Resource fair held at Open Doors Sleep Center

MOSES LAKE — With the Open Doors Sleep Center closing in days, several community resources gathered there Monday for a resource fair to ensure people have access to alternative resources. Several groups spoke with sleep center clients and provided alternatives in the community.

Connelly Park to reduce hours after vandalism, crimes

MOSES LAKE — Connelly Park, a popular recreational area managed by the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District, will reduce its hours and close on Sundays and Mondays amid rising incidents of vandalism and violence.

Mariners complete strong weekend led by Raleigh

CHICAGO (AP) — Cal Raleigh broke Johnny Bench's record for home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, hitting his major league-leading 28th and 29th in the Seattle Mariners' 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

‘Undeniable freedom’

Juneteenth celebrates African American fight for liberty

MOSES LAKE — Juneteenth has only been a national holiday for a few years, but its meaning resonated deeply Thursday.

Moses Lake Special Olympics bocce team excels at state championships

MOSES LAKE —The Moses Lake Special Olympics’ bocce team participated in the state tournament in Tacoma over the weekend. The bocce team took home six medals altogether with three gold, two silver and a bronze and had two players finish fourth. “We had it at the Puget Sound University for (state competition); it was a really nice place, and they treated the athletes very well,” said Shane Lunderville, the bocce coach for the Moses Lake Special Olympics team. “We also got to go to a Rainiers game that Friday night so that was really special for the athletes.” The bocce team played both individual and unified matches during the tournament. For the individual play on day one, the team earned one gold, two silvers, one bronze and had their last two players earn fourth place at the tournament. The unified teams for bocce played o

Rage play first tournament of season

MOSES LAKE — Last weekend, the Washington Rage 18U (2-3) traveled to Carlon Park for their first softball tournament of the summer season. According to head coach Bob Richardson, they are a young team but were able to build chemistry over the course of the weekend. “Saturday was rough,” Richardson said. “We lost all three games, but being able to come out Sunday and flip it. We started to gel a little bit in the third game, played a little better than we had the first two games.” On Saturday, the Rage played three games and lost each of them. In the first two games, they combined for nine errors, according to Richardson. He said the main issue that plagued the team was their youth and inexperience with each other.

Port of Mattawa to implement new procedures for expenses

MATTAWA — The Port of Mattawa will update its policies for expenditures following recommendations from the Washington State Auditor’s Office. Auditors found that port policies left it vulnerable to possible misuse of its funds.

Eagles Perez takes on prestigious honor at EWU

OTHELLO – On June 12, Eastern Washington University Eagles defensive lineman Isaiah Perez earned the honor of wearing No. 4 this upcoming season. Head coach Aaron Best announced this in a team meeting, an honor that Perez was pleasantly surprised to receive.

Local athletes win PG State tournament with Reign

PASCO – Reign Sports Performance’s 18u team went 4-0 and became champions of the Perfect Game Washington State Tournament last weekend. The team consists of four basin players Anthony Gutierrez from Warden and Quade Gonzalez, Jordan Montemayor and Kal El Ozuna from Othello.

BASIN EVENTS: June 20-28

COLUMBIA BASIN — Festivals, art, crafting, live music – if you can’t find something to do this week, you’re not trying. Here are a few things to check out:

Authorities release images of how fugitive Travis Decker may have altered appearance

(The Center Square) – The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has released new images of what Travis Decker, the Wenatchee, Wash., man suspected of killing his three young daughters, might look like after having been on the run for several weeks. Decker, 32, has been charged with kidnapping and killing his daughters, 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evelyn and 9-year-old Paityn. The girls’ bodies were found at the Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth on June 2, asphyxiated to death. Multiple local and federal agencies are assisting in the manhunt, with the U.S. Border Patrol taking the lead in the search. Earlier this month, Gov. Bob Ferguson activated the Washington National Guard to aid law enforcement in the search for Decker.

Washington deploys new tools hoping to prevent summer traffic deaths

OLYMPIA — Summer in Washington is supposed to be a season of celebration: high school graduations, family road trips, long weekends at the lake. But traffic safety officials view it as the most dangerous time of year. The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are statistically the deadliest stretch on Washington’s roads. This year, the state is expanding efforts to turn the tide on a post-pandemic spike in highway fatalities. “In 2023, we had the highest number of traffic deaths that we’ve seen in 33 years,” said Shelly Baldwin, acting director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Speaking on TVW’s Inside Olympia, she told host Austin Jenkins, “It’s just unbelievable when you think about all the progress we’d made prior to this.”

Washington State Patrol plans emphasis patrol around Gorge Amphitheater

QUINCY — The Washington State Patrol will be conducting additional patrols in the area around the Gorge Amphitheater this weekend, the first of a number of “High Visibility Enforcement” patrols scheduled over the summer. Jeremy Weber, WSP District 6 public information officer, said the goal is to ensure people get where they’re going and back home without incident.

High Desert Foxes

Local band to drop debut single Friday

SOAP LAKE — Progressive soul folk music may not have been a thing before, but it is now. “It’s a genre that we kind of created,” said Dusty James, singer with the local band High Desert Foxes. “We do soul music, we do folk music, and when we write our own music as a band, it becomes a new experience.” High Desert Foxes will debut its new single, “On the Road,” at Cloudview Kitchen Friday during the Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival. The progressive soul part of the genre owes a lot to the 1960s and 70s sounds of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, James said, and also has echoes of Sade and Lenny Kravitz.

Fresh spin

CyclePath Spin Studio offers healthy workout

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes, you learn best by doing. “I had never taken a spin class until recently,” said CyclePath Spin Studio owner Rita Morfin. “But it was something that I felt like the community needed. So (I thought), ‘If I build it, they will come.’” And they have. Morfin cut the ribbon on CyclePath Spin Studio Monday and opened fully on Tuesday, and already she has five teachers with classes lined up. Spin is basically an exercise program carried out on stationary bikes, Morfin said, but it encompasses a lot more than just riding. There’s a whole routine, she said, with hand motions, presses, standing and sitting and sometimes even lifting weights. The whole workout is done under a teacher’s guidance with music on speakers in the background.

Lorene Marie Arbuckle

Lorene (Pfeifer) Arbuckle, 94, passed away at Swedish Hospital in Edmonds, Washington on June 8, 2025, surrounded by her family. Lorene was born in Marlin, Washington, and grew up on her family's wheat and cattle farm with 11 siblings. She shared many memories of farm life. She graduated from Marlin High School in 1949 and then attended Kinman Business College in Spokane.

’70s-themed Senior Picnic a groovy time

MOSES LAKE — About 700 people came out to the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce’s annual Senior Picnic June 11, which was pretty much on a par with last year, Chamber Director Debbie Doran-Martinez said. “Everybody really enjoyed themselves,” she said. “We had a lot of people dancing, more than usual.” The theme was “Peace, Love & Party,” and attendees were decked out in tie-dye and bell bottoms. The music that brought folks out to the dance floor was provided by Cheyenne.

Legals for June, 18 2025

Positive audit result of hard work by Wahluke School District staff, superintendent says

MATTAWA — After a few years of audits that identified deficiencies, Washington state auditors found that the Wahluke School District didn’t have any new deficiencies and corrected previously identified problems. District Superintendent Andy Harlow said the audit findings are a reflection of staff members that are committed to Wahluke, many of them WSD alumni.

BBCC celebrates record-breaking graduation

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College held its 62nd commencement ceremony on Friday night at Lions Field, where it celebrated the largest graduating class in the college’s history. A total of 663 graduates received their degrees. Sara Thompson Tweedy, BBCC’s 10th president, highlighted the importance of the occasion. “We are here tonight to recognize and celebrate our graduates, as well as to honor the friends and family, faculty and staff who helped our graduates arrive on this day,” she said. The ceremony was attended by graduates and their families from across the United States, including California, Hawaii, and Idaho, as well as international attendees from Canada and Israel.