Truck crash slowing traffic near Ritzville

RITZVILLE — Drivers should plan for slowdowns on Highway 395 south of Ritzville Wednesday morning while crews remove a partially blocking semi, according to information from the Washington State Patrol.

College Toolkit offers valuable new resource for underrepresented populations

ELLENSBURG — Prospective college students in Washington who are on the fence about pursuing a degree have a new online resource to help them figure out if higher education is right for them. The College Toolkit, which launched last month, provides prospective students — specifically those from underrepresented backgrounds — with valuable information about how to apply to college and pursue financial aid. The website features additional resources for families, along with video portraits of four current college students who share their stories and tips, along with things they wish they knew when making the decision to attend college. “I thought I could get a job somewhere and work my way up, but a lot of jobs ask for the four-year degree and they need the four-year degree, so I took that and decided, ‘I really need to go to college,’” Central Washington University aviation management major Janae Martinez said in the video. “I need that degree to get to my end goal and where I want to be in life.”

Columbia Basin Hospital reintroduces $30 million bond proposal

EPHRATA — Columbia Basin Hospital is once again submitting to the community a $30 million bond proposition aimed at expanding its facilities and services. The bond will go before voters in the November general election. The bond was rejected during the primary election, with around 46% of voters in favor. It aims to address pressing infrastructure needs and enhance health services within the community, according to Administrator Rosalinda Kibby. “We are a public hospital district which means that our only chance to fund a project this big. We can afford smaller projects like $10 million, $5 million or projects of that size. We just did the emergency department remodel for less than $5 million,” Kibby said. “But when it comes to adding a new building, that will need to be done with public help.”

Old Time Fiddlers keep tradition alive at senior center

MOSES LAKE — Old-time music is alive and well once a month at the Moses Lake Senior Center. “Anybody can join,” said Charlie Root, the chairman for District 11 of the Washington State Old Time Fiddlers Association, which covers Grant and Adams counties. “We play just acoustic instruments. It can get kind of wild when you get electric instruments. We try to keep the old-time sound. One person will do their song and everybody else will back them up. Everybody takes a turn, and they go around again until we run out of time.” Despite the name, there was actually only one fiddle at the Senior Center Sept. 21, played by Gail Johnson. Genie Wehling played an accordion. Leroy Boyd, Larry Ramm and Jerry Galahan all played guitar. Root also played guitar, but he alternated it with banjo.

UMANI Festival sees successes in 2025

MOSES LAKE – The Annual UMANI festival was held on Saturday this year on Third Avenue hosted by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, the Moses Lake Public Library and EDUBS. “It went really well,” said Colombia Basin Allied Arts Executive Director Shawn Cardwell. “We’re grateful to the city for hosting us so generously and I think every performance was fantastic, all the food was delicious, all the resources were engaging, and the lowriders were gorgeous.”

Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry to host volunteer work party

SOAP LAKE — Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry is inviting community members to join a volunteer work party on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to dusk. The event aims to prepare the facility for the upcoming winter season, and food and drinks will be provided for all volunteers. Interested participants can RSVP by texting President Shawna Kluge at 509-237-5722. “We are making as much progress as we can to get ready for winter,” said Kluge. “We still have two roofs at our previous rescue location that need to be moved, and we have a few roofs that are not yet complete. Completing these tasks is critical as winter approaches.” The volunteer event will revolve around various activities geared toward ensuring the safety and comfort of the animals during the colder months.

SENIOR EVENTS: October 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — The leaves are changing color and fall fun abounds, both for seniors and for their grandchildren. Check out these options:

Sports Schedule Oct. 1-8, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Homecoming week is here for many of our local athletes in the Basin and with that comes some big home matchups. Check out who the local teams will face off against this week.

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.