head Coach Alain Black said. “Alessa (Soto) hit that big shot for us to give us a chance to win it; we just struggled defensively with communicating and losing their people and knowing where they were.” The Tigers got the ball back with 30.5 seconds remaining in the game after a Red Devil turnover, where Soto gave Ephrata the lead with her three-pointer. East Valley took the ball up the floor and called back-to-back timeouts with 13.6 seconds left, then hit a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left in the game.

Ice cream truck provides marketable skills, educates community, owner says

EPHRATA — The Street Sweets Ice Cream and More truck is a good place to get a cold snack on a hot day, but co-owner Tiffany Mullings said it’s about more than that. “I am the autistic mother to two autistic children,” she said. “And my husband and I had a little money left over from a (financial transaction), and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s look for a step van and if we can, we’ll start an ice cream truck, as a way to give them an opportunity for meaningful employment and to build some marketable skills that they can use throughout their life.” For two years Mullings and her daughters Riley and Dorieann Mullings, 22 and 21 respectively, her co-owners in the business, have driven the streets of Ephrata throughout the spring, summer and fall. She drives, she said, and her daughters do the serving.

Driver shortages main challenge facing Othello trucking companies

OTHELLO – Othello trucking companies AGB Trucking and Flamingo Trucking are both in healthy positions, according to their respective owners, but are nonetheless both facing similar problems finding drivers.

News Bites for Jan. 2

RITZVILLE — Ritzville Police have made an arrest in a two-week-long investigation, according to a statement from the RPD.

Legals for January, 3 2024

Fresh News: Largemouth unusually active at Potholes

MARDON — The current water level on Potholes Reservoir is 1,041.55 feet, coming up 0.35 feet this week. We are 4.95 feet below full pool. The water temperature is 37-39 degrees on the main reservoir. Walleye fishing is fair. The walleye are in 18-40 feet. Top technique is jigging. Top baits are blade baits, Jigging Raps, Shadow Raps and drop-shotting 4.0 plastics. Trolling a Slow Death Hook-Smile Blade rig with a crawler and bottom bouncer is producing a few fish as well. Make sure you are marking fish before dropping down if you are jigging.

Feds charge two in drug case

SPOKANE — Two men have been indicted in eastern Washington in connection with seized drugs, firearms and commercial pill presses, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington. Timothy Gary Maddox was indicted by a federal grand jury on 10 felony counts, and Nicholas Bruan Adams on seven felony counts, according to the announcement. One of the pill presses seized by investigators is the first known commercial press associated with illegal fentanyl manufacturing in the district, according to the announcement. The presses are believed to be able to produce thousands of pills per hour.

Grant County among areas hardest hit by air pollution, study finds

OLYMPIA — The George and Mattawa areas were identified as most affected by air pollution in Washington in a report released by the Washington Department of Ecology last week. The report also identified 14 other areas of the state, according to an announcement from the DOE. Researchers investigated health data and found people in these communities face a higher death rate from air pollution than the state average, the announcement said. The report – required under the state’s landmark Climate Commitment Act – predicts that older adults in these communities are twice as likely to die from health conditions linked to breathing fine particles from human-caused sources. In analyzing data for 2016 to 2020, the report found that people of all ages in the communities lived an average of 2.4 years less than people in the rest of Washington.

East Wenatchee man dies in ATV accident

EAST WENATCHEE — An East Wenatchee man died when his ATV rolled down a hillside and he was ejected early Monday morning, according to a statement from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Austin Davis, 40, was found dead at the scene of the accident, the DCSO wrote. Davis left his home in the 13000 block of U.S. Highway 2 sometime before midnight New Year’s Eve in the ATV with two adult passengers, the DCSO statement said. The two passengers got out of the ATV at some point during the ride and Davis went on by himself, but didn’t return. The two passengers walked back to the residence and notified the sheriff’s office at about 1:45 a.m. New Year’s Day.

Basin sports schedule Jan. 2-9

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local basketball, swim and dive and wrestling events. Wednesday, Jan. 3 Royal girls, boys wrestling vs Ephrata - 5:30, 7 p.m. Moses Lake girls, boys wrestling at West Valley (Yakima) - 6, 7 p.m. Othello boys wrestling vs Ellensburg - 7 p.m. Warden boys wrestling at Highland - 5 p.m.

Lions defeat ACH 50-46

COULEE CITY — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions came out on top of a defensive battle Saturday night, defeating the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors on the road 50-46 to improve their record to 6-1. “This is one of toughest places to play,” MLCA/CCS coach Emerson Ferguson said. “I know they’ve (ACH) got some injuries, but this has always been a tough place. We knew it was going to be tough, plus it’s our first game back after the break. The experience was the biggest factor in being able to win a close game.” The Warriors opened the game on an 8-5 run, with the Lions tying the game on a three-pointer by sophomore Johnny Ferguson and the Warriors quickly retaking the lead with a three by senior Jaxon Baergen. MLCA/CCS closed the first quarter with a layup in transition by senior Jonah Robertson to take a 15-11 lead.

Grant County Animal Outreach gets funds for new shelter

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commissioners have approved $1 million in funding for a new Grant County Animal Outreach shelter, if GCAO meets some conditions. That matches a similar $1 million commitment from the city of Moses Lake. The $2 million, said GCAO Chair Sara Thompson Tweedy, should pay most, if not all, of the cost of construction of a new facility. “We think we have just about what we need,” she said.

Darcy Gene Price

Darcy Gene Price, 67, a lifelong resident of the Tri-Cities, died Dec. 26, 2023, in Pullman, Wash. Muller’s Tri-Cities Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Legals for January, 2 2024

Celebrating FRESH NEWS: MarDon’s Fisher offers support to anglers

OTHELLO – Each week I get an email from Pete Fisher at MarDon Resort with a column letting readers know what fish are biting on, the depth they’re biting at and sharing a success story of someone who tossed a line into the Potholes Reservoir and came back with a fish worthy of a proper fish story.

Ashley Naranjo: Leading by example

MOSES LAKE – Posting an unbeaten record in any sport is quite a feat. Remaining undefeated for three years, while winning two state championships, is even more of a challenge.

WA Legislature takes aim at highway graffiti

OLYMPIA — A bill in the Washington State Legislature takes aim at graffiti, according to an announcement from Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia.

Endangered Species Act hits 50 as legislators questions success

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act turned 50 in 2023 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the ESA had been effective in wildlife conservation and has saved about 99% of the species under its care, including several in Washington state. However, Congress is looking at whether the legislation goes far enough to protect species and build up those species’ populations enough to remove them from the Endangered Species List.

Grant County eyes updating short-term rental rules

EPHRATA — Revised ordinances governing short-term rentals in Grant County will be available for review and challenge through Jan. 20.

ACPR gets involved with Othello schools

OTHELLO – Adams County Pet Rescue board member and Othello resident Kim Bailey do what they can to help the ACPR, and one of the ways they do this is by volunteering to go to schools in Othello and teach students about the compassionate care of animals.