CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Water rate study planned for Quincy

QUINCY — Quincy City Council members will be asked to commission a study of the city’s water rates and rate structure as part of a long term project to upgrade its water system.

Wanapum unveil new mobile museum

EPHRATA — An upgraded mobile museum that tells the story of the Wanapum Band of the Priest Rapids Indians was unveiled to Grant County Public Utility District commissioners Tuesday. Commissioners got a tour of the new Native American Discovery Unit, which replaced a vehicle that had seen better days. There’s still some work to be done, but when it’s finished the mobile museum will visit schools and other events around the region, according to a PUD press release.

Port of Othello reservoir scheduled for 2025 construction

OTHELLO — A project to build a second water reservoir at the Port of Othello facility in Bruce is scheduled to go out to bid in early 2025. Port commissioner Homer Montemayor told Adams County Commissioners Tuesday that design for the $6.25 million project is approaching 90% completion. Executive Director Chris Faix said Wednesday that 90% completion is required before the project can be advertised for bid.

Henderson addresses commissioner election issues

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commission candidate David Henderson said he would support streamlining regulatory requirements for infrastructure projects. He also would support reopening the county’s work release center.

Threat closes Lind-Ritzville schools

RITZVILLE — A 14-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday and Lind-Ritzville Cooperative Schools were closed for the day after a threat was made against Lind-Ritzville High School.

New Othello Public Works Director says job requires attention to detail

OTHELLO — New Othello Public Works Director Robin Adolphsen said it’s her department’s job to make sure city services are running smoothly. That takes, she said, a lot of attention to detail.

Consultants review recommendations for Moses Lake traffic

MOSES LAKE — Another crossing across Moses Lake, or more than one, extending the lakeshore at Neppel Landing behind West Broadway Avenue and additional crossings of State Route 17. Those were among the suggestions from a planning firm asked to recommend ways to improve transportation options in Moses Lake.

Moses Lake Classic Car Club recognized for 50 years

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Classic Car Club members went cruising to Lynnwood last month to accept special recognition from the Washington State Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

Kiehn appointed to Quincy School Board

QUINCY — Kacey Kiehn said the biggest challenge he sees facing the Quincy School District is accommodating the community’s substantial growth. Kiehn was appointed to the Quincy School Board earlier this month. Kiehn replaces Tricia Lubach, who resigned to take a job as executive director of the Washington State School Directors Association. The school board seat will be on the ballot in November 2025.

Gubernatorial candidates address crime, law enforcement

OLYMPIA — Whether law enforcement in Washington is where it should be, addressing juvenile crime and the role of the Washington Legislature in law enforcement were among the topics addressed by gubernatorial candidates Dave Reichert and Bob Ferguson in separate recorded interviews with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

Incumbent commissioner discusses county issues

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commission candidate Rob Jones discussed infrastructure, the commissioners’ role in funding county departments and the work release center in a candidate forum Oct. 7.

Regional construction wrapping up for 2024

QUINCY — if one of the signs of spring is the appearance of big machines to grind pavement and rebuild roadbeds – road construction, in short – one of the signs of winter is the disappearance of all those machines and the end of all those projects. And halfway through October, most of those projects are done for 2024.

Changes to Moses Lake roads considered at public meeting

MOSES LAKE — Alternative ways to cross Moses Lake, better lake access and reducing traffic congestion at key intersections were among the suggestions from a meeting Monday looking at the future of traffic design in Moses Lake.

Grant County PUD buys land for new service center in Moses Lake

EPHRATA — A section of farmland near Moses Lake was attractive to the Grant County Public Utility District in part because it allowed the PUD to avoid what might have been expensive environmental mitigation.

City denies parking variance for proposed Mattawa business

MATTAWA — A request for a variance in parking rules submitted by a developer interested in building a convenience store in Mattawa has been denied. The denial was issued Sept. 30.

Othello PD investigating Friday shooting

OTHELLO — Othello Police Department officers are asking for the public’s help as part of their investigation of an Oct. 11 shooting. “Two gunshot victims have been identified,” said Othello Police Chief Dave Rehaume Tuesday. “We are in contact with the people involved.

Substance abuse, retaining health care priorities for 9th District incumbent

RITZVILLE — Republican Joe Schmick said he wants to focus on combating substance abuse and maintaining health care access in the Ninth District if he’s reelected. He said he would support a review of budget priorities in the 2025 legislative session. Schmick, the incumbent, is being challenged by Democrat Pam Kohlmeier.

Mental health, connectivity focus for 9th District candidate

RITZVILLE — Dr. Pam Kohlmeier said her focus, if she was elected to the Washington House of Representatives, would be on health care. Kohlmeier is running for one of two House of Representative seats in the Ninth District. Kohlmeier, a Democrat, is running against Republican incumbent Joe Schmick. “I am really focused on improving access to mental health,” she said.

Ribbon cut for Port of Moses Lake water upgrades

MOSES LAKE — Port of Moses Lake commissioners cut ribbons Monday for two upgrades to the port’s wastewater reuse system. Total cost of both projects was about $8 million combined.

Moses Lake port about halfway to railroad right-of-way acquisition

MOSES LAKE — Port of Moses Lake officials hope to go out to bid in early 2025 on a project to rebuild railway connections to port property. Commissioners approved the purchase of two parcels at their regular meeting Monday.

Mavs defeat Post Falls

MOSES LAKE -- The Moses Lake Mavericks took advantage of three Post Falls (Idaho) turnovers in the first five minutes of the game to build a 21-0 lead en route to a 69-20 win over the Vikings Friday at Lions Field.

Dent to focus on water, rural mental health, aviation, child care

MOSES LAKE — Representative Tom Dent said water and water conservation, rural mental health and improving child care options will be among his top areas of focus during the 2025 Washington Legislative session. Dent is running for his sixth term as one of two representatives for the 13th District. “Probably the biggest issue we have in the district is water,” Dent said. The aquifer that supplies water to cities throughout the Columbia Basin is under pressure, in part from farm operations that can’t access the existing irrigation canal network and are drawing water from the aquifer.

New Moses Lake ordinance regulates animal sales

MOSES LAKE — Sales of animals on public property and on private property open to the public will be prohibited under the terms of a new ordinance approved by the Moses Lake City Council Oct. 8. Council member Victor Lombardi said he has received numerous complaints from constituents about the practice of selling animals in high-traffic areas around town, notably along Stratford Road. “I would say this particular issue has been in the top four,” Lombardi said.

Boeing announces coming job cuts, third-quarter loss

MOSES LAKE — Boeing plans to cut its workforce by about 10%, according to an announcement Friday from CEO Kelly Ortberg. Ortberg did not give a timeline for the job cuts, saying only that they would be instituted “over the coming months.” “Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,” Ortberg wrote in the announcement. “Beyond navigating our current environment, restoring our company requires tough decisions and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term.” How the cuts will affect the company’s operation in Moses Lake, which employs about 800 people, isn’t yet clear, said Boeing spokesperson Bobbie Egan.

Public invited to discuss Stratford Road traffic

MOSES LAKE — Residents of Moses Lake and drivers using state Route 17 are being invited to a series of meetings to discuss future transportation options in the area around SR 17 and Stratford Road. The weeklong process, called a charrette, will start at 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St. Levi Bisnett, design engineer for the city, said the goal is to examine the current and future traffic needs around Stratford Road. “We know we have concerns with our SR 17 and Stratford interchange,” he said on the STUDIO BASIN podcast. “And we reached out to the state via a grant application program to get funds to discuss and design some solutions for the three-foot sidewalks that cross the interchange there. With that award, we were able to expand our footprint to not just focus on that part of town, but a one-mile radius around that location.”

Post-secondary training, education key to filling jobs in future, report says

OLYMPIA — Washington’s economy will need a lot of workers in the next decade, and both business and government will have to figure out ways to train them, according to a report from the Washington Partnership for Learning and the Washington Roundtable. The report was released Wednesday. The partners commissioned a study of projected job growth, industries where that growth will happen and what kind of qualifications those jobs will require. Marc Casale of Kinetics West, which conducted the study, said Washington has enjoyed job growth that beat the national average over the last decade, and that’s expected to continue in the next decade. The challenge, Casale said, will be filling those jobs.

Food bank needs change with seasons

MOSES LAKE — With the arrival of October and the holiday season dead ahead, Moses Lake Food Bank Operations Manager Peny Archer said the needs of its customers are changing with the seasons and donations are always welcome.

Grant PUD budget reviewed at public hearing

EPHRATA — After all expenses are paid the Grant County Public Utility District is projected to end 2025 at about $192.25 million in the black. The proposed 2025 budget was presented at two public hearings Tuesday. Expenses for 2025 are projected at $367.8 million; projected expenses for 2024 were about $347.2 million.

Grant commission candidates discuss issues

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commission candidates Amador Castro and Kevin Burgess both described themselves as hard workers and said they would be committed to doing the job during a Moses Lake forum Monday.

'Once you’ve dealt with bees, it gets in your blood'

Barbara Caylor’s lifelong dedication to community and bees

OTHELLO — Barbara Caylor said her late husband Ken was the kind of guy who didn’t have much time for leisure. “He was interested in being involved in something to keep him busy,” Barbara Caylor said. “He was a man who never sat around idle very long – he was always doing something.”

Grant PUD budget hearings Tuesday

EPHRATA — The Grant County Public Utility District will hold two public hearings Tuesday to discuss the proposed PUD budget for 2025. Hearings are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., both at the commission hearing room at the Ephrata headquarters, 30 C St. SW. A virtual option is available; information on joining is available on the PUD website, www.grantpud.org.

Isaacson challenging District 16 incumbent

WALLA WALLA — Kari Isaacson said the most important issues facing the 16th Legislative District are infrastructure and managing growth. Isaacson is running for the district’s Senate seat. A Democrat, she’s challenging Perry Dozier, the Republican incumbent.

Dozier running for new term as District 16 senator

WALLA WALLA — Perry Dozier said inflation and the cost of housing, goods and services are imposing increasing burdens on Washington residents, and the Washington Legislature should do what it can to address that. Dozier is running for the Washington Senate from the 16th District, which includes a small slice of Grant County.

Lack of bus drivers has Basin districts looking for solutions

MOSES LAKE — A lack of qualified drivers forced a short-term cancellation of bus routes in one local school district; other local districts have been forced to come up with what some school officials called creative solutions to meet student transportation needs. The Moses Lake School District canceled bus routes a couple days last week due to a lack of qualified bus drivers. Claren McLaughlin, MLSD marketing and public relations specialist said canceling routes, at least for now, was a short-term phenomenon.

Fewer projects, but drivers should be mindful of ongoing roadwork

MOSES LAKE — Multiple road construction projects in Eastern Washington may impact drivers during travel over the next few weeks.

Blood donations always needed

MOSES LAKE — Accident victims. Cancer patients. Surgery patients. They all need blood during treatment – and sometimes the supply of it gets low. Really low. Kristin Conner, communications manager for Vitalant, a nonprofit organization that sponsors blood drives in Grant and Adams counties, estimated about 3% of the eligible U.S. population donates blood each year.

Section of Columbia Way to close next week for rail work

QUINCY — The railroad crossing on Columbia Way near the intersection with Division Street East will be closed to traffic beginning Monday. The closure is projected to last through early December.

Strategic planning begins for Mattawa Community Medical Center

MATTAWA — Staff and commissioners of the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic will discuss ideas for the future at a strategic planning session this weekend.

Adams Co. commission candidate would focus public safety

RITZVILLE — David Lobe of Ritzville said he’s running for Adams County Commissioner to address what he considers public safety needs. Lobe said that to him, two issues are paramount. “My number one first priority – very passionate on this – is reopening the Adams County Jail,” he said. “(And) the condition of our roadways, in my opinion, is a huge concern.”

Celebration of Quincy heritage at Quincy Valley Museum

QUINCY — It was a beautiful day, warm but not too hot – which was good news in the summer kitchen. The Celebration of Harvest and Culture at the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum Saturday highlighted the people that built Quincy and the way they built it. Quincy is more than a century old, and the day featured demonstrations of everyday life back in the day, from washing clothes to sharpening knives to cooking in the summer kitchen. Volunteers Terri Wilson and Pam Nutter were cooking sausage and sauerkraut on the wood stove in the summer kitchen, the old-school way of cooking on hot days. A wood stove pumps out a lot of heat, so rather make it even hotter in the house by cooking in the kitchen, pioneers built another kitchen in a separate building.

Grant PUD rate policy proposals get further review

EPHRATA — Residential and agriculture customers would be the first customers to receive the benefits of lower-cost Grant County Public Utility District electricity, according to proposed revisions to PUD rate policy reviewed by commissioners last week. A final draft of the revisions is scheduled to be submitted to commissioners in November, with approval by the end of the year. Chief Customer Officer Ty Ehrman said the latest revisions reflect the direction given by commissioners after their review of previous drafts. The PUD owns and operates Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams. Power from the two dams, called the Priest Rapids Project, is cheaper because the PUD owns and operates them.

Softball for a good cause at Battle of the Badge

MOSES LAKE — It was a battle of two evenly matched teams, but the Moses Lake Police Department took a one-run win over the Grant County Sheriff’s Office in a softball game for a good cause.

Present and future part of new Quincy Valley Medical Center

QUINCY — Quincy Valley Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Glenda Bishop said watching as the new QVMC is built emphasized the fact this is a project for the future as well as today. “(Recently) as I pulled into the parking lot I looked up at the new hospital and the full impact of what this means for our community hit me in a powerful way,” Bishop wrote in answer to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. “Our generation, our workforce, our voters, our contractors are accomplishing something that will meet healthcare needs into the next several decades.”

Interior framing, landscaping underway at new Samaritan Hospital

MOSES LAKE — The first layer of asphalt is down in some sections of the parking lot and a lot of the windows are in. And yes, that is landscaping going in on sections of the property. If the project stays on schedule, the first patients will be entering the doors of the new Samaritan Hospital in early March 2026.

Remodeled ER at Columbia Basin Hospital set for spring 2025 completion

EPHRATA — An updated emergency department at Columbia Basin Hospital is scheduled for completion by spring 2025. Rosalinda Kibby, CBH chief executive officer, wrote that the remodeling project has several goals.

Reykdal talks constants and change in education

ELLENSBURG — Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said there are constants in education – but education is changing too, and it’s happening at an accelerating rate. Reykdal spoke to students at Central Washington University Wednesday.

Vantage Bridge work may cause weekend delays

VANTAGE — With about four weeks to go in the road construction season, projects are coming to a close around the region. A few roads are still subject to delays, or slowdowns, or otherwise interruptions, the busiest being the Vantage Bridge.

Water fight benefits Quincy Special Olympics

QUINCY — Water was flying, and police and firefighters (and the occasional bystander) were getting soaked in a good cause Saturday morning at the “Fire and Cop on Top” event in Quincy. Quincy Police Department officers, firefighters from Grant County Fire District 3 and Washington State Patrol troopers had a water fight with anybody who decided to come by to benefit the Quincy Special Olympics.

Infrastructure, including jail, area of focus for Blankenship

RITZVILLE — Adams County Commission candidate Dan Blankenship said he believes the biggest projects and the ones he wants to work on if he’s elected, focus on infrastructure. Blankenship, the incumbent, is running for a second term, challenged by David Lobe, Ritzville.

Information sought in Othello-area drive-by

OTHELLO — Investigation is still ongoing into a drive-by shooting late Friday night that left two teenagers injured.