Grant Co. extends marijuana production moratorium

EPHRATA — The Grant County Commissioners have extended the moratorium on establishing new marijuana production or processing operations in unincorporated areas of the county for another six months.

BASIN HOOPS REPORT: Local squads begin postseason play

COLUMBIA BASIN — District playoffs across the state begin this weekend, with many Basin squads closing out their regular seasons in the coming days. See below for a look at where teams stand ahead of district playoffs. All scores and standings are according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Erratics to discuss geology pioneer

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will host a talk on a pioneer in the geology of the Columbia Basin, according to an announcement from the organization.

Ephrata’s ‘new’ mayor pro tem looks at growing as residents choose

EPHRATA – After serving on the Ephrata City Council since 2015, Matt Moore has taken on a new title: mayor pro tem.

The Hive to mark 30 years of ink Friday

MOSES LAKE — The Hive will celebrate its 30th birthday from noon to 7 p.m. Friday with a throwback to its origins.

Moses Lake Roundup looks forward to the next 80 years

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin Rodeo Association gathered with volunteers and sponsoring partners on Saturday at the Grant County Fairgrounds for its annual banquet. This year’s event introduced a new award, Demo Derby Man of the Year. This honor went to one of the new 2023 directors of the board, Aaron Schrodt. Schrodt’s initiative to build and raffle off an opportunity to drive the Moses Lake Roundup’s Demo Derby car, paired with his work with new Vice President Alex Alvarado, earned him the inaugural recognition. A bittersweet transition was recognized for the longtime efforts of Edie Longfellow, a veteran of the Roundup since starting as secretary in August 1969. Known as the “den mother of the Columbia River Circuit,” she was lauded for her support of previous rodeo presidents, queens, and contestants.

Washington eyes changes to jaywalking regulations

OLYMPIA – There's a push to lighten up on jaywalking fines — a move that hits the headlines for its impact on both the homeless community and Black pedestrians.

No recounts for Grant Co. in Nov. general election

EPHRATA — While there were two races that might’ve qualified for an automatic recount after the November 2023 general election, in the end neither of them did.

Soap Lake girls, boys defeat Wolverines on senior night

Stoyan scores 1,500th career point

SOAP LAKE — Both the Soap Lake boys and girls basketball teams picked up wins on their senior nights on Tuesday, with the girls winning 62-22 and the boys winning 81-30 over the visiting Cascade Christian Wolverines. Soap Lake Girls After opening the game with a 16-5 lead through the first quarter, the Eagles slowed down on the offensive end, putting up just six points in the second quarter with baskets by sophomores Brooke Dana and Liana Sushik, as well as free throws by sophomore Tanya Zubritskiy and Sushik. Soap Lake led 22-11 at the break.

Curtain to rise on Masquers production of ‘Harvey’ next week

SOAP LAKE — The tale of a nice but eccentric fellow, his boon companion – a six-foot, three-inch invisible pink rabbit – and his scheming relatives comes to Masquers Theater this February with the troupe’s production of “Harvey.” Director Pat Rosman said the 2023-24 season is one of classic plays, and “Harvey,” which premiered in 1944 and ran more than four years on Broadway, is a theater staple. Elwood P. Dowd (Dave Stearns in the Masquers production) is a very nice fellow who likes a drink or two – or more. And then there’s his friend Harvey, the invisible one, the tall pink rabbit. They go everywhere together.

NEWS BITES: Jan. 31, 2024

News Bites for January 31, 2024.

Othello Matters: Adams County Integrated Health Care Services, others, band together to help locals

OTHELLO – Adams County Integrated Health Care Services and several other health care and outreach agencies based in the Columbia Basin came together Thursday to support Othello community members’ needs for the Othello Matters outreach event at the Othello Church of the Nazarene.

Huskies win second straight CWAC title

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies clinched their second straight Central Washington Athletic Conference title with last week’s win over Ephrata, defeating the Tigers 70-6 in the final dual meet of the season.

Senate bill proposes allowing doctors to keep names off prescription bottles

OLYMPIA – When she treated an out-of-state patient from Idaho with pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Jennifer Chin of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists knew her pregnant patient was at risk if she carried the pregnancy to term. She believes her patient could have died without the care she received in Washington.

Adams Co. road projects moving forward

RITZVILLE – The Adams County Commissioner’s regular Jan. 23 meeting featured an update on several ongoing and future road projects in the county, as well as a discussion of potential state route jurisdiction changes.

Capital levy goes before Wahluke voters

MATTAWA — Wahluke School District voters will decide the fate of a four-year capital levy request in a special election Feb. 13. Ballots for the election were mailed late last week.

Events for February 2024

In February, love is in the air and spring is lurking somewhere around the corner. Here are a few things that are happening around the Basin this month.

Vikings take down Timberwolves

MOSES LAKE – Coming off of a tough loss, the Big Bend women's basketball team took the time to look themselves in the mirror and bring to light areas that needed to change moving forward.

Basin sports schedule Jan. 31-Feb. 6

COLUMBIA BASIN — Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local basketball, swim and dive and wrestling events. With district tournaments beginning later this week, check columbiabasinherald.com for schedule updates as teams progress through their brackets.

Knights win ninth straight game, improve to 15-5

ROYAL CITY — After starting the year with a 2-3 record and coming off an appearance at the Pro Image Sports Holiday Classic in Boise, Idaho, the Royal Knights have strung together wins in 12 of their last 14 games, including nine straight wins. “We were feeling really good, even though we started off 2-3,” Royal coach Greg Jenks said. “We played some pretty good teams, including a team that has the leading scorer in the nation, down in that Boise tournament. It was good to see something different and take a trip with basketball behind it. I think that helped the boys make that transition from fall sport to winter sport.” Royal’s last loss was a 79-55 home game against Zillah on Jan. 5, the state’s No. 1 team in 1A boys basketball according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Rating Percentage Index. Since that loss, there’s been a strong emphasis on rebounding, according to Jenks.