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
Quincy seniors 'outta here' after graduation ceremonies
QUINCY — The Quincy High School class of 2017 walked the last walk of high school before a packed house at Jaycee Stadium Friday night.
Local author discusses new novel at museum
MOSES LAKE — Author Matthew Sullivan will read selections from his new mystery and talk about the creative process in a lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, 401 South Balsam St.
'Weekend Comedy' opens next week at Masquers
SOAP LAKE — The tale of a double-booked vacation getaway and its effect on two couples will come to the Masquers stage, beginning next Friday. The curtain goes up on “Weekend Comedy” at 7:30 p.m. June 16 at the theater, 322 East Main Ave. in Soap Lake.
Floral shop receives customer service award
MOSES LAKE — There are principles that form the basis of an eye-pleasing floral arrangement. “But then there’s that art that goes into it,” said Erik Lampi, owner of Florist in the Garden.
Quincy senior wants to help family realize dreams
QUINCY — One minute life was cruising along for Sahara Smith, and the next minute it wasn’t.
1 decision makes big difference for Quincy senior
QUINCY — High school juniors get a lot of mail from colleges, and Sebastian Gomez, Quincy class of 2017, was no exception. Among the letters and postcards was one from a program he’d never heard of, and he was tempted to toss it.
New books for students at Lakeview Elementary
MOSES LAKE — Every single student at Lakeview Terrace Elementary got a new book Thursday morning, courtesy of Washington Trust Bank and its Moses Lake branch.
The write stuff
MOSES LAKE — Every kid struggling with schoolwork has at times wondered what all those writing, reading and arithmetic lessons have to do with the real world.
Exhibit on Japanese-American internment opens Friday
MOSES LAKE — A story of lives blown apart by war, fear and prejudice will be on display at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, beginning with opening reception Friday.
Contract award subject of Ephrata school audit finding
EPHRATA — Ephrata School District officials will review the procedures for awarding some contracts following a report from the Washington Auditor’s Office that said district officials followed the wrong set of rules when awarding a contract.
Othello graduates 225 in Friday ceremony
OTHELLO — The graduation walk at Othello High School is a sort of spiraling semicircle, where the seniors walk by the entire crowd, giving the families and friends a chance to show their pride and support close up.
7 graduate from Moses Lake Christian Academy
MOSES LAKE — The seven students in the Moses Lake Christian Academy class of 2017 ended their high school careers with a ceremony before an overflowing crowd at the Moses Lake Civic Center Saturday.
Revenue not as robust as Samaritan budget projections
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare is making more money than it’s spending after the first four months of 2017, but it’s not making as much as hospital officials projected in the 2017 budget.
Challenging selves led Ephrata seniors to opportunities
EPHRATA — High school kids should remember high school isn’t the end of the story.
Graduations take center stage this weekend
COLUMBIA BASIN — Caps and gowns, “Pomp and Circumstance,” speeches, tears, pictures, students showing off that brand-new diploma – it’s graduation season.
Conference on connecting careers at CB Tech
MOSES LAKE — Lacy Johnson said her class in criminal justice at Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center helped her decide law enforcement would be a good career choice for her.
Othello SD asked to change bookkeeping procedures
OTHELLO — The Othello School District will change procedures for bidding school meal program supplies and tracking students who transfer from Othello High School following the results of the district’s 2015-16 school year audit.
Oliver Morales receives UW scholarship
OTHELLO — Oliver Morales said Othello High School was kind of scary at first, so scary he wanted to try homeschooling instead.
Basin ag co-op donates $35,000 to ML food bank
MOSES LAKE — Two Columbia Basin farmer-owned cooperatives won a company contest that resulted in a $35,428 donation to the Moses Lake Food Bank.
Othello Christmas basket program receives donation
OTHELLO — Othello’s Christmas basket project received a $2,000 donation Tuesday, part of the charitable program at the Legends Casino and Hotel in Toppenish.
Solar cars take to the track
MOSES LAKE — The jar was full of colored water, hot water, with a couple of holes in the lid. It was dunked in a jar of cold water, and the fifth-graders watched what happened – the colored water drifted out through the holes, rising in the jar.
Lots to do at Spring Festival this weekend
MOSES LAKE — Spring Festival, Moses Lake’s annual town celebration, returns this weekend with not one but two parades and three-on-three basketball, classic cars and experimental aircraft, music, the carnival and a fun run.
Othello board talks tennis court design
OTHELLO — A proposal for bids to build new tennis courts at Othello High School should go out to contractors in June, possibly as early as the first week in June. Othello School Board members reviewed the plans for at least four new courts at their regular meeting Monday.
Grant PUD commissioners to consider Reclamation contract
EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners will consider a new contract to transmit electricity to three irrigation districts next month, possibly as early as its June 13 meeting. The new contract will include charges for transmission services, which will cost the districts about $1 million per year.
CB Tech yard sale teaches business skills
MOSES LAKE — The sale in the conference room at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills center looked like just another yard sale, with clothes and dishes, linens and shoes and the quirky stuff that shows up at yard sales. It was actually a business venture for the entrepreneur class.
Back in the swim
MOSES LAKE — It’s here. At last. Summer is finally – almost – here. No coat, no snow, no ice, sit out in the yard, sleeveless shirts, sandals, open the windows, drive with the top down on the convertible. Aaah. Summer.
Manweller bill signed by governor
OLYMPIA — A bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, clarifying some provisions under which EMTs qualify for the state pension system, and potentially saving public hospital districts substantial costs, was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday.
'Feed me, Seymour!'
WARDEN — The fateful meeting of a down-and-out flower shop employee and a homicidal plant will come to the Warden School stage when the Warden High School drama club presents “Little Shop of Horrors” this weekend. Performances are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.
Grant PUD to consider Reclamation contract
EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners may vote next week on a new contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, one that will have an impact on Grant County irrigation districts and irrigation customers.
Cellarbration
MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Foundation will sponsor its annual fundraising dinner, live auction and silent auction Saturday. The reception and silent auction preview for Cellarbration begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the ATEC building in the BBCC campus. The live auction will follow the dinner.
Repairs to Ephrata substation to begin in July
EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD substation in Ephrata that suffered severe damage in February will be rebuilt, and the project should be finished by October.
Othello hospital district patrons to vote on EMS levy proposal
OTHELLO — Voters in the Othello Community Hospital district (Adams County Hospital District No. 3) will be asked to approve or reject a six-year levy to maintain funding for the district’s ambulance service. If approved, the levy would generate $525,000 per year for six years.
Of moms and muffins
MOSES LAKE — Peninsula Elementary students honored their moms – and grandmas and aunts and big sisters – with muffins, skits, prizes and gifts Thursday morning.
Moses Lake stars in HGTV show
MOSES LAKE — April Adams said she wasn’t sure, when she got the call, if it was legitimate or some kind of hoax.
New Crescent Bar boat launch opens May 26
EPHRATA — Ignore the clouds and rain and the temperatures that keep hovering around 60 degrees. Summer really is coming. The new shoreline boat launch at Crescent Bar will open May 26.
Sister City Exchange fundraiser set for June 10
MOSES LAKE — For the 36th summer, three Moses Lake teens will spend about 10 days in Yonezawa, Japan, and three Yonezawa teens will spend about 10 days in Moses Lake. A fundraising dinner for the annual Sister City Exchange is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. June 10 at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, 900 E. Yonezawa Blvd.
The power of pixels CB Tech duo brings home state championship
MOSES LAKE — Grant Bewick and Micah Johnson liked their chances after the first day of state FBLA competition. “Hey, this is ours,” Micah said.
Ephrata Legion post hosts Honor Flight fundraiser
EPHRATA — American Legion Post No. 28, Ephrata, will sponsor events to raise money for the Inland Northwest Honor Flight organization and talk about the American Legion May 20, Armed Forces Day.
Grant County unemployment down from last year
YAKIMA — A smaller labor force in Grant County contributed to a drop in the unemployment rate between March 2016 and March 2017.
Human error cause of PUD outage
EPHRATA — A closed switch on a battery charger at a Grant County PUD substation led to a spectacular explosion and electrical outage that cut power to the Ephrata-Quincy area Feb. 17. The closed switch was determined to be human error.
Othello School Board hires new administrators
OTHELLO — Hiawatha Elementary will have a new principal for the 2017-18 school year. The Othello School Board approved the hiring of Heather Dyson as principal at its regular meeting Monday,
'Swingo de Mayo'
MOSES LAKE — As Duke Ellington said, “it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” Friday night the Moses Lake High School jazz bands proved the Duke was right.
White Cane Day raises awareness, donations
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Lions Club raised awareness about blindness and collected donations for its efforts to help the vision- and hearing-impaired at the club’s White Cane Day fundraiser Friday.
'The Great Gatsby' opens Thursday
MOSES LAKE — The classic – and tragic – tale of a man reaching for something he can never have will come to the Moses Lake High School stage Thursday through Saturday. The curtain rises on “The Great Gatsby” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a matinée scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
Samaritan hospital reaches safety goals
MOSES LAKE — After considerable efforts at improvement, Samaritan Hospital reached its safety goals in March.
Nominations sought for BLM committee
SPOKANE — The eastern Washington district of the Bureau of Land Management is looking for nominations for two open seats on its Resource Advisory Council.
'Cupcake Wars' at CB Tech
MOSES LAKE — It turns out competition cupcakes sometimes require a little muscle.
Washington frontier life subject of museum lecture
MOSES LAKE — The author of a new book about his family’s ups and downs on the Pacific Northwest frontier will talk about tracking down their story in a lecture at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center.
Driver remembers washed-out road
LIND — Richard Ledgerwood said he remembers it all.
Mark Poth hired as Big Bend's interim athletic director
MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College men’s basketball coach Mark Poth has been hired as the college's interim athletic director. He took the job after the “sudden and unanticipated resignation” of former AD Preston Wilkes, said Bryce Humphreys, vice-president for learning and student success.