Old Time Fiddlers keep tradition alive at senior center

MOSES LAKE — Old-time music is alive and well once a month at the Moses Lake Senior Center. “Anybody can join,” said Charlie Root, the chairman for District 11 of the Washington State Old Time Fiddlers Association, which covers Grant and Adams counties. “We play just acoustic instruments. It can get kind of wild when you get electric instruments. We try to keep the old-time sound. One person will do their song and everybody else will back them up. Everybody takes a turn, and they go around again until we run out of time.” Despite the name, there was actually only one fiddle at the Senior Center Sept. 21, played by Gail Johnson. Genie Wehling played an accordion. Leroy Boyd, Larry Ramm and Jerry Galahan all played guitar. Root also played guitar, but he alternated it with banjo.

UMANI Festival sees successes in 2025

MOSES LAKE – The Annual UMANI festival was held on Saturday this year on Third Avenue hosted by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, the Moses Lake Public Library and EDUBS. “It went really well,” said Colombia Basin Allied Arts Executive Director Shawn Cardwell. “We’re grateful to the city for hosting us so generously and I think every performance was fantastic, all the food was delicious, all the resources were engaging, and the lowriders were gorgeous.”

Legals for October, 1 2025

Oct. 1 brings new taxes for Washington businesses and consumers

(The Center Square) – A new slate of taxes goes into effect on Wednesday. The changes were passed as part of the 2025-27 biennial budget package, which lawmakers approved in May, and are projected to generate billions in revenue.

Othello candidate forum Oct. 7

OTHELLO — Othello-area voters will get a chance to listen to candidates for local offices at a forum Oct. 7 at The Showhouse, 130 N. Broadway Ave., Othello. Showhouse co-owner Tania Morales said the forum is the continuation of what its former and current owners consider a public service. “The previous owners, the Reicherts, actually have held several candidate forums here,” Morales said. “And community members have approached us and told us, ‘You guys should consider doing this.’” School board positions are among the races on the 2025 ballot, which makes it difficult to use school district locations, she said. “The Showhouse has a stage, and lights and sound and everything. This is where the Reicherts (sponsored) them. A lot of people came up to us and said, ‘Hey you guys should do this.’ And we (said), ‘We’ve never done it before,’ and then we just said, ‘Hey, why not?’ So, we decided to go for it,” she said.

Adams County public works director resigns for new job

RITZVILLE — Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger will serve as the interim public works director while county officials search for new one. Longtime public works director Todd O’Brien resigned to take a job with the state County Road Administration Board. O’Brien said he has been employed by Adams County since a summer job in high school. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to do what I’ve done for the last 35 years,” O’Brien said. Adams County Commissioner Jay Weise said the search is underway.

Vikings fall short against CBC

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team (2-13) played in a close three-set match against Columbia Basin College Friday evening, but ultimately fell to their opponent 0-3. “(CBC) has some solid hitters that just came in with a lot of speed and quickness,” said Vikings head coach Lindsey Linthicum. “We’re just still trying to find that inner confidence.” The Vikings started off slow, losing their first set 12-25. Linthicum said she had the players trying out a different rotation to switch things up, but this caused the team to struggle.

College football recap

MOSES LAKE – Another week of college football in Washington has wrapped up. Some teams fell short in conference play, while others were an imposing force over their opponents. See below where your favorite collegiate football programs stand.

Mavs compete at Mukilteo Invitational

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks’ girls swim and dive team traveled to Cascade High School to compete in the Mukilteo Invitational on Saturday where they earned fourteenth overall out of the 31 teams. “It went good – that’s the pool where we go back for our state competition in November, so it was getting some of the girls used to it that have never been there. And for other people that have been there, they get a chance to compete against some of the top swimmers in the state in probably the fastest pool in the state,” said Mavs head coach Tony Preston. The top finish for the Mavs came in the 100-yard freestyle event, where senior Bria Bodenman earned seventh place with a final time of 57.16. Dallie Cobb earned twenty-third in the event with a final time of 59.90 and twenty-second in the 50 Freestyle event.

Jacks earn first win of the season

QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks (1-3) earned their first win of the season Friday, overcoming the Wapato Wolves 35-14 on the road. Head Coach Seth Longwill said he was happy with what he saw from his players. “I thought the kids really stepped up and they wanted it, they just kept fighting and playing hard, which is what we’ve been encouraging, not getting down and working together,” Longwill said. In the first quarter, the Jacks struck first after quarterback Pierce Bierlink found Jace Reyes on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The Wolves did not respond offensively, and the Jacks finished the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

Ephrata PD logs for Oct. 2, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Ephrata Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

WorkSource Job Fair coming Friday

MOSES LAKE — Job seekers will have a chance to connect with employers at the WorkSource Job Fair Friday.

Ephrata welcomes a sweet new shop

Moonbeam Sweets and Treats opens on First Avenue and offers desserts galore.

EPHRATA – Moonbeam Sweets and Treats is the newest addition to local businesses in Ephrata. The shop is located at 156 First Ave NW and features a variety of different sweet treats.

Palmer’s Adventure Farm kicks off Fall Fest

MOSES LAKE – Palmer’s Adventure Farm has begun its Fall Fest over the weekend. Formerly known as StrawBelly’s, the farm held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to celebrate their new branding and new location.

Samaritan Hospital opening scheduled for March 2026

MOSES LAKE — The projected opening day for the new Samaritan Hospital is about six months away. “We expect that we would get the temporary certificate of occupancy Dec. 12,” said Samaritan Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan. “And then the first patients March 7, 2026.” Construction has reached the stage of painting walls, installing doors, finishing installing lights and starting to install equipment. Crews were putting together some of the imaging equipment Tuesday morning.

UMANI Festival hosts second lucha wrestling show

MOSES LAKE — On Saturday, Columbia Basin Allied Art and Northwest Pro Wrestling hosted the Lucha and Lowriders Wrestling show at the Youth Dynamics building. It was the UMANI festival’s second time hosting the wrestling show. CBAA Executive Director Shawn Cardwell called Saturday’s event a dream. “I thought the crowd was amazing,” Cardwell said. “We had papas bringing their daughters and grandchildren. It’s a dream for any presenter to have a crowd like that, to work with performers like that, and to be hosted by venues like (Youth Dynamics). It was so good all around.” This year’s show was held indoors, unlike last year when it was held outside on Division Street, Cardwell said. Holding the event indoors made it more family-friendly, she said. Fans packed into front of the event space. Ahead of them on the basketball court was a ring with a blue mat, ropes taped yellow, white and blue, and a black curtain lining the outside of the ring.

Legals for September, 30 2025

Zolman retires from Quincy hospital commission after 20 years

QUINCY — Randy Zolman said he didn’t know much about the job when he joined the Quincy Valley Medical Center commission in 2005. “I had no idea,” he said. “I thought it would be interesting.” Zolman resigned earlier this month after 20 years as a QVMC commissioner; his term would have ended in December. Ronald Huxtable is running unopposed for the position and was appointed to the QVMC commission at its Sept. 22 meeting.

Paws for applause: Meet PeePaw

MOSES LAKE – In the heart of Grant County Animal Outreach, a star is born! PeePaw, the one-month-old prodigy pup, is wagging his way into hearts with his ruff-et-table charm. This neutered, vaccinated and microchipped mixed breed is ready for his "furever" home. PeePaw may be pint-sized, but he's got a paw-sitive outlook bigger than the biggest of breeds. Don't let this opportunity paws by; come say hello to PeePaw, our little tail-wagging newsworthy nugget. If he happens to steal your heart, fill out his application at GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org. If you can’t adopt right now, but would like to help a local shelter, visit the website and click “donate.”

Port of Ephrata to host aerial applicators fly-in

EPHRATA — The Port of Ephrata will serve as the venue for the third annual fly-in pancake breakfast, hosted by the Association of Washington Aerial Applicators, on Saturday, Oct. 4. This event is set to showcase the role aerial applicators play in Washington’s agricultural industry while offering community members an engaging opportunity to learn about low-level aviation. The pancake breakfast will kick off at 8 a.m. and is priced at $20 per person, with children under 10 eating free. The event is open to the public at no charge, said Dave Lanman, executive director of the Port of Ephrata