Legals for October, 1 2025

MLSD cross country students threatened with firearm

MOSES LAKE — Frontier and Endeavor middle school cross country students were approached by a vehicle whose occupants threatened them with a firearm Tuesday afternoon, according to Moses Lake School District Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon. “As we understand, law enforcement is actively investigating and nothing has been completely confirmed by law enforcement, but we were told that a vehicle drove up to a group of students and a gun was pointed at the students,” Shannon said. “That is where we are at this point; law enforcement is actively investigating the situation.” All students and staff are safe, and no injuries occurred. The students were en route to return to Frontier Middle School to be reunited with families as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. Around 60 students were participating in the cross-country activity, Shannon said, and all of the parents and guardians of those students will receive a phone call from him explaining the situation. “The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of the Moses Lake School District,” Shannon said. “Regarding the situation this afternoon, we will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and provide all information to the public as it becomes available to us.”

Washington’s minimum wage to top $17 in 2026

OLYMPIA — Washington state’s minimum wage will surpass $17 per hour in 2026. It will rise 2.8% to $17.13 per hour, starting Jan. 1, the state Department of Labor and Industries announced Tuesday. The current $16.66 per-hour wage already leads the nation, though California and parts of New York are close at $16.50. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25. The cities of Seattle, Bellingham, Burien, Everett, Renton, SeaTac and Tukwila all set minimum wages higher than the state. As does unincorporated King County. Advocates in Lynnwood are looking to join that list, as they gather support for a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $20.24 per hour there.

Oct. 1 brings new taxes for Washington businesses and consumers

(The Center Square) – A new slate of taxes goes into effect on Wednesday. The changes were passed as part of the 2025-27 biennial budget package, which lawmakers approved in May, and are projected to generate billions in revenue.

Moses Lake man arrested after Coulee City standoff

COULEE CITY — A Moses Lake man was arrested and booked in the Grant County Jail Monday on a felony warrant from Pasco. Kelly Joe Blackburn, 42, was found hiding at a house in Coulee City and refused to come out. Grant County Sheriff’s deputies found Blackburn at a residence in the 100 block of First Street in Coulee City, according to a GCSO media release. The Pasco Police Department had issued an arrest warrant on suspicion of rape. “A tip on Monday afternoon led deputies to the home,” the GCSO release said. Deputies acted on the tip at about 2 pm. Monday, but Blackburn refused to come out of the house. Deputies eventually found him at about 5 p.m., hiding in a pile of clothes in an upstairs bedroom, the release said.

Ephrata man injured in SR 17 collision

EPHRATA — The Washington State Patrol is investigating a collision at the intersection of state Route 17 and state Route 28 Monday that sent an Ephrata man to Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Danny Rhoads, 43, was driving east on SR 28 at about 4 p.m. Monday when a motorhome driven by Cody Johnson, 71, Soap Lake, failed to stop at the stop sign, according to WSP press memo. Johnson pulled in front of Rhoads’ vehicle, the memo said, and Rhoads ran into the motorhome. Johnson and a passenger in Rhoads’ vehicle, a 17-year-old boy, were not injured.

Basin Volleyball round up – Sept.24 - Sept. 29

MOSES LAKE – As the 2025 Basin volleyball continues, teams are preparing to make their push for a spot in the post season. See below where your favorite teams stand. The numbers in parenthesis indicate the team's current record.

Vikings fall short against CBC

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team (2-13) played in a close three-set match against Columbia Basin College Friday evening, but ultimately fell to their opponent 0-3. “(CBC) has some solid hitters that just came in with a lot of speed and quickness,” said Vikings head coach Lindsey Linthicum. “We’re just still trying to find that inner confidence.” The Vikings started off slow, losing their first set 12-25. Linthicum said she had the players trying out a different rotation to switch things up, but this caused the team to struggle.

College football recap

MOSES LAKE – Another week of college football in Washington has wrapped up. Some teams fell short in conference play, while others were an imposing force over their opponents. See below where your favorite collegiate football programs stand.

Mavs compete at Mukilteo Invitational

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks’ girls swim and dive team traveled to Cascade High School to compete in the Mukilteo Invitational on Saturday where they earned fourteenth overall out of the 31 teams. “It went good – that’s the pool where we go back for our state competition in November, so it was getting some of the girls used to it that have never been there. And for other people that have been there, they get a chance to compete against some of the top swimmers in the state in probably the fastest pool in the state,” said Mavs head coach Tony Preston. The top finish for the Mavs came in the 100-yard freestyle event, where senior Bria Bodenman earned seventh place with a final time of 57.16. Dallie Cobb earned twenty-third in the event with a final time of 59.90 and twenty-second in the 50 Freestyle event.

Ephrata PD logs for Oct. 2, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Ephrata Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

WorkSource Job Fair coming Friday

MOSES LAKE — Job seekers will have a chance to connect with employers at the WorkSource Job Fair Friday.

Charles Frederick Widmer

Nov. 8, 1943 — Sept. 22, 2025

Charles Frederick Widmer, 81, of Moses Lake passed away peacefully on Sept. 22, 2025, with his wife and son at his side. He was born in Woodburn, Oregon on Nov. 8, 1943, to the late John and Louise Grant and later adopted by Albert and Hannah Widmer of Warden, Washington. Charles was a dedicated family man, a loving husband to his wife of 54 years Carol and a proud supportive father to his three children Deborah, Charles Jr. and Christopher. He attended Big Bend Community College before being drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam. He returned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, as a sergeant E5. He served his country from July 21, 1969, to April 19, 1971. He returned back to Warden, Washington and farmed until he retired.

Live grenade discovered in family’s front yard

HARTLINE – Grant County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a residence in 600 block of Willard Street in Hartline Monday after a three-year-old boy found a live hand grenade in his family’s front yard.

Thi Sahn Ayers

Jan. 1, 1936 — Sept. 23, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Thi Sanh Ayers, who peacefully departed on Sept. 23, 2025, in Moses Lake, Washington, at the age of 89, after a long battle with various illnesses. Born on Jan. 1, 1936, in Can Tho, Vietnam, Thi Sanh moved to the United States in 1975 and dedicated the last 50 years to making Moses Lake her beloved home. A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Sanh will be cherished for her fierce fighting spirit, her incredible survivor mentality, and her deep passion for gardening, cooking, and fishing.

Palmer’s Adventure Farm kicks off Fall Fest

MOSES LAKE – Palmer’s Adventure Farm has begun its Fall Fest over the weekend. Formerly known as StrawBelly’s, the farm held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to celebrate their new branding and new location.

Samaritan Hospital opening scheduled for March 2026

MOSES LAKE — The projected opening day for the new Samaritan Hospital is about six months away. “We expect that we would get the temporary certificate of occupancy Dec. 12,” said Samaritan Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan. “And then the first patients March 7, 2026.” Construction has reached the stage of painting walls, installing doors, finishing installing lights and starting to install equipment. Crews were putting together some of the imaging equipment Tuesday morning.

UMANI Festival hosts second lucha wrestling show

MOSES LAKE — On Saturday, Columbia Basin Allied Art and Northwest Pro Wrestling hosted the Lucha and Lowriders Wrestling show at the Youth Dynamics building. It was the UMANI festival’s second time hosting the wrestling show. CBAA Executive Director Shawn Cardwell called Saturday’s event a dream. “I thought the crowd was amazing,” Cardwell said. “We had papas bringing their daughters and grandchildren. It’s a dream for any presenter to have a crowd like that, to work with performers like that, and to be hosted by venues like (Youth Dynamics). It was so good all around.” This year’s show was held indoors, unlike last year when it was held outside on Division Street, Cardwell said. Holding the event indoors made it more family-friendly, she said. Fans packed into front of the event space. Ahead of them on the basketball court was a ring with a blue mat, ropes taped yellow, white and blue, and a black curtain lining the outside of the ring.

Legals for September, 30 2025

WA fuel prices still second-highest in nation

MOSES LAKE — For the second week in a row, Washington has the second-highest average fuel prices in the nation at $4.56 per gallon, an eight-cent decrease from last week. California, the only state in the nation with higher prices, is sitting at $4.66, according to AAA. “Pacific Northwest drivers are getting some relief now that a pipeline issue has been resolved and pump prices are trending downward,” AAA wrote in a statement Thursday. “The Atlantic hurricane season is halfway over, but the tropics remain a concern for the next two months if there’s storm activity in the Gulf that affects refineries in the area.”