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
Summer’s end approaches, but roadwork continues
MOSES LAKE — Summer is winding down, but road construction season still has a couple more months to go – something drivers will have to keep in mind when school starts next week. Sections of A Street Northeast and Jackrabbit Street Northeast in Quincy remain closed for construction.
Grant County Fair history barn keeps fair memories alive
MOSES LAKE — There was a time, that time being 1911, when Wilson Creek was the up-and-coming town in a county that was only two years old. Back in the day, every self-respecting county had to have a county fair, so the good folks of Wilson Creek sponsored one. The history barn at the Grant County Fairgrounds has a picture of the 1911 fair parade as well as a copy of the fair program. Some existing events can trace their roots back to that first fair – livestock exhibits, for example – but others are long gone. The 2026 fair isn’t sponsoring three-legged races, potato sack races, or a footrace for men weighing more than 200 pounds.
First-year rabbit competitor takes home Grand Champion ribbon
MOSES LAKE — Remmi Reffett and her rabbit Domino did pretty well at the 2026 Grant County Fair, all things considered. “We won Grand Champion in showing,” Reffett said. “And he got Best of Breed and Reserve (Champion) Best in Barn. This is also only my first year showing rabbits.”
Fire weather watch in effect Saturday
MOSES LAKE — The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for much of eastern Washington, including Grant and Adams counties, for Saturday afternoon and evening.
Sila Nanotechnologies looking at possible Moses Lake expansion
Quincy Solar project breaks ground
Sila Nanotechnologies is considering expansion of its Moses Lake facility following the announcement of a $1.4 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this month. The company also received about $300 million in funding in July, said co-founder and chief executive officer Gene Berdichevsky.
‘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.”