Drivers urged to plan ahead for Memorial Day travel

OLYMPIA — Washington Department of Transportation officials are suggesting that drivers plan ahead if they are thinking about traveling for Memorial Day weekend. “Memorial Day weekend is often the unofficial start of summer and means increased travel and congestion, so travelers are encouraged to pack their patience,” said a WSDOT press release...

E. Nelson Road light being replaced

MOSES LAKE — Drivers can expect flaggers controlling traffic at the intersection of State Route 17 and East Nelson Road Wednesday or Thursday. Washington State Department of Transportation crews will be replacing the light on the east side of the intersection...

Timeline TBD

White Trail Road roundabout project completion date still up in the air

QUINCY — Washington Department of Transportation officials are not sure yet what the revised timeline will be on the construction of a roundabout at State Route 28 and White Trail Road. Department of Transportation officials discovered a mistake in the project after construction had started. “We needed to remove a little bit of concrete,” Lauren Loebsack, communications manager for the WSDOT North Central Region, said Monday...

State baseball, boys soccer seedings released

COLUMBIA BASIN – Baseball and boys soccer teams begin the push toward a state title this weekend, with boys soccer teams playing on Friday and baseball teams competing in regionals on Saturday. See below for matchups, times and records of each of the five teams competing in state playoffs this weekend...

CWU student media takes home regional awards

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington University’s student journalists rose to the top of Region 10 again this year in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence contest. PULSE magazine won two categories—Best Student Magazine and Best Feature Writing—and The Observer student newspaper won for Best Affiliated Website. Both publications also earned two finalist selections each in Region 10, which includes schools from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana...

Community remembrance

An Idaho mining town remembers to never forget the Sunshine Mine disaster 51 years later

BIG CREEK, Idaho – The morning of Tuesday, May 2 marked the 51st anniversary of the disaster that claimed 91 lives at the Sunshine Mine in Silver Valley, Idaho. Hundreds of people, including those in the mining community, students, and family members made their way to the memorial statue at the bottom of Big Creek to celebrate, remember, and mourn those lives lost. With the air of grief still lingering over the Silver Valley’s mining community from the death of 26-year-old Blaik Nutting just 21 days prior, that Tuesday was a somber reminder that even with the advances in technology and safety, accidents can and do still happen - and that the most important thing that comes out of the mine each day is the miner...

Spring Fest approaches

Late May festivities set to bring large crowds to Moses Lake with free concerts, loads of activities

MOSES LAKE — It’s an annual tradition in Moses Lake, the town’s biggest festival of the year, and it’s coming up again. The Moses Lake Spring Festival happens every Memorial Day weekend, which this year is May 25-28. Last year’s festival, as life returned to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, had the highest attendance in the festival’s 43-year history, according to organizers. The goal, said Sean SallisSallispresident of the committee organizing the festival in a January Columbia Basin Herald interview, is “to provide so much stuff that you’ll never get to do it all.” ...

Macrophotography exhibit coming to ML Museum

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake minister will be featured at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, according to an announcement from the museum...

Weather for Monday, May 15.

Weather for Monday, May 15.

Dent bill restoring pesticide board signed into law

OLYMPIA – A bill authored by Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, which creates a Pesticide Advisory Board for Washington was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, restoring an organization that had been in place from 1994 to 2010...

Summer — not spring — weather forecast for next week

MOSES LAKE — While it’s not the hottest weather ever in mid-May, the Columbia Basin is getting an early taste of summer, with temperatures in the high 80s to mid-90s expected through next weekend. Todd Carter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, said that while the temperatures are not unheard of for this time of year in Eastern Washington, it’s still pretty warm for mid-May...

News bites for May 15

A roundup of news stories from area first response agencies.

Mavs on to state with 8-2 win over Eastmont

MOSES LAKE – The Mavs are heading back to the 4A State Baseball Tournament, after defeating Eastmont 8-2 on Saturday in Moses Lake to clinch their spot for the fourth-straight tournament. “Going on to state is absolutely phenomenal,” Moses Lake Head Coach Donnie Lindgren said. “... it’s a tribute to these players. They expect to go to state every year. It’s nothing we do as coaches, it’s the expectations of these players.” ...

Eclectic bargains abound at Rusty Mammoth Sale

MOSES LAKE — Jewelry, art, household items and old books and magazines – the pickings at the Moses Lake Museum’s Rusty Mammoth Sale Saturday were pretty diverse. “(We sold) some furniture items and a really lovely jewelry box,” said Museum Director Dollie Boyd. “There was a lady lined up at the door this morning for that. Lots of cool ceramics and, you know, quirky things. We had a ton of costume jewelry this year, too. That took a long time to price.” ...

MLSD funding reduction should not result in layoffs

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District shouldn’t have to lay off any staff as a result of changes in the funding Moses Lake receives from the state, at least not for the 2023-24 school year. “Back in 2017-18 we were getting 6% regionalization (funding) added to our apportionment. That’s been decreasing by 1% a year the last few years,” said Director of Finance Stefanie Lowry during the Moses Lake School Board meeting Thursday. “It was supposed to completely go away next year.” ...

Health Department: Flu deaths up tenfold last year

OLYMPIA — 2022-23 was the deadliest flu season in five years, the Washington State Department of Health said in a statement Friday...

Mavs split doubleheader against Eastmont

Moses Lake to travel to East Wenatchee for CBBN tourney

MOSES LAKE – Even though Moses Lake split Friday’s doubleheader against Eastmont, the Mavs will travel to East Wenatchee for the Columbia Basin Big-Nine tournament on May 20. Moses Lake defeated the Wildcats 1-0 in the first game, but fell 8-2 in the nightcap. The tiebreaker fell to a coinflip, which fell in favor of Eastmont...

Rodríguez homers and drives in 4 to lead Mariners past Tigers 9-2

DETROIT (AP) — Julio Rodríguez had three hits, including a homer, and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Friday night. Rodríguez, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, came into the game hitting .205 with six home runs. “Julio got off to a pretty slow start last year, and this is right about when he picked it up and became Julio Rodríguez,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Hopefully, this is the start of the same kind of run.” ...

RECAP: Diamond districts

Basin baseball and softball teams battle at district competition

COLUMBIA BASIN – Local baseball and softball teams are in the full swing of district tournaments, aiming to reach their respective state and regional tournaments. See below for an update on how teams have fared. All scores and record are according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association...

Columbia Basin community calendar for May 12-19

COLUMBIA BASIN – A busy week is ahead for the Columbia Basin with loads of events in a wide variety. Swing a club, catch a musical, get healthy or just have fun together any way you can. Here are a few suggestions...