Eastern Washington site of de facto EV school bus experiment

(The Center Square) – With cold weather and long distances, eastern Washington state would seem an unlikely region to find school district officials excited about electric buses. Mike McCain, transportation director for the Reardan-Edwall School District, is looking forward to the experiment.

GCFD 3 pays off two fire stations

QUINCY — A facilities committee will be evaluating Grant County Fire District 3 stations to determine priorities for upgrades following the final payment on the bond that built the main fire station in Quincy. Fire district officials announced last week the bond was paid off at the end of 2024.

Moses Lake museum to showcase preschool artists

MOSES LAKE — The 200-plus artists whose work will go up this week at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center draw their inspiration from many giants in the field: Picasso, Mondrian, Kahlo. What they have in common is that they’re all 3-5 years old.

Warden brothers open dispensary in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – The grand opening for Grant County’s newest dispensary, Green Roads Cannabis happened Friday. The dispensary is owned and operated by two Warden brothers, Eddie and Rolando Rodriguez. The new store is located on 224 West Valley Road in the former Valley Eye Care building.

Big Bend Community College Viking Food Pantry fills a need

MOSES LAKE — For Big Bend Community College students, the Viking Food Pantry can help them bridge a crucial gap. Food Pantry Director Tara McCoy said there aren’t a lot of options out by the campus for students who don’t have transportation to the grocery store – or who might lack the resources for food.

CBIT continues investigation on Grant Co. Jail death

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Police Department Captain Troy Froewiss released a statement regarding Central Basin Investigations Team regarding the death of Richard Lambert in the Grant County Jail. Lamber was found deceased in his bunk at the Grant County Jail Dec. 31.

Basin students make WSU President's List

PULLMAN — Washington State University has released its President’s List for fall quarter 2024, which includes 117 students from the Columbia Basin, according to the announcement. A student qualifies for the President’s list if they maintain a grade point average of 3.75 or higher while enrolled in at least nine graded credits, or a GPA of 3.5 for at least 15 cumulative credits if the semester GPA is a 3.0 or better, according to the university.

Cupid’s Market coming Feb. 8

MOSES LAKE — Love, as well as a whole lot of crafts and food, will be in the air Feb. 8 at the Moses Lake Farmers Market’s Cupid’s Market. “I have 68 stalls and they’re full, with two vendors outside,” said Market Manager Chris Haguewood.

Knights win SCAC girls league championship

ROYAL CITY – Royal's girls wrestling team was crowned South Central Athletic Conference league champions at Wednesday’s league championship meet in Royal City, scoring 210 points as a team to win the tournament.

Basin events for Feb. 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Crafts, music and a whole lot of Valentine’s Day events are in store this month in the Basin. Here are a few things to check out:

Two major power outages in Grant County

MARDON — On both Wednesday and Thursday, Grant Public Utility District had large-scale power outages. A major outage affects more than 50 customers, according to the PUD.

LETTER: A statement from MLSD board president Kirryn Jensen

I want to take a minute to talk directly with you about something I know is on a lot of people’s minds –our district’s finances and the calls for a forensic audit. I’ve heard your concerns loud and clear, whether it’s been through conversations, at meetings, or even on social media. I get it. This has been a tough situation, and people want answers. Right now, we’re in the middle of a deep dive with the state’s comprehensive audit. This isn’t just a quick once-over; it’s a full-scale review to figure out what went wrong, how we got here, and what needs to change. I think it’s important to let that process play out before making any big decisions, like committing to a forensic audit. But let me be clear: I’m not ruling it out. If the state audit shows it’s needed, I will absolutely consider it and take it to the rest of the board for discussion.

Under the sea

Royal Middle School robotics team clinches championship with plastic-eating worms

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Middle School Oceanic Outlaws robotics team is headed to Nationals. The eight seventh- and eighth-grade students took home the Champion Finalist award at the FIRST LEGO League state competition in Spokane Jan. 18, according to their coach, RMS science teacher Theresa Piper. “We started robotics back in September, and they've been working really hard on investigating a problem and then developing an innovative solution based on this year's theme for research,” Piper said. “The theme was ocean exploration, and they've been talking to experts all over the world and developing different solutions, testing out and deciding which was the best.”

2024 projects, challenges continuing into 2025 in Quincy

QUINCY — Accommodating growth and upgrading infrastructure were the big challenges facing the city of Quincy in 2024, and they’re the challenges going into 2025. Quincy City Administrator Pat Haley said the city’s water and wastewater treatment facilities have been, and will continue to be, at the top of the agenda. “(Evaluating) what’s required in terms of growth and upgrades. Our facilities are aged, or at capacity, and that’s probably true for those cities of our size or communities that are growing,” Haley said. “So, we’re still pretty aggressively working on those things.”

Taking to the streets

Expanded Brews & Tunes coming to Moses Lake on March 15

MOSES LAKE — It may feel like spring is a long, long way off, but Moses Lake is gearing up to welcome it back March 15. “Brews & Tunes is St. Paddy’s Day weekend,” said Downtown Moses Lake Association Director Mallory Miller. “It’s the first event that happens after wintertime and people are ready to get out of the house. Last year it was 75 degrees somehow, so cross your fingers for that this year.”

Voters to weigh Wahluke capital levy

MATTAWA — Wahluke School District voters will decide the fate of a three-year capital projects levy request in a special election Feb. 11. If the levy is approved, it would raise $2.58 million over the three years. The levy will allow the district to be more proactive, says Superintendent Andy Harlow. “I feel like we’re always in the tyranny of the urgent. We’re always putting out fires,” he said. District staff and students will be canvassing neighborhoods in Desert Aire from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday to remind residents to vote. The proposal requires a bare majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.

Two booked for weekend domestic violence incidents

Resources available for those looking to escape abuse

MOSES LAKE – Over the weekend, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office dealt with two instances of alleged domestic violence, both ended with an individual booked into the Grant County Jail.

Construction, repair projects starting at GC International Airport

MOSES LAKE — Construction and repair projects will be starting soon at the Grant County International Airport. Airport Director Rich Mueller said contractors are working on preparations for the reconstruction of the apron – a type of aircraft shelter – on the west taxiway, a project started in 2024.

Jacqueline MacNeil

1938 – 2025

Jacqueline MacNeil

Ephrata School Board makes Murray official, appoints board member

EPHRATA - During their regular meeting last week, the Ephrata School Board appointed Casey Devine as a school board director. They also voted 3-1 to offer Ken Murray, who has acted as interim superintendent since early last year, a three-year contract as full-time superintendent.