Saving those who served

Empathy key to reducing veteran suicides.

EPHRATA — Every 28 seconds or so, a U.S. military veteran attempts to take their own life. “Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. There were 46,000 deaths by suicide in 2020 and there were 1.15 million attempts,” said Mike Badgley, a suicide prevention peer specialist for the Washington State Department of Military Affairs...

News bites for June 6, 2023

SOAP LAKE — A hike took a frightening turn when a hiker fell at the Lenore Caves Friday afternoon. At about 2 p.m., responders from Grant County Fire District 17 were called to the scene about half a mile from the parking lot of the popular hiking area north of Soap Lake. There they found a middle-aged woman who had fallen and injured her leg and hip, according to a statement from the fire district. The victim was unable to walk, the statement said...

Sage ‘n Sun to light up Ephrata

EPHRATA — Ephrata will take to the streets this weekend with the 111th annual Sage ‘n Sun Festival. “Last year we we had started out brand new, kind of redeveloped it And we're in the process to continue to make it grow and to build it into something a little bit bigger if we can. Last year we did not have very many vendors. This year, including food and craft or info booth-type vendors, we've got 42. That's pretty good for our small area, so we're really excited.” ...

Ephrata schools to offer free summer meals to children

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District will provide free meals to children 18 and younger this summer beginning on Wednesday, June 14, and lasting through Thursday, July 27, according to a press release from the Ephrata School District...

Big Bend students participate in civics simulation

MOSES LAKE – Big Bend Community College students get to participate in mock scenarios of different parts of the American Government in Political Science 202. Instructors Chris Riley and Webb Waites teach the five-credit course together and have taught various courses together for over 10 years at Big Bend...

News Bites for June 1

QUINCY — Saturday’s sudden rainstorm triggered a flash flood at Adams Road and Road 13 Northwest, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Mud, rocks and debris were scattered across the roads, the GSCO wrote. Grant County Road District 3 responded to the area and cleaned the road up, and the GCSO statement did not indicate any injuries or property damage. Here’s what else happened over the weekend in the Columbia Basin:

Suspect found dead in car after police pursuit

The following story contains information that might be traumatic for some readers. Discretion is advised. MOSES LAKE — A man sought in connection with a domestic dispute appears to have taken his own life during an encounter with Moses Lake Police officers Tuesday night, according to MLPD Capt. Mike Williams. Williams said officers were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, they were told a man in his mid-20s, who was not from Moses Lake, had left the scene and was reportedly armed. Williams declined to comment on the man’s role in the disturbance.

Legals for May, 31 2023

120 flags in Ephrata

Memorial Day ceremony commemorates more than a century of military service

EPHRATA — Kimberly Thomas, commander of American Legion Post 28 in Ephrata, and the auxiliary president Mardi Carroll read off the names of the people commemorated in the Aisle of Flags set up to commemorate Memorial Day. “For those of you who weren’t counting, there were 120 of them,” said former Post 28 commander Mike Montaney when the two women had finished...

Greater love hath no man ...

KELLOGG, Idaho –– There is a hill on the southeast side of Kellogg – at the top of that hill is Greenwood Cemetry. To find the headstone belonging to First Lieutenant Frank Stanley Reasoner, you’d have to make your way to the back of the cemetery where the veterans have their own special section...

The Massage Cottage

Massage therapist uses a variety of techniques to alleviate chronic pain, relax and soothe clients and help them live healthier lives

EPHRATA — Kathi Johnson, owner and operator of The Massage Cottage in Ephrata, makes it her mission to relieve stress, tension and pain in the body. She’s been doing it for 23 years, she said. “Get them feeling relaxed, less stressed and pain-free,” said Johnson...

Basin Business Journal looking for 40 standouts under 40

COLUMBIA BASIN — The squeaky wheel may get the grease, but sometimes the other wheels are working just as hard without making noise. That’s true in the business world, too: sometimes the people making the most difference are the quiet ones, flying under the radar. The Basin Business Journal would like to know about those people...

‘There were carp everywhere’

Carp bowhunters harvest 13,000 pounds from Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Ty Swartout said I came close to spearing a carp, but I honestly don’t think so. “Oh, that was close,” Swartout told me as we stood on the bow of his bass fishing boat as it slowly drifted across a very shallow portion of Moses Lake parallel to SR 17. “I think you got a piece of his tail.” I was holding a green compound bow with a reel attached by a long string to a big yellow arrow. It had been a long time since I shot a bow, and even longer since I went fishing. Standing on a boat trying to shoot fish? Well, this I’d never done before. “Remember to aim below the fish,” Swartout told me.

Legals for May, 30 2023

Knights place second in 1A state tournament

Nearly 18-hour delay forces final three innings to be played on Sunday

RICHLAND – From the first pitch to the final out, It took 17 hours and 32 minutes to decide the winner of Saturday’s 1A State Fastpitch Softball Tournament, as the Montesano Bulldogs outlasted a weather delay that postponed the late innings to be played on Sunday morning, and defeated Royal 8-2.

Safe storage

Keeping household weapons secure

MOSES LAKE — It seems like guns and gun owners are in the news a lot these days. Plenty of people in the Basin keep firearms, both for personal protection and for recreational shooting. But when you have guns in the home, where you can access them, there’s always the risk that a child can too. So could a burglar or a friend or relative who, for whatever reason, shouldn’t be allowed access to a firearm. A recent study by experts at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital indicated that if 20% more American households kept their guns securely stored, gun-related deaths among children and teens could be decreased by a third. It’s essential to make sure weapons are stored where the right people can get to them easily, but the wrong people can’t. That often means a gun safe. Household gun safes come in all sizes, from smaller 8-by-12-inch strongboxes to wardrobe-sized cabinets that can hold a dozen rifles or more. Prices range from $25 to about $2,500, according to Consumer Reports. The thing they all have in common is that they lock securely. When it comes to locking mechanisms there are several possibilities, said Moses Lake firearms safety instructor Edgar Salazar. Some use the traditional rotary lock, but others are more high-tech.

Legals for May, 26 2023

Fuhr seeks additional officers for MLPD

Police chief seeks $1M in funding to ensure police force is adequate

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr is asking the city council to consider adding up to $1 million to the police department’s annual budget to hire as many as six new officers, citing the department’s workload. “We run six officers per shift per crew and any given time, but with education and training, simply we average between four and five officers at any given that are working,” Fuhr told members of the Moses Lake city council on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, we are busy enough that four or five officers just doesn’t cut it anymore,” added the chief, who is also interim city manager.

Council OKs changes to Moses Lake parking code

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to the city ordinance governing when and how the city can impound vehicles, including those being used as residences and parked illegally. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken your nuisance and junk vehicle chapter and added to it the ability and the subsection revolving around them to impound unauthorized vehicles or those that are parked where they’re not supposed to be parked,” City Attorney Katherine Kenison told members of the city council at a lengthy regular meeting on Tuesday. Under the approved changes, Moses Lake Police officers may now impound vehicles illegally parked on public streets or rights of way or in city parking lots for longer than 24 hours unless the parking lot is governed by separate rules or the owners of the vehicle have obtained a parking permit from the city manager, according to the ordinance.

Legals for May, 25 2023