Steel Ranch

Unique property offers acreage, tech and talking points

MOSES LAKE – Steel Ranch is a unique property located in Adams County being offered through Basin Ag Sales and Moses Lake Realty Group. Anna Van Diest of Basin Ag Sales was able to share more about the property and its many features...

Moses Lake piano student honored for original composition

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake High School senior was honored recently for an original piano composition. Dariya Karnafel, 17, took second place in the Washington State Music Teachers Association Young Composers Project with her original composition “Sea of Memories.” “We do it every year and this is my second time doing it,” Karnafel said. “And I wasn’t really expecting that kind of place.” ...

WSU's Ethridge signs one-year extension

PULLMAN – After guiding the Cougars to their first women’s Pac-12 tournament title, WSU Head Coach Kamie Ethridge signed a one-year contract extension to stay with the COugars through the 2028-29 season, the school announced on Wednesday...

Washington AG’s office, DSHS fined for evidence withholding

SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state attorney general’s office and Department of Social and Health Services have been fined $200,000 — and could pay hundreds of thousands more in legal fees — for what a judge called “egregious” and “cavalier” withholding of evidence in an ongoing lawsuit. King County Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan ordered the fine in March as a “severe sanction” for the state failing to turn over nearly 11,000 pages of records to attorneys suing over the alleged neglect of a developmentally disabled woman at a home in Kent, The Seattle Times reported...

Photography contest focuses on mid-century modern Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Submissions will be accepted through June 2 for a contest highlighting the architecture of Moses Lake’s boom period. The “Mid-Century Modern of Moses Lake” contest is sponsored by the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center...

Invasive species cropping up again in Washington

SPOKANE — The boating season is officially underway in Washington state. To keep lakes, rivers, and other water bodies clean and beautiful, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking the public to take a few simple steps when launching boats or other vessels this season, according to a press release from the department...

Elderly Wenatchee couple protected from scam attempt

SPOKANE — U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Vanessa Waldref announced Thursday that the U.S. Secret Service has seized over $290,000 as part of an alleged fraud scam that targeted an elderly Wenatchee couple...

Credit card skimmer found on gas pump in Schwana

SCHWANA — A technician discovered a credit card skimmer attached to the card reader of one of the gas pumps at the Outpost Grocery in Schwana, south of Beverly on S.R. 243, Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office...

Soap Lake council accepts Walmart grant, tables cleanups

SOAP LAKE – During their regular meeting Wednesday, the Soap Lake City Council voted unanimously to accept a $1,250 grant from Walmart and tabled decisions on spring and fall cleanups for the city...

Ephrata council urges patience on pickleball progress

EPHRATA — Members of the Ephrata City Council told residents trying to raise money for a new, purpose-built pickleball court for the city to be both patient and persistent in their efforts even if it seems the city is not acting quickly. Shelley Slininger, a long-time Ephrata resident, spoke to the council during a regular meeting on Tuesday on behalf of a group of citizens seeking to raise money for new pickleball courts. Slinginger said she was frustrated at how slow the city’s process has been, especially given that the citizens group approached the council in February for help in applying for a Lauzier Foundation grant with a deadline of April 30...

Local gun shop files suit over weapon ban

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake gun shop owner has filed a lawsuit in response to the assault weapon ban enacted last week. Guardian Arms LLC, located at 208 S. Division St., filed the suit in Grant County Superior Court April 25, the same day Gov. Jay Inslee signed the ban. The suit names Inslee, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete as respondents. Also named as petitioners are Ephrata gun dealer Millard Sales LLC, several individual gun owners and the Silent Majority Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Pasco...

Samaritan financial picture improving

MOSES LAKE — After a couple of financially challenging years, Samaritan Healthcare’s fiscal picture seems to be improving. Chief Executive Officer Alex Town, reviewing the financial results for March, said the hospital generated a net income gain of about $1.2 million for the first three months of the year. “For us, in my opinion, (the March financial report) sets the tone that we are finally hitting the curve and heading in the right direction,” he said...

Cleaning cut

MOSES LAKE – Kevin Frias, owner of Caged Cleaning in Moses Lake, cuts the ribbon on his new van — and portable business location — with family and members of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce in the chamber’s parking lot Wednesday afternoon. Frias, 22, said he serves all of Grant County with his van and named his business Caged Cleaning because starting his own business is a way to get out of his cage and build something for himself.

Seahawks begin off-season workouts on May 12

SEATTLE – The NFL announced the league’s voluntary off-season workout days on Thursday, with the Seahawks beginning as soon as May 12. Seattle’s rookie minicamp lasts from May 12-14, with a mandatory team minicamp beginning June 6 and ending June 8. The team is hosting organized team practice activities on May 22, May 24-25, May 30, June 1-2 and June 12-14...

Huskies advance

Othello defeats Grandview in shootout, move on to CWAC finals

OTHELLO – After Grandview tied the game with a goal in the final minutes of the second half, the Othello Huskies answered in penalties to defeat the Greyhounds 3-2 and advance to next week’s Central Washington Athletic Conference championship game. “It feels good knowing that we beat Grandview,” Othello junior Anthony Abundiz said. “They were the team that we had to beat, and we beat them.” ...

‘I hope I made a difference.’

Former Moses Lake Mayor Jon Lane talks about good choices and a difficult day.

MOSES LAKE — In his 31 years as an educator, former Moses Lake Mayor Jon Lane said he is proudest of the five years he spent as principal of St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Ephrata, where he and his family have been worshiping since arriving in Moses Lake 70 years ago. “We started the day with prayer, we started lunch with prayer, we ended with prayer,” Lane said of the school day at St. Rose of Lima School. “That’s how it ought to be.” ...

Special session called to complete Blake decision work

OLYMPIA – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that he has called a special session to begin May 16 to address drug possession legality impacted by what is known as the Blake decision. “My office and I have been meeting with legislators from all four caucuses and I am very optimistic about reaching an agreement that can pass both chambers,” Inslee said. “Cities and counties are eager to see a statewide policy that balances accountability and treatment, and I believe we can produce a bipartisan bill that does just that.”

Basin Sounders win second-straight title

LACEY – The Basin Sounders 2009 Girls won their second-straight state title at the 2023 Washington Cup last weekend, coming out on top of the U14 Bronze division. The team, coached by Madeline Wallace Roellich, is the first Basin Sounders team to win two-straight Washington Cups.

Legislators request millions in infrastructure funding for Adams Co.

RITZVILLE – Adams County looks to have millions of dollars in federal funds for infrastructure projects approved by Congress through requests by regional legislators. “We are grateful to all the members of our Congressional delegation, each of whom has stepped up to assist with vitally important infrastructure projects for our region,” said Dan Blankenship, Adams County Commissioner... .

Eruption review

Looking back at Mt. St. Helens' eruption 43 years later.

MOSES LAKE — It didn’t take long after the eruption on Mt. St. Heles on May 18, 1980, for life to begin to re-emerge on the sides of the mountain, according to biologist and author Eric Wagner. Wagner, speaking in the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium on Saturday about the recovery of the area around Mt. St. Helens in the four decades of the volcano’s last major eruption, told the story of plant biologist Jerry Franklin, aquatic biologist Jim Sidell and geologist Fred Swanson and the helicopter trip they took to Ryan Lake, about eight miles northeast of Mt. St. Helens, in June 1980, about two weeks after the eruption...