Mattawa Council hears report on H-2A workers, approves 2024 budget

MATTAWA — Representatives of Seattle University and Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla attended Thursday’s regular Mattawa City Council meeting via video conference to present their report on temporary agricultural workers in the Mattawa area. The council also approved the final 2024 budget in the meeting.

Royal music students strike holiday note

ROYAL CITY — Holiday music both traditional and contemporary was in the air as the Royal Middle School and Royal High School bands and choir performed Wednesday evening in the Royal High School gym.

Opportunities for holiday kindness

Columbia Basin communitiess still have time to support locals in need.

MOSES LAKE — The Christmas season is traditionally a time of charity, and there are still opportunities out there to donate to charities for people in need.

Supporting local: Grant County Tourism Commission works to bring visitors while supporting area businesses

EPHRATA – Grant County has a lot to offer travelers, whether they’re passing through or coming for a show at The Gorge Amphitheatre or maybe spending a weekend at a bed and breakfast by the Columbia River – but it takes work to get the word out about the attractions in the county. That’s what the Grant County Tourism Commission is for though. “Fundamentally, when you break it down, we utilize funding from LTAC, which is the Lodging Tax Advisory (Committee), and we take the revenue generated from tourism – all the people that travel to our county and spend money staying in hotels and campgrounds and RV sites – and we use that to promote the entire county,” said Tourism Commission Chair Amanda Laramore.

Soap Lake Public Library facelift incoming

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake residents are being invited to discuss their ideas for remodeling the Soap Lake Public Library at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Soap Lake Community and Senior Center, 121 Second Ave. SE.

Police reports for Dec. 8, 2023

Ephrata Police Department, Grant County Jail

Joseph 'Joe' Marc Achurra

1980 — 2023

Joseph “Joe” Marc Achurra, 43, of Moses Lake, WA passed away peacefully in his sleep, on Saturday, November 18, 2023. He was born in 1980, in Edmonds, Washington.

Jacks pick up first CTL win, defeat Chelan 68-44

QUINCY – After dropping their first two games, the Quincy Jackrabbits got into the win column this season with a 68-44 win over Chelan on Tuesday. The game was Quincy’s first Caribou Trail League contest this winter.

Running for paws: Othello Christmas 5K raises funds for ACPR

OTHELLO – Saturday’s Othello Christmas events started off with a bang as community members congregated outside Othello City Hall at 8 a.m. to begin the Run, Run, Rudolph 5K run or walk fundraiser for Adams County Pet Rescue.

Calm before the fun

Cloudview Farm spending the winter to prep for busy 2024

EPHRATA – Growing season may be done at Cloudview Farm but the ag attraction’s Education and Community Coordinator Julie Johnston and Operations Manager Anna Moore are hard at work prepping for another year of events at the Ephrata business.

Rural Community Leadership program going strong

OTHELLO – Othello’s Rural Community Leadership Program, a program under the Elevate Othello umbrella, had its third session and second in-person session November 30 at SkillSource’s Othello location and is going well, according to the program’s organizers. The leadership program is led by Christine Gilmore, the leadership services business manager with Rural Development Initiatives, Inc., the organization in charge of partnering with local agencies to implement the Elevate Othello program.

Bright Quincy: Lights, pictures, the Christmas story at community celebration

QUINCY — Grant County Fire District 3 decked out their ladder truck in lights, Santa posed for pictures and the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum told the Christmas story during the Quincy Valley Christmas celebration Friday night.

Columbia Basin Project moving forward

CASHMERE – The Columbia Basin Project is making gradual progress toward completion with significant accomplishments for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program and other milestones in recent months, but is still decades away according to the project’s nonprofit arm, the Columbia Basin Development League.

Exposure to soft robots decreases fears about working with them

VANCOUVER — Seeing robots made with soft, flexible parts in action appears to lower people’s anxiety about working with them or even being replaced by them. A Washington State University study found that watching videos of a soft robot working with a person at picking and placing tasks lowered the viewers’ safety concerns and feelings of job insecurity. This was true even when the soft robot was shown working in close proximity to the person. This finding shows soft robots hold a potential psychological advantage over rigid robots made of metal or other hard materials.

Grant PUD profits higher than projected

EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD is making more money than anticipated through the first nine months of 2023 and projections show revenues will be above the budget estimates for the year. Utility district staff are suggesting using some of that money to provide some extra cushion in the district's bond repayment fund.

WSDOT updating Highway System Plan

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation held a virtual public meeting Thursday regarding its draft for the 2024 Highway System Plan update. According to the plan, the previous version was released in 2007. WSDOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Development & Delivery Kerri Woehler introduced the draft.

Tiger victory: Ephrata girls take first home game of season 56-36

EPHRATA — The Ephrata High School girls basketball team took an early lead and never looked back in a 56-36 win over Pullman High School in the first home game for the Tigers Saturday.

Senior events for December 2023

Senior events for December 2023

Quincy-area fieldhouse, aquatic center design coming 2024

QUINCY — Design work for the new Quincy-area fieldhouse and swimming pool is scheduled for 2024. Voters narrowly approved the formation of a new regional parks district in the November election, with 1,008 votes in favor and 945 against. Park district property owners will pay 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to fund the district. Quincy city Administrator Pat Haley said the work necessary to form the district will take some time.

Ag appreciation: Annual parade lights up snow-covered Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – There was snow on the ground, but spirits were high at the annual Ag Appreciation Parade and Street Party in downtown Moses Lake Friday. The party started at 5 p.m., with the parade at 7 p.m. The weather was chilly, at about 24 degrees, but downright balmy compared to the 2022 parade’s temperatures in the teens.