Locals make Gonzaga Dean’s List

SPOKANE – Five Grant County students made it onto Gonzaga University’s Fall 2023 Dean’s List, according to a Thursday announcement from the college. Students must earn a 3.5 to 3.84 grade-point average to be listed. The following names are listed by city and in alphabetical order.

Eight locals arrested: Joint investigations with city, federal, state agencies land Moses Lake residents in jail

MOSES LAKE – According to the office of U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref, based in Spokane, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, Moses Lake Police Department, Border Patrol and the Washington Department of Corrections have arrested eight people in the Moses Lake area. Those arrested are facing charges related to narcotics and illegal firearms.

New QVMC framing starting soon

QUINCY — Construction of the new Quincy Valley Medical Center should reach an important milestone early next week. “Steel starts going up a week from today,” said Joe Kunkel, the project manager, during the QVMC commission meeting Jan. 22.

Quincy’s Bierlink, Royal’s Villa recognized by WIAA

COLUMBIA BASIN – Two Basin athletes received Athlete of the Week awards from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association on Thursday; Quincy sophomore Pierce Bierlink and Royal senior Emma Villa.

Maverick boys win, girls fall to Davis

MOSES LAKE – Both the Moses Lake boys and girls wrestling teams wrapped up their dual meets for the 2023-24 season Wednesday night against Davis, with the girls falling 54-24 and the boys winning 32-30.

Warden holds second parks and rec workshop

WARDEN – SCJ Alliance and Washington State University’s Rural Communities Design Initiative hosted a second Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan Community Engagement Workshop Tuesday evening at Warden Police Station. The plan is funded by the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.

Stifling defense fuels road win for Lady Vikes

MOSES LAKE – After dropping their first three conference games, the Lady Vikes needed to get in the win column to avoid digging themselves a hole that they could not get out of.

‘Bright Star’

Quincy Valley Allied Arts to present tale of redemption

QUINCY — Quincy Valley Allied Arts will tell a story of love, bad choices, their consequences and ultimate redemption starting Friday night. “Bright Star” will run for three weekends, with a matinee Feb. 10, at the Quincy High School Performing Arts Center, 403 Jackrabbit St. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2 and 3, and Feb. 9. A matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m. Feb. 10. Director Brian Higgins said he was attracted to the story by the journey taken by the characters.

Chess tournament incoming

EPHRATA – The Waypoint Foundation Scholastic Chess Tournament is set for Saturday Feb. 3 at Parkway Intermediate School. The tournament is open to all students from kindergarten through high school seniors but participation is limited to 100 players. There is no fee for registration and cash prizes are awarded to all participants. The winner of the tourney will receive $500. A registration form may be found at: https://bit.ly/EPHCHESS

Ephrata appoints officers, talks water rights and billing

EPHRATA – The Ephrata City Council appointed new officers including a new mayor pro tempore during the board’s regular Jan. 17 meeting. They also received an update on the city’s new water utility billing processes and approved stopping service cancellations while residents and city staff adjust to the new system.

Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay nearly $150M to Washington for role in opioid epidemic

SEATTLE – Johnson & Johnson will pay nearly $150 million to Washington for its role in the opioid epidemic, the Washington State Office of Attorney General announced Tuesday.

Othello approves temporary dog housing, CRNA week and new legal counsel.

OTHELLO – The Othello City Council’s regular meeting Monday featured the approval of improvements to a Public Works building for temporary dog housing, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Week and new legal counsel, as well as discussion of a donation to the city and cargo container ordinances.

Moses Lake to budget $1M match toward water meter grant.

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a resolution supporting the application requesting $1,000,000 in federal funding assistance under the Water SMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grant for the installation and implementation of advanced metering infrastructure throughout the city.

Ephrata School Board accepts grant, reviews finances

EPHRATA – The Ephrata School Board had a busy evening during their regular meeting Monday night with multiple financial topics, security and the acceptance of the resignation of Superintendent Tim Payne.

Loera earns Big Sky Player of the Week

FARMINGTON, Utah — For the first time since arriving in Cheney, Jamie Loera was named Big Sky Co-Player of the Week, announced by conference today. Loera earned the award after a week where she carried Eastern Washington to a pair of wins and extended the team's record-breaking win streak to nine games.

Turnovers lead Mavs’ loss to Lewiston

MOSES LAKE – A flurry of first-half turnovers allowed the visiting Lewiston Bengals to build a 20-plus point lead over Moses Lake during the first half, later riding out to an 81-36 win over the Mavericks Tuesday night.

Big Bend wrestling makes move to NJCAA

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend wrestling for both men and women is making the jump to the National Junior College Athletic Association the college announced Tuesday, joining the ranks of a Division I wrestling program.

Neil Christopher Montgomery

Feb. 8, 1972 — Jan. 10, 2024

Neil (Chris) Montgomery, 51, passed away unexpectedly at home January 10, 2024. Chris was born on February 8, 1972, in Moses Lake, Washington to Donald and Sharon (Goehring) Montgomery.

Rooted in community

Ephrata Grocery Outlet owners enjoy being a part of a small town and connecting with people.

EPHRATA – Steve and Heather Brown bought the Ephrata Grocery Outlet location in late 2022, and now, just over a year later, they appear to be happy with the decision to buy in a smaller community.

Basin sports schedule Jan. 24-30

COLUMBIA BASIN – Check out this week’s sports schedule, featuring local basketball, swim and dive and wrestling events.