Date set for 2024 Battle in Seattle

SPOKANE – The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kentucky Wildcats will face off in the 2024 Battle in Seattle on Dec. 7 at Climate Pledge Arena, GU Athletics announced in a release on Monday.

BIG SKY NOW: Two Big Sky teams advance, two fall in FCS Playoffs

MOSES LAKE – On this week’s episode of the Big Sky Now podcast, Josh Dugan and Fritz Neighbor of the Daily Inter Lake, Mark Nelke of the Coeur d’Alene Press and Ian Bivona of the Columbia Basin Herald break down last weekend’s second-round matchups in the FCS Playoffs...

Moses Lake fire claims one

MOSES LAKE – One person died in a fire in Moses Lake Sunday, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Fire Department.

Suspect arrested in Moses Lake homicide case

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Police officers made an arrest Tuesday afternoon in the shooting near Montlake Park that left one victim dead and two others wounded Sunday, according to a statement from the MLPD.

Basin football scores: Week 8

COLUMBIA BASIN – Local football teams lit up the scoreboards in Week 8.

Ephrata Middle School portable burns, no injuries

EPHRATA – A portable at the Ephrata Middle School suffered a fire in its attic Friday morning, according to Ephrata School District Public Information Officer Sarah Morford.

Maverick softball wins league title

Moses Lake fastpitch splits doubleheader with Eastmont

EAST WENATCHEE – Moses Lake clinched the Columbia Basin Big 9 softball league title with Friday’s 2-1 road win over Eastmont, locking up home-field advantage in next weekend’s Big 9 district tournament.

Grant Health says no blue-green algae advisories at this time

MOSES LAKE – The Grant County Health District released a statement saying that there are no current blue-green algae advisories in Grant County late last week in response to rumors on social media.

STUDIO BASIN: Wildfires, Grant Co. Community Court and Big Sky Media Day

MOSES LAKE – On this episode of the STUDIO BASIN podcast, Managing Editor R. Hans Miller takes a look at ongoing wildfires in the Columbia Basin, including the Swawilla Fire located east of Grand Coulee. Miller also recaps news out of the Grant County Community Court and upcoming events in the Basin. In the sports segment, Sports Reporter Ian Bivona recounts his experience at Big Sky Media Days in Spokane, talking to EWU receiver Nolan Ulm, defensive end Brock Harrison and Head Coach Aaron Best. Later in the sports segment is a breakdown of local teams in the American Legion Baseball playoffs. The STUDIO BASIN podcast can be found on your favorite podcast apps, or downloaded directly at https://bit.ly/3WEXfI0.

Ephrata man killed in collision near Coulee City

COULEE CITY — An Ephrata man was killed when he hit the back of a car while riding his motorcycle Sunday morning. Dennis Armour, 68, died at Confluence Health-Central Washington Hospital Sunday, according to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol. The collision occurred at about 9 a.m. roughly nine miles southwest of Coulee City. Armour was following a car driven by Ashley Offer, 39, Renton, when Offer slowed down to turn into the Blue Lake rest area, the WSP memo said. Armour ran into the back of Offer’s vehicle; his motorcycle came to rest on the northbound shoulder. Offer’s car came to rest in the northbound lane. Offer and two passengers in her car, Steven Horner, 37, Renton and a six-year-old boy, were not injured.

Weapons charges sought in Othello case

OTHELLO — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office is requesting charges of unlawful possession of firearms against an Othello woman after deputies served a search warrant on a residence in the 2800 block of Bench View Lane near Othello Monday night. The ACSO is requesting possible charges for Vanessa Flores, 34, according to a release on the department’s social media. Jeremy Flores Sr., 35, was administratively booked and charged with suspicion of obstruction, the release said. He was later released...

Five hurt in rollover near Othello

OTHELLO — Five people were injured in a single-vehicle accident near Othello Wednesday. Aleyssa J. Hernandez, 21, of Othello was driving westbound on state Route 24 southwest of Othello in a 2014 Honda Accord when she failed to negotiate a curve in the road, according to a press release from the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle rolled over, ejecting all four passengers and partially ejecting Hernandez, before crashing into a barbed-wire fence. Also injured in the rollover were 19-year-old Victoria F. Delatorre of Othello, 19-year-old Freddy Gonzalez Rodriguez of Othello and two 16-year-old girls. All were transported to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. None of the injured was wearing a seat belt, and neither drugs nor alcohol was a factor, according to the WSP.

ACSO arrests man in connection with trespass

RITZVILLE — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man wanted in connection with trespassing following last week’s fire south of Lind. In a statement, ACSO deputies arrested Richard Dean Hendrickson, 35, of Lind, for second-degree criminal trespass, and booked him into the Adams County Jail on Wednesday afternoon. Hendrickson was sought after ACSO deputies responded to a report of criminal trespass in the 300 block of S. Van Marter Avenue on Aug. 6, and was again spotted in Lind on Tuesday, Aug. 9, when he fled, according to the ACSO posting. According to the statement, while fleeing, Hendrickson violated two no-contact orders and was already wanted for two previous no-contact order violations. Because Hendrickson already has two felony convictions for similar offenses, the ACSO posting said the current charges could be increased to a felony from a misdemeanor.

Fire rules tightened in Eastern Washington

SPOKANE — Fire restrictions in Eastern Washington have been expanded, according to a press release from the Bureau of Land Management. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal briquette fires is now prohibited in the following counties, according to the release: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima. Smoking and the use of off-road vehicles are also prohibited on public lands administered by the BLM and the Bureau of Reclamation in Eastern Washington. Also, the discharge of firearms is banned except while engaged in a lawful hunt pursuant to state, federal or tribal law and regulations, on public lands administered by the BLM and BOR in the following counties: Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, and Yakima. The temporary ban will take effect at midnight Friday, the release said.

Accident causes manure spill, minor injuries

SOAP LAKE - A smelly situation occurred Tuesday afternoon when a semi-truck carrying manure tipped over, spilling the manure into a ditch. Just two miles east of Soap Lake a single vehicle, minor injury collision occurred when a semi-truck carrying manure swerved to miss a couple of dogs on the road. The driver of the semi was traveling on State Route 28 when he swerved right to avoid the dogs and then rode the ditch before the truck tipped on its side, spilling the dung beside the roadway.. Soap Lake Police Department assisted Washington State Patrol on the scene. SR 28 was closed for a short time to remove the semi and clean up the spill. Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at [email protected].

Local pet rescue to hold food, supply drive

SOAP LAKE - The Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry will be holding their third annual fundraiser yard sale and animal supply drive from Sept. 16 to 18 in Soap Lake. They will be accepting donations of new and gently used leashes, pet beds, toys, cat litter, food and other pet-related supplies. Donations will be accepted before or during the event...

Wilson Creek Devils Sports Schedule 2022

Volleyball schedule for Wilson Creek for the fall season of 2022.

Hanford mitigation report released

RICHLAND — United States Department of Energy officials have released the latest five-year report on the environmental response and compensation at the Hanford nuclear site. The report, released this week, covers the years 2016 to 2020, according to a press release from the department. Now known as the Hanford Site, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was the site of plutonium production for nuclear weapons for about 40 years. During that time, the site was contaminated and cleanup has been ongoing for about three decades. The reports review implementation and performance of mitigation efforts at the site, and identify any issues that are found during the review period. “Examples of cleanup actions at the Hanford Site include removal, treatment and disposal of contaminated soil, pumping and treating of contaminated groundwater, binding of contamination in soil to prevent migration into the Columbia River and extensive groundwater testing,” the press release said.

Parked WSP vehicle damaged by tractor trailer

HATTON — A semi-tractor trailer damaged a Washington State Patrol vehicle parked at an on-ramp at the junction of U.S. 395 and S.R. 26 on April 22, according to the Washington State Patrol. Trooper Kalib Hanson had pulled over to investigate a collision when a tractor-trailer failed to make a wide enough turn and clipped the rear of Hanson’s vehicle, according to WSP spokesperson Sgt. Greg Riddell...

Grant transit gets new buses

MOSES LAKE — Grant Transit Authority recently acquired three new clean diesel buses, according to a press release from the agency. The 30-foot coaches come with enhanced safety features including updated restraint systems for securing wheelchairs and other mobility devices, as well as automatic ADA annunciator systems that announce the bus’s location and the stops it is approaching, the release said. Except for the new buses, all of GTA’s fleet is 13-19 years old...