CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities.
Recent Stories
Planning a healthy move underway at Samaritan
MOSES LAKE — Finishing work is still underway, but there’s plenty of activity at the new Samaritan Hospital on Clover Drive. Patients will start being treated at the new facility at 7 a.m. March 7. Joe Kunkel, the consultant who’s been working with hospital officials on the project since its inception in 2018, said the timing is crucial. “That’s the switchover time,” Kunkel said.
Respiratory illnesses rising in Grant Co.
MOSES LAKE — As of the first week of February there has been one flu-related death in Grant County during the 2025-26 flu season. Lexi Smith, communications coordinator for the Grant County Health District, said it’s been a pretty active respiratory illness season so far.
Bridge deck repairs Monday at Hiawatha Road Northeast overpass
MOSES LAKE — Drivers who are using the Hiawatha Road Northeast overpass as the detour route to Moses Lake should be prepared for delays Monday while Washington State Department of Transportation crews make repairs to the bridge deck. Drivers can expect flagger-controlled traffic on the overpass from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a WSDOT press release. Lauren Loebsack, communications manager for WSDOT’s North Central region, said the Hiawatha Road overpass is showing signs of damage, although not as severe as the now-closed Hansen Road Northeast overpass. “It’s definitely got some deterioration on it as well,” she said.
Council discusses options to ensure Moses Lake water supply
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake City Council members discussed ways and means of obtaining more water and making more efficient use of water at a lengthy special meeting Tuesday. Mayor Dustin Swartz said water is a problem throughout the Columbia Basin, and cities, counties, ports and other entities would benefit from a common effort.
Inattention causes driver to hit GTA bus, GCSO says
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man received a traffic citation Tuesday night after he T-boned a Grant Transit Authority bus near the scene of a previous collision on Patton Boulevard.
Grant County PUD rates to increase April 1
EPHRATA — Rates for all classes of Grant County Public Utility District will increase in 2026, but the percentage of increase won’t be the same for all customers. The new rates will go into effect April 1. Utility district commissioners voted in November 2025 to change the way rates are calculated, a change Commissioner Tom Flint said he supports. Flint said he’s been on the commission for 25 years, and the Jan. 27 vote was the second time he voted in favor of the rate proposal. “This is a great opportunity. It protects the core customers, it increases the rate that non-core customers, large industrials are going to pay, and it’s going to be substantially above what the core customers pay,” he said. “It’ll give (industrial customers) a 10-year forecast that they’ve been asking for.”
Two arrested after chase north of Ephrata
EPHRATA — A Wenatchee man and a Moses Lake woman were arrested and booked on suspicion of burglary after allegedly breaking into a residence in Douglas County and trying to elude law enforcement in Grant County Monday afternoon.
Adams County receives more money for jail project
RITZVILLE — Adams County has received an additional $2 million through the federal appropriations process for upgrades at the Adams County Jail. Adams County Commissioner Dan Blankenship said the money will help pay for the second phase of jail improvements.
Upgrades coming to The Gorge Amphitheater
GEORGE — New improvements and previously requested upgrades are scheduled for the Gorge Amphitheater starting in 2026. Grant County Planning Director Jim Anderson-Cook said county officials have approved plans from Live Nation, the venue owner, to add some upgraded camping sites, what Anderson-Cook called “glamping” sites, and a new water reservoir.
Two Grant County solar farms under construction
QUINCY — Construction has started on two solar electrical generation facilities in Grant County, with five more in the permitting or planning phase.