Construction should begin in early 2026 on Othello broadband expansion

OTHELLO — Installation of additional fiber optic cables south of Othello is projected to start early next year. A bid for the project should be awarded before the end of this month or in early January. Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger said the timing of the project depends on selecting a contractor, a process that has hit a roadblock. “Until a contract and contract bond are executed we will not know an estimated construction timeline,” Yeager wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. Adams County received a $10.3 million Washington Department of Commerce grant in 2022 to expand fiber connectivity. The area south of Othello is the second and final phase of that project. The county is installing the fiber; providing internet service to homes and businesses will be the work of private companies. The new fiber backbone will provide access south and southwest of the Othello city limits, an area around the Othello Golf Club along West Bench Road and surrounding subdivisions. Some areas originally in the county project got fiber access from the expansion of private companies in the meantime.

Awareness helps prevent porch pirates’ success

EPHRATA — At least 58 million packages were stolen in the U.S. last year, with about 25% of Americans being the victims of theft, according to the United States Parcel Service. At the local level, there are thefts occurring regularly as well, but that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck being the victim, authorities say. “The experience of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office is that package theft happens regularly,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. “It is a crime of opportunity. When someone’s out looking to try and make a quick buck, they may drive through a neighborhood looking for unattended packages on the front porch.”

Iowa State hires Jimmy Rogers as coach after Matt Campbell leaves for Penn State

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State wasted no time finding a replacement for Matt Campbell, hiring Washington State's Jimmy Rogers as its football coach on Friday night. The Cyclones moved quickly after Campbell left to take over for the fired James Franklin at Penn State on Friday. They agreed to a six-year deal with Rogers, who led Washington State to a 6-6 record in his lone season after a two-season run at South Dakota State that included an FCS championship.

Young Huskies team falls in first two matchups

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls basketball team fell short in their first two matchups of the season, losing 33-50 on the road Tuesday against Omak and 32-46 at home against Connell. Despite this, the young Huskies team is still optimistic. “Things didn’t go too bad, but they could’ve gone a lot better,” said Huskies sophomore Khloe Valdez. “Could have connected a little bit better as a team and talked some more.” Following a tough loss against Omak, the Huskies returned home on Thursday to play the Connell Eagles in another nonleague matchup. In the first quarter, the Eagles scored eight unanswered points before the Huskies put up four by the end of the quarter.

Moses Lake School District, teachers union reach tentative agreement

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Education Association announced late Friday night that the union has reached a tentative agreement with the Moses Lake School District. Classes will resume Monday, according to a press release from the MLEA.

Six-peat!

Knights win sixth straight 1A state championship

ROYAL CITY – The Royal Knights (13-0) are the 1A state football champions for the sixth straight season. The Knights held off a late comeback by the Cashmere Bulldogs to win 21-20 at Husky Stadium.

Huskies earn two wins to start off the season

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies basketball team got its season off to a good start with two victories. The first was on the road Tuesday with a 69-42 win over Omak and the second was in an exciting home matchup against the Connell Eagles Thursday night. “We started off a little rough in the first quarter and we brought it up in the second quarter,” said LJ Nunez, a sophomore for the Huskies. After defeating Omak handily on the road, the Huskies were excited to return home to face Connell. The Huskies started off very strong in the first quarter with Quade Gonzalez sinking back-to-back threes and Nunez keeping pressure under the net to earn six points, but Connell would quickly gain momentum and pull ahead of the Othello toward the end of the quarter.

Sheila Ray Verhey

April 14, 1936 – Nov. 30, 2025

Sheila Ray Verhey, 89. longtime Royal Slope farm matriarch and co-founder of Verhey's Peaches, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 30, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Born on April 14, 1936, in Wenatchee, Washington, Sheila moved with her family to Yakima at age 12. She attended St. Joseph's Academy prep school, where she would meet her future husband, Dan Verhey, a student at neighboring Marquette High School. After Dan completed his tour of duty in Korea, they married and moved to Pullman to begin their family. Following Dan's graduation from Washington State University, he took a job as a teacher at Royal High School, where, with Sheila’s support, he launched the athletic program and was the first athletic director and first coach of football and wrestling. The family settled in Royal City, which barely existed at the time, and soon established their family farm north of town.

Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office

SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.

Republicans prepare for 'train wreck' as Democrats eye new taxes to fill $2B gap

(The Center Square) – House and Senate Republicans say they have a “front row seat to a train wreck” next month as the Legislature prepares to fill a $2 billion state deficit with more taxes amid record spending.

Mini-farm for sale has deep Grant County roots

SOAP LAKE — There’s a little piece of history in the mini-farm for sale east of Soap Lake. “It’s been with the same owner since the 1930s,” said Anna Van Diest of Moses Lake Realty Group, who is listing the 25.19-acre property at 20226 NE Adrian Road, just south of SR 28. The well, still in use, was dug in 1931, she added, more than two decades before the Columbia Basin Project brought irrigation water to the Basin. There’s not much left now of the town of Adrian, but if things had gone a little differently in 1910, the Grant County Courthouse might have been located where the farm now stands. When Grant County was formed out of the eastern part of Douglas County in 1909, the city of Ephrata, then just over 300 people, was named the county seat. The people of Adrian got up a petition the following year to grab the county seat away, according to the Washington history site historylink.org, but were defeated in a 945-802 vote. A few remnants of the town and the railroad cutoff nearby are still visible from the road or in aerial photos.

Legals for December, 5 2025

Shingle is looking for a good spot on the couch

OTHELLO — Shingle is one of those dogs who loves a good belly rub – or a mediocre belly rub for that matter, according to his friends at Adams County Pet Rescue.

Royal SD voters to decide on educational programs and operations levy in February

ROYAL CITY — Royal School District voters will be asked to accept or reject a two-year educational programs and operations levy request in a special election Feb. 10. If it’s approved, it would replace the district’s existing levy approved by voters in 2024. Royal Superintendent Roger Trail said the levy rate would remain unchanged.

Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill

WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”

WA COLLEGIATE SPORTS SCHEDULE: Dec. 5-12, 2025

MOSES LAKE — College athletes head deeper into the winter season as the remaining fall teams prepare for deeper runs in the post season. See where your favorite teams will be heading this weekend.

From overtime thriller to championship stage

The Knights meet Cashmere once again

ROYAL CITY — On Friday, the No. 1 seed Royal Knights (12-0) will travel to Husky Stadium to play the No. 2 seed Cashmere Bulldogs (11-1) in the 1A state championship game. The Knights Head Coach Wiley Allred was not surprised to see the Bulldogs reach the state championship game. “I was hoping there wasn't a team better than them, because that's a pretty tough team right there. We'll meet our match,” Allred said. When these two met in October, it was the Knights pulling off a late comeback to win 21-15 in overtime. Coming into that game, both teams were undefeated. The Knights had only allowed seven points all season, while the Bulldogs had not allowed a score by any team.

Lions open the season 2-0

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions got off to a strong start to their season taking two home games against Touchet and Entiat on Tuesday and Wednesday to start their season 2-0. “I think it went good, I think we got a little jumbled during the (second) game, but I think it was it was a good game for us to start off,” said Lions senior Brynlynn King. The Lions dominated in their season opener against Touchet on Tuesday, holding their opponent to five points total and preventing a single score in both the second and third quarters. The MLCA/CCS offense and defense were on full display in this game as they won 59-5.

Lions’ Ferguson hits 1K points in win over Entiat

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions basketball team earned a statement 75-29 win in their season opener against Entiat. During this victory, Lions senior Johnny Ferguson hit a personal milestone of 1,000 career points. “I didn’t even know that I was going to hit 1,000,” said Johnny. “I was pretty shocked and it was a surreal moment.” The Lions started the game off with a strong offensive front while also preventing their opponent from scoring for the majority of the first quarter, gaining an early 25-7 lead. This continued into the second quarter as the speed and physicality of the Lions’ game plan kept Entiat down to extend the lead to 49-13 by the end of the half.

COLUMN: A moment of gratitude during conflict

At the time of writing, the Moses Lake Education Association is on its third day of striking as they work toward an agreement with the Moses Lake School District. It’s no secret these strikes have led to a ripple effect of outcomes, the most notable that school has not been in session this week as negotiations continue and teachers strike.