'Affordability is first'

Warnick outlines legislative priorities for upcoming session

OLYMPIA — Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake and the Republican Caucus Chair for the Washington State Senate, shared her legislative priorities for the upcoming session, which include increasing affordability, enhancing public safety and improving access to education—issues she believes are vital for the welfare of Washingtonians.

Legals for December, 22 2025

Cougs to play Utah state in Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

PULLMAN — The Washington State University Cougars football team (6-6) is set to play Utah State (6-6) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Monday, with kickoff at 11 a.m. This will be the Cougs’ 20th bowl game in program history and ninth in the last ten full seasons.

Season recap with the Royal Knights football team

MOSES LAKE — On this episode of the Basin Box Score podcast, host Mike Maynard sits down with three seniors from the Royal Knights football team. In this discussion, they reflect on their 2025 season which concluded with their sixth straight 1A state championship. All of that and more is discussed in this episode.

Cougs name Citowicki new women's soccer head coach

PULLMAN — Washington State athletics announced Chris Citowicki as its new head coach of the Cougars women’s soccer program. “We are extremely excited to have Chris leading our soccer program,” said Interim Director of Athletics Jon Haarlow. “He has a proven record of success and his dedication to developing student-athletes—not just as players, but as leaders, students, and members of our community—stood out immediately.”

‘Our favorite time of year’

Shop with a Cop brings smiles to both children and officers

MOSES LAKE — The heavy police presence outside local stores recently wasn’t because of a crime wave. It was police officers engaging in their favorite annual event. “This is one of those times throughout the year that we don't have to go and ask for volunteers to help,” said Moses Lake Police Chief David Sands. “The first day we put it out, I think we got 20-some people say ‘Yeah, we’re in.’ That's just under half the department right away.“

Chimney maintenance is essential for safety

MOSES LAKE — With Christmas just around the corner, lots of folks are using their fireplaces for warmth, roasting chestnuts or just a pleasant atmosphere. But before Santa pays your chimney a visit, you should make sure it’s in good working order. Chimney fires are responsible for more than three-fourths of residential building heating fires, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Regular inspections and cleaning are the best way to prevent that, said Michael Harper, known as The Chimney Guy. “If they’re using (the fireplace) aesthetically – date night, Christmas, New Year’s, show-off times, something in the background here and there, (they should) have it inspected once a year for peace of mind,” Harper said. “If they’re using it two to three days a week religiously through the winter months, they need to have it cleaned once a year.”

BASIN EVENTS: Dec. 19-27

COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and a lot of people will be spending time at home with their families or at the church of their choice. Still, there are a few things happening around the Basin. Here are some ideas:

More park improvements planned for Royal City in ‘26

ROYAL CITY — Lions Park in Royal City now has a soccer field, so city officials will be working on the next phase of improvements in 2026. The first phase of upgrades to Apple Avenue also is scheduled for 2026, and both are among the projects reflected in the city’s 2026 budget. The budget was approved by Royal City City Council members Tuesday.

Jacks host first league match of the season

QUINCY — The Quiny Jacks wrestling team hosted Selah in their first league match of the season where both teams found success on the mat. The Jacks will use this match to kick off their season as the competition begins to ramp up over the next few weeks.

Legals for December, 19 2025

Girls Basin basketball roundup, Dec. 11-17

MOSES LAKE — Winter sports is well under way as several girls basketball programs have multiple games checked off. Some have started strong while others seek improvement. See below how your favorite teams fared as of late and their current records.

Mavericks shine on the road

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (2-0) are off to a strong start to their season after defeating the West Valley Rams 54-24 Tuesday. Head Coach Jose Tanguma said he was glad to see his wrestlers make improvements.

Moses Lake Police Department logs for Dec. 12-14, 2025

Moses Lake Police Department logs for Dec. 12-14, 2025

Sleep Diagnostic Center physician pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud

Charges involve charging Apple Health for recalled, altered CPAP devices

BREWSTER — A Brewster physician who operates a sleep diagnostic clinic in Moses Lake and Wenatchee will be sentenced March 24 as part of a Wednesday plea deal on Medicaid fraud charges.

Big Sky Now: Quarterfinal recap and historic Super Brawl as Cats and Griz battle for a place in the finals

In a first-ever playoff meeting - Montana faces Montana State in Bozeman this weekend for the Super Brawl!

Ephrata water tower kept offline due to programming issue

EPHRATA — The Ephrata water tower could not be connected yesterday, as originally planned, according to Public Works Directors Rob Harris. Instead, the city will have to wait another one to two weeks for some programming issues to be fixed.

Quincy man killed in early-morning crash

QUINCY — A Quincy man was killed when the car he was driving was hit by another car about five miles west of Quincy early Thursday morning.

Cops for Tots

Moses Lake Police collect toys for local children

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Police Department is focused on supporting local children this year with their revamped annual toy drive. “We had been doing this for a while, through Toys for Tots,” said MLPD Public Records Technician Cristina Valdez. “But last year we decided to change it to Cops for Tots so that we could make sure the toys stayed within our own community.” Officers and support staff stationed themselves outside both entrances of the Moses Lake Walmart Saturday evening.

Moses Lake BMX showed growth, strength in ‘25

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake BMX group had a big year in 2025 as they experienced growth in their riders and the facility. With the season ending in November, Jeff Niehenke, President of Moses Lake BMX, has had time to reflect and plan for what’s to come at the start of the next season. “This year went really well,” said Niehenke. “We were in two new beginner leagues, and we just had a lot of growth from the beginner leagues.”