Legislation would make changes to successful Quincy School District program

QUINCY — Changes may be coming to a Quincy School District program that have shown some success in getting children ready for kindergarten. Colleen Frerks, director of the district’s Whole Child program, told Quincy School Board members the Transitional Kindergarten program is for children who have had little or no access to preschool classes.

Weather for Monday, Mar. 6

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Monday night is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Tuesday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Wednesday night should be partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Thursday: A 10% chance of rain and partly sunny, with a high near 44. Thursday night will see a slight chance of rain and snow. Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. The likelihood of precipitation is 20%. Friday: A chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. The possibility of precipitation is 30%. Source: National Weather Service

Driver’s education making a comeback?

OLYMPIA - Prospective drivers aged 18 to 22 will be required to pass a driver’s education course before receiving a drivers license undr a bill recently passed the Washingto State Senate. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5583, which passed 41-7 on March 1, also includes fee increases. The measure now moves to the state House of Representatives.

Legislature moves to cap insulin costs

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate unanimously approved a bill that will limit out-of-pocket costs of insulin to $35 per month until Jan. 1, 2025. “For people with Type 1 diabetes, this bill is literally life or death,” said Matthew Hepner, the father of a child with diabetes in support of the measure.

Warden Cougars bring home third-place trophy

SPOKANE – After falling to No. 1 seed Colfax in the 2B girls state semifinals, No. 4 Warden bounced back with a 54-47 win over No. 3 Napavine in the third/fifth-place game on Saturday, placing in the top three for the second-straight year. “We’ve got a lot of really tough-minded girls,” Warden Head Coach Josh Madsen said. “A lot of hard-working girls. Made a lot of sacrifices the past couple of years, but have a lot to show for it.”

Broncos take fifth at 2B boys state tourney

SPOKANE – The exhaustion of playing four games in as many days at the 2B boys state tournament finally started to wear on the No. 9 seed Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos, as they fell to No. 4 Columbia (Burbank) 70-49 in the third/fifth-place game in Spokane. “It seems like we’ve been in playoffs forever, which we kind of have,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “It’s been a month – really, we’ve been in a lot of loser-out games trying to get to this point and place. A lot of tough matchups. The kids stuck together. Played our best at the end of the season this last month, there’s no question about that. To get hardware as a nine seed is a great accomplishment.”

Othello girls take sixth at state tournament

YAKIMA — The Othello High School girls basketball team accepts the sixth place trophy at the WIAA 2B State Tournament Saturday. The Huskies season ended with a heartbreaking 34-32 loss to Sequim in the fourth place-sixth place game, with Sequim hitting the game-winning shot with four seconds to play. It was the first time the Huskie girls have appeared in the state tournament since 2009 and the second-highest state finish in the program’s history.

Applications being accepted for Quincy Police Officer Association scholarship

QUINCY — Applications are due Mar. 30 for a scholarship to be awarded by the Quincy Police Officers Association to a graduating senior enrolled in the Quincy School District.

Abortion bill protects Washington residents from outside restrictions

OLYMPIA — Reproductive health care services including abortion and gender affirming treatment would be protected in Washington State under a bill passed recently by the House in a 59-38 vote. The legislation, House Bill 1469, was sponsored by Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island. Hansen said it establishes the state’s right to protect the insurance coverage of protected healthcare services, regardless of a person’s location when receiving those services.

State healthcare mask mandate to end April 3

OLYMPIA — The mandate requiring masks in health care facilities, extended-care facilities and adult correctional institutions will end April 3. The end of universal masking in those facilities was announced in a Friday press release from the Washington Department of Health.

Regional apprenticeship bill passes WA House

OLYMPIA – House Bill 1013 passed the Washington State House of Representatives on Thursday and, if enacted, would create regional apprenticeship programs for high school students. "My bill is an effort to provide an education for the future and help ensure the success of our students, while making the most of their high school education. There's no reason a high school diploma can't lead into successful career opportunities," said Representative Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, prime sponsor of the bill. "We need to encourage them to explore new opportunities and expose them to trades and careers they may have never thought of before."

Lions fall out of 1B tourney with loss to Orcas Island

SPOKANE – The MLCA/CCS Lions weren’t able to overcome a slow start in the first half of Friday’s consolation semifinal round of the 1B Boys State Basketball Tournament, falling 67-39 to Orcas Island. The lid on the top of the basket closed for the Lions in the first quarter, as they were unable to put points on the board for the first nine minutes and 46 seconds of game time.

Colfax tops Warden in state semis

SPOKANE – In a rematch of the 2022 2B girls state finals, the No. 4 seed Warden Cougars once against shared the court with the No. 1 Colfax Bulldogs in the Spokane Arena. However, this year’s game finished with a victory for Colfax, who overcame a 4-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to beat Warden 66-53.

Broncos fall in state semis

SPOKANE – After holding a nine-point advantage at halftime, the No. 9 seed Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos fell to the No. 5 seed Brewster Bears 55-50 in the 2B boys state semifinals on Friday in Spokane. Brewster opened the second half on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 34, and the Broncos and Bears exchanged the lead three times down the stretch of the third and fourth quarters.

Lions fall to DeSales in 1B boys quarterfinals

SPOKANE — The No. 5 seed Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School boys fell victim to a strong defensive showing by No. 3 DeSales on Thursday night in the Spokane Arena, losing 65-35 in the 1B boys state quarterfinals. The Irish used a 12-0 run from the end of the first to the middle of the second quarter to jumpstart their big win, running a tenacious full-court press and trapping the Lions in the backcourt. “(DeSales is) physically aggressive, that’s all that was,” MLCA/CCS Head Coach Emerson Ferguson said. “Just really physically aggressive, and when that happens you’ve got to be prepared for it. You’ve got to match it and be able to handle it. That was one thing that I don’t think that we did.”

Margaret V. Spies/Sala

Margaret V. Spies/Sala went to see her Lord and many dear friends, passing away peacefully in her Moses Lake lakeside home on Feb. 21, 2023, at the age of 90. Margaret was born the youngest daughter to Jay Wynn and Daisy Wynn on Jan. 20, 1933, in Brimley, Michigan, and in 1945, with her parents and sister Ruth, moved to Moses Lake, Washington. Margaret met and married Robert E. Spies, to whom she was married for 28 years. They had two wonderful sons Daniel (Dan/Danny) J. Spies and James (Jim/Jimmy) E. Spies, whom Margaret was devoted to because of her strong belief in family ties. Spending time together was more important to her than anything else. She continued to hold that strong family belief up to her death.

Cougars on to semis after 15-point win over La Conner

SPOKANE – Defense was the theme in No. 4 seed Warden’s 58-43 win over No. 6 La Conner in the 2B girls state quarterfinals, forcing the Braves into 17 turnovers in the win. Warden used its stifling defense to create fastbreaks and scores in transition from start to finish on Thursday.

Bill to create crisis relief centers passes WA Senate Wednesday

OLYMPIA – SB 5120 passed the Washington Senate unanimously Wednesday, which would direct the Department of Health to license or certify crisis relief centers. “Our state’s new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national model,” said Senator Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), sponsor of the bill and chair of the Law and Justice Committee. “But with that model, we have to step up and deliver the services it promises to people in a mental health or substance use crisis.”

Settler's Natural Market

Basin-based business looks to offer variety, personal service

MOSES LAKE - In the heart of Moses Lake at 118 W. Third Avenue lies a health food store called Settler’s Natural Market. Here there are all sorts of healthy and organic food and natural products to choose from. “Our goal is to give everyone in the Columbia Basin a place to find healthy food that is normally hard to find”, says store operations manager Danette Preston...

WA House passes legislation to increase housing options

OLYMPIA – A bill that seeks to increase housing options through lot splitting passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. "We need more options to tackle our housing supply problem,” said Representative Andrew Barkis (R-Olympia), sponsor of the bill.