The last queen of the skies

Final production 747 briefly touches down at GCIA

MOSES LAKE — The last 747 touched down briefly at the Grant County International Airport Tuesday afternoon as part of its final check before being delivered to its new owner, New York-based cargo airline Atlas Air. David Bailey, a retired former executive director of the Port of Moses Lake who began his career in aviation as a flight engineer for Boeing in the late 1960s helping to design and test the 747, was on hand to watch the last one touch down as well...

Health care bills being considered by Wash. Legislature

OLYMPIA — Changes to reimbursement for health care facilities that house difficult-to-discharge Medicare patients and revised emergency homeless shelter rules for counties with more than 50,000 people are among the bills introduced in the 2023 session of the Washington Legislature, which started Monday. A noncomprehensive list of health care-related proposed bills is below. Descriptions below are abridged...

GCSO ends contracts in Desert Aire, Coulee City

EPHRATA — The governing board in Desert Aire is requesting proposals for security services following the end of a contract for law enforcement services between Desert Aire and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete said a similar contract with the town of Coulee City is also being terminated...

Volunteers sought for Solid Waste Advisory Committee

EPHRATA — Grant County officials are looking for a volunteer to serve on the county’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee...

MLK celebration coming Monday

MOSES LAKE — The life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. will be the focus of a celebration march Monday, Jan. 16 in Moses Lake, according to a statement from the city. The march will begin at 3 p.m. at the Surf 'n Slide Water Park near McCosh Parkand end at the Moses Lake Civic Center , 401 S. Balsam St. A celebration of King’s life and activism will follow at the Civic Center at 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. King was Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1963, the statement said. He won a Nobel Prize in 1964 for successfully using non-violent actions to fight racial equality. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter posthumously awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Anyone wanting more information can call Charlie Jones at 509-432-1713.

Mattawa examines CAD Homes development

MATTAWA — The nuts and bolts of government - development regulations, comprehensive land use, housing density, traffic impacts and control - was the subject of a lengthy workshop for the Mattawa City Council on Jan. 5. Council members reviewed a proposed housing development agreement with Moses Lake-based CAD Homes and owner Drew Scott, covering details ranging from parking to financial responsibility for street development. The council requested a development agreement before making a decision on a request to annex 40 acres, known as the Brodero property, into the city limits...

Local wrestlers compete at tournaments across the state

Jeremiah Schmunk Invitational At the Jeremiah Schmunk Invitational, three local teams finished in the top three spots of the tournament, with Othello placing first with 173 points and Moses Lake and Warden tied in second with 160.5 points. Wahluke finished in eighth place with 52 points. Local top three placings Othello placings: junior Troy Mendez (120), first place; sophomore Ismael Torres (138), third place; sophomore Parker Freeman (152), second place; sophomore Jaxon Gomez (195), third place; sophomore Anthony Solorio (220), first place; senior Giovanni Love (285), first place. Moses Lake placings: freshman Ian Garza (106), second place; sophomore Drayden Gaither (120), third place; freshman Ian Anderson (132), first place; senior Joshua Grubb (145), second place; senior Brock Clark (160), first place; senior Cody Byers (170), first place;

CWU men earn first GNAC win, women fall to Simon Fraser

MOSES LAKE — Both the Central Washington men’s and women’s basketball teams concluded their home stand in Moses Lake on Saturday, with the men’s team surviving a scare and the women’s team suffering its third consecutive loss. CWU men vs Alaska Fairbanks The Wildcats led wire-to-wire in their 78-66 win over Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, including a 20-plus point lead in the first half that the Nanooks cut to a two-point lead in the second half. “They’re a good team, and we knew that they would make a run,” CWU Head Coach Brandon Rinta said. “It got close there, and that makes it mean more that we had to gut it out like that.”

Locally proposed bills for 2023 Wash. legislative session

OLYMPIA - Representative Tom Dent (R–Moses Lake) and Senator Judy Warnick (R–Moses Lake) both have multiple bills proceeding through the Washington Legislature during this year’s legislative session, which began Monday. Dent is working to establish an aviation and aerospace advisory committee, better manage wildfires and manage pesticides while Warnick is working on a tax exemption for wine and to address education for dental professionals. Below is a noncomprehensive list of bills proposed or sponsored by Dent and Warnick along with a brief summary of the bill as found in the summary of each piece of proposed legislation...

New Fatima Center opens

MOSES LAKE — Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for its new Fatima Center on Sunday at 210 N. Dale Road in Moses Lake. “We kept the same footprint as the old one, pretty close, this is a little bit longer, but other than that everything is the same,” said Jerry Moncada Sr...

Seahawks top Rams 19-16 in OT, in playoffs after Lions win

SEATTLE (AP) — Within minutes of the Seattle Seahawks winning to maintain their playoff hopes, the video boards inside Lumen Field flashed a message: "Go Lions." For the Seahawks, that became "thank you Lions" several hours later after Detroit helped send Seattle back to the postseason.

Pets of the Basin – Round 2

COLUMBIA BASIN — A request for pet pictures in mid-December brought an avalanche of responses, more than 200 in fact. The Columbia Basin Herald pictured some of them in the Dec. 26 edition, and here are some more, with comments from the owners who are grateful for their companionship. To see more pet photos, look at our conversation on Facebook by following us at Facebook.com/cbherald.

Timme, Hickman lead No. 9 Gonzaga past Santa Clara 81-76

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Drew Timme and Nolan Hickman scored 20 points each and No. 9 Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 81-76 on Saturday night. Julian Strawther had 18 points and Ben Gregg grabbed eight rebounds to help the Bulldogs (14-3, 3-0 West Coast Conference) get their 25th straight win against the Broncos. Gonzaga has won 48 of the last 50 meetings.

Vikings use strong frontcourt play to take down Central women’s hoops

MOSES LAKE — Despite a 36-point outing by redshirt senior center Samantha Bowman, the Central Washington Wildcats were unable to keep up with an experienced Western Washington Vikings frontcourt on Thursday night, falling 82-70 to the Vikings in Moses Lake. “We were getting the ball inside to Sam, a massive strength to us,” CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson-Thornley said. “We weren't forcing things, and also we were able to defend them inside in the first quarter, and force them into tough shots and rebound out of it.” After the Wildcats held up against the WWU frontcourt in the first quarter, the Vikings began using their experience in transition to get back in the game, later taking the lead after being down 20-11 at the end of the first quarter. The two squads found themselves tied five times in the second quarter before the Vikings took a 33-32 lead into the halftime locker room. “After (the first quarter) they started getting out in transition, and I think the pace of the game and the physicality just wore on our young group after a while,” Richardson-Thornley said.

Mavs stop Eisenhower comeback attempt, win 59-54

MOSES LAKE — After jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first half, the Moses Lake Mavericks staved off a comeback bid by the Eisenhower Cadets to win 59-54 in their home court Friday night. “Any time you can win at home and win in league, that’s a win-win combination for us,” Moses Lake Head Coach Jake Hunt said. Moses Lake used strong frontcourt play by seniors Carter Smith and Jayson Byers, who combined for 21 of the 31 first-half Maverick points to help build a 14-point lead after two quarters. Smith finished the contest with 17 points, Byers with 14 and freshman forward Grady Walker scored three crucial baskets late in the fourth quarter. “That’s what I told our guys, ‘Attack inside,’” Hunt said. “Carter played phenomenal, he did some of those things that you won’t see in the stat line … I was super proud of the freshman Grady Walker coming in too; he did a good job with some buckets to help slow down the momentum.” With a strong defensive showing, Moses Lake held Eisenhower to only five points in the second quarter. To end the half, junior Kyson Thomas lobbed a pass up to Smith to go up 31-17.

Weather for Monday, Jan, 9, 2023

Monday: A chance of rain and snow before 10 a.m., then rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Northeast wind around 6 miles per hour and a 70% chance of precipitation. Little or no snow accumulation is expected. Monday night is expected to see a slight chance of rain and snow before 4 a.m., then a slight chance of rain between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow after 5 a.m. Patchy fog before 1 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 30% with little or no snow accumulation expected. Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow before 7 a.m., then a chance of rain. Patchy fog before 2 p.m., then patchy fog after 3 p.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30% and little or no snow accumulation is expected. On Tuesday night, the Basin should see patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Wednesday: A 20% chance of rain after 10 a.m. Patchy fog before 1 p.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Wednesday night, rain is likely, mainly after 4 a.m. with patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Thursday: Patchy fog and rain are likely. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Thursday night should see a 30% chance of rain. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Friday: A 20% chance of rain. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Source: National Weather Service

Soap Lake standoff ends without incident

SOAP LAKE — A felony suspect is in custody after a standoff with police in Soap Lake Friday afternoon. The suspect, who had a felony warrant, fled on foot from a Soap Lake Police officer and ran into a residence in the 300 block of Road 20 Northwest, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. He stayed in the house for at least two hours, Foreman said, while the SLPD called for assistance from the sheriff’s office. Because the residence was close to Soap Lake schools, the schools were put on modified lockdown during the standoff. “He didn’t want to come out for a long time, and then we were able to coax him out of the house,” Foreman said. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, Foreman said. Neither the suspect’s name nor what his warrant was for was available Friday. Joel Martin can be reached at [email protected]

Love keeps the streets plowed in Wilson Creek

WILSON CREEK — It takes a lot of love and a lot of donated labor to make life in a small town like Wilson Creek work, according to the Clerk/Treasurer Kaci Anderson. “We have a lot of people helping out with snow removal in the winter,” Anderson said. “Because we have one public works employee typically. Sometimes in the summer, we’ll hire on some extra help.” “But in the winter, we have one employee, typically. And it’s a lot of work for one person,” she added. Mayor Rob Herron, a former wheat farmer and truck driver who now owns Harvest Moon, the town’s only bar and restaurant, said he has spent at least 16 hours this winter plowing snow, and takes a lot of emergency calls during the night, everything from complaints from residents to requests for help during emergencies.

USDA looks to beef up meat supply chain

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal government will invest $9.6 million to strengthen farmers, ranchers, processors and rural businesses and diversify the country’s meat supply, according to a statement from the USDA.

Wildcats lose first game at BBCC

Second-half turnovers prove costly in CWU men’s 90-72 loss to Seawolves

MOSES LAKE – After a promising first half, the Central Washington men’s basketball team was outscored 50-34 in the second half by Alaska Anchorage, losing 90-72 in Moses Lake Thursday night. “It was close in the first half, even though I thought we had some defensive breakdowns,” Rinta said. “We were still able to keep it close, but in the second half they caught fire – it seemed like they hit 10 mid-range jumpers on us, and we had a little trouble keeping the basketball in front there in the second half. That’s ultimately what bit us."...