COLUMN: A moment of gratitude during conflict

At the time of writing, the Moses Lake Education Association is on its third day of striking as they work toward an agreement with the Moses Lake School District. It’s no secret these strikes have led to a ripple effect of outcomes, the most notable that school has not been in session this week as negotiations continue and teachers strike.

The Floral Cottage opens in Ephrata

Local shopkeeper helps celebrate special moments with floral flair

EPHRATA — The Floral Cottage, a new floral design shop owned by Liz Graaff, held its open house Monday, drawing members of the community to celebrate the launch of the store. Located in the heart of Ephrata, the shop provides flower arrangements, plants and locally sourced gifts inspired by Graaff’s passion for floral arrangement. "I absolutely love flowers," Graaff said as she welcomed each guest into her shop with a smile.

Sparkles and Confetti can fill your home with holiday joy

MOSES LAKE — Sparkles, left, and Confetti, right are both up for adoption at Grant County Animal Outreach. These two pups are perfectly wonderful at bringing holiday joy. Both are female dogs, spayed, vaccinated and microchipped. Now, all they need is for you to fill out one or both of their applications. Convinced? Visit GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org and get started on adoption applications, we know you want to... However, if you can’t adopt these sweet girls, but would like to help a local shelter, visit the website and click “donate.” GCAO also needs dog toys, treats and blankets, if you would prefer to drop off items to the shelter.

‘People connector’

Small business mentor Allan Peterson prepares to retire

MOSES LAKE — Allan Peterson is hanging it up after more than two decades of helping the little guy find success. “(We) really appreciate all that he has done for Grant County,” Grant County Economic Development Council Director Brant Mayo said. “He’s been an unsung hero of the growth in this area.”

Gathered in Gratitude brings in $70,000 for McKay Healthcare

SOAP LAKE – Around 90 people Gathered in Gratitude for a fundraising event for McKay Healthcare and Rehab Center, raising nearly $70,000 for the long term care facility.

Moses Lake Police logs as of Dec. 3, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Moses Lake Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Legals for December, 4 2025

Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests

EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.

Mavs pull ahead of Tigers in season opener

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers and Moses Lake Mavericks basketball teams faced off in their first game of the season on the Tigers home court. It was a close competition, but ultimately the Mavs came out on top with a 48-37 victory. “It was a little slow in the beginning, but I think it’s just first game of the season, I think we have really good guys and I’m excited for the season,” said Taggart Rathbun, a junior for the Mavs. The Tigers took control in the first quarter, scoring 13 points and holding the Mavs to only three. Moses Lake quickly turned things around in the second quarter where they scored 17 points to tie up the game at 20-20 at the end of the half.

Mavs take a road win over Tigers to start season

EPHRATA — The Moses Lake Mavericks basketball team went on the road to face the Ephrata Tigers, the first game of the season for both teams. The Tigers showed grit on the court, but the Mavs took home the victory with a final score of 48-23. “I felt like things were a little shaky; we had a lot of adrenaline,” said Mavs Head Coach Matt Strophy. “We had a couple of air balls at the top and so we settled in and settled down.” The Mavs made a good start over the Tigers with a strong defensive performance in the first half. MLHS kept up the pressure on the net and kept Ephrata under 10 points until the final few seconds of the half when Maycee Black scored a layup to put the score at 23-11.

Warriors fall short in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.

UW soccer enters elite 8 of NCAA Tournament

STANFORD, Calif. — The University of Washington Huskies soccer team (13-6-2) will continue their postseason bid into the quarterfinals after overcoming Stanford on Sunday. This win marks the eighth time the Huskies have won at least 13 games in a season under Head Coach Jamie Clark.

Mavs set to bounce back this season

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks girls basketball team is getting back on the court this week and is setting their goals for what they hope to accomplish this season. Mavs Head Coach Matt Strophy said the team is striving to bounce back after a tough end last season. “We had our fair share of struggles. We had a solid league, take a look at Davis high school as the state champions last year and they returned just about everybody,” said Strophy. “I know when it came to win-loss record, it was not what we are used to at Moses Lake High School for girls' basketball, so it was challenging for sure.”

Cookie decorating the focus of Free Family Saturday

MOSES LAKE — ’Tis the season for all kinds of sweet treats, and this month’s Free Family Saturday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center continues that tradition, decorating gingerbread cookies. “It’s our annual December event,” said Creative Programs coordinator Jenni Shelton. “We’ve done gingerbread cookies for, I think this is the fifth year.” It’s also one of the most popular Free Family Saturday events, Shelton said, drawing 150-200 participants. Most of the cookie artists are children, she said, but parents are welcome to join in too, and many do.

Plan early for dementia care

MOSES LAKE — Having dementia can seem like the end of everything. But in some ways, it’s only the beginning. “The most important thing (for) people with dementia is planning for the future,” said Dr. A. Carroll Hayman, a Seattle physician who specializes in Alzheimer’s and other dementias, at a symposium in Pasco in October. “In fact, if we can do an early diagnosis that gives people an opportunity to plan (and) also allows the patient themselves to be involved in some of that planning. If we wait too long they can’t say what they want anymore, then we’re just sort of guessing what they wanted rather than involving them.” As much as we might wish otherwise, dementia isn’t going to go away, and it isn’t going to be cured. How long it could last varies widely from one patient to the next. The patient will have medical, legal and social needs to work out, and they can’t do it alone. Starting early is key, Hayman said.

Legals for December, 3 2025

MLEA, MLSD negotiations continue

MOSES LAKE — Negotiations continued Tuesday between the Moses Lake School District and Moses Lake Education Association, the district’s teachers union. Tuesday was the second day of the work stoppage after the parties failed to reach an agreement Sunday.

One subject arrested after residential burglary, additional arrests expected

MOSES LAKE — In the early morning Sunday, the Moses Lake Police Department was dispatched to a reported robbery at the Quail Run trailer park on Road H NE in Moses Lake, according to a statement from the MLPD. Upon officer arrival, it was discovered that two suspects entered a residence and robbed the three occupants, taking personal items and cash. The suspects fled after the robbery. One suspect fired a handgun at the victims’ dog; however, no person or animal was injured. MLPD used Flock camera technology to locate the suspect vehicle. Austin Spurgeon, 32, of Moses Lake, was taken into custody and booked into Grant County Jail. According to the Grant County Jail Roster, Spurgeon was booked for first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and two Grant County District Court warrants. Detectives are continuing the investigation; additional arrests are expected.

Quincy Police Department Logs as of Dec. 2, 2025

The reports below were provided by the Quincy Police Department. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

GCFD 8 looking for assistant chief

MATTAWA — Applications will be accepted through Friday for the assistant chief job at Grant County Fire District 8, with the first round of interviews scheduled for Dec. 15. Barb Davis, GCFD 8 business manager, said the district hasn’t had an assistant chief for a long time. “It’s kind of a new position,” Davis said. The assistant chief will take over some of the jobs now split between Davis and GCFD 8 Chief Matt Hyndman.