Ephrata area fire damages about 26 acres Thursday

EPHRATA – On Thursday at around 4:30 p.m., Grant County Fire District 13 was called out to a fire in the 12000 block of Road B.6 Northwest. The fire started as a controlled burn, but because of winds, it quickly became uncontrolled.

Basin schools prepare for summer meals

COLUMBIA BASIN — Schools around the Columbia Basin will have food service programs available at no charge for children 18 years of age and younger over the course of the summer. Ephrata “We are going to be offering both congregate meals and non-congregate meals,” said Alain Black, Ephrata School District’s food services director. “One of our schools will have congregate meals where children have to eat on-site.” The on-site meals will be available at Grant Elementary with breakfast served from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will also be a grab-and-go meal option which will be distributed in a drive-thru line at Ephrata Middle School from noon to 1 p.m. Both sites will be open Monday-Thursday from June 16 to July 24. The program will be closed for distribution on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth, but grab-and-go boxes for that day will be available for pickup on June 18.

MLHS girls golfer makes appearance at state tournament

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake girls golf has officially wrapped up for the year after a state tournament appearance for Lilliana Roylance. After playing through the district tournament and qualifying for states, she made it to day one but was unable to move onto day two.

Ephrata girls golf places third at state

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Tiger girls golf team finished in the top three at the 2A state tournament, with six players making an appearance. Head coach Tracy Pickeral was pleased with her team's performance.

Royal girls doubles earn third at state

Anderson, Christensen finish their time with the Knights with strong season.

ROYAL CITY – The Royal Knights girls tennis doubles team Madi Christensen and Campbelle Anderson won third at the 1A state tournament last Saturday in Yakima.

Moses Lake youth soccer program sees success

MOSES LAKE – The Basin Sounders Girls 2011 team had a lot of success this season, bringing the team up to the National Premiere League. The girls finished the spring season in second place for the NPL.

Angled parking may come to more of downtown Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Additional angled parking may be coming to sections of Third and Fourth avenues in Moses Lake as part of the project to resurface downtown streets. City engineers presented some details to the Moses Lake City Council at a May 20 workshop, including a proposal for additional angled parking. Council members must approve any angled parking changes.

Basin events for June 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — As spring swings into summer, there’s something for everyone to do in the Basin. Here are just a few of the possibilities:

Joining in heritage

Historic properties combine to create Soap Lake Natural Spa and Resort

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake has a long history as a resort and health spa town, and that tradition is coming back, one piece at a time. “People come here, and they’re surprised,” said owner Sherry Xiao. “They say ‘Wow, I didn’t know this place existed.’”

Law Enforcement Logs for May 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.

WA Democrats: GOP Medicaid cuts would gut $2B, threaten coverage for 274K

(The Center Square) - U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Tuesday that 274,000 Washington state residents could lose healthcare coverage if Republicans approve federal cuts to Medicaid. Congressional Democrats held news conferences nationwide on Tuesday to “sound the alarm” over a budget reconciliation bill that U.S. House Republicans passed last week. If it receives a simple majority vote in the U.S. Senate, millions Americans could lose taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage.

FIRE REPORT: Second Creek fire continues blazing, one other fire mostly contained

LEAVENWORTH – The Second Creek Fire is sitting at around 75 acres as of Thursday night, growing around 9.9 acres since Wednesday, according to a statement from Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue.

The purr-fect companion

MOSES LAKE – Meet Chucky, a really good boy looking for an even better home. He is a large black and white male cat with a little bit of spunk. He is the purr-fect companion for those who like snuggles and a cute laid-back cat. He is a domestic shorthair/mix, neutered and up to date on vaccinations. He said he is ready to come home and snuggle with you as you cuddle up with a cozy book. If he seems like your type of guy, visit GrantCountyAnimalOutreach.org and fill out his application. If you can’t adopt, right now, but you would like to help a local shelter, visit the website and click “donate.”

Ephrata man arrested in connection with Schwana murder

EPHRATA — An Ephrata man was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting Thursday following the fatal shooting of a 44-year-old man near Schwana late Wednesday night.

Boys & Girls Club to offer free summer meals

MOSES LAKE — The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin will be offering breakfast and lunch for children again this summer. And this time, they’re offering it in more places. “We’re doubling our location sites,” said Cecily Hendricks, director of operations for the club. Breakfast and lunch will be served at the McGraw Clubhouse and North and Midway elementary schools, according to an announcement from the club. Lunch only will be served at Lakeview, Maple Grove and Doolittle parks. They’re free to any child 2-18 years old; there’s no need to be a Club member, the announcement said. Parents can pick up meals for their children by filling out a form. Because Moses Lake qualifies as rural, the meals don’t have to be eaten onsite.

Ephrata schools mulling bond package for spring 2026

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Facility Study Group meeting discussed several options for potential bond packages for the upcoming school year. “We really began this work about a year and a half ago when it became apparent that we were going to need to defuse some of the dollars that were associated with the 2019 bond,” Ephrata School District Superintendent Ken Murray said. “We weren't going to be able to complete all the projects that we believed we were going to be able to in that bond.”

Firefighters battling Second Creek Fire near Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH — Firefighters are currently battling the Second Creek Fire, which began on Monday and has scorched an estimated 64.1 acres, according to a report from the Southeast Washington Type-3 Incident Management Team.

Knights fall in second round of state tourney

WHITE SALMON, Wash. – The Knights boys soccer (16-4) was defeated 2-1 by King’s High School (13-5-2) at Columbia High School on Friday. Head coach Jens Jensen spoke about his players struggles against King’s. “We didn't really have the opportunity to show our ability to move the ball, our ability to have some creativity. There was really no provision for speed, because there's nowhere to go,” he said.

Big Sky Now: Big Sky to big leagues, NFL draft surprises and pro potential

We break down where the top Big Sky Conference football stars landed in the NFL and CFL drafts — and what it means for their professional futures.

Back on the water

Volunteer time, labor and materials crucial to bringing fountain back to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Around the Columbia Basin there are certain signs that summer is coming – crews start pumping water into local pools, “roadwork ahead” signs start popping up – and the fountain in Moses Lake has been a reliable sign of summer for decades. It’s also a sign, not as much fun, that winter is coming when the fountain is pulled out of the lake.