Weather for the week of June 30, 2025

Weather for the week of June 30, 2025

Soap Lake Conservancy meeting discusses water trends

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake Conservancy held a special meeting Saturday to discuss Soap Lake’s Lake water trends. From left to right is United States Bureau of Reclamation Clyde Lay, Washington Department of Ecology Jaime Short and U.S. BOR Marc Maynard. Not pictured but also at the meeting was Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s Roger Sonnichsen. The Columbia Basin Herald will have full coverage of the event in Thursday’s paper.

Imagination Library saved by OSPI funding

OLYMPIA — Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will continue to lead children to reading in Washington. The Imagination Library of Washington announced Wednesday that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has taken up funding the early literacy program following budget cuts that left its future in limbo.

Legals for June, 30 2025

Two firefighters dead, one hospitalized after Canfield Mountain shooting near Coeur d'Alene

Emergency responders from North Idaho and Spokane rushed to Canfield Mountain on Sunday afternoon following reports of a possible ambush attack on firefighters responding to a brush fire on the mountain in Coeur d'Alene.

Knolls Vista Elementary principal forum Monday

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District is hosting a community forum today, June 30, at Knolls Vista Elementary to introduce candidates vying for the position of principal. The event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria, aims to engage parents, faculty and community members in the hiring process.

Access, development part of discussion on Moses Lake street request

MOSES LAKE — Growth, access, development and city processes were topics of discussion at a public hearing June 24 on a request to vacate a Moses Lake street. Moses Lake City Council members decided to continue the hearing to get more information on the request to vacate South Western Avenue. It’s the continuation of what people who gave testimony said is a long-standing issue.

Sixers 14U go undefeated in Saturday games

MOSES LAKE – The Washington Sixers 14U team went undefeated last weekend as they were victorious over TC Bashers and LC Closers. According to head coach Rey Lopez, pitching led the way for the Sixers.

Law enforcement logs for June 30, 2025

The reports below were provided by the sheriff's office or police department indicated. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Moses Lake man arrested for possession, intent to sell

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was booked into the Grant County Jail Wednesday on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to sell. “The warrant was the second operation this week targeting illegal drug sales in and around Civic Park,” a release from the Moses Lake Police Department said.

Patricia M. Freeman

1939 – 2025

Patricia M Freeman, 86, lost her battle with cancer on June 17, 2025, with her family by her side. Patricia was born in Laurel, Montana on May 3, 1939, to Alec and Christina Estreich.

Kenneth Palek

1942 – 2025

Ken Palek passed away from a severe stroke on June 22, 2025, at Sacred Heart Hospital. He was born on April 30, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Joseph and Rose Palek.

Jose George Moreno

Jose George Moreno, 47, born August 19, 1977, in Moses Lake, Wash., passed away June 18, 2025, in Moses Lake. Riplinger Funeral Home of Spokane will be handling final arrangements. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, July 2, 2025, beginning with a Rosary at 12:30 p.m., then Mass at 1 p.m., both at Assumption of the Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Spokane. A Graveside Service will follow at Fairmount Memorial Park. Reception from 3:30-6 p.m. at the Local Carpenter's Union Hall located at 127 E August Ave, Spokane.

Bookmobile brings the library to the rural Basin

MOSES LAKE — It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the library has just rolled in at Doolittle Dream Park, to stay for an hour before moving on. “We’ve had as many as 12 or 15 (people come in),” said librarian Elizabeth McNall. “(The Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia Basin) is doing a free lunch here this summer, but our time is not right for them, so we’ll try to coordinate next year with that.”

Free Care-A-Van vaccine clinic in Warden today

WARDEN – The Warden School District and Washington State Department of Health are partnering to host a free community clinic offering vaccinations and health screenings to local residents today, Friday June 27.

Martial arts builds dedication, character

MOSES LAKE – Matthias Kalmbach, a junior at Moses Lake High School, is nearing his sixth year at Freewind Martial Arts. Now a dedicated student and instructor, it all started as something that looked interesting at a Halloween Walk Around. “I noticed they had a punching bag out with a Michael Myers mask on, and I was like, ‘Hey, that looks pretty interesting. I'd like to try that.’ So, a few months later, I did, and then we went straight through COVID,” Kalmbach said. However, despite the pandemic causing several disruptions to normalcy, it did not prevent Kalmbach from pursuing his new interest. He attended online classes and said that a lot of content had to be revisited once in person classes returned. According to Kalmbach, since the classes were online, some things could not be learned to their fullest.

Another ‘chance to represent and compete’ at All-State game

RICHLAND – From June 22 to 23 Richland hosted the All-State baseball game where the best senior high school players in the state come together for one more weekend of competition. Kason Whitaker from Moses Lake said he was honored to wear his school uniform one more time.

Traffic projects coming to I-90, SR 282

MOSES LAKE — Drivers on Interstate 90 between Road O NE and Dodson Road should be prepared for delays beginning in mid-July. Sebastian Moraga, communications consultant for the Washington Department of Transportation, said construction crews will be paving both the eastbound and westbound lanes. “This year it will be day work,” Moraga said.

BASIN COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Ending June and into July 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — July will sizzle in the Basin, both the weather and the events scene. Here are a few things coming up this month:

Sage Point development sports new look

MOSES LAKE — The newest development from CAD Homes is going vertical. “We’re offering 16 single-family lots … and on the second block there’ll be 19 condo-style townhouses that will be individually owned and operated under a (homeowners association),” said Blake Rollins of Nest Realty, who’s handling sales for Sage Point. “We’ve sold about four of them. We’ve got 12 units left on the single-family side, and then we’ll start on infrastructure for the townhomes.” Rollins celebrated Sage Point’s ribbon cutting Tuesday with the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce and CAD Homes. The event included tours of model homes and corn dogs from The Corn Dog Co. of Moses Lake.