CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Lane changes

Mattawa approves speed limit update, no-parking zones.

MATTAWA — Speed limits will be lowered to 25 miles per hour on Road 24 SW from the roundabout at State Route 281 to Pat-Chee Drive, and no parking will be allowed on sections of Boundary Road and Riverview Avenue. Mattawa City Council members approved the changes after extensive discussion at the regular meeting June 1...

Summer entertainment coming up for local communities

EPHRATA – A long summer evening just seems like a good time to be outside. Three local towns will help families make the most of summer evenings with a monthly series of free outdoor movies. In Ephrata there’s also a free summer music series....

Congrats Desert Oasis grads!

OTHELLO - Graduation season is continuing across the Columbia Basin. As a reminder, we will be printing a special keepsake edition with full coverage of local graduations on June 14.

Dodson Road project underway

Grant County works to upgrade roadway between I-90 and Ephrata.

EPHRATA — Drivers using Dodson Road between State Route 282 and Road 4 NW will be experiencing some delays as that section of the road gets a new layer of asphalt. “It’s under construction right now,” said Grant County Engineer Dave Bren...

Post office clerk retires after 30 years

MOSES LAKE — Phil Bilodeau said he wants his customers to know he appreciated their business. Bilodeau retired Friday after 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service, most of them at the customer counter at the Moses Lake Post Office.

Mattawa council approves housing action plan

MATTAWA — After about five months of discussion, the Mattawa City Council approved a housing action plan at its regular meeting Thursday. City officials are working to apply for funding to upgrade and expand the city’s water and sewer systems, and updating development regulations, including an action plan, is part of that. “The plan has also been reviewed by the (Washington Department of) Commerce and it is sufficient,” said Rachelle Bradley of SCJ Alliance, the city’s planners...

Summer reading programs offer books, events

WENATCHEE — With sunny weather and warm days dead ahead, summer reading programs are beginning at local public libraries. The Mid-Columbia Libraries system, which includes the Othello Public Library, already started its “Summer Reading Challenge.” Children and adults can participate; the challenge requires participants to read or listen to books for a minimum of 15 hours prior to Aug. 18...

'Walk with Ease'

New Dept. of Health program helps residents get healthy.

MOSES LAKE — The Washington Department of Health has started a new online program designed to help people manage and possibly prevent chronic conditions by going for a walk. The “Walk with Ease” program information is available in English and Spanish. “Walking is still one of the best exercises out there for overall health (benefits) and low injury,” said Dale Kemper, manager of Evolve Fitness in Moses Lake...

Columbia Basin swimming pools publish opening dates

MOSES LAKE — It’s that time of year – city crews have swept out all the dead leaves, all the toys are back up and the pool is full, or almost full. Summer is dead ahead. The Surf ‘n Slide Water Park, 401 W. Fourth Ave., has already opened for the summer – the joint was jumping Memorial Day weekend – and will be open the first two Saturdays and Sundays in June. Daily operation begins June 15, after Moses Lake School District classes are dismissed for the summer.

'Excited' and 'happy'

Wahluke life skills students off to college with a ROAR

MATTAWA — Getting accepted to college requires a lot of effort, some of it doing scary things. Three students in Wahluke High School’s life skills class didn’t let that stop them - they’re off to college next fall. “We’re going to (Washington State University) in Pullman,” said Juan Ramos...

In memoriam

EPHRATA - American Legion Post 28 in Ephrata hosted a Memorial Day ceremony on Monday. This was just one of multiple events in the area held to honor those killed in service to the nation. Additional coverage of these events will be included in Wednesday's edition of the Columbia Basin Herald.

Moses Lake School Board approves new elementary design

MOSES LAKE — The new Moses Lake elementary school scheduled for construction in Mae Valley should go to bid in late fall. Moses Lake School Board members approved a design for the building at the regular meeting Thursday. “The goal (is) to bid the project this year, before Christmas and the holidays,” said Matt Whitish of Design West, the lead architect on the project. “The construction schedule hasn’t changed. We’re looking to have a contractor on board at the very early start of 2024, and (to) still have construction completed in time for the school year in 2025.” ...

‘Beautiful cars’

Spring Festival car show fills the street with cool rides

MOSES LAKE — Two full blocks of cool cars. Their owners thought so, of course, and so did the spectators that filled West Third Avenue in front of Frontier Middle School for the Spring Festival car show Saturday. “Beautiful cars. Beautiful cars I haven’t seen in years,” said Noland Dominguez of the Lakesiders Car Club...

Remembrance, Spring Festival mark Memorial Day weekend

MOSES LAKE — Memorial Day in the Columbia Basin will be marked with both remembrances and Spring Festival activities in Moses Lake. Memorial Day is first and foremost about honoring the fallen, and there will be solemn ceremonies around the Basin on Monday. The Ephrata American Legion post will sponsor ceremonies honoring veterans at three cemeteries Monday. Post members will gather at 10 a.m. at the Soap Lake cemetery, 11 a.m. at the Ephrata cemetery and at 12:30 p.m. at the Quincy Cemetery. “Each ceremony is a little different, with flag raising and lowering, speakers, color guard, gun salute and the playing of taps,” wrote Jane Montaney of the post auxiliary chapter.

News Bites for May 26

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was booked into the Grant County Jail Tuesday on suspicion of vehicular assault and DUI after he allegedly struck a motorcycle and left the scene of the accident...

Solar races

Energy lessons, racing and trying to set hot dogs afire at Solar Car STEM event

MOSES LAKE — Fifth-grader Rafaela Arnberg explained the principle behind the propulsion system on her solar race car. “Basically the energy from the sun hits the solar panel and the solar panel makes the motor move,” she said. Her Knolls Vista classmate Nathalia Anguiano showed the mechanism. “The motor is attached to this thing here that makes it go,” she said, pointing to the tiny car’s rear axle. “When the solar panel touches the sun, it goes.” Fifth-graders from schools throughout Grant County built solar cars from a kit and brought them to Big Bend Community College for a day of racing and learning about energy. The annual Solar Car STEM days were sponsored by the Grant County PUD, Big Bend Community College, the Moses Lake School District and REC Silicon.

Quincy board, FFA boosters honored

WENATCHEE — The Quincy School Board was honored as the Board of the Year and the Quincy FFA Boosters received a Friends of Children award from the North Central Education Service District. The annual NCESD awards were announced May 22. “The Quincy School Board exemplifies a student-centered approach in all that they do,” wrote Quincy School District Superintendent Nik Bergman in answer to a question from the Herald. Bergman wrote that board members helped write the district’s updated strategic plan, and have worked to implement it throughout the school year.

Wood from existing Quincy Valley Medical Center site to become part of new hospital

QUINCY — A pair of trees that will come down as part of the construction of the new Quincy Valley Medical Center will be turned into a piece of furniture for the facility, with the help of students in the Quincy High School construction classes. Hospital board members accepted a proposal from QHS construction class instructor Nick Heuker to use the wood from the trees to build a conference table.

Ritzville mayor, Lind council races attract multiple candidates

RITZVILLE — The mayor’s job in Ritzville, Ritzville City Council and Lind Town Council positions will be on the August primary ballot, some having attracted five candidates. The filing period for elected offices open in 2023 was last week. The two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the primary will advance to the general election in November.

Council to consider housing plan

MATTAWA — Mattawa City Council members will vote June 1 on a plan designed to help address growth and housing availability. Council members held a public hearing on the draft housing action plan Thursday; there was no public comment. Rachelle Bradley of SCJ Alliance, the city’s planner, reviewed the plan for the council, and said it had been updated based on previous comments from residents. Information on the plan was reviewed at a March public meeting and at a couple of community events. “We added (a new section) based on feedback, which is to implement a citywide code enforcement program,” Bradley told council members.

Hot career

Fire science class shows path to an occupation of service

QUINCY — Yanetzi Gonzalez said the fire science class at Quincy High School helped her make up her mind about her future. Marcelo Moreno said he had a good idea what he wanted to do after high school, but the fire science class showed him there were even more opportunities. Gonzalez, Moreno, Genesis Franco and Mario Guerrero, all QHS juniors, were among the participants in fire science state competition sponsored by SkillsUSA, and all four of them finished in the top 10. Gonzalez and Moreno qualified for SkillsUSA national competition; Moreno had other commitments, so Franco will be taking his place...

Quincy set to break ground on new park in 2024

QUINCY — Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2024 on a new park along Quincy’s Sixth Avenue NE. Quincy City Council members approved a contract with Michael Terrell Landscape Architects, Deer Park, for a design during their regular meeting May 16. “The park property is located near the Quincy Animal Shelter,” wrote Public Works Director Carl Worley in response to an email from the Herald. “It was property dedicated by the developers of the nearby apartments as the requirement for open space.” ...

Soap Lake City Hall to reopen Fridays

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake City Hall will return to Monday through Friday hours beginning May 22. Soap Lake City Council members approved reopening city hall on Fridays after an extensive discussion at the regular council meeting Wednesday. The vote was unanimous...

Races shaping up as candidate filing continues

EPHRATA — Mattawa Mayor Maria Celaya will face at least one challenger for her office, and the race for an at-large seat on the Samaritan Healthcare board will be on the primary election ballot. One race on the Moses Lake City Council also will go to the primary election. Filing for offices up for election in 2023 began Monday and ends today...

Colorful results

FFA project brings bright blooms and greenery to downtown Moses lake

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School FFA members and horticulture students fanned out through downtown Wednesday, shovels in hand, followed by wagons filled with flowers and water buckets. After all, those flowers that beautify downtown every summer don’t plant themselves. They don’t raise themselves, either. The FFA participants and hort students do that, all winter long...

Trujillo promoted to Quincy PD captain

QUINCY — Jorge Trujillo, a 15-year veteran of the Quincy Police Department, was sworn in as the QPD captain during Quincy’s regular city council meeting Tuesday...

Lind council seats attract multiple candidates on first-day filing

RITZVILLE — One seat on the Lind Town Council attracted three candidates while another seat attracted four candidates on the first day of filing for the 2023 general election. The filing period ends Friday. Because there are more than two candidates for each position, both races will be on the ballot in the Aug. 1 primary election.

Council, school board races taking shape in first day of candidate filing

EPHRATA — Incumbents on the Moses Lake City Council and Moses Lake School Board will be facing at least one challenger for their seats. There will also be a race for one seat on the Samaritan Healthcare board. Those races emerged after the first day of filing for Grant County offices in the 2023 general election. The filing period ends Friday. Races that attract more than two candidates will be on the ballot in the Aug. 1 primary, but as of Monday no races had three candidates.

Michele Talley finds rewards in the fire service

QUINCY — Michele Talley said she got interested in firefighting right out of high school and has stayed interested ever since. “I started as a volunteer firefighter in Southern California when I was 18,” she said. “When I got married and started a family, l left the fire service – and I missed it.” So when she had the chance she started learning more about it...

E. Nelson Road light being replaced

MOSES LAKE — Drivers can expect flaggers controlling traffic at the intersection of State Route 17 and East Nelson Road Wednesday or Thursday. Washington State Department of Transportation crews will be replacing the light on the east side of the intersection...

Timeline TBD

White Trail Road roundabout project completion date still up in the air

QUINCY — Washington Department of Transportation officials are not sure yet what the revised timeline will be on the construction of a roundabout at State Route 28 and White Trail Road. Department of Transportation officials discovered a mistake in the project after construction had started. “We needed to remove a little bit of concrete,” Lauren Loebsack, communications manager for the WSDOT North Central Region, said Monday...

Summer — not spring — weather forecast for next week

MOSES LAKE — While it’s not the hottest weather ever in mid-May, the Columbia Basin is getting an early taste of summer, with temperatures in the high 80s to mid-90s expected through next weekend. Todd Carter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, said that while the temperatures are not unheard of for this time of year in Eastern Washington, it’s still pretty warm for mid-May...

MLSD funding reduction should not result in layoffs

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District shouldn’t have to lay off any staff as a result of changes in the funding Moses Lake receives from the state, at least not for the 2023-24 school year. “Back in 2017-18 we were getting 6% regionalization (funding) added to our apportionment. That’s been decreasing by 1% a year the last few years,” said Director of Finance Stefanie Lowry during the Moses Lake School Board meeting Thursday. “It was supposed to completely go away next year.” ...

Soup on Saturdays

Moses Lake woman finds calling in volunteer project

MOSES LAKE — Trinette Mullineaux said she’s seen some hard times herself, so she wanted to do something to help the people that use the Open Doors Sleep Center in Moses Lake. That’s why she started her volunteer project Soup on Saturdays. “It’s near and dear to my heart to help the homeless,” she said...

Capturing savings

Grant Co. Jail plans to be reviewed for possible cost savings

EPHRATA — Grant County officials and contractors working on the construction of a new Grant County Jail will meet next week for what Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines called a value engineering exercise with the goal of cutting costs. “We are already starting to look at value engineering (in the design plans),” Gaines said...

Quincy HS soloists to 'Sing' for the community

QUINCY — Students in the Quincy High School choral department will show their skills in a pair of outdoor concerts at 7 p.m. tonight and Friday at the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum, 415 F St. SW...

OPD Chief Phil Schenck retires

OTHELLO — It was through a partnership with the Othello School District that Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck found what he wants to do next.

City council, school board seats on ballot in Adams County

RITZVILLE — Mayoral seats, city councils, school boards and hospital boards are among the offices open for election in Adams County in the November general election. The filing period is May 15-19. Some of the offices come with a filing fee, which must be paid at the time of filing. Residency requirements also are different for different offices. Four Othello City Council seats will be on the ballot in 2023. In Othello all council seats are at-large, open to anyone who lives within the city limits. The incumbents in the four open seats are Angel Garza, Jon Erickson, Mark Snyder and Danae Valdez. Ritzville, Washtucna and Hatton will be choosing mayors in 2023. Linda Kadlec is the incumbent in Ritzville, Rhea Isaac in Hatton and Brian Hille in Washtucna.

Rehaume selected as interim Othello police chief

OTHELLO — Othello Police Department Assistant Chief David Rehaume has been named as the interim chief while city officials conduct a search for a permanent replacement. Rehaume will take over June 1. “He’s been a 30-year-plus member of the Othello Police Department,” said Mayor Shawn Logan prior to Rehaume’s appointment by the Othello City Council. “This will be the second time in the last 10 years that we’ve sworn Dave in as our interim police chief. He certainly knows the department, he certainly knows what is expected and he knows what the responsibilities are.”

School board seats open in all Grant Co. districts

EPHRATA — School board positions in all local districts will be open in the November general election. Filing week for all positions opens May 15 and continues through May 19. All school board positions are nonpartisan. If a position attracts more than two candidates, it will be on the ballot for the Aug. 1 primary election. All seats on the Moses Lake School Board represent specific director districts, and candidates must live within that district to contest the position. Three seats are open in 2023; the incumbents are Shannon Hintz, Susan Freeman and Alana DeGooyer. Hintz represents Director District 1, Freeman Director District 3 and DeGooyer Director District 5. Descriptions of director districts are available on the Moses Lake School District website.

Filing period next week for hospital, port, fire district positions

EPHRATA — Washington has a wide array of publicly-administered districts that manage all kinds of things, from hospitals to airports. Grant County has its share of them, and the filing period for the seats in those districts opens May 15 and will be open through May 19. Some of the positions have filing fees, which are due at the time of filing. Some districts have specific director districts, which means candidates for those seats must live in that director district. Others have some at-large seats, which means candidates can live anywhere in the district. More information on qualifications is available from the Grant County Auditor’s Office. Grant County port districts mostly are involved in economic development, and there are open seats in 10 of them.

Lots of opportunity in FFA, 4-H programs

MOSES LAKE — Medical Lake High School ag teacher and FFA advisor Jennie Wagner said some of the people in the Medical Lake HS FFA chapter will go on to careers in agriculture, and some of them won’t. All of them, however, have picked up important skills through FFA - something that’s also true of the young people in the 4-H clubs she used to lead. “I think people, a lot of times, think FFA is just all those kids (raising) animals, or they wear those blue jackets,” Wagner said. “But what it really does is, it allows them to try things out in a safe environment and have experiences they wouldn’t get (in other clubs). Because it covers so many avenues, from public speaking to learning parliamentary procedure, raising animals, evaluating livestock, just tons of stuff.” ...

City council seats open in all Grant County towns in November election

EPHRATA — Mayoral and city council seats throughout Grant County will be on the ballot in the November 2023 general election. Candidate filing week will be May 15-19. All city council positions are non-partisan. Some seats have a filing fee, which must be paid at the time of filing.

Samaritan financial picture improving

MOSES LAKE — After a couple of financially challenging years, Samaritan Healthcare’s fiscal picture seems to be improving. Chief Executive Officer Alex Town, reviewing the financial results for March, said the hospital generated a net income gain of about $1.2 million for the first three months of the year. “For us, in my opinion, (the March financial report) sets the tone that we are finally hitting the curve and heading in the right direction,” he said...

Wahluke students eye opportunities on Outdoor Career Day

MATTAWA — There are many different ways to find and train for a career, and there are lots of careers out there. That includes jobs young people might never have considered. Showing young people what’s possible is part of the motivation behind Outdoor Career Day at Wahluke High School.

Othello council approves dispatch service agreements

OTHELLO — If all agencies approve the interlocal agreements, the city of Othello will continue to provide dispatch services for Adams County Fire District 5 and Othello Community Hospital, but the cost will go up. Othello City Council members unanimously approved dispatch agreements with both agencies Monday. “This three-year agreement includes an increase of 8% in 2023, and 3% in 2024 and 2025,” David Rehaume, Othello Police Department assistant chief, told council members. “This increase is necessary due to our increased costs for personnel.” ...

Candidate filing opens May 15

RITZVILLE/EPHRATA — Positions on city and town councils, school boards, fire and hospital districts will be among the offices open for election in November 2023. Filing week for those positions begins May 15, but people can file by mail from now until the end of the filing week, according to information from the Grant County Auditor’s Office. City council seats are open in every community in Grant and Adams counties, along with the mayor’s jobs in Mattawa, George, Soap Lake, Grand Coulee, Warden, Ritzville, Hatton and Washtucna. Positions also will be up for election in local school districts, most hospital and fire districts, and most port districts...

Grant PUD recreation surveys begin this month

EPHRATA — Starting this month, people using Grant County Public Utility District recreation facilities will be asked to participate in an in-person survey. Shannon Lowry, PUD license compliance and lands services manager, said it’s a survey the PUD is required to conduct every three years. “This is a big year for us,” Lowry told PUD commissioners April 11. “We’ll spend a lot of time out there talking to people.” ...

Looking back

Information sought on a long-gone piece of Moses Lake history

MOSES LAKE — In 1940 Moses Lake was a tiny little farm town that had, as they say, a lot of potential. By 1960 Moses Lake realized some of that potential, and the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter is looking for people to help document one of the major signs of that growth - one that has completely disappeared. Stephanie Massart, a member of the DAR Karneetsa chapter, said its members are hoping to hear from people who remember Victory Village...

Design of new Quincy Valley Medical Center released

QUINCY — Cost estimates for the new Quincy Valley Medical Center should be available by mid-May. Preliminary exterior design drawings of the building were released late last week, and hospital officials will be hiring electrical and mechanical contractors. “It definitely feels real now,” said QVMC commissioner Anthony Fernandez during an April 24 meeting of the hospital district commission. Hospital district voters approved a construction bond for up to $55 million in August 2022.