WA clean energy project mired in ‘no man’s land’ amid planning setbacks

(The Center Square) – The Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center generating wind and solar energy south of the Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington was expected to begin construction in 2021. Three years later, the project is still in the planning phase, with Gov. Jay Inslee most recently sending the proposed site certification agreement back to the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council for reconsideration.

‘Everybody that’s here loves cars’

Spring Festival car show fills Moses Lake’s Third Street with cool cars

MOSES LAKE — The bass contest proved that none of the trucks at the Moses Lake Spring Festival car show had sound systems so powerful they could break windows. But anybody standing next to the orange 2005 Chevrolet Silverado felt their lungs vibrate when owner Santana Palacios turned up the volume. A lot of people were impressed.

Title secured: Knights win 1A softball championship

RICHLAND — The Royal offense exploded to put up 16 runs on the board in Saturday’s 1A state championship game against No. 6 seed Seton Catholic, as the No. 8 Knights defeated the Cougars 16-4 in six innings to take home their first state championship in fastpitch softball.

Othello council considers pushcart rules

OTHELLO — In the age of mobile businesses and part-time side gigs, Othello city officials are working to ensure proper city regulation while promoting entrepreneurship. Othello City Council members passed an ordinance in April to regulate food truck operation and considered pushcart regulations at the regular council meeting Tuesday.

Huskies go 3-2 at state tournament

SELAH – No. 9 seed Othello went 3-2 at last week’s 2A State Softball Tournament in Selah, picking up wins against No. 8 Olympic, No. 14 Enumclaw, No. 12 Lynden but suffering losses to No. 1 Sedro-Woolley and No. 2 North Kitsap. The Huskies’ opening game of the tournament was a rematch of last season’s state opening round, facing off against the Olympic Trojans. Othello lost 11-3 a year ago.

Dogs and cats available for adoption at Adams County Pet Rescue

OTHELLO — It’s been a busy few weeks at Adams County Pet Rescue - there was the kitten that may have fallen out of a vehicle, and those puppies found in a haystack, among many other dogs and cats.

Association of WA Business endorses two of three initiatives on the fall ballot

(The Center Square) – The board of directors of the Association of Washington Business – the state’s oldest and largest business association – has endorsed two of three initiatives on this November’s ballot. AWB’s board has voted to endorse Initiative 2109, repealing the state’s capital gains tax, and Initiative 2124, allowing employees and self-employed individuals to opt out of coverage under WA Cares, the state’s mandatory long-term care insurance program.

ECBID breaks ground on EL 86.4 irrigation system

OTHELLO – The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District was joined by landowners, key partners and elected officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on the EL 86.4 system Monday, according to a Tuesday announcement from the ECBID. Construction on the system began immediately after the event. The EL 86.4 is an irrigation water delivery system for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program. According to the announcement, the project will reduce the current normalized cost for landowners in the affected area. Tom Tebb, Director of the Office of Columbia River for the Washington Department of Ecology, attended the groundbreaking ceremony and commented on the project in the announcement.

Moses Lake School Board hears from concerned community

MOSES LAKE — Decisions on a modified educational plan for the Moses Lake School District could be coming later today, although they may be delayed. Moses Lake School Board members have scheduled a workshop for 3 p.m. for further discussion on proposed spending and staff reductions for the 2024-25 school year. The discussions follow the rejection of the district’s educational programs and operations levy and the discovery of an accounting error. As of May 11, staff from the North Central Education Service District estimated that MLSD would have to reduce its 2024-25 budget by about $20 million. About 100 staff members, both teachers and support staff, could lose their jobs, and among other things, the district’s entire extracurricular activities program could be reduced or eliminated for 2024-25.

Moses Lake’s Villegas signs with University of Idaho Spirit Squad

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Senior Kamaya Villegas signed her letter of intent Wednesday in the Moses Lake High School gym to join the University of Idaho’s Vandal Spirit Squad as part of both the university’s Vandal Gems dance and Vandal Cheer teams. “I'm feeling pumped up,” Villegas said before the signing. “I'm excited.” Villegas said her choice of UI was influenced both by the university’s dance and cheer programs and by the school itself. “I looked into it and, I don't know, I just wanted to try out for some dance teams and I kind of liked Moscow too,” she said. “And I like the campus and everything, so I was like, why not try out here? And I did. It was between going into the military or doing this or going somewhere far and dancing.”

From player to coach

2023 graduate Ali Stanley begins coaching with the Royal Knights

ROYAL CITY – When Ali Stanley graduated from Covenant Christian School in the spring of 2023, she anticipated playing collegiate softball locally in Moses Lake, suiting up for the Big Bend Vikings.

Moses Lake’s Gephart signs with CWU

MOSES LAKE – Friends, family and coaches gathered in the gymnasium at Moses Lake High School to celebrate senior Sylvie Gephart signing her letter of intent to run cross country and track and field at Central Washington University on Tuesday afternoon.

Survey: More young adults in Washington smoke weed on a daily basis

(The Center Square) – Members of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board were briefed Tuesday on the latest Young Adult Health Survey.

North Central ESD Superintendent talks district services, goals moving forward

WENATCHEE – Washington’s North Central Educational Service District, also known as ESD 171, offers more than 140 programs and services that address all areas of K-12 education and administration, according to the NCESD website. Superintendent Michelle Price discussed what differentiates NCESD from other service districts and what similarities are shared between the nine different districts. “In the realm of student support, we provide all kinds of opportunities that would help with student outcomes in each school district,” Price said. “For instance, connected learning. We have a whole team on the ground that helps connect industry partners and school districts to help make experiences available for students that they would not otherwise have, to explore careers, to investigate careers and maybe even to go into internships and apprenticeships.” The other aspect of NCESD’s services are directed toward school districts more than directly to students.

Chamber seeking volunteers for Sage-N-Sun

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Chamber of Commerce is seeking volunteers for this year's Sage -N-Sun Festival set for June 7-8. Takedown and cleanup volunteers are needed for Saturday, June 8 starting at about 10 p.m. the Saturday of the event. The chamber is also looking for two additional judges for the Grand Parade and someone to supervise the cornhole activities at the festival. That attraction will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and sifts are set for two-hour increments. The festival is also looking for a face-painting vendor for the event To volunteer, contact the chamber at 509-754-4656 or email the chamber at [email protected]. More information on the event is available at ephratachamber.org.

Bids awarded for Soap Lake street rebuilding, resurfacing

SOAP LAKE — No start date has been established for two street repair projects planned for Soap Lake this summer. Contracts for the projects were awarded by the Soap Lake City Council last week. Tommer Construction, Ephrata, was awarded the bid on a project to resurface streets throughout town in an effort to prolong their life. Tommer bid $992,000. The city received a grant from the Washington Transportation Improvement Board to pay all the costs of the project. Selected streets will be resurfaced with a process known as scrub seal. Michael Woodkey of Gray and Osborne, the city’s engineers, said in an earlier interview that scrub sealing will slow down deterioration of city streets. It’s similar to chip seal, but it includes a step to push the rock and tar material into the existing cracks.

Bowfishers reap harvest of carp at Carp Classic

MOSES LAKE — High winds affected participation, but bowfishers still removed about 2,600 pounds of carp from Moses Lake in the fifth annual Carp Classic Saturday.

Wallen to stay as Grant County PUD chief executive officer

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD General Manager Rich Wallen will stay in that position, rather than resigning to take a job with the Chelan County PUD. Utility district commissioners announced Wallen would be staying during a workshop Tuesday, followed by a statement from Commissioner Terry Pyle warning against listening to rumors.

Desert Aire Airport District votes to eventually dissolve district

DESERT AIRE – Grant County Airport District 1, also known as the Desert Aire Airport District, held a special meeting Saturday with members of the Desert Aire community to discuss the district’s future, during which the commissioners voted to begin the process of dissolving the district.

Jacks close out 2024 season

VASHON – The No. 10 seed Quincy Jackrabbits traveled across the Cascades to begin the 1A Boys State Soccer Tournament over the weekend, opening with a 2-1 win over No. 7 Toppenish before seeing their season coming to a close with a loss to No. 2 Vashon Island.