Ephrata council talks pickleball courts, garbage contract

EPHRATA — A group of volunteers wants to build new pickleball courts and donate them to the city of Ephrata. “We are severely lacking in recreational opportunities in our park system here in Ephrata. Especially for adults,” resident Jean Patterson told members of the Ephrata City Council at a regular meeting on Wednesday. “I have lived here for 30 years and there’s not one new park added, and we’ve lost two tennis courts.”

WA Ag committee moves 6 bills forward

OLYMPIA — The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources passed several bills Wednesday that now move on to the next step in the legislative process. The committee met in the John L. O'Brien Building and briefly went over the bills and any amendments before breaking for caucus. Then they came back for an executive session to vote on what bills would move on from committee and which would not...

WSU develops test for canine bleeding disorder

PULLMAN — Washington State University researchers have developed a test that helps identify dogs at risk of a potentially fatal disorder that can result in excessive bleeding and bruising following canine surgery...

Untapped

A sign of things to come on the window of the Moses Lake Taproom.

MOSES LAKE — Will Stakelin and his son Connor Stakelin didn’t want to let the space once occupied by Squirrelfight Artisan Brewing stay empty for very long. “A lot of people had no clue that Squirrel Fight went out of business,” Connor said as he stood in the cavernous room where Squirrel Fight used to brew beer. “But the reality is, the space was vacant, and all of their items were up for auction a couple of months prior to us even leasing the space.” ...

Active communities

A look at events coming up in the Columbia Basin

MOSES LAKE — A night of awards and games in Othello, and afternoon of music and suds in Moses Lake, a Civil War story in Quincy - there’s a lot going on around these parts the next month or so. The Othello Chamber of Commerce will host its annual banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 616 E. Juniper St. “Casino Night” is the theme for 2023, and the evening includes silent and live auctions and games...

Mavs advance to second round

Girls team trumps West Valley in 42-33 win

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks used their defense to ride off to a 42-33 win over West Valley (Yakima) in the first round of the Columbia Basin Big 9 district playoffs on Tuesday night, outlasting a cold second quarter and holding an attempted comeback by the Rams in check. “We talked about it in pregame in the locker room, that no matter what, we control the effort on the defensive end,” Moses Lake Head Coach Matt Strophy said. “If we can keep them from scoring, our offense will come around – and it did.” ...

Law enforcement logs for Feb. 16

The reports below were provided by the police department or jail indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law...

RECAP: Kraken drop four of five, M’s prep for spring training and WNBA free agency

SEATTLE – The Seattle Kraken wrapped up their East Coast road trip with a loss on Tuesday night, the Storm added another forward and the Seattle Mariners begin spring training on Thursday. Check out this week’s professional sports recap for an update on the three squads...

Warnick at work in Olympia

OLYMPIA - Senator Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) sits at her desk on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Senate voted on second and third readings of more than a dozen bills...

Moses Lake cuts ribbon on Larson Rec Center

MOSES LAKE - Carrie Hoiness, recreation superintendent, and Susan Schweisow, former parks, recreation and cultural services director, formally cut the ribbon on the City of Moses Lake's Larson Recreation Center on Tuesday surrounded by city officials, current and former members of the city council.

'Allison's Law' seeks to increase access to fentanyl test strips

OLYMPIA - Allisone McClanahan suffered from severe chronic pain and fibromyalgia. To ease her pain, the 26-year-old took a pain pill from a friend she thought contained oxycodone. Instead, she died of a drug overdose in 2021...

Dent, Warnick bills would create assessment process for MLIRD

OLYMPIA - A bill currently being considered by the Washington State Legislature would change the process for how the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District collects assessments for rehabilitation operations. “(House Bill 1494) is specifically for Moses Lake,” said State Representative Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake), the primary sponsor of the bill...

Warden water system in need of TLC

City council reviews changes to 20-year water plan and infrastructure needs

WARDEN — While the city of Warden has more than enough water to meet projected needs for the next 20 years; however, the city still needs to make significant investments in its delivery system to make sure water can continue to get to residents. “You have the capacity you need for 20 years. You’re already there,” said Jamin Ankney, an engineer with Seattle-based consultancy Grey and Osborne, which is helping the city revise its comprehensive water plan. “From a capacity perspective, your water system is in really good shape."...

Arting early

Young, local artists on display at museum

MOSES LAKE — More than 250 budding artists got to see their work on display and show it off to the community Saturday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. “Oh, everyone has been so excited,” said Colleen Seto, the preschool instructor at the museum. “The preschool teachers showed up; the children have been able to show off their art, their friends’ art.” ...

A big job, but a good job

New Adams Co. commissioner learning intricacies of new position

OTHELLO — Recently elected Adams County Commissioner Mike Garza said there’s more to the job than he anticipated, and that’s a good thing. “What I’ve figured out is that it’s a lot more - elaborate, a lot more time-consuming, is a good word. Much more intricate than I thought the position would be. Which is okay. Which is good,” he said. “There are a myriad of things that a commissioner can fill his days with - all important things. It’s one of those (jobs) where there are enough issues that need tending to that a guy could fill his days very easily.” ...

Othello school levy passing in preliminary results

OTHELLO — Othello School District voters are approving a three-year educational programs and operations levy by a wide margin in preliminary results from a special election Tuesday...

New blood alcohol limit law clears WA Senate committee

OLYMPIA - Ashley Bonus said she began her fight against impaired driving after her sister, Stacy Gammons-Ankerfelt, died in an accident in 2012. Now, she wants a new law that lowers the blood alcohol level needed to sustain an impaired driving conviction. “I work hard to make a change for my sister. I would never want any other family to feel the pain we feel every day. So, I work really hard just to make any change I can,” Bonus said...

MLCA/CCS boys, girls look to take home league titles

MOSES LAKE – Berths to the 2023 state basketball tournament are on the line for both the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School’s boys and girls basketball squads on Thursday night, as they prepare to play in their respective district title games at Wenatchee High School. MLCA/CCS Girls Having earned the No. 1 seed in the Central Washington 1B tournament, the Lions only needed one win to advance to Thursday's title game. Their 62-20 over Entiat marked MLCA/CCS’s 13th straight win and punched its ticket into the district championship. Senior Kali Kast led the Lions with 21 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter. Fellow senior Makiya Kast scored 15 points in the win, connecting on two first-quarter three-pointers.

Basin sports schedule Feb. 15-21

COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s state championship time here in the Basin, with both the 2023 Mat Classic and boys state swim and dive being hosted on the west side. Along with state meets, some local basketball teams remain alive in their respective district brackets. Check out this week’s Basin sports schedule, which will be updated online at www.columbiabasinherald.com as teams progress through their brackets.

New nickname?

OLYMPIA - Washington State might have an official nickname if a bill that passed a Senate committee becomes law, but it's not really “new.” You’ve seen it on everything from license plates to a state college...