Bruce Johnstone

"Enjoy every minute. I can still remember the night Matthew was born. I brought him home, rocked him to sleep, and went to bed. I woke up the next day and I was fifty. Life happens fast." - Bruce Johnstone

Quincy takes large team to Mat Classic, hopes for hardware

QUINCY — Quincy girls wrestling coach Mark Kondo said the format for Mat Classic has changed, but his team will be competing against familiar opponents. Quincy moved to Class 2A at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, and Mat Classic changed to a new format for 2025, with a separate tournament for Class 2A. But Kondo said those changes really won’t make much difference for the Jacks.

Knights ready for battle in the Dome, coaches say

ROYAL CITY — Royal High School girls wrestling coach Jesus Carlos Villa said the Knights have a chance to do well at Mat Classic 2025, and it’s a testament to his wrestlers and the coaching staff. “It’s about peaking at the right time. You never want to peak too early, because then you wrestle too flat, and you definitely don’t want to peak too late, because the opportunity is gone. I feel like the girls are coming along. The coaches are doing a great job of keeping the girls motivated, trying to keep them technically sharp,” Villa said. “I’m the head (coach), but they’re the ones that are in there helping motivate the girls.”

Huskies wrestlers work to achieve lofty goals in Tacoma

OTHELLO — Othello girls wrestling coach Sonny Rocha said the coaches set a lofty goal for the Huskies in the 2024-25 season, and he’s optimistic his team can reach it after earning the district championship this year. “Our goal at the beginning was to be state champions, so sending 14 quality girls, it’s going to be something that’s going to set us up for that stage,” Rocha said. “It's just going to be a matter of doing the same thing we’ve been doing all year.”

Fairy tales meet marathons

Ephrata High School drama puts on double feature with a month to prepare

EPHRATA —This weekend, Ephrata audiences will step into a whimsical world where fairy tales meet marathons and laughter dances in the air like confetti. Ephrata High School’s drama department invites the community to join them for a double feature: “Race Day” and “Snow White and the Seven Endings” are taking the stage for closing weekend this Friday and Saturday. The opening weekend kicked off with enthusiastic crowds and some unexpected twists for the cast and crew. “It’s been an incredible journey,” said director Marla Allsopp. “We had to pivot from our original plan of performing ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ due to some casting challenges, but the students showed immense resilience and commitment. They wanted to keep moving forward, and we ended up choosing two new, hilarious shows that would allow them to shine.”

Wanted: A friend to gift slobbery kisses to

SOAP LAKE — Frankie is a big, sweet pup who is full of hugs and slobbery kisses. He loves to play with other dogs and humans. He is around a year old which means he still has some of his puppy energy. He is a bullmastiff-boxer mix and weighs around 100 pounds. The sweet boy is up to date on shots and is neutered, now he is just waiting for his forever home. If Frankie is your kind of guy visit RockBottomRocker.org. If you can’t adopt this love bug but still want to help a local nonprofit visit the website and click the “donate” button. If you would like to drop off items to the shelter, they are in need of dog and cat food, cat litter, a 32-gallon garbage can with wheels, pee pads, toilet paper, paper towels and dish soap.

Annexation request may be coming to Othello

OTHELLO — New property could be coming into the city of Othello, destined for eventual development. Othello City Council members approved a “notice of intent” for annexation at the regular meeting Feb. 10. Development Director Anne Henning said in a separate interview that the notice of annexation starts the process, but that’s just the start. “The council looks at the boundaries of the proposed annexation, the zoning and the indebtedness,” Henning told council members. “Approving it to move forward doesn’t mean you’re approving the annexation.”

Legals for February, 20 2025

E Hele Mai i Kaua‘i: Leave the Moses Lake Winter Behind and Find Aloha on the Garden Isle

Aloha mai kākou! If you’re waking up to frost-covered windshields and dreaming of warm sands between your toes, let me introduce you to the perfect winter escape—Kaua‘i.

Four proposed bills examined by Enviro and Energy Committee

Potential impacts to agriculture, low-income energy assistance, water system rates and PUD insurance

OLYMPIA – The House Environmental and Energy Committee heard four proposed bills Feb. 13. The four bills, if passed, would have impacts on agriculture, low-income energy assistance, water system rate changes and insurance for public utility districts like the Grant PUD.

WA Ag overtime bill in full effect, despite calls for change

Legislators look to fine tune ag labor law to balance needs of farmers, farmworkers

OLYMPIA - Washington is now one of the first states to fully extend overtime pay to agricultural workers who work beyond 40 hours per week. The law, passed in 2021 after negotiations between labor advocates and agricultural producers, is now in full effect, sparking industry debate. “We compromised a lot,” said Edgar Franks, political director for farmworkers union Familias Unidas por la Justicia. “We thought we had a pretty good bill for both sides.”

Sen. Warnick’s bill strengthening penalties for theft from first responders passes Senate

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate passed Senate Bill 5323, which increases penalties for theft and possession of stolen property belonging to firefighters and emergency medical service providers. The legislation was introduced by Senator Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) and approved with a bipartisan vote of 47-2.

BASIN HOOPS ROUNDUP: Some teams advance, some go home in district basketball

MOSES LAKE — The field is narrowing as boys and girls basketball teams from around the Columbia Basin work their way toward the state tournaments. Some teams are already on their way to state; others are still in contention. Where teams are and where they’re headed is listed below.

Washington winter fun

Where to go in the Evergreen State to hit the slopes and enjoy the outdoors

MOSES LAKE – The Columbia Basin may be in the flatlands, sort of, but area residents who enjoy the slopes have a lot of options to choose from just a bit of a road trip away if they’re craving a ski weekend. With the recent snows, packing up skis and poles may be a good way to have an adventure as spring starts to peek around the corner.

One booked, another unidentified in rural business burglary

MOSES LAKE – A 24-year-old Moses Lake man was apprehended by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office Crime Reduction Team and other law enforcement Friday during a burglary in a rural area of Moses Lake, according to a GCSO statement.

'Big hospital care'

General surgeon joins Othello Community Hospital staff

OTHELLO — General surgeon Sam Hsieh – pronounced “shay” - traveled an interesting road to his full-time job at Othello Hospital. “I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Canada when I was five,” he said. “I did my med school in Ireland and met my wife there. We went to Texas for our residency training program.”

Legals for February, 19 2025

Wahluke capital levy request passing in updated vote totals

EPHRATA — A Wahluke School District capital levy request that was losing after the first vote count Feb. 11 edged ahead in updated vote totals released Feb. 13, according to the Grant County Auditor’s Office. The total of yes votes increased slightly for educational programs and operations levies submitted to voters by the Moses Lake and Ephrata school districts.

Division Street sewer upgrade project almost complete

MOSES LAKE — A project to upgrade a sewer lift station on South Division Street in Moses Lake is in the final stages.

MACC addresses audit findings

OLYMPIA – An audit report released on February 13, 2025, by the Washington State Auditor’s Office has identified significant deficiencies in the financial management and internal controls of the Multi Agency Communications Center for the fiscal years of 2022 and 2023. This report, designated as Report No. 1036601, highlights the need for improved financial oversight and compliance with new regulatory requirements.