Sue’s Boutique owner announces retirement

MOSES LAKE — From the beginning, Sue’s Gift Boutique has been a true family business. “It was easy to work around with my kids,” said owner Sue Torrence. Her sons Brian and Brent grew up at the store, and at her late husband Les’s barbershop down the street – the barbershop her son Brent operates now.

Bids opened for Moses Lake downtown resurfacing project

MOSES LAKE — Some streets in Moses Lake’s downtown area that are now two lanes in each direction will be reconfigured to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane as part of a resurfacing project. The chip-seal project is tentatively scheduled to begin in July.

Othello anticipates another fun year of summer sports

OTHELLO – As the summer kicks off this weekend, that calls for the start of summer sports like adult leagues and little leagues. According to Othello Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez, there is plenty to look forward to.

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:

Rock show

Building a beautiful stone garden is inexpensive, and saves water as well

MOSES LAKE — In the Basin, rock gardens are looking like a better idea all the time to some people. Not only do they save money on watering, but they’re not all that expensive to create. Just ask Teresa Fields of Moses Lake. “I just put a little ad out and say I need rock, and people say ‘I have rock,’” Fields said. The majority of her rocks came from a farmer who had it lying around, sorted by size. Fields and her husband just took a trailer to the farmer’s land, loaded it up and hauled it all home.

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.

Road reconstruction starts in Quincy, almost done on Westshore Drive

MOSES LAKE — There is an old saying in road construction that there are two seasons, winter and construction. It is officially construction season in Quincy; a six-month project to upgrade Second Avenue Southwest began this week.

City of Ephrata to apply for railroad crossing feasibility study grant

EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata will work on planning for future transportation development through the application for a QUADCO Unified Planning Work Program grant.

Seattle signs defender Mariah Keopple and forward Lexie Adzija for its inagural PWHL season

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle signed defender Mariah Keopple to a one-year contract and forward Lexie Adzija to a two-year deal, the PWHL expansion team said Tuesday.

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.

Man impersonating Washington state agency stole $90K in fraud scheme, charges say

OLYMPIA — Last fall, thousands of businesses and charities received bills that appeared to be from the state of Washington. Many recipients obliged, sending payments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in response to the state’s “Corporations & Charities Division.” While that agency exists within the secretary of state’s office, the letters were part of a fraud and money laundering scheme carried out by a former postal worker arrested this week, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Some progress for ag in 2025 legislative session, Dent says

MOSES LAKE — While some progress has been made on revising the state’s Climate Commitment Act to reduce its impact on farming, Representative Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said there’s still work to do. A bill sponsored by Dent, HB 1912, makes the process of getting an exemption for some CCA fuel sanctions easier. The bill also added propane to the list of fuels eligible for exemption. But Dent said he couldn’t get his colleagues in the legislature to agree on other provisions that would be of help to farmers. “Some of my colleagues - they don’t understand what agriculture really means,” Dent said. “They said, ‘(The exemption) is just for farm use.’ and I said, ‘Here’s the thing. The baler breaks down and I jump in my diesel pickup and drive to town to buy parts. Is that not agriculture use?’ And (the reply was), ‘Oh, we didn’t think about that.’”

WIAA officially adds girls flag football

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association passed the amendment to add girls flag football as an official sport. The sport was officially sanctioned in April, and the resolution to hold the state championships in the spring season was passed at the WIAA executive board meeting on June 8. “Passing this year was awesome with the help and continued support of the Seattle Seahawks and all the people that helped get it off the ground,” said WIAA Marketing Coordinator Bryn Langrock, who leads the girls flag football advisory committee. “It’s been a long journey, but I think officially sanctioning this sport is going to make it take off even more than it has so far.” The amendment to add the sport was first brought forward last year where it failed but was brought up again this year where it ultimately passed. Langrock said the drafters of the amendment made the effort this year to make it appealing to both sides of the state to participate.

Quincy street plan subject of July 1 public hearing

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council will hold a hearing July 1 to solicit public opinion on the city’s six-year street improvement plan. It's scheduled for 6 p.m. during the regular council meeting at Quincy City Hall, 104 B St. SW. Some proposed street improvements are tied to development, and others, said Quincy Engineer Ariel Belino, are added because the streets in question need some work.

City of Soap Lake reassumes control of Smokiam Campground, plans upgrades

SOAP LAKE – After years of private management, the City of Soap Lake has officially taken back control of the Smokiam Campground. Mayor Peter Sharp said he supported the transition towards revitalizing the local asset.

Ephrata completes upgrades to Nat Washington Way

EPHRATA – After months of planning and construction, Nat Washington Way has received significant upgrades designed to improve an important thoroughfare in Ephrata. Funded by an almost $158,000 Transportation Improvement Board grant, the improvements include a new layer of chip seal and the addition of a center turn lane, enhancing both accessibility and safety for residents, according to City Engineer Shawn O’Brien.

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.

Karen McLaren Stevens

Sept. 18, 1940 — June 16, 2025

Karen Louise Stevens, 84, passed away in her home on June 16, 2025. She was born on Sept. 18, 1940 in El Reno, Oklahoma to Lucille and Floyd J. McLaren. Karen was married to the love of her life, Perry “Pinky” Stevens, for 45 years. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother whose quiet strength and deep compassion guided her family through life’s seasons. Karen is lovingly remembered by her children Cheri (Rob) Kinder and Mark (Lisa) Stevens; her eight grandchildren (Steven) Tessa Riegel, (Rebecca) John Boyer, Drew Kinder, Denise Kinder, Nate Stevens, (Ashleigh) Brandon Carney, (Aquina) Allen Morrical, (Kendra) Deven Alder; and 11 great-grandchildren, each of whom brought her great joy and pride.

A card for every interest at the Cardman store

EPHRATA – Darren Donoghue said he was 5 years old when he got his first pack of trading cards. He even remembers the truck he was sitting in, his parents’ 1975 Ford F150, when his mom Jeannine handed the pack of cards to him.