Cougars fall at home to Kiona-Benton

WARDEN — Penalties and turnovers marred the Cougar offense and its ability to sustain drives on Friday night against Kiona-Benton, leading to a 36-12 home loss to the Bears. The Cougars turned the ball over six times, and while penalties consistently kept Warden behind the chains on offense...

CWU music professor’s latest composition earning worldwide acclaim

ELLENSBURG - Dr. Jiyoun Chung, who holds a doctorate in musical composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, felt like she was on to something big when she wrote her dance-inspired composition, “Freestyle Battle,” two years ago. But the assistant professor of music composition at Central Washington University had no idea how big the piece would get until it started winning awards and being performed by chamber orchestras around the world...

QVMC commissioners award materials contracts

QUINCY — Quincy Valley Medical Center commissioners awarded about $4.57 million in contracts for materials for the new Quincy hospital in a special meeting Wednesday. It was the second of three contracts for construction. “The last approval that we’ll go through is for the full (guaranteed maximum price), and that is going to be next month,” said Kayla Van Lieshout of the Klosh Group, a consultant on the project. “We anticipate taking that to the Oct. 23 board meeting for approval.” ...

Focus on the familiar

Masquers to open new season this weekend with ‘Blithe Spirit’

SOAP LAKE — The Masquers Theater in Soap Lake will be premiering Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit this weekend. The show will run through October 1 every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and every Sunday at 2 p.m., according to the theater’s website. “Blithe Spirit” marks the opening of the Masquers’ new theater season, said the play’s director Marla Allsopp, who is also on the Masquers Theater Board of Directors...

Pending home sales up for second month in a row

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pending home sales increased 0.9% in July, rising for the second consecutive month, according to an announcement from to the National Association of Realtors. The Northeast and Midwest posted monthly losses, while sales in the South and West grew. All four U.S. regions saw year-over-year declines in transactions...

Wash. unions join in support of climate-friendly jobs

MOSES LAKE – Six Washington-based unions are teaming up to take advantage of Washington’s legislative environment and the need for workers to fill environmentally-friendly jobs created by that environment...

Jacks leap over Warriors

Vargas’ two goals lead Quincy over Warriors on the pitch

MATTAWA – Tied at two late in the game, Quincy and Wahluke traded multiple shots on goal down the stretch of the final eight minutes before Quincy junior Crystal Vargas broke the tie on a goal in second-half stoppage time to give the Jacks a 3-2 win over Wahluke. “I felt motivated to win,” Vargas said. “I’m just so excited to play, and I’m happy that we got our first win of the season.” ...

Quincy Animal Shelter supervision leads to staffing discussion

QUINCY — Quincy animal shelter administration will be shifted from the Quincy Police Department to the city’s public works department, a proposal that prompted a discussion about staffing by the Quincy City Council Sept. 5. “With the move over to public works, the (animal shelter) manager’s supervision is done by the maintenance supervisor, which also makes sense because he can then better address some of the facility issues that come up from time to time, (such as) equipment, building repair (and) utilities,” City Administrator Pat Haley said in answer to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald...

Farmer Consumer Awareness Day Saturday in Quincy

QUINCY — A parade down Central Avenue, dancing horses, three-on-three soccer, a car show, a tractor pull – all the good old events return to Quincy Saturday on Farmer Consumer Awareness Day. While technically it’s not part of FCAD, the B Street Block Party is an unofficial kickoff; it’s from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. One block of B Street, from Central Avenue South to First Street Southwest, will host vendors serving food and wine, along with some merchandise. The Olson Brothers Band will be performing live. Saturday’s events start early and run all day. Signup forms, or links to signup forms, are available on the FCAD website, www.quincyfcad.org.

GCFD 7 awarded grant, but anticipates budget shortfalls

SOAP LAKE – Grant County Fire District 7, based in Soap Lake, was awarded a four-year $590,000 federal grant for the recruitment and retention of volunteers. However, the district is also facing several budget shortfalls for 2024, said Fire Chief Chris Baker. Baker announced the award during Wednesday’s regular Soap Lake City Council meeting. “This grant will be used to hire a recruitment and retention coordinator, which will be full-time for the fire district for the next four years,” he said. The grant will replace the sign for the fire station with a programmable LED sign meant to help disseminate emergency and recruitment information to the public, said Baker.

Othello takes 2-1 girls soccer win over Quincy

QUINCY — The Othello Huskies girls soccer team took a 2-1 win over the Quincy Jackrabbits Tuesday in a non-league game at Quincy High School. Quincy scored early, with Othello tying the game about halfway through the first half. Othello added a second-half score to take the win. The Jacks took on Wahluke Thursday in Mattawa, while the Huskies hosted Shadle Park at home Thursday. Scores from those games will be in the Basin Sports Recap in Tuesday’s Columbia Basin Herald.

Tigers score 9 goals in win over Okanogan

EPHRATA — Five Tigers scored in Ephrata’s 9-1 win over Okanogan on Tuesday, giving the team 14 goals in its first two outings on the field. Sophomore Delanie Killinger led the Tigers with three goals, followed by senior Aliya Avila (twice), senior Trishelle Lopez (twice), senior Kendall Laugen and sophomore Alexiyana MacNeil all scoring. “We didn’t break each other down when someone made a mistake, we didn’t focus on one mistake – we just kept moving past it,” Killinger said. “We were really quick with the ball, and I think that improved a lot during the second half.”

BASIN SPORTS RECAP: Mavs tackle Tigers, Warriors swat Hornets and more

COLUMBIA BASIN – The fall sports season began on Friday with 10 football games, as well as two girls soccer teams seeing their first action on the field. Read along for a full recap on how teams fared in the opening weekend of the 2023-2024 year...

City manager forum postponed

Moses Lake Interim City Manager and Police Chief Kevin Fuhr issued a statement Monday indicating that a forum set for Wednesday to allow the public to meet candidates for the permanent city manager position has been postponed...

Mavs take Tigers

Moses Lake lights up scoreboard in win over Ephrata

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks lit up the scoreboard in Friday’s season-opening win over Ephrata, scoring multiple times both on offense and special teams in a 58-3 win against the Tigers. “That’s a goal always, to execute in all three phases,” Moses Lake Head Coach Brett Jay said. “We did that tonight, it was a team win. Everyone on the field had an impact.” ...

Layered learning

Onion Field Day offers growers and academics a chance to learn and network.

MOSES LAKE — The onion varietal trial in a field near Moses Lake is nearing harvest, but even once it’s in storage it’s still a work in progress. Like all farming, raising onions is a continual process of adjustment, which was highlighted during Onion Field Day Thursday. Co-organizer Carrie Wohleb, WSU Grant-Adams County Extension, said scientists planted 52 different varieties of onions. Brian Haddon, one of the many industry professionals in attendance, said farmers and industry experts were examining the onions for quality as they came from the field...

Regional utility companies work to mitigate wildfire risks

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — The interaction of electrical lines and the landscape around them, especially trees, often ends badly - it can cause power outages any time of year, but in the summer in particular it can cause fires. Keeping fires from happening requires close attention to power lines and the areas around them, and that’s not just a summer job. “Fire season is a condition that can exist at any time of year,” wrote JoDee Black of NorthWestern Energy, based in Missoula, Montana via email. “Each year’s weather conditions impact those situations differently: Early season rains encourage plant growth which fuels fires later in the growing season, and winters with little snow leave dry plant material available for late season fires.” ...

After just missing in 2022, Wahluke football looking to make playoffs in 2023

MATTAWA — The Wahluke High School football team missed the first round of the 2022 playoffs by the smallest of margins, and Coach Anfernee Cortez said his team is looking to change that result in 2023.

Soap Lake schools approve bargaining agreement for coaches

SOAP LAKE – After 14 years without a collective bargaining agreement, the Soap Lake School Board approved a CBA with the Coaches Association in the Soap Lake School District during Monday’s regular meeting. The agreement is in place until July 31, 2024. Board member Curt Dotson was initially against accepting the agreement without modifications...

On the front line

Job Corps students get first-hand experience fighting fires

MOSES LAKE — Wildfire season is frustrating. There’s smoke in the air, closed-off roads and evacuation alerts galore, but other than being careful with barbecues and praying for the firefighters’ safety, most area residents don’t see the fire line except in the newspaper or on TV. At the Columbia Basin Job Corps Center in Moses Lake, that isn’t the case. Students from the local center, along with Job Corps students across the country, are heading off to the firelines for weeks at a time, both to fight the fires and as support firefighting crews...