GABRIEL DAVIS

Moses Lake Farmers Market kicks off Saturday

MOSES LAKE – Beginning on opening day Saturday, the Moses Lake Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in McCosh Park, behind the Surf ‘n Slide Water Park, with local craft, produce and food vendors selling their goods. Moses Lake Farmers Market Board President Rachel Naff discussed the basics of the market.

Missing Colville tribal member located, reported safe

NESPELEM – Colville tribal member Amanda Pakootas, who was missing and reported by police to be held against her will, was located Monday night in Spokane and is reported to be safe, according to an announcement from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Warden School Board fills vacant seat

WARDEN – During their April 25 meeting, the Warden School Board approved the appointment of Tiffany Hymas to board position 2, which has been vacant since January after former board member Dave Whitney left the position. Hymas will serve the remainder of the term, through 2025.

Hundreds attend Mattawa Children’s Day celebration

MATTAWA – Hundreds of residents in and around Mattawa headed to Hund Memorial Park Saturday to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros, also known as Day of the Children and Day of the Book.

Lind council attempts to vacate mayor’s seat

LIND – Lind Town Council members voted 3-0 to vacate Mayor Paula Bell from her position during the April 23 regular town council meeting, citing numerous complaints and claiming Bell violated her oath of office and refused to perform several of her duties.

Debate attempts to address dam breaching questions

PASCO — People gathered at Columbia Basin College in Pasco last Thursday to witness a debate regarding whether it was a good idea to remove dams on the Lower Snake River to improve salmon populations. The debate comes after months of discussion at the local, state and federal levels about whether or not to keep the dams there. Policy set on that issue may impact the future of dams on the Columbia River and other streams in Washington and elsewhere.

Grant Co. rail expansions to aid economic growth

MOSES LAKE — Four Grant County port districts are working on projects to expand rail transport options available to existing and future businesses. The ports of Moses Lake, Quincy, Warden and Ephrata are researching, designing, planning, and getting ready for construction to expand or add rail service. Some received federal or state funding this spring. Representatives of each of the ports said the expansion of rail service in and around the county would help draw additional tenants to the port and likely the county as a whole. The expansion would provide options for manufacturers and others to bring in needed supplies. It will broaden the area’s cargo transport options to add rail to easy access to air, over-the-road and river-based industrial transport.

Quincy Animal Shelter works to address community’s large need

QUINCY – The Quincy Animal Shelter is one of only a handful of shelters with larger facilities in Grant and Adams County, alongside Adams County Pet Rescue and Grant County Animal Outreach, and faces the same issues other shelters in the area do. The shelter’s manager, Jessica Kiehn, spoke about the facility’s operations and dealing with increasing numbers of stray animals across the Columbia Basin.

Othello Community Hospital now hosting Ritzville mobile clinic

OTHELLO – Othello Community Hospital has begun partnering with the Ritzville-based East Adams Rural Healthcare to provide mobile primary care clinic services once a week in Othello, outside the hospital. The clinic, a 40-foot motorcoach, is fully equipped to provide clinic services on the go. OCH Chief Executive Officer Connie Agenbroad explained the need behind the partnership.

New officer

Othello native Dereck Garza, right, was sworn in as an officer of the Othello Police Department by Othello Mayor Shawn Logan, left, during Monday’s regular Othello City Council meeting. According to Othello Police Chief Dave Rehaume, Garza’s hiring brings the Othello PD up to full staff.

Othello to close community pool over safety concerns

OTHELLO — Mayor Shawn Logan announced during Monday’s Othello City Council meeting that the Othello Community Pool will have to be closed indefinitely and eventually replaced due to safety concerns. The announcement came after a presentation from Othello Public Works Director Curt Carpenter on his recent investigation into improper pipe installation and poor construction when the pool was built in 2007.

Othello Public Library Children’s Day celebration a success

OTHELLO — The Othello Public Library, one of the branches of Tri-Cities-based Mid-Columbia Libraries, hosted a special celebration Saturday for El día de los niños/El día de los libros, otherwise known as Day of the Children and Day of the Books, celebrating children and children’s literacy. Branch Manager Georgia Reitmire said the event, which took place at the branch’s location on East Main Street during the branch’s normal storytime, was very popular. “It went really well,” Reitmire said. “We all kind of feel like we just don't have enough space. It got pretty crowded, but all the kids seemed really happy and the parents were happy … We probably had about 120 or more people here in those two hours.”

Warden High to host Vitalant open blood drive April 30

WARDEN – Warden High School will be hosting a blood drive April 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., run by nationwide blood center Vitalant. The drive is open to both students and the public.

McFarland students make Technology Student Assn. nationals, need funding

OTHELLO – Othello students in McFarland Middle School’s Technology Student Association, an ASB club focused on technology skills, qualified for the TSA national competition in Orlando, Florida after the state conference in March. Now they just need the funds to get there.

Literary youth: Othello and Mattawa to host Day of the Children celebrations

MOSES LAKE — Both Othello Public Library and the city of Mattawa are holding free events this year for El día de los ninos/El día de los libros, otherwise known as Day of the Children and Day of the Book, which recognizes children and children’s literacy.

Lind-Ritzville hosts track and field meet

Boys place second, girls seventh in home meet

RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville Broncos hosted a home track and field meet with nine other regional teams Wednesday afternoon at Lind-Ritzville High School. The Broncos placed second in boys varsity and seventh in girls varsity

WSU professor warns of fire blight antibiotic resistance

MOSES LAKE – Frank Zhao, a professor of plant pathology at Washington State University, spoke at the April 4 Fire Blight Webinar hosted by Michigan State University, providing an update on current research and results of fire blight antibiotics and resistances at WSU.

Call It Closed International Realty expands to PNW

NAPLES, Fla. — According to a Tuesday announcement, cloud-based brokerage Call It Closed International Realty is now operating in Oregon and Washington, expanding it national footprint to 18 states with the addition of Principal Broker Eric Young in Portland.

Cohort of leaders: RDI program gives grants to Othello institutions

OTHELLO – Rural Development Initiatives wrapped up its six-month-long Rural Community Leadership Program in Othello Thursday evening with a final session for the leadership cohort at the Othello Senior Center and the presentation of $5,000 in grants from the cohort to various community institutions.

ACDC and Port of Othello consider indoor farming in the Basin

OTHELLO – Representatives of both the Port of Othello and the Adams County Development Council reflected on the viability of indoor or vertical farming greenhouses in Grant and Adams Counties after they attended the 11th Annual Indoor Ag-Con March 11-12 in Las Vegas.

Othello development faces roadblock: No roundabout coming to SR 26 and 14th Avenue

OTHELLO — After an in-person meeting with a representative of the Washington State Department of Transportation, Port of Othello Executive Director Chris Faix said the intersection at state Route 26 and South 14th Avenue is not slated for the installation of a roundabout.

Port of Othello reflects on its ongoing business incubator space

OTHELLO – The Port of Othello Executive Director Chris Faix said that the port’s ongoing business incubator has so far been a success, but has not yet provided the level of economic support to Othello the port would like to see.

Dent reflects on 2024 legislative session

MOSES LAKE — After 2024’s short 60-day legislative session, which wrapped up in March, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, discussed what went well for him during the session and some of his disappointments this year. “It feels like there is always a different feeling or different mood of the sessions,” Dent said. “I would say that overall, most of these sessions for me are a little bit consistent; I can never say I've had a bad session for the things that I work on.” Dent said his status in the legislature has shifted during his 10 years as a legislator.

WDFW to monitor sandhill cranes with drones

RIDGEFIELD – Researchers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will conduct drone surveys over known locations of sandhill cranes in Klickitat County to assess the technology’s effectiveness in population monitoring, according to an April 4 announcement.

Othello library exploring potential remodel or new location

OTHELLO — Mid-Columbia Libraries and Adams County Rural Library District 1, which contracts with MCL for library services and management in Othello, are in the process of evaluating either a potential remodel or new building for the Othello Public Library. MCL Associate Director of Communications Carlos Orozco said discussions have already started about a remodel or finding another location to move to.

Wahluke gearing up for annual Outdoor Career Fair

MATTAWA — The Wahluke School District will be hosting its annual Outdoor Career Fair April 26 for Wahluke High School and Junior High students at the high school to connect with and learn from professionals in various outdoor careers.

Classic Grill’n

Othello’s newest sit-down barbecue café opens for business

OTHELLO – Othello-based catering business and food truck Classic Grill’n has been operating in the area for about 20 years, helmed by barbecue lovers Tim and Birdie Fought. Now they’ve opened the very first sit-down Classic Grill’n café.

Othello nears completion of Iron Horse Playground, accepts award

OTHELLO – Monday’s Othello City Council meeting featured recognition from playground manufacturer and researcher PlayCore for the city’s nearly completed Iron Horse Playground in Lions Park, as well as an update on grant applications for several future park projects. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan introduced the PlayCore award, which adds the playground to PlayCore’s registry of National Demonstration Sites.

Newhouse announces start of annual art competition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., announced Thursday the start of the annual Central Washington Congressional Art Competition. The statement said all Central Washington high school students are eligible to participate and the winning entry will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol.

Ybarra sees wins, disappointments in 2024 legislative session

OLYMPIA — Washington state Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, who represents the 13th legislative district, said there are a lot of things that went well during the short 60-day 2024 legislative session in Olympia. Ybarra said this was his sixth and best session, as he was able to put a lot more bills into the legislature. “I think it went better than the first five sessions I was at. This was the best session yet, because we're always playing catch-up,” he said. “There's nothing that we can pass because we lack votes, and that’s just a given, so because of that we always just basically try to stop bad bills.”

First Cinco de Mayo celebration coming to Othello

OTHELLO – Othello’s recently formed Hispanic Committee will be partnering with the Othello Rotary Club to put on the city’s first Cinco de Mayo celebration May 4 at Lions Park. The free festivities will go from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Othello Easter Egg Hunt draws large crowd, plans for bigger event next year

OTHELLO – The Othello Holiday Committee put on Othello’s first Easter Egg Hunt event in Lions Park Saturday afternoon, drawing in a large attendance according to Committee Manager Tania Morelos.

Othello-Richland match rained out, Huskies lead 4-3

OTHELLO – The Othello Huskies home softball game Thursday afternoon against the Richland Bombers ended early due to poor field conditions from rain. The game ended with the Huskies leading 4-3 at the top of the fourth inning.

Earned honor: Civil Air Patrol celebrates prestigious cadet promotion

EPHRATA — Daisy Carpenter, a member of the Columbia Basin Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, was promoted from cadet first lieutenant to cadet captain during a ceremony at Camp Boucher in Ephrata Thursday evening.

Othello museum requests funds from Adams County

OTHELLO – The March 27 Adams County Commissioners’ meeting in Othello featured an update from the Othello Community Museum on its operations, as well as a request for financial assistance for the museum to start its own website. Secretary for the museum LuAnn Morgan introduced the request.

Hands 'N Paws says temp shelter doing well one month in

OTHELLO — Hands ‘N Paws Animal Assistance officially began its contractual services for sheltering animals in the city of Othello March 1. After a month of operations, Hands ‘N Paws founder Carmon Derting said things are going well.

Town hall gathers Ephrata officials together in one room

EPHRATA — Eight public officials and figures from Ephrata gathered onstage at the Ephrata High School Performing Arts Center Thursday evening for the We Are Ephrata Town Hall, providing updates on the various agencies and organizations in the city. The event was organized and moderated by the Columbia Basin Herald with assistance from students in Ephrata High School’s TigerVision group and community leaders.

26th Annual Sandhill Crane Festival one of the largest in years

OTHELLO — The 2024 Sandhill Crane Festival flew into town the weekend of March 22, bringing with it a flock of visitors and bird enthusiasts heading into Othello. Festival Co-chair Kurt Braunwart said this year’s event had one of the largest attendances yet. “As we lead up to it, we always worry about how it's going to go, and then we get here for the day, and the attendees are so appreciative of being able to learn about the area, learn about the wildlife, learn about the connection of people, farming, and wildlife,” Braunwart said. “It's going wonderful.” The event featured numerous lectures, tours, informational booths and activities for event attendees, covering birds, nature and wildlife in the Othello area. “(There were) a lot of topics about geology, the Ice Age flood, other birds, mammals, the interaction of that wildlife with human life, like the heritage garden talk,” Braunwart said, “and then that springs into how can you do a type of local landscape garden that helps promote the native (vegetation and wildlife) as well, which helps to tie everything together.”

‘Jaku Mumor’

Ghanaian multi-media performance heads to Moses Lake April 27

MOSES LAKE — The multi-media performance event “Jaku Mumor,” created and led by artist Okaidja Afroso, will be making its way to Moses Lake through the Columbia Basin Allied Arts. The performance will be held April 27 at Big Bend Community College’s Wallenstien Theater at 7 p.m. Afroso is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and traditional dancer from Ghana, West Africa, according to his website. “I've presented him to Allied Arts selection committees a couple of times over the years, and it's never seemed to fit,” said CBAA Executive Director Shawn Cardwell. “‘Jaku Mumor’ is a very new project that he has been creating since the world opened up again after COVID, and he's been back and forth to Ghana a few times, meeting and working with artists there. Artists are coming from Ghana for this tour to perform with him. He's worked with videographers, fashion designers, he's worked with dancers, vocalists, musicians, to tell the story of the Ghanaian Ga-Dangme fishermen.”

Othello student wins $1,000 for Hiawatha art supplies

OTHELLO – Othello resident and fifth-grader at Hiawatha Elementary School Logan Hampton was selected as one of 40 national winners for his popsicle stick art as part of the Popsicle brand’s Stick with Art! contest, providing $1,000 to the winners’ school to purchase art supplies.

Port of Othello approves extension on future $3 million land sale to developer

OTHELLO — Port of Othello Commissioners approved a 90-day extension to their contract with developer Meritage Companies LLC Tuesday. The contract holds two parcels of land for Meritage’s eventual purchase and prevents the port from selling the land to another buyer for the duration of the contract.

Experts preview 2024 Washington apple industry

MOSES LAKE — Several factors will likely play a significant role in 2024’s apple industry, including labor shortages, legislation, water availability issues, a strong export market and last year’s opening of the Indian market, according to representatives of the Washington Apple Commission and the Washington Tree Fruit Association. Washington State Tree Fruit Association President Jon DeVaney said it is too early for a real crop prediction. “We will not really start trying to do an initial estimate for talking to our members until later in the spring,” DeVaney said. “Crops can be affected by so much weather in between the early part of the season and when harvest begins. We try not to make too many firm predictions too early.”

Advancing education: Warden STEM Day connects students with career pros

WARDEN – The Warden School District held its first Post-Secondary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Day fair Thursday evening in the Warden High School Gym, with STEM professionals visiting the school to hear students’ presentations on different career paths, followed by a networking event.

Adams County broadband project on-track

RITZVILLE — According to Adams County Public Works Director Todd O’Brien, the county’s broadband project – which will bring a high-speed internet fiber optic network to areas of the county that previously lacked coverage – is on track and going well.

Washington STEM program brings professionals to Wahluke Junior High

MATTAWA – Several professionals from the Hanford Nuclear Site visited Wahluke Junior High’s eighth-grade science class March 15 as part of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation’s STEM Like ME! program, which will head to the junior high’s seventh-grade science class March 22.

Funding the arts

CBAA to hold Garden Party Annual Fundraiser May 11

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake nonprofit Columbia Basin Allied Arts will be holding its annual fundraiser and luncheon Saturday, May 11 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Moses Lake venue The Garden, formerly known as Jamison’s Event Center. CBAA Executive Director Shawn Cardell outlined the basics of the event.

Sila’s Moses Lake plant opening on track

MOSES LAKE – According to Sila Nanotechnologies Vice President Chris Dougher, the opening of Sila’s Moses Lake manufacturing plant, which will eventually mass produce the company’s Titan Silicon anode, has been going well and is on track

Firefighter memorial, public land housing bills signed into law Wednesday

OLYMPIA — Two bills requested by the Department of Natural Resources, House Bill 2003 and House Bill 2091, were signed into law Wednesday, according to a Wednesday announcement from the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Othello secures $400K for water plant design

City works to have a more diverse source of water for residents, businesses

OTHELLO – The city of Othello announced during Monday’s regular City Council meeting that the city had secured $400,000 in additional funding from the 2024 legislative session to go toward the design of a water treatment plant.

State shrubsteppe habitat conservation plan submitted

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Conservation Commission and Washington State Department of Natural Resources last week submitted a new plan to the state Legislature intended to guide future conservation of Washington’s shrubsteppe habitat, according to a Monday WDFW announcement.