Coaches round up Mat Classic results, praise wrestlers

COLUMBIA BASIN – Of the 64 wrestlers from the Columbia Basin who qualified to wrestle at the 2023 Mat Classic, 33 ended up placing under the bright lights of the Tacoma Dome...

Central Washington on display

Moses Lake Museum exhibit shows the best of our region

MOSES LAKE — Central Washington, in all its beauty, is on display at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. The exhibition titled simply “Life in Central Washington” features the work of Yakima Valley Arts Association members. The show opened on Feb. 3 and runs until March 17. “All the pieces in the show are pretty much inspired by our landscape,” said Dollie Boyd, director of the museum. “The work that we do here, the agriculture, the plants, the flora, the fauna.”

Warnick’s dental school bill passes Senate

OLYMPIA – Senate Bill 5113 was unanimously approved by the Senate on Wednesday, allowing accredited dental schools to request temporary licensure for faculty who have accepted employment at the respective school...

Twins arrested in catalytic converter theft

MOSES LAKE — A pair of twin brothers are in the Grant County Jail after being spotted stealing a catalytic converter, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department. Nicholas Andrew Anardi and Trevor Mason Anardi, both 32, of Moses Lake were arrested Sunday afternoon on charges of second-degree malicious mischief and second-degree theft, according to the post...

WA Senate resolution to support Ukraine adopted

OLYMPIA – Friday the Washington State Senate adopted a resolution to show recognition and support for Ukrainian and Ukrainian Americans. “A year ago I spoke about how inspiring it was to see the Ukrainian nation stand up against a much larger enemy, nearly a David and Goliath situation, that's as true today as it was then,” said Senator John Braun (R-Centralia). “They’ve held the line and they’ve pushed back; I think we can all be inspired by this.” ...

GCFD7 hires new chief

SOAP LAKE – Grant County Fire District 7 has announced the hiring of a new chief, nearly six months after previous Chief Kirk Sheppard retired in September. “Chief Chris Baker started on Feb. 13 and has hit the ground running,” a release by the district stated...

Local Civil Air Patrol squad takes second at state

EPHRATA — The Columbia Basin Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol placed second at the state competition over the weekend and will move on to regionals. “They have basically had to train themselves,” said Lt. Col. Kathy Maxwell, Cadet Program Activities Officer...

Author to speak at CWU

ELLENSBURG — Author and environmentalist Taylor Brorby will visit Central Washington University on March 5, according to a statement from the university...

Alumni Association tops $230,000 in scholarships

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Alumni Association has awarded more than $231,000 in scholarships in its 16-year history, according to a statement from the association, and is accepting applications for 2023.

Warden girls take state tournament first-round win

ELLENSBURG — The Warden Cougars used defense to take their opening round game in the Class 2B girls WIAA state basketball tournament with a 61-45 win over the Adna High School Pirates Saturday at Ellensburg High School. Warden is the defending state champion in Class 2B. Warden trailed briefly early in the game, but had a 15-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the game. Cougars Coach Josh Madsen said it was a good way to start the state tournament...

MLCA/CCS girls fall in OT to Colton

Lions to face Odessa on Wednesday in round of 12

CHENEY – After a late push to come back and send the game into overtime, the No. 6 seed MLCA/CCS girls fell 61-58 to No. 3 Colton in the regional round of the 1B Girls State Basketball Tournament. The Lions found themselves in foul trouble late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, which the Wildcats used to their advantage to score the first six points of the overtime period...

Good tabs

Moses Lake women collect pop tabs to support Ronald McDonald House charities

MOSES LAKE — Rebecca Camden said the donation for Spokane’s Ronald McDonald House started with a contest at an out-of-state car show. “We were at a car show in Oregon seven years ago, and the hosting club did a competition to see who could collect the most pop tabs,” Camden said...

Mandatory recess for grade schoolers approved despite objections

OLYMPIA — Elementary schools will be required to give students 30 minutes of recess every day and teachers would be prohibited from denying recess as a disciplinary measure under a bill that passed the state Senate last week despite objections. The bill, ESSB 5257, was sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, and passed with a vote of 28-21.

State Senate approves safety measures for road workers

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate last Thursday approved a pair of bills requiring the installation of automated vehicle speed cameras and other measures to improve highway safety. “Speed kills. Our work zones have lower posted speeds for very good reasons. This helps to prevent collisions with slower-moving work vehicles and helps to protect workers who are often outside of their vehicles,” said Mark McKechnie, from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, testifying in support of one of the measures.

ML School District to sponsor community forum to review strategic plan

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District patrons, staff and students will be invited to review a draft of the district’s new strategic plan. The date of the community forum will be announced. District superintendent Monty Sabin said during Thursday’s meeting of the Moses Lake School Board that the project has attracted a lot of interest.

Weather for Monday, Feb. 27

Monday: A chance of snow before 4 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Southeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible. Monday night, a slight chance of rain and snow before 7 p.m., then a slight chance of snow between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Tuesday night should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38, while Wednesday night should be mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Thursday: A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Thursday Night is expected to be partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Friday: Sunny, with a high near 43. Source: National Weather Service

Broncos use defense to advance to down Dayton-Waitsburg

CHENEY – Back in the 2B boys state tournament for the first time since 2016, the No. 9 seed Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos used strong defensive play in the second half to defeat No. 16 Dayton-Waitsburg 53-35 on Saturday afternoon. “I thought it would be a grind-it-out game,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “They swarmed Chase (Galbreath) down low. The nerves – we didn’t shoot very well. We missed a lot of shots, fortunately so did (Dayton-Waitsburg) that first half.”

Tow truck operator safety bill passes Senate chamber

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate on Wednesday approved a measure designed to improve safety for tow-truck operators. “Passage of this bill in the Senate today sends a strong message that safety on our roadways is a priority for Olympia, and that we need to respect the ‘everyday heroes’ who work within inches of speeding traffic,” said Senator Jeff Wilson (R-Longview), primary sponsor of the bill. “These first responders risk their lives every day.”

Confluence Health announces update to vaccination policy

WENATCHEE — Confluence Health employees who had been prohibited from working onsite if they had not received the initial COVID-19 vaccination for religious or medical reasons will be allowed back onsite, beginning March 1. Employees will have to meet certain requirements, according to a Confluence Health press release. The organization has clinics in Moses Lake, Royal City and Ephrata.

Manta Ray Aquatic swimmers shine in conference championships

MOSES LAKE – Three Manta Ray Aquatics swimmers recently competed in college conference championship events, with Laurel Knox, Cole Lindberg and Zachary Washburn all competing for their respective schools.