BASIN HOOPS REPORT: league play carries on

COLUMBIA BASIN – Local squads around the Basin have all entered the teeth of league play by now, with district tournament beginning in less than a month.

Othello drug dealer sentenced

SPOKANE – Jaime Alberta Garza, 52, of Othello has been sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distributed fentanyl. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 78 months – about six and a half years – in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, according to a press release from the office of Vanessa Waldref, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

Othello drug dealer sentenced to more than six years

SPOKANE – Jaime Alberta Garza, 52, of Othello has been sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distributed fentanyl. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 78 months – about six and a half years – in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, according to a press release from the office of Vanessa Waldref, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

Officers, deceased identified in Quincy officer-involved shooting

QUINCY – The names of those involved in a Monday incident that lead to one Quincy Police Department officer being stabbed twice and the death of a man have been released by investigators with the Central Basin Investigative Team.

WSU offers $15.7 million in wage increases for academic student employees

PULLMAN – Academic student employees on assistantships would see an average wage increase of at least 20% under the latest proposal offered by Washington State University as labor negotiations continued ahead of a reported January 17 union strike deadline.

Adams Co. Development Council director discusses growth

OTHELLO – Adams County Development Council Executive Director Kyle Niehenke attended the Port of Othello’s regular meeting Tuesday morning to share some of ACDC’s plans on how he will partner with the port to help its growth in the future.

Moses Lake considers large development near Lowe’s after swearing-in ceremony

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council swore in one new member and two returning ones at its meeting Tuesday and passed the mayoral baton. Once that formality was taken care of, they addressed multiple issues regarding development.

BIG SKY NOW: Reaction to Montana’s loss, takeaways from 2023

MOSES LAKE – On this week’s episode of the Big Sky Now podcast, Josh Dugan and Fritz Neighbor of the Daily Inter Lake, Mark Nelke of the Coeur d’Alene Press and Ian Bivona of the Columbia Basin Herald recap Sunday’s FCS National Championship game between Montana and South Dakota State, including what went wrong for the Grizzlies in their 23-3 loss.

SR 17 repaving set for Moses Lake area

MOSES LAKE — Work is scheduled to start about April 1 on a project to repave a section of State Route 17 where it runs through Moses Lake.

Runnin' Vikes pick up road win in Spokane

MOSES LAKE – After a tough loss to open up conference play, the Runnin' Vikes remained on the road as they traveled to Spokane Falls Community College to face off versus the Sasquatch on Wednesday.

Vikings fall to Spokane Falls

Layton records double double in loss

MOSES LAKE – Coming off a tough conference opener versus Columbia Basin College, the Lady Vikes had a quick turnaround as they hit the road on Wednesday to take on the Spokane Falls Sasquatch.

Leading ladies: Moses Lake Museum exhibit celebrates the Washington women who led the way

MOSES LAKE — Washington, and the women who blazed its trails, will go on display Friday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center.

Payne to depart Ephrata School District

EPHRATA – Ephrata School District Superintendent Tim Payne has decided to resign from the district, citing personal, family and health issues, according to an ESD press release. His last day with the district will be June 30.

Cloudview Kitchen’s evolving local flavor, community focus

SOAP LAKE — Cloudview Kitchen was founded a little more than a decade ago by Jim Baird and Theresa Sergneri. Since then, the idea for the restaurant-slash-bakery-slash-coffee-house has evolved and matured. “Theresa and Jim started it …,” said co-owner Dusty Bolyard. “Jim wanted to start a nonprofit farm in Ephrata and with that, Theresa wanted to start the kitchen project to go along with it as a cooperative venture. They ran them together collectively – he ran the farm and she ran the kitchen.” The kitchen had closed down about a year before the pandemic started, but after talking with friends and family, the kitchen reopened with Bolyard, Blayne Walsh, Ursula Bolyard, Amanda Higginson and Geraldo Higginson coming together as partners in the business. Each brought their own flair to the shop that makes it unique, not just for Soap Lake and the Columbia Basin, but anywhere you might go.

Royal City considering police dog

ROYAL CITY — The Royal City Police Department could increase its officer ranks by one, and the number of feet on the ground by four.

Warriors can’t hold lead, fall 60-49 to Kiona-Benton

MATTAWA – Despite making a significant run in the third quarter, the Wahluke Warriors couldn’t hold on to their lead Tuesday night at home to Kiona-Benton, falling to the Bears 60-49 and suffering their first league loss of the 2023-24 season.

Precautions will prevent plumbing headaches caused by winter weather

MOSES LAKE — It’s going to be cold outside for the next few days - like, single-digit cold - and that can mean bad things for water pipes. And bad things for water pipes mean bad things for homeowners and tenants.

Project Guardian: Mattawa police start program to ensure positive interactions with the developmentally disabled

MATTAWA – The Mattawa Police Department has begun implementing a program called Project Guardian intended to help members of the department be better trained and equipped to interact with individuals with special needs, according to a presentation during Thursday’s regular Mattawa City Council meeting.

Five decades of muscle

Moses Lake Classic Car Club kicks off 50th anniversary year

MOSES LAKE — The first car for Dave Robins was a 1947 Frazer. Robins and his twin brother were about 14 years old, he said, and were mowing lawns that summer. One of their clients was an older man, a veteran with limited mobility and limited means. He gave the brothers the old Frazer as payment for their work.

18/19U River Dogs make move to American Legion baseball

MOSES LAKE – The 18/19U Columbia Basin River Dogs will have a new home this year, leaving the Babe Ruth League and playing in the American Legion under Moses Lake Senior Baseball.