QPD officer stabbed, civilian killed in food mart incident

QUINCY – One unidentified man is deceased after two Quincy Police Department officers responded to a call for assistance at the Jackpot Food Mart at 308 F Street Southeast in Quincy a little after 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Sweetheart deal

Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation auction is Feb. 3

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation’s Country Sweethearts dinner and auction has leveled up this year. In years past the benefit was held in the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds, but this year it will occupy both that building and the 4-H Building next door, said CBCF Executive Director Angel Ledesma. Last year’s event drew 520 guests, which made things a little tight with all the auction items as well. “I take this as a compliment,” Ledesma said. “(Some guests have said) ‘Could you please make more room for the tables?’ So this year, we added the 4-H Building. All the raffle items will be in the 4-H Building, so that leaves us room for all tables and all guests in the main room.”

State sues company for deceptive poster sales

SEATTLE — A Michigan business has been sued for hundreds of thousands of Consumer Protection Act violations, according to a statement from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Ephrata Middle School portable burns, no injuries

EPHRATA – A portable at the Ephrata Middle School suffered a fire in its attic Friday morning, according to Ephrata School District Public Information Officer Sarah Morford.

The game's afoot

CBCCC to hold first Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars fundraiser

MOSES LAKE – The Central Basin Community Concert Association will be hosting its first-ever fundraiser, called Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at Big Bend Community College’s Wallenstien Theater. Association board member Carla McKean spoke about how the event came about. “We thought, rather than doing a dinner with a silent auction like most groups do, we would try something new, and this was proposed to us – we are in affiliation with other community concerts around the state,” McKean said. “This group has been doing this for the last 10 years in The Dalles area.”

Public safety must be a priority, legislators say

OLYMPIA — Public safety should be a top priority for this year's legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee and bipartisan state legislators said on the eve of the 2024 legislative session. "We need additional officers on the street," Inslee told reporters. “And to help local police forces find their additional officers, I’m proposing a $10 million grant program.” Washington state ranks 50th in the nation for the number of law enforcement officers per capita, Inslee and legislators acknowledged.

Living small

Grant County proposes revised rules for accessory dwelling units

EPHRATA — Revised regulations for building accessory dwelling units in the unincorporated areas of Grant County are available for review and comment through Jan. 20. Jim Anderson-Cook, Development Services deputy director, said the revisions were designed to address some problems residents had experienced when trying to build an ADU, and to clarify the process. The new rules allow up to two ADUs on a property, but how they can be built depends on the location. People living in an ADU must be permanent residents, and they can’t be rented for less than 30 days. A place that’s rented for less than 30 days is called a short-term rental and is handled under a different ordinance.

Basin Farmworks and Ironworks land $10,000 composting grant

OTHELLO — Erika Rattray is ringing in the new year with a plan for a brand-new composting process for her two businesses, Basin Farmworks and Ironworks Cafe and Market, with a $10,000 grant from American Farmland Trust to cover the expenses.

Adams Building and Planning discusses planning commission

RITZVILLE – Adams County Building and Planning Director Andie Lorenz updated the Adams County Commissioners Wednesday on the Planning Commission’s operations, including looking at zoning to help the Port of Othello grow and potentially switching to a hearing examiner system for the county’s Board of Adjustment.

More money for ambulance service, senior center in Quincy 2024 budget

QUINCY — The city of Quincy is projected to spend about $107.13 million in 2024, according to the budget approved by the Quincy City Council in December. The ongoing discussion over a block of B Street Northeast, whether changes are needed and how to pay for them if they are needed, prompted council member Dave Dormier to vote no on the budget resolution. The city’s general fund was budgeted at $16.77 million. The general fund includes the Quincy Police Department, parks and recreation, part of the salaries of some city workers and some city operations. Some contracted services and other agreements with local entities also are in the general fund.

Ralph George Boyden

July, 17, 1923 – Dec. 12, 2023

Ralph George Boyden, born July, 17, 1923, in New York City, died of natural causes Dec. 12, 2023, at the Columbia Basin Hospital at the age of 96. His first four years were spent on his grandparents' farm in Illinois. It was a wonderful place to be. He rejoined his mother Francis Boyden and new stepfather Lester in St. Louis, Missouri for the remainder of his childhood. He was soon to become the oldest brother of three sisters Charlotte, Ellen Jean and Leslie. He did most of the child care, preparing him for a future of raising girls.

December in the rear-view mirror

COLUMBIA BASIN — Communities in the Columbia Basin closed out the year with sports victories, Christmas giveaways and holiday festivities. Here are a few memories from December 2023.

Grant PUD commissioners to vote on 3% overall rate increase

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners will vote on a proposal for a 3% overall rate increase, effective April 1, at the Jan. 9 commission meeting. While the overall increase is 3%, individual classes may pay more or less than that. Julio Aguirre Carmona, the PUD’s rates and pricing program manager, said that will be the recommendation from PUD staff. If commissioners approve it, it will be the same policy they followed in 2023. If commissioners approve the 3% overall proposal, residential and irrigation rates would increase by 3.5%; so would the rate for general service and large general service, which are typically businesses. The rates for large industrial customers would increase by 1.74%, and for industrial customers by 5.25%. The difference between the industrial classes is based on the amount of electricity they use.

Ice cream truck provides marketable skills, educates community, owner says

EPHRATA — The Street Sweets Ice Cream and More truck is a good place to get a cold snack on a hot day, but co-owner Tiffany Mullings said it’s about more than that. “I am the autistic mother to two autistic children,” she said. “And my husband and I had a little money left over from a (financial transaction), and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s look for a step van and if we can, we’ll start an ice cream truck, as a way to give them an opportunity for meaningful employment and to build some marketable skills that they can use throughout their life.” For two years Mullings and her daughters Riley and Dorieann Mullings, 22 and 21 respectively, her co-owners in the business, have driven the streets of Ephrata throughout the spring, summer and fall. She drives, she said, and her daughters do the serving.

Driver shortages main challenge facing Othello trucking companies

OTHELLO – Othello trucking companies AGB Trucking and Flamingo Trucking are both in healthy positions, according to their respective owners, but are nonetheless both facing similar problems finding drivers.

Grant County among areas hardest hit by air pollution, study finds

OLYMPIA — The George and Mattawa areas were identified as most affected by air pollution in Washington in a report released by the Washington Department of Ecology last week. The report also identified 14 other areas of the state, according to an announcement from the DOE. Researchers investigated health data and found people in these communities face a higher death rate from air pollution than the state average, the announcement said. The report – required under the state’s landmark Climate Commitment Act – predicts that older adults in these communities are twice as likely to die from health conditions linked to breathing fine particles from human-caused sources. In analyzing data for 2016 to 2020, the report found that people of all ages in the communities lived an average of 2.4 years less than people in the rest of Washington.

Celebrating FRESH NEWS: MarDon’s Fisher offers support to anglers

OTHELLO – Each week I get an email from Pete Fisher at MarDon Resort with a column letting readers know what fish are biting on, the depth they’re biting at and sharing a success story of someone who tossed a line into the Potholes Reservoir and came back with a fish worthy of a proper fish story.

Endangered Species Act hits 50 as legislators questions success

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act turned 50 in 2023 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the ESA had been effective in wildlife conservation and has saved about 99% of the species under its care, including several in Washington state. However, Congress is looking at whether the legislation goes far enough to protect species and build up those species’ populations enough to remove them from the Endangered Species List.

Patricia Anne Blondin

May 23, 1943 — Dec. 28, 2023

Patricia Anne Blondin (Unick), 80, of Moses Lake, died Thursday, December 28, 2023.

ACPR gets involved with Othello schools

OTHELLO – Adams County Pet Rescue board member and Othello resident Kim Bailey do what they can to help the ACPR, and one of the ways they do this is by volunteering to go to schools in Othello and teach students about the compassionate care of animals.