Vroom...

Fairgrounds shift gears for go karts and family fun

MOSES LAKE — On a typical Saturday, the Ardell Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds will most likely smell like livestock and hay. But last Saturday, it smelled more of exhaust fumes and motor oil, and was filled with the sounds not of horses whinnying or cows lowing, but small engines roaring around a small track...

District 12 legislators host virtual town hall

OLYMPIA — District 12 State Representatives Mike Steele (R-Chelan) and Keith Goehner (R-Dryden) held a virtual town hall Wednesday evening, allowing constituents to ask questions about the current legislative session, bills and any concerns they may have.

More patients, smaller staff challenge for Samaritan ER

MOSES LAKE — More patients, fewer staff, more paperwork and cramped spaces have combined to put strains on the emergency department at Samaritan Hospital. Matthew Lockwood, the physician in charge of the department, detailed some of the challenges in a presentation to Samaritan Healthcare commissioners Tuesday. “If you have been there, you know that we’re small,” Lockwood said...

Quincy Police Chief Kieth Siebert moving on to Grant PUD

QUINCY — Kieth Siebert said one of the attractions of a law enforcement career was the variety. “You never knew what you were going to get,” Siebert said. “You could go to the same house five times and get a different issue every time.” But Siebert said it’s time to move on from law enforcement. He announced his retirement as Quincy Police Chief last week; Feb. 15 is his last day at the QPD. The Quincy City Council is scheduled to select an interim chief at its Feb. 7 meeting.

Coyotes take 4th in Winter Classic

MOSES LAKE — The 2023 Moses Lake Youth Hockey Association’s Winter Classic concluded on Sunday, with the hometown Coyotes placing fourth in the tournament. Moses Lake defeated Tacoma 5-3 on Friday, then tied 2-2 with Castlegar and defeated Seattle Jr. 4-2 on Saturday. The Coyotes fell to Eugene 5-0 in Sunday’s third-place game...

Chavez’s two goals give Tigers 3-2 win over Grandview

EPHRATA – Freshman Ramon Chavez scored two goals to help push his Tiger squad over Grandview on Friday night, earning their second victory of the season in a 3-2 match against the Greyhounds. “I’m happy to win with my team,” Chavez said. “They did a good job of putting in the work out there and executing the game plan we wanted.” Chavez scored his first goal early in the match to give Ephrata a 1-0 lead, but the Greyhounds answered quickly to tie. Later in the 25th minute, a corner kick by junior Vinci Pichardo set up a goal by junior Llandon Ahmann that gave Ephrata a 2-1 lead at the half.

Mavs have mixed results in Vancouver tourney

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Spending part of the latter portion of their winter break in Vancouver, the Moses Lake Mavericks boys basketball team competed at the Clark County Holiday Tournament hosted at Fort Vancouver High School. The Mavs finished 1-2 at the tournament, defeating Heritage High School from Vancouver 72-43 and losing 64-52 to Spanaway Lake of Spanaway and 67-59 to Liberty High School of Hillsboro, Oregon. “For all of us, this is actually a brand new experience since I took over as head coach four years ago,” Moses Lake Head Coach Jake Hunt said. “The guys hadn’t done anything together as far as team bonding for an extended period of time. It was a pretty unique experience for most of the guys.” ...

Lions place fifth at MVC holiday tournament

MOSES LAKE – Like many local teams, the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lady Lions spent part of their winter break on the basketball court. The Lions traveled over the Cascades to play in the Mount Vernon Christian Holiday Hoops Tournament last week. MLCA/CCS Head Coach Josh Kast said the tournament was a great experience for the team, who have high expectations for this season...

RECAP: ‘Hawks boost playoff hopes, Kraken notch comeback wins

SEATTLE — The Seahawks received a boost to their playoff hopes, while the Kraken snapped a three-game losing skid. Check out this week’s pro sports recap for an update on the two squads. Seahawks With their playoff hopes on the line, the Seattle Seahawks put themselves back in the picture with a 23-6 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, where Seattle quarterback Geno Smith eliminated his former team from postseason contention. While both teams were fighting for their playoff chances, the Seahawks were the only team that seemed to show up on Sunday afternoon. Seattle began the game with a 60-yard run by rookie running back Kenneth Walker III and scored on its first three possessions of the matchup (two touchdown passes by Smith sandwiching a Jason Myers 25-yard field goal).

Grant Co. Republicans gather for annual fundraiser

MOSES LAKE — Members of the Grant County Republican Party gathered last week to listen to their state legislators, raise money and honor long-time GOP volunteers. “I think it’s a big part of recognizing the people who built the Grant County Republican Party,” said David Hunt, the newly elected chair of the county GOP...

Distinguished 'crown'

Addy Carlile named Moses Lake Distinguished Young Woman for 2024

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School junior Addy Carlile was named the Young Woman of Distinction for 2024 at the Young Women of Distinction’s annual competition on Saturday night. Along with First Runner-Up Sydney Garza and Second Runner-Up Tori Moser, the three young women will represent Moses Lake. “It’s a really great experience,” Carlile said afterward. “I feel like I’ve met so many great people, and I’m so excited to spend the rest of the year with these people.” ...

Health clinic provides care for pets and their people

SEATTLE — Whether she’s living out of her car or crashing on a friend’s couch, Grace Stroklund can’t contain her smile when she’s greeted after a hard day’s work by her dog, Nugget. Homeless in the greater Seattle area for half of her life, Stroklund, 28, who works as a line cook, said when it comes to veterinary care for the 6-year-old Jack Russell terrier mix that brings her so much joy, she “would do anything.”

Huskies fall to Hazen 6-5

OTHELLO – Down three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, a late rally wasn’t enough for the Othello Huskies to overtake Hazen on Thursday afternoon, falling 6-5 in Othello. “We really battled offensively, and it was good to see that our kids could battle at the plate,” Othello Head Coach Sonny Garza said. “Putting the ball in play, putting pressure on the defense. It was really good to see that.”

Bonding on and off the field

Tigers playing well together early in the season

EPHRATA – The Ephrata fastpitch team has its sights set on reaching state after missing the tournament last season, and is doing so by bonding with one another on and off the field. Practices are lively and energetic, with players joking around and supporting their teammates.

Jacks look to improve on state finish

Quincy soccer players jump onto the pitch with goals in mind.

QUINCY — After falling to Seattle Academy in the first round of the 1A Boys State Soccer Tournament, the Quincy Jackrabbits are returning to the field this season and hungry for a better end result. “We’re using that (loss) as our motivation, making sure that doesn’t happen this year,” said senior Jorge Nunez, the 2022 Caribou Trail League Player of the Year. “Especially being our last year.” ...

Record hunt

Youth Outdoors Unlimited raises largest amount of funds for young hunters and anglers to date

MOSES LAKE — The room was brimming with both people and emotion at the Youth Outdoors Unlimited fundraiser banquet the evening of March 4. “We made a little over $129,000, which is an all-time record,” said YOU founder and director Cindy Carpenter. “We are so blessed to have such generous support from our hometown.” ...

The murals of Moses Lake

Local artwork focuses on history, culture and keeping the city welcoming.

MOSES LAKE — There’s a very simple reason tattoo artist Shawn Willmorth painted the side of his building on W. Broadway Avenue. “We painted it because it was awesome,” Willmorth, owner of The Hive at 116 W. Broadway Ave. “We just wanted to make an impact.” ...

‘Proudly fueled by sugar’

Big Bend Percussion works to impress audiences with high-tempo show.

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Vikings Percussion is a musical group for the college that performs music using various percussion instruments. The Group recently won first in state and is led by Big Bend’s music instructor John Owens who was able to share more about the group. “It’s basically marching percussion meets concert percussion,” he said. “We have marimbas, vibraphone, drum set, bass and guitars, and then we have snare drums tenors, and multiple bass drums.” ...

Othello approves playground install, discusses ACPR contract

OTHELLO – During Monday’s regular Othello City Council Meeting, council members unanimously approved a motion to proceed with the installation of new playground equipment at Lions Park. The council also agreed to reevaluate the city’s contract with Adams County Pet Rescue. City Engineer Shawn O’Brien spoke with the council regarding the playground installation...

One for the books

Royal City approves library deal

ROYAL CITY — Progress toward a new Royal City library took a big step forward Tuesday at the Royal City City Council meeting. The council chamber was filled to standing room only as proponents of the library turned out in support of the lease agreement between the city and the Royal City Friends of the Library. The move was made possible in part by a grant the Friends of the Library received from the Lauzier Foundation: $150,000 in July of this year, to be followed by $200,000 in 2024 and $150,000 in 2025, for a total of $500,000. Between that and other funds the Friends of the Library have raised, there is currently $620,000 available for the work.