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
Yukio Seino, sister city participant, bid farewell
Instrumental in forming sister city committee, student exchange program
YONEZAWA, Japan - A longtime friend of Moses Lake and the sister city program was remembered in a farewell ceremony recently.
Construction starts on Quincy Community Health clinic
Will replace existing clinic with brand new building
QUINCY - Construction began recently on an expanded, about $9 million Quincy Community Health Center.
Students to attend aerospace program
WARDEN - Two Warden High School juniors were among the students selected to participate in the annual Washington Aerospace Scholars program this summer at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Never too late for college; 3 generations at BBCC
Nelson family commutes from Odessa to pursue education
ODESSA - It's one of those facts that the road to higher education isn't always a straight line from high school to degree. Sometimes life throws in detours.
Right place, right time allows ML grad to save a life
Jake Hittinger receives Navy Commendation Medal
OAHU - Without the dog, what happened at Kaneohe Bay might have ended a lot differently. Or maybe, as Kendra Hittinger believes, the dog was a little nudge from God, just to make sure Kendra and her husband Jake were in the right place at the right time.
Rink opens with roller derby exhibition
Devil's Angels, Bomb Squad show their stuff
Editor's note: The below version corrects the Devil's Angels email address, the participating team in Friday's event and the participating team in an upcoming July 20th roller derby event.
ML school board mulls options, consequences
Year round school, CBSS closure among possibilities
MOSES LAKE - Three of the four options being considered by the Moses Lake School Board to address secondary overcrowding could bring some pretty big changes, ranging from a new high school schedule to districtwide year-round school.
CBSS competitors win state trophies
Chelsea Farley-Domby wins 2 competitions at state conference
MOSES LAKE - Three Columbia Basin Secondary School students brought home trophies from an annual conference designed to spotlight students' workplace skills.
BBCC moves graduation to downtown
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College will move its graduation to Lions Field in downtown Moses Lake for 2013. Graduation is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 14.
Class offers aerospace maintenance training overview
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College will offer a summer class to help prospective students determine whether or not they would be interested in a career in aviation mechanics.
People urged to dispose of berries tied to outbreak
OLYMPIA - Although no cases of hepatitis A connected with frozen berries have been reported in Washington, the state Department of Health is urging residents to talk to a doctor if they ate any of the berries within the last two weeks.
BBCC adds composite material training
Program focuses on aviation, but skills are transferable
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College will expand its aviation maintenance program by adding to its training in composites technology, the result of a $164,000 grant.
Pride, tears as Othello graduates
OTHELLO - Christina Rivera asked for balloons at graduation, so her sister Megan complied.
Moses Lake High School announces class of 2013's top 10
Students have varied, ambitious career plans
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake High School administrators have announced the top 10 students in the class of 2013.
Basin high school graduations begin Friday
Quincy, Othello first, with ceremonies stretching to June 8
OTHELLO - High school ends for the class of 2013 in a flurry of graduation ceremonies scheduled for Basin-area schools.
Quincy's Irineo Castillo took the education road
Decided he was done with gangs, he said
QUINCY - Life had been kind of bumpy for Irineo Castillo, and in that context, some of the gang stuff he saw online and around his home in Tri-Cities started looking okay, even pretty good.
Taking the challenge rewards Ephrata graduates
Yaneli Salgado and Melissa Nelson say taking challenges was good for them
EPHRATA - High school students have a choice, when they're picking classes. They can go the easier route, just take the necessary classes and skate. Or they can take up the challenge, the difficult subjects, the classes and activities that take them out of their comfort zone.
Health District warns of bats
Moses Lake children required vaccine
MOSES LAKE - Grant County Health District officials are warning people to stay away from bats, alive or dead, due to their potential for carrying the deadly rabies virus.
Quincy student finds language no barrier to graduation
QUINCY - Olivia Camacho's family had to make a choice, about the time she was starting her freshman year in high school. Her parents had to decide if they would stay in Mexico, where there wasn't a lot of work to support the family, or try to make a new future elsewhere.
Pregnancy did not divert Quincy teen from finishing her education
Angelica Ruiz stayed in school, although things changed
QUINCY - Angelica Ruiz had it down, she was getting good grades, junior year and senior year at Quincy High School looked like a lot of schoolwork, but that was doable.
Norovirus outbreak confirmed, precautions urged
Grant County Health District urges people to wash hands frequently
MOSES LAKE - Grant County Health District officials are urging residents to stay home if they get the stomach flu and frequently wash hands with soap and water. The warnings follow confirmation that an outbreak of stomach flu at Longview Elementary School was caused by a highly contagious virus.
New program allows timely stroke treatment
QUINCY - A new partnership between Quincy Valley Medical Center and Providence Sacred Heart of Spokane could help Quincy patients diagnosed with a stroke.
State equestrian championships draw 70 schools to Grant County Fairgrounds
MOSES LAKE - About 70 schools sent teams to compete in 27 events at the Washington High School Equestrian Team championships at the Grant County Fairgrounds during the weekend.
New Samaritan CEO: priority is quality care
MOSES LAKE - The key to success at Samaritan Healthcare will be a focus on quality patient care.
Laine Utter named state FFA officer
MOSES LAKE - Laine Utter said she liked what she saw, when she looked around at the state FFA convention, and wanted to be one of the people running things. At the 2013 convention she reached her goal; Utter is one of the six FFA members selected as state officers.
Cellarbration event helps Big Bend students foot bill for college
MOSES LAKE - Final totals weren't available at press time, but a sold out Cellarbration raised more than $50,000 for scholarships at Big Bend Community College Saturday.
Curriculum helps BBCC students conquer math
MOSES LAKE - A new math instruction program, developed in-house, is helping students get up to speed for college-level math at Big Bend Community College.
Consequences of substance abuse highlighted
Parents, kids could be subject to misdemeanor charges, participants say
MOSES LAKE - It sounds easy enough, just put on the goggles and walk. There was even a line on the mat to make it easier.
Hospital polishes CEO job description
Former CEO resigned in December
EPHRATA - Columbia Basin Hospital's board of directors is putting the finishing touches on a job description for a new chief executive officer.
Budding talent
MLHS floral shop class demanding but fun
MLHS floral shop class demanding but fun
Frontier student wins regional competition
Jah-Mali Jackson beats competitors from 23 schools
MOSES LAKE - A Frontier Middle School eighth-grader talked about his plans to become a computer engineer and came home with first place in the regional Gear Up Career Showplace competition.
Event to raise money for BBCC scholarships
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College Foundation's "Cellarbration for Education" fundraising dinner will be Saturday at the college's ATEC building, 7662 Chanute St. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the evening includes a silent auction before dinner and live auction afterwards.
Flu outbreak closes Longview
Outbreak has been identified as norovirus-like flu
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake School District officials canceled Friday classes at Longview Elementary School following an apparent outbreak of stomach flu.
New group enters Upward Bound program at Big Bend
Moses Lake - Students from Royal City, Moses Lake, Othello, Warden and Lake Roosevelt high schools joined a program designed to help them prepare for college.
Ritzville art show to feature 60 artists
RITZVILLE - Works by more than 60 artists, 108 years of Ritzville history and plenty of activities downtown will be the featured attractions at the Ritzville Western Art Show and Historic Ritzville Days.
Spike in whooping cough cases in Grant County causes concern
EPHRATA - Grant County has seen a spike in the number of whooping cough cases in the last month, and health district officials are urging county residents to take steps to keep from spreading the disease.
Substance abuse conference highlights risks
Mock crash, and victim panel among events
MOSES LAKE - The two vehicles hit with such force that one of them rolled and came to rest on its top. Emergency service workers were forced to extract one victim from the overturned car, and cut another victim out of the second car.
Suicide support group forms in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE - Nancy Thorne, of Moses Lake, said the pain of her brother's suicide never really went away, and she spent a long time trying to come to terms with his death.
Substance abuse conference at BBCC
Conference highlights impacts of driving drunk with mock wreck
MOSES LAKE - The consequences of substance abuse and how to prevent it will be the subject of a daylong conference at Big Bend Community College on Wednesday. The conference features a reenactment of a car accident caused by an impaired driver.
Heritage professor recognized with award
Andrew Boyd receives Adjunct Recognition Award
MOSES LAKE - Full-time high school science teacher and part-time college science instructor Andrew Boyd was one of six professors to receive the Heritage Adjunct Recognition and Appreciation Award for 2012-13.
College fair for Hispanic students, parents at BBCC
Event is Friday
MOSES LAKE - A college information fair for Hispanic residents of the Big Bend Community College district will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Friday in the ATEC building, 7662 Chanute St., Moses Lake.
Open Course Library reduces overall college textbook cost
OLYMPIA - Students at Big Bend Community College, and all Washington community and technical colleges, could have access to free materials in 81 courses thanks to a cost cutting project.
Charter schools rules still being written in 2013
OLYMPIA - No Columbia Basin school districts met the deadline for applications to host charter schools approved by Washington voters in 2012.
Partnerships important to Job Corps training
Work with community businesses, agencies for on-the-job training
MOSES LAKE - When it comes to most careers, there are the lessons learned in the classroom and lessons learned on the job. In fact some careers require on-the-job training before certification.
New wing opens at Othello High School
OTHELLO - Six new classrooms at Othello High School and the district's alternative high school (ALPS) are up and running, and work will begin Monday on the building that will become the district office.
Shakespeare on MLHS stage this weekend
Drama Club to perform "Twelfth Night" Thursday through Saturday
MOSES LAKE - William Shakespeare's comedy of mistaken identities and crazy love, "Twelfth Night," will be reinterpreted with a 1940s vibe by the Moses Lake High School drama club this weekend. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the high school performing arts center, 803 East Sharon Ave.
ML school board sets crowding work session
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake School Board members will meet May 11 to talk over the recommendations given by district officials to address secondary school overcrowding.
Ephrata principal comes full circle
Jill Palmquist ends education career in building where she went to school
EPHRATA - Jill Palmquist said she made a deal with her dad Ken Palmquist a few years ago, agreeing to wrap up her education career by her mid-50s. They jokingly agreed, shook hands on it and everything. And when he died a month later, Palmquist said it became important to honor that deal, in part as a way to honor him.
Remodeled BBCC buildings dedicated
Student Success and STEM centers expanded, remodeled
MOSES LAKE - The remodeled Student Success Center and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center will be the focus of a grand opening at 1 p.m. May 3, starting at the student center, Building 1200.
Dessert pizza is all in the dough and the butter
Reel Pizza offers cinnamon roll, Oreo dessert pizza options
EPHRATA - If pizza is a natural platform for tomato sauce and cheese and vegetables and meat, which it is, it should be a natural platform for dessert. So, what would make a good dessert pizza?