Sustainable jet fuel production coming to Grant Co.

MOSES LAKE — Groundbreaking is scheduled for early July for a new facility that its owners say will manufacture aviation fuel from hydrogen, carbon dioxide and electricity. Nicholas Flanders, co-founder and CEO of Berkley, California-based Twelve, announced the construction of the new facility Monday at the Paris Air Show, accompanied by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “We have a groundbreaking next month,” said Richard Hanover, director of business development for the Port of Moses Lake Tuesday...

ML to fund 2023 fireworks, looking at Ag Parade drone show

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted to hold a traditional 4th of July fireworks celebration in McCosh Park this year, but is also looking at the possibility of having a drone show as part of the annual Ag Parade later in the year. Speaking at a regular meeting of the council on Tuesday, Moses Lake Museum and Art Center Manager Dollie Boyd said the city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department would organize this year’s fireworks display since neither the Downtown Moses Lake Association nor the Moses Lake Farmers Market wanted to take on the task.

MLHS Torres signs with Wenatchee Valley

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake High School’s Jazlynn Torres signed to play both volleyball and softball with Wenatchee Valley Community College Tuesday. “She’s consistent, she’s coachable, she’s a leader,” said MLHS softball coach Mike Hofheins. “I mean, she’s got all those things, those check marks you want for a college athlete so she’s going to be a huge asset to Wenatchee.” Being able to play both sports was a large part of her decision to choose WVCC, Torres said...

Adams Co. economy shows signs of slowing in December

RITZVILLE — After declining for 19 consecutive months, the year-over-year unemployment rate in Adams County increased in November and December 2022. The county’s unemployment rate in December 2022 was 7.6%, up from 5.9% in December 2021. Unemployment also increased between November and December 2022. November’s unemployment rate was 4.9%...

Nurse license compact passes committee

OLYMPIA — A bill allowing Washington to join the interstate Nursing Licensure Compact passed the House Committee on Postsecondary Education and Workforce Friday. “We’re prioritizing the areas where we have a lack of workers,” said Rep. Alex Ybarra (R-Quincy), the ranking member on the Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee. Ybarra said the House has already passed interstate compacts for dentists, dental hygienists, speech-language therapists and mental health counselors this session. There is also a bill for an interstate compact for massage therapy but it has not gotten out of committee...

Woman arrested and charged with raping 15-year-old boy

EPHRATA - Andrea Campos Hernandez, 22, Moses Lake has been arrested after an investigation into alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old Warden High School student, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. “The alleged misconduct started in 2021 when the boy was 13 and Hernandez was 21,” the statement said...

Task force on missing indigenous women proposed to continue

OLYMPIA — A state task force on missing indigenous women, created in 2021, will be extended at least two more years if a Senate-passed bill is approved by the House and governor. The bill, Senate Bill 5477, sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, would implement recommendations identified in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force...

Green hired as chief of Quincy PD

QUINCY — Ryan Green was sworn in as the new Quincy Police Department Chief at the Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday. Green had been serving as the interim chief following the resignation of Kieth Siebert in February. Council members voted 5-0 to approve a contract with Green and appoint him as the new chief...

'Opportunity to do a little bit more'

Downtown Moses Lake celebrates Halloween

MOSES LAKE — There were kids in costumes. Adults in costumes. Live music in Sinkiuse Square. Trunk or treating all along Third Avenue. Simplot even handed out baskets of free fried potatoes. That’s how the city’s first annual Harvest Festival went on Saturday as hundreds of people gathered in downtown Moses Lake for three hours to enjoy the sun and celebrate the season. “It went great,” said Rosenda Henley, the new executive director of the Downtown Moses Lake Association, which organized this year’s festival. “It was a great day, and it turned out to be nice and sunny.” ...

Tentative date set for opening new Othello District Court

OTHELLO — Othello city officials have established Jan. 13 as the tentative date for the first hearings before the new municipal court. Jessica Melo, the court administrator, gave Othello City Council members a timeline for opening the court at the regular meeting Dec. 12. “Currently, we intend on having court once a week,” Melo said...

Fundraising raffle underway for Quincy PD’s Cops & Kids

QUINCY — The Quincy Police Department is sponsoring a fundraising raffle and accepting donations for the department program that works to make the holiday season brighter for families in need. The winners in the QPD “Cops & Kids” raffle will be announced Nov. 3. Jazzlynn Silva, a detective with QPD and one of the organizers, said the department provides Thanksgiving meals for families as well as assisting the families at Christmas. “We aim to help eight to 10 (families),” Silva said. “It all depends on the money that we raise.”.....

New flag in Moses Lake

Moses Lake markes 40 with Yonezawa sister-city relationship

MOSES LAKE — There’s a new flag on display in the Moses Lake City Council chambers. During a regular meeting of the Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday, Ginny Hirai and Terry Moore, both members of the Moses Lake - Yonezawa Sister City Committee, formally unfurled a Yonezawa city flag that will now be on permanent display in Moses Lake City Hall. “I want to thank the city of Moses Lake for accepting this flag from our sister city Yonezawa, Japan,” Hirai told council members. “To have it displayed here in this room will have a special meaning too, and our future visitors from Japan will appreciate seeing it here.” ...

Soap Lake looks to digitize records

SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake City Council unanimously voted during Wednesday’s regular meeting to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to digitize city records. The meeting also featured a notice from the Soap Lake Community Prevention Coalition as well as the swearing-in of a new Soap Lake Police Officer...

Planning begins for new Quincy public works shop

QUINCY — The city of Quincy might be building a new public works shop. Quincy City Council members awarded a $22,000 contract to MJ Neal Associates, Wenatchee, to design the new shop and prepare a project budget at the regular meeting Aug. 1...

Mattawa developing parks plan

MATTAWA — Mattawa residents will be asked their preferences for recreation facilities in town as part of the preparation of a parks and open space plan. The city received a grant from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office to write a plan, the prerequisite to applying for funding for parks projects...

New Grant Co. jail site prep to begin in Sept.

EPHRATA — Grant County residents can expect to start seeing activity on the site of the new Grant County Jail in early September. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said the first phase of the job will be cleaning up the site at 14156 Road B.3 NW, Ephrata. Contractors interested in bidding on that job walked around the site Tuesday...

CWU to host One Health Conference on Aug. 16

ELLENSBURG - Central Washington University will be hosting the 2023 One Health Conference(link is external) on Wednesday, August 16, on the Ellensburg campus. The event, co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Health and Washington State Department of Agriculture, is an opportunity for cross-sector sharing and collaboration on human, animal, and environmental health issues...

Warden council approves port annexation agreement

WARDEN – The Warden City Council voted unanimously during Tuesday’s regular meeting to approve and sign an annexation agreement with the Port of Warden following a public hearing on the issue. The council also discussed grant applications for transportation infrastructure updates. Before the public hearing, Warden City Administrator Kriss Shuler explained to the council what the annexation agreement is...

FRESH NEWS: Water lower but warmer while fishing remains good

MARDON - The water level on the Potholes Reservoir is 1030.80 feet – dropping another 1.7 feet this week. The water temperature is in the upper-70s on the main reservoir. The water temps in the sand dunes are in the mid-80s.

Adams Co. approves Hatton Road contract

RITZVILLE — The Adams County Public Works Department discussed Tuesday during the regular Adams County Board of Commissioners meeting approving the Hatton Road Safety Project contract with Central Washington Asphalt, along with another project’s pay retainage estimate and updating the interlocal agreement with the city of Othello. “The Hatton Project; I have contracts here for that for the board to look at,” said Assistant Public Works Director Troy Reynolds. “That one starts in a month or so.” ...