BASIN EVENTS: Sept. 19-27

COLUMBIA BASIN — Fall officially begins next week and there’s a lot going on in the Columbia Basin. Here are a few things to enjoy:

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.

Likely remains of Travis Decker, wanted for killing his daughters in Chelan County, found

WENATCHEE – The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday the discovery of human remains believed to be those of Travis Decker, who has been the subject of a months-long manhunt after the bodies of his three daughters were found near the Rock Island Campground near Icicle Creek due west of Leavenworth.

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 19, 2025

MOSES LAKE – The fires below are burning nearly 111,000 acres across Washington as of Thursday afternoon. This is around 11,000 acres more than Monday. The two fires that showed the most growth were the Lower Sugarloaf Fire, gaining around 3,000 acres since Monday. It remains as the second largest blaze in the state. The Bear Gulch Fire also showed growth of around 6,000 acres since Monday. The growth makes it the third largest fire in the state and bumps the Crown Creek Fire out of the largest three.

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.

Crews extinguish small fire in rural Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – Grant County Fire Districts 5, 7, and 12 were called to a brush/structure fire in the 5000 block of Highland Drive in rural Moses Lake at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. “What was thought to be a manufactured home, we think was more likely just a collection of debris and not a structure,” Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman 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.

New Grant Transit center to open next week

EPHRATA — The new Grant Transit Authority transit center in Ephrata should be ready for bus passengers Monday. Transit Authority General Manager Eric Loomis said next week’s opening is the first phase of a longer-term plan.

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.

Legals for September, 18 2025

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.

Knights pull off win in OT

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights soccer team had a close game against Naches Valley where the Knights came out on top in overtime with a 3-2 victory. “We’re still trying to figure things out,” said the Knights Head Coach Jens Jensen. “We’re getting better, but we’re still making a ton of mistakes.” The first half went back and forth between the two teams until late in the half Naches Valley scored and the teams went into halftime with the Knights behind 0-1. Jensen said the team had to make some key adjustments before they went into the second half such as keeping an eye on Naches Valley’s strong players and prevent them from scoring again.

Henry W. Hintz

Henry W. Hintz passed away April 20, 2024. He is survived by his wife, Pearl Hintz. They were married on January 23, 1982, until his passing.

Legals for September, 17 2025

Basin Volleyball roundup 2025 – Week 2

MOSES LAKE — The Basin volleyball season is well underway. Teams have faced their fair share of challenging competition right out of the gate. See below how your favorite teams are doing so far.

ACH Warriors open season with win

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (1-0) opened their season on the road against the Garfield-Palouse Vikings with a 40-12 victory last Friday. After having their first game canceled due to smoke, Head Coach Brandon Walsh said his team was excited to hit the gridiron.

FIRE REPORT: Sept. 16, 2025

MOSES LAKE – Last week, the Chelan County Commissioners declared a State of Emergency for the Lower Sugarloaf and Pomas Fires which are burning around 20,000 acres. There are several level one “Be Ready,” level two, “Get Set,” and level three “Go” evacuations in the county. As a result, the commissioners declared the county a disaster, according to a statement from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.

ACSO jail roster for Sept. 16, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is the active list of inmates for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office listed in order of the date of arrest. The Adams County Jail is closed, so inmates are housed in other jurisdictions.