'He showed leadership qualities from the get-go'

Mavs athlete shines on court and field

MOSES LAKE — Being a leader is nothing new to Moses Lake junior Kyson Thomas. Whether on the football field or the basketball court, Thomas is helping to guide the Mavericks to wins. “Besides just his basketball ability, (he brings) his leadership,” Moses Lake boys basketball Head Coach Jake Hunt said. “I saw that pretty early on when he came up to us as an incoming freshman. I was able to see that over the summer when he was an eighth-grader… He showed leadership qualities from the get-go.” Thomas, who has two older brothers who also played sports at Moses Lake, said that growing up in a competitive environment has allowed him to now reap those benefits.

Sharon Moody

March 3, 1943 – December 7, 2022

Sharon Moody, 79, of Ephrata, WA went to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. She was born March 3, 1943, in Tucson, Ariz. to Stephen Joseph Evans and Irene Darko Evans...

‘I want my car to look cool, but I want to do it my way’

Customizing cars and turning wrenches is for women and girls too

OTHELLO — Jessica Preciado’s car is pretty much like she wants it. More or less. Of course, it still needs some work. A cool car usually needs some work. “I can’t say this car will ever be 100% done,” she said. “I’ll see where it goes.” The 2003 Mazda Protege has had a lot of work done already - a new wheel setup, engine modifications, a modified suspension, among other things. “I have started a list, but I lost track,” she said...

Decorating safely for the holidays with pets in the home

As the holiday season brings Christmas trees, decorations, and holiday foods, pets may take the opportunity to create mischief. Dr. Murl Bailey, a senior professor at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, provides some common dangers for pet owners to be aware of throughout the holiday season...

Bennie Brown

Bennie (Ben) L. Brown, 92, most recently of Gresham, Oregon, passed away at Portland Adventist Medical Center Nov. 25, 2022, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke eight days prior. Clear-headed and full of his iconic humor, he joked with the medical staff early in the process when preparing for a brain scan to determine the extent of his stroke; he expressed hope that they would come back with the good news and confirmation that, indeed, he had a brain. He provided us all with laughter to the end. As a naive and enthusiastic young man, Ben accepted a position at Samaritan Hospital as one of two CRNA anesthesia providers, not only covering Samaritan Hospital’s anesthesia needs but also moonlighting in Othello, Quincy and Ephrata.

Bond question: Samaritan commissioners weighing construction bond for new hospital

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare commissioners will sponsor a public forum Jan. 18 to get input from district patrons on a possible proposal for a construction bond to pay some of the costs of building a new Samaritan Hospital. “We are committed to moving forward in some way,” Christian said. “We are (discussing) what the best way is. We’re still gathering data, evaluating our community. We’re not ready to make a decision yet, because we want to make sure the decision is the correct one.” ...

Going back-to-back-to-back

Knights navigate exit of 2021 seniors to win 1A state title

LAKEWOOD – Playing late in the season has become second nature for the Royal Knights, who took on Mount Baker in the 1A Gridiron Classic championship game, their sixth appearance in a state title game since 2015 and 14th time overall. The Knights once again left the field victorious, taking down the No. 10 seed Mountaineers 35-20 to finish the 2022 season with a 12-1 record and another trophy. “It feels awesome,” junior tight end Bennett Brown said. “We’ve been working for this forever, we lost all those seniors (from last year), and just to come back and do it again, it’s awesome.” ...

Former WSU coach Mike Leach dies at 61

Mike Leach, the gruff, pioneering and unfiltered college football coach who helped revolutionize the game with the Air Raid offense, has died following complications from a heart condition, Mississippi State said Tuesday. He was 61. Leach, who was in his third season as head coach at Mississippi State, fell ill Sunday at his home in Starkville, Mississippi. He was treated at a local hospital before being airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) away. He died Monday night.

Fuhr reelected as Moses Lake School Board chair

MOSES LAKE — Kevin Fuhr has been reelected for a new term as Moses Lake School Board president. Shannon Hintz was reelected as vice president. Board members voted 4-0 to retain the current officers without discussion during the regular meeting Thursday. Paul Hill is the board’s legislative representative and also retained his position. In other business, Stefanie Lowry, the district’s director of finance, gave the board a budget update through the end of October...

Brushing up for shedding season

While some dogs shed year-round, others shed seasonally during fall and spring months, in preparation for winter and summer weather. Although shedding is a natural process, there are ways to reduce shedding and keep loose hair to a minimum, which can improve your dog’s skin and coat health. Harmony Diers, a veterinary technician at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that reducing a dog’s shedding begins with grooming. “Ideally, brushing your dog at least three to four times a week for 5 to 10 minutes can help soften your dog’s coat and reduce the amount of hair that is shed,” Diers said. “You should also consider bathing your dog weekly during shedding season and two to three times a month during the months they shed less.” ...

Knights prep for ‘tough’ Mount Baker team in 1A state title

ROYAL CITY – Playing in a state championship game is nothing new for the Roya Knights, who prepare to take on the Mount Baker Mountaineers in this weekend’s 1A State Football Championship in Lakewood. “They’re fast, they’re quick, they’ve got a good football team,” Royal Head Coach Wiley Allred said. “They’re really aggressive on defense, they run their Wing-T offense really well like a lot of Wing-T teams that play this long in the season. They run the ball well, we’ll have to be really disciplined.” The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 6-4 record but tied with Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley atop the Northwest 1A league to force a Kansas tiebreaker, where Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley advanced to the 1A state playoffs...

Randall Parris

Randall C. “Randy” Parris, 75, passed away Saturday Nov. 19, 2022, surrounded by his family. Randy was the oldest of three children, born on Dec. 12, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland to Ruth and Jack Parris. He grew up in Mooresville, North Carolina, and joined the Navy in 1966. He served during the Vietnam war on two different aircraft carriers, the Yorktown (1966-1969) and the Bennington (1969-1972). One highlight of his military career is that he was aboard the Yorktown when they picked up the astronauts from the Apollo 8 mission. While in the Navy, Randy was stationed in San Diego California, where he met his wife of 37 years, and the love of his life, Sandee Fletcher. In 1972, after his service in the Navy, they moved to Ephrata Washington, where Sandee grew up, to raise their children and start their careers.

Hanford Reach steelhead fishery closed

RICHLAND/PASCO — The Hanford Reach has closed its steelhead fishing and retention from Nov. 20 until further notice.

Merry and bright

All-out holiday decorating takes a lot of work, planning and holiday spirit

MOSES LAKE — Now that the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays are over, it’s time to prepare for the big one. For a lot of us, Christmas decorating means setting up the tree, dusting off the Nativity scene and maybe hanging some twinkling lights around the front window. But some folks like to take decorating to a whole different level, with lights upon lights upon lights and inflatable figures of every variety that can turn a neighborhood into a winter wonderland. For those who go full Griswold, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. “It's taken probably two and a half to three weeks this year to get everything up,” said Alan Coulter, whose holiday displays are considered legendary in Moses Lake. “When we moved here in the Montlake neighborhood about 20 years ago, we only had a couple of inflatables. This year, we have 75 inflatables, we’ve got 30 walk-through illuminated arches, three-quarters of a mile of extension cords laying out there and close to 15,000 lights. So yeah, it's grown.” ...

Analysis: Russell Wilson trade looks like Herschel Walker's

DENVER (AP) — The most lopsided trade in NFL history sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for two fistfuls of players and draft picks that served as the pillars of the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s. The Russell Wilson trade isn't quite so cockeyed, but eight months in it sure looks as one-sided as any deal since the Walker washout that Jerry Jones immediately dubbed "The Great Train Robbery."

Becoming recognizable

Wahluke coach wants to make mark on wrestling landscape

MATTAWA — Wahluke boy’s wrestling Head Coach Jose Marin wants the program to be recognizable not just around Mattawa, but around the region and state. “We wanted to make sure that the team is recognized throughout the state, and that at all levels of district, regional and state, we get kids participating in all those three tournaments because they’re really important to us,” Marin said. Marin, who is in his second year as head coach of the Warrior boys wrestling program, said this has been a goal of his since he began working at the Wahluke Junior High School in 2018.

‘At the end of the day, I’m a teacher first’

For Rudy Ochoa II, teaching way to give back

OTHELLO — Rudy Ochoa II said the influences that led him to a teaching career were all around him. His mom Gloria Ochoa was, and is, a counselor who works for Adams County, and his dad Rudy Ochoa Sr. works at Scootney Springs Elementary, and as a coach in Othello, Rudy Sr. is something of a legend. “My dad, he coached all of us,” Ochoa said. Ochoa’s wife Eden is a teacher at Scootney Springs. His brother is a teacher and coach too; his sister was a teacher and coach, and still coaches. Another sister also is a coach, and so are two of this brothers-in-law, while his sister-in-law works in education too.

Fall in!

Post commander looks to bring new members to Ephrata legion

EPHRATA - American Legion Art Semro Post 28 Commander Kim Thomas hopes to bring awareness about the American Legion and increase their membership, particularly with younger generations, during her time as Post Commander. “My goal is to increase the membership of younger vets or vets with families so that we can keep it going and provide them (with) the resources that we can offer,” said Thomas. “(We) provide a sense of community, a place to go, a place for kids to learn about the American Legion and history of the vets and build that connection.” ...

Acing it

New Royal City store lets area residents shop locally

When it comes to business, small towns often face kind of a vicious cycle. Many chains won’t locate in a community below a certain population, which means people have to drive to a larger city to shop. And the more shopping they do out of town, the fewer things they buy in their hometown. That’s been a problem in Royal City, where there are only so many things you can buy without driving to Othello (24 miles away) or Moses Lake (31 miles) or the Tri-Cities (75 miles). The new Ace Hardware store, which opened in September, could go a long way toward easing that problem. “We saw the need for it here in the community,” said Josh Fanning, one of the owners. “And we just believe that we can be a source for all of South Grant County to find lumber, feed and hardware goods.”

12U Rage take second at indoor tournament

CENTRALIA – The 12U Washington Rage placed second at the 4th Annual Indoor Opener in Centralia last weekend, hosted at the NW Sports Hub. The Rage played five games throughout the tournament, finishing 3-2 with an appearance in the championship game. “The girls were a little scared to be in this tournament considering it’s indoors and something new for them, but I’m just super proud of them and excited for the rest of the season,” Rage Head Coach Brooke Richardson said...