Alumni Association tops $230,000 in scholarships

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Alumni Association has awarded more than $231,000 in scholarships in its 16-year history, according to a statement from the association, and is accepting applications for 2023.

State Senate approves safety measures for road workers

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate last Thursday approved a pair of bills requiring the installation of automated vehicle speed cameras and other measures to improve highway safety. “Speed kills. Our work zones have lower posted speeds for very good reasons. This helps to prevent collisions with slower-moving work vehicles and helps to protect workers who are often outside of their vehicles,” said Mark McKechnie, from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, testifying in support of one of the measures.

Legals for February, 27 2023

Legals for February, 24 2023

Lady Vikings wrap up home slate in style

The Big Bend Community College Lady Vikings basketball team proved, once again, that it's not how you start but how you finish, overcoming an eight-point first quarter deficit to outscore the visiting Yakima Valley College Lady Yaks in the subsequent three quarters, on their way to an 83-71 NWAC East victory on Saturday (February 18), in their final home game of the season.

Milky Way celebrates 75 years of dairy trucking

SEATTLE — Milk hauler Milky Way — whose trucks are seen frequently on the roads of parts of Grant and Adams counties — is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, according to a press release from Milky Way parent company Lynden. Founded in 1948, Milky Way is one of the largest milk haulers from dairy farms to dairies in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, the press release said...

Murray touts WSU Breadlab research in visit

BURLINGTON — During a visit on Wednesday to Washington State University’s Breadlab at the Port of Skagit, Sen. Patty Murray highlighted the importance of federal support for research into improvements in food processing and value-added agriculture...

Kraken win two of three, M’s to start spring training

Seahawks, Storm make roster moves

SEATTLE – With Opening Day on the horizon, the Seattle Mariners get started with spring training later this week. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken got back to their winning ways with back-to-back wins.

Legals for February, 22 2023

Adams Co. economy shows signs of slowing in December

RITZVILLE — After declining for 19 consecutive months, the year-over-year unemployment rate in Adams County increased in November and December 2022. The county’s unemployment rate in December 2022 was 7.6%, up from 5.9% in December 2021. Unemployment also increased between November and December 2022. November’s unemployment rate was 4.9%...

MLHS Torres signs with Wenatchee Valley

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake High School’s Jazlynn Torres signed to play both volleyball and softball with Wenatchee Valley Community College Tuesday. “She’s consistent, she’s coachable, she’s a leader,” said MLHS softball coach Mike Hofheins. “I mean, she’s got all those things, those check marks you want for a college athlete so she’s going to be a huge asset to Wenatchee.” Being able to play both sports was a large part of her decision to choose WVCC, Torres said...

Family affair

Handing on the business of styling hair

MOSES LAKE — After 54 years of cutting and styling hair, Linda Benson decided it was time to hang up her shears, her smock and her clippers. “I got my license in 1969,” said Benson, 73. “I enjoyed working with people, making them look nice, and getting to know them and become their friend.” Benson, who owns Hair Affair at the corner of Alder Street and Fifth Avenue near downtown said she and her husband will take some time to travel and basically hand the business over to her granddaughter McKenzie Garza, though the actual management of the business will remain in the hands of Nancy Hull, who has worked with Benson for the last 20 years.

Versatile sound

Badger Mountain Dry Band creates bluegrass out of varied material

GEORGE — Almost anything can be turned into bluegrass, as the Badger Mountain Dry Band demonstrated at the George Community Hall on Saturday. “We play lots of different kinds and styles of music,” said Jim Honeyman, lead vocalist and mandolin player for BMDB. “Basically whatever we want, adapted into bluegrass style and played with bluegrass instruments.” Saturday’s set list covered a pretty broad range of music, all converted, as Honeyman said, run through the filter of mandolin, fiddle, guitar and high vocals (sung from the heart and through the nose, as banjo player Nick McLean said) that defines bluegrass.

Legals for February, 21 2023

ML to fund 2023 fireworks, looking at Ag Parade drone show

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted to hold a traditional 4th of July fireworks celebration in McCosh Park this year, but is also looking at the possibility of having a drone show as part of the annual Ag Parade later in the year. Speaking at a regular meeting of the council on Tuesday, Moses Lake Museum and Art Center Manager Dollie Boyd said the city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department would organize this year’s fireworks display since neither the Downtown Moses Lake Association nor the Moses Lake Farmers Market wanted to take on the task.

Thinking small

Kit home legislation could ease housing crunch, aid those facing homelessness

OLYMPIA — Everybody knows there’s a housing shortage, especially for very low-income people and solutions are hard to come by. State Sen. Jeff Wilson, D-Longview, thinks he may have the start of one, however. “A hundred years ago, people bought houses from the Sears catalog – they came in a boxcar, you found a local crew to build them or you did it yourself,” Wilson wrote in a press release announcing the introduction of Senate Bill 5657. “We see prewar kit bungalows standing proudly today in every community of the state. As prices of starter homes skyrocket, we ought to take another look at kit homes as a solution for today.”

ACH’s Tristen, Everett Wood on to state

COULEE CITY – After finishing second in their respective brackets, Almira/Coulee-Hartline senior Tristen Wood and junior Everett Wood are on to represent the Warriors at the 2023 Mat Classic in Tacoma. The duo, who are brothers, are joined by their fellow brother in eighth-grader Porter Wood and ACH junior John Pierce as state alternates in the 126- and 170-pound brackets, respectively.

Legals for February, 17 2023

Ephrata council talks pickleball courts, garbage contract

EPHRATA — A group of volunteers wants to build new pickleball courts and donate them to the city of Ephrata. “We are severely lacking in recreational opportunities in our park system here in Ephrata. Especially for adults,” resident Jean Patterson told members of the Ephrata City Council at a regular meeting on Wednesday. “I have lived here for 30 years and there’s not one new park added, and we’ve lost two tennis courts.”

Untapped

A sign of things to come on the window of the Moses Lake Taproom.

MOSES LAKE — Will Stakelin and his son Connor Stakelin didn’t want to let the space once occupied by Squirrelfight Artisan Brewing stay empty for very long. “A lot of people had no clue that Squirrel Fight went out of business,” Connor said as he stood in the cavernous room where Squirrel Fight used to brew beer. “But the reality is, the space was vacant, and all of their items were up for auction a couple of months prior to us even leasing the space.” ...