Wildcats selected to finish second in preseason poll

ELLENSBURG – On Thursday, the Central Washington Wildcats were selected to finish second in the Lone Star Conference, according to a statement by CWU athletics. The 2025 preseason poll also indicated the Wildcats received four first-place votes. “It's an honor that the schools in the LSC think that highly of us,” CWU Head Football Coach Chris Fisk said.

Sixers 16U improves record over the weekend

MOSES LAKE – The Central Washington Sixers had a busy weekend playing on the road against teams from all around Washington and Idaho. They played five games and won three to put their record at 27-7-1 as the end of the season nears. “Our current 16U team is going to move up and start playing at the 18U level,” said Trey Evans, the Sixers' 16U coach. “A lot of our guys are playing varsity baseball, and we want to keep them at the same level that they’re seeing in the high school season.”

Soap Lake chlorinating water as precautionary measure

SOAP LAKE — The City of Soap Lake has announced that it will implement a temporary chlorination process for its drinking water supply after routine monitoring detected the presence of coliform bacteria in the city’s reservoirs. This emergency disinfection is scheduled to begin Friday, and aims to ensure the continued safety of the water for residents. “We’re doing our yearly inspection, and it showed a sign of coliform bacteria,” Mayor Peter Sharp said. “This is standard procedure to ensure public health and safety.

Jeanne Marie Trepanier-Marsh

1959 – 2025

Jeanne Marie Trepanier-Marsh passed away on May 20, 2025, at her home in Soap Lake, Washington. Jeanne was born August 4th, 1959, in Minot, North Dakota. She was preceded in death by her father, Eugene Trepanier, mother, MaryRose Trepanier; and a baby brother, Paul. Jeanne was one of 14 siblings.

Delightfully cheesy

MOSES LAKE – Cheeto, probably not related to Chester Cheetah, is looking for a permanent home. She is a five-year-old orange tabby that gets along well with other cats. She would be a wonderful addition to any home, bringing playful energy, loving nature, and plenty of charm. She is known for her extravagant quirks – rolling around on the floor with big purrs and dramatically yelling for belly rubs. She comes vaccinated, spayed and microchipped and so basically, she is just waiting for you to fill out her application at GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org. If you can’t adopt right now, but would like to help a local shelter, visit the website and click “donate.”

American Honey to close out summer concert series

MOSES LAKE — The name came out of the blue. “When we started, we used to do these band barbecues, and we hadn’t come up with a name yet,” said Audre Belt, lead singer of American Honey, which will perform Friday in Moses Lake. “We had come up with these (names) … that seemed really cheesy. And one of the guys started pointing at random things on the table, and we happened to have a bottle of Wild Turkey American Honey whiskey. He pointed at it and said, ‘American Honey’ and we all looked at each other and we just knew from that moment that that was it.” That was in 2017, and the band is still making music around eastern Washington, although Belt is the only remaining original member. American Honey’s show will be the last performance of this year’s Moses Lake Summer Concert Series.

Ephrata Police Department logs for July 24, 2025

Ephrata Police Department

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: It takes a community...

Often, the folks here at the Columbia Basin Herald refer to getting the paper put together and out the door as a “daily miracle.” Every day, stories fall through for different reasons, plans have to be adjusted, and unexpected events come along to throw a wrench in the proverbial works. There are two groups of people outside of our organization who help us make that miracle happen by providing us with the information we need to complete stories or start a story in the first place. Public information officers and those that offer news tips. Public information officers – or community engagement specialists, media representatives or any of a number of other fancy titles that mean public information officer – are godsends to a journalist. Folks like Kyle Foreman at the Grant County Sheriff’s Office; Susan Scheib at Columbia Basin Hospital; Sarah Morford and Ryan Shannon at the Ephrata and Moses Lake school districts, respectively; Gretchen Youngren at Samaritan Hospital; Cpt. Jeff Sursely at the Moses Lake Police Department; Matt Killebrew and his team at Big Bend Community College; or, folks like Cpt. Troy Froewiss who landed in the role because he was in charge of the shooting incident in Ephrata this past Sunday.

‘Everyone Has a Why’

Campaign seeks to bring opioid addiction out of the shadows

MOSES LAKE — The reasons for addiction are many, but everybody has one. That’s the point of a campaign by the Grant County Health District to highlight opioid addiction and overdoses. It’s part of a two-phase campaign to explain some of the reasons behind addiction, and encourage people to seek help. “It can be loss, or pain, or struggle, but everyone has a reason that they may start using substances,” said Lexi Smith, communications coordinator for the Grant County Health District. “But on the flip side of that, everyone has a reason that they don’t, or that they choose to help someone who does.” The tagline for the Everybody Has a Why campaign is “Make addiction a conversation, not a secret,” and removing the shame of seeking help is a primary aim.

Legals for July, 24 2025

Sixers announce tryout dates for select softball

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers have announced tryout dates for their new start-up program for select softball for 10U, 12U, and 14U. The 10U tryouts will be 5-7 p.m. July 31, and the tryouts for 12U and 14U will be Aug. 4 at the Six Athletic Training Facility. “It’s going to be an opportunity for these girls to just come out and show us what (they’ve) got,” said Emma McKay, Central Washington Sixers General Manager of Softball. McKay said the overall structure for the Sixers is based around developing athletes physically, mentally and emotionally. With the success of the baseball players over the years, the Sixers decided it was time to do the same for softball.

Irrigation canal critical to Yakima Valley is at risk of failure after wildfire damage

A 115-year-old canal in the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District that was severely damaged during the Rimrock Retreat Fire last year is now at imminent risk of failure. Fixing the 12-mile waterway will cost an estimated $229 million and involve work spread over more than a decade. But if the canal suddenly goes out of service, officials say it could cause up to $3 billion in losses over three years for 35,000 acres of farms and 28,000 acres of orchards in the Yakima Valley that are part of the irrigation district. Surrounding communities also rely on the canal to deliver water to fire hydrants and other municipal fire suppression systems.

Community comes together for Daniel Alcala’s family following shooting

EPHRATA — In the wake of a shooting incident in Ephrata July 20, the local community is rallying around the family of Daniel Alcala, who was fatally shot during an altercation at a gas pumps. Alcala, 30, was a husband and father to three children. According to the Grant County Coroner Investigator Maxwell Yoder, his death resulted from multiple gunshot wounds. The death has officially been ruled a homicide, according to a statement from the City of Ephrata.

Fiscal Fallout: Washington ‘in the worst budget crisis we've ever had’

(The Center Square) – Last month, the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council reported that Washington faced running out of money by 2027. With the passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the state now faces the loss of billions in Medicaid funding that could exacerbate Washington’s fiscal woes in the upcoming legislative sessions.

Moses Lake looking for provider for homeless support services

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake city officials will advertise for organizations who want to provide support for homeless people looking for treatment for substance abuse and a way to get to that treatment. Liz Murillo Busby, the city’s housing grant manager, said the city money to pay for the contract will come from document recording fees. “We’re anticipating a contract of about $55,000 for this,” Murillo Busby said.

Moses Lake sit-sleep-lie ordinance approved

MOSES LAKE — New regulations in Moses Lake for sleeping, lying or sitting on sidewalks within a designated zone during specific times of day were approved Tuesday by the Moses Lake City Council. New rules governing shopping carts taken from businesses also were approved, but any fines levied against businesses that own shopping carts will be deferred for 90 days. Council member Deanna Martinez asked for additional time to look at alternatives for dealing with shopping carts once they’re abandoned.

Ephrata Library set for major renovations next spring

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Public Library is gearing up for significant renovations aimed at modernizing the facility and enhancing services for its patrons this upcoming spring. “This comprehensive project is an extension of our ongoing branding efforts, and it will be a significant upgrade that brings our spaces up to date,” Supervising Librarian Aaron Loeffelbein said.

Moses Lake Co-Ed softball league begins

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake’s Co-Ed adult softball league began this week with the first games taking place Tuesday at Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex. The league is hosted by Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. “Just to provide a recreational softball league for people in the community,” said Felicia Laird, Recreation Supervisor of Athletics with the City of Moses Lake. “Something fun to do in the summer, we have a couple other adult sports leagues, but they’re in the winter so we were looking to offer something during the summer.”

Donald Lynn Myers

Donald Lynn Myers, 62, passed away on July 7, 2025, in Wenatchee, Washington. No services are planned at this time. Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.

Chester Dorsey

Aug. 29, 1938 — July 14, 2025

On July 14, 2025, at the age of 86, Rev. Dr. Chester Ray Dorsey was welcomed into the arms of the Lord as a good and faithful servant. Chet was born to Chester Gilbert and Nile Fern Dorsey on Aug. 29, 1938, in Garnett, Kansas, and was the oldest of four children: two brothers Ralph and Charles and one sister, Linda. Chet grew up in St. Louis and at a young age, he felt the calling of the Lord to pursue a life in ministry and sharing God’s word. He followed this call wholeheartedly, graduating from Sterling College in 1961, graduating from Dubuque Seminary in 1965 and graduating from Fuller Theological Seminary with a doctorate degree in Theology and Ministry in 1983. While attending Sterling College, he met and began courting Barbara and they married in St. Louis on Oct. 2, 1965. In March of 1969 they welcomed a son, David, and in February of 1973 they welcomed their daughter Kristen, who was chosen to join the family through adoption.