Quincy Police Department logs Dec. 26-Jan. 5

Quincy Police Department logs Dec. 26-Jan. 5

Seahawks confident in Sam Darnold after he flopped in his playoff debut last season

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Sam Darnold has all of one game of playoff experience, and the Seattle Seahawks would benefit if his second shot at the postseason went a little better than his first. Darnold guided the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 season and made the Pro Bowl in 2024, just as he did with Seattle this year. But Darnold struggled mightily in the playoffs last season, taking nine sacks as the Vikings lost 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams. His Seahawks teammates say they're not concerned with that one bad outing.

GCAO had a transformative 2025

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Animal Outreach achieved several goals in 2025, including groundbreaking on a new facility, nearly 300 adoptions and successes in community outreach. Challenges presented themselves in the form of the agency’s current outdated facility and animal hoarding.

Seven Basin school districts to run EP&O levies in February

EPHRATA — Voters in seven Columbia Basin school districts will be asked to accept or reject educational programs and operations levy proposals in a special election Feb. 10. Ephrata voters will decide on a construction bond in the Ephrata School District, and Warden district patrons will consider a proposal for technology improvements. Votes must be postmarked by Feb. 10, and mailing them at the post office on Election Day doesn’t guarantee that, said Ben Rodwell, elections deputy with the Grant County Auditor’s Office. “I would say (mail the ballot) at least a week early,” Rodwell said. “I wouldn’t recommend mailing it the day of the election.”

Metalwork exhibit opens Jan. 15 at CWU

ELLENSBURG — Beginning next week, the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery at Central Washington University will host Ferrous, a group exhibition of 15 innovative contemporary artists who transform iron into evocative works of art. The opening events will be held Jan. 15, beginning with a curator's talk by Renee Adams from 4-5 p.m. in Randall Hall, room 117. Adams is an alum of the CWU Department of Art + Design (MFA, 1999), as well as a local sculptor and blacksmith. A reception will be held in the gallery (Randall Hall, room 141) directly following the talk, from 5-7 p.m.

Huskies take close victory on the mat against Tigers

EPHRATA — The Othello Huskies and Ephrata Tigers had a close matchup Tuesday evening with the Huskies taking a 42-39 victory over their Central Washington Athletic Conference rival.

WEATHER: Jan. 8-14, 2026

Students from the Fire Science class at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center in Moses Lake put on their turnouts, picked up some of their gear and went for a walk on a sunny but cold Tuesday morning. Cold and windy conditions are forecast to continue throughout the week.

Bad debt, charity care expenses rising at local medical facilities

MOSES LAKE — For everyone in healthcare, from patients to hospitals to medical professionals, the challenge is who pays the bill. Sometimes the answer is that some or all of the bill doesn’t get paid, and the hospital or clinic has to absorb the costs. Janette Townsend, chief financial officer at Confluence Health, and Alex Town, chief administrative officer at Samaritan Healthcare, said it’s becoming a bigger problem. “Both bad debt and charity care have gone up in the last few years,” Townsend wrote in response to questions from the Columbia Basin Herald. “Bad debt has increased 214% and charity care has increased 63% from 2023 to 2025.”

Grant County Health District mandates overdose reporting

MOSES LAKE — In a move to enhance community health and safety, the Grant County Health District has implemented a policy requiring healthcare providers to report all opioid overdoses starting in Jan. 2026. This change, which centers on real-time data collection, comes as a response to the growing opioid crisis affecting the region, marked by rising overdose deaths and emergency medical service responses. The decision to classify overdoses as a reportable condition received unanimous support from the Grant County Board of Health, which approved it through Ordinance 2025-04. The GCHD has noted that while certain diseases are already mandated to be reported to local health authorities, overdoses have not been subject to similar requirements at the state level. The new reporting protocol is hoped to bridge the data gap. Dr. Alexander Brzezny, the Grant County Health Officer, said this matter was urgent.

Ephrata Fire Department reflects on 2025

Increase in calls, new equipment and future EMS funding challenges

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Fire Department experienced a busy year in 2025, responding to a total of 513 calls for service. Fire Chief Jeremy Burns provided an overview of these calls, revealing that approximately 65% were related to Emergency Medical Services, while only 10% were actual fire calls. The remaining 25% fell into various categories such as fire alarms, elevator rescues and hazardous conditions. “The bulk of our responses still falls right in that close to 70% category of EMS calls, which is where we’ve been training for years,” Burns said. In comparison to previous years, Burns indicated that call volume saw a slight increase. The department previously contracted with American Medical Response ambulance services, during which their call load averaged around 550 calls. After switching to Lifeline ambulance services in July 2023, Ephrata witnessed a reduction of almost 100 calls for service, primarily due to differences in the types of calls each service handled.

COLUMN: The perfect path to the Super Bowl for the Seahawks

One of the best time periods of the sports calendar is here – playoff football. As the college football playoff semifinals conclude, fans from across the country can remain comfortable on the couch as wild card weekend kicks off for the NFL. 12 teams will battle it out on their respective ends of the bracket to earn a chance to play at least one more game. Most importantly, to inch closer to claiming football immortality by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara, California, the host of Super Bowl 60. As the top seed, the Seattle Seahawks will play the lowest remaining seed in the NFC after this weekend.

One arrested for suspected Grant PUD wire theft

MOSES LAKE — On Jan. 3, Grant County Public Utility District filed a complaint with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office after noticing a hole cut in the chain link fence at the Wenatchee Drive substation. On Tuesday night, GCSO arrested Jeffrey Hughes, 50, of Moses Lake, for suspicion of stealing copper wire from Grant PUD, according to GCSO.

Wardenaar sinks 41 points as Knights earn blowout win

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (7-1) stormed the hardwood to defeat the Naches Valley Rangers 75-29 Tuesday. Head Coach Tim Ravet said the win was good to get the team back in a rhythm after suffering a loss earlier this week. “To come out and at least play inspired and hard was a good step in the right direction to get our wheels back underneath us, and hopefully continue to build (momentum), and to get ready for when we play them again,” Ravet said. After a steady start in the first quarter that saw the Knights take a 13-6 lead, they turned up the heat in the second quarter to take a commanding 29-9 lead over the Rangers. Strong paint presence by Grant Wardenaar and facilitating by Fischer Livingston helped Royal dominate on the court. In the second half, they continued to build that momentum by outscoring Naches Valley 46-20 to secure the win.

Defense powers Knights to statement win

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (9-2) defeated the Naches Valley Rangers 45-22 to bounce back into the win column Tuesday. After a strong performance in the paint, Graycie Kast was all smiles after earning her first home win as a Knight. “It feels good, (the community) brings the energy,” Kast said. The Knights capitalized on turnovers by the Rangers to build a strong lead in the first half. Kast drove the charge on offense by finding scores inside or drawing fouls to get to the free throw line. By halftime, Royal led 23-9. In the second half, they continued to impose their will on defense and widen the gap on the score board. Even when the Rangers found some momentum in the fourth quarter, the Knights defense was too much and they ultimately secured the win.

Janet Ingrid (Olesen) Huff

Jan. 18, 1934 — Dec. 26, 2025

Janet Ingrid (Olesen) Huff, 91, was born Jan. 18, 1934, in Sunnyside, Washington, on the Porter Ranch, where her parents were tenant farmers. Janet was the youngest of three sisters born to Danish immigrant parents Morris and Ingrid Olesen. In 1938, the family moved to their own small farm in Sunnyside where Janet lived until college. She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and earned scholarships to attend the University of Washington (UW). She graduated Cum Laude from UW with a teaching degree, earning the College of Education’s Top Senior award. Janet met George Robinson Huff in 1954 while both were attending UW. They were married on Dec. 17, 1955, in Seattle, and moved to Othello, Washington in March 1957 where she began her teaching career and George began his law practice. Janet taught kindergarten for 18 years followed by 10 more years instructing second-graders.

John Donovan

John, 88, was born on Nov. 7, 1937, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His parents were William Lawrence Donovan and Valleria “Vera” Caroline Nowak. John’s grandparents were John Nowak and Catherine “Katie” Nostek. John attended Boston University and the Hartford Institute of Accounting. In June 1956, John enlisted in the United States Air Force and served for a total of 36 years. He obtained an AS in management from the Community College of the Air Force, and continued his education, receiving an MBA from Eastern Washington University in 1978.

Two dead in early morning Moses Lake house fire

MOSES LAKE — Identification is pending for two people killed in an early-morning fire Wednesday in Moses Lake.

Brookdale Hearthstone Christmas Parade delights seniors, children

MOSES LAKE — The spirit of Christmas paid a visit to Brookdale Hearthstone Dec. 23, with a parade, a visit from Santa and lots and lots of candy for children.

GCFD 7 expands EMS, training programs

SOAP LAKE — As part of a concerted effort to improve emergency medical services, Grant County Fire District 7 has announced significant expansions to its coverage and operational capabilities. Under the leadership of Chief Erick Brittain, the district is now providing Intermediate Life Support in addition to its existing services, a move that is expected to greatly benefit the community it serves, said Brittain.

New Mattawa port commissioner interested in diversification

MATTAWA — Port of Mattawa Commissioner Kevin Anderson said the port is looking for new customers and ways to diversify the economy of the Mattawa area. It’s a lesson he learned during a 40-year career in maritime businesses, he said. He cited the barge company he managed as an example.