CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Volunteers sought for Mattawa city cleanup

MATTAWA — Volunteers are being sought to pick up trash around public areas in Mattawa beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. Cleanup will last all morning.

Suniga looking forward to job as Ritzville PD chief

RTIZVILLE — New Ritzville Police Chief Mike Suniga said he’s learned a lot over his law enforcement career. “I got hooked when I was an Explorer Scout,” he said. “It was just one of those things where I could see myself doing this and see myself making a career. And as I matured in law enforcement, I (thought), ‘How am I going to leave a lasting impact?’ I love helping people, and I love being able to solve problems, whether it’s through the criminal justice system or through other systems and programs that are available.”

Services, profitable and not, part of Quincy ambulance discussion

QUINCY — Quincy City Council members approved a contract increase with the city’s EMS provider April 1, but not before a discussion of ambulance transports, availability and profitability. The council voted 5-1 to approve the increase with Columbia EMS, a privately owned service. Council member Jeff Spence voted no.

Quincy examining truck restrictions in city

QUINCY — A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 15 at Quincy City Hall to take public comment on a proposal to change designated truck routes within the city limits. City hall is located at 104 B St. SW.

Grant County property tax statements issued

EPHRATA — Grant County property owners should be receiving 2025 property tax statements in the mail in the next few days, unless they’ve shown up already. Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant said tax statements were mailed March 28.

Road construction ramping up for summer

MOSES LAKE — It’s still early in the spring and as a result still early in the road construction season, but there are some long-term projects already underway. Short-term projects are starting here and there around the region. Drivers heading north to Chelan who plan to take Highway 97A Monday will encounter traffic slowdowns at the Knapps Hill tunnel north of Entiat. Maintenance and inspection work will require flagger-controlled traffic.

Odessa groundwater funding in proposed Senate budget

OLYMPIA — A funding request for a section of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project has been added to the proposed Senate capital budget. If it’s included in the final capital budget, the EL 22.1 lateral would receive up to $44 million in funding at the request of Ninth District Senator Mark Schoesler, R – Ritzville.

GCHD presents challenging but important work, officials say

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Health District has a lot of jobs and, said GCHD Administrator Theresa Adkinson, some of them are pretty difficult. “We have a hard job – I tell staff that all the time,” Adkinson said. “We do really hard things. We are part of really hard conversations. But we are also community members, and we too are invested in (the decisions). Everything that we put forward as a public health agency is impacting our own families and lives. We’re also living it.”

Grant PUD considering solar power agreement

EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District commissioners will consider purchasing the electricity produced at a proposed solar farm between the Grant County International Airport and Rocky Ford. Under the agreement with Quincy Solar, the PUD would receive all the electricity generated by the project. It's planned to produce 120 megawatts of power. The contract would run for 20 years.

Drivers asked to take precautions in road work zones

OTHELLO — Washington Department of Transportation officials are asking Washingtonians and visitors to exercise extra caution and follow traffic laws in work zones. Mike Koehn, Washington Department of Transportation supervisor for the Moses Lake and Othello maintenance crews, said he was reminded of that recently when he went out to a work zone on Interstate 90.

Construction projected by June on Royal City Lions Park soccer field

ROYAL CITY — The development of Royal City’s expanded Lions Park will begin with a new soccer field, scheduled to be ready for play in spring 2026.

QVMC move planning digs into details

QUINCY — It’s not really all that much fun to move – packing, boxes everywhere, stuff to get rid of, a million details to attend to. Possibly it’s easier when the move is a few hundred feet, but it’s also harder when the old building is in use right up until the moment it closes.

Strong hitting, pitching help Othello baseball defeat Chiawana 12-2

OTHELLO — The Othello High School baseball team used a strong pitching performance and some good hitting – including a three-run home run from shortstop Jordan Montemayor – to defeat Chiawana 12-2 in five innings March 29.

Grant PUD places limits on electrical demand from data centers

EPHRATA — Limits will be implemented on the growth of demand from data centers that get their power from the Grant County Public Utility District. Load growth limits may be applied to other large industrial customers, depending on how much power they’re requesting.

Westshore Drive, Vantage Bridge work signal start of construction season

MOSES LAKE — Spring brings with it new grass, flowers blooming, more sunshine and road construction. Most projects are scheduled to start later in the summer, but a couple are underway now.

Quincy's Kondo named Coach of the Year

Mentoring athletes toward a 'positive and wholesome experience' key for Jacks coach

QUINCY — Quincy High School girls head wrestling Coach Mark Kondo said that for him being a good coach started in the classroom. “The quality that makes a good teacher translates to making a good coach, as far as being organized, as far as being able to break learning down into meaningful segments and teach that, as far as building relationships,” Kondo said.

Othello man arrested after Moses Lake standoff

MOSES LAKE — An Othello man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for hit and run and outstanding warrants after he briefly barricaded himself in a Moses Lake home.

Report expected by October on Othello pool options, cost

OTHELLO — What to do about the Othello Community Pool will be the subject of a study that should be completed by October. A meeting of a community committee tasked with coming up with a recommendation is scheduled for Friday. Committee members and city officials will be meeting with consultants from NAC Architecture and Trinity NAC, Spokane, sometime in the next two weeks.

Overproduction, possible tariff retaliation - interesting times for tree fruit growers

WENATCHEE — An old saying – said to be Japanese, and said to be a curse – talks about living in interesting times. While it’s always an interesting time to be in the tree fruit business, times are especially interesting now.

Othello buys property for water treatment facility

OTHELLO — The new facility that will treat water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District system for use by Othello residents will be located along Lee Road. Othello City Council members approved the purchase of property for the project Monday. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said the purchase was good for Othello, a big enough deal that he held a signing ceremony to highlight it.

Mattawa council looks at improvements to Wahluke grad parade

MATTAWA — Changes could be coming to the parade that follows Wahluke High School graduation.

More signs planned for busy Adams Co. intersections near Othello

OTHELLO — Additional warning and stop signs will be installed at 14 intersections in the Othello area. Adams County Commissioners approved $833,000 for the project Tuesday.

Port of Moses Lake OKs military training lease

MOSES LAKE — Military training exercises will continue at a section of the Grant County International Airport following the approval of a 25-year lease between the Port of Moses Lake and the US government for use of a section of the airstrip. Port commissioners approved the agreement Monday.

Quincy council approves land purchase

QUINCY — A vacant lot at the end of Third Street Southwest may become the home of the city of Quincy’s new public works shop. Quincy City Council members approved the purchase of the property at the March 18 Quincy City Council meeting.

Mattawa man arrested in connection with December shooting

MATTAWA — A Mattawa man was arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail Friday in connection with a December shooting. Diego Nunez, 20, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree assault. Nunez allegedly was involved in a Dec. 14 shooting in the 100 block of Columbia Avenue.

Cellarbration raises more than $250,000 for BBCC scholarships

MOSES LAKE — The annual Cellarbration for Education fundraising dinner March 15 brought in more money in 2025 than 2024. Cellarbration is the largest fundraiser for the scholarship fund of the Big Bend Community College Foundation.

Microsoft working to help protect IT systems of rural hospitals

MOSES LAKE — Information is valuable in the Information Age, to good actors and bad actors alike. And unlike precious metals or stacks of cash, people sometimes don’t know how valuable information is, or that it can be vulnerable to attack. Erin Burchfield of Microsoft Philanthropies said rural hospitals are an example.

Earned recognition

Othello girls wrestling coach Sammy Rocha CWAC co-Coach of the Year

OTHELLO — Sammy Rocha said he learned to coach wrestling from the best. Rocha, the girls wrestling coach at Othello High School, was named co-Coach of the Year in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. He shared the award with Mark Kondo of Quincy.

Two candidates announce for Moses Lake City Council

MOSES LAKE — Santiago (Jim) Perez and Joel Graves have announced their candidacy for the Moses Lake City Council.

Road work set for next week in Quincy

QUINCY — Spring is in the air, and that means, among many other things, the start of road construction season. Road crews will be doing some crack-sealing work at night along State Route 28 in Quincy beginning Sunday night. Drivers should plan for some delays through Wednesday night at least, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation.

Funding a challenge for some Adams Co. projects

RITZVILLE — The second phase of a project to upgrade Schoonover Road that Adams County officials thought had received federal funding may not be getting it after all. A rules revision that allowed four bridges over the East Low Canal to qualify for complete federal funding also may have been eliminated.

Baginski resigns from Othello school board

OTHELLO — Applications will be accepted March 25 through April 11 for an open seat on the Othello School Board. Board member Chris Baginski announced his resignation at the March 10 board meeting.

Packed house for Cellarbration 2025

Scholarship fundraiser draws a crowd to support Big Bend students

MOSES LAKE — Keynote speaker Aldo Farias said the money donated during the Cellarbration for Education dinner benefiting the Big Bend Community College Foundation was more than a donation.

New principal named for Wahluke’s Saddle Mountain Elementary

MATTAWA — Melissa Hattaway has been named the principal at Saddle Mountain Elementary beginning with the 2025-25 school year. “She’s replacing Kurt Hoffman who’s retiring after 40 years in education,” Wahluke School District Superintendent Andy Harlow said. “Melissa is a Royal High School graduate and has worked for (the Wahluke School District) for 15 years. This will be her first role as principal.”

OneD process passes independent test

MOSES LAKE — Testing by a third party has indicated the process used by a company with a battery development facility in Moses Lake is less harmful for the environment than traditional alternatives, according to an announcement from OneD Battery Sciences. The results of testing by Minviro were released Tuesday.

Moses Lake water fines delayed

MOSES LAKE — Encouraging water conservation – and how to enforce city water use ordinances – turned into a wide-ranging conversation about not only water but code enforcement, education and control at the Moses Lake City Council meeting.

Grant PUD financials solid with above-projected revenues

EPHRATA — Higher-than-anticipated revenue is projected to make 2024 a good year for the Grant County Public Utility District. Wholesale and contracted power sales are projected to end 2024 at $286.5 million, once the books are fully balanced. That's $196.3 million over the initial budget projection. Angelina Johnson, PUD deputy treasurer, said that may be a short-term advantage though.

Moses Lake man arrested in connection with March 8 shooting

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested Friday in connection with a March 8 shooting on Stratford Road in Moses Lake. Luis Medina, 27, was arrested in Moses Lake and booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting, said Moses Lake Police Department Captain Jeff Sursely in a press release.

Mistakes cost Mavs in baseball season opener

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake High School baseball team opened the 2025 season with a 5-2 loss to Mt. Si (Snoqualmie) Friday afternoon.

Mavericks named to Big 9 all-league wrestling team

MOSES LAKE — Multiple Moses Lake wrestlers received honors on the Big 9 all-league wrestling team, and the girls wrestling assistant coaching staff was named the assistant staff of the year. All-league wrestlers are listed below.

Additional testing needed for Quincy pool

QUINCY — Excavation for the new Quincy Aquatic Center is going to require some additional soil sampling first. Parks and Recreation Director Russ Harrington said in an earlier interview that city officials hope to start work on the pool this summer, possibly in May or June. But the city may have to make some changes to the project before starting to move dirt, due to the possibility of subsurface contaminants.

Royal’s Arroyo named SCAC co-wrestler of the year

ROYAL CITY — Junior Sharon Arroyo was named as one of two wrestlers of the year, and girls coach Jesus Carlos Villa named coach of the year on the South Central Athletic Conference all league team. The Knights also received the sportsmanship award.

Wrestlers named to All-CWAC team

OTHELLO — Othello boys wrestling Coach Rudy Ochoa II was named Coach of the Year in the Class 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference for the second consecutive year. It was Ochoa’s third Coach of the Year award. Othello, Quincy and Ephrata wrestlers were named to the CWAC all-league team.

Othello, Ephrata, Quincy girls named to All-CWAC team

OTHELLO — Othello Huskies Coach Sammy Rocha and Quincy Jackrabbits Coach Mark Kondo were named co-Coaches of the year for girls wrestling in the Class 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference. Wrestlers from Ephrata, Quincy and Othello were named to the all-league teams

Water, water conservation topics of planning and discussion in Othello

OTHELLO — Water, how to conserve it and how to get more of it, has been a topic of discussion and a focus of experimentation around the Columbia Basin. Othello city officials have been working for almost a decade on a project to reduce demand on the city’s underground aquifer, one that’s inching closer to fruition. A pilot project tested the possibility of using water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District canal system, treating it, and pumping it back into the aquifer. That was successful, and city officials are working on upscaling it, a project that will require a treatment facility. Public Works Director Robin Adolphsen said facility is in the process of design. “We’re working on how many gallons per day we want to take from the canal and determine what that plant is going to need to treat water,” she said.

Broncos hope to build on softball success

RITZVILLE — After qualifying for the state playoffs in 2024, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague softball team is looking to for ways to continue that success in 2025.

Move to CWAC good opportunity for Jacks soccer, coach says

QUINCY — Quincy boys soccer coach Hector Vaca said he expects the Central Washington Athletic Conference to be a tougher test for his team. And that’s good. “I’m excited for the boys. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for them to show off their skill, show how good they are,” he said. “We have a lot of great, talented soccer players here in Quincy, and I think this is a great opportunity for them to showcase that.”

New year for Royal softball after state championship

ROYAL CITY — Coach Lisa Lawrence said the Royal Knights softball team will be one to watch in 2025, although they have some holes from the team that won the state championship in 2024.

Huskies looking to get to state amidst strong competition

OTHELLO – Othello boys soccer coach Bernie Garza said the Central Washington Athletic Conference was already pretty tough, and now it’s going to be tougher. That means the Huskies will have to pay attention to every game, he said. Quincy and Toppenish moved into the CWAC from Class 1A; not only do both have strong programs, but the expansion makes it tougher to get familiar with other league schools, Garza said.

Attorney General files suit against Adams County SO; dispute over immigration

SPOKANE — The Washington Attorney General’s Office has filed suit against the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Adams County alleging the sheriff’s office is violating state law by working with the federal government on immigration enforcement.