Dept. of Ecology to host water webinars

SOAP LAKE - According to a city of Soap Lake press release, the Department of Ecology is inviting the public to two upcoming webinars about rulemaking and to consider designating Soap Lake and three rivers as an outstanding resource water. An outstanding resource water is a subset of high quality waters under Environmental Protection Agency guidelines...

Suspect barricades himself in RV outside Ephrata Walmart

EPHRATA - A man is in custody after a several-hour-long standoff at the Ephrata Walmart parking lot Monday night. Grant County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Kyle Foreman said Ephrata Police Officers responded to a call of a disturbance at the Dollar Tree, 1551 Nat Washington Way Ste A in Ephrata at about 6:30 p.m. When officers responded, Foreman said, the suspect, identified as Paul Cardwell, 62, of Bremerton, pulled a knife on officers and then proceeded to barricade himself inside his RV parked in the Walmart parking lot, neighboring the Dollar Tree. Over the course of about three to four hours, law enforcement requested the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team and tried to negotiate with Cardwell to comply and surrender, according to a GCSO statement. Officers detonated a flash bang at about 10 p.m. in an effort to get him to leave the RV. Later, tear gas was deployed in the RV. When that failed to work, GCSO K-9 Edo, whose handler is Deputy Tyson Voss, entered the RV and took Cardwell into custody at about 11:10 p.m. Cardwell was transported to Columbia Basin Hospital for treatment and was lodged in the Grant County Jail upon release from medical care. Cardwell has been booked on suspicion of intimidating a public servant, harassment (threats to kill), criminal trespassing and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He is being held without bail. Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at [email protected].

RECAP: Local teams prepare for state competitions

COLUMBIA BASIN – Many area teams are off to state competitions after last week’s results, all vying to bring home hardware. Check out this week’s local sports recap with updates on team records and placement through the season...

CWU honoring veterans this week

ELLENSBURG - The Central Washington University Veterans Center is hosting a series of events all week in honor of Veterans Day. “It’s a great chance for our servicemen and women to get out there and feel recognized,” said Veterans Center Director Ruben Cardenas in a CWU press release. “That’s what RED Week is all about.” ...

'A buddy bench

Larson Elementary hosts dedication of memorial honoring late student

MOSES LAKE — Ella’s Nana Lana Redal said purple was Ella’s favorite color. So the butterfly bench Redal commissioned in Ella’s memory reflects that. Sarah Steffler and her daughter Ella Muongmany were killed in a traffic accident in August of 2018, just before Ella was to start first grade at Larson Heights Elementary. Redal wanted to add a memorial for her daughter and granddaughter at Larson, where she is a first-grade teacher. The bench was dedicated Friday afternoon...

Zags Clinch Three Championship in Finale of the Gonzaga Invitational

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga men's tennis team concluded their 2022 fall tournament season with their performance in the final day of the Gonzaga Invitational earlier today. This was the second consecutive season that the Zags clinched three championships in their respective brackets.

Big Plays Not Enough for Eagles Against No. 15 Idaho

Eastern Washington football made the short road trip to Moscow to play No. 15 Idaho today (Nov. 5). Eastern put up two scoring plays of 70+ yards, but the Vandals would win the game, 48-16. The Eagles fall to 1-5 in the Big Sky and 2-7 overall this season. Idaho improves to 5-1 in conference and 6-3 overall. The start of the game was promising for Eastern, as Wyatt Hawkins kicked a 35-yard field goal and Keshaun King picked off Idaho inside their own territory. The Eagles were unable to take advantage of the turnover and were stopped on fourth down at 5:56 in the first quarter. Idaho then scored 21 straight points between the first and second

Cougars split season series at No. 16 Oregon as comeback falls short

EUGENE, Ore. -- Pia Timmer had 19 kills, Laura Jansen added 17 and Katy Ryan finished with a team-leading five blocks, but Washington State volleyball (17-8, 9-5 Pac-12) fell in four sets at 16th-ranked Oregon (17-6, 10-3 Pac-12), 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23, on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for WSU against the Ducks and was the first of the season in which the Cougars finished with more blocks (7-4) and a higher hitting percentage (.313-.307) than their opponents.

James Joseph Nelson

James Joseph Nelson of Whidbey Island, Washington passed peacefully in his sleep on Oct. 31, 2022, in Everett, Washington at the age of 79. Jim is survived by his wife Linda; daughter Heidi (Don) Sherman; son Christopher Nelson; stepsons Eric Dufur and Alan Dufur Petrick; grandchildren Shelby Nelson, Elizabeth Dufur, Andrew Dufur and Kylie Sherman; brother Mike Nelson and sister Mary (Dick) Niemeyer, along with numerous nieces and nephews. Jim was greeted in heaven by his father OT, mother Dawn Ann, brother Rex and sister-in-law Karen Nelson. Jim graduated from Moses Lake High School, attended Big Bend Community College, proudly served in the United States Marine Corps, and was a combat veteran, Vietnam.

Alvarez blasts Baker, Astros to World Series title vs Phils

HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a towering go-ahead homer and the Houston Astros clinched their second World Series title in six seasons and got Dusty Baker his first crown as a manager with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday night. As Alvarez's 450-foot blast in the sixth inning disappeared, Astros starter Framber Valdez jumped and wildly screamed in the dugout as fans in the crowd of 42,948 went into a frenzy waving their orange rally towels.

Local runners compete at state cross country meets

PASCO – The WIAA State Cross Country Championships were held in Tri-Cities this weekend, with several Basin teams and individual runners making the trip. See how local athletes fared in state competitions below.

Devils fall, Lions on to state

WENATCHEE – The MLCA/CCS Lions punched their ticket to state with an appearance in Thursday’s 1B District 6 Championship game against Entiat, while the Wilson Creek Devils were eliminated in the consolation bracket to Waterville-Mansfield. The Lions had defeated Waterville-Mansfield in the semi-finals to advance to the title game, while Wilson Creek had lost to No. 1 seed Entiat in the semis. “We played well against Waterville, and we had our shot,” MLCA/CCS head coach Dean Spurbeck said. MLCA/CCS took the first set 25-23 to take a 1-0 lead in the match, but the Tigers fought back to win the next three sets for a 3-1 win and a district title. Both teams qualified for state solely by making the championship game.

State Bound

Late touchdown sends Warriors to 1B State Tournament

COULEE CITY – Down by four to Wilbur-Creston-Keller with under a minute remaining and a trip to state on the line, the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors took the field on their own 49-yard line. On the game’s final offensive play, freshman quarterback Caden Correia rolled out to his left and flipped a pass about 10 feet into the air, which fell into the hands of sophomore running back Grayson Beal to put ACH up – and eventually win – 38-34. “I’m still processing what happened,” Beal said. “I saw Caden roll out, and I’m like, ‘Aw, they stopped it.’ Then I saw him flip it up in the air. I thought Kallen Maioho, from Wilbur, is gonna pick it, (he) slipped, I come down with it. Still in denial on what happened.” Correia said his inspiration for the pass, which was lobbed over several Wildcat defenders, came from the video game “Madden” as well as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Tigers on Top

Ephrata bounces back from 1-4 start to make 2A State Playoffs

CLARKSTON – The Ephrata Tigers began their season with a 1-4 record through the first month of the season. Now, that same Tiger team is off to the 2A State Tournament after a 17-7 win over Clarkston on Friday in the District 5/6/8 Crossover. “We played lights out on defense the whole game and held their really good passing attack in check for the most part except for one drive,” said Ephrata Head Coach Patrick Mitchell. “The kids played great and they prepared really hard all week for that moment and that atmosphere.” A 17-point second quarter was enough for the Tigers to hold on to the win over the Bantams, who finished second in the Greater Spokane League. Ephrata quarterback/linebacker Travis Hendrick first scored on a two-yard rush and followed up with a 35-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Mitchell said that the weather tailored to the run-heavy approach of the Tiger offense.

Othello advances to round of 16 with 48-14 win over Shadle Park

OTHELLO — With the Othello Huskies leading 21-14 after a competitive first half, the Shadle Park Highlanders kicked off to start the second half. The ball went to Othello’s Sonny Asu. Asu said he told his teammates at halftime that he would angle for the sideline if the ball came to him on the second half kickoff. It did, and he did. “I saw my blockers spread out in front of me, pushing back,” Asu said. He worked his way down the sideline and cut back about midfield. “And it was off to the races,” Asu said. 80 yards later Asu crossed the goal line, increasing Othello’s lead to 28-14 on the way to a convincing 48-14 win. With the win Othello advances to the round of 16 in the 2022 2A state football playoffs.

Weather Forecast for Monday, Nov. 7

Monday: A chance of rain and snow before 8 a.m., then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible. By Monday night, A 20% chance of snow before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31, while Tuesday night is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. By Wednesday night, it is expected to be partly cloudy, with a low around 12. Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. By Thursday night, it is forecast to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Friday, Veterans Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Source: National Weather Service

WSU develops new biogas process

RICHLAND — A Washington State University research team has developed a new method to treat sewage sludge and turn it into biogas – methane – that could help reduce the cost of waste treatment and help the environment, according to a WSU press release. The process involves adding oxygen-rich, high-pressure steam to help break down and convert as much as 85% of the sludge to biogas, which can be burned in the same way natural gas is burned, to generate heat and electricity, the press release said. Most wastewater treatment plants in the United States utilize an anaerobic digestion process in which bacteria, with no oxygen present, break down sewage waste. However, according to the press release, the process is inefficient and creates a fair amount of sludge, much of which is dried and carted to landfills. The high-pressure steam is added before anaerobic digestion, the press said, allowing oxygen to act as a catalyst in breaking down complex molecules. “This is not a very high-tech solution,” said Birgitte Ahring, an engineering professor at WSU. “It’s actually a solution that can be useful even at small scale. The efficiency has to be high or else you cannot warrant adding the extra costs to the process.” WSU is working with Richland-area clean-tech startup Clean-Vantage to help further develop and commercialize the technology, which was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Power lines downed as fierce windstorm blows across basin

MOSES LAKE — Damage was minimal in the Columbia Basin following Friday night’s windstorm even as recorded gusts topped 50 miles per hour in some parts of the region, according to the National Weather Service office in Spokane. NWS meteorologist Charlotte Dewey said the high wind recorded at the Grant County International Airport was 49 miles per hour, while the NWS recorded winds of 66 miles per hour in Mattawa — the highest speed in the county. Gusts of up to 51 miles per hour were recorded in Quincy, with winds reaching 41 miles per hour in Othello, 49 miles per hour in Ritzville, and 40 miles per hour in Lind. “The storm was pretty potent,” Dewey said. Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kyle Foreman said damage in Grant County was restricted to downed power lines, though there was a chimney fire in the 10000 block of Kory Lane north of Moses Lake that the wind pushed down the chimney. Foreman said crews from Grant County Fire District 5 responded and took care of the fire quickly.

Mattawa Council approves well rehabilitation

MATTAWA — Water, and ensuring there’s enough of it, was a subject of discussion at the Mattawa City Council meeting Thursday. Council members voted unanimously to rehabilitate one of the city’s three wells, following a recommendation from Nancy Wetch of Gray & Osborne, the city’s engineers. The well is located in Hund Park. “This well is your oldest well - I think it dates back to the late Seventies, early Eighties,” Wetch said. “At this time, it’s not running at all.” Engineers and city employees reviewed Mattawa’s existing water system in 2020, and from that came a recommendation to update the electronic systems on the Hund Park well, and if necessary do some work on the well itself. “It needs an updated warning system, updated controls, everything updated,” Wetch said.

Fire and power

Utility companies discuss fire season with UTC

LACEY - The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission held a virtual post-fire-season update with three utility companies; Puget Sound Energy, Avista Utilities and Pacific Power Thursday morning. “I know as late as October, we were dealing with wildfires in the state of Washington and this has become something of the new normal and it is imperative that our electric utilities make sure their infrastructure is safe and that their customers are safe during the risky fire seasons in our state,” said UTC Chair David Danner said in his opening remarks. The meeting allowed a representative from each utility company to give a presentation about how they prepared for fire season, what they faced this fire season, community outreach and education and plans for preparing for the 2023 fire season. UTC commissioners Danner, Milt Doumit and Ann Rendahl were active in asking each representative more in-depth questions about information in their presentations.