CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Internet outage cause still under investigation

EPHRATA — An internet outage affecting some, but not all, residents in Grant County is under investigation. There was no estimated time of repair as of 4 p.m. Wednesday...

New Grant Co. jail site prep to begin in Sept.

EPHRATA — Grant County residents can expect to start seeing activity on the site of the new Grant County Jail in early September. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said the first phase of the job will be cleaning up the site at 14156 Road B.3 NW, Ephrata. Contractors interested in bidding on that job walked around the site Tuesday...

Mattawa developing parks plan

MATTAWA — Mattawa residents will be asked their preferences for recreation facilities in town as part of the preparation of a parks and open space plan. The city received a grant from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office to write a plan, the prerequisite to applying for funding for parks projects...

Lightning, rain cause electrical outages

MOSES LAKE — A lightning strike during a Monday morning thunderstorm cut power to customers in the Warden and Moses Lake areas, while the same storm resulted in other outages throughout Grant County. The outages affected about 5,500 customers countywide, said Christine Pratt, PUD public information officer...

Making connections

Mattawa National Night Out a way for officers, residents to get better acquainted, chief says

MATTAWA — Joao Garcia was interested in all those mysterious things carried by Mattawa Police Department officer Edgar Villa, and Villa explained them all. Garcia was also intrigued by the police vehicles, lights flashing, sitting on the lawn in Hund Park. Villa invited him to take a look inside - Garcia could even sit in the police car if he wanted, Villa said...

Planning begins for new Quincy public works shop

QUINCY — The city of Quincy might be building a new public works shop. Quincy City Council members awarded a $22,000 contract to MJ Neal Associates, Wenatchee, to design the new shop and prepare a project budget at the regular meeting Aug. 1...

Early delivery

Embankment work to be completed this month at Priest Rapids Dam

EPHRATA — A project to reinforce an embankment at Priest Rapids Dam should be completed by the end of this month, about a year ahead of schedule. “We’re in the final push of that project,” said Dale Campbell, senior manager of power production for the Grant County PUD. “If you haven’t taken a tour, you don’t have much time left. It’s going to be done (by) the middle of August.” ...

Eat up!

Annual Cowboy Breakfast, traditional fair and rodeo kickoff, set for Friday

MOSES LAKE — Following the tradition that any gathering of cowboys and cowgirls starts with a good breakfast, the annual Cowboy Breakfast is scheduled for 7-10 a.m. Friday in Sinkiuse Square. The breakfast is the traditional kickoff to the Grant County Fair and Moses Lake Roundup; the fair opens its gates Aug. 15, the annual demolition derby is Aug. 15-16 and the rodeo is Aug. 17-19...

Baird Springs fire prompts guardrail repairs this week

QUINCY — Travelers between Quincy and Wenatchee could face delays Monday and Tuesday as contractors make repairs to guardrails that were damaged by fire July 10...

Unique home town

Circumstances make Quincy real estate market different

QUINCY — The old saying in real estate is that it’s all about “location” – a word that means a variety of things., Quincy makes the point; it’s like all other towns in Grant County, but it’s not. “The Quincy market is different,” said Tom Parrish, managing broker at Windermere Real Estate Central Basin-Quincy office. “Based upon one factor, and that’s price.” ...

QVMC site prep to begin in September

QUINCY — Demolition of existing structures and site preparation for the new Quincy Valley Medical Center will begin in mid-to-late September. Quincy hospital board members approved authorization for the contractor, Graham Construction, to start the first phase of the project. The cost of the first phase is $3.2 million. Kayla Van Lieshout, project manager for the Klosh Group, one of the consultants, said the contractors will be asking for approval for two additional phases...

Power, water, workforce and dams subjects during Murray visit

MOSES LAKE — Senator Patty Murray said Wednesday that she would not support the removal of four dams along the lower Snake River, at least until the Pacific Northwest has met the challenges the removal would create. Murray said she had researched the issues involved in dam removal in partnership with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and their conclusions were released last year...

Proud to serve

Veteran remembers Pearl Harbor attack, war service

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes memory fades, sometimes things that happened a long time ago get overlaid with new experiences. Sometimes the memories remain, though. Geb Galle turned 102 years old in mid-July, and he still remembers that Sunday morning, even though a lot of things happened afterward...

QPD gets corny with the community at National Night Out

QUINCY — The line was long at the booth where Quincy Police Department officers were serving hot dogs and roasted corn – “Hot corn! Hot corn! Coming through! Coming through!” said QPD Detective Damon Powell as he made his way to the booth with a full pan...

Quincy schools project higher enrollment

QUINCY — Quincy School District officials expect a slight increase in enrollment for the 2023-24 school year. The projected enrollment for 2023 is the equivalent of 3,160 students, according to information provided to the Quincy School Board at the July 25 meeting. That’s an increase from the 20223-23 school year. Enrollment for 2022-23 was the equivalent of 3,103 students, which was slightly below the budget projection...

Samaritan makes money in first half of 2023

MOSES LAKE — After a few years of discombobulation, a more typical pattern of hospital use – and because of that a more typical pattern of revenue – is starting to return at Samaritan Healthcare. “What we’re starting to see is we’re getting back to that cycle, where you’d see that push (of patients) at the beginning of the year, and then you see that lull,” said Chief Administrative Officer Alex Town. “There were so many midsummers where we were just slammed, and we couldn’t figure out why.” ...

MLSD projects 2023-24 enrollment increase

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District is projected to have the equivalent of about 8,299 full-time K-12 students for the 2023-24 school year. Moses Lake School Board members reviewed the preliminary budget at the regular meeting Thursday. Director of Finance Stefanie Lowry said district officials don’t anticipate much change, if any, between the preliminary and final budgets. The budget will be approved at the board’s Aug. 24 meeting...

Moses Lake physician’s medical license revoked

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake physician Irene Kimura has had her license permanently revoked by the Washington Department of Health. The order revoking Kimura’s license said her treatment of two patients had contributed to their deaths, and that she was negligent in the case of a third patient. “The panel finds that the license holder can never be rehabilitated and can never regain the ability to practice safely,” the order said. “As such, permanent revocation is necessary.” ...

Samaritan construction cost set

MOSES LAKE — The total project cost for a new Samaritan Hospital will be about $225 million, and construction could start in November. Samaritan board members accepted a “guaranteed maximum price” for the construction phase of the project Tuesday. Board members voted 5-0 to accept the GMP from Graham Construction, the project contractor...

'23 Showdown

Car show coming to Ephrata this weekend

EPHRATA — Old and new cars, old and new trucks, four wheels, two wheels, cars with tricked-out trunks, cars with tricked-out engines, vehicles still in progress - those cars and any other vehicles beloved by their owners are being invited to the second Basin Summer Showdown car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The show is in a new location for 2023 the Grant County Courthouse, 35 C St. NW in Ephrata. Organizer Ricardo Gutierrez said that while car guys and car girls own just about every kind of vehicle imaginable, they all have something in common. They love their cars, they love to show off their cars, and they love to see what other people have done with their cars...

Fun for health

Games, dances, healthy living tips at Mattawa health fair, movie night

MATTAWA — Maybe that dart game was a little harder than it looked. The guys tried it, and tried again, and kept missing. “If a little kid can do it, you can do it,” one of the guys told the others, but he was wrong...

Ephrata gets airborne

National Flight Academy challenges local youth with fun

EPHRATA — The days start early - breakfast at 5 a.m. - are filled with classes, and in the middle of summer, too. But nobody cares. They get to fly. That’s the point of the National Flight Academy sponsored by the Civil Air Patrol. It gives young people the chance to get in the air. Cadets from throughout Washington and the West are attending the annual “Desert Eagle” academy at the CAP facility at the Ephrata Municipal Airport...

Quincy to research property annexation requests

QUINCY — Quincy city officials will consider a request to annex two pieces of property on the east side of town into the city limits. If they are annexed, both properties will be zoned industrial. Municipal Services Director Carl Worley told Quincy City Council members July 18 that the application doesn’t commit the city to annexation. “The staff will proceed with the studies and analysis to see what impacts they have (on the city) and what they may have to provide to mitigate those impacts,” Worley said.

Finances, voter registration discussed by Samaritan commission candidates

MOSES LAKE — Voter registration, cost of the new Samaritan Hospital and staff retention were among the questions discussed by two of the three candidates for a hospital commission seat at a forum July 18.

National Night Out

Cool and interesting vehicles, food, fun events around the Basin

COLUMBIA BASIN — Police cars and fire trucks, stickers and snow cones, games and lots of information will be among the attractions at National Night Out events in Grant and Adams counties. National Night Out is hosted by local law enforcement agencies across the country, and is a chance, said Mattawa Police Chief Robert Salinas, for officers and community residents to get to know each other better. “It’s an opportunity to interact with the public,” Salinas said.

New Moses Lake city park dedicated

MOSES LAKE — Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia Basin Executive Director Kim Pope said one of her club members had what she considered the best reaction of the day to the new Maple Grove Park. “One of the club kids said, ‘This is so beautiful.’ And I said, “It is, isn’t it?’ That just summed up my entire day,” Pope said. The new park is part of the Maple Grove housing development under construction by Hayden Homes at the intersection of Maple Drive and Grape Drive. Hayden Homes employees cut the ribbon at a dedication ceremony for the new park Thursday. It was donated to the city once it was finished, said Katy Wooderson, vice president of marketing for Hayden Homes.

Traffic study approved for Quincy’s 13th Avenue

Street would provide access to proposed Q-Plex

QUINCY — A contract to study traffic patterns and traffic volume on 13th Avenue Southwest, the first step in possibly widening it, was approved by the Quincy City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday. The contract for about $393,000 was awarded to Transportation Engineering Northwest, Bellevue. The vote was 4-0. Council member Dave Dormier recused himself from the discussion, saying he has worked with Transportation Engineering Northwest on other projects. The engineers will look at traffic from the intersection of 13th Avenue with SR 28 to Road 9 Northwest. The street provides access to Monument Elementary School and Quincy Innovation Academy as well as Lauzier Park. Quincy city officials are planning improvements to Lauzier Park, and among the possibilities is the proposed indoor sports facility called the Q-Plex.

Moses Lake council candidates detail views at forum

MOSES LAKE — Homelessness, growth, water and water use were among the topics addressed by four candidates for Moses Lake City Council at a forum Tuesday. Incumbent David Eck and challengers Jeremy Nolan, Gerrit Klein and Victor Lombardi answered questions and talked about what they see as the issues facing the city. Nolan said that, in his opinion, all the interest in the council race is a good sign, given that council incumbents often have run unopposed in the past. “I love that there are four of us up here sharing best ideas in this type of forum for this one position this year,” Nolan said. All four candidates said they got in the race because they wanted to make the community better.

Health fair, summer movie Friday in Mattawa

MATTAWA — Mattawa-area residents can watch a movie Friday night and get information on all things health-related at the same time. The city of Mattawa is sponsoring a combination and movie night and health fair beginning at 4 p.m. Friday at Hund Memorial Park, 101 Government Road. It's the second of three movie nights this summer. “We decided to do themes this year, (to) be able to provide more for the community,” said Mattawa Mayor Maria Celaya...

Grant County short-term rental rules to get more clarification

EPHRATA — Some changes to clarify rules governing short-term rentals in unincorporated areas of Grant County are being prepared for consideration by the Grant County Commissioners. “They are in the process,” said Jim Cook, deputy director for Development Services. Short-term rentals are defined as dwellings available for rent for less than 30 days, Cook said. Matt Hope, chief appraiser for the Grant County Assessor’s Office, said that while county officials don’t know how many short-term rentals are in Grant County, there are more than there were 10 years ago.

Auditions next week for Masquers season opener

SOAP LAKE — Auditions for the Masquers Theater production of the classic comedy “Blithe Spirit” are scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday at the theater, 322 E Main St., Soap Lake...

Moses Lake to consider annexation

MOSES LAKE — A request to annex about 84 acres into the Moses Lake city limits will be considered by city officials. Moses Lake City Council members agreed to allow evaluation of the application on a unanimous 4-0 vote at the regular meeting July 11. Council member Mark Fancher recused himself from the presentation and the vote, saying one of the applicants is a business client...

Water management a tough issue to address, legislators say

QUINCY — Washington legislators are working on ways to address some of the issues around water use and water management, but it’s a long process. State Sen. Judy Warnick and state Reps. Tom Dent and Alex Ybarra, all representing the 13th District, talked about the condition of water legislation during a town hall meeting in Quincy Wednesday. “Water is the hardest law to change, because it’s so different all over the state,” Warnick said. Dent quoted an old line attributed to Mark Twain. “‘Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting,’” Dent said. “That’s reality; that’s the way it is in Olympia. I think it’s been that way for well over 100 years.”

Energy, energy prices focus of town hall discussion

QUINCY — Energy prices and their impact were among the topics discussed at a town hall sponsored by 13th District Senator Judy Warnick and Representatives Tom Dent and Alex Ybarra Thursday in Quincy. “We missed so much of this during the pandemic. We didn’t have in-person (meetings),” Dent said. “A virtual town hall is okay when we’re in session, but the interaction isn’t there. This is much better.” ...

All-City Classic Car Show revs into Othello Friday & Saturday

OTHELLO — Slow drags and cool cars will fill Othello this weekend at the All-Cities Classic Car Show Friday night and Saturday. The slow drags are scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday on Main Street. Registration for the car show is from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Kiwanis Park...

Food truck park site may move

Moses Lake City Council rejects widely different bids for project.

MOSES LAKE — A proposed community food truck park may be relocated following the rejection of bids for the project by the Moses Lake City Council Tuesday. Interim City Manager Kevin Fuhr, who also serves as police chief, told council members relocating the project might help reduce the costs...

New Othello police chief wants to continue 'path of success'

OTHELLO — Dave Rehaume said the Othello Police Department is going in a positive direction, and he wants to continue and enhance that. Rehaume was hired as OPD chief last week. Rehaume, a 34-year veteran with the OPD, started as a patrol officer. He was hired for the interim job in May, replacing retiring chief Phil Schenck, and hired for the permanent position July 3. He had been assistant chief for eight years prior to being hired as chief...

Sustainable jet fuel developer, Twelve, breaks ground in Grant County

MOSES LAKE — Production could begin by spring 2024 at a facility designed to reuse carbon dioxide and water to produce other products, in this instance jet fuel. Governor Jay Inslee joined the founders of Twelve at a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility on Wheeler Road in Moses Lake Tuesday. “The technology breaks apart (carbon dioxide) and water and then recombines the elements to make more useful products, such as jet fuel. Jet fuel is totally made of carbon and hydrogen, so we get the carbon from CO2, and the hydrogen from water, and that allows you to make jet fuel that can be used in any aircraft today, but without using oil,” said Twelve Cofounder and CEO Nicholas Flanders said.

Party for pets

Party for the Paws raises more than $20,000 for Adams County Pet Rescue

OTHELLO — Lisa Newton and her good buddy, her cat Crumpet, probably wouldn’t have known each other without Adams County Pet Rescue. Giving other cats and dogs – and the occasional lizard and bird – the same chance as Crumpet was one reason Newton drove over from Seattle to attend the ACPR’s “Party for the Paws” fundraising dinner Saturday night. The dinner raised more than $20,000 for ACPR, according to the group’s social media, and the crowd almost overflowed the venue at Phoenix Family Farms near Othello. The proceeds will be used for shelter operations, said ACPR director Kyya Grant. Newton is a veterinarian who volunteers with ACPR about three times each year. She knew what she wanted when it came to a pet, and she gave Grant a description. “I told Kyya that I wanted an overwhipped whipped cream long-haired calico,” Newton said. “I was over here (on) May 1 two years ago. We were in Ephrata, and as we were finishing the last cat (at a spay/neuter clinic), Kyya sent me pictures of this really mad 17-ounce kitten.”

Othello ambulance levy on primary election ballot

OTHELLO — Voters in the Othello Community Hospital district will be asked to approve or reject a six-year levy proposal to fund ambulance services in the primary election Aug. 1. Bob Carlson, chair of Othello Citizens for EMS, said the proposed levy would replace an existing one, and that the levy amount will not change...

Outlet of support

Grocery Outlet owners, customers work to help the community

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Grocery Outlet co-owner Kris Emerson said the store’s involvement in community projects is a way to pass on the support that was given to her and husband Paul, back in the beginning...

Equine expansion

Grant County Fairgrounds upgrades provide opportunities for self-sufficiency.

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Fairgrounds officials have expanded available accommodation for horses, and will be moving other horse accommodation, probably this year. Fairgrounds manager Jim McKIernan said attracting additional equestrian events is part of the effort to increase revenue at the fairgrounds, with the goal of becoming self-supporting, or close to it...

Grant County May employment data shows gains in some industries

MOSES LAKE — The employment picture in Grant County improved between May 2022 and May 2023, although the number of people employed in nonfarm jobs didn’t change much. A report from the Washington Employment Security Department shows nonfarm unemployment dropping between April and May 2023 as well. The county’s unemployment rate was 3.8% in May, down from 5.4% in May 2022. The unemployment rate dropped a full percentage point between April and May of this year; it was 4.8% in April. Don Meseck, WESD regional labor economist, wrote that the number of people with jobs didn’t change much between May 2022 and May 2023, as some industries gained jobs and others lost them.

Quincy employee recognized for 10 years with the city

QUINCY — Howard VanBaugh, right, receives a certificate recognizing his 10 years with the city of Quincy from Mayor Paul Worley, left, at the Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday.

Contract awarded to widen sidewalk near Quincy High

QUINCY — A section of Jackrabbit Way opposite Quincy High School will get a wider sidewalk. Quincy Public Works Director Carl Worley said city officials are hoping the project will be completed by the time school starts in late August. “That’s our goal,” Worley said...

Rehaume chosen as Othello PD chief

OTHELLO — Dave Rehaume, a 34-year veteran of the Othello Police Department who was named interim chief in May, was hired and sworn in as chief during the Othello City Council meeting Monday. The council's vote to hire Rehaume was unanimous...

Grant Co. to contract for animal control study

EPHRATA — The Grant County Commissioners will contract with the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society to conduct a study of animal control in Grant County and the options for improving it...

High temps expected this week

MOSES LAKE — It’s to be expected, being the height of summer and all that, and it’s here. Temperatures will be flirting with the 100-degree mark for a few days this week, although smoke drifting in from fires to the north may keep them below triple digits. “We do have some fires in Canada - they’ve been going about two months,” said Krista Carrothers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane which serves much of Eastern Washington...

Moses Lake School Board adjust meetings, receives good bus report

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School Board members cut their schedule to one meeting in July and August. Board members agreed on the change earlier, but made it official on a unanimous vote at the regular meeting June 29. “In June, July and August, we’ll have one meeting, the fourth Thursday of those months,” said district Superintendent Monty Sabin...

Powering up

Design phase to begin for Wanapum Dam to Quincy line

QUINCY — The preliminary design phase for a new electrical transmission line from Wanapum Dam to Quincy should be starting in July. It’s part of a larger Grant County PUD project to increase electrical availability in the Quincy area, but Jeff Grizzel, the PUD’s chief operations officer, said getting the electricity to Quincy is only part of the equation. “We have a very long list of customers who either want to expand in the Quincy area because they’re already there, or new customers who want to locate in the Quincy area,” Grizzel said. “And right now, if you look at that list and add up all the service requests in terms of how many megawatts they’re asking for, the (project being planned) will help many of those requests, but not all of them.” ...