Fire season officially ends in Washington

OLYMPIA – The Washington Fire season has officially come to a close as of Monday, according to Department of Natural Resources Communications Manager Ryan Rodruck.

Dent, Sackmanns named to Ag Hall of Fame

MOSES LAKE — Some leading lights in the Moses Lake area agricultural community were inducted Oct. 21 into the Moses Lake Ag Hall of Fame.

New BBCC greenhouse expands Ag program for the Fall

MOSES LAKE – The Big Bend Community College’s Greenhouse project finished construction mid-summer, and students in the Agricultural program have been able to utilize the building to assist in their projects. The BBCC Board of Trustees was taken on a tour of the building on Thursday during a board meeting.

Peace and tie-dye at St. Rose auction Nov. 8

EPHRATA — The 42nd annual St. Rose of Lima Catholic School auction Nov. 8 will have a 1960s-70s theme, “A Time for Peace,” which has two meanings, said St. Rose PTO President Jennifer Hickok. The first is taken from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Bible: “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens … A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Mavs dominate first round of state tournament

YAKIMA – The Mavericks slowpitch softball team is off to a hot start in the 4A state tournament after defeating eighth-seed Lake Washington 21-0 in the first round. Head Coach Mike Hofheins said while he liked what he saw, it’s important they remain focused on sustaining their momentum.

Chamber banquet celebrates accomplishments, opportunities

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce had a good year, outgoing Chair Kim Pope said Tuesday evening at the Chamber’s annual meeting and banquet.

Quincy truck route revisions go into effect next week

QUINCY — Signs will be going up early next week alerting truck drivers to revisions of the allowable “heavy vehicle routes” throughout the city of Quincy. Some streets that could be used by trucks are now off-limits, a move that Quincy Engineer Ariel Belino said was prompted by growth and changes in traffic patterns.

Grant County PUD net expenses projected at $413.4 million in 2026

EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD is projected to spend about $413.4 million, when expenses and payments are added up, and end the year with about $251.9 million in carryover. R

Transmission upgrades, Priest Rapids repairs on 2026 Grant County PUD project list

EPHRATA — Repairs to Priest Rapids Dam and rebuilding a transmission line between Ancient Lakes and Frenchman Hills are among the Grant County PUD projects scheduled to begin in 2026. Tarrah Bicondova, the PUD’s budget and reporting manager, said the utility is projected to spend $322 million on capital projects in 2026, compared to an estimated $225.6 million in 2025. “The increase is really driven by major infrastructure improvements,” she said. Scheduled projects include the continuing work on upgrading electrical transmission to the Quincy area, upgrades at Priest Rapids Dam, the PUD’s new Ephrata maintenance shop, known as a service center, and a rebuilt electrical line between Royal City and Quincy. Three projects on the list eventually will be paid for by the customers, but they had to be included as expenses, Bicondova said. Christine Pratt, PUD public information officer, said most are multiyear projects, and the projected cost is for 2026 only.

Cai, Coronado, Sims named to GNAC Preseason All-Conference team

Cai chosen GNAC Preseason Player of the Year

PORTLAND, Ore. — Three Central Washington University Women’s Basketball student athletes were honored by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tuesday afternoon, being named to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Asher Cai, Annalee Coronado and Capri Sims were all announced as members of the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Cai was selected by the coaches of the GNAC as the Preseason Player of the Year. “I feel so grateful to coach the caliber of player each Asher, Capri, and Anna are but more importantly that gratitude runs even deeper because of the phenomenal young women they are and their unwavering commitment to our program and their teammates,” CWU Head Women’s Basketball Coach Randi Richardson said. “We are so proud of each of them and how they represent CWU WBB.”

QUINCY MAYORAL RACE Q&A: Worley vs. Rodriguez

QUINCY – The Quincy Mayoral Race consists of candidates, incumbent Paul Worley and Manny Rodriguez. Both candidates were given questions with a word count limit for responses and matching deadlines to respond.

MLEA pickets for a fair contract outside of MLHS

MOSES LAKE – Teachers and supporters gathered Tuesday afternoon outside Moses Lake High School, voicing frustrations over stalled contract negotiations with the Moses Lake School District. It is a continuation of ongoing negotiations that have the Moses Lake Educators Association without a contract since June, intensifying calls for fair treatment and improved working conditions.

WA faces health coverage issues if enhanced Premium Tax Credit lapses

OLYMPIA — Washingtonians could face a significant increase in their health insurance premiums as the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit, ePTC, is set to expire at the end of 2025, unless action is taken by Congress. The issue is a significant talking point for both parties as the federal government shutdown continues.

Tippett scores two goals as Flyers beat Kraken 5-2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Owen Tippett scored twice and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Monday night. Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates also scored, Cam York had three assists and Sean Couturier added two as Philadelphia won for the third time in four games. Dan Vladar finished with 21 saves. Jordan Eberle and Jani Nyman scored for Seattle, which snapped a season-opening five-game point streak (3-0-2). Joey Daccord gave up all five goals on 21 shots through two periods, and Philipp Grubaouer had six saves in the third.

Smith-Njigba, defense show out again for Seahawks in 27-19 win against Texans

SEATTLE (AP) — Jaxon Smith-Njigba called it spontaneous. Sam Darnold was simply surprised. The reserved Smith-Njigba, who has let his play speak for itself while leading the NFL in yards receiving this season, decided to celebrate his fourth touchdown catch of the season in style. After corralling an 11-yard pass from Darnold in the end zone to give the Seattle Seahawks a 14-0 lead on the Houston Texans late in the first quarter , Smith-Njigba effortlessly and gracefully slam-dunked the football on the crossbar of the goalposts. He drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process, but helped guide the Seahawks to a 27-19 win on Monday night.

Eastern defense leads to ranked win at home

CHENEY – The Eagles earned a statement conference win when they defeated the 24th-ranked Idaho Vandals 21-14 on Saturday at Roos Field. Backed by a strong defensive effort, Eastern Washington scored enough to defeat the Vandals. The Eagles improved to 2-1 in the Big Sky and 3-4 overall. “It was a dream for a coach to watch the defense play as well as we did. I am so proud of those guys. We were in control the entire game on defense,” Head Coach Aaron Best said.

Keep Halloween safe for little monsters

QUINCY — Next Friday, hordes of little ghosties, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night will be on the streets with one thing on their minds: massive amounts of sugar. And when they’re that focused, they don’t always watch out for themselves.

Lions smash Pateros on the gridiron

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions (5-2) football team proved their strength at home Thursday evening with a 52-0 victory over Pateros. This victory ties the team with Oroville for third in the Central Washington B conference.

Scherzer turns back the clock and Blue Jays beat Mariners 8-2 in Game 4 to even ALCS

SEATTLE (AP) — Mad Max had nearly a month to fume, seethe and boil as he waited for his October opportunity. Finally given the ball in the playoffs, he shut down the Seattle Mariners — and his own manager, too. A fiery Scherzer turned back the clock with his vintage pitching performance and Andrés Giménez homered and drove in four runs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Seattle 8-2 on Thursday to even the American League Championship Series at two games apiece.

Ephrata Middle installs inclusive playground

EPHRATA — Ephrata Middle School has completed installation of a new, inclusive playground designed to enhance outdoor playtime and learning opportunities for all students.