Young Broncos roster ready to hit the mats

LIND – As the 2025 wrestling gets started, Head Coach Jason Hilzer’s excitement is growing. He said if he had to pick a favorite sport to coach, it would be wrestling. “I get super excited,” Hilzer said. “I always tell (students), I don't know if I have a favorite sport, but I will tell you, whatever you put into wrestling is what you'll get out. If you want to put 110% in, that's what you're going to get out.” Unlike most other sports structured with starters and backups, Hilzer said wrestling is great because everyone gets to participate because they are spread across multiple weight classes.

Lions strive to strengthen basketball community in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Christian Covenant School Lions boys basketball team has set its sights on another successful season but have also set a community goal to build up basketball in Moses Lake. “We accomplished most of what we wanted to do (last season) which was to win our league and to win districts,” said Emerson Ferguson, head coach for the Lions. “We fell short of winning at regionals... so that kind of left a bad taste in our mouths so we’re working really hard to make sure it doesn’t happen this year.” The Lions finished the last season with a 20-5 record going undefeated in league matchups and taking first in the Central Washington B District 5 tournament. At state, the Lions made it all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to Almira/Coulee Hartline.

Tigers prepared to overcome league rivals

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Tigers wrestling team is preparing to build off their returning young team from last season and strive for greater postseason success. The Tigers will once again face a tough Central Washington Athletic Conference as they push to distinguish themselves. “We had a decent season (last year), and we were just about a .500 team,” said Tigers boys Head Coach Joe Knox. “We’re building a program.” Last season, the Tigers had multiple players on both the boys and girls teams making the state tournament. The girls team ended up taking nine athletes to state after placing in the top ten in districts, said Tigers girls Head Coach Raul Tejeda.

ACH Warriors ready for another run to state

COULEE CITY – After falling short by three points in the state championship last season, the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (27-2) return to the court this season with the same expectations. Head Coach Graham Grindy said the standard has been set especially since they return most of last year's roster. “Bringing back what we brought back, statistically, we're bringing back a lot of our major players that led us in scoring, rebounding, defensively, all the areas. We definitely have high hopes,” Graham said.

Bingo nights raise money for K-9 programs

MOSES LAKE — About 100 people filled the Moses Lake Taproom Thursday, hoisting pints and stamping bingo cards to support Columbia Basin K9s. So far this year, the bingo nights have raised a bit more than $100,000. “I’ve done a ton of fundraisers down there over the last couple of years, and that was probably one of the biggest ones,” said Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete, who served as MC and bingo caller for the event.

More than 20 dogs removed from Grant Co. residence

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Animal Outreach responded to a call from Grant County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday where a local citizen was in critical need of assistance with more than 20 dogs that had accumulated onto the property.

Jacqueline Lee Lowry

Jacqueline Lee Lowry, 79, passed away November 18, 2025 surrounded by her family in the comfort of her home. She was born in Ellensburg, Wash., then shortly after moved to Moses Lake where she lived out the remainder of her life. Jackie graduated from Moses Lake High School in 1964.

Sam Darnold throws for 244 yards 2 TDs as Seahawks beat the Titans 30-24

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Both Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks bounced back quite nicely from their first road loss this season. Darnold threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns , and the Seahawks beat the Tennessee Titans 30-24 Sunday for their fifth win in six games. The quarterback, picked off four times in last week's loss to the Rams, put the Seahawks ahead to stay with a 63-yard TD pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the second quarter.

Mom Helping Moms toy drive accepting donations

MOSES LAKE — With Thanksgiving and Christmas come the opportunity to help people in need, with a plethora of organizations providing plenty of options. The Moms Helping Moms charitable organization is looking for donations and volunteers to help with its seventh annual toy drive. Founder Jeannie Austin said Moms Helping Moms assisted more than 270 children in 20204, and based on the requests, the need is greater in 2025.

Blasting caps neutralized in Ephrata

Authorities remind public to take extra caution around dangerous materials

EPHRATA — Early afternoon Thursday, Ephrata Police Department was called for suspected blasting caps found in the northwest section of town at a construction storage yard. “They were found in a steel container. When they opened the container, they recognized that they were explosive devices. They immediately called MACC dispatch and the Ephrata Police Department responded,” Captain Troy Froewiss said.

Weather forecast for Thanksgiving week 2025

Weather forecast for Thanksgiving week 2025

Carson steps down as Soap Lake Chamber VP

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce Vice President Susan Carson made a statement at the recent regular council meeting that she will be stepping down from her role and the chamber as a whole, at the end of 2025. She also let the community know Abate of Grant County will not host any further events in the Soap Lake community.

Knights dominate on the gridiron to advance to semifinals

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (11-0) stormed through Seton Catholic Cougars 48-10 in a rematch of last year's 1A state football championship. However, this came in the quarterfinal round as the Knights earned a first round bye.

Quincy to pay Yakama Nation in civil settlement

QUINCY — The city of Quincy will make a $400,000 payment to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation for fisheries restoration along the Columbia River. The payment is part of the settlement of a civil lawsuit brought against the city by the organization Columbia Riverkeeper. Tom Elliot, Yakama Nation fisheries manager, said the money will be used to pay part of the cost of riverbank restoration.

Team unity, defense lead to undefeated start for Vikings

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Vikings (4-0) extended their win streak to four-straight after defeating the Edmond Tritons 71-38 at home Friday. Head Coach Preston Wilks said he went with his jumbo lineup. “It was a good win for us, because we had our bigger lineup tonight, and so we were a little nervous about (Edmonds) athleticism and their ability to get by us on the perimeter. I'm happy that we held them to 38 points. I had no idea that we'd be able to do that defensively with all our big girls out on the perimeter... they played really well,” Wilks said.

Joshua Julian

1976 — 2025

Joshua Anthony Julian, age 49, of Ephrata, WA, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on November 13, 2025, following a tragic car accident.

Festival of Trees to support cancer patients

EPHRATA — The Columbia Basin Foundation’s Festival of Trees fundraiser this year will benefit cancer patients and their families, said Foundation Director Corinne Isaak.

Is your roof ready for winter?

EPHRATA — Your roof may look ready for winter. But is it really? “You (think you’re) fine until you see a stain,” said Sergio Miramontes, sales manager for Heavenly Roofing. “And when do you usually see a stain? In the winter. By the time you’re seeing it, it’s been leaking for seven to 10 years. Now you’ve got problems with your attic, probably mold on your sheeting or your insulation. It’s already wet, like cotton candy. It’s created issues, but no homeowner thinks about that.” The time to find out about problems is before they get big, Miramontes said. Having the home inspected regularly can alert a homeowner to problems that they wouldn’t notice ordinarily. Especially in older homes, Miramontes said; problems develop that aren’t obvious to the untrained eye. “Even if it’s a couple of nails that don’t have tar, that’s an issue,” he said. “Your pipe boots, they’re cracked. The longer you wait (to have it inspected), the more it’s going to cost you … Next year, your roof is going to cost you more than it did last year.” It’s best to inspect a roof at least once a year, according to Allstate Insurance, and twice a year if the home is older. Homeowners should bring in a professional to check it, as moving around on a roof is dangerous without the proper training.

BASIN EVENTS: Nov. 21-29

COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s Thanksgiving week, and there are turkey-related events happening everywhere in the Basin, plus holiday shopping, crafts and much more. Here are some ways to enjoy the week:

Officiating issues lead to questions regarding Mavs game

MOSES LAKE — On Saturday, the Moses Lake Mavericks pulled off a late comeback win over the Bothell Cougars 17-14 in the first round of the 4A state football tournament, wherein multiple possibly inaccurate calls by officials were made against both teams. However, since the conclusion of that game accusations of inappropriate officiating have been made. A parent of a Bothell player made claims that officials overseeing the game had direct ties to Moses Lake and the Mavericks football program. They referenced the Washington Officials Associations code of conduct, which she said states that ties to the team must be disclosed.