Asian stocks mixed amid concern over coronavirus hotspots

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Friday after Wall Street closed little-changed amid as optimism about a possible global economic recovery was tempered by concern over rising coronavirus infections.

Masquers’ ‘Firebringer’ breaks some new ground

SOAP LAKE — The Masquers Theater has brought many traditional musical plays to the stage. “Firebringer,” written by Meridith Stepien, Mark Swiderski, Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden, is not one of them. “It's a bit of an obscure absurdist musical about a tribe of cave people who want to evolve and advance and do all the fun things, like discover fire, fight sabertooth tigers and mammoths, and at the end is a very sweet surprise,” said Zhane Serrano, who’s co-directing the production with Allison Pheasant. “It's weird and kooky, and it's just a little bit all over the place.”

BBCC Cellarbration! coming March 15

Annual event looks to support local students in their academic pursuits

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Foundation will give a lot of students a hand up through the 24th annual Cellarbration! March 15. Tickets are still available, said Executive Director Leanne Parton. “It’s going to be a fabulous event,” Parton said. “Our numbers, as far as students, were ahead of pre-pandemic (enrollment). So, the need is even more because we’ve got more students.”

Mavs tennis victorious over Eastmont

Moses Lake looks toward heavy match load as the season progresses

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks boys and girls tennis teams both earned team wins in their matches against Eastmont Tuesday afternoon. “It was fun, they’re a very nice team,” said Mavs’ Carsen Owens who played third singles for the boys. “I was just trying to stay calm and focus on the point."

Ephrata schools, partners to host gang town hall

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District, in collaboration with the North Central Educational Service District, the Ephrata Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Office, is set to host a town hall meeting titled "Understanding Youth Gangs" on Thursday, May 8.

Building their way to nationals

Ephrata’s Parkway Pizzazz heading to national LEGO robotics championship

EPHRATA – Ten sixth-grade Parkway Intermediate students, two advisors and a Lego robot named Jeff will travel to New Jersey this week for the national Lego Robotics championship. For a handful of the students this is their first time on a plane, for others their first time on the east coast. For all of them, it will be their first time competing in the national Lego championship. “It was a really good experience working together because we all got to work as a team together. We do have some coders that code and people who worked on the innovation project, but we all share what we learned throughout the day,” Liliana Zaets said. “It was a really good experience because we learned a lot of things.” The Parkway Pizzazz team competed in state Jan. 18 and won the “Breakthrough” award at state competition. The award entered them into a lottery to compete at nationals. The group was selected from the lottery and now they are on their way to the American Robotics Open Competiton in New Jersey.

Gun show comes to fairgrounds this weekend

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fairgrounds will be the place to be March 8-9 for firearms enthusiasts, both serious buyers and the folks who just like to look. “I have dealers that come in and set up and (others) are just collectors,” said promoter Reon Warren, owner of Northwest Gun Shows, which puts on the show twice a year at the Grant County Fairgrounds. “They're not really dealers, per se. They like to come in and talk guns and show off what they have.”

Civics 101 workshops coming to Grant County libraries

WENATCHEE — NCW Libraries will host “Civics 101,” a series of workshops to learn more about state, federal and local government, according to an announcement from NCW Libraries. The workshops are offered through the Washington Secretary of State’s Civics Engagement Program, according to Alicia O’Dell, adult programs coordinator for NCW Libraries.

Local youth honored at upcoming Chief for a Day event

EPHRATA – What happens when Grant County children, who are battling significant medical challenges, are promised a day of fun and recognition? They become honorary Chiefs for a day on June 12, an exhilarating experience that leaves lasting smiles and cherished memories. “It’s all about giving the families and the children a memorable day where they can momentarily forget their medical challenges,” said Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman.

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.

A beacon of warmth in Ephrata

His Helping Hands looking for coat donations to help locals get through winter

EPHRATA – In a world where the cold can bite and hunger gnaws at the edges of self-esteem, a local nonprofit, His Helping Hands, is turning that frost into warmth and that hunger into nourishment. Founded in 2011, the organization continues to make an impact through outreach programs, including a coat closet and a Christmas gift giveaway for children.

Othello Library provides free fun

OTHELLO — Othello Library branch manager Georgia Reitmire said the library offers something people can’t get just anywhere. “We’re a free place to have fun,” she said. Technology has changed the way libraries do business, she said, but not their purpose.

Sleep Center clients, law enforcement adjusting after closure

MOSES LAKE – With the closure of the Moses Lake Sleep Center on June 30, the homeless community in Moses Lake, residents and law enforcement are adjusting to the change in resources serving the unsheltered. “I think the big thing is any time we change anything in law enforcement, we try to make the first period while everybody’s getting used to it to be about education and we’re definitely doing that now,” said Jeff Sursely with MLPD. “A lot of our focus now has been educating people as they transition to a time period where there isn’t a sleep center.”

Royal Dairy models self-sufficient farming

ROYAL CITY — Words like “sustainable” and “regenerative agriculture” get tossed around a lot. But a Royal Slope farm recently showed the world how it works in reality.

Washington athletes nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year award

MOSES LAKE – On July 30, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced eight conference athletes were nominated for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award. Four nominees are from Washington schools, according to a statement by GNAC. One nominee being Sunny Huerta from Central Washington. “I'm so happy for Sunny to be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year,” Central Washington Head Women’s Basketball Coach Randi Richardson said. “During her time here at (Central Washington University) she has worked incredibly hard in the classroom and on the court to achieve all that she has been able to achieve. She has always embodied all the qualities of someone wearing a Wildcat uniform we could ever want.”

MLHS bests Sunnyside in Friday doubleheader

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks triumphed in their doubleheader against Sunnyside Friday afternoon, winning the first game 11-1 and the second 10-0 with a walk off by Noah Hernandez. “We got up early, like seven, nothing, our pitchers continued to throw strikes, our defense did a great job and then we finished it off on a 10-run rule in the first game just like we did in the second one on a walk-off,” said Mavs head coach Donnie Lindgren.

Youth Dynamics auction to have a ’50s twist

MOSES LAKE — It’s time to dust off the poodle skirts and penny loafers. The theme for the annual benefit auction for Christian outreach Youth Dynamics is “Twist & Shout for Youth,” bringing a 1950s vibe, said YD Director Sean Sallis.

Mavericks dominate Grizzlies in first home win of ‘25

MOSES LAKE – On Friday, the Moses Lake Mavericks defeated the Sunnyside Grizzlies 49-13 in their first home game of the season. Head Coach Brett Jay said it was great to finally have a game out home in front of their fans. “Good to get back home, we had two games on the other side of the mountains. It's fun to get back in front of our home crowd, great crowd tonight, youth football night, fun to see all the youth football players, but just proud of our team, it was a total team effort,” Brett said.

Broncos win in competitive game against the Cougars

WARDEN — The Warden Cougars (0-3) fell to the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna Broncos (1-1) 58-45 Saturday. Despite the loss, Head Coach Emily Cox said this game showed how far they’ve come in the last year. “I thought the girls overall did really well,” Cox said. “They came to play, they worked hard and really were trying to clean up and do our fundamentals better. I felt like (in) this game they did better.” The Cougars started strong in the first quarter by taking a 13-9 lead. However, the Broncos responded in the second to go into halftime with a 29-25 lead over Warden. In the second half, the Cougars hung close with LRS but ultimately the game escaped them in the fourth quarter and the Broncos took the win.

Big Sky Now: Who runs the Big Sky in 2025? Montana, MSU, Idaho and Eastern Washington season breakdown

The 2025 season is here, and Big Sky Now is breaking down everything you need to know about the Big Sky Conference.