News Bites for July 5, 2023

A selection of news tidbits from around the Columbia Basin.

Fire report for July 5

YAKIMA – State fire assistance has been mobilized by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste in response to the Rest Haven fire located in Yakima County near Selah as of Sunday. The fire began July 2 sbetween 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., burning in brush and grass. By the end of the day Sunday, it had grown to about 400 acres and was still growing...

'Mental health care desert'

Local veteran counselor works to support vets through War Trauma Program.

QUINCY – Robert Bates has experienced the mental health challenges of combat first hand and he wants to help his brothers and sisters in arms recover from the same through his work with Washington’s War Trauma Program. “The (Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs) War Trauma Program – I actually signed their contract this month, and that’s kind of why I’m here is beating the bushes and trying to get the word out, letting people know that we’re actually here and we’re here to help,” he said...

River Dogs take third at Wood Bat Classic

SPOKANE – After going 4-0 in pool games and winning the first game of bracket play, the 18U Columbia Basin River Dogs fell 10-5 to the 18U Webber Wildcats in the semifinals of the Spokane Wood Bat Classic, placing third in the tournament.

Red, White & BOOM

Moses Lake and visitors celebrate Independence Day

MOSES LAKE – Citizens of Moses Lake gathered on Saturday in Sinkiuse Square and McCosh Park for the Red, White, & Boom Independence Day celebration, hosted by the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center and the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department. Dollie Boyd, superintendent of the Museum and Art Center, explained the motivation behind the event. “We wanted to do not just fireworks, but we wanted to bring back the summer concert series. We did some surveying around town, and that was the number one thing that people wanted to see.” ...

High temps expected this week

MOSES LAKE — It’s to be expected, being the height of summer and all that, and it’s here. Temperatures will be flirting with the 100-degree mark for a few days this week, although smoke drifting in from fires to the north may keep them below triple digits. “We do have some fires in Canada - they’ve been going about two months,” said Krista Carrothers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane which serves much of Eastern Washington...

Moses Lake School Board adjust meetings, receives good bus report

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School Board members cut their schedule to one meeting in July and August. Board members agreed on the change earlier, but made it official on a unanimous vote at the regular meeting June 29. “In June, July and August, we’ll have one meeting, the fourth Thursday of those months,” said district Superintendent Monty Sabin...

Suds N' Sun '23

Soap Lake celebrates during annual celebration

SOAP LAKE - Soap Lake’s annual Suds N’ Sun celebration kicked off Sunday, a sunny and hot summer day to celebrate the 4th of July in a more centralized location this year. “I had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they loved having it all together,” said local businesswoman and city council member Karen Woodhouse...

Powering up

Design phase to begin for Wanapum Dam to Quincy line

QUINCY — The preliminary design phase for a new electrical transmission line from Wanapum Dam to Quincy should be starting in July. It’s part of a larger Grant County PUD project to increase electrical availability in the Quincy area, but Jeff Grizzel, the PUD’s chief operations officer, said getting the electricity to Quincy is only part of the equation. “We have a very long list of customers who either want to expand in the Quincy area because they’re already there, or new customers who want to locate in the Quincy area,” Grizzel said. “And right now, if you look at that list and add up all the service requests in terms of how many megawatts they’re asking for, the (project being planned) will help many of those requests, but not all of them.” ...

Fire report for July 3, 2023

EPHRATA — A fire northwest of Ephrata required three fire departments to put out Thursday night, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 13...

Weather for Monday, July 3, 2023.

Weather for Monday, July 3, 2023.

Hot degree

Continuing education crucial part of firefighting career, GCFD 3 deputy chief says

QUINCY — The science and technique of fighting fires is always changing, said David Durfee, and firefighters must learn and change with it. “Continuing education is part of our job all the time in the fire service,” he said. “It was always instilled into me that you’re training every day, and if you’re not training, you’re not a firefighter.” ...

Tough Dogs

River Dogs have strong showing early in Wood Bat Classic

MEDICAL LAKE – The 18U Columbia Basin River Dogs opened up the Spokane Wood Bat Classic with three wins on Friday and Saturday, including some impressive offensive showings across those wins. After a 3-1 win against Whatcom Post 7 to open up the tournament, the River Dogs got the bats rolling in a 15-8 win over Absolute Human Performance Academy. “It felt really good to go out and get two (wins) today,” River Dog co-Head Coach Brock Lybbert said. “Last week we had some challenging competition at WSU, so we needed to bounce back a little bit.” ...

Cherry harvest looking good for 2023

WENATCHEE — The cherry harvest is coming in full this year, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. The weather conditions that have played havoc with some other Washington crops, like hay, have been a real boon for cherry growers, according to Tim Kovis, WSTFA's director of communications...

Grant PUD warns of potential scammers

EPHRATA – The Grant County Public Utility District announced Friday that the county has been targeted by a scam from a third-party carll center. “It has come to our attention that a 3rd party call center, falsely claiming to represent Grant PUD, has been contacting customers to schedule home energy services audit appointments at their home,” the announcement read...

EPA allocates $1.17 million to improve access to drinking water in Washington

SEATTLE – The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday they are allocating $1.17 million in grant funds for disadvantaged communities in Washington state to support access to clean and safe drinking water...

Warden opens Hazard Mitigation Plan to public comment

WARDEN – The city of Warden announced on Friday in a news release that the city’s portion of Grant County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan is now open for public comment until July 14...

Fire season outlook grim

Residents urged to use caution when recreating, working outdoors

OLYMPIA — This year’s fire season is upon us, according to Washington State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. “Fire activity has increased considerably from earlier spring months,” Franz said in a press conference Friday. “We've seen about 600 fires burn roughly 17,000 acres statewide so far. On lands under Department of Natural Resources protection, we have had more than 330 fires burn just over 1,200 acres. And these numbers obviously are going to increase as the season goes forward. But it's clear that fire season has arrived and we're in it.”...

Wash. Ag department continues fight against invasive Spartina

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture announced June 24 that this year’s treatment season for Spartina, an aggressive invasive weed, began June 1 and will continue through November...

NOAA opens funding opportunity for climate-related jobs

WASHINGTON – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on Friday that it has opened a competitive funding opportunity for the Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Initiative. According to the announcement, the initiative is intended to support coastal jobs that combat climate change...