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
Drought, demand push wheat prices higher
Wheat selling near record levels
RITZVILLE - Despite an extremely volatile market, prices for wheat have trended up during harvest 2012, and are close to historic levels.
Fundraising food booths Fair tradition
MOSES LAKE - The Grant County Fair was officially open less than four hours, and already the crowds were swirling around the Block 40 building. By 11 a.m. the line was starting to form outside the Lioness Club booth, as customers looking for those spaceburgers.
Moses Lake Rotary donates backpacks
More than 400 backpacks for elementary students
MOSES LAKE - About 400 backpacks filled with supplies will be ready for children going back to school, courtesy of the noon Rotary Club.
Moses Lake School Board reviews proposed budget
General fund about $74.3 million
MOSES LAKE - The school board will consider a $110.8 million budget for the 2012-13 school year at its Aug. 23 meeting; board members held a budget hearing at the regular meeting Thursday.
Nonprofit groups keep food court tasty
Space Burgers and lion ears and Block 40 ice cream, oh my
MOSES LAKE - Think of it: A Space Burger for lunch, of course a Space Burger; are you kidding? - from the Moses Lake Lioness booth, and maybe top it off with fries from the Knights of Columbus. Maybe a smoothie from the Moses Lake Band Boosters as a chaser, or possibly the butter beer from the Moses Lake Lions Club. And of course a glass of ice water from the Ephrata Lions Club somewhere in there.
Samaritan Healthcare names interim CEO
MOSES LAKE - Joe Sharp was hired as the interim chief executive officer at Samaritan Healthcare.
Frank Atkinson selected as new Frontier principal
MOSES LAKE - Frank Atkinson is the new principal at Frontier Middle School.
Warden, Ephrata students part of Wash. State University play
Los Memorias 2012 on stage at BBCC tonight
WARDEN - Students from Warden and two 2012 graduates from Ephrata will be among the performers in a play based on incidents from their lives tonight at the Wallenstein Theater at Big Bend Community College. Students from Mabton and Pateros also are part of the cast.
Students invited to connect with engineers at BBCC event
Science, technical education workshops at BBCC
MOSES LAKE - Students who may want to attend Big Bend Community College for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes are being invited to two workshops in late August.
Mustangs auctioned at Fairgrounds
From eastern Oregon herds
MOSES LAKE - A mustang, a true mustang, straight off the range, is lean and rangy, with a narrow head and not all that tall. Potential horse owners have plenty of options, everything from thoroughbreds to quarter horses and beyond, domesticated from birth and ready to train. Yet one mustang owner said there's a bond between horse and owner that's almost impossible to explain.
Floatboard competition makes waves
MOSES LAKE - Jesse Garza, 7, of Moses Lake, flipped a 360-degree turn on the bodyboard, then flipped a second one. When he got out of the Flowrider at the Surf 'n Slide water park, Jesse explained how it's done.
Ann Golden found perfect job at Moses Lake museum
Collection curator celebrates 12 years
MOSES LAKE - Ann Golden said she knew what she wanted to do from the time she was in grade school. There was, however, one small drawback.
PUD seeks applicants for board position
Allred retires Nov. 1
EPHRATA - Grant County PUD commissioners are soliciting applications from people interested in filling the position that will be left vacant by the resignation of Commissioner Randy Allred.
Interim PUD manager will be Tony Webb
EPHRATA - Assistant manager Tony Webb has been named as the interim general manager of the Grant County Public Utility District. Commission members selected Webb during their regular meeting Monday.
John Michael Montgomery to headline Grant Co. Fair
MOSES LAKE - Veteran country music star John Michael Montgomery will be the headline act at the Grant County Fair next month.
Board approves transportation center contract
Construction date, ground breaking ceremony to be announced
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake School Board members awarded a nearly $7.8 million contract to Fowler Construction to build the district's new transportation center at the regular meeting Thursday.
Methodist pastor became own role model
JoAnn Schaadt conquered shyness to get where she wanted to be
MOSES LAKE - JoAnn Schaadt said she knew God was pointing her in a different direction when her satisfactory life all of a sudden wasn't quite so satisfactory.
Boys & Girls Club $100K donation brings challenge
MOSES LAKE - A local business owner has announced a donation to the Boys and Girls Club building fund and at the same time issued a fundraising challenge.
Hospital researches CEO candidate
Board has not yet offered contract
MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Hospital board members are doing additional background checks on one of two candidates for the position of interim chief executive officer.
Interim PUD manager named
Tony Webb worked for PUD since 1990
EPHRATA - Assistant manager Tony Webb has been named as the interim general manager of the Grant County Public Utility District. Commission members selected Webb during their regular meeting Monday.
Resigning Samaritan CEO receives severance package
Bair reads emotional farewell letter
MOSES LAKE - Outgoing Samaritan Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bair will receive payments through his severance package and continuation of health insurance benefits through August 2013, according to a resolution approved by the board at its regular meeting Thursday.
Injured bird's fate remains unknown
Gone when animal rescuers arrived
MOSES LAKE - Some stories end in mystery.
Culbertson out as PUD manager
EPHRATA - Grant County PUD commissioners terminated the contract of PUD general manager Tim Culbertson during their regular meeting Monday.
Solution for plight of irrigators may be near
Possible enlargement of system south of Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE - Irrigation water in the Columbia River Basin, its most efficient use and expanding service to replace some of the groundwater wells in the Othello area was the topic of conversation at the monthly meeting of the Grant County Economic Development Council.
Meetings to address overcrowding in fall
Too many students for secondary schools to handle, say district officials
MOSES LAKE - School district patrons are being invited to a series of meetings this fall and winter to discuss ways to address overcrowding in the district's secondary schools.
Students explore aerospace careers at BBCC
Part of 12-day career exploration program
MOSES LAKE - Students from Spokane spent two days learning more about aviation careers at Big Bend Community College recently.
Boys and Girls Club nears funding goal
Donation originally intended for sports complex
MOSES LAKE - The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin got a step closer to a new home, thanks to a donation from a group formed a quarter-century ago to build new football and sports fields.
Hot weather expected to ease slightly
Temperatures should drop to high 80s by tomorrow
MOSES LAKE - Temperatures are expected to moderate today and stay slightly cooler through the middle of next week, but it's expected to warm back up next Thursday or Friday.
Tommie Tindell, longtime Othello volunteer, dies at 81
Remembered for efforts to help town, promote patriotism
OTHELLO - When Tommie Tindell's family returned home from the hospital after he passed away, the flag outside the Tindell home had been lowered to half-staff, the lawn was mowed, the deck washed, the ripe fruit picked from the cherry and apricot trees.
Retail development gains first tenant
Possibly two additional tenants for Gateway Commerce Center
MOSES LAKE - A building offering retail and office space on Patton Boulevard has signed its first tenant, and owners say two more tenants are in negotiations.
Culbertson out as Grant County's PUD manager
Board cites potential problems over relationship
EPHRATA - Grant County PUD commissioners terminated the contract of PUD general manager Tim Culbertson during their regular meeting Monday.
Soap Lake celebrates Smokiam Days
Parade, salmon feed, fireworks part of the festivities
SOAP LAKE - Residents and friends of the town celebrated Smokiam Days with a parade, salmon feed, bed races, horseshoe tournament and a fireworks show.
BBCC aviation maintenance program to expand
College receives $20 million grant
MOSES LAKE - It's a rocky economy and a nasty job market out there. Just ask Chris James - he left the Navy and spent six months looking for a job, and finally went back to college, he said. It's a nasty job market out there, but not everywhere and not for everybody. After graduating from the aviation mechanics technology program at Big Bend Community College, James got a job in three weeks, and will start at Boeing sometime this summer.
Ultimate Adventurers wheel Moses Lake
One stop on 1,000-mile trip, on and off-road
MOSES LAKE - So. Imagine you own an off-road vehicle, maybe expensive, maybe not, but a really kick-well, you know; anyway, a really sick ride. And imagine a trip, somewhere in the contiguous United States (so far), a week on and off-road, just hitting the trail and - driving. Driving and wheeling.
Samaritan board interviews candidates
Board hopes to name interim CEO by end of July
MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Healthcare commissioners have interviewed two candidates for the job of interim chief executive officer, and hope to have one appointed by the last week in July.
Picnic, fireworks on July 4 in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake will celebrate the nation's birthday with an all-town barbecue, live music and fireworks in McCosh Park. The event is free and open to the public.
Busy July 4 scheduled for Othello
From fun run to fireworks, something up all day
OTHELLO - The annual Patriot's Day celebration will keep Othello jumping all July 4, from breakfast and basketball in the morning to the fireworks finale.
Moses Lake School District administrators get raises
First salary increase in six years
MOSES LAKE - District superintendent Michelle Price will receive a 1 percent raise for the 2012-13 school year, making her salary $136,000.
World's largest cherry pie at 4th in George
Parade, fun run also part of festivities
GEORGE - The country's birthday will be celebrated with a parade, a fun run and the world's biggest cherry pie in the town named for the first president.
PUD manager was placed on leave at late-night meet
Vote comes at Sunday night meeting
EPHRATA - Grant County PUD commissioners convened at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 17 while at a trade show in Seattle to hold an executive session and eventually voted to place General Manager Tim Culbertson on leave, according to minutes approved by the board Monday.
Japanese trainees return to BBCC 46 years later
Program alumni donate to scholarship fund
MOSES LAKE - Eighteen graduates of an exchange program that places Japanese students on American farms returned to Big Bend Community College to help the college celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Samaritan board accepts CEO resignation
Hospital records $2.4 million profit year to date
MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Healthcare board members are soliciting resumes for an interim chief executive officer.
PUD manager placed on leave
EPHRATA - Grant County PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson was placed on administrative leave this week, pending an investigation into an unspecified personnel matter.
'Horse vaulting' event scheduled for weekend
Dance and gymnastics on horseback
MOSES LAKE - The Grant County Fairgrounds will host the regional "horse vaulting" championships this Saturday and Sunday.
School board considers changes to field trip policy
May end end-of-school pool parties
MOSES LAKE - Changes to school district policy under consideration may prohibit classes from leaving school grounds for end-of-year parties or related activities.
BBCC graduates 50th class
519 students earn 550 degrees
MOSES LAKE - The Big Bend Community College class of 2012 entered the gym about 15 minutes late, and retiring president Bill Bonaudi said he knew the culprit.
NEW BBCC president 'impressed' on first visit
Terry Leas takes over in July
MOSES LAKE - New Big Bend Community College President Terry Leas said his first impressions of the college have left him "very much impressed."
Senior Center to celebrate 40th birthday with barbecue
Event scheduled for Saturday
MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Senior Center will celebrate 40 years in the business of serving senior citizens, and raise money to pay off the newly paved parking lot, with a barbecue and dance Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. at the center, 608 E. Third Avenue. Don Wentz & the Country Boys will play from 4 to 8 p.m.
Samaritan CEO to resign
Andrew Bair resigns, effective Aug. 7
MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Healthcare CEO Andrew Bair has announced his resignation, effective Aug. 7.
Big Bend's 50th commencement Friday
Retiring president to receive Emeritus award
MOSES LAKE - More than 500 people will receive Big Bend Community College diplomas in graduation ceremonies celebrating the college's 50th year Friday. Commencement exercises begin at 7 p.m. at the Peter D. DeVries Activities Center.