Big Bend has big plans with new bachelors program

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College now offers a bachelor’s degree, with its first cohort of students set to graduate this coming spring. “I have nothing bad to say about this program,” said BBCC student Devin Elvin. “It's honestly amazing. There's nothing I could critique or (have been) done better. It's just been amazing.” The Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management degree, BAS-AM for short, builds upon any two-year degree by adding junior and senior-year courses focused on applied management...

Legals for November, 9 2022

Zags Clinch Three Championship in Finale of the Gonzaga Invitational

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Gonzaga men's tennis team concluded their 2022 fall tournament season with their performance in the final day of the Gonzaga Invitational earlier today. This was the second consecutive season that the Zags clinched three championships in their respective brackets.

Cougars split season series at No. 16 Oregon as comeback falls short

EUGENE, Ore. -- Pia Timmer had 19 kills, Laura Jansen added 17 and Katy Ryan finished with a team-leading five blocks, but Washington State volleyball (17-8, 9-5 Pac-12) fell in four sets at 16th-ranked Oregon (17-6, 10-3 Pac-12), 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23, on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for WSU against the Ducks and was the first of the season in which the Cougars finished with more blocks (7-4) and a higher hitting percentage (.313-.307) than their opponents.

Gladys Para

Gladys Para was born Gladys Cecilia Hutchinson on Sept. 25, 1928, in Spokane, Washington (in the early morning hours) at Sacred Heart Hospital, to Mildred Kohlhagen Hutchinson, German and second generation, and George Clement Hutchinson, British and first generation from New Zealand. Her father worked at the dam at Little Falls in Spokane when mom was born, and after briefly moving back to her mother’s family in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, they returned to Spokane where she and her brother George Ronald grew up until she passed fifth grade.

Legals for November, 4 2022

Quincy shows economic development promise, officials say

QUINCY — Grant County, including Quincy, is drawing a lot of interest from businesses looking for new or additional locations, according to local economic development officials. Grant County Economic Development Commission Director Brant Mayo and economic development consultant Pat Boss talked to Quincy City Council members about some of the possibilities at the regular meeting Tuesday. “With Grant County, we are seeing an unprecedented amount of businesses wanting to come into our area, through all sectors – data centers, manufacturing, ag, aerospace,” Mayo said. “In fact, our liaison with the Washington Department of Commerce (said) we are the busiest EDC in the state. We have more live projects going on than any other county at this point in time.” ...

Othello playground design could begin this month

OTHELLO — Construction should begin next spring or early summer on upgrades to the playground at Othello’s Lions Park. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan estimated the project cost will increase by about $800,000 from the original $1 million estimate. Logan said city officials should receive construction contracts for the project this week, and design can begin once those contracts are in hand. Once the design is completed the project will go out to bid, he said. “That anticipates we would begin the project sometime in May or June,” Logan said. “Those (estimates) are in perfect worlds.” ...

Eagles season comes to a close against Vandals

Eastern Washington women's soccer played its final match of the 2022 season on Sunday against Idaho. After the score was even at halftime, the Vandals scored in the second half to get the 2-1 win over the Eagles.

Svechnikov scores twice, Hurricanes blow through Kraken 5-1

SEATTLE (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored two goals 70 seconds apart in the second period, Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists, and the Carolina Hurricanes remained unbeaten with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday night.

Passing offense

Penix's 516 yards latest sign of strength in Huskies' 5-2 record

SEATTLE – The University of Washington passing offense has been in full force through the first seven weeks of the season, with junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. leading the FBS in passing yards after a program-high 516-yard performance in a 49-39 win over Arizona on Saturday. “It’s not just about what he did statistically, he just keeps putting the pressure on and really leading the charge to help us win the football game,” UW football head coach Kalen DeBoer said in Saturday’s postgame press conference. “We needed all those points and all those yards that he gave us.” Last week against Arizona State, Penix, a transfer from Indiana University where he was a three-year starter, became the first UW quarterback to throw for 300 yards in six-consecutive games since Cody Pickett did it in 2002...

Audubon Society takes bird walk, presents award

MOSES LAKE — September 2022 was a very active month for the Central Basin Audubon Society. CBAS held successful events in two of their newest programs, bird walks and backyard habitats. On Sept. 24, CBAS Field Trip Coordinator Margaret Heming led a group of interested participants in the first bird walk. Heming chose North Potholes Reserve for this initial hike. The weather was perfect and spirits high as 11 people gathered with binoculars and cameras at the ready...

Scaling down

Moving into assisted living takes some adjustments

MOSES LAKE — It’s a time families dread. Mom, or Dad, or Grandma, is slowing down a little, becoming forgetful, maybe having some health problems, and it’s getting to be more than they and their family can keep up with alone. As hard as it is to think about, it’s time to look into assisted living. So how do you make that transition? “We see two very common types of situations,” said Joe Ketterer, executive director of Brookdale Hearthstone Moses Lake, an assisted living facility. “One is the senior living by themselves. It's an unsafe environment, you don't have the housekeeping, the basic assistance with daily living activities ... So it's the solo senior type of situation. Or what's very common is they're living with an adult child, or adult nephew or something like that, and the burden on the family has gone above what they can handle.”

Driver dies in I-90 rollover

GEORGE — A 24-year-old Quincy woman died in a single-vehicle collision west of George Wednesday night. The driver, whose name was not released pending notification of family, was driving east on South Frontage Road West in a 2009 Pontiac, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The car went off the pavement and onto the soft shoulder, whereupon the driver overcorrected, causing the car to spin. The car struck a barbed wire fence, then rolled several times across the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, coming to rest on the median cable barrier, according to the GCSO. The victim, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car and died at the scene. The GCSO’s Motor Traffic Unit is investigating.

Meet the Herald Part 2:

The news crew

Back in September, we began introducing the members of our team to our readers, starting with the administrative team. Today, we continue with the editorial department. Lots of people read the news every day. But who are the people who write it? Here’s a look at the names and faces behind the stories.

Potato harvest looking up

COLUMBIA BASIN — The state of the taters is, well, pretty darn good this year. “The potato harvest is definitely a lighter crop than what we’re historically used to,” said Dale Lathim, executive director of Potato Growers of Washington. “It’s actually a little bit better than last year in terms of yield. But it’s a lot better than last year in terms of quality.” One reason for this, Lathim said, was the unusual weather in the Northwest earlier in the year. The unusually cool spring delayed the crop’s maturation, he explained.”

Linda Weyns

Linda Lu Weyns of Othello, Washington passed away at her home in the loving company of her husband, Gerard, on the morning of their 55th wedding anniversary. She went to rest in the arms of her Lord on Oct. 6, 2022, at the age of 74. Linda was born in Nyssa, Oregon to Ervin and Elsie Easterday on March 14, 1948. They lived in Parma, Idaho, where she attended Ten Davis Elementary. Ten years later her family moved to Basin City, Washington, where Linda was active with 4-H and enjoyed horse riding and helping her dad irrigate the farm. In 1966, during Linda’s senior year, she met Gerard Weyns, a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands. After Linda graduated from Connell High School, she and Gerard worked together during wheat harvest and enjoyed boating together and getting to know each other.

Building permits for Oct. 7, 2022

Unincorporated Grant County, Sept. 10-30

To the wire

PUD linemen participate in state competition

EPHRATA — Two Grant County Public Utility District employees showcased their skills at a state competition this past week. “It's good experience, especially just in case something were to ever happen,” said Grant PUD journeyman lineman Carson Fisk. Fisk, along with apprentice lineman Sheldon Kosa, participated in a local rescue competition where they came out on top before going on to the Washington State Pole Top Rescue Competition.

Grapes and timing

Slow but solid harvest, say wine growers

QUINCY — The 2022 Washington wine grape harvest is just getting underway, but wine growers are optimistic it’s going to be a good year. Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Winegrowers Association, said Sept. 14 that harvest was just gearing up. “It’s just barely starting in some areas,” she said. “Which is very late. About two weeks later than normal.”...