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
Author Ruta Sepetys to appear in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — The author of a best-selling novel and a Spokane-based naturalist and historian will be talking about their work at local high schools and libraries in December. The visits of Ruta Sepetys and Jack Nesbet are sponsored by the North Central Regional Library.
Thanksgiving food distribution begins
MOSES LAKE — Tom Chaplin explained the jobs to the volunteers gathered to help distribute Thanksgiving food baskets at the Moses Lake Food Bank Monday morning. It’s a job Chaplin has done every year since 2000 – but 2018 was the last time.
BBCC workforce education building takes shape
MOSES LAKE — Walls are starting to go up on the new workforce education center at Big Bend Community College. The project is on schedule and might even be ahead of schedule, said Linda Schoonmaker, BBCC vice-president for finance and administration.
Annual Turkey Drive continues through Saturday
MOSES LAKE — Employees at Moses Lake healthcare organizations are teaming up to help families in need have a better Thanksgiving. The annual Community Turkey Drive will continue Friday and Saturday.
PUD commissioners discuss joint transmission line
EPHRATA — As of now, the Grant County PUD will spend an estimated $4 million as its part of a joint project to build a new transmission line from the Wenatchee area to a substation near Quincy. The partners in the project have until the end of November to opt out.
Lenny Harm winner at miniature art show
MOSES LAKE — Artist Lenny Harm received the first place award in the annual Miniature Art Show, on display through Friday at the Umpqua Bank branch in Moses Lake. Harm’s painting of an owl also won the People’s Choice award.
Samaritan Healthcare approves 2019 budget
MOSES LAKE — Additional doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are expected to lead to increased revenue for Samaritan Healthcare in 2019. Hospital district commissioners approved the proposed 2019 budget at the monthly meeting Tuesday.
Grant PUD looking to finish fiber project in five years
EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD will work to finish the county’s fiber buildout in five years. Utility district commissioners directed employees to add $12.6 million to the 2019 budget for the fiber project, with the intention to allocate enough money each year, estimated at $12.6 million, to finish the project.
Expansion at Guarding Angels Cemetery
MOSES LAKE — Kayser’s Chapel has expanded its Guarding Angels Cemetery near Moses Lake.
New exhibit opens Friday at Moses Lake museum
MOSES LAKE — The opening reception for an exhibit that’s rising from the ashes is scheduled for Friday night at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. The reception for Ric Gendron will be from 5 to 9 p.m. at the museum, 401 S. Balsam St.
Coats for Kids gets lots of donated warmth
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents donated coats by the dozens, and money to buy even more coats, along with gloves and hats and sweaters to the annual Coats for Kids drive sponsored by the Moses Lake Rotary.
Road Brother Motorcycle Club sponsors food drive
MOSES LAKE — David Garza (Twinkie), organizer of the 2018 food drive sponsored by the Road Brother Motorcycle Club, was talking to a passerby when a car drove up and stopped.
Downtown tree lighting kicks off holiday season in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — The crowd counted it down and the lights came on, and it’s officially the holiday season in downtown Moses Lake. The Christmas tree in Sinkiuse Square and holiday lights on the surrounding streets came on for the first time in 2018 on Saturday night.
Piper Barn show runs through Saturday
MOSES LAKE — Brooke Schwab and Kelly Wemp spotted the candle just as they were leaving the Piper Barn. There it was, right by the door.
Thanksgiving donations sought for food bank
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Food Bank is looking for donations for its annual Thanksgiving basket distribution, and it being Thanksgiving, they need turkeys.
Frontier students make food bank donation
MOSES LAKE — Students in the “Play 60” program at Frontier Middle School did some research while they were looking for a community service project. They discovered an interesting fact about food banks and milk.
Wilson, Cox leading in PUD races
EPHRATA — It looks like the Grant County PUD commission will have two new commissioners in January. In unofficial election results, Judy Wilson is leading incumbent commissioner Terry Brewer, and Nelson Cox has a lead over Patti Paris in the race for the open seat.
Samaritan Healthcare has profitable September
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare turned a healthy profit in September.
Warden schools to sponsor second survey
WARDEN — Warden School District officials will sponsor a second survey designed to find out what district residents think about the district and where it’s headed.
From scrap to sculpture Metal Art competition requires critical thinking skills
MOSES LAKE — The team from Kamiakin High School had an idea what they were going to do with those broken springs, pieces of rusted pipe, stray gears and that tangled bent-up metal – um, something. What looked like a useless (and dirty) pile of scrap metal would be a scarecrow when they were done.
Samaritan commissioners to choose architect
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare commissioners are scheduled to meet Nov. 26 to select an architectural firm to help determine whether or not to build a new hospital.
Health insurance plan enrollment opens today
OLYMPIA — The enrollment period for health insurance through Washington insurance exchanges will be shorter by about two weeks. Open enrollment for insurance plans offered through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange starts today and is open through Dec. 15.
Community Turkey Drive set for Nov. 15 to 17
MOSES LAKE — Don’t look now, but it’s about three weeks to Thanksgiving. And the thing is, not everybody will have the wherewithal to buy that turkey dinner and everything that goes with it. Employees of local health care organizations are will be working to fix that, with the help of area residents.
'Grease' opens Thursday at MLHS
MOSES LAKE — The ultimate high school musical comes to the Moses Lake High School stage starting Thursday. “Grease” opens for a two-weekend run at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and continues at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10. Matinees are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 10.
Halloween events scheduled throughout Basin
MOSES LAKE — Between trick-or-treat walks, trunk or treats, harvest parties and other events, there will be a lot of candy out there for kids on Halloween night.
School improvement topic at Warden School Board meeting
WARDEN — Setting out goals for the school year, and how to reach them, was the topic of discussion at the regular meeting of the Warden School Board meeting Thursday.
Grant PUD discusses options for $50 million
EPHRATA — How to use all or part of $50 million, or whether to use it at all, was the subject of discussion at the regular meeting of the Grant County PUD commission Tuesday. Commissioners also decided to commit money to build out the district’s fiber program in 2019.
Adams County unemployment drops in August
YAKIMA — Unemployment in Adams County dipped to 3.8 percent in August, down one-tenth of one percent compared to August 2018. The county’s total nonfarm employment has been going up, when counted year over year, for the past 13 months.
Unemployment drops in Grant County in August
YAKIMA — Grant County’s unemployment dropped two-tenths of one percent between August 2017 and August 2018. Unemployment went down one-tenth of one percent between July and August 2018. That’s the lowest August unemployment rate for the county since 2007.
Women's health focus of forum at Samaritan
MOSES LAKE — Addressing the mental health needs of women, pregnancy and what new moms need, changing life perceptions and yoga were among the subjects at the annual women’s health forum Tuesday. “It’s Time for Me” was sponsored by the Samaritan Healthcare Foundation Community Relations Committee.
Facilitator to help Othello school committee
OTHELLO — Members of a committee asked to recommend options to meet facility needs in the Othello School District are asking for some help. Committee chair Ryan Frazier, making a report to the Othello School Board, asked for a facilitator with experience a big construction project, like school construction.
Samaritan earns accreditation from quality control organization
MOSES LAKE — An extensive survey of patient care and quality standards has led to new accreditation for Samaritan Healthcare. The accreditation by an outside firm is part of the hospital’s effort to improve quality, according to hospital officials.
Cost of service part of setting PUD rates
EPHRATA — Rates are a subject that comes up a lot in conversations about the Grant County PUD. How rates are established and how they’re calculated have been debated for a long time.
Animal food, donations focus of Peninsula event
MOSES LAKE — The Peninsula Elementary student council is looking for donations of animal food and supplies for the Grant County Animal Outreach at a special event from noon to 4 p.m. at the school. Peninsula Elementary is located at 2406 W. Texas St.
Lecture series sponsored by North Central Regional Library
MOSES LAKE — The North Central Regional Library will sponsor a series of lectures, on subjects from poetry to sports to food, around the region during the fall, including libraries in Grant County. The lectures are part of a series of cultural events sponsored by the library.
Quincy company settles harassment suit for $525,000
QUINCY — A Quincy-based company will be required to pay $525,000 to female workers who claimed a supervisor sexually harassed them. The settlement was announced by the Washington Attorney General’s Office Thursday afternoon.
Really, really old food subject of museum talk
MOSES LAKE — Long-preserved food, and what it can tell us about the people who cooked it, will be the subject of a lecture at 6 p.m. Monday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center.
Aircraft donated to Big Bend Community College
MOSES LAKE — A single-engine Beechcraft will get a second career as a pilot training aircraft at Big Bend Community College, the result of the plane’s donation to the college by its owners.
Patti Paris running for open PUD seat
EPHRATA — Patti Paris said she decided to run for the Grant County PUD commission because "it is time for me to give back to the community,” and “the PUD is the best fit for me.”
Brewer running for third term as PUD commissioner
EPHRATA — Terry Brewer said PUD commissioners have to plan for the long term. Brewer is running for a third term as Grant County PUD commissioner.
Grant PUD employees to hold food drive
EPHRATA — Grant County PUD employees will be conducting a food drive to benefit county food banks, beginning Oct. 22. It will be the first “Fill the Bucket” food drive for the PUD; donations will be accepted through Nov. 21.
'Molly Brown' opens Friday
SOAP LAKE — A tale of love and money on the Colorado frontier comes to the Masquers stage this weekend. The curtain rises on “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Masquers Theater, 322 E. Main Ave. in Soap Lake.
'Non-failure emergency' lifted at Priest Rapids Dam
PRIEST RAPIDS DAM — The non-failure emergency condition at Priest Rapids Dam has been lifted, as of Monday afternoon.
Grant PUD presents 2019 proposed budget
EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD plans to spend about $279,604,000 in 2019. People testifying at the first of three public hearings on the budget were most interested in the fiber program.
Diamond wants to make government more responsive
WINTHROP — Ann Diamond said she decided to run for the state House of Representatives because she didn’t think her representatives were listening to her. Diamond, an independent, is running for the 12th District seat, Position No. 1. She is running against Keith Goehner, the Republican candidate.
Candidates make their case at Quincy forum
QUINCY — Candidates talked about experience, debt financing, overcrowding at the Grant County Jail, competence, assessment procedures, government responsiveness and many other topics during an election forum Tuesday in Quincy.
Goehner wants to bring local perspective to Legislature
CASHMERE — Keith Goehner said he decided to run for the Washington House of Representatives because he wanted to bring a local government perspective to Olympia. Goehner is the Republican candidate for the 12th District seat, Position No. 1. He is running against Ann Diamond, Winthrop, running as an independent.
Crossroads Center banquet set for Saturday
MOSES LAKE — The Crossroads Pregnancy Center will hold its annual banquet Saturday at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m., at the ATEC Building on the Big Bend Community College campus. “Flowers in the Garden” is the theme for 2018.
'Baked, Mashed or Fried' returns to Moses Lake museum Friday
MOSES LAKE — A new edition of one of the most popular exhibits in the history of the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center will open Friday. The artists reception for “Reheated: Baked, Mashed or Fried” is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the museum, 401 S. Balsam St. The show will be on display through Nov. 9.
School security discussed at Othello board meeting
OTHELLO — Security at Othello schools was the subject of an extensive discussion at the regular Othello School Board meeting Monday. Part of the discussion centered around what board chair Rob Simmons called “lethal protection,” which could include allowing school staff to have weapons.