WA’s ban on assault weapon sales withstands another round in court

A judge last month once again upheld Washington’s 2023 law banning the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms classified as assault weapons. But the dispute is likely not over. The gun rights advocacy group suing to overturn the ban says it will appeal. And whether restrictions like Washington’s are constitutional may eventually be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington’s law doesn’t prohibit owning assault weapons, just their manufacture, importation, distribution or sale. The term “assault weapon” is defined in the law, including with a list of specific firearm models, such as AR-15s.

Wahluke falls to Tri-Cities Prep in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 46-24 in their home opener by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars. Despite the loss, Head Coach Makai Hirai said he was proud of the effort his players gave on the court. “That was the biggest thing that I took away is we had a lot of effort. We have a lot of girls who are hungry, and the coaches were excited about (that). Our girls look pretty motivated ... they’re working hard,” Hirai said. The Jaguars started fast and held the lead the entire game. Tri-Cities Prep put up double-digit scores in each quarter except for the third. The Warriors finished strong with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars came out victorious.

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.

The Floral Cottage opens in Ephrata

Local shopkeeper helps celebrate special moments with floral flair

EPHRATA — The Floral Cottage, a new floral design shop owned by Liz Graaff, held its open house Monday, drawing members of the community to celebrate the launch of the store. Located in the heart of Ephrata, the shop provides flower arrangements, plants and locally sourced gifts inspired by Graaff’s passion for floral arrangement. "I absolutely love flowers," Graaff said as she welcomed each guest into her shop with a smile.

Local organizations collect Christmas presents for children

MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot of talk about the true meaning of Christmas, but it’s hard to deny that one of the best parts is seeing children open their new toys.

Sparkles and Confetti can fill your home with holiday joy

MOSES LAKE — Sparkles, left, and Confetti, right are both up for adoption at Grant County Animal Outreach. These two pups are perfectly wonderful at bringing holiday joy. Both are female dogs, spayed, vaccinated and microchipped. Now, all they need is for you to fill out one or both of their applications. Convinced? Visit GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org and get started on adoption applications, we know you want to... However, if you can’t adopt these sweet girls, but would like to help a local shelter, visit the website and click “donate.” GCAO also needs dog toys, treats and blankets, if you would prefer to drop off items to the shelter.

‘People connector’

Small business mentor Allan Peterson prepares to retire

MOSES LAKE — Allan Peterson is hanging it up after more than two decades of helping the little guy find success. “(We) really appreciate all that he has done for Grant County,” Grant County Economic Development Council Director Brant Mayo said. “He’s been an unsung hero of the growth in this area.”

Moses Lake Police logs as of Dec. 3, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Moses Lake Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Operation Human Freight leads to multiple arrests in Fife

FIFE — In an action aimed at combating human trafficking and prostitution, the Washington State Patrol has arrested nearly a dozen individuals in an overnight operation dubbed “Operation Human Freight.” The operation, which took place on November 25, 2025, was orchestrated by the WSP’s Commercial Vehicle Division in response to reported suspicious activities near truck stops in Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties.

Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests

EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.

MLSD pursuing legal action to end work stoppage

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District has filed suit to return teachers to the classroom, district Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said Wednesday. The district announced it has filed paperwork with Grant County Superior Court to end the work stoppage and order employees back to work. There will be a hearing on the matter later this week, according to the district.

'We could use just about everything'

Moses Lake Food Bank looking for donations of food, funds

'We could use just about everything.'

Mavs pull ahead of Tigers in season opener

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers and Moses Lake Mavericks basketball teams faced off in their first game of the season on the Tigers home court. It was a close competition, but ultimately the Mavs came out on top with a 48-37 victory. “It was a little slow in the beginning, but I think it’s just first game of the season, I think we have really good guys and I’m excited for the season,” said Taggart Rathbun, a junior for the Mavs. The Tigers took control in the first quarter, scoring 13 points and holding the Mavs to only three. Moses Lake quickly turned things around in the second quarter where they scored 17 points to tie up the game at 20-20 at the end of the half.

Mavs take a road win over Tigers to start season

EPHRATA — The Moses Lake Mavericks basketball team went on the road to face the Ephrata Tigers, the first game of the season for both teams. The Tigers showed grit on the court, but the Mavs took home the victory with a final score of 48-23. “I felt like things were a little shaky; we had a lot of adrenaline,” said Mavs Head Coach Matt Strophy. “We had a couple of air balls at the top and so we settled in and settled down.” The Mavs made a good start over the Tigers with a strong defensive performance in the first half. MLHS kept up the pressure on the net and kept Ephrata under 10 points until the final few seconds of the half when Maycee Black scored a layup to put the score at 23-11.

Warriors fall short in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.

UW soccer enters elite 8 of NCAA Tournament

STANFORD, Calif. — The University of Washington Huskies soccer team (13-6-2) will continue their postseason bid into the quarterfinals after overcoming Stanford on Sunday. This win marks the eighth time the Huskies have won at least 13 games in a season under Head Coach Jamie Clark.

Caligo is ready to come home with you

OTHELLO — Caligo is a very sweet girl who loves to play and has a lot of energy. Fully-grown, she’s a graduate of the Ridge Dog program and is well behaved. She’s medium sized in-person, but has a ginormous heart that will pull you in. Like all of the pets available for adoption at Adams County Pet Rescue – adamscountypetrescue.com - Caligo is spayed/neutered, up-to-date on all of her shots and microchipped. For more information, visit the shelter’s website. The shelter is located at 1961 W Bench Road in Othello. If you are unable to adopt, donations may be made on the shelter’s website and volunteers are appreciated.