CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities.
Recent Stories
License of Ephrata doctor suspended
EPHRATA — The license of an Ephrata physician has been suspended, the Washington Medical Commission announced Monday.
MLHS seniors pick up caps and gowns in drive-up distributions
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School seniors were picking up their graduation packets on Monday — but for the Class of 2020 it was a different experience, different from any other class in school history.
40 years later, Mount St. Helens eruption remains an indelible memory
MOSES LAKE — Until the spring of 1980, Mount St. Helens was part of a lesson in geography class, the one when kids had to learn the highest mountains in the Cascades. For most people, unless they lived close to the mountain, that was it.
Irrigation districts, Grant PUD in discussion over rate proposal
EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners will host a workshop with representatives of the Bonneville Power Administration and local irrigation districts to discuss rates charged for transmitting electricity.
Effect of pandemic on Grant PUD finances uncertain
EPHRATA — It’s still too early to tell what financial impact the COVID-19 outbreak will have on Grant County PUD.
Effect of pandemic on Grant PUD finances uncertain
EPHRATA — It’s still too early to tell what financial impact the COVID-19 outbreak will have on Grant County PUD.
Emergency farmworker housing rules announced
OLYMPIA — Washington Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Industries have announced new emergency rules for farms with worker housing. The rules were introduced to combat the spread of the coronavirus and will go into effect May 18.
Elective surgeries may resume soon at Samaritan
MOSES LAKE — Elective surgeries might begin again next week at Moses Lake’s Samaritan Healthcare, a development likely to be warmly welcomed by patients and to lift the finances of the hospital, which is operated by a public hospital district.
Governor is preparing reply to Grant County commissioners, staff says
OLYMPIA — Officials in Gov. Jay Inslee’s office said Tuesday that a reply is being written to a letter sent by Grant County commissioners to Inslee but did not give a time frame for its delivery. Commissioners sent their letter to Inslee on May 4.
Realtors association to sponsor food drive
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors will sponsor a food drive for the Moses Lake Food Bank from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 19, at the former Windermere office, 2900 W. Broadway Ave. Realtors association president Kandi Bersanti said it’s a drive-thru event, with the parking lot set up with in and out lanes.
Car parades help ease lockdown loneliness
MOSES LAKE — It’s no fun, no fun at all, to have a birthday in spring 2020, especially for children. The COVID-19 outbreak and the restrictions imposed to combat it mean that, among many other things, birthday parties aren’t happening.
Free Wi-Fi hotspots available in Grant, Adams counties
OLYMPIA — Free public Wi-Fi hotspots have been added throughout Grant and Adams counties, and around the state, as part of a project to improve access to high-speed internet.
Air Force flyover honors health care workers
MOSES LAKE — Crews and aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base showed their support for health care workers and first responders in Central Washington on Friday, with a flyover of a number of health care facilities including Samaritan Hospital.
County receives grant for fairgrounds lights
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Roundup arena will get new lights, and lights will be installed at the south end of Grant County Fairgrounds, thanks in part to a grant of $283,000.
Grant PUD boat launches to reopen
EPHRATA — Boat launches at parks operated by Grant County PUD will open for use at noon May 8.
Community health centers receive COVID-19 grants
MATTAWA — Three community health centers in Grant and Adams counties will receive about $1.3 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help them address the COVID-19 outbreak.
End-of-school activities go on outside at Frontier Middle School
MOSES LAKE — There are a lot of traditions associated with high school graduation and the end of the school year — a lot of year-end chores to finish. But 2020 isn’t a normal year. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the state closed schools March 18.
County commissioners want answers on state COVID-19 measures
EPHRATA — Governor Jay Inslee has not replied by Wednesday to a letter sent to him by Grant County Commissioners on Monday by email. The lack of response has been a persistent problem since Inslee issued orders restricting business, gatherings and movement to counter the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the commissioners.
New Samaritan hospital project will be delayed
New Samaritan hospital project likely won’t start this year
MOSES LAKE — Construction on the new Samaritan hospital probably won’t begin in 2020, officials said Wednesday, after they passed through two months that saw an estimated $15 million shortfall in operating revenue.
School district staff plants in downtown flower boxes
School district staff fills downtown flower boxes
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District teachers, aides and administrators fanned out along Third Avenue and adjoining side streets with shovels and flowers Tuesday morning. By noon, all the planter boxes in the downtown area were full of flowers.
Barn fire near Royal City kills 10 horses
ROYAL CITY — An early-morning fire May 2 near Royal City killed 10 horses and destroyed the barn in which they were housed.
Othello High School greenhouse sells out on first day
OTHELLO — The annual plant sale sponsored by the Othello High School FFA chapter was scheduled to last three days, but sold out in less than six hours.
Grant County commissioners must stay within legal authority, they say
authority, they say
EPHRATA — Grant County commissioners don’t think they have the authority to lift restrictions on movement and business imposed by Gov. Jay Inslee in an effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Commissioners issued a press release Monday afternoon saying that while they understood residents’ frustrations, the commissioners cannot act unilaterally.
Growing, going, gone: Othello FFA sells out of plants
OTHELLO — The plant sale sponsored by the Othello High School FFA chapter was supposed to last three days. It’s the third year FFA members have grown flowers for sale, and adviser Kris DeTrolio said the first two went the distance.
Samaritan Healthcare implements cuts in wake of COVID-19
MOSES LAKE — Management and medical providers at Samaritan Healthcare of Moses Lake are taking temporary pay cuts and other employees are taking voluntary furloughs to cut expenses. Those and other reductions are projected to save Grant County Hospital District No. 1 about $6.9 million at a time when Samaritan faces operating at a financial loss due to service restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Census deadline extended to October
MOSES LAKE — The U.S. Census Bureau has extended the deadline to Oct. 31 for people residing in the United States to fill out and submit census forms. The extension was made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Patients urged not to delay medical care
MOSES LAKE — The COVID-19 outbreak is having an impact on patients who don’t have the virus. Some people who need medical treatment are delaying that treatment due to concerns about the virus, according to local hospital officials.
Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation continues meal program
MOSES LAKE — A partnership with local restaurants is allowing the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation to continue its Meals to Heal program. The cancer foundation’s services continue to be available to patients, although some operational changes have been required to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Telemedicine provides health care option
MOSES LAKE — In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting the doctor isn’t as easy as it used to be.
Contracts awarded for fairgrounds improvements
MOSES LAKE — Work is getting underway at the Grant County Fairgrounds, with contracts awarded for three projects at the property’s south end.
Some construction activities allowed to resume
OLYMPIA — Some construction activities will be allowed to restart under conditions of a revised order issued by Gov. Jay Inslee on April 24. Inslee said during a press conference Friday that the procedure followed in the case of the construction industry will be the blueprint for other industries.
Moses Lake FFA plant sale sells out quickly
MOSES LAKE — The plant sale sponsored by the Moses Lake High School FFA chapter April 24 was successful. It sold out in five and a half hours.
After more than 20 years, PUD shoreline plan completed, accepted
EPHRATA — After writing multiple submissions, revisions, evaluations and updates, the Grant County PUD river shoreline master plan is done. It was a process that took more than 20 years.
Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store considers locking outdoor donation spot after losses
EPHRATA — Operators of the Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store may have to close the outdoors area they have designated for donations, after multiple incidents of donated items being taken.
Adams County property taxes still due April 30
RITZVILLE — Adams County residents are still required to pay their property taxes by April 30. The treasurer’s office will provide what Treasurer Kayla Meise called “measured relief” to property owners who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The county will waive penalties and fees for qualifying property owners who can’t pay by April 30, and Meise said she will work with people to make payment plans. Applicants will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Spring cleaning means work for Moses Lake’s wood chipper
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents took advantage of a city offer to help with spring cleaning and dropped off more than 100 pickup loads of branch and tree trimmings, dead branches and other yard debris last week. City employees finished the job Monday morning by feeding the branches and sticks into the city’s wood chipper.
Confluence Health announces pay cuts in wake of pandemic
WENATCHEE — Confluence Health’s chief executive officer, Peter Rutherford, took a 25 percent temporary reduction in pay, effective March 23 — one of a series of temporary cuts for the organization’s senior management and physicians. The cuts come in response to financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Adams County property taxes still due April 30
RITZVILLE — Adams County residents are still required to pay their property taxes by April 30. The treasurer’s office will provide what Treasurer Kayla Meise called “measured relief” to property owners who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The county will waive penalties and fees for qualifying property owners who can’t pay by April 30, and Meise said she will work with people to make payment plans. Applicants will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Water mains construction starts April 20
MOSES LAKE — Construction will begin Monday on a project to replace water mains along Valley Road, between Stratford Road and Paxson Drive, and a section along Loop Drive. The project will cause traffic delays and detours.
Grant County property taxes still due April 30
EPHRATA — Grant County property taxes are still due by April 30, but Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant said his office is setting up options for property owners who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Mask making, distribution a community effort
MOSES LAKE — Lisa Castro wanted to make sure everyone knows the homemade mask project she’s part of is a community effort.
Moses Lake sewer pipe work underway
MOSES LAKE — Replacement of some wastewater pipes in the Knolls Vista area should be completed by mid-May.
Ephrata folks focus on making it through coronavirus emergency
EPHRATA — On a sunny, mild spring day recently, the guy checking sprinklers at the church on Ivy Street in Ephrata said it was the sort of day he would normally think about getting out his kayak. But not this year.
Pioneer Way sidewalk replacement could begin soon
MOSES LAKE — Construction could start this month on a project to replace sidewalks on a portion of South Pioneer Way.
Churches work to meet challenge of coronavirus
As Easter approaches, local churches work to meet challenge of coronavirus
MOSES LAKE — Christian church services are among the many activities affected by the restrictions on movement and gatherings prompted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Grant County Animal Outreach still busy
MOSES LAKE — April 3 was a good day for Lamb Chop.
Reactions to virus, shutdowns mix resolution, concern, frustration
Basin residents have mixed feelings when it comes to virus, shutdowns
MOSES LAKE — For some local people, the current restrictions on movement and business that are part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak are surreal. Others are troubled by the role of social media during a pandemic. Still others are just trying to keep going in an uncertain time.
Samaritan COVID-19 preparation discussed
MOSES LAKE — A 24-hour hotline for people seeking information about COVID-19 symptoms, operated by Samaritan Healthcare, is getting enough traffic it had to be expanded to seven days a week. Director of Nursing Jan Sternberg said the hotline is getting 20 to 50 calls during the day and 10 to 15 calls during the evening.
For now, Spring Festival planning continues
For now, Spring Festival planning continues
MOSES LAKE — As of Wednesday, planning is continuing for the Moses Lake Spring Festival, scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
Moses Lake dentist uses time, materials to help other medical professonals
Moses Lake dentist uses time, materials to help other medical professionals
MOSES LAKE — Craig Harder has the equipment, and right now he has the time on his hands. So he’s using his equipment and time for a project to help other medical professionals.