Two Coeur d'Alene area firefighters killed in shooting

Were responding to fire said to be intentionally set

Police: Suspected shooter found dead

Futsal courts open at kiwanis park in Othello

OTHELLO – On Tuesday, the Othello Parks and Recreation held a ribbon cutting for their new futsal courts at Kiwanis Park. Othello Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez said the event was special for the Othello community. “Today is more than a ribbon cutting. It is a celebration of community collaboration and shared commitment to recreation and youth development,’ she said.

Big party in Othello for nation’s birthday

OTHELLO — The nation’s 249th birthday will be celebrated in Othello with games and a parade and tournaments and fireworks, just like the tradition. “I love the Fourth of July. It’s the biggest party in Othello,” said Jackie Wilhelm, president of the Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce. Most of the activities will be in Lions Park.

Sixer 18U complete another busy weekend

MOSES LAKE – Over the weekend, the Central Washington Sixers 18U team went 3-1 across four games. Head coach Jason Laugen was pleased with what he saw from his team over the weekend. “Overall, we played pretty well. We were in an 18U tournament. We're a team of a bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds, and so we're playing up a little bit, and the kids played really well,” he said.

A Life Well Lived: Remembering Eleanor E. Sortor

November 25, 1923 — June 25, 2025

Eleanor Esther Sortor passed away peacefully on June 25, 2025, at the age of 101. Born in Ridgefield, Washington, and raised in Woodland, Eleanor lived a long, full life rooted in family, faith, hard work and joy. She was the daughter of Andrew and Katherine (Thoeni) Weissenfluh and the youngest of four children, joining her beloved brothers Bert, Ernie and Walter.

Red, White and Boom gets a head start on Independence Day

MOSES LAKE — In some ways, Moses Lake is ahead of the curve. Independence Day celebrations are one of those. Like last year, Moses Lake’s Red, White and Boom celebration will be held on July 3. For several years before that, Independence Day festivities were held on the Saturday before July 4. The reason isn’t just because we love to be first out of the gate, said Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Doug Coutts. “The fireworks company cannot come out for us on the Fourth of July,” Coutts said. “There’s only one that I’ve been able to find that provides the insurance and such that we need is at bigger cities doing larger events that pay more money.”

Wildcats Ntekpere selected as GNAC female athlete of the year

PORTLAND, Ore. — Emy Ntekpere’s 2025 track and field season at Central Washington University was nothing short of spectacular, according to a statement by Central Washington Athletics. She broke records seemingly every time she competed, won three NCAA Division II national titles and on Thursday was announced as the 2024-25 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year, according to the statement. She is the second woman and fourth student-athlete in school history to earn the top individual award from the conference and is the 12th women’s track and field athlete to receive the honor. Other CWU winners were LeAnne McGahuey (volleyball) in 2005-06, Mike Reilly (football) in 2008-09 and Johnny Spevak (football) in 2009-10

Steel Wolf Karate stays busy for the summer

MOSES LAKE – Steel Wolf Karate has plans to keep busy during the summer months following their break for the Fourth of July and into the future. These plans include expanding their regular classes and getting more involved in creating community activities.  “There's a lot to be said for just having a productive physical outlet,” said Robert Heale, the owner and head instructor for Steel Wolf Karate. “Kids are full of energy and we’ve got to help them direct it somewhere that’s constructive.”

Traditions making a comeback for the Fourth at George

GEORGE — Some traditions are returning to George’s Fourth of July celebration this year. “We’re going to begin the day with the pancake breakfast at the George Community Hall kitchen,” said organizer Debby Kooy. “I don’t think we’ve had a pancake breakfast at the hall on the Fourth of July for about 10 years. It’s fun to see that come back, because people still ask for it every time. And we’re having the return of the cherry pit spitting contest. There might be a few other things added … but we’ll at least do the cherry pit spitting.”

Jessie Young all-in at Freewind Martial Arts

MOSES LAKE – According to Jessie Young, martial arts was not something she thought she would take interest in. However, after giving Freewind Martial Arts a few tries, she was all in. “After the first lesson, I was totally hooked. I was not ready for it; I could not do push-ups or sit-ups or run around the mat like everybody else, but I absolutely fell in love with it.

Bookmobile brings the library to the rural Basin

MOSES LAKE — It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the library has just rolled in at Doolittle Dream Park, to stay for an hour before moving on. “We’ve had as many as 12 or 15 (people come in),” said librarian Elizabeth McNall. “(The Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia Basin) is doing a free lunch here this summer, but our time is not right for them, so we’ll try to coordinate next year with that.”

BASIN COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ending June and into July 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — July will sizzle in the Basin, both the weather and the events scene. Here are a few things coming up this month:

Youth spotlight: Quincy students turn raw materials into legacy for Quincy hospital

QUINCY — The old Quincy Valley Medical Center had a few trees next to the parking lot, including three pine trees planted in – well, back in the day, not long after the hospital was built in the late 1950s. The way the new hospital had to fit on the lot meant they were in the way, and they had to come down. That led to an opportunity for the Quincy High School advanced construction class. Career and technical education is a focus at QHS, with a lot of different classes and opportunities, from firefighting to agriculture to certified nursing assistant training. Advanced construction teacher Nick Heuker said Tom Richardson, QVMC director of information services, contacted QHS to see if there might be a use for the wood from those pine trees.

Royal City gears up for Summerfest, library opening

ROYAL CITY — Royal City will pull out the stops once again July 11-12 for the town’s annual Summerfest. “We’re going to have lots of kids attractions,” said Summerfest Committee Chair Jill Larsen. “We’re going to have a rock-climbing wall. We’re going to have a carnival ride and bouncy houses on Saturday.”

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: The weight of officials’ words...

We live in a time where the old axiom, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” rings truer than ever. Social media gives anyone and everyone with half a thought an option to get their opinions – factual, unfounded, unnecessarily inflammatory or just plain asinine – out to a broad audience.

Does Seattle get to celebrate a Thunder championship?

COLUMBIA BASIN – The NBA Finals this year has been one of the best fans have seen in years. The incredible back and forth matchup has to be one of the more compelling finals series since the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1 comeback. In fact, it’s the first time fans have seen a game seven since that year.

Quincy Special Olympics in state tournament

QUINCY – The Quincy Special Olympics Jackrabbits travelled to Tacoma over the weekend to compete in the state tournament. The team overall brought home 14 medals from their efforts over the weekend.

Moses Lake Special Olympics soccer earns third in state

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Special Olympics Scorpions soccer team went to the state tournament over the weekend where they placed third. This follows the team’s second place finish in the regionals. “They are very proud of themselves, and I am very proud of them because we were down five of our best players that we don’t have this year,” said Scorpions’ Soccer Coach Jennifer Vaughan-Darby. “So, to even be able to come to state this year is amazing in itself.” The tournament started out rough for the Scorpions as they lost their first three games on Saturday.

Moses Lake Airshow showcases aviation on all scales

MOSES LAKE — The wind wasn’t powerful at the Grant County International Airport Saturday – just enough to make papers blow around and sweep the occasional hat away – but it was enough to make some pilots happy.

Food and Folk Festival grows in its second year

SOAP LAKE — Last year, the sun blazed down on the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival. This year the temperature was kinder, but Mother Nature still got in her little joke. “Later in the day, it rained, and people got up and just scattered,” said organizer Ruthann Tobiason. “But there were a few who were prepared and had coats with hoods and stuff. (The rain) didn't last very long.”