Local BMX track brings in riders from around state

MOSES LAKE - With a newly-installed track, the Moses Lake BMX Association has begun hosting races twice a week, taking place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. at the Larson BMX Track. “We’re racing twice a week right now, our season goes from April through November,” track operator Jeff Neihenke said. “Kids race anywhere from one-and-a-half-year-olds, and we actually have a 55-and-over classification.” ...

MLFD saves pets from Marina Dr. fire

MOSES LAKE — Firefighters responding to a fire at a trailer house on Marina Drive last Thursday rescued and resuscitated some pets that had been trapped in the burning house, according to a press release from the Moses Lake Fire Department.

Cari Cortez: Managing the moving pieces of the housing shortage

Cari Cortez’s official title with the City of Moses Lake is housing and grants coordinator. It sounds simple, but there’s more involved than people may realize.

Battle of the Badge to return to Larson Playfield

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Police Department and Grant County Sheriff's Office will be hosting their Battle of the Badge community outreach softball game on July 20, raising money for local community outreach programs. “It’s a great event,” MLPD Evidence Technician Miranda Martinez said. “It’s been a great way to get people to come out and we’re human too, you know. We just want to go out there and have fun. At the same time, it’s entertainment.” ...

July 4 fun in the Columbia Basin

COLUMBIA BASIN - The Columbia Basin has several different events over the Fourth of July weekend for people of all ages to enjoy.

The little things

Hiring a handyman for small jobs

MOSES LAKE — It’s not a very big job you’ve got in front of you. A fence with a few holes, a door to replace, something like that.

Big Bass Tournament Trail makes way to Othello

OTHELLO — A Big Bass Tournament Trail event will be making its way to Potholes State Park next weekend, hosted by Limit Out Performance Marine. The Shootout at Potholes competition, entering its fifth year, will pin anglers in a team where they shoot to catch the five biggest fish of the day...

Washington population continues to grow

OLYMPIA — There are 7,864,400 people living in Washington as of April 1, 2022 — an increase of more than 158,000 since the 2020 census, according to estimates compiled and published by the Washington State Office of Financial Management...

WSP seeks witnesses to Mattawa hit and run

GRANT COUNTY — The Washington State Patrol is seeking witnesses or anyone who might have information about a hit and run accident south of Mattawa early Wednesday. ...

Moses Lake man booked in association with Okanogan Co. burglary

OKANOGAN — A Moses Lake man has been booked into the Okanogan County Jail in connection with a burglary near Oroville where more than $20,000 in cash was stolen...

Fire chief grateful for mutual aid after Tuesday fires

SOAP LAKE - June 28 was a busy day for Grant County firefighters. At least five different wildfires broke out around the country prompting responses from local departments and mutual aid from throughout the county. Grant County Fire District 7 Chief Kirk Sheppard said he was on vacation and out of the state when the fires broke out but he appreciates all the mutual aid partners who responded to the call for support. “I want to throw my heartfelt thank you out to all the support from the community but more importantly all of the other firefighting agencies that came to provide us mutual aid,” said Sheppard. “You know, without the bond between all the fire departments, there's no way that small agencies like mine would be able to handle these things.”...

State high court condemns former Grant Co. prosecutor’s conduct

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously overturned the 2017 conviction of a Moses Lake man charged with assaulting police officers, ruling that then-Grant County Prosecuting Attorney Garth Dano engaged in prosecutorial misconduct by by asking jurors their opinions of illegal immigration during jury selection. “We conclude that the prosecutor’s questions and remarks apparently intentionally appealed to the jurors’ potential racial or ethnic bias, prejudice, or stereotypes and therefore constitute race-based prosecutorial misconduct,” wrote Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson in the court’s majority opinion. “I haven’t had time to review it,” Dano said Thursday of the ruling. “And I don’t want to say anything without reviewing the ruling.”...

Othello man dies from wounds sustained in June 26 shooting

OTHELLO — Charges are pending against two Othello boys in connection with the death of an Othello-area man following a shooting June 26...

Grant Co. unemployment falls, pandemic job losses recovered

GRANT COUNTY — Unemployment in Grant County has fallen to 5.7%, the lowest level since November 2021, with non-farm industrial employment recovering all the jobs lost since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, according to a report from the Washington State Department of Employment Security. ...

Japanese ag students arrive at Big Bend

MOSES LAKE — Thirty-one Japanese exchange students arrived at Big Bend Community College this week to start their 19-month-long studies in the United States as part of the Japanese Agricultural Training Program...

Seattle Mariners’ season thus far

SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners came into the 2022 season after winning 90 games the previous year, finishing one game outside of the final wildcard playoff spot in the American League. Now sitting at 35-41 nearly halfway through the 2022 season, Seattle has a quickly fading chance to turn their season around if they hope to make the postseason for the first time since 2001...

Quincy School District superintendent contract extended

QUINCY — Quincy School Board members have extended the contract of Superintendent Nic Bergman through June 2025. Board members approved the new contract unanimously at their regular meeting Tuesday. “Implementing the strategic plan is going to be my work,” he said Wednesday...

MLPD to get new bodycams, plate readers

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake police officers are going to get new body cameras as older models begin to wear out. “We got these body cameras in 2016, they are six years old, and we’re starting to see failures,” Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said. At a regular city council meeting on Tuesday, Fuhr told city council members the body cameras currently used by the MLPD are beginning to show their age. Fuhr also said a new state law requires police officers to record all interviews, and current camera equipment simply does not allow the MLPD to comply with the new law. Council members unanimously approved a request from Fuhr to spend slightly more than $48,000 to buy 52 new cameras and 7 docking stations to charge them, with the money coming from a $100,000 state grant to help the MLPD comply with the new law. Council Member Deanna Martinez asked Fuhr if the request would provide a body camera for every MLPD officer, including the new mental health specialist from Renew — formerly Grant Integrated Services, Grant County’s behavioral health agency — expected to join officers this fall. “Yes, that includes animal control, but not the mental health person. They will not be our employee,” Fuhr said. Council members also approved a request from Fuhr to spend $75,000 on cameras that can read license plates. Called automated license plate readers (ALPR), Fuhr said the MLPD already has one mobile camera in a patrol vehicle and would like to equip more cars with mobile cameras and deploy a few stationary cameras across the city. Fuhr said the city of Yakima recently set up a number of stationary cameras, which use text recognition software to discern a license plate that can then be compared with a database of stolen vehicles or vehicles owned by wanted suspects, and within a 30-day period detected 68 stolen vehicles and arrested six people. He also told council members about a recent incident of vandalism in which a vehicle driven by suspects in the crime was caught on video. Had the city had an ALPR system in place, it is likely the vandals could have been apprehended. “ALPR is the next big thing in law enforcement since DNA testing,” Fuhr said. “It helps out not just with stolen vehicle recovery but also with criminal activity.” Fuhr said the money for the license plate readers will come from a separate state grant given to the MLPD under a program to assist police departments in high-crime communities. Council Member Dustin Swartz, however, wondered just how long videos, images and license plate numbers of vehicles would remain on the MLPD’s system. “It’s only effective if the equipment is recording traffic,” Swartz noted. Fuhr responded that while the system takes images of all license plates and officers can save images for as long as they need to, by default the ALPR system only keeps those license plate images stored for 60-90 days. “They’re not just sitting out there, always,” Fuhr said. Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected]. ..

ML student makes Wheaton College dean’s list

WHEATON, ILL. — Moses Lake High School graduate Zach Henninger made the Spring 2022 Wheaton College dean’s list, according to a college press release. To earn a spot on the Wheat College dean’s list, an undergraduate must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale and carry a full course load of 12 or more credit hours, the press release said.

Quincy student graduates from the University of Findlay

FINDLAY, OHIO - Kaitlyn Coleman, of Quincy, has graduated from the University of Findlay. Coleman received her Bachelor of Science in Echocardiography and graduated from the university with the academic designation of magna cum laude.