Cage riders take danger for granted

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes zooming around on motorcycles inside a cage runs in the family.

Traffic collision sends at least one to hospital Friday

MOSES LAKE — A traffic jam has been cleared at the intersection of Walmart Road and North Stratford Road following a collision. At least one person was transported for medical care.

BASIN BOX SCORE: Vikings volleyball, local field upgrades, and Grant County fair events

MOSES LAKE – On this episode of the Basin Box Score, Mike Maynard and Caleb Perez discuss recent news in basin sports world like baseball field upgrades in Ephrata, Vikings volleyball season preview and coach openings at Frontier and Endeavor Middle Schools. Additionally, the Grant County Fair is in town this week with several events like equitation, demo derbies and the rodeo. Check out this week's episode: https://bit.ly/BBSEP9

Nonprofits the heart of community life

Celebrating the organizations that uplift the Columbia Basin on National Nonprofit Day

MOSES LAKE — It takes a lot of people, many of them working for nothing, to make a great community. This weekend will be a chance to honor those folks. Aug. 17 is National Nonprofit Day, a day set aside to recognize those organizations that serve their communities, from the big nationwide charities and advocacy groups to the small local service club. The one thing they all have in common is their impact on the communities they serve.

Moses Lake Demo Derby concludes

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Demo Derby held the second half of its events Wednesday night with more drivers, dirt and another round of demolition. “It’s always easier on the second day because everybody is going with the flow already” said Aaron Schrodt, organizer for the Moses Lake Demo Derby. “Everybody did great, we had a couple roll roll-overs, but everybody was safe.”

Vikings volleyball season preview

MOSES LAKE – As the Vikings return to the court for practices, there is a lot of optimism in the air for head coach, Lindsey Linthicum. As they prepare for their first scrimmage game today at Centralia, she said the team is starting to gel. “That's been really fun to see the girls kind of making those connections,” Linthicum said. “It's just fun to see their personalities coming out, and the girls are recognizing those personalities, and every once in a while we get a good laugh out of each other.”

Plant clinic offers insights at Grant County Fair

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fair brings a lot of interactive experiences for the community to engage with. Sometimes these experiences can be educational, like the Master Gardeners’ clinic. “Our job here is to provide a plant clinic that is for anybody who comes in and asks a question about what’s what they need, either about watering, gardening or pruning,” said Barbara Guilland, a volunteer for Washington State University’s Master Gardener Program. WSU’s Master Gardener Program and the Columbia Basin Conservation District had educational booths in the Agriculture Building. WSU had a lot of information about plant care for this time of year.

Young demo drivers take the stage

MOSES LAKE — Day two of the Moses Lake Demo Derby kicked off with a special exhibition, the Youth Power Wheels Demo, just before the main event. “They love it,” said Mackenzie Cafferty, whose children participated in the event. “They don’t get to run into things at home, so it’s better for them to come out and run into other kids and have a good time.” Cafferty said she got her two children, Wesley and Hadley, involved in the Power Wheels Demo Derby through her father, Stan Cafferty, who’s on the board of directors with Moses Lake Roundup and is heavily involved in the events that take place at the Grant County Fair. She said she enjoys having her children involved and staying with the family traditions.

BASIN EVENTS: Aug. 15-23, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Some folks love to get out in the sun, while others prefer to stick close to where it’s air-conditioned. Either way, there’s something for you happening in the Basin this week. Here are some ideas:

Realtors step up with school supply drive

MOSES LAKE — We’re still a few weeks away from the beginning of the school year, but the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors got a head start Aug. 7, handing over a heap of school supplies to the Moses Lake School District.

BUILDING PERMITS: Aug. 15, 2025

City of Moses Lake July 2025 Nate Currier, 400 block of North Mattson Avenue, residential plumbing, no valuation given. Hayden Homes, 1100 block of Redwood Road, new residence, $292,954.33 Hayden Homes, 1000 block of West Windrose Drive, fence, no valuation given.

Legals for August, 15 2025

New Grant County prosecutor sets goals

EPHRATA — Brandon Guernsey was sworn in Aug. 4 as the new Grant County Prosecutor. He replaces Kevin McCrae, who announced his resignation in May, effective Aug. 3. Guernsey said he has set some goals for the prosecutor’s office, one of the most important being to improve morale. The prosecutor’s office does not have a sufficient staff of attorneys, he said, and he wants to remedy that. “For me personally, cracking down on drugs and gangs,” he said. “That’s really where my passion is, to stop drug cartels from destroying our lives.” Attorneys in the prosecutor’s office, he said, should be accessible. “We should be holding ourselves accountable to the community,” Guernsey said.

Hit-and-run east of Othello injures four

OTHELLO — Four people were transported to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland after they were injured in a crash about 20 miles east of Othello Wednesday. One of the drivers involved in the three-car collision fled the scene. Nelly Kereiyian, 32, Pullman, and Timothy Oronge, 41, Everett, a 6-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy were transported to Kadlec after the van they were in rolled down an embankment, according to a statement from the Washington State Patrol. Passengers Fatina Jepleting, 26, and Erick Kayioni, 37, both of Pullman, were unhurt, the WSP wrote. Kereiyian was driving east on state Route 26 at the Highway 395 overpass at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a vehicle heading stopped at the top of the Highway 295 offramp pulled out in front of her, the statement said. Kereiyian attempted to avoid the vehicle and lost control, crossing into the eastbound lane.

City of Moses Lake announces new fire chief

MOSES LAKE — Arthur Perillo III has been hired as the new chief of the Moses Lake Fire Department. “I was initially drawn to the Moses Lake fire chief position because of the area’s abundance of sunshine, the wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities and the energy of a growing community,” Perillo wrote in a statement from the city of Moses Lake. “What truly solidified my interest was learning more about the professional and dedicated men and women who work for the city and the Moses Lake Fire Department. Perillo will take over the job Sept. 22. He replaces Brett Bastian, who retired in February. Currently Perillo is the assistant chief of emergency medical services for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.

Schoonover Road construction begins, other road projects progressing

RITZVILLE — A section of Schoonover Road north of Ritzville is closed to traffic as construction crews start work on a complete rebuild. Schoonover Road is closed from Rosenoff to Rehn roads. “Currently the contractor has ground the existing pavement and is working on clearing vegetation on the shoulder, and will then begin the earthwork portion,” wrote Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. Construction is scheduled for completion Nov. 4. The old road surface will be removed, the roadbed rebuilt with improved drainage, the road widened, and guardrails added where needed, Yaeger said in an earlier interview. It’s the first year of a multiyear project; the first phase project cost is about $3.13 million.

Wildcats football returns to the field

ELLENSBURG – The seventh season of Wildcat Football under the tutelage of Head Coach Chris Fisk is officially underway, CWU Athletics said in a statement. 111 Wildcats reported for camp to officially begin the 2025 campaign. "We are very excited for the opportunity to build up the 2025 Wildcats through fall camp," CWU Head Football Coach Chris Fisk said. "We got off to a good start last week and are looking forward to seeing this practice pay off when we open our season at home in Tomlinson Stadium for the Rodeo Bowl."

Attorneys behind landmark Bruen gun case take on WA high-cap magazine ban fight

(The Center Square) – The law firm that successfully argued the landmark Bruen case has agreed to take up the high-profile Gator’s Custom Guns case concerning Washington state’s prohibition on the sale, manufacture and distribution of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. In 2022, the law firm of Clement & Murphy successfully argued the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, a United States Supreme Court decision that significantly expanded the scope of the Second Amendment's protection of the right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Living in one desert is enough...

A healthy chunk of the Columbia Basin’s population likes living in a desert. The sagebrush calls out. The tumbleweeds meander through town and the sunshine is warm without the gross need to use the word “muggy.”

ESA to hold charity golf tourney in Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE – On Saturday, August 16, the Alpha Omega chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha will be holding a charity golf tournament at Lakeview Golf and Country Club. ESA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for local charities and families in need, event organizer Abby Smith said.