Yakima project “flip-flop” operations underway

YAKIMA – A press release by the Bureau of Reclamation states they will begin their annual “flip-flop” operation in late August to aid in successful spawning and incubation of chinook salmon eggs. The bureau, in the release, urges those recreating or working along Yakima basin rivers to exercise caution, especially in the Yakima River near Thorp. They urge people to avoid areas where spillway water flows into the river, portage around buoys, and stay out of dangerously turbulent flows. The release also states flows out of Keechelus and Cle Elum reservoirs in the upper Yakima River basin will gradually decrease, while flows from Kachess and Rimrock reservoirs will increase. This operation will affect flows in the Tieton and Naches rivers as well as the upper Yakima, Cle Elum, and Kachess rivers in the upper Yakima basin. In other words, flows from these facilities will transition, or “flip-flop.” Real-time streamflow information can be found on Reclamation’s website at https://on.doi.gov/3R6Irfw.

Soap Lake to light up the water this weekend

SOAP LAKE — Kayaks, paddle boards and canoes will take to the waters of Soap Lake Saturday for the annual Paddle Races/Moonlight Paddle sponsored by the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce. Events are scheduled for 3 to 10 p.m. at the East Beach Park, at the intersection of Canna Street North and First Avenue NE. Race registration is $5 per person. Registration and other activities open at 3 p.m. at the park. Activities include live music, a beer garden, food vendors and three bouncy houses for children. Admission to the bouncy houses is free...

Quincy kindergarten enrollment low so far

QUINCY — The number of kindergarten students registering for the 2022-23 school year in the Quincy School District is lower than normal for this time of year. District Superintendent Nik Bergman updated Quincy School Board members on the kindergarten registration during the regular board meeting Tuesday. In answer to a question from Board Member Tricia Lubach, Bergman estimated kindergarten registration so far at about 180 children. Typically, kindergarten enrollment is about 220 children, he said. “A little lower than normal,” Bergman said. “But what we experienced last year is a heavy enrollment the week before school started and the week after school started.” Depending on enrollment, one of the district’s elementary schools may have to add another class to accommodate kindergarten, Bergman said. How that would affect staffing is still to be determined, he said.

Mariners reinstate All-Star Julio Rodríguez from 10-day IL

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners reinstated All-Star center fielder Julio Rodríguez and catcher Curt Casali from the 10-day injured list on Thursday ahead of a lengthy road trip.

Basin footballers size each other up

Royal High hosts jamboree event

ROYAL CITY – The high school football teams of Ephrata, Moses Lake, Quincy and Royal all took the field at Royal High School on Friday evening for a jamboree, with the beginning of the season just around the corner. Teams saw the opportunity to face off against another team 10 days after the first day of practices, allowing them to test what they’ve learned without scores being tracked...

SGL Carbon posts sales rise

WIESBADEN, Germany — SGL Carbon, which has a major carbon fiber production plant in Moses Lake, announced that sales in the first three months of 2022 rose 12.2% when compared with the same period in 2021. According to a press release issued Thursday highlighting the company’s first quarter 2022 earnings, SGL noted that carbon fiber sales rose 6.6 million euros ($6.9 million) during the first quarter of the year when compared with 2021, with overall sales rising by 29.4 million euros ($30.9 million)...

AMBER Alerts come to Instagram

OLYMPIA - Starting this week, all Washington State AMBER Alerts will appear on users’ Instagram feeds. David Richey, Managing Director of the Western division for U.S. Scarlet Oak Strategies said in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald that this additional way of delivering AMBER Alerts will provide hundreds of thousands of daily users a way to help when a child goes missing in Washington...

SBA offering disaster loans to businesses that support farmers

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Nonfarm businesses in Grant and Adams counties are now eligible to apply for low interest loans from the Small Business Administration to help cover drought-related losses in 2022. According to an SBA press release, the loans are available to farmers in 20 counties in Oregon, Washington and Northern Idaho, and follow a disaster declaration from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on April 22, 2022...

Othello earns top seed in state softball tournament

SELAH — The Othello Huskies softball team will open state tournament play against West Valley of Spokane at noon Friday at Carlon Park in Selah. Othello enters the tournament as the top seed.

Basin teams head to regionals on the diamond

COLUMBIA BASIN - Six local baseball teams have made the mark to advance to regionals. Regionals are set for May 21 in various locations around Washington. Winners move on in the competition while losers are out...

Climbers rescued from Mount Rainier

MOUNT RAINIER - Two climbers were rescued from the Kautz Climbing Route on Mount Rainier on Friday after inclement weather forced them to halt their climb....

Cougs compete in Silverado Showdown

NAPA, Calif. - Washington State Cougar senior Darcy Habgood and junior Jiye Ham each finished inside the top-35 on the player leaderboard to highlight the week at the 2022 Silverado Showdown for the Washington State women's golf team...

USDA looks to issue food aid grants to school districts

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking applications for school districts to buy locally produced food under the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program. According to a USDA press release, the agency has $200 million to give to state governments...

MLSD names two superintendent finalists

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District announced late Wednesday its two finalists to fill the currently vacant superintendent position. According to an MLSD press release, the two finalists are Monty Sabin, the current assistant superintendent of operations at the North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, and Jeffrey Hardesty, the current superintendent of the Oroville School District.

Warden receives grant for walkability safety

WARDEN — The city of Warden has received a $75,000 grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board to create a pair of signaled crosswalks on S. County Road...

State regulators charge PacifiCorp with failure to plan

LACEY — The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, the body that regulates the state’s utilities, has filed a complaint against Oregon-based utility PacifiCorp for failing to consider the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions as it crafted its clean energy implementation plan, according to a commission press release.

Washington population continues to grow

OLYMPIA — There are 7,864,400 people living in Washington as of April 1, 2022 — an increase of more than 158,000 since the 2020 census, according to estimates compiled and published by the Washington State Office of Financial Management...

Parks Service announces Mt. Rainier open attractions

ASHFORD — Officials with the National Park Service announced on Monday said some portions of Mt. Rainier National Park remain closed and asked visitors to check before coming to the park to check the status of the roads, hours of operation and even the NPS’s webcams to get a sense of the current conditions at the park.

Othello man dies from wounds sustained in June 26 shooting

OTHELLO — Charges are pending against two Othello boys in connection with the death of an Othello-area man following a shooting June 26...

Environment group seeks state carbon rule comments

OLYMPIA — The Seattle-based Washington Environmental Council is encouraging state residents to submit comments to the Department of Ecology as the agency writes the rules that will enforce the state’s Climate Commitment Act...