Holding court: Stoyan’s 42 points leads Soap Lake to win

WILSON CREEK – Soap Lake junior Pavlo Stoyan felt like he let his Soap Lake teammates down after fouling out of Thursday’s win over Bridgeport, so he followed that up with a 42-point outing in a 68-37 win over Wilson Creek on Friday night. “It feels good after kind of disappointing my team and letting them down a bit yesterday,” Stoyan said. “It feels good to get back and get a win for them.” The Eagles hit 12 shots from beyond the arc against the Devils, with Stoyan getting things started by hitting four three-pointers in the first quarter...

STUDIO BASIN: Funding the future, getting artsy, hoops and mats

COLUMBIA BASIN – On this episode of the Studio Basin podcast, Managing Editor Rob Miller and Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer discuss recent traffic accidents, funding for Moses Lake's new police station and the possibility of a hospital construction bond. Next, Shawn Cardwell, director of the Columbia Basin Allied Arts, joins the show to discuss local arts in the Basin. Lastly, sports reporter Ian Bivona recaps local sporting events over the past week including Moses Lake basketball and Othello wrestling...

State examining youth attitudes on tobacco, vaping

WASHINGTON - The Washington State Department of Health is looking for young people aged 13 to 17 to participate in an online discussion board to explore knowledge and attitudes toward tobacco and vaping to test creative concepts for a statewide tobacco and vaping prevention campaign. The discussion board will be open from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15...

Purdy, 49ers topple Seahawks 21-13, win NFC West

SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy never doubted he'd take the field for the 49ers with a chance at winning a division title. But how long Purdy would be able to play through his oblique injury lingered all night in the mind of San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan.

Port of Othello looks to expand water in Bruce Industrial Park

OTHELLO — The Port of Othello’s industrial park out at Bruce isn’t lacking for water. “We have plenty of water available and plenty of water rights,” said Chris Faix, the port’s executive director. “We actually have enough storage, we have plenty of pressure and everything.” ...

The Lights of Christmas brightens Quincy area

QUINCY - Folks around the Columbia Basin are excited to celebrate the holiday season with hot cocoa, decorated trees and plenty of Christmas lights and ornaments. That includes the people around Quincy that put on The Lights of Christmas, a display of spirit near Quincy...

Weekend events for Dec. 16-18

COLUMBIA BASIN - The events below offer local entertainment in the Basin to those who are getting a little cabin-feverish. Events are subject to change at the organizers' discretion...

Police records for Dec. 16

The reports below were provided by the police departments and sheriff’s offices indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Warming centers open

GRANT COUNTY - With cold and frigid temperatures on their way, there are warming locations around the Columbia Basin available to help keep people safe from the elements. All 30 NCW Libraries locations serve as warming centers during their regular open hours. NCW Libraries’ 10 Grant County locations include Coulee City, Ephrata, George, Grand Coulee, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Quincy, Royal City, Soap Lake, and Warden. Visit ncwlibraries.org/locations for more information. The Open Doors Sleep Center at the intersection of East Broadway Avenue and SR 17 in Moses Lake will be open as well. More Information at https://hopesource.us/moses-lake-1.

Bulldog men’s, women’s teams off to winning starts

SPOKANE – As the Gonzaga men prepare for their final three games of non-conference play and the women tip off conference games, both squads find themselves in the AP Top 25 rankings. The men’s team (8-3) checks in at No. 15 while the women’s team (9-2) ranks at No. 23 through their first nine games this season...

Cougs prep for Fresno State in LA Bowl

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — There will be many new faces on the field and calling plays for the Washington State offense in their bowl matchup against Fresno State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl on Saturday. WSU’s offensive coordinator Eric Morris was announced as the new head coach at North Texas on Tuesday, leaving the Cougars with a playcalling-by-committee approach against the Bulldogs. Head Coach Jake Dickert said at a press conference on Wednesday that offensive line coach Clay McGuire and wide receivers coach Joel Filani will head the playcalling responsibilities...

'Cream of the crop'

Local Civil Air Patrol Squadron celebrates accomplishments

EPHRATA - The Columbia Basin Composite Squadron held its annual Holiday and Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 to celebrate 81 years of the Civil Air Patrol. They will also be visiting area cemeteries this weekend to place fresh wreaths on veterans’ graves. “Support of the community has been huge,” said Squadron Commander Maj. Jerome Bonneville at the banquet. “We used to be the best-kept secret in the country.” ...

SR 17 collision closes highway Wednesday

MOSES LAKE - A collision on SR 17, between Stratford Road and East Broadway Ave, led to the highway being closed for over an hour. Just before 9 a.m. Wednesday a southbound vehicle crossed into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a northbound vehicle, according to a release by the Moses Lake Police Department. Another northbound vehicle was unable to avoid the collision and struck one of the vehicles as well...

State plans 2023 SR17 project in Moses Lake

Moses Lake examines particulars associated with new MLPD building

MOSES LAKE — The Washington State Department of Transportation is planning on resurfacing a lengthy stretch of State Route 17 through Moses Lake next summer, Moses Lake City Engineer Richard Law told members of the city council at a regular meeting on Tuesday. “They are going to be resurfacing SR 17 from I-90 to Randolph Road,” Law told council members...

Bond question: Samaritan commissioners weighing construction bond for new hospital

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare commissioners will sponsor a public forum Jan. 18 to get input from district patrons on a possible proposal for a construction bond to pay some of the costs of building a new Samaritan Hospital. “We are committed to moving forward in some way,” Christian said. “We are (discussing) what the best way is. We’re still gathering data, evaluating our community. We’re not ready to make a decision yet, because we want to make sure the decision is the correct one.” ...

PRO RECAP: Losing skids in Seattle

SEATTLE – Both the Seattle Kraken and Seahawks are in the midst of losing skids, with the Seahawks losing three of four and Kraken dropping four of five. Check out this week’s professional sports recap for updates on the two teams...

ACH girls dominate, boys fall to Manson

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline girls and boys basketball teams took to the court against Manson on Tuesday, with the girls taking home a dominating 53-15 win, and the boys’ squad suffering a heartbreaking 52-50 loss. Both teams entered their games against Manson 2-2, with the girls moving to 3-2 on the year and the boys dropping to 2-3...

Esther Cruz

Mrs. Esther Cruz (nee Cerna), a strong and loving wife and mother who devoted her life to family and friends, died peacefully in Othello, Washington on Dec. 10, 2022, with loved ones at her side. At the age of 96, Esther, who has been preceded in death by her husband Fausto and daughter Mary, is survived by sons John, and his wife Carol, Daniel, and his wife Kathy, Joe and his wife Peggy, and Richard, along with dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will miss her cheerful smile, hearty cooking, joyful laughter and sincere kindness. Esther was the youngest of 13 siblings, born to Tomás and Felicitas Cerna on July 28, 1926, in Minitare, Nebraska. She and Fausto were married in 1946 in Pasco, Washington and raised their family in various towns in central Washington. In the Moses Lake area, the Cruzes settled into the farming community, saw their daughter and boys marry and have their own kids, frequented wrestling matches and baseball games and maintained a garden large enough to sell truckloads of corn, beans, and raspberries at the farmers market. In addition to being a regular parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima, Esther was a friendly face behind the grocery deli counter for many years and an active volunteer at the senior center. Going into town with “Grandma Esther” was sure to involve numerous spontaneous conversations with people passing in the aisles, as she was well-known and respected by many.

EHS raises more than $5,000 for Toys for Teens

‘Everybody gives what they can, and look what it turns into’

EPHRATA - For more than 10 years, Ephrata High School has held an annual Toys for Teens drive to benefit local teenagers in the Ephrata area. “The kids raise the money (themselves),” said junior class Associated Student Body advisor Michelle Derr. “It’s all on them.” For one week, the EHS holds class competitions to see who can raise the most money which will then be spent on buying gifts for the teens that have been referred to them by local organizations...

Masquers to hold auditions for ‘Almost, Maine’

SOAP LAKE - Masquers Theater is calling for auditioners for their upcoming show “Almost, Maine.” “Almost, Maine” is set in a remote, mythical Maine town. As the play unfolds, the residents of the town find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways, according to a Masquers press release...