Ephrata Fire Department named 2025 Volunteer Fire House of the Year

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Fire Department has been awarded the title of "Volunteer Fire House of the Year" for 2025 by the Washington State Firefighters Association, significant recognition for the primarily volunteer-based team.

Quincy woman drowns when car goes into canal

QUINCY — A 24-year-old Quincy woman died when she lost control of her car and drove into a large irrigation canal near Quincy, apparently sometime Sunday. Erika Martinez Chavez was driving on a canal maintenance road near Road 7 Northwest when she apparently lost control of the vehicle, according to a press release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle went into the canal and Martinez Chavez was unable to get out of the car, the GCSO release said. “This was one of the larger canals,” said Kyle Foreman, GCSO public information officer. “It’s about 75 feet wide and the water was about 20 feet deep.”

Wenatchee Valley College announces cost-saving measures

WENATCHEE VALLEY – Wenatchee Valley College announced on Tuesday that the school will be implementing cost saving measures that will include the suspension of several programs and reducing course section offerings going into the 2025-26 year. “We want to make sure that we can be the college of choice in North Central Washington,” said Tod Treat, Vice President of Instruction at WVC. “For us to do that, everything we do has to be excellent and we have to have the resources to put into the things that we’re offering to ensure that they’re excellent.” These changes to the school have come about as Washington state is facing a budget shortfall of over $12 billion.

BASIN EVENTS CALENDAR: May 23-31, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Memorial Day weekend is a busy one, with the three-day weekend and – hopefully – beautiful weather. Here are some things going on in the Basin this week: May 23 Tee Off for Tails Swing into action for the animals. Meet some adorable adoptables and grab some grub at the barbecue. Donate dog food, kitten formula, laundry soap, or bleach directly to Grant County Animal Outreach and get a free round of mini golf. 12-9 p.m. at Lake Bowl, 1165 N. Stratford Road, Moses Lake. Info: 509-762-9616.

New Washington law directs $100M in grants toward hiring police, improving public safety

OLYMPIA — On his first day, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson angered many Democratic lawmakers by demanding the Legislature put $100 million in the next state budget to help local police departments hire police officers. “That idea was a cornerstone of my campaign for Governor. Any budget I sign must include this funding,” he said in his Jan. 15 inaugural address. On Monday, there were clear signs of a rapprochement as Ferguson signed House Bill 2015 that embeds a $100 million grant program in a broad policy bill designed to let local and tribal governments decide how best to use those dollars – even if that means not hiring a single new cop. “It’s a wonderful bill,

Mattawa Council approves proposed contract with police union

MATTAWA — After a negotiation process that went to mediation, the Mattawa City Council voted May 15 to approve a new three-year contract with the union representing Mattawa Police Department officers. The vote was 4-2, with council members Tony Acosta and Fabiola Hernandez voting no. City Attorney Kathryn Kenison said it was a challenging process. “We didn’t think we were going to get there, but we asked the mediator to work with us a little longer and this is what the parties compromised on,” Kenison said. “The open items were mostly the financials.”

Current and future development focus of Adams County Commission discussion

RITZVILLE — Adams County Commissioners discussed possible options for the design of a new evidence facility for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office near Othello, but it was part of a wider-ranging discussion about the future. County officials obtained funding for a building in 2021 and decided to build it on county-owned property adjoining the Othello Fairgrounds. Commissioners have discussed using that property for additional county buildings, and Commissioner Jay Weise said he wanted to at least think about how they want to use that land. “What we don’t usually do is think ahead,” Weise said. “Then it ends up that the people who are sitting here in our seats 10 years from now are (saying), ‘We have a mess.’ Could we at least have done something that kind of sets it up, so the decisions aren’t as much of a rat’s nest?”

Report: Pacific Northwest states some of the worst for military retirees

(The Center Square) – The Pacific Northwest is home to the worst states for military retirees, with Washington state coming in No. 50 and Oregon ranking No. 51, according to a new study by WalletHub, a personal finance platform and app. WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three broad categories: economic environment, quality of life, and health care in its “2025’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees.” Rankings were also based on several subcategories, including retirement-friendliness toward veterans, job opportunities for veterans, and housing affordability.

Civil Air Patrol prepares to head to California

EPHRATA—The Civil Air Patrol’s Color Guard is preparing to head to California on Saturday for its regional competition. “What we’re going to be doing here is we’re going to be cleaning our rifles, practicing for a uniform build, and reading over the ledger we’re going to practice for the upcoming competition,” said CAP Second Lt. Austyn Miller.

Second annual Brent Reese Memorial Car Show coming June 7

MOSES LAKE — The Brent Reese Memorial Car Show is roaring back around June 7. “Our first annual (car show) was a wild success,” said Jeremy Reese, who organized the show in honor of his father, who passed away from ALS in 2020. “We raised about $4,000.” Last year’s show featured 64 registered vehicles and about 1,200 spectators came by to admire them, Reese said.

Moses Lake BMX hosts Gold Cup qualifier tournament

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake BMX had a busy weekend May 17-18 with two days of action-packed bike competition. The two-day affair saw over 400 riders each day of competition, according to Moses Lake BMX Track Operator Jeff Niehenke. “The event went incredibly well; we have a huge group of volunteers that really executed well, even despite the huge rain delay. Everything ran smoothly, and we ran a very quick event, which is hard to do with that many riders and the logistics involved,” Niehenke said. On Saturday, the event for the day was the double-point state qualifier, which saw around 450 riders compete. The races started at 1 p.m. and were running smoothly until a thunderstorm rolled in and caused delays. The rain made the track too muddy to be safe for riders, so Niehenke and the BMX crew had to delay the second half of races until the next morning.

Legals for May, 20 2025

Spokane Tech Hub must reapply for $48M grant under Trump's new criteria

(The Center Square) – A Spokane-based aerospace manufacturer must reapply for $48 million in funding after the Trump administration announced changes to the grant program on Friday. Established under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, the Tech Hubs Program intends to bolster semiconductor manufacturing nationwide. The Biden administration allocated $500 million to the initiative just before leaving office, but President Donald Trump wants to pull some of that back. Nearly half of the allocation relied on future revenues while awarding grants to six of 31 hubs based on applications from almost a year ago. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Friday that each awardee must reapply and compete against the other hubs for the funding.

1,100-acre fire contained near Grant-Kittitas border

ELLENSBURG — On Sunday afternoon around 12:35 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to Bourne Springs for a fast-moving wildland fire at the Yakima Training Center. “It occurred in an open training area, and it was caused due to training activities,” Yakima Training Center Public Affairs Officer Paul Noel said. The fire was located near the Grant County and Kittitas County border, near Mattawa.

Mavs unified soccer is about family, not competition

MOSES LAKE – According to Ryan Hadfield, his coaching background is 100% in baseball. At least that was the case nine years ago when he arrived at Moses Lake High School and there wasn't an opening for a baseball coach. After talking with the athletic director, he learned about Moses Lake’s unified sports program.

Touch a Truck event supports Ephrata Food Bank

First responders, local companies gather to ensure locals are fed

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Fire Department's annual "Touch a Truck" event Saturday drew a crowd despite early rain showers, as community members visited the Splash Zone parking lot to engage with a variety of large vehicles. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., served as both a fun outing for families and a fundraiser for the Ephrata Food Bank.

Knights secure back-to-back district titles

ROYAL CITY – The Knights boys soccer team (16-3) defeated the Wapato Wolves (14-5) 3-1 to win their second straight 1A district championship Saturday. Anderson Brown contributed heavily for the Knights, accounting for two goals in the first half.

Weather for the week of May 19, 2025

Weather for the week of May 19, 2025

Food and Folk Festival returns to Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival will have some changes the second time around. “This year we decided to have it a month earlier because last year on that day it was 100 degrees and higher,” said Ruthann Tobiason of Friends of the Lower Grand Coulee, which sponsors the event. “We know it kept a fair number of people away … We actually had a performer back out at the last minute because it was too hot and dang, I don’t blame her.” Last year’s one-day event drew a respectable turnout for an inaugural effort, enough that it’s been expanded to two days this year, June 20-21. Friday’s festivities will be homegrown, with an open mic at the Soap Lake Community Center and open mic followed by live music from Rebel Hearts at Cloudview Kitchen.

BASIN EVENTS CALENDAR: May 16-24, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s the merry, merry month of May and there are lots of ways to keep occupied in the Basin. Here are a few things happening this week: