Cohort of leaders: RDI program gives grants to Othello institutions

OTHELLO – Rural Development Initiatives wrapped up its six-month-long Rural Community Leadership Program in Othello Thursday evening with a final session for the leadership cohort at the Othello Senior Center and the presentation of $5,000 in grants from the cohort to various community institutions.

BBCC clean energy conference highlights workforce needs

MOSES LAKE — Preparing a workforce for today’s clean energy industries was the focus of the Building the Future Energy Workforce Conference held at Big Bend Community College April 11.

WSU researchers have identified several "vampiric" bacteria

PULLMAN – Some of the world’s deadliest bacteria seek out and feed on human blood, a newly-discovered phenomenon researchers are calling “bacterial vampirism.”

Author, war veteran Roy Scranton to speak in Ellensburg

ELLENSBURG — The Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series at Central Washington University will continue April 25-26 with a visit from Roy Scranton, an Iraq War veteran, acclaimed author, and associate professor of English at the University of Notre Dame.

Fed pandemic dollars fuel WA spending increase

(The Center Square) – Washington state government spending increased 169% from 1991 to 2023. The state’s total spending was $12.21 billion in 1991 and increased to $73.59 billion in 2023. When adjusted for inflation, that accounts for the 169% increase.

Soap Lake water, sewer rates to increase

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake residents will see increases in their water and sewer rates, beginning in May. The increases follow a six-month study of water and sewer rates, and a 6-1 vote to approve the increases by the Soap Lake City Council April 9. Council Member Peter Sharp voted against the increase.

Area leaders assemble to address opioid epidemic

DESERT AIRE – Leaders from around the Columbia Basin gathered at the Wanapum Heritage Center Thursday to discuss the ongoing battle against Fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that caused nearly two dozen deaths in Grant County last year – and other opioids in the Columbia Basin. “(In Grant County in 2022), for opioids in general there were 486 patients and 23 deaths to an opioid overdose,” said Grant County Health District Harm Reduction Program Coordinator Mariah Delon Munoz.

Apple Blossom Festival 104-year-old Wenatchee tradition

WENATCHEE — Apples, apple blossoms, parades, a car show, carnival rides, live music, crafts for children, food booths and plenty of activities will fill the streets of Wenatchee during the 104th Apple Blossom Festival. Activities begin this week, with the grand finale, the Stemilt Grand Parade, May 4. There have been some interruptions – little events like World War II and a coronavirus pandemic – but for the most part, Apple Blossom has been part of Wenatchee since 1920. Director Darci Christoferson said the festival’s purpose, then and now, is to highlight the Wenatchee Valley and the industry that gave it a big part of its identity - and still plays a crucial role in the valley’s economy. “It celebrates our comm

A place of her own

Royal City clinic welcomes new provider

ROYAL CITY — Tara Zamarron has found her home. “We grew up, my husband and I both, in Michigan, born and raised,” Zamarron said. “We had some friends who moved out here in 2005, or 2006, and they asked us to come visit them. And we're like, ‘Sure, we’ll come visit you, we’ve never been out west.’ And we fell in love with it.” Zamarron recently became the primary – in fact, pretty much the only – provider at Confluence Health’s Royal City clinic. Zamarron isn’t a physician; she’s an advanced registered nurse practitioner, which means she does most of the things a doctor does without the title “doctor” before her name. She’s joined at one of the smallest clinics in the Confluence system – a little over 1,700 square feet in downtown Royal City – by a registered nurse and a receptionist.

CWU photography student wins national innovation award

ELLENSBURG — Charlie Tadlock’s fascination with the open road came to him in his search for his artistic voice in photography on the highways of Montana. Now, that fascination has earned him the Society for Photographic Education’s Award for Innovative Imaging, an annual prize given to six photography students from across the U.S. whose work exhibits a forward-thinking approach to the field. Tadlock’s mid-term exhibition, “Vast and Solitary Lands,” caught the judges’ attention with its focus on exploring the familiar highway landscape through the lens of non-traditional photographic techniques. “I fell in love with the road in the final semester of my undergrad,” Tadlock said. “At that point, I was thinking about nostalgic landscapes, and the feeling of being nostalgic for a past that never really existed. I traveled all over Montana for that body of work, and in the process, found that nostalgia on the road itself.”

Jacks defeat Chelan in OT

QUINCY – Tied at two entering overtime, Quincy junior Danny Mendoza delivered a goal to give his Jackrabbit squad a 3-2 lead over Chelan, eventually holding on for their fourth league win of the season. “I just saw an opening – I asked Erick (Zepeda) for the ball, and luckily he gave me a good ball,” Mendoza said. “I slotted it right past the keeper’s hands, went right below his hands, and it was a beautiful goal.”

Juan Victor Rocha

March 5, 1958 – April 8, 2024

Juan Victor Rocha, 66, of Moses Lake, Washington, succumbed to his battle with cancer. Victor passed on April 8, 2024, at Samaritan Hospital. He was surrounded by his loved ones. Victor was born on March 5, 1958, in Dilley, Texas. He was the son of the late Victor Sr. and Manuela Rocha. Victor.s family moved to Moses Lake in 1970. From the very beginning, Victor was a true fan of the Seattle Seahawks. He had a passion for all types of music, especially Tejano music. He was a fan, and very proud of, his primo’s (cousin’s) local band, Tejano Skyz. His all-time favorite singer was Selena (we can still hear him singing). He was famous for asking us trivia questions and playing April Fools jokes on us. Every year we would anticipate and prepare for that call on April 1, but no matter what, he got us. In his younger years, Victor had a profound love for playing pool and was so proud of his championship wins.

Grant supports helping the power grid prepare for the future

PULLMAN — A Washington State University-led research team has been selected to receive a $2.4 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to better prepare the power grid for the changing world of electricity production, including the increasing use of renewable power and the increase in extreme weather events related to climate change. As part of the project, the researchers are developing open-source planning tools for modeling the complexities and uncertainties that come about from the use of renewables and from extreme weather events. The project, funded through the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, is led by Mani Venkatasubramanian, Boeing Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Energy Systems Innovation Center.

Dent reflects on 2024 legislative session

MOSES LAKE — After 2024’s short 60-day legislative session, which wrapped up in March, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, discussed what went well for him during the session and some of his disappointments this year. “It feels like there is always a different feeling or different mood of the sessions,” Dent said. “I would say that overall, most of these sessions for me are a little bit consistent; I can never say I've had a bad session for the things that I work on.” Dent said his status in the legislature has shifted during his 10 years as a legislator.

Construction underway on new pedestrian crossing in Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE — Work has already started on a project to build sidewalks on one side of South Daisy Street and add flashing lights at the crosswalk of Daisy Street and Third Avenue Southeast. Soap Lake Mayor Allen DuPuy said a project to overlay a number of city streets should go to bid soon. Daisy Street is state Route 17 where the highway passes through the city limits. The upgraded pedestrian crossing is designed to improve safety for people walking across the street, said city consulting engineer Michael Woodkey in a presentation to the Soap Lake City Council in February. Sidewalks are being replaced on the east side of Daisy Street between First and Third avenues as part of the project, DuPuy said. Total project cost is about $282,000.

Job Corps opens advanced firefighting center in Grant Co.

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin Job Corps Center officially cut the ribbon on its Advance Training Wildland Fire Fighting facility at 8331 Forbes Street in Moses Lake Wednesday. “I’ve always talked about Columbia Basin (Job Corps Center) being the hidden gem,” said Center Director Mike Rios. “As we know, you can always get your foot in the door with the education, but it’s that specialized training that’s going to set you aside to take part in those opportunities out there. This is what our (students) are doing right now.”

Gesa, Red Cross join forces against home fires

MOSES LAKE — There are few things more frightening than a house fire. One of them is having a house fire and not knowing it. “Oftentimes home fires happen because it's an older building or an older neighborhood where they just never installed smoke alarms, so they don't even know when there's a fire most of the time,” said Amber Merrill, community relations manager for Richland-based Gesa Credit Union. “It's really difficult in those situations because when you actually start to notice that there is a home fire, it's when you're seeing flames, and typically, at that point, the fire department is responding.”

Grant PUD buys land for new Ephrata service center

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners have approved the purchase of 34 acres near Ephrata for the eventual site of the new equipment storage and maintenance facility, known as the Ephrata service center. Utility district officials paid $525,000 for the property, located next to the site of the new Grant County Jail, at one time the Ephrata Raceway.

Wahluke scores four second-half goals, defeats College Place

MATTAWA – Two early goals were enough for the Wahluke boys soccer team to take down College Place on Tuesday, defeating the Eagles 6-1 to improve to 9-1 this spring. “We’ve been craving that,” Wahluke Head Coach Cele Lopez said of the team’s start to the match. “We need to start that way every single game. The boys, I think they’re getting the hang of it. They’re realizing that if we start strong, we don’t struggle as much. We run less, we keep possession of the ball and we can manage the timing of the game.” Senior Diego Olivares netted two goals early in the match, both of which came in the fifth minute. The senior noted the team’s chemistry as a significant factor in Tuesday’s win.

Wahluke gearing up for annual Outdoor Career Fair

MATTAWA — The Wahluke School District will be hosting its annual Outdoor Career Fair April 26 for Wahluke High School and Junior High students at the high school to connect with and learn from professionals in various outdoor careers.