CHERYL SCHWEIZER

‘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...

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.”

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.

$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...

Moses Lake School Board election Q&A

MOSES LAKE — Two candidates are running for Position 3 on the Moses Lake School Board, the incumbent Susan Freeman and challenger Carla Urias...

CBHA receives grant to help youth access mental health care

OTHELLO — The Columbia Basin Health Association is the recipient of a $500,000 grant designed to help children and teens who need behavioral health care to get it more quickly. The CBHA was one of five winners nationwide in the “Community Health Entrepreneur Challenge.” ...

WARRIOR ROYALTY

MATTAWA — Wahluke High School seniors Christopher Gallardo, left, and Andrea Corrales, right, reigned as the Homecoming king and queen at the WHS homecoming game Sept. 22.

Final Quincy hospital contract consideration postponed

QUINCY — The approval of the last – and largest – contract for the construction of the new Quincy Valley Medical Center is scheduled for Oct. 30. Joe Kunkel, a consultant working with QVMC on the project, said Monday the hospital board originally was scheduled to approve the contract for the third phase of the project during Monday’s meeting. But waiting a month was determined to be the better option, he said. “We said, ‘Let’s take a little more time and let the market work on this.’ Because if we try to jam it through, we’ll get a lot of people not responding. And we need as many eyes as we can get on this thing,” Kunkel said.

WorkSource to hold Oct. 6 hiring fair

MOSES LAKE — More than 30 businesses will have opportunities for people looking for that next job at the fall Hiring and Resource Fair sponsored by WorkSource. It’s scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at WorkSource Central Basin, 309 E. Fifth Ave., Moses Lake.

Grant PUD eyeing multiple projects in ‘24 budget

EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District customers will be invited to review and comment on the 2024 budget at three public hearings Oct. 10 and 12. In-person hearings are scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 10 at the PUD commission hearing room at the main office in Ephrata, 30 C St. SW, and 6 p.m. Oct. 12 in the auditorium in the Moses Lake office, 312 W. Third Ave. A virtual hearing will be held Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. The link to the online meeting is available in a press release under the “News” tab on the PUD website, www.grantpud.org...

Bike safety, bike fun on agenda for Moses Lake bike rodeo

MOSES LAKE — All things bicycle will be the focus of the annual bike rodeo, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the ice rink and parking lot at the Larson Recreation Center, 2501 W. Broadway Ave. in Moses Lake. The bike rodeo has been a project of the Moses Lake Kiwanis and the Moses Lake Trail Planning Team since about 2019, with interruptions for the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time other sponsors have come on board. The bike rodeo was the brainchild of Kiwanis member Louis Logan, and he came up with the official name, “Bicycle Activities, Repairs, Giveaway and Skills.” It replaced a longtime Kiwanis project.

Two Quincy streets slated for improvements

QUINCY — Sections of Third Avenue SW and Sixth Avenue NE in Quincy are scheduled for improvements. Quincy City Council members approved bids for two separate road projects Sept. 19, with bid opening Sept. 28...

Bites 2 Go

Program aims to provide weekend food for Othello children

OTHELLO — Qualifying elementary students in the Othello School District will be getting food to tide them over the weekends with the help of a partnership between the Othello Food Bank, 2nd Harvest and the Othello School District. The first meals of the “Bites 2 Go” program were delivered Thursday. Food Bank Director Jose Garza said Bites 2 Go is the revival of a program that was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s designed for children who may not have enough to eat when school is not in session. “It’s food to be taken home,” Garza said. “They will be getting food every weekend. If there’s no school on a Friday, they will get their bags on Thursdays.”

Operating hours may be reduced temporarily at Quincy Animal Shelter

QUINCY — The Quincy Animal Shelter hours may change temporarily as city officials work to add new staff. Municipal Services Director Carl Worley told Quincy City Council members Tuesday that it’s difficult for the existing staff to manage both the animals and the current hours. “The animal shelter is currently shorthanded until temporary employees are hired,” he said. “I think we’re down to pretty much two people at this point. So it’s sometimes difficult for them to meet the public at the door. Sometimes they’re in the back and don’t hear it.”

Elevate Othello

Community event looks at building opportunities and enjoying ice cream this Saturday

OTHELLO — Othello residents are invited for some ice cream and a wide-ranging discussion about increasing opportunities in town Saturday afternoon. Organizers of the “Elevate Othello” project will host an ice cream social from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Othello City Hall, 500 E. Main St., to talk about what they’ve learned so far, and where residents want to go from here.

Nonprofits connect with community at Care Fair

MOSES LAKE — Representatives from 15 local nonprofit organizations filled the Youth Dynamics building Saturday to raise awareness and recruit volunteers. The second annual Care Fair was sponsored by Care Moses Lake, and founder Michaelle Boetger said the goal is to help make connections. “Our mission is to help out other nonprofits in our community, and also promote giving back. That’s really what we’re trying to do here,” Boetger said...

Lions topple Eagles

MLCA/CCS defeats Soap Lake for third straight win of new football program

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy-Covenant Christian School Lions football team pushed their record to 3-0 with a 44-30 win over the Soap Lake Eagles Saturday at Lions Field. It was the third game ever for MLCA/CCS, and Coach Aaron Noble said his team met and overcame some challenges Saturday night...

Sip & Stroll draws wine, art, music lovers downtown

MOSES LAKE — A warm sunny day brought wine and spirit aficionados, art lovers, music lovers and shoppers to downtown Moses Lake Saturday. The annual Sip ‘n Stroll was sponsored by the Downtown Moses Lake Association. Association board president Denise Kinder said in midafternoon that participants had been arriving in a steady stream. “It’s been a really great turnout,” Kinder said...

Tattoo art both interesting, challenging, artist says

MOSES LAKE — Blaire Knox said she’s always loved and experimented with art. “I’ve been sort of an eclectic artist my whole life, mostly centered around drawing,” she said. “Just as a personal interest. Beyond drawing, I’ve done painting and working with clay for sculptures, sewing clothes. I’ve (worked) with 3D modeling and drawing comics, and working with Photoshop. I’m a jack of all trades, master of none.” ...

Road projects under consideration near The Gorge

QUINCY — Grant County officials are working on options to alleviate traffic congestion on Silica Road and around the Gorge Amphitheater. One project already has been approved by the Grant County Commissioners; two more are under discussion with the goal of making improvements next spring...