Martinez makes MLHS volleyball history

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake Mavericks volleyball player Kardyn Martinez made school history during Thursday’s game against West Valley, becoming the first athlete in Moses Lake High School history to reach 500 kills on the volleyball court “It’s kind of surreal because I’m a soccer player, personally, so I never thought that I would be in this position right now,” said Martinez. “It’s honestly so cool.”

Tory Horton returns punt 95 yards for TD and has TD catch in Seahawks' 44-13 rout of Saints

SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie Tory Horton returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown — the longest punt return in Seahawks franchise history — and caught one of Sam Darnold's two TD passes in Seattle's 44-13 rout of the winless New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Kenneth Walker III ran for two TDs for the Seahawks (2-1), with the first set up by another big play on special teams. D’Anthony Bell blocked a punt by Kai Kroeger deep in New Orleans territory, and Walker's 3-yard run gave Seattle a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

Suárez homers and Woo exits after 5 innings as Mariners beat Astros 4-0 to take over 1st in AL West

HOUSTON (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit his 47th homer, three other Mariners went deep and Bryan Woo pitched five effective innings before leaving unexpectedly as Seattle beat the Houston Astros 4-0 on Friday night to take over first place in the AL West.

Knights ‘battle’ Wahluke for on-the-road win

MATTAWA – On Thursday, the Royal Knights went into enemy territory and defeated the Wahluke Warriors in a competitive 3-0 game. Knights Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said her team battled to the very end. “It was a battle, and we've got some things to work on and clean up, but the girls had a lot of heart and fought all the way through to the end. I'm really proud of them for just getting it done,” Lawrence said.

Mavericks dominate Grizzlies in first home win of ‘25

MOSES LAKE – On Friday, the Moses Lake Mavericks defeated the Sunnyside Grizzlies 49-13 in their first home game of the season. Head Coach Brett Jay said it was great to finally have a game out home in front of their fans. “Good to get back home, we had two games on the other side of the mountains. It's fun to get back in front of our home crowd, great crowd tonight, youth football night, fun to see all the youth football players, but just proud of our team, it was a total team effort,” Brett said.

Knights force shut out against Wahluke

MATTAWA – On Thursday, the Knights went on the road and defeated the Wahluke Warriors 4-0. Knights’ junior Maggie Frank said the game was a good opportunity to build confidence as a team. “It's definitely an improvement from the last couple games,” Frank said. “The last couple games, it's been hard for us connect passes a lot, and in this game, there's a couple moments where we were connecting passes really well. I think that's definitely an improvement.”

Warden welcomes new police chief: Jeff Gann

WARDEN – The Warden Police Department has a new leader, Chief Jeff Gann, an officer with nearly two decades of law enforcement experience. Gann started his job Monday and will be officially sworn in by the mayor during the Sept. 23 regular council meeting. Following a career at the Castle Rock Police Department, he honed his skills in a variety of roles, including as a defensive tactics' instructor and as a corporal, he said.

Houseplant guru offers advice at farmers market

MOSES LAKE — Some people are intimidated by houseplants, fearing that the plants won’t survive in their home. The problem may not be the owner but the plant itself, said Fred Bergold, owner of King’s Garden Nursery in Othello.

GCSO blotter for Sept. 12-15, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Suspects in the incidents are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Cougars fall to La Salle Lightning

WARDEN – The Warden Cougars volleyball team fell 0-3 to the La Salle Lighting in their first home game of the season Wednesday evening putting their record at 0-2.

Charity golf tournament needs more volunteers

WARDEN – On Sept. 27, the ‘Dude! Where’s my Cart!?’ charity golf tournament will be held at Sage Hills Golf Course. Event organizer Karisti Cox said the tournament is to help raise awareness for Alzheimer's. “The fundraising is all designed to go towards the Alzheimer's Association, more specifically, to the Columbia Basins Walk to End Alzheimer's but ultimately, it all goes to the same place,” Cox said.

Mavericks state runners heading to Woodbridge Invitational

MOSES LAKE – On Saturday, the Mavericks will be represented by six runners in the Woodbridge Invitational held in Orange County Great Park, California. Senior Liam O’Shea said the team has been thinking about this event for a long time. “This past week, me personally, I've been eating and sleeping California, there's no amount of preparation that I want to forego, or I want the team to forgo. We've really been making sure to get in every small thing so that when we step up to that line Saturday, we can really perform our best,” O’Shea said.

BASIN SPORTS SCHEDULE: Sept. 18-24. 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — The air is getting cooler as local athletes head into their third week of fall sports. See where the local high school teams are heading this week.

Royals score four in the eighth to snap Seattle's 10-game winning streak

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adam Frazier hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals went on to beat Seattle 7-5 on Wednesday night and snap the Mariners' 10-game winning streak. Eugenio Suárez snapped an 0-for-32 skid with four hits, two RBIs and two runs for Seattle, which, with Houston's win, dropped a half-game back of the Astros in the AL West.

Ephrata Sports Complex changes on the way

EPHRATA – Several changes to the Ephrata Sports Complex are in the planning stages in the city of Ephrata, as the Parks and Recreation Department works to accommodate increased use of the facility and encourage economic activity associated with it. “With the addition of middle school sports over the past few years, the middle school has used that facility for some of their events,” said City Administrator Ray Towry.

Local Job Corps students keep wildfire crews functioning

MOSES LAKE — Firefighters are battling fires across Washington – 20 of them Tuesday morning – but they’re not doing it alone. Back at the fire camp, at a safe distance from the fire, Job Corps students are working to ensure the firefighters have everything they need.

Huskies get first win over Tigers

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies got their first win of the season Tuesday after defeating the visiting Ephrata Tigers 3-1. Huskies Head Coach Steve Parris said he was glad to get their first win at home. “We’ve needed this, and so we’re glad that it happened tonight on our home floor, and hopefully we’ll just keep moving up,” Parris said. It was a game of momentum between the Huskies and Tigers. From the first set, the teams took turns going on small runs to score a few points. The score remained so tight that both teams were tied at 24, which led to either team needing to win by two instead of the typical score to get to 25. The Huskies would ultimately prevail 28-26.

Ephrata’s new booster pump station finished

EPHRATA — City officials announced Wednesday that the long-awaited Booster Pump Station located at B Street and Division is now operational. This is part of a comprehensive water system improvement initiative, which also includes enhancements to the city’s water tower infrastructure.

COLUMN: The Mariners need to win on the road

As of Wednesday morning, the Mariners are on a 10-game win streak, the highest of any team in the entire MLB. The second closest team is the Toronto Blue Jays who are on a six-game win streak. The Blue Jays currently sit firmly in first place in the American League. The Mariners are currently fourth with an 83-68 record. Easily one of the hottest teams in the MLB, Seattle is well equipped to make their final push for a top playoff spot. However, there’s some work to do on their part.

Patricia "Pat" Ledbetter

1940 – 2025

Patricia "Pat" Ann Ledbetter, age 84, passed away on Monday, August 25, 2025, in Moses Lake, Washington. She was born on September 22, 1940, in Elgin, Illinois, the daughter of Charles and Phyllis (DeGaris) Gerber.