NHL Winter Classic to feature Seattle hosting Vegas in 2024

SEATTLE (AP) — Selling the NHL on bringing the 2024 Winter Classic to the Pacific Northwest required the purchase of a protection plan — a retractable roof. Next year's version of the NHL's New Year's Day showcase will be played outdoors in Seattle with the Kraken hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park, the league announced Tuesday.

Lions place fifth at MVC holiday tournament

MOSES LAKE – Like many local teams, the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lady Lions spent part of their winter break on the basketball court. The Lions traveled over the Cascades to play in the Mount Vernon Christian Holiday Hoops Tournament last week. MLCA/CCS Head Coach Josh Kast said the tournament was a great experience for the team, who have high expectations for this season...

Seahawks unexpectedly reach Week 18 with chance at playoffs

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The idea that the Seattle Seahawks would go into Week 18 with a chance at the playoffs seemed ludicrous back during training camp. At that point, the Seahawks were expected to be among the worst teams in the league this season.

Long haul

Truckers do the essential work of hauling goods

FIFE — Theron Wood stands in a fenced-in parking lot at the end of a narrow cul-de-sac not far from the Port of Tacoma. He’s watching a pair of forklift drivers load 32 tons of palm fat — 64,000 pounds in one-ton totes — on the back of a pair of flatbed trailers hooked up to his semi-tractor. The 25-year-old has been driving for a year as a professional driver for TL Trucking in Pasco, and the parking lot of Global Agri Trade is now a regular stop for him. But it’s a bit of a difficult stop. The street is narrow, short and poorly maintained — crumbling at the shoulders — and a tight fit for any big vehicle, much less a semi-truck pulling nearly 70 feet of trailers. “If I go any farther down that road,” Wood said as he neared the Global Agri Trade entrance, “I’ll need to call a tow truck to get out.” The forklift drivers do their work quickly and efficiently — the totes were lined up before Wood arrived — and make sure they are centered and balanced evenly on both the 40-foot front and 24-foot rear trailers. It’s illegal, in fact, to haul a lopsided load, Wood noted, as that makes a truck more difficult and dangerous to steer and stop. Altogether, Wood said his rig and loaded trailers weigh around 52 tons. That’s very close to the limit he’s allowed to haul.

Basin wrestling recap

Many local teams competed in wrestling tournaments in both Royal and Tri-Cities last week. See below for a recap of how teams fared in the two tournaments, and both team and individual placings...

Mavs have mixed results in Vancouver tourney

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Spending part of the latter portion of their winter break in Vancouver, the Moses Lake Mavericks boys basketball team competed at the Clark County Holiday Tournament hosted at Fort Vancouver High School. The Mavs finished 1-2 at the tournament, defeating Heritage High School from Vancouver 72-43 and losing 64-52 to Spanaway Lake of Spanaway and 67-59 to Liberty High School of Hillsboro, Oregon. “For all of us, this is actually a brand new experience since I took over as head coach four years ago,” Moses Lake Head Coach Jake Hunt said. “The guys hadn’t done anything together as far as team bonding for an extended period of time. It was a pretty unique experience for most of the guys.” ...

Watering the high desert

Othello working on separate water system for outdoor use

OTHELLO — The city of Othello is instituting an irrigation water utility for new subdivisions built around Othello. The new utility will establish a separate water system for lawns, gardens and other outdoor uses, using water from outside the municipal system. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said the goal is to conserve municipal water resources. “Water is valuable in the desert,” Logan said...

Woman injured in Othello-area shooting

OTHELLO — One woman was seriously injured in a shooting Friday night in the 2200 block of W. Ranier Road near Othello, according to a statement from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday. As of Saturday at press time, deputies were still searching for a suspect believed to be armed, according to the ACSO statement. According to the statement, a 52-year-old woman answered the front door of her home to be confronted by a masked suspect who was asking for the woman’s son. Following a brief conversation with the suspect, the woman was shot in the leg and in the head, the ACSO statement said. Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner said the incident happened roughly between 10 and 10:30 p.m. The suspect then fled, with ACSO deputies calling for help from a Grant County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team. A search was conducted of the nearby area but was later called off, according to a separate statement. The victim, who was not named, was transported to Othello Hospital and was reported to be in stable condition, the ACSO statement said. The ACSO said it continues to investigate the shooting and is asking anyone with any information regarding the case to call the sheriff’s office at 509-659-1122. Callers can remain anonymous. Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected]

Quincy city budget includes money for street revisions, indoor activity center

QUINCY— The city of Quincy will spend about $86 million in 2023. Quincy City Council members voted unanimously to approve the 2023 budget at the Dec. 20 council meeting. The budget includes a general fund of about $21.6 million. Most of the money for employee salaries and many city operations, like most parks and recreation and the Quincy Police Department, comes out of the general fund. The city has about $12 million in a separate fund to build a new indoor sports complex. City Administrator Pat Haley said in a separate interview that the project has been in the works for a while. “We still have the fieldhouse on the drawing board and we’re looking at funding sources for that,” Haley said. “We have been putting that money aside to do something.” Council members voted in November to look for funding for the rest of the project. Estimated total cost is about $23 million, which includes some provisions for inflation. Haley said he doesn’t expect construction to start in 2023.

“It’s just such an honor and pleasure to be here”

Moses Lake S&D coach Jason Hart shows commitment to swimmers

MOSES LAKE — Jason Hart had numerous stops on the road in his coaching career, which eventually led to him taking over as head coach of both the boys and girls Maverick swim teams. Having coached the Moses Lake Manta Rays from 2005-2006, Hart said his past experiences in the community, along with being good friends with Tony St. Onge, made coaching the Mavs an enticing opportunity. “When I coached up here before, it made me feel at home,” Hart said. “Even back then I didn’t live here, but I’d walk around and know people. Everyone was nice and friendly – you don’t get that in Tri-Cities. That small-town vibe is pretty cool.” Despite coaching Moses Lake, Hart doesn’t live in the area – he commutes to the school every day from Tri-Cities. “It’s interesting because I used to deal blackjack for so many years, so I worked graveyards, and now I wake up at 5:15 in the morning,” Hart joked. “And it’s okay because what I do is I get up and I get going, the drive goes and I have an hour to get ready to see people.” How does Hart keep himself entertained over the nearly three-hour commute each day? “I love sports, and I love Metallica,” he said. Along with being the swim and dive coach, Hart also teaches aquatics classes at Moses Lake High School. Hart teaches three aquatics classes that vary in experience levels, where he enjoys getting to know Moses Lake students who don't participate in school sports. “When you coach, you really get to know all the kids that are able to go out for a sport,” Hart said. “Not every kid can go out for a sport for various reasons, and for me, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all the kids who don’t compete (in athletics).” Even on days when school is off and the Mavericks still practice in the pool, Hart makes the drive. “It’s been good so far – sometimes we don’t have school and we still have practice, I still come up for practice,” Hart said. “We have practice Saturday at 8:15, we don’t have school but I’m still coming because it’s part of the job.”

EHS wrestling team to hold Jan. 8 fundraiser

EPHRATA - Ephrata High School wrestlers will be holding a fundraiser on Jan. 8 to raise money for the wrestling program. Wrestlers will be serving brunch along with a bake sale at Pita Pit in Ephrata, located at 26 Basin St. Nw. The fundraiser will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 8 and while the brunch is no-cost, the wrestling team is asking for donations from diners.

Othello boys take 71-28 win over Warden

OTHELLO — An aggressive Othello defense and what Warden Coach Brent Erdman said was a depleted Warden bench combined to give the Huskies boys basketball team a decisive 71-28 victory Wednesday in Othello. “We’re still trying to get healthy as a team,” Erdman said. “We’re missing a lot of kids, so we’re not at full strength. So that’s tough.” Warden scored the game’s first two points, but once Othello took a 3-2 lead, they never trailed again. The Huskies led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, and Othello Coach Roman Pruneda said his team picked up the tempo from there. “We came out a little flat. We weren’t playing as aggressive on defense as I wanted them to, being a little timid,” Pruneda said. “But as we started going in the quarter, the kids picked it up. They found more of a sense of urgency from there on.”

Lady Mavericks Christmas Mixer wraps up today

MOSES LAKE — Sydney Macdonald (1) of Moses Lake brings the ball up the court against Addisyn Reffett (24) of Lake Stevens Thursday in the Mavericks’ second game of the Lady Mavericks Christmas Mixer at Moses Lake High School. Lake Stevens defeated Moses Lake 49-29. Mavericks coach Matt Strophy said he was encouraged by the way the Mavericks stuck to the defensive game plan. “Even though we gave up some things, they did what we asked of them,” he said. Moses Lake is back in action tonight in the tournament finale, playing the Othello Huskies at 5:15 p.m. Woodinville takes on Sunnyside at 1:45 p.m., and Central Valley plays Lake Stevens at 3:30 p.m.

Warden defense powers Cougars to 52-42 win over Othello

OTHELLO — The Warden girls basketball team used a scrambling defense and an intense press to come away with a 52-42 win over the Othello Huskies in Othello Wednesday. Warden Head Coach Josh Madsen said the Cougar defense helped make the difference on a night when the offense went cold. “Tonight we had a really rough shooting game. Our defense needs to keep us in it, and it did,” Madsen said. “We were just a mess to start the game, mentally,” he said. “It took us a while to settle down. We shot terribly most of the game, but really bad in the first half. Finally settled down in the late first quarter, second quarter, and started playing our game a little bit.” Othello jumped out to an 11-0 lead, and led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Cougar press started gaining in effectiveness in the second quarter, however, and Warden took its first lead of the game, 23-22, with about two minutes left in the second quarter. The Cougars led 25-24 at the half.

Rosalinda Uvalle

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Rosalinda (Rosa) Segundo Uvalle writes this testimony to her life. Rosalinda (beautiful flower) was born (and raised) in Texas on Aug. 22, 1960. After a brave fight with cancer, Rosa left us to be with her Lord on the morning of Dec. 24, 2022. Rosa never met a stranger. She had a gift for making friends wherever she went. She was a friend to and loved by so many. Rosa looked for the positive in people and in all situations even the one at hand. Rosa had an infectious smile (and a great sense of humor) and brought light to any room she found herself in. A strong woman, Rosa had a strong faith in her Lord. While she fought hard to stay on this earth for those she loved, due to that strong faith, she was not afraid to meet her maker. She would have wanted you to know that she went peacefully with her family constantly by her side; the second most important thing to her. Rosa could never have children of her own, but she found her family in her marriage to her husband. Rosa was an integral part of her stepchildren’s and grandchildren’s lives.

Warden council approves $7.1 million budget for 2023

WARDEN — So far in 2022, the city of Warden has spent around half of the $13,000 it budgeted this year for snow removal, according to City Administrator and Clerk/Treasurer Kristine Shuler. “The city had three snow removal days in January 2022, and three this month,” Shuler wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. According to the $7.1 million 2023 budget passed by the city council in late November, Warden had set aside $18,500 for snow and ice control in 2023, of which $10,000 will cover regular and overtime wages for city snow crews. In the city’s regular total budget, the council approved a general fund of $1.8 million, including $742,000 for law enforcement, as well as $2.6 million for water and sewer service citywide, and $713,000 to maintain and upgrade the city’s roads and streets. In addition, the city is receiving roughly $786,000 in American Rescue Plan Act monies as part of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress in 2021.

Bail set at $1 million for suspect in Othello shooting, victim hospitalized

OTHELLO — An Othello man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the neck after a shooting at his home Tuesday evening. Another Othello man was booked into the Adams County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and assault in connection with the shooting, and two juveniles were booked on suspicion of assault. Freddy Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 20, was transported to Othello Community Hospital and then to an out-of-town medical facility for further treatment of his wound, according to a statement from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday. The shooting occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 600 block of Kristina Road, the ACSO statement said. Raphael Chavez-Hernandez, 22, was booked on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. He made an initial appearance in Adams County Superior Court Wednesday, and is being held on $1 million bail, according to an update from the ACSO. The two juveniles were booked on suspicion of first-degree assault and second-degree assault. They also made an initial appearance in Adams County Superior Court, and bail was set at $500,000 each. The ACSO statement said the third juvenile suspect was being sought on the same charges. Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner said in answer to a separate question from the Columbia Basin Herald that all suspects are from Othello. The ACSO said in the statement a search warrant was served in the 600 block of Eagle Road near Othello late Wednesday morning. The shooting appeared to be gang-related, the ACSO statement said, but as of Wednesday morning the motive was unknown. The case is still under investigation. The ACSO said more information will be released as it becomes available. Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at [email protected].

Mount up!

Grant Co. Mounted Posse has last training of 2022

GRANT CO. - According to a release by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the Grant County Mounted Posse enjoyed the last training of 2022. The Posse is looking forward to 2023 and is looking for new members join their team. For more information, contact the GCSO at 509-754-2011 or visit their website at www.grantcountywa.gov/375/Mounted-Posse-Unit.

Law enforcement records for Dec. 29

The reports below were provided by the agencies indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Ephrata Police Department Dec. 20 Report of a catalytic converter stolen in the 2100 block of Basin Street Southwest. Report of a burglary in which numerous items including a firearm were stolen. Dec. 23 Report of a two-vehicle rear-end collision at the intersection of Basin Street Southwest and SR 282. Vehicle 2 stopped at the light and vehicle 1, which was behind vehicle 2, did not. Dec. 24 Report of a vehicle prowl in the 100 block of Crest Drive. A handgun was taken. Dec. 25 Report of a stolen vehicle recovered in the 1200 block of Cottage Street Southeast. A stolen motorcycle was also found at the location. Dec. 27 Report of theft from a business in the 1300 block of Nat Washington Way. Juvenile subject was contacted and the merchandise recovered. Othello Police Department Dec. 23 Report of a catalytic converter stolen on West Covey Road. Dec. 24 Report of a phone stolen in the 300 block of South First Avenue. Dec. 25 Report of a gas can stolen. Report of a brake light and passenger side window broken on a vehicle. Dec. 26 Report of a catalytic converter stolen on South Danielle Road. Report of a two-vehicle non-injury collision in the 400- block of East Main Street. Report of a vehicle prowl on North 10th Avenue. Unspecified items were taken. Dec. 27 Report of a vehicle prowl in the vicinity of Lions Park. Report of a gas can stolen on South Third Avenue. Report of a vehicle vandalized on East Main Street. Grant County Jail Dec. 20 Samuel Mendez Cantu, 40, Moses Lake, booked on DUI, operating a vehicle without ignition interlock and no valid operating license. Zachary Tyler Higgs, 21, Moses Lake, booked on Grant County District Court warrants relating to DUI, hit-and-run unattended property and first-degree negligent driving. Michael Motorhi Bensal, 46, Soap Lake, booked on fourth-degree assault – domestic violence. Dec. 21 Richard Lee Phillips, 43, Katy, booked on second-degree assault – domestic violence. Dec. 27 Tomas Quintanilla, 35, Moses Lake,booked on second-degree burglary and third-degree theft. Victoria Valerie Martinez, 28, Quincy, booked on third-degree assault and violation of a protection order. Cindy Perez Johnson, 56, Moses Lake, booked on violation of a no-contact order – domestic violence. Moses Lake Police Department Dec. 21 Report of two vehicles prowled in the 100 block of North Hamilton Road. One vehicle’s back window was broken out and a box containing personal documents stolen, while the other vehicle’s catalytic converter was stolen. Report of a catalytic converter stolen in the 500 block of West Broadway Avenue. Report of two subjects under-ringing items in the self-checkout of a business in the 1000 block of North Stratford Road. Report of a non-injury collision in the 500 block of North Dale Road. Vehicle 1 slid on a patch of ice and struck vehicle 2, which was parked and unoccupied. Dec. 22 Report of approximately $40 worth of merchandise stolen from a business in the 1000 block of North Stratford Road. Report of theft from a business in the 500 block of South Pioneer Way. Dec. 23 Report of a two-vehicle collision on the Alder Street Fill. Vehicle 1 slid on snow and rear-ended vehicle 2. No injuries were reported. Report of an assault in the 300 block of East Third Avenue. Victim, who was in his car at the time, was reportedly dating suspect’s ex-wife. Report of a three-vehicle collision in the area of South Lakeland and East Raymond drives. Vehicle 1 was unable to slow down at the intersection and struck vehicle 2, which then crashed into vehicle 3, which was parked on the side of the street. Report of a vehicle prowl in a parking lot in the 900 block of North Stratford Road. Approximately $250 worth of gifts was stolen. December 24 Report of a vehicle prowl in the 1100 block of East Saint Helens Street. Tools valued at $3,000-$4,000 were taken. Dec. 25 Report of an assault at a business in the 600 block of South Pioneer Way. Victim reported that two male subjects jumped him. One subject was contacted and admitted to the assault. Report of a stolen vehicle recovered in the 200 block of East Broadway Avenue. Occupants were taken into custody. Report of a DUI on Yonezawa Boulevard near Yonezawa Park. Officers observed vehicle stuck in the snow in the wrong lane, facing oncoming traffic. Upon contact, the driver was found to have four times the legal limit of blood alcohol. Driver was cited and released to a relative. Dec. 26 Report of a catalytic converter stolen in the 300 block of North Crestview Drive. Report of more than $4,500 worth of fishing equipment stolen from a boat parked in the 12000 block of North Frontage Road East. Report of boots stolen from a business in the 900 block of North Stratford Road.

Dennis Paul Mickelsen

Surrounded by those who loved him most, Dennis Paul Mickelsen, 54, lost his three-year battle with cancer on Nov. 8. Denny was born to Dennis and Linda Mickelsen and spent his childhood in Winlock, Washington on their family dairy farm. Most of his childhood memories involved working and learning on the farm. Known then as Denny Paul, he loved working with his dad, grandpa Clayton and the crew. He loved the cows, fields, and equipment – farming was truly in his blood. After graduating from Winlock High School in 1986, Denny attended Washington State University in Pullman. He worked hard to balance his rigorous engineering classes, working on the campus dairy and enjoying a social life. After earning his BS in agricultural engineering in 1991, Denny spent four years working as an engineer for the USDA/SCS, earning his professional license before returning to his true passion on the Winlock farm.