CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Construction begins on new Othello EMS facility

OTHELLO — For years, Othello Emergency Medical Services administrators saved money for a new ambulance hall, and on Monday EMS and Othello Community Hospital officials broke ground on the new facility. Jim Lomax, EMS coordinator, paid tribute to the EMS crew. “My wonderful staff, who have supported me so well for so long and made me look good,” Lomax said as he introduced them. “They do an awesome job under the worst circumstances, and they all deserve this wonderful place.” The project budget is $4.2 million, Lomax said. For that money, OCH and the EMS crew will get a significantly bigger ambulance hall...

Vantage Bridge to be resurfaced

Construction work on I-90 crossing of Columbia River starts this year, continues to 2026

VANTAGE — Preliminary work, with some minor impacts on traffic, will begin later this summer on a project to replace the road surface of the Vantage Bridge. The major work - which will have major effects on traffic - begins in spring 2024 and will continue through fall 2026...

Substantial vehicle purchases recommended for MLSD

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District should start buying some vehicles, not just buses but also work trucks and vans, district officials said during the Moses Lake School Board meeting Thursday. “The moral of the story is that (the district’s transportation fleet) is aging,” said Jeremy O’Neil, the district’s chief operations officer. “Investments need to happen.”

Mollahiettes reign on

MLHS dance and drill team brings home two state championships

MOSES LAKE — It is one of the ironies of state competition that the biggest meet of the year is also the last performance for the team - the last one ever. Molahiettes team co-captain Payten Chlarson said that fact struck home as the team waited to perform at the WIAA Dance/Drill State Championship last month. “When we’re on deck, that’s when you realize that’s your last time doing that routine,” Chlarson said. “The last time you’re ever going to be on the floor with that team and that group of girls, (and) especially for the seniors, the last time you’re ever going to be on the floor. So it was like a bittersweet thing. But it’s nice knowing that you worked so hard to get to that point where you can go out on the floor. So it’s a good feeling.” ...

Painting the town

Street painting project part of efforts to spruce up Quincy downtown street

QUINCY — The downtown project designed to spruce up Quincy’s Central Avenue South started at street level. Artwork, literally at the street level, was painted on Central Avenue in Quincy based on plans to spruce up downtown. “What really inspired it was the revitalization plan that the city of Quincy has, which mentioned adding a mural to these intersections, as well as some gateway features,” Marissa Lopez of the Better Block Foundation said. Volunteers and employees of a Dallas-based organization were out in the middle of Central Avenue Thursday morning, carefully taping off squares and triangles in the intersection at C Street SE and Central. Paint rollers in hand, volunteers and Better Block employees were filling in the design with bright orange and blue, yellow and green paint. The crews spent part of Wednesday afternoon installing signs and sculptures at three downtown intersections. Lopez said the company was in Quincy a couple of years ago, painting the street along B Street SE and sponsoring the first B Street block party. The company was hired for the return project.

Quincy Schools buildings go on the market

QUINCY — Quincy School District officials will start advertising the existing district office and the former support services buildings for sale. A public hearing on the proposed sale at the Quincy School Board meeting Tuesday didn’t generate any comment for or against it...

New basketball court coming to Mattawa

MATTAWA — Mattawa’s Hund Memorial Park will get a new basketball court through a partnership between the city and the Paul Lauzier Foundation. Mattawa City Council members approved the purchase of basketball hoops for the project at a regular meeting Thursday. Public Works Director Juan Ledesma said buying hoops was part of the city’s responsibility for the project. “How it’s built into the bid packet was that we would provide (the hoops) for them,” Ledesma said...

Traffic revision will make Quincy street right turn only

QUINCY — Signs are scheduled to start going up this week on a traffic revision at the intersection of State Route 28 and First Avenue SW in Quincy that will eliminate left turns onto SR 28 from First Avenue SW. That section of SR 28, where it runs through Quincy, also is designated as F Street SW...

Othello continues water project research

OTHELLO — Water supply and getting additional water were the subject of a substantial discussion at Monday’s Othello City Council meeting. Council members approved a $25,000 contract with Aspect Consulting LLC, and council member John Lallas said the contracted services will build on work already done. “This is in addition to the previous study we already paid for,” Lallas said. “They compiled a bunch of data. Now they’ve got to do further work with that data to satisfy the requirements of continuing (the project).” ...

Fire season approaching

Preparation can help reduce the potential for damage from wildfires, say firefighters.

MOSES LAKE — It’s spring at last - sun, warmer temperatures, longer days. Unfortunately, spring brings with it an increased risk of wildfires, even in early spring. “We’re starting to have wildland fires and we’re in April. The vegetation is starting to dry out,” said Cpt. Travis Svilar of Grant County Fire District 5. People whose residences could be vulnerable to wildfire can - and should - take precautions to make their property less susceptible, according to local fire officials. Grant County Fire District 3 Chief Tony Leibelt said the potential for people to get in the way of a fire has increased as development has pushed further and further into previously undeveloped land. He cited the Wenatchee area as an example, with more homes being developed among stands of trees...

Changes recommended to Quincy sewer accounting

QUINCY — Auditors with the Washington Auditor’s Office recommended city of Quincy officials “strengthen internal controls” over billing for its wastewater treatment system in a management letter attached to the city’s 2020-21 audit released last week...

Samaritan Healthcare construction bond goes to voters

MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare voters will be asked to approve or reject a $130 million construction bond request in a special election April 25. Ballots were mailed to voters late last week, according to officials at the Grant County Auditor’s Office. If the bond is approved, property owners would pay $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed property value. If it’s approved, the owner of land assessed at 250,000 would pay $275 per year, and the owners of property assessed at $300,000 would pay $330 per year. The bond has a 30-year payback provision. Samaritan Hospital commissioners voted to approve the construction of a new hospital in October 2018. Chief Executive Officer Theresa Sullivan said that originally district officials and commissioners thought a bond wouldn’t be required to help pay for the project...

Relevant classic

Mavs drama students to present ‘Little Women’

MOSES LAKE — The classic tale of four sisters growing to adulthood comes to the Moses Lake High School stage this week. The MLHS production of “Little Women” opens Friday at the theater, 803 E. Sharon Ave. “Little Women” is the story of the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, growing up in a small Massachusetts town during the Civil War. The family has its challenges - their father is a military chaplain, off on the front lines, and even when he’s home there’s not enough money...

Quincy’s main street to get new look

QUINCY — Central Avenue North in Quincy will get a new color scheme next week. Volunteers will be painting the street and storefronts and adding planters and benches along Central Avenue April 12 and 13. Cari Mathews, executive director of the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the project is a joint effort between the Chamber, the Better Block organization of Dallas, Texas, and Microsoft. “Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be painting the streets,” she said...

Interstate 90 interchanges to be repaved

MOSES LAKE — Work is scheduled to start sometime in April on a Washington State Department of Transportation project to repave six traffic interchanges - on-ramps and off-ramps - along Interstate 90 between Quincy and Warden. Jeff Deal, WSDOT engineer on the project, wrote in an email to the Herald that most work along I-90 in Grant County would be the interchange repaving.

Othello, Mattawa, Ritzville projects included in House, Senate capital budgets

MATTAWA — Projects in Mattawa, Othello and Ritzville could receive funding through the Washington Legislature’s biennial 2023-25 capital budget. Capital budget proposals for each legislative district were released by the Washington House and Senate last week. The budgets released last week are proposals only; the projects that make the final list will depend on negotiations between the House and Senate. House and Senate capital budget proposals differ because each chamber has different spending limits.

QVMC design coming in early May

QUINCY — Details of the design for the new Quincy Valley Medical Center are starting to take shape. Architects and construction experts are still working to nail down costs, said Joe Kunkel, the consultant working with QVMC on the project...

Family flowers

Sisters keep Quincy business in the family while making it their own

QUINCY — Looking over the options, Ashley Ko knew immediately there was one that wouldn’t do. Ko, co-owner of the Flower Basket in Quincy, had an arrangement for a client in mind as she checked the flowers being delivered. “Mmmmm, they’re not going to like the yellow,” she said. Ko and her sister Kristin Mead know their customers and their business - their mom Sue Stetner opened the Flower Basket at its current location, 109 F St. SE, about 20 years ago. Sue Stetner had been working in the flower shop for about 20 years prior to purchasing it, Mead said. The sisters bought it from their mom after she talked about selling it, and they weren’t sure they wanted it to be sold outside the family. “This is our sixth year that we have been doing it together,” Ko said...

Quincy roundabout construction starts Monday

Delays expected to last until mid-July at the intersection of White Trail Road and S.R. 28

QUINCY — White Trail Road will be closed at its intersection with State Route 28 about eight miles west of Quincy, beginning today. Construction crews will be installing a roundabout at the intersection. The new roundabout will be a single lane in each direction, while the total project cost was estimated at about $2.8 million. Miguel Castillo of WSDOT, the project engineer, said SR 28 will be what he called the “preferred route” during construction.

Quincy school district awards district office remodeling contract

QUINCY — Construction is scheduled to begin April 3 on a project to remodel the old Quincy High Tech High building into the new Quincy School District office...

Samaritan submits revised construction budget to USDA

MOSES LAKE — Substantial increases in projected construction costs prompted Samaritan Healthcare officials to submit a revised budget to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the proposed new Samaritan Hospital. Samaritan board members voted 5-0 to approve the resolution revising the project budget for the USDA. Samaritan CEO Theresa Sullivan said the updated budget proposal was requested by USDA officials...

Bird fanatics

Sandhill Crane Festival draws full house

OTHELLO — Sandhill cranes have a special meaning for Debb Reiley. Reiley lives in Seattle now but spent 30 years in Alaska, the summer range for sandhill cranes. “The sandhill cranes would land by my house,” she said. The flocks would take flight early in the morning. “I would wake up, listen to them go overhead.” ...

Othello High drumline competes

OTHELLO — The Othello High School drumline isn’t an easy gig. Freshman Martin Marroquin admitted he thought it over for a while before joining. “A friend of mine (said), ‘Hey, you should do drumline.’ And I said, ‘No, I kind of don’t want to do drumline,’” Marroquin said...

Road improvements?

Grant officials consider road improvement districts

EPHRATA — Grant County officials are looking at the possibility of residents using a long-existing state law to facilitate the development of roads in unincorporated areas. Grant County Engineer David Bren explained the concept of a “road improvement district” to commissioners last week. Bren said in a separate interview that the idea is to allow neighborhoods to work with county officials to improve a road, and set up the mechanism to pay for it...

Quincy annexes industrial property

QUINCY — The Quincy city limits have been extended to the east following the annexation of about 150 acres approved by the Quincy City Council on March 21. Municipal Services Director Carl Worley wrote the property is zoned industrial. Council members voted unanimously in favor of the annexation. The property is east of the previous city limits at Road O NW, south of Road 11 NW and extends to Adams Road North. A portion of the property, about 75 acres, is owned by Michael and Martha Rodgers. The other section, also about 75 acres, is owned by Daniel Blain...

A song for the school board

Marmee (Ella Beck), center, gives Meg (Evan Arledge), right, some advice on going to a ball while Beth (Calissa Dalton) listens with interest. The cast of the Moses Lake High School production of “Little Women” performed a song from the show at the Moses Lake School Board meeting Thursday.

Good time, lasting benefits goal of Youth Outdoors Unlimited

MOSES LAKE — Fishing guide Marc Bush said Youth Outdoors Unlimited fishing and hunting trips are designed to make sure the young people have a good time, but that the guides might have an even better time. ..

Upgrades coming to Grant fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE — Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-April for a project to expand the number of horse stalls at the Grant County Fairgrounds. It’s part of an overall plan for improvements throughout the fairgrounds, which include construction of additional storage and a new bathroom in the commercial building...

Quincy B Street Market organizers look for aid

QUINCY — Current Quincy B Street Market manager Chelsea Putnam said the town’s street market will be open for summer 2023. However, Putnam said founders are looking for people to take over its operation to ensure it stays open in summers to come. Putnam is one of four people on the market’s board, and all of whom, she said Wednesday, are looking at moving on. “All of us are kind of being directed on different paths, for one reason or another,” she said...

Othello musicians prep for competition

OTHELLO — Othello High School junior Rachel Bates practices with the OHS drumline Tuesday prior to the group’s regional competition Saturday in Portland. The drumline’s entry into the Winter Guard International competition is titled “Eruption” and tells the story of ancient tropical legends.

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival returns for 25th year

OTHELLO — All things natural, from animals to plants to geology, will be the subject of lectures, tours, hikes and workshops at the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival scheduled for Friday through Sunday. This is the festival’s 25th anniversary. Sandhill cranes are the annual visitors and the focus, but the tours and lectures also feature other birds and animals from wolves to burrowing owls, as well as geological phenomena, conservation, and even the physical and mental benefits of getting outdoors...

Othello woman sentenced to federal prison in connection with stolen firearms

OTHELLO — An Othello woman was sentenced to almost four years in federal prison Monday after pleading guilty to helping a co-defendant sell stolen firearms. One of the guns was used in the fatal shooting of a child in Othello in February 2021, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. Alondra Yaniz, 25, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, the release said. She pleaded guilty on Dec. 14 to being a felon in possession of firearms. Yaniz was sentenced in Adams County Superior Court to one year for second-degree theft in connection with the same case. That sentence will be served consecutively. According to U.S. District Court documents, Yaniz advertised guns for sale on social media in late February 2021. The guns had been stolen; Yaniz’s co-defendant, Guillermo Valdez, broke into a Spokane-area home on Feb. 24, 2021, and stole 11 guns. One of the guns was sold to an Othello man who shot and killed his four-year-old child on Feb. 27, 2021...

Former counselor files lawsuit against MLSD

MOSES LAKE — A former Moses Lake School District counselor has filed suit against the school district alleging discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination following what she alleges was a demotion and involuntary transfer. Dana Santos also named former MLSD administrator Dave Balcom and Columbia Middle School assistant principal Michael Nordsten as individuals in the suit. The lawsuit was filed in Grant County Superior Court March 13...

Pioneering espresso stand still brewing strong in Othello

OTHELLO — Kelly Carvo said her husband Kevin was skeptical when she told him she wanted to open a drive-thru espresso stand. After all, espresso stands weren’t as popular and widespread in 2001. “We went back and forth for five years. And he kept telling me, ‘It’s a fad, it’s going to go away,’” she said. “I wanted to do it for so long.”

Development, housing to be subject of Mattawa workshop

MATTAWA — Mattawa residents are being invited to review some of the ideas for regulating development and adding housing at a workshop scheduled for 6 p.m. March 30 at the Mattawa City Hall, 521 Government Rd. Spanish translation will be provided.

Quincy School Board recognizes Siebert

QUINCY — Quincy School Board chair Chris Baumgartner, right, presents a plaque of appreciation to recently retired Quincy Police Department Chief Kieth Siebert at Tuesday’s board meeting. Board members recognized Siebert for his willingness, and that of QPD officers, to work with school officials. “You hear the phrase ‘community policing’ a lot nationally,” said Quincy Superintendent Nik Bergman. And when it heard it described, it was like, ‘Well, that’s exactly what the Quincy Police Department does.’”

Summer fixes

Quincy School District schedules summer remodeling projects

QUINCY — Quincy School District officials will remodel the former High Tech High building into a new district office this summer, among other projects, at an estimated cost of about $842,000. Quincy School Board members reviewed the list of construction projects and how district officials will pay for them at the regular meeting Tuesday...

Murals depict Quincy history

QUINCY — Drivers poking around Quincy will spot them from the street, here and there around town – harvesting wheat here, posing for a team picture over there. They are a record of Quincy history, dating back to the town’s founding. Harriet Weber, director of the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum, wrote the murals are the result of a project undertaken by artists from local schools and the youth group from the Quincy-area Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scott Lybbert was the project director, Weber wrote. “They used an overhead projector in the dark, with paint brushes in a ‘dab-on’ style, similar to pointillism,” Weber wrote in response to a question from the Herald. The sepia tones are designed to give the impression of old-school photography, she said.

Safety concern: Adams Co. Jail in need of repairs, staffing to reopen

RITZVILLE — Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner said the situation facing Adams County in its efforts to reopen and maintain the county jail is not unique. “There are a couple of sheriffs who called me (recently) and said, ‘How did you shut your jail down? Because we can’t do it right now.’ Everybody is dealing with it,” he said...

Hi Tide to perform in concert April 3

MOSES LAKE — The sounds of the Caribbean will be coming to the stage at the Wallenstien Performing Arts Center; the Cayman Islands duo Hi Tide will perform in concert at 7 p.m. April 3. The concert is sponsored by the Central Basin Community Concert Association...

‘A director is a teacher’

Working with actors is crucial to success in directing, Cheri Barbre says

SOAP LAKE — For Cheri Barbre, the play’s the thing. Barbre is the artistic director of Masquers Theater, an actor and director with the troupe for more than 20 years. But her involvement with the theater dates back to her days at Ephrata High School. “Last time I counted, it was 60 plays total. That’s everything, directing and acting,” she said...

Mattawa man dies in trailer fire

MATTAWA — A Mattawa man died when the travel trailer he was living in caught fire late Saturday night. Juan Castaneda, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire in the 21000 block of Road 24.7 SW, according to a press release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The fire was reported at about 10:30 p.m. ...

Othello roundabout construction rescheduled

OTHELLO — Construction of a roundabout at Cunningham Road and State Route 17 in Othello, originally scheduled for 2023, has been delayed to 2024 or 2025. Lauren Loebsack, North Central region communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation, wrote that the project is in the design phase in 2023. “We are working on 60% design this spring,” Loebsack wrote in response to an email from the Herald...

Quincy Valley Medical Center bonds issued

QUINCY — Property owners in Grant County Hospital District 2 will be paying a little less than first projected for the construction bonds to build the new Quincy Valley Medical Center. Property owners will be paying an estimated 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, down nine cents from the original projection.

Cafeteria patrol

Police officers and firefighters visit Groff Elementary Wednesday to connect with students.

MOSES LAKE — Chocolate milk on cereal? Officer Campbell was skeptical. Moses Lake Police Department Officer Ian Campbell was having breakfast with students at Groff Elementary Wednesday, and one of his breakfast buddies insisted that chocolate milk was the best option for cereal. Campbell said he didn’t know about that, but he did concede chocolate milk might make more sense on chocolate cereal. “Chocolate milk would make it double chocolate,” he said...

ML school board mulls design for new school

MOSES LAKE — The 12th Moses Lake School District elementary school will be located in Mae Valley and will resemble Groff Elementary but will cost more. A schematic design of the proposed school was presented to the Moses Lake School Board at its regular meeting Thursday. Matt Whitish of Design West, the principal architect on the project, estimated the current cost at about $33.9 million if district officials decide to implement some of the changes suggested by staff to the existing Groff Elementary design. There’s also an option to add eight classrooms. If district officials decide to do that, Whitish said, the construction estimate is about $38.5 million.

Registration open for Ephrata business expo

EPHRATA — Registration is open through March 20 for the Business After Hours Business Expo, scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. April 12 at the Ephrata Recreation Center, 112 Basin St. The expo is sponsored by the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce.

Green hired as chief of Quincy PD

QUINCY — Ryan Green was sworn in as the new Quincy Police Department Chief at the Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday. Green had been serving as the interim chief following the resignation of Kieth Siebert in February. Council members voted 5-0 to approve a contract with Green and appoint him as the new chief...

ADUs dominate Mattawa council housing discussion

MATTAWA — The possibility of “accessory dwelling units,” and how to enforce regulations on construction and development, was the subject of a lengthy conversation at the March 2 meeting of the Mattawa City Council...

Not spring yet

Snow showers forecast for week’s end

MOSES LAKE — The only question anybody had about the snow that fell Sunday night and Monday morning was, when was it going away? Well, there were two questions. Is it coming back? It being early March, it’s not going to stick around too long. But, said Rachael Fewkes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Spokane, said at least a little snow might be back by the end of the week, but early March is looking erratic.