Huskies move on to Yakima with 45-39 win over Mark Morris

ELLENSBURG – Down by three points entering the fourth quarter, Othello senior Annalee Coronado scored nine of her team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to take down No. 15 seed Mark Morris 45-39 in the regional round of the 2A State Girls Basketball Tournament. The win sent the No. 10 seed Huskies to the state tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome on Wednesday.

Cougars head back to state

A year after winning it all, Warden heads back to 2B girls tourney looking for another trophy.

WARDEN – The 2022 champion Warden Cougars are heading back to the 2B Girls State Basketball Tournament, entering this year’s state bracket with an 18-4 record and an Eastern Washington Athletic Conference Title. “They’re excited to be there again, and understand this is a really cool opportunity for them,” Warden Head Coach Josh Madsen said. “I also think they’ve got some confidence about them as well. They’ve been playing pretty well and deserve to be there, and are looking forward to seeing what they can do once they get there.” ...

Working on recreation

New Moses Lake Parks and Rec director off to a fast start

MOSES LAKE — It was horse riding that brought Doug Coutts to Moses Lake. Or rather, it was his wife Janine’s love of horses that brought them here. “My wife is a barrel racer, so we came to the Grant County Fairgrounds a lot in the summer,” Coutts said as he sat in his corner office in the City of Moses Lake’s new Larson Recreation Center. Horses aren’t really the same passion for him as for her though...

Making an impact

Realtors Association Affiliate of the Year loves to help people

MOSES LAKE — Ami Satterfield loves what her work at Frontier Title and Escrow can do for people. “In everything I've done, I always want to help people, and make an impact. And what a huge impact (for) a person buying a home, saving up forever, or a first-time home buyer or an investor that's able to expand their rental income. So that's kind of what interested me, being able to be part of something like that,” Satterfield said. Apparently, others have noticed that about Satterfield, because she was named Affiliate of the Year at the Moses Lake-Othello Realtors Association banquet in January. She’s not sure who nominated her, but she does have the slip attached to the award plaque to tell her why.

Cannabis pre-employment testing bill passes Senate

OLYMPIA – Senate Bill 5123 passed the Senate Wednesday and would ban pre-employment cannabis tests if signed into law. “It comes down to discriminating against people who use cannabis,” said Senator Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. “For people using a legal substance, having a pre-employment test like this is just plain unfair, and we should stop it.” ...

REC on track for 2023 restart, posts loss for Q4 2022

MOSES LAKE — REC Silicon CEO Kurt Levens said the company’s Moses Lake facility is still on track to resume production in the second half of 2023 and that the company has reached an agreement with South Korea-based Hanwha Solution to provide the company with silicon gas - silane - for the next generation of rechargeable batteries...

Work zone cameras bill passes WA Senate

OLYMPIA – A bill to authorize the use of speed safety cameras in state highway work zones passed the Washington Senate Wednesday. “Folks working on our state highways deserve to do so with the peace of mind that they will end their shift by going home to their families and loved ones,” said Senator Marko Liias (D-Everett), sponsor of the bill. “These workers are acting every day to ensure our highways are safe for commuters, and we have a duty to keep them safe as well.” ...

WSU researchers develop corn-based air filter

PULLMAN — A new type of air filter made of corn protein instead of petroleum plastic appears to be better able of filtering out small pollutant particles as well as toxic chemicals like formaldehyde than current air filters, according to a press release from Washington State University...

WSU names new Lind Dryfarm director

PULLMAN — Washington State University announced on Thursday that agronomist and soil scientist Surendra Singh has been selected to head the university’s Lind Dryland Research Station, according to a WSU press release. “Dryland wheat production in Washington is not only important from an economic standpoint, but also for global food security,” Singh said in the press release. “As rainfall patterns change, cost of fertilizers and other inputs rise, and weed and pest pressures increase, research at Lind and WSU keeps us ahead and ready.” ...

Huskies back to state for the first time in 14 years

OTHELLO – For the first time since 2009, the Othello Huskies girls basketball team is heading back to state. Othello Head Coach Adolfo Coronado said the team’s energy on the court against the defending champion Ellensburg Bulldogs early in the season showed how far the girls could make it this season.

Broncos playing well at the right time

RITZVILLE – After winning 10 of their final 12 games, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos advanced to state with a 50-48 win over Okanogan in the 2B District 6/7 Crossover. “Very happy for them to get the job done,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “Overcame some ups and downs throughout the year and some close losses. Started playing really well the last week of the season and it’s continued through districts and playoffs.” ...

Lions return to state playoffs

Boys and girls teams push into final stretch of season

MOSES LAKE – For the second straight year, boys and girls teams from Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School are heading to their respective 1B state basketball tournaments. Both squads played in the Central Washington 1B title game last week, with the Lion boys taking home a title. Now, both squads prepare for a state run.

GALLERY: 2023 Mat Classic

TACOMA – Sixty-six wrestlers from the Columbia Basin traveled to the Tacoma Dome to compete in this weekend’s Mat Classic, with 34 wrestlers eventually placing in their respective brackets.

Law enforcement records for Feb. 23

The reports below were provided by the sheriff’s office or police department indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Ephrata PD Feb. 15 Report of a two-vehicle non-injury collision near the intersection of Division Avenue West and Alder Street Southwest. Feb. 16 Report of theft from a business in the 200 block of Basin Street Southwest.

Milky Way celebrates 75 years of dairy trucking

SEATTLE — Milk hauler Milky Way — whose trucks are seen frequently on the roads of parts of Grant and Adams counties — is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, according to a press release from Milky Way parent company Lynden. Founded in 1948, Milky Way is one of the largest milk haulers from dairy farms to dairies in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, the press release said...

Murray touts WSU Breadlab research in visit

BURLINGTON — During a visit on Wednesday to Washington State University’s Breadlab at the Port of Skagit, Sen. Patty Murray highlighted the importance of federal support for research into improvements in food processing and value-added agriculture...

Riparian bill moves out of House Ag Committee

OLYMPIA – Four legislators have come together, in a bipartisan effort, to protect and restore Washington’s riparian areas – land located adjacent to rivers – with House Bill 1720. “We believed that the people engaged (and) involved in this effort can make decisions and do things and we believe that we can trust them to do those things and that we can work together and find solutions,” said Representative Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake), a primary sponsor of the bill. “That’s why there were four of us on there; two Democrats, two Republicans. We’re still there. We’re lockstep because we believe in the people.” ...

Samaritan Healthcare finishes 2022 with a profit

December net income pulls health district out of the red.

MOSES LAKE — Thanks to a good month for revenue in December – partly due to a one-time payment – Samaritan Healthcare finished 2022 with a small profit. “We’ve been able to finish off pretty well with revenue,” Samaritan Chief Financial Officer Alex Town said. “For the year to date, we are up 7% (above the budget projection), which is pretty phenomenal for the organization.” ...

Kraken win two of three, M’s to start spring training

Seahawks, Storm make roster moves

SEATTLE – With Opening Day on the horizon, the Seattle Mariners get started with spring training later this week. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken got back to their winning ways with back-to-back wins.

Basin sports schedule Feb. 22-28

COLUMBIA BASIN – After progressing through their respective brackets, five local teams qualified for state basketball competition. With trips to tournaments in Spokane and Yakima on the line, teams from Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, MLCA/CCS, Othello and Warden will play their regional games on Friday and Saturday...