Eligible WA students to get summer meal cards

(The Center Square) – More than 500,000 Washington state children will receive new EBT cards for summer meals. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program called SUN Bucks was approved by the federal government in 2022, but this is the first year each participating state has access to the funds.

Janea Fowles Pixton

Janea Fowles Pixton, 70, was a loving wife, a devoted mother, a favorite among grandmas, a caring daughter/sister/aunt, a loyal friend, and a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What more can be said of a great woman who left an undeniable imprint upon the hearts of everyone she met? Born on July 10, 1953, in Sandpoint, Idaho to proud parents LaVelle and Evona Fowles, Janea was the youngest of six children. While her family didn’t have much in material possessions, they more than made up for it with love in their home. Undoubtedly, Janea knew she had parents and siblings who loved her and that was enough.

Honor Flight fundraiser set for Saturday

EPHRATA – A nacho and taco feed and dessert auction will be held on May 18 – also known as Armed Forces Day – by the Ephrata American Legion and Auxilliary. Proceeds from the event will help veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror go to see memorials in Washington D.C. that were built in their honor.

Legals for May, 6 2024

Local Boeing firefighters locked out pending contract negotiations

MOSES LAKE – Boeing firefighters began picketing at the Moses Lake Boeing facility on Tyndall Road NE on Saturday. Their contract with the aircraft manufacturer expired at 12:01 a.m. that morning.

Ephrata Senior Center gets new wheels

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Senior Center will ride a little better now, thanks to a grant from the Paul Lauzier Foundation that bought the center a new van. The van replaces a 14-passenger bus, said center Manager Kathy Anderson.

Legals for April, 29 2024

Ephrata Schools seeks feedback on summer food program

EPHRATA -- The Ephrata School District is looking for community input on expanding its free summer meal program. Results of a recently launched, online survey will guide whether the district will provide grab-and-go meals for children seven days a week during the summer.

WA taxpayers to pay more for school meals as program expands

(The Center Square) – More school districts across Washington are providing free school meals for students, both breakfast and lunch, at no cost to families. Other districts will be providing meals in the next year or so as universal school meal programs are phased in.

WSU Extension tackles climate awareness

Groups of gardening enthusiasts were huddled around lab tables examining preserved insect specimens, learning the tell-tales signs of invasive pests that a warming climate could bring to the Pacific Northwest.

Passion for performance sends CWU Music standout to Italy and beyond

Ever since she was 12, Mac Sherman has been singing her heart out. Starting in middle school, the senior vocal performance major at Central Washington University discovered a life-long passion for the stage. Sherman studied music all the way through high school, developing into a gifted vocalist and setting the stage for a highly successful college career filled with hands-on experiences and the promise of a bright future as a performing artist.

Mary Helen Laughlin

Jan. 28, 1955 — March 18, 2024

Mary Helen Laughlin was born January 28, 1955, and passed away March 18, 2024, at age 69. She was a long-time breast cancer fighter, originally being diagnosed in 2008.

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.

Star-crossed

Young love, old secrets at the heart of Basin Community Theatre’s ‘Bright Star’

MOSES LAKE — “Bright Star” is not your grandparents’ musical.

Classic Grill’n

Othello’s newest sit-down barbecue café opens for business

OTHELLO – Othello-based catering business and food truck Classic Grill’n has been operating in the area for about 20 years, helmed by barbecue lovers Tim and Birdie Fought. Now they’ve opened the very first sit-down Classic Grill’n café.

Sprint to success: Mavs 4x100 relay team breaks school record set in 1978

MOSES LAKE — As everybody who’s ever been involved in track and field knows, relays are tough. Sprint relays are even tougher. Not only does the leadoff have to get out of the blocks - a clean start is crucial in sprints - but the handoffs have to be precise, especially when runners are coming in fast and going out fast. It’s so easy to mess up the pass. Or worse, drop the baton...

Columbia Basin Foundation works to help establish legacies

EPHRATA – The Columbia Basin Foundation has been working for years now to help ensure community members throughout the Basin can leave a lasting legacy in their hometowns, counties and communities they’re a part of, said Corrine Isaak, CBF executive director. That was the goal set by founders Rick Honsowetz and Randy Dickinson, she said.

Funding the arts

CBAA to hold Garden Party Annual Fundraiser May 11

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake nonprofit Columbia Basin Allied Arts will be holding its annual fundraiser and luncheon Saturday, May 11 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Moses Lake venue The Garden, formerly known as Jamison’s Event Center. CBAA Executive Director Shawn Cardell outlined the basics of the event.

Judge redraws WA’s legislative map after lawsuit over Latino voters

YAKIMA —Washington's political map is set to change in response to allegations of discrimination against Latino voters, and a result could be Democrats winning more seats in the Legislature. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik approved new boundaries for several state legislative districts in a written order Friday, after ruling last year that the current map impaired the ability of Latino voters in the Yakima Valley and Pasco areas to elect their preferred candidates.

Overcoming challenges

Ephrata's Ben Belino overcomes physical challenges to compete after accident leads to amputation.

EPHRATA – Back in December, Ephrata High School senior Ben Belino received the EHS Challenge Coin, a memento for Tiger students and staff who accomplish extraordinary things.