Young but experienced Cougars return to the mat

WARDEN — Warden wrestlers will be back competing against tough competition at the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference this week. This year, the two teams are striving to reach new heights despite returning to a young roster. “We’re a young group and being a small school we get a lot of kids who like to try wrestling so (our goal is) getting those kids to blossom,” said Cougars Boys Head Coach Johnny Hernandez. “One of my favorite parts of doing this is just being able to see where these kids start and then where they finish and it’s amazing to see sometimes.”

Karin Jones

1942 – 2025

Karin May Jones, a long time resident of Moses Lake, passed away on November 29, 2025, at the age of 83. She is now in Heaven with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth Mary 'Betty' Warnick

1925 – 2025

Elizabeth Mary “Betty” (Vickerman) Warnick, 100 years old, passed away peacefully at her home on Thursday, November 27, 2025, surrounded by her family. Betty was the beloved matriarch of the Warnick family to her seven children, children-in-laws, foster children, many grandchildren, grandnieces and grandnephews, great-grandchildren, friends and community members.

Knights aiming high for success this season

ROYAL CITY — After an 11-12 season, the Knights are ready for more, according to Head Coach Farrah Wardenaar. After leaving it all on the court last season, they went into the offseason with a renewed drive to succeed. “We had a really good summer; we put in a lot of work. We went to a great team camp at Gonzaga, and I took 20 kids with me this summer. That just shows me the level of dedication (they have) is improving every year, so I think that's great,” Wardenaar said. With their investment into developing in the offseason, Wardenaar said she feels her team will be different this season. The Knights return a strong group of upperclassmen and a freshmen class. Taking both of those into account, she feels this roster is a strong depth to work with.

We are Ephrata Town Hall set for Dec. 10

EPHRATA — The Columbia Basin Herald and the Ephrata School District will once again host the “We are Ephrata” Town Hall on Dec. 10 at the Ephrata High School Performing Arts Center.

Verify before responding to charitable requests

MOSES LAKE — Along with many other things, Christmas is the season of charity. But because scammers are still out there even during the Christmas season, the Washington Attorney General’s Office suggests that people verify before they donate. Othello Police Interim Chief Aaron Garza said a good way for people to protect themselves from charity scammers is to be proactive.

Trade group: High taxes, regulations straining WA restaurants to the breaking point

(The Center Square) — The holidays are typically the busiest time of year for restaurants, but if trends continue in Washington state, it might be a blue Christmas for eatery owners and operators. “Costs have gone up, and customers are really pushing back on price,” said Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, in an interview last week with The Center Square.

Moses Lake teachers begin strike Monday as negotiations continue

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District teachers gathered outside of their respective campuses Monday morning, holding signs reading “On Strike!” School was closed for the district’s students Monday and will be Tuesday as well. Sunday night, it was announced that Moses Lake Education Association, the district’s teacher union, would begin a work stoppage Monday, after nearly six months of negotiations with the district on a contract.

Steven L. Gilbert

1958 – 2025

Steven L. Gilbert, devoted husband and father, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2025. Steve lived heroically with the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s for 18 years, but it never daunted his loving spirit and sense of humor. Steve was a gentle giant and leaves a legacy of strength during trial, humor in hard times and an enduring love of God, family and ice cream.

Seahawks blank Vikings 26-0 for their first shutout victory in 10 years

SEATTLE (AP) — Ahead of the season, Ernest Jones IV set a goal of finishing the year with six interceptions. With six games left, the Seahawks linebacker already has a career-high four picks, including the one he returned 85 yards on Sunday for the first touchdown of his career. That was the first of five takeaways by Seattle's dominant defense as the Seahawks blanked the Minnesota Vikings 26-0 for their first shutout victory in more than a decade.

Moses Lake Council approves temporary ice rink fix

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to rent replacement equipment to keep the Larson Recreation Center ice rink functional.

WA senators pushing on federal legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington senators are making progress on several pieces of legislation at the federal level. Washington’s two senators have been able to pass four pieces of legislation in one chamber this session, so far. Of those, two are resolutions designating April as the “Month of Military Child” and designating a week in Feb. as “National School Counseling Week.”

Weather for the first week of December 2025

MLSD closed Monday as teachers opt to strike, negotiations to continue

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District will be closed Monday as a precaution for a potential strike by the Moses Lake Education Association, the district’s teacher's union. MLEA said their executive board voted to initiate a strike starting Monday, if an agreement was not reached by Sunday night after negotiations ended.

GALLERY: November 2025 in review

COLUMBIA BASIN — November in the Basin began with memorials for the departed, surged through state sports championships and finally began to look like winter during Thanksgiving week. Here are a few highlights from last month.

Commerce Department names Economic Development and Competitiveness czar

OLYMPIA — Andrea Chartock has been tapped to lead the state’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, according to an announcement from the Washington State Deparetment of Commerce, which administers that office. Chartock was previously with the international development company DAI and has more than 25 years of experience in global economic development, spanning more than 30 countries.

BASIN EVENTS: December 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Now that the Thanksgiving turkey coma has passed, it’s time to get off the couch and start the December festivities. Here are some things happening this month.

Weather forecast for the week of Nov. 28

Weather forecast for the week of Nov. 28

Mavs coach excited for new wrestling season

MOSES LAKE – After a year of improvement, the Moses Lake High School wrestling squad is ready to hit the mats once again. Head Coach Jose Tanguma said he gets excited when a new season arrives. “We have a good group of kids, a very strong freshman class that came up through our wrestling club, and in these kids, you can see they're very mature for being freshmen, and they're setting high goals for themselves," Tanguma said.

Young Devils team plans on statement season

WILSON CREEK – The Wilson Creek Devils girls basketball team is bringing a young, but talented group of players onto the court this season. Jeff Sackmann returns as the team’s head coach and plans to build off of last year’s successes. “We had a great group of girls and really had a mixture of a couple seniors that had played a lot and a few other girls who had never played before,” said Sackmann. “We just really kind of came together as a team and had a lot of fun.” The Devils finished the last season with a 13-9 record earning third in the Central Washington B league and made a deep run in the postseason. Their success in the regular season allowed for Wilson Creek to host Entiat where they would win 36-27.