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
‘We’re planting seeds’
FFA shows students opportunities in agriculture
MOSES LAKE — Othello High School ag teacher Chris Baginski said there’s plenty of opportunity in agriculture, and one of the goals of FFA is to show students what’s possible, no matter their background. Many FFA participants don’t have farm experience, he said, but there’s room in agriculture nonetheless.
DiscoverWorks summer school program -- a fun way to learn for Royal students
ROYAL CITY — The Royal School District was chosen for the inaugural DiscoverWorks program in Washington. The program is the work of a foundation based in Bellevue, the Ballmer Group. The Wahluke School District also was part of the initial program.
Day of preparation before the Grant County Fair opens
MOSES LAKE — For the volunteers at the Covenant Christian School booth, the Grant County Fair started with a lesson in how to make smoothies. The fair starts today, and CCS students, staff and parent volunteers are running the fruit smoothie booth as a school fundraiser. Monday was the day to set up the displays, booths and tents, house the animals, enter exhibits and generally clean up those spaces that are used sparingly during the rest of the year. The booth was packed with parents, staff and CCS elementary and high school students. Principal Desiree Sept said CCS does use a lot of its equipment year-round, but a test run is never a bad idea.
Man hit by bus near Gorge Amphitheatre
QUINCY — A Spokane Valley man was airlifted to an out-of-area hospital after he was struck by a bus near the Gorge Amphitheatre early Friday morning. Alexis Morga-Sevilla, 29, was hit by the bus after he stepped into the road at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Morga-Sevilla was walking near Silica Road and Sagecliff Road Northwest, Foreman said, and was wearing dark clothing at the time of the incident.
Gorge death under investigation as controlled substance homicide
MOSES LAKE — The death of an Olympia man at the Gorge Amphitheater over the weekend is being investigated as a controlled substance homicide. A Seattle man was arrested on controlled substance distribution charges in connection with the case. Quincy Travers, 28, was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of one count of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, in a media release. Travers was identified by witnesses as the man who sold the victim the drugs, Foreman said. “Cocaine was the drug,” Foreman told the Columbia Basin Herald in a separate interview. “Whether the dose, or amount, he was using was too strong or whether he used too much, I don’t know.”
Death at the Gorge under investigation as controlled substance homicide
QUINCY — The death of an Olympia man at the Gorge Amphitheater over the weekend is being investigated as a controlled substance homicide. A Seattle man was arrested on controlled substance distribution charges in connection with the case.
New location, big crowd for Cowboy Breakfast
MOSES LAKE — The traditional kickoff for the Grant County Fair and Moses Lake Roundup drew a crowd that filled the back patio at its new location. The Cowboy Breakfast is a longstanding tradition that dates back decades, with the Elks Lodge hosting breakfast for 2026. Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce Manager Debbie Doran-Martinez said it drew a lot of interest, including so many sponsors that breakfast could be offered free of charge.
Basin road projects ongoing to the end of summer -- some into fall
QUINCY — Back-to-school sales, NFL preseason games, apple harvest dead ahead – it's still summer, but fall is approaching. While some road projects are wrapping up, others are still ongoing, and some will continue after fall gets here.
Port of Quincy electrical project hoping to start generation in 2029
QUINCY — A project to bring a standalone energy source to the Quincy area could be in the testing phase by 2029. Port of Quincy Commissioner Brian Kuest said Wednesday that Colusa Indian Energy has completed a first draft of a proposal that eventually will be submitted to state and federal agencies.
Moses Lake man arrested for unlawful gun possession
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was booked on suspicion of possession of narcotics, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of firearms after a search of his home turned up four guns he allegedly wasn’t allowed to possess.