CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Ready — Aim — Tater! — Potato Days return to CB Tech

MOSES LAKE — The fifth graders counted it down. “Four, three, two,” they chanted - but the countdown was put on hold. The French fry launcher had to build up sufficient pressure. Once it did the fifth graders were free to resume the countdown, with the help of a Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center student

Bra auction raises more than $16,000 for cancer patients

EPHRATA — A fundraising auction to help cancer patients in need raised more than $16,800, starting with an Ephrata business and radiating out to a worldwide group of friends.

Soap Lake council schedules special budget meeting

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake City Council members will review and discuss the municipal 2024 budget at a special meeting at 5:30 Wednesday at the Soap Lake Community and Senior Center, 121 Second Ave. SE.

‘Little Women’ to be presented by Othello High Drama Club

OTHELLO — The classic tale of four sisters growing up in the shadow of civil war comes to the McFarland Middle School stage tonight and tomorrow night. The curtain rises on the Othello High School drama club presentation of “Little Women” at 7 p.m. on the MMS stage, 790 S. 10th Ave.

Quincy’s downtown filled with treats and horrors

QUINCY — Downtown Quincy was filled with dinosaurs and witches, ghostbusters and cats, pirates, police officers and princesses, among many others, at the Downtown Trick or Treat walk Tuesday night.

GCFD 7 seeks levy lid lift in general election

SOAP LAKE — Voters in Grant County Fire District 7, which includes the city of Soap Lake, will decide the fate of a proposal to increase the rate of the district’s property tax levy for fire service in the general election Nov. 7.

Rice Brothers to perform in concert Nov. 14

MOSES LAKE — The cello-piano duo the Rice Brothers will bring a mix of classical, classic pop and jazz sounds to the stage at the Wallenstein Theater at 7 p.m. Nov. 14. It’s the second concert of the season for the Central Basin Community Concert Association.

Q&A: Moses Lake School Board Position 5

MOSES LAKE — Incumbent Alana DeGooyer and Kirryn Jensen are running for one of three open seats on the Moses Lake School Board.

Data by design

Data center planning determined by climatic conditions and customer needs, Vantag VP says

QUINCY — Vantage Data Centers cut the ribbon on the final phase of its existing facility in Quincy Oct. 18. Simon Casey, the company’s vice president of construction for the Western United States, said the construction expanded the data center to 777,000 square feet. All of that is occupied by one customer, Casey said.

Champion Tigers

Ephrata wins CWAC league title with 13-0 win over Ellensburg

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers football team earned the Central Washington Athletic Conference title with a 13-0 win over the Ellensburg Bulldogs Friday at Kiwanis Field.

Gettin' crazy

Making a gift leads Tracy Crostley to a new business, Cra-Z Cowgirl Creations

MOSES LAKE — Tracy Crostley’s business started with an attempt to find a gift for a friend. The gift had to be custom, a remembrance of a well-loved family dog, but the person Crostley contacted was slow in responding.

Columbia Basin getting spooky for Halloween

MOSES LAKE — Superheroes, goblins, princesses and ghosts out and about on Halloween night will have opportunities for candy, fun and scary places to go throughout the Columbia Basin.

Grant PUD to decide on 2024 budget, rate increase Nov. 14

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners will consider the passage of a 2024 budget, which includes a 2.5% to 3% overall rate increase, at their Nov. 14 meeting.

Robotic surgical system purchased for Samaritan Hospital

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Hospital will be purchasing new surgical equipment that will allow the hospital to perform procedures that were previously unavailable in Moses Lake. Samaritan commissioners got a presentation on the new system Tuesday.

Neon Skateway owners working on upgrades, plans for the future

SOAP LAKE — Robert and Margy Rice have some plans for Neon Skateway. “It has so much potential,” Robert Rice said. The Rices purchased Neon Skateway, 48 Moses Lake Ave. NW in Soap Lake, and changed its name in March. It was Hollywood Roll in its most recent iteration. Because it’s recently reopened it’s still a work in progress, but it’s open for roller skating five days per week. Neon Skateway is a Soap Lake fixture, starting out as an Army Corps of Engineers installation back in the early 1950s. “Sometime between 1965 and 1975, somewhere in there, somebody built it into a rink,” Robert Rice said.

‘Murder on the Orient Express’ opens Friday in Quincy

QUINCY — The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Quincy High School on the tale of a mysterious murder with an international cast of suspects. The QHS Theater group presents “Murder on the Orient Express” for two consecutive weekends. The play is based on Agatha Christie’s classic 1934 novel about a death on the most glamorous train in Europe. Ally Manly, who plays a woman with some secrets to hide, summed it up.

‘Shock and awe’

Grant PUD Commissioners discuss rate-setting policy, hear from area power users

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD customers are invited to a commission workshop at 9 a.m. Nov. 23 to discuss electrical rates and rate-setting policy. That invite followed an extensive review of commissioner ideas about rates, rate stability and meeting conduct, among other topics on Tuesday.

Othello schools work to weed out gangs

OTHELLO — Amy Parris, director of student services for the Othello School District, said district officials faced a challenge at the start of the 2021-22 school year — gang activity was starting to seep back into Othello schools. “What we did last year was take a pretty hard stance. ‘We’re not putting up with that here,’” she said.

Fall arts incoming

Music, dance and comedy part of Columbia Basin Allied Arts 2023-24 season

MOSES LAKE — A two-actor look at retirement, a group touring local schools to celebrate Hispanic heritage, music and dance honoring the culture and history of Ghana, a theater camp for children. Those are among the performances scheduled for the 2023-24 Columbia Basin Allied Arts season, which opens Friday.

Jackrabbit royalty '23

QUINCY — Michelle Acevedo Martinez and Ethan Gregg were crowned as Quincy High School Homecoming queen and king during halftime of the Quincy-Medical Lake game Friday. Quincy won the game 43-0. See full coverage of the game on page A5.

Grant PUD spending projected to increase in 2024

EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD expects to spend about $347.2 million, after counting other revenue against expenditures, and finish 2024 with a bottom line of about $118.6 million. Utility district commissioners will approve a budget in November, and PUD officials reviewed the budget projections for customers in public presentations in mid-October...

Quincy takes 43-0 Homecoming win over Medical Lake

QUINCY — The Quincy Jackrabbits turned in a dominating performance at the Homecoming game, defeating the Medical Lake Cardinals 43-0 Friday. The Jacks were stopped in the first quarter, but scored three times in the second quarter and once in the third to take a commanding lead. Talking to the team after the game, Quincy coaches pointed out the Jacks will have a chance at the Caribou Trail League title next Friday in Cashmere. Quincy won its first CTL game in at least three years earlier this season. Coach Russ Elliott said the team has benefited from its players with experience.

Grant Co. PUD wrestles with rate-setting policy

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners are scheduled to give individual statements on their goals and objectives in establishing rate-setting policy during the regular commission meeting Tuesday. Those statements are scheduled for 9:30 a.m., during the commission’s discussion session.

Quincy area parks district on ballot; recreation survey results reviewed

QUINCY — Quincy-area residents are being invited to a town hall meeting Nov. 1 to discuss the proposal to establish a regional parks district. The proposal is on the Nov. 7 ballot. The money raised through the district would be used to build and operate a new indoor sports facility in Quincy, called the Q-Plex, and a new Quincy swimming pool. If the regional parks district is formed, property owners would pay 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The parks district boundary would be the same as the Quincy School District, excluding the Douglas County portion and including the cities of Quincy and George.

Local economic innovation key to success says Dept. of Commerce director

MOSES LAKE — Mike Fong, director of the Washington Department of Commerce, said economic innovation starts locally. “We want to strengthen communities and help communities build their own capacity and potential,” Fong said while he was in Moses Lake Monday. “And we don’t want to dictate that. We really want to help that vision become reality. And that’s a local vision.”

Grant PUD rate talk chopped from Tuesday meeting

EPHRATA — A planned discussion about possible Grant County PUD rates was abruptly canceled and a PUD commission workshop closed for a few minutes after a statement from commission chair Nelson Cox...

Graffiti causes challenges for Othello landowners

OTHELLO — Othello Police Chief Dave Rehaume said the gang-related graffiti on an outbuilding facing an alley is an illustration of the problems it causes for property owners...

Gang activity on the decline in Othello

OTHELLO — While there have been high-profile incidents and arrests within the last year, gang activity in Othello seems to be decreasing. “I don’t want to say our gang problem has gone away, but we’ve seen a decrease recently,” said Othello Police Department Detective Steven Perez. “We used to meet once a month with the (Othello) School District, however, the last six months or so I think we had about two (meetings).”

Quincy continues to be a draw for data centers

QUINCY — Quincy is and has been a busy farm town, a center of production for tree fruit, potatoes and other crops. Now it’s also home to a host of data centers...

Radiation Oncology center begins treating patients

MOSES LAKE — Sue Arnold said she had first-hand experience with the challenges of radiation treatment for cancer. So she was pleased to cut the ribbon on the new Radiation Oncology Center built by Confluence Health. The first patients will be treated there today...

Q&A: Samaritan Healthcare commission candidates

MOSES LAKE – Incumbent Samaritan Healthcare Commissioner Dale Paris is being challenged by former commissioner Joe Akers for one of two open seats on the hospital district commission...

Royal royalty

ROYAL CITY — Megan Fielding, left, and Case Christensen, right, were selected as queen and king at Royal High School’s Homecoming game Friday. The Knights won the game 55-0 over Kiona-Benton.

Kersey announces resignation as port director

MOSES LAKE — Port of Moses Lake Director Don Kersey has announced his resignation, effective Oct. 24. Kersey announced his departure for a position with Group14 during the regular commission meeting Monday. “The port is a very special place, and it always will be. I’m just glad I was a part of it,” Kersey said to commissioners in making his announcement. Commissioner Kent Jones paid tribute to Kersey for his work.

Royal Knights dominate in 55-0 win

ROYAL CITY — On the second play of the Homecoming game against Kiona-Benton Friday, Royal quarterback Lance Allred took the snap, faked a handoff and flipped the ball to receiver Cade Allred. Cade Allred threw 36 yards to receiver Case Christensen for the touchdown. The Knights scored 35 points in the first quarter en route to a 55-0 win over Ki-Be. Lance Allred said after the game the key to a good performance is preparation. “(Watching) film,” he said. “Just seeing what we have, what they don’t – trying to find where we can penetrate, so we just hit that. We execute it every day in practice. It plays out on the field.”

‘Now let’s go dig some dirt’

After long road, groundbreaking signals start of Samaritan construction

MOSES LAKE — With the shovels in the ground, the hard hats ready and construction equipment on site, Samaritan Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan said there were times she wondered if the construction of a new Samaritan Hospital would get this far. “As many of you know, there were days when I wondered, is this really going to happen? Are we really going to have a groundbreaking?” Sullivan said during the groundbreaking ceremony Friday. “In fact, some of you know I didn’t really want to answer the question any more (about) when are we going to break ground, because I was wrong 100% of the time.” ...

Job fair gives glimpse into economic opportunities

MOSES LAKE — Friday’s job fair at the Moses Lake WorkSource office highlighted, in part, the evolving nature of the local economy...

Q&A: Moses Lake School District director candidates

MOSES LAKE — First-term incumbent Shannon Hintz is being challenged by Amy Breitenstein for one of three open positions on the Moses Lake School Board...

Local heritage

Wanapum traditions showcased at Archaeology Days

MATTAWA — An atlatl is definitely a help when throwing a spear, at least according to the children trying it out during Archaeology Days at the Wanapum Herritage Center. Presenter Tom Bailor showed the children how to use it – the blunt end of the spear in the socket on the atlatl, aim high and throw. He showed them how it had evolved; an unknown engineer added a notch that functions as a handle...

Othello Homecoming royalty announced

OTHELLO — Seniors Marlen Sosa and Kakyzz Gonzalez were named the queen and king of Homecoming at Othello High School Friday night. Othello students also pick Homecoming royalty from the Life Skills class. Reigning as the duchess and duke of Homecoming were Julia Alvarez and Andrew Arellano.

Tradition, culture highlighted at UMANI Festival

MOSES LAKE — Radel Llamas said the game was part of his childhood, but he hadn’t played it in a while. Llamas wound the string around the brightly colored top, and explained the goal was to make the top, called a trompo, do what he wanted it to. “You want to get it dancing,” he said. That part was relatively easy. He snapped the string and the top spun across the bricks in Sinkiuse Square. “El puente, that’s what they call it,” he said. “That was our internet back in the day.”

$4M capital levy request before Wahluke voters

MATTAWA —Wahluke School District voters will be asked to accept or reject a four-year, $4 million capital improvement levy in the November general election...

Q&A: Quincy School District director candidates

QUINCY – Incumbent Heather Folks-Lambert is facing Shannon Durfee in the race for Position 3 on the Quincy School District Board. The Columbia Basin Herald posed the questions below to both candidates concurrently with matching word count restrictions and a deadline to submit their responses. Both responded within the timeframe specified...

Senior living industry poised for growth

MOSES LAKE — Tana Gall, president of Merrill Gardens retirement communities, said she had entirely the wrong idea when she started working for a senior living facility.

'A great day for us'

Open house, ribbon cutting Saturday for new Moses Lake cancer treatment center

MOSES LAKE — After a fundraising campaign that persisted – and was successful – in the teeth of a global pandemic, a new facility to provide radiation treatment for cancer patients in Moses Lake will have its grand opening Saturday. The open house for the Confluence Health Radiation Oncology Center will be from 10 a.m. to noon at 905 E. Hill Ave. The new treatment center is a joint project of the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation, Confluence Health and the Confluence Health Foundation. The ceremony will begin at 10:15, and representatives from all three groups will be cutting the ribbon at about 10:30 a.m. “It means so much to our community,” said foundation director Angel Ledesma at the groundbreaking ceremony in August 2022.

Othello takes 42-0 Homecoming win

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies football team scored early and took a 42-0 win over Grandview Friday on Homecoming night in Othello. The win pushed the Huskies to 3-2 on the season, 2-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. Othello had a strong senior class in 2022, had to make a lot of changes, and defensive coach Kevin Hale said it’s been an adjustment. “We replaced a lot of guys from last year’s team, and it’s been a bumpy start in a lot of ways,” Hale said.

New mascot statue unveiled at Moses Lake High School

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School Athletic Director Loren Sandhop said the new statue outside MLHS was a continuation of school traditions. “You’re all a part of history, you guys,” Sandhop told MLHS students Monday morning as he stood next to the statue representing the school’s mascot, the Maverick. The district changed its mascot from the Chiefs to the Mavericks in May 2022, and the Maverick statue was revealed as students watched and the MLHS band played the fight song. The statue of a bull, echoing the skull on the school logo, replaces the arrow and dreamcatcher that stood outside the school for about a dozen years. Clint Scriven, assistant athletic director, said artists at the company Way Out West designed the statue with direction from MLHS administrators.

GCFD 3 voters to be asked for change in levy

QUINCY — Voters in Grant County Fire District 3 will be asked to accept or reject a proposal to change the amount of money collected by the fire district in the general election Nov. 7. The proposed “levy lid lift” would raise the amount levied in property taxes to $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Deputy Chief David Durfee said the current levy is about 65 cents. It’s an increase in an existing levy, he said, not a new one. Because it’s a levy, the request requires 50% approval plus one vote to pass. If it is approved, a property owner with property assessed at $300,000 would pay $390 per year, compared with the $195 the landowner pays now.

Frontotemporal dementia

Memory health means different symptoms, challenges for patients and families

MOSES LAKE — Dementia is an ugly disease, and there are variants that make it even uglier. Frontotemporal dementia is one of those variants...

Indigenous history

Culture, geology and wildlife, focus of Archeology Days

WANAPUM DAM — Children and adults will get a look at the history and culture of the Wanapum and Columbia Plateau people at Archeology Days, Oct. 2 and 3 at the Wanapum Heritage Center, 29082 Highway 243 South. Drivers should turn at the Wanapum Dam entrance of the site. Archeology Days is a longtime project of the Grant County Public Utility District...

Q&A: Samaritan Healthcare candidates

MOSES LAKE — Incumbent Katherine Christian and challenger Elliot DeLong are running for one of two open positions on the Samaritan Healthcare commission...