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.

Huskies earn home victory over Cougars

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (4-4) volleyball team earned a 3-1 win at home against the visiting Warden Cougars (1-6) Monday evening. “I feel like there were ups and downs, but overall I think we did pretty good,” said Huskies senior Whitlee Hollenbeck. The Huskies started the match strong, coming in with an early lead in the first set to take the victory over the Cougars 25-16. In the second set, the Cougars began to get in a groove, the score coming closer with the Huskies earning another set with a score of25-18. This shift was on full display in the third set as the Cougars pulled ahead of the Huskies to earn a 25-23 victory. The Huskies then rallied back in the fourth set to secure victory with a final score of 25-19.

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:

Legals for October, 1 2025

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.

Othello candidate forum Oct. 7

OTHELLO — Othello-area voters will get a chance to listen to candidates for local offices at a forum Oct. 7 at The Showhouse, 130 N. Broadway Ave., Othello. Showhouse co-owner Tania Morales said the forum is the continuation of what its former and current owners consider a public service. “The previous owners, the Reicherts, actually have held several candidate forums here,” Morales said. “And community members have approached us and told us, ‘You guys should consider doing this.’” School board positions are among the races on the 2025 ballot, which makes it difficult to use school district locations, she said. “The Showhouse has a stage, and lights and sound and everything. This is where the Reicherts (sponsored) them. A lot of people came up to us and said, ‘Hey you guys should do this.’ And we (said), ‘We’ve never done it before,’ and then we just said, ‘Hey, why not?’ So, we decided to go for it,” she said.

Adams County public works director resigns for new job

RITZVILLE — Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger will serve as the interim public works director while county officials search for new one. Longtime public works director Todd O’Brien resigned to take a job with the state County Road Administration Board. O’Brien said he has been employed by Adams County since a summer job in high school. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to do what I’ve done for the last 35 years,” O’Brien said. Adams County Commissioner Jay Weise said the search is underway.

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.

Jacks earn first win of the season

QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks (1-3) earned their first win of the season Friday, overcoming the Wapato Wolves 35-14 on the road. Head Coach Seth Longwill said he was happy with what he saw from his players. “I thought the kids really stepped up and they wanted it, they just kept fighting and playing hard, which is what we’ve been encouraging, not getting down and working together,” Longwill said. In the first quarter, the Jacks struck first after quarterback Pierce Bierlink found Jace Reyes on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The Wolves did not respond offensively, and the Jacks finished the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

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.

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.

Ephrata welcomes a sweet new shop

Moonbeam Sweets and Treats opens on First Avenue and offers desserts galore.

EPHRATA – Moonbeam Sweets and Treats is the newest addition to local businesses in Ephrata. The shop is located at 156 First Ave NW and features a variety of different sweet treats.

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.