CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Royal SD to get first school officer

ROYAL CITY — The Royal School District will get its first school resource officer in early 2023. An agreement from January 2023 through August 2025 was approved by the Royal City City Council at its June 7 meeting; Royal School Board members approved it May 23. “The expectation would be that the SRO is on campus every day,” Royal SD Superintendent Roger Trail said via email. “They will also be involved in safety training. While the SRO’s office will be at the high school, it is a district-wide position.” ...

“It’s lovely”

Senior picnic draws big crowd

MOSES LAKE — After two years of drive-thru events, the annual Senior Picnic returned in person to the Grant County Fairgrounds Wednesday. “I don’t cut loose very often,” saaid Betty Schafer, a resident of McKay Healthcare and REhab Center in Soap Lake between dances. Betty Schafer danced and sang along with the band. Schafer said she came to the picnic to have fun - maybe a lot of fun...

Grant Co. commissioners set to select interim sheriff

EPHRATA — Grant County Republican party leaders will submit a list of three applicants Aug. 3 to fill the position of Grant County Sheriff. Grant County Commissioner Danny Stone said commissioners will appoint an interim to the position for July and early August. “(The announcement of the interim appointee) definitely has to be done within the next two weeks,” Stone said...

NCW Libraries system announces summer hours

WENATCHEE — Officials of the NCW Libraries system, which includes libraries in Grant County, have announced summer hours. All public libraries in Grant County are closed on Sundays during the summer, with the exception of the Quincy branch...

Othello School Board discusses security

OTHELLO — Othello School District officials and Othello Police Department officers detailed some of the measures they’re taking to enhance school security following several recent mass shootings across the country. Board member Lindsy Prows said the Uvalde, Texas shooting affected her differently than earlier incidents. “I know I’m not the only parent,” she said. “It’s been a topic of conversations at the baseball field and after graduation, and any time parents are together with their kids. They’re concerned. This last event hit a little bit different. It looked like our community, and maybe that’s why it felt different.”

Grant PUD crews fix Cascade Valley outages

MOSES LAKE — Grant County PUD crews appear to have found the underlying problem that caused multiple outages in Cascade Valley from June 3 to last weekend. Christine Pratt, PUD public affairs officer, said in a statement that the culprit tentatively has been identified as a jumper wire on one of the power poles in the area...

MLSD sells land back to Grant Co.

MOSES LAKE — Grant County officials will be buying back a piece of property from the Moses Lake School District. Moses Lake School Board members approved the sale during the regular meeting Thursday. Grant County Commissioners had already approved the agreement. The votes by both the school board and the commissioners were unanimous...

Keeping them safe: ACPR works to help the four-legged residents of Adams County

OTHELLO — While there’s usually a full house at Adams County Pet Rescue, some days are fuller than others. May 12 turned out to be a very busy day. “We got in 15 animals this morning,” ACPR employee Anita Plancarte said. The intake included dogs reported running loose just outside Othello, out by the canal. “We got a call about seven pups, and it ended up being a mom and six puppies. So we went out and caught them,” Plancarte said...

‘We didn’t think it would come this soon’

Excitement, reflection at Quincy High School graduation

QUINCY — As they waited to walk into the Quincy High School stadium Saturday, QHS class of 2022 graduates Sergio Cordova and Rafael Ruiz were asked how it felt to get to this day . .

Construction continues on local highway projects

MOSES LAKE — Most of the work on a paving project in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 is expected to be completed by the end of this week. Drivers can expect lane closures and speeds reduced to 55 miles per hour in the construction zone, which is east of Moses Lake to the Adams County line. Construction crews are working from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to a press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

MLSD board approves Chief Mo mascot and name change

MOSES LAKE — Chief Moses Middle School will become Columbia Middle School at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, and the mascot will be changed from the Braves to the Red Hawks. Moses Lake School Board members unanimously approved the recommendation of a district committee at the regular meeting Thursday. Jeremy O'Neil, the district’s chief operating officer, said the process of renaming CMMS took a little longer than choosing new mascots for Moses Lake High School and Frontier Middle School. “There’s been an ongoing process many months in the making,” O’Neil said. “The impetus being, our partners at the (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) said that we needed to make some changes, and we’ve done that with the high school and Frontier. The wrinkle with Chief Moses Middle School is that the school name also needed to be addressed.” ...

Sun in the Basin

Sage-N-Sun Festival returns to Ephrata this weekend

EPHRATA — Live music, the Wenatchee Youth Circus, an early-morning run and the annual parade are among the attractions at the annual Sage-N-Sun Festival tonight and Saturday. “I just think we need to get out there and start living again. And what a great way to do it, with a parade and a festival,” she said...

Serve Quincy Valley

Helping others help themselves

QUINCY — The goal at Serve Quincy Valley is not only to help people with their immediate crisis, or their immediate need

Construction crews begin repaving Valley Road

MOSES LAKE — Traffic has been reduced from four lanes down to two on a section of Valley Road as construction crews begin grinding up the existing surface.

Quincy downtown plan public hearing rescheduled for June 21

QUINCY — Quincy residents will be asked for their opinions of the proposed downtown revitalization plan at a public hearing during the regular Quincy City Council meeting June 21. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Othello council approves school resource officer contract

OTHELLO — The Othello Police Department will continue to provide two school resource officers to the Othello School District.

Roundabout at SR 17 and Grape Drive starts to take shape

MOSES LAKE — The traffic signal at Grape Drive and state Route 17 has been removed, and some of the roadbed already has been torn out and repaved.

Social media threat causes modified lockdowns at four Othello schools Monday morning

OTHELLO — Four Othello schools were placed on a modified lockdown Monday morning after a social media message allegedly threatened McFarland Middle School. Othello School District officials instituted a modified lockdown at McFarland, Othello High School, Desert Oasis High School and Lutacaga Elementary. In a modified lockdown students and teachers stay in the classroom while classes keep going, and all doors are locked and monitored. “A high school kid made a social media threat,” said Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck...

Masquers Theater presents thriller-comedy

SOAP LAKE — The curtain goes up Friday on a classic thriller rebooted to a comedy at the Masquers Theater, 322 Main Ave. E. in Soap Lake.

Wahluke elementary students release salmon into the wild

MATTAWA — One after another the children picked up a cup, each with its own salmon fry swimming around, and one after another they poured the contents into the Columbia River.

Mind and heart on Othello

OHS graduates 241 seniors

OTHELLO — As he left Huskie Stadium, brand-new Othello High School graduate Miguel Diaz said he thought the class of 2022 could look back on a job well done. “I feel like, after all the hard times and the hard work, we all accomplished the one thing our parents wanted us to accomplish,” Miguel said. “We all did it. We did it as a class.” ...

CB Tech students place in state competitions

MOSES LAKE — Clair Reed said competition baking requires precision. Noah Bingham and Eli Legault had to go forward on a completely unfamiliar project after a project partner moved away. The three Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center students finished in the top 10 at recent state competitions. Reed was third in the state SkillsUSA baking competition. Legualt and Bingham finished seventh in the state Future Business Leaders of America competition to build a video game, their first year in FBLA. “I’m mildly disappointed I didn’t get first,” Reed said. “Just me being competitive.” ...

Repaving on Moses Lake’s Valley Road begins Monday

MOSES LAKE — Traffic revisions will be in place on Valley Road beginning Monday as the road is resurfaced from Stratford Road to Paxson Drive. Construction crews will be working on the project from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the first phase scheduled for completion Aug. 5, according to information from the city of Moses Lake. The project will include removing the existing pavement and underlying roadbed, rebuilding the roadbed and repaving. Curbs and gutters will replace the existing gutters on the south side of the road, and stormwater improvements are planned as well....

Two Quincy streets to be rebuilt, another gets repaved

QUINCY — Asphalt removal should begin sometime within the next couple of weeks on three blocks of B Street Northeast in Quincy. “A complete new road,” said Shawn Pierce, project supervisor for Hurst Construction LLC...

Priorities set for MLSD construction projects

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board will vote, possibly at its June 9 meeting, on whether to adopt a report that includes a priority list for capital projects that could be funded through the construction bond approved by voters in 2017. If the report is accepted, the first priority would be finding property to build the district’s 12th elementary school. Another priority would be fixing up Moses Lake High School. “Any reasonable observer of the condition of our high school would be able to tell you that that structure is failing,” MLSD COO Jeremy O’Neil said. “It’s definitely throughout the facility, and it’s more acutely in about two or three wings, where whole classrooms are missing ceiling tiles.”...

WA Fire Marshal’s Office tips for protecting homes from wildfires

OLYMPIA — The warmer spring and summer weather bring with them an increased risk of wildfires, and the Washington Fire Marshal’s office is recommending homeowners take precautions to reduce that risk. According to a press release from WFMO, the National Interagency Fire Center and the National Weather Service are forecasting a normal amount of precipitation for summer 2022. But summer east of the Cascade Mountains means dry weather...

Moses Lake man arrested after brief standoff

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested Thursday after a brief standoff with law enforcement on suspicion of second-degree robbery and felony eluding . Isaiah Martinez, 29, was arrested at about 2 p.m. after surrendering to Grant County Sheriff’s deputies and Moses Lake Police Department officers, wrote GCSO public information officer Kyle Foreman in a GCSO announcement...

Othello fastpitch softball top seed in state tournament

OTHELLO — Othello High School fastpitch softball coach Rudy Ochoa said he was optimistic about the 2022 season, but it turned out even better than he expected.

Quincy’s B Street Market adds more Saturdays

QUINCY — Quincy’s B Street Market is expanding its days of operation for summer 2022. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday – with one exception – from June 4 through Sept. 24.

Quincy hospital district puts bond request out to voters

Funding could provide new hospital

QUINCY — Voters in the Quincy hospital district will be asked to accept or reject a bond proposal, up to $55 million, in the Aug. 2 primary. If the proposal is approved, the money would be used to build a new Quincy Valley Medical Center. If the bond is approved, property owners would pay an estimated 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. That means the owner of property assessed at $200,000 would pay $92 per year, and a property owner with land assessed at $300,000 would pay $138 per year...

Candidate filing period produces challengers for some state, county offices

GRANT/ADAMS COUNTIES — The filing deadline to run for office in Washington at the county and state level was Friday. Several officials that represent Grant and Adams counties at the local and state level are running for reelection.

How to build a pump track

New East Park feature expected to draw visitors to Quincy.

QUINCY — Building a pump track starts with studying the lay of the land. Shawn Lorenz of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, North Bend, designed the pump track currently under construction in Quincy’s East Park and said the design started with a picture of the park. “The design for the Quincy track was an overhead image set precisely to a 20-foot per inch scale. And then (the design process) is using an engineering ruler to measure off feature spacing and see what fits on the land,” Lorenz said. “The design kind of forms itself - I guess organically would be a good word to use.” ...

Groff Elementary BBQ held Friday

MOSES LAKE - Brian King (left) and Tonya Landon (center, in red) serve hot dogs and hamburgers to students and families at the annual spring barbecue at Groff Elementary in Moses Lake Friday...

Bomb threat causes temporary evacuation at MLHS

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School was evacuated briefly Tuesday afternoon after a bomb threat was phoned into the school. No one was injured. A message from MLHS principal Triscia Hochstatter said an investigation by the Moses Lake Police Department determined the threat was not credible.

Othello & Adams County working on pool ownership transfer

OTHELLO — Othello city officials will work with Adams County Parks and Recreation District 1 representatives on an amendment to an existing agreement that would give the city title to the Othello Community Pool. “It’s a cooperative arrangement we’ve had for some time,” Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said in a subsequent interview. “Adams County Parks and Recreation District 1 owns the pool.” ...

Catalytic converter thefts impact local food banks

MOSES LAKE — Thieves stole a catalytic converter from a truck at the Moses Lake Food Bank on May 8, a theft that has consequences beyond the immediate damage, said food bank director Peny Archer. “(The theft) means we’re having it repaired, which basically means there’s less food we can buy,” Archer said...

Fresh is best

Local chef says experimentation, creativity among attractions of cooking careers.

MOSES LAKE — Sameh Farag said when making a dish, fresh is best. Farag is the head chef at the Pillar Rock Grill, the restaurant at the Moses Lake Golf Club located at 1373 Road F.2 NW in Moses Lake. The Pillar Rock serves an extensive menu, from eggs benedict florentine for breakfast to Cuban panini sandwiches for lunch or steaks and thai shrimp pasta for dinner. Farag’s favorite style of cooking, however, comes from Italy. “I love making fresh pasta, garden-fresh sauces and seafood. The reason I love it so much is infusing the quality of freshness into every dish and the idea of family-style dining,” he said via email...

Stage front...

Guitarist wants music to be the focus of performances on tour through Basin

MOSES LAKE — Guitarist Pierre Bensusan will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Moses Lake for the first in a series of Columbia Basin appearances sponsored by the Learn from the Masters Music Outreach. Bensusan will perform in Moses Lake at the Civic Center Auditorium at 401 S. Balsam St. in Moses Lake, then in Ellensburg on May 19, in Wenatchee May 20 and at Cave B Winery near Quincy on May 21. All concerts are free of charge. Bensusan said his goal is to make the music, not the instrument or the player, the center of the performance. “I wouldn’t really want people to think about the guitar when I play, but about the music and what it evokes,” he said. “I’m telling a story with it, and after a while, player and guitar become invisible. People use sound and sonic images to go into their own inner self and dimension. Music is only a pretext for all of us to get there, player and listener.”

Quincy students may start school later on Mondays this fall

QUINCY — Quincy schools may start a little later on Mondays in the 2022-23 school year. Quincy School District administrators have requested that school start at 9:30 a.m. Mondays, beginning next school year. “The teachers and leaders said we really need more time to collaborate in order to get the work done that we need to do,” QSD Director of Teaching and learning Alicen Gaytley said during QSD Board of Directors regular meeting on Tuesday...

Dru Gimlin 3 on 3 seeks volunteers

QUINCY — Organizers of the Dru Gimlin 3 on 3 basketball tournament designed to benefit Quincy athletics are looking for volunteer help for the 2022 tournament. The tournament returns June 18; team check-in begins at 8 a.m. There are brackets for children and youths from third grade through high school, an open tournament and a tournament for adults...

Robert Trask retires after more than 40 years selling insurance

Four decades of service

MOSES LAKE — The staff at Trask Insurance/Robert M. Trask Agency had custom cookies made for Robert Trask’s retirement party, including some picturing a tie and white shirt. . .

Local candidate filing looms

EPHRATA — Filing week begins May 16 for people who want to run for offices on the ballot in the 2022 general election at the county level in Grant and Adams counties. All candidates wanting to run for office must file by 4 p.m. May 20...

Quincy seeks input on downtown revitalization plan

QUINCY — Quincy City Council members will hold a public hearing during the May 17 council meeting to get public opinion on the city’s proposed downtown revitalization plan. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. A draft of the plan is available on the city’s website, www.quincywashington.us. ...

Package prompts evacuation at Grant County Courthouse

EPHRATA — A suspicious package that was determined to be a gift for someone forced the evacuation of the Grant County Courthouse Friday morning.

Horse confiscated in animal cruelty case dies

LIND — A horse confiscated from an Adams County man who was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty had to be euthanized Wednesday. The horse, a donkey, two dogs and a cat were taken Saturday from a residence in the 700 block of South Longmeier Road, according to information from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Jared Potts, 33, was arrested May 1 and booked into the Adams County Jail on suspicion of three counts of first-degree animal cruelty...

Grant Co. PUD plans potential facility moves

EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District officials are hoping to identify tentative locations for new equipment shops in Moses Lake and Ephrata by the end of 2022. Utility district officials also plan to replace the PUD headquarters building, with the work on all three projects scheduled to take about a decade. “We looked at what we would need in the future, 30 years out, and what it would take (to remodel) at each of the facilities we’re in now. They’ve reached the point where new facilities are the best value, both from a cost standpoint and the function of what we need,” Tim Fleisher, PUD facilities manager said...

Othello council moves forward with annexations

OTHELLO — Othello city officials will research the steps required to annex city-owned properties that are currently outside of the town’s city limits. Community Development Director Anne Henning listed the properties and talked about the annexation process during the May 2 Othello City Council meeting. “It’s an easy process for a city to annex city-owned properties when they are for a municipal purpose,” Henning said. “So there are some very easy ones, and there are some more difficult ones.” ...

Putting the best plate forward important at culinary event

MOSES LAKE — The Samaritan Healthcare Foundation didn’t call their fundraiser Bourbon & Bowties on a whim - it was all in on black tie, sparkly dresses, all that. As for the food, well, there was a contest. . .

Quincy officials examining next steps to build new hospital

QUINCY — Quincy Valley Medical Center officials and commissioners will meet May 11 to discuss design ideas, anticipated costs and funding options for a new Quincy hospital. Tom Richardson, QVMC director of information systems, said hospital officials advertised a request for qualifications from architects and construction firms interested in the project. Thirty responses had been received as of the hospital commission meeting April 26. Joe Kunkel, a consultant working with QVMC on the project, said additional responses were received April 27. “Some pretty major corporations,” Richardson said during the board meeting. “Joe is very happy with what he’s seeing. It’s more than he expected back.” ...

B.J. Garbe

Applying lessons from athletics leads to success off the field

MOSES LAKE — B.J. Garbe said the lessons he learned through sports have served him well his entire life. And those lessons, he said, can and are learned through many kinds of extracurricular activities. “There are so many character traits that you learn - that apply, most importantly, to the kind of person that you become,” Garbe said...