Zags drop to No. 14 in AP poll

SPOKANE – The Gonzaga men's basketball team checked in at No. 14 in the Week 4 AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll this season after suffering its second double-digit early season loss. The Zags (5-2) fell out of the top 10 of the AP poll for the first time since the 2017-18 season. That year, Gonzaga was ranked No. 12 in Week 14 before finishing the season in the No. 2 spot...

Hunt serves as page at the Senate

OLYMPIA - As part of the Senate Page Program, which has not been operational the past two years due to the pandemic, Noah Hunt, a sophomore from Coulee Dam, was one of 10 pages for the Washington State Senate in Olympia during the opening week of the 2023 legislative session...

Moses Lake man arrested, charged with converter theft

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested for attempting to steal a catalytic converter from a car parked at a Moses Lake car dealership Monday night. It was the third arrest for catalytic converter theft in less than a week. Trevor Schaffer, 29, was arrested at about 9 p.m. at the dealership on South Frontage Road, according to a post from the Moses Lake Police Department. He was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of second-degree theft and second-degree malicious mischief...

Tree fruit science seminars scheduled

WENATCHEE — Growers and others in the tree fruit industry can learn about new practices and new research in a series of seminars in February, March and April. The “Science in Our Valley” seminars are held at the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, 1100 N. Western Ave., Wenatchee. Each seminar is at 4 p.m. Admission to all seminars is free...

Ephrata Schools release new emergency resources

EPHRATA - Ephrata School District has recently created new resources for families to understand the school district’s preparedness for and responses to emergency situations. In November, Ephrata Schools worked with local first responders on a tabletop exercise to coordinate their responses to a school emergency. A release by the school district states that the district plans to be proactive in communicating with families about their emergency procedures and preparedness so the community will know what to expect from the district in emergency situations...

WA November unemployment rises slightly

OLYMPIA — Washington employers added 13,100 jobs in November, though the state’s unemployment rate also posted a slight increase to 4% from 3.8% in October, according to data published last week by the Washington State Employment Security Department. “Despite the uptick in the unemployment rate, unemployment is low by historic standards,” ESD State Economist Paul Turek said in the press release. “And while companies may be taking a more cautious approach to hiring, the number of jobs added in November indicates that we are still in a favorable environment for job seekers.” ...

Dent serving on Ag committee

OLYMPIA — State Rep. Tom Dent (R– Moses Lake) will have a new committee leadership role when the 2023 legislative session convenes next month, according to a statement from Dent’s office. He’ll be the ranking Republican member on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the statement said. "I have been very involved in many of the issues before this committee and I have a good relationship with the chair, so this is a good opportunity for me to step in and officially be the lead voice of the caucus on the committee," Dent wrote in the statement. "There may be some high-profile issues before the committee in the upcoming session including riparian buffers, water rights and storage, wildfires and forest management." ...

GALLERY: Shop with a Cop 2022

MOSES LAKE – With collaboration between Moses Lake Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Warden Police Department and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Shop with a Cop 2022 was a huge success, officials said. Children and their families were served pizza before heading out to the Moses Lake Walmart sales floor to do their Christmas shopping. After all was said and done, the children were able to take home newly bought and wrapped gifts to place under the Christmas tree in anticipation of Christmas Day. Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at [email protected].

Physician assistant joins Samaritan Clinic on Pioneer

MOSES LAKE — Physician assistant Diane Savarese has joined the staff of the walk-in department at the Samaritan Clinic on Pioneer, 1550 S. Pioneer Way. Savarese is a board-certified PA who will work in the “Care Today” clinic, according to a Samaritan press release. The clinic provides walk-in care for non-life-threatening conditions, such as minor injuries and illnesses, sprains, cuts, fevers and earaches, among others. Savarese will provide treatment and will coordinate with the primary care professionals for further treatment that might be needed...

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival to celebrate 25 years

OTHELLO - The 2023 theme of the annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival will be ‘Silver Anniversary, Celebrating Our Annual Visitors’ and will be held March 24-26. In the announcement made on Jan. 6 by the festival, online registration for the event opens on Feb. 6 and will be available on the website...

Juveniles in custody in connection with homicide

One dead, one injured after Sunday shooting in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Two juveniles wanted in connection with a Sunday morning homicide in Moses Lake have been arrested, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department. According to the MLPD statement, one juvenile was arrested early Monday morning on Westshore Drive in Moses Lake while the second was arrested Wednesday morning in Ephrata after he turned himself in to officials at the county’s juvenile court...

NCW Libraries kick off winter reading program

CENTRAL WASHINGTON - With the weather getting colder, it’s a good time to curl up in front of the fire with a good book, and North Central Washington Libraries has just the thing. The library district’s annual all-ages Winter Reading Program kicks off Dec. 1 with a goal of collectively reading 1,000 books across North Central Washington through the end of January, according to a statement from NCW Libraries. The winter program is designed to motivate people to read by setting goals, logging their completed books or minutes read, and getting ideas from library staff and other library patrons, the statement said...

East Columbia Basin Irrigation District seeks director applicants

COLUMBIA BASIN - The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District announced there are two open positions in the district and they will now accept filings for those interested in being directors for the respective divisions...

Warden preps for N. County Road improvements

WARDEN — Work is set to start next week on a major improvement of North County Road, the major route north out of Warden, according to Warden City Administrator Kristine Shuler. Speaking at a regular meeting of the Warden City Council on Tuesday, Shuler said the work to rebuild and repave roughly a third of a mile of North County Road — Road U north of Warden — from the intersection of W. 1st Street (S.R. 170) to just south of Road 7.5 needs to begin soon before colder weather forces the state’s asphalt plants to close...

WSU’s Stribling, Ollie enter transfer portal

PULLMAN – Washington State receivers De’Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie announced they would enter the NCAA’s transfer portal Monday on social media. Stribling started all 12 regular season games for the Cougars this season, and Ollie started every game but WSU’s road trip to Arizona, according to the school.

Hanford national park site gets new superintendent

DENVER — The National Park Service has appointed Wendy Berhman the new superintendent for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes the Hanford site, according to a statement from the NPS. “Wendy has vast experience working with both long-range and strategic planning,” said Acting Regional Director Kate Hammond in the statement. “Her commitment to stakeholder and employee engagement and partnerships, her expertise in visitor use management and tourism, and her passion for the Manhattan Project story will be excellent assets in the park’s next chapter.” ...

Two killed in wreck east of George

GEORGE — A collision east of George Tuesday morning left two dead and three injured according to a Grant County Sheriff’s Office statement. GCSO Spokesman Kyle Foreman said the collision occurred just before 7 a.m. along Adams Road South between Baseline Road and South Frontage Road West...

Suspect in custody in Othello shooting

OTHELLO — A juvenile suspect was taken into custody in the Tri-Cities Wednesday in connection with an early-morning shooting in Othello that left a Coulee Dam man with life-threatening injuries. The shooting occurred at about 12:43 a.m. at the Pik-a-Pop convenience store, 1235 S. 1st Ave. in Othello, according to a release from the Othello Police Department. David Rehaume, OPD assistant chief, said the motive for the shooting is still unclear. “That has yet to be determined,” he said. Neither the victim nor the suspect are from Othello, he said. According to the evidence available so far, the two did not not have a physical altercation. “There was some sort of conversation between the 25-year-old and the juvenile,” Rehaume said. The victim was transported by a private vehicle to Othello Community Hospital, and later transported to an outside medical facility in critical condition, the release said. The suspect was located later Wednesday morning in Tri-Cities and is being returned to Adams County, Rehaume said. The case is still under investigation.

Care Fair scheduled for Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — People will be able to learn about the services offered through a number of local nonprofit agencies at the Care Fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at Youth Dynamics, 106 E. 3rd Ave., Moses Lake. Organizer Michele Boetger, director of Care Moses Lake, wrote in a press release that the event is designed to make connections. “Care Fair is bringing together local non-profits and service organizations so they can share their message with the community,” Boetger wrote. “Attendees can learn more about them and how they can show their support.”

Moses Lake man sentenced for drug, weapons charges

SPOKANE — A Moses Lake man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell. Guillermo Valdez, 34, was sentenced Tuesday, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. On April 20 he pled guilty to two counts of possession of more than 500 grams of methamphetamines with intent to sell and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm...