Three local fires spring up, and one killed in fire near Medical Lake

MOSES LAKE — If going out the front door Saturday morning felt – and smelled – like walking into a giant ashtray, there’s a reason for that. The Air Quality Index in most of central Washington, including the Columbia Basin, was rated unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency, using data from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The AQI, determined by measuring particulate matter in the air, ranged between 163 in Mattawa and 190 in Ritzville. Moses Lake’s AQI was 176, while Quincy was at 182 and Soap Lake was at 189. The air in the Spokane area was even worse, according to the EPA, with AQIs well over 300 in places. For the air to be rated as healthy, the AQI must be lower than 50...

News Bites for Aug. 18, 2023

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Police Department Interim Chief Cpt. Dave Sands issued a statement regarding a Sunday shooting in the 800 block of Loop Drive in Moses Lake. In the announcement, Sands said Jeremy Flores, 36, of Moses Lake, was killed as a result of wounds sustained in the incident. Two other Moses Lake residents, ages 16 and 18, are expected to recover from their injuries sustained in the same shooting...

AC 101: Maintaining your air conditioner

An air conditioner's filters, coils, and fins require regular maintenance for the unit to function effectively and efficiently throughout its years of service. Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases...

Soap Lake Conservancy pushing for Outstanding Resource Water classification

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake Conservancy and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are pushing for Soap Lake to be designated as an Outstanding Resource Water by the Department of Ecology, the proposal for which is open to public comment until Sep. 27...

Motorcyclist killed near Ritzville

RITZVILLE — A motorcyclist died in a collision in Adams County early Sunday morning, according to a statement from the Washington State Patrol...

WSU's Ward named to Manning Award watch list

NEW ORLEANS – Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward was named to the 2023 Manning Award Watch List, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced Tuesday.

Food grants

Moses Lake Food Bank implementing new funding and still going strong

MOSES LAKE — Community Services of Moses Lake, a local food bank and regional food distribution center, is still going strong and preparing to implement new grant funding, said CSML’s Operations Manager Peny Archer. CMSL provides a food bank for residents of Moses Lake and distributes food to 49 food banks across Grant, Adams, Lincoln, Benton, Yakima and Whitman counties, said Archer, who has worked at the food bank for 23 years after starting as a volunteer...

FIRE REPORT: High temps increase fire risks

PORTLAND, Ore.— Almost 85% of all fires in the Northwest this year have been caused by human action, according to data from the Northwest Interagency Fire Center, which tracks wildfires in Washington and Oregon...

West Nile virus found in Grant County

MOSES LAKE — Two mosquito samples taken in Grant County have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to a statement from Grant County Mosquito Control District No. 1...

“The hard work has paid off”

MLHS’ Perkins, Blackman compete at Junior Olympics

EUGENE, Ore. – Two of Moses Lake’s track and field athletes took their talents to Eugene, Oregon for the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Championships last week, with senior Paige Perkins and junior Hunter Blackman both having strong showings at the meet. “Being able to go there and represent (Moses Lake) is pretty big,” Perkins said. “Of course, we had Hunter (Blackman) there, and he did phenomenal for it being his first time and being younger in his age group. The honor of it is pretty big.” ...

Baird Springs fire prompts guardrail repairs this week

QUINCY — Travelers between Quincy and Wenatchee could face delays Monday and Tuesday as contractors make repairs to guardrails that were damaged by fire July 10...

Raging success

18U, 14U Rage claim top-three finishes at NAFA nationals

NEWBERG, Ore. – Two Washington Rage fastpitch softball teams brought back hardware from the North American Fastpitch Association Summer Nationals, with the 18U and 14U Rage placing second and third in their respective brackets. “For our teams to go down there and do as well as they did, it’s pretty exciting,” said Bob Richardson, general manager of the Washington Rage organization and head coach for the 18U and 14U teams. “It bodes well for the future, especially with these younger girls.” ...

WJGA state tournament comes to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – More than 250 youth golfers will be in attendance for the 47th Annual Washington Junior Golf Association State Championship in Moses Lake next week, with golfers ages 8-18 competing in eight different divisions over a three-day span. “We’re very excited,” WJGA Executive Director Tyler Johnsen said. “It’s our culminating event of the season, and this is actually the first time we’ve ever been in Moses Lake.” ...

Cloudview Farms celebrates summer, sunflowers, and community

EPHRATA – Hundreds of community members came out Saturday to Cloudview Farm for the Second Annual Summer Sunflower Fest, which featured numerous local vendors, booths and activity stations for children and adults. “We have grown our reach and had double the amount of people that attended from the first year,” said Julie Johnston, Cloudview’s education and community coordinator...

Hot, dry spring dries up Eastern Washington

OLYMPIA — Water, water everywhere… or maybe not. The irrigation situation in Eastern Washington has made a turnaround compared to recent years. “We are not in a drought, officially,” said Emily Tasaka, communications manager with the Washington State Department of Ecology. “We've issued a statewide drought advisory. That's not the same thing as a drought emergency. It's not that we won’t call one later, but at this time we haven't issued a formal statewide drought emergency.” ...

'23 Showdown

Car show coming to Ephrata this weekend

EPHRATA — Old and new cars, old and new trucks, four wheels, two wheels, cars with tricked-out trunks, cars with tricked-out engines, vehicles still in progress - those cars and any other vehicles beloved by their owners are being invited to the second Basin Summer Showdown car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The show is in a new location for 2023 the Grant County Courthouse, 35 C St. NW in Ephrata. Organizer Ricardo Gutierrez said that while car guys and car girls own just about every kind of vehicle imaginable, they all have something in common. They love their cars, they love to show off their cars, and they love to see what other people have done with their cars...

Parents honor son’s love of fashion with scholarship

PULLMAN - Max Pitts is impossible to characterize in just a few words. His family and friends describe him as a loyal, fun-loving, social butterfly. He was a Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity member and a basketball and football fan. He also had a passion for streetwear and fashion, leading him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in apparel merchandising through Washington State University’s Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles (AMDT)...

Martinez Fellowship leads to opportunities for CWU education grads

ELLENSBURG - Two recent Central Washington University School of Education graduates have an opportunity to make an immediate impact in their local communities after being selected for the Martinez Fellowship(link is external) program. Beginning this summer, Marcus Culler and Martha Goodwin will participate in the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) program for the next two years, hoping to combine that experience with what they learned at CWU to become better educators...

Francis Oren ‘Buzz’ King

Buzz, 79, was born in Nampa, Idaho, one of six children of Francis S. King and Rose Marie McGuire King. Early in life his family lived in Owyhee County and later moved to Nampa where Buzz attended and graduated from High school. A part of his heart will forever belong to Owyhee County where great-grandparents, grandparents and parents were homesteaders. After high school he went into the National Guard during the Berlin Crisis. Upon his return he made several attempts at finding his career, working at a gas station and in insurance, and wiring panels at Boeing. After moving back to Caldwell, Idaho he became a journeyman electrician belonging to the IBEW at Dry Lake Electric in Nampa, Idaho. One afternoon he saw the line crews coming in and decided that was for him! He borrowed a pair of climbing hooks and went home to practice climbing poles. He soon became a journeyman lineman.

'I’m very excited for the guys to get back at it.'

Eagles looking forward to ‘23 season at Big Sky Media Day

SPOKANE – Coming off a 3-8 season, Eastern Washington Head Coach Aaron Best showed his enthusiasm about moving on to the upcoming 2023 campaign at Monday’s Big Sky Media Day in Spokane. “We didn’t have the best season last year, (there’s a) bad taste in your mouth,” Best said. “I’m very excited for the guys to get back at it.” ...