Governor seeks input from local Habitat for Humanity chapter

MOSES LAKE — Construction costs and energy efficiency were among the topics of a round table discussion between Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and representatives of Habitat for Humanity in Moses Lake Wednesday.

Othello expands Multi-Family Tax Exemption area, approves code of conduct

OTHELLO – The Othello City Council met Monday for its regular meeting, during which members approved an expansion of the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption program target area, a facility use agreement and fee waiver and the council code of conduct.

Adams Co. Public Works discusses transpo plan, public hearing

RITZVILLE – The regular Adams County Board of Commissioners Nov. 21 meeting featured discussion between the commissioners and Public Works regarding the 2024-2029 Six Year Transportation Improvement Plan projects, as well as progress on jail renovations.

Sonny’s is back: Landmark Washtucna tavern back in action

WASHTUCNA — Sonny’s Tavern and Grill is back. The long-established gathering place in Washtucna, which has struggled to keep going in recent years, reopened Oct. 26. “It's been closed more than it's been open in the last about six years,” said Bridget Coon, who owns and operates Sonny’s with her husband Paul. “The previous owners had it in 2016 and by 2018, they had some kind of a fire around the water heater and it caused a lot of smoke damage. So it was closed (in) 2018, 2019 to basically gut and remodel it. They reopened in 2020, which was a hard time. I recall their first weekend open was the weekend that indoor dining was shut down (for the COVID-19 pandemic).” The owners were able to keep Sonny’s going for a while with takeout, Coon said, but then moved away from the area, leaving the establishment to sit on the market until the Coons took ownership in August.

Knights shutout Cougars

Royal City moves on to state title match after 42-0 win against Seton Catholic

ROYAL CITY – Royal’s 42-0 win over Seton Catholic Saturday night clinched a fourth-straight appearance in the 1A state title game, sending the Knights to Seattle for a clash against Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) on Friday afternoon.

New-look Warriors hope to repeat success in 2023-24

MATTAWA – The defending South Central Athletic Conference (East) league champion Wahluke Warriors will hit the court with some new faces in key roles this fall.

Santa slated for an appearance at Soap Lake’s Winterfest

SOAP LAKE — Santa Claus will be coming to town, downtown Soap Lake anyway, Saturday afternoon. Santa’s arrival, however, is one of many events during Winterfest, Soap Lake’s annual holiday celebration. Susan Carson of the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce said Santa’s arrival is the biggest deal of the day.

Real estate experts discuss housing shortages at national conference

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Real estate industry experts joined the Nov. 12 2023 National Association of Realtors NXT: The Realtor Experience conference in Anaheim, California to discuss multigenerational housing as a remedy for housing supply shortages, according to a Nov. 16 announcement from the NAR.

Legals for November, 24 2023

WSU joins national effort supporting Native American healthcare students

PULLMAN - Native American students pursuing careers in healthcare will have new opportunities for professional development and collaboration with peers and mentors following the establishment of Washington State University’s chapter of the Association of Native American Medical Students.

Small Business Saturday keeps shopping local

MOSES LAKE — With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, Christmas shopping is looming large. Everybody knows about Black Friday, when big retailers are deluged with early shoppers looking for deals. But the day after is Small Business Saturday, and that’s a time for supporting local entrepreneurs.

CBDL still pushing Columbia Basin Project forward

CASHMERE — Despite the completion of the Columbia Basin Project being potentially decades away, according to Columbia Basin Development League Executive Director Sara Higgins, the CBDL is still hard at work as the project’s nonprofit arm and advocacy group.

Knights to host No. 12 Seton Catholic Saturday

ROYAL CITY – Coming off a 49-0 shutout of No. 9 seed Omak in the quarterfinals, the No. 1 Royal Knights are preparing for a 1A semifinal matchup against No. 12 Seton Catholic. The Cougars recently defeated No. 4 Cashmere in comeback fashion, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bulldogs 42-35 last week

Celebrating opportunities

Moses Lake city staff, officers gather to honor Fuhr on his retirement from law enforcement

MOSES LAKE — Dozens of people gathered in the Moses Lake City Council chamber Tuesday. Not for a boring meeting, but for a celebration of decades of public service on the part of former Moses Lake Police Chief – now City Manager – Kevin Fuhr, after his formal retirement from law enforcement. “I have worked with the most phenomenal people in my career,” Fuhr said. “I had told them right from the get-go that I was never going to leave, that I was going to retire with the Moses Lake PD. Actually, I think my comment was, ‘I’m going to die in a Moses Lake PD Uniform.’” After 32 years in law enforcement in both Washington and Idaho, Fuhr opted to fill the role of city manager after the city’s quest for a full-time replacement kept falling through as candidates took jobs in other locations.

Legals for November, 22 2023

Port of Ephrata sells PBY aircraft from 'Always'

EPHRATA – The PBY-5A Catalina that has sat for some time at the Port of Ephrata will be finding a new home after it was auctioned off by port officials at the request of the state, according to Port Director David Lanman. The aircraft is best-known for an appearance in the 1985 Steven Spielberg movie “Always.”

CWU students travel to Ireland to teach inner-city girls physical literacy

ELLENSBURG – Opportunities for physical activity can be hard to come by for people who live outside the U.S. As a group of CWU students discovered over the summer, many Americans don’t realize how good we have it.

Legals for November, 21 2023

Levy lid lift moves forward

Facility repairs, vehicle maintenance priorities for GCFD 7 after proposal passes

SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7 voters have all but assured the passage of a request to raise the amount levied by the district, and GCFD 7 Chief Chris Baker said the biggest priority for the district will be fixing the maintenance shop and hiring a full-time mechanic.

Wilks eyes opportunities with fresh-faced Vikings

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College Lady Vikings Head Women's Basketball Coach Preston Wilks is set to begin his 17th season on the women's basketball sidelines. As he does though, he will be directing a completely new-look team. "We have a whole new team, with ten freshmen," stated Wilks in a recent conversation.