Building permits for April 6-May 3, 2024

Building permits for April 6-May 3, 2024

Mavs sweep West Valley, split Big 9 title with Eastmont

MOSES LAKE – Friday’s sweep of West Valley (Yakima) locked up a share of the Columbia Basin Big 9 title for Moses Lake, defeating the Rams 5-2 and 5-3 on the road.

Othello council approves new summer youth recreation program

OTHELLO – The Othello City Council unanimously approved Monday the Parks and Recreation Department to implement a three-week summer youth recreation program in June and July for children ages four to 12 with a fee of $45 per child.

Mattawa working to upgrade, restart Well 2, implement park improvements

MATTAWA – Mattawa Public Works Director Juan Ledezma and Gray & Osborne Civil Engineer Jamin Ankney provided an update to the Mattawa City Council on ongoing Well 2 re-equipping design and construction and park improvements at Hund Memorial Park during Thursday’s regular meeting.

WA economy slowing but in relatively good condition, state economists say

ELLENSBURG — Washington’s economy, its job market and unemployment were topics of discussion at the annual Economic Outlook Conference Monday at Central Washington University. Dave Reich, executive director of the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, said the state is still dealing with the aftereffects of 2020.

Royal students headed to National History Day contest

ROYAL CITY — Six students will represent Royal schools at the National History Day competition in Washington D.C. next month. The six were among 33 students who participated in the state competition held in Kirkland April 27, said Royal Middle School social studies teacher Emily Ovenell, who coordinated the students’ entries. The students who placed in the top two at state were eligible for nationals, she said.

Law enforcement logs for May 3, 2024

The reports below were provided by the sheriff’s office or police department indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Chip sealing underway near Othello, Royal City next

ROYAL CITY — Road crews will start chip-sealing on a 30-mile section of State Route 26 in the Royal City area beginning in mid-May. Crews are scheduled to finish chip-sealing on a section of SR 26 near Othello later this week. Additional chip seal work is scheduled for US Highway 97 between Tonasket and Oroville in Okanogan County, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation.

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: Six squads begin playoffs

COLUMBIA BASIN – Postseason competition on the soccer field began on Tuesday for Basin teams and continues over the next two weeks. Read along for a look at where teams stand heading into the playoffs.

DIAMOND RECAP: Welcome to the postseason

COLUMBIA BASIN – District playoffs in both baseball and softball have started across the Columbia Basin, with local squads looking to qualify for their respective state tournaments.

May 2024 Basin Events

COLUMBIA BASIN — There’s no excuse for being bored in the Columbia Basin this month. This listing is noncomprehensive and event details may change or events may be canceled at the organizers’ discretion. Readers are encouraged to call ahead or verify the information below online prior to the event.

Metal by the lake: Springfest offers hard rock and R&B lineup and family fun in the park

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Spring Festival just keeps getting bigger and bigger. “A representative from the county called us (after last year’s Springfest) and said, ‘Hey, just so you guys know, your fest is no joke.’” said Spring Festival Committee Member Lori Valdez. “They counted 57,000 attendees from Thursday to Sunday at our festival.”

Bourbon & Bowties organizers express gratitude

MOSES LAKE — With framing going up for the new Samaritan Hospital, Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan told the packed house at the Bourbon & Bowties fundraiser that it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of hospital district residents.

Grant Co. rail expansions to aid economic growth

MOSES LAKE — Four Grant County port districts are working on projects to expand rail transport options available to existing and future businesses. The ports of Moses Lake, Quincy, Warden and Ephrata are researching, designing, planning, and getting ready for construction to expand or add rail service. Some received federal or state funding this spring. Representatives of each of the ports said the expansion of rail service in and around the county would help draw additional tenants to the port and likely the county as a whole. The expansion would provide options for manufacturers and others to bring in needed supplies. It will broaden the area’s cargo transport options to add rail to easy access to air, over-the-road and river-based industrial transport.

Walk-off sends Mavs over Wenatchee

MOSES LAKE – After tying the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth, Moses Lake earned a walk-off win over Wenatchee to sweep the Panthers in Friday’s doubleheader, winning 3-2 after defeating Wenatchee 10-1 earlier in the day. “It’s been the same all year – whether we come off wins, come off losses, these guys are ready to go,” Moses Lake Head Coach Donnie Lindgren said. “Sometimes it works out for us and sometimes it doesn’t; we’ve had some struggles swinging it, but they worked hard in practice all week and were ready to go today.”

Grant GOP resolves leadership crisis

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Republican Party has had an identity crisis for the past several months after some Precinct Committee Officers opted to remove David Hunt as Grant County Party Chair during an Oct. 5, 2023 meeting, citing legal issues Hunt is facing and electing Andrew Koeppen as chair. Hunt said the October meeting’s chair election is invalid. Washington GOP Chair Jim Walsh expressed frustration in a letter to both sides of the issue.

Play ball!

Moses Lake Youth Parade ushers in season

MOSES LAKE — Forget the flowers, the showers and the red, red robin. The true sign of spring in Moses Lake is when the youth baseball and softball season kicks into gear with the annual Moses Lake Youth Parade.

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: The final stretch

COLUMBIA BASIN – Boys soccer regular seasons come to a close next week, as local squads battle for seeding in their upcoming district tournaments.

Jackrabbits host CLA Quincy Invitational

QUINCY — Twenty-two track and field teams gathered at Quincy High School for Saturday’s CliftonLarsonAllen Quincy Invitational for a full day of sprints, runs and throws. The Jackrabbits had the highest finish among local teams in both the boys and girls meet. “Overall, the meet ran really smooth,” Quincy boys track and field Head Coach Andrew Schmitt said. “We were worried a little bit that we might get some wind because we got a lot of wind earlier in the week, but it thankfully died down and made it for a really nice day for competition.” The Quincy boys took fifth with a score of 61 points. Rounding out the top five were Cashmere in first (123.5 points), Brewster (103), Toppenish (94) and Goldendale (66). Wahluke (38) took sixth and Othello (7) took 14th.

WSU Extension tackles climate awareness

Groups of gardening enthusiasts were huddled around lab tables examining preserved insect specimens, learning the tell-tales signs of invasive pests that a warming climate could bring to the Pacific Northwest.