GABRIEL DAVIS

Warden updates payment agreement with ACPR

WARDEN – Warden City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to increase the payment per animal for dogs sent to Adams County Pet Rescue from $50 to $150, updating the city’s five-year-old agreement with the shelter and potentially helping the city pick up more strays.

Mattawa passes dangerous dog rules

MATTAWA — The Mattawa City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve new codes regarding the city’s animal control operations and the designation of potentially dangerous dogs, as well as restrictions for problem dog owners. City Attorney Katherine Kenison introduced the changes to the code. “This ordinance is in response partially to your current animal control ordinance, which doesn't really address the potentially dangerous dog component of dangerous dogs under the state statute, and it didn't define a process for how you're handling potentially dangerous dogs,” she said. “You've had, as you've heard, some more activity with your dogs at large, which has resulted in a few incidents where there has been some human contact with the dogs.”

Warden golf coach discusses young team, season aspirations

WARDEN – Warden Boys Golf Head Coach Tim Carlberg outlined what the team is expecting as the spring golf season begins and what the team’s focuses are this year. “Our turnout numbers have been really good,” Carlberg said. “The size of our team is doubled this year, so I've got quite a few kids turning out. Some of our core players are very young, and they have a little bit of experience playing golf, so we're building our program, and the kids that have a little bit of experience under their belt are competitive with the kids from other schools.”

Huskies golf coaches discuss new season

OTHELLO – Trevor Salsbury and Heather Ochoa, head coaches of the Othello Boys and Girls Golf teams respectively, discussed how they feel going into the new season and what they expect this year to look like. “I’m hopeful,” Salsbury said. “We're very young this year; I lost three of my seniors last year who were my three feeding golfers and it's kind of a rebuild year. But we have a lot of young golfers who are doing well and I have one senior who's doing pretty well. I’m just hoping that they continue to progress throughout the season…They’re taking instruction very well, they're eager to get better, so I think they're on the right path.”

Port of Mattawa makes legislative headway

MATTAWA – Port of Mattawa officials discussed Monday efforts made by the port during the 2024 legislative session, including a scope change for Washington State Department of Commerce funding and a piece of legislation that may bear fruit in the future.

Harlow discusses stray dog problem with Mattawa City Council

MATTAWA — Wahluke School District Superintendent Andy Harlow spoke with the Mattawa City Council during Thursday’s regular meeting to discuss an ongoing issue of loose and stray dogs coming onto school campuses.

Deena Vietzke: Othello’s 2023 Woman of the Year

OTHELLO — Othello resident and Port of Othello Commissioner Deena Vietzke was awarded the 2023 Woman of the Year honor during the Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Banquet Feb. 23 as recognition for her positive impact on the Othello community.

Wahluke coach says Warriors looking good this spring

MATTAWA – Wahluke Boys Soccer Head Coach Cele Lopez talked about how his team is doing heading into this year’s soccer season as practices pick up and games begin. “I’m really excited. I think we’re going to have a solid group. There's a lot of energy, positive energy around the kids. I saw a really good vibe during practices. I see a whole bunch of friends just playing the sport they love, so I'm excited for the season,” Lopez said. “Sometimes in high school sports… it's more about the way they get along, and so far we're doing great.”

Lind-Ritzville coach looks to set a foundation new-player-heavy lineup

RITZVILLE – Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Baseball players began practice Feb. 26, and had their first game Thursday. Head Coach Jason Hilzer outlined how he feels going into the new season.

Head coach talks priorities for new Warden softball season

WARDEN – Warden Softball Head Coach Randy Wright shared some of the ways he and his team are approaching the new softball season. “We've got five seniors,” Wright said. “They've been around, they're all starters. So we got players coming back, we’re just trying to fill a couple of holes, actually just trying to find another outfielder, but we'll come up with somebody.”

Port of Othello lowers airport water costs

OTHELLO – Port of Othello Commissioners discussed utility water line charges during Tuesday’s meeting following a motion made at the Feb. 27 meeting to lower the monthly line charge and turn-off and turn-on fees for water users at Othello Municipal Airport.

State approves $4 million for Connell Rail Interchange

OTHELLO — Port of Warden officials discussed a legislative update on their ongoing projects during their regular meeting Thursday, primarily the Connell Rail Interchange improvements, which received another $4 million in approved funds from the state legislature, and potential future funding for their industrial road project. Consultant for the port Patrick Boss gave the update on the interchange, used by the Columbia Basin Railroad, during the meeting. “I think we're all happy about that,” Boss said, “because we all were concerned about being a little short on that (funding).” “That's a good thing to hear,” said Port Commissioner Dale Pomeroy.

City, ACPR advisor discuss Othello animal control contract

OTHELLO — Retired veterinarian Ernie Summers addressed the Othello City Council during the Feb. 26 meeting to raise concerns about Adams County Pet Rescue’s sheltering contract negotiations with the city, which fell through in December.

Connecting community: Warden seniors trying to restart a senior center

WARDEN – A group of senior residents in Warden have begun meeting weekly at the Warden Public Library in hopes of restarting a senior center. Warden resident Tinker Ansel is part of the small group that initiated the meetings, which are currently being held every Saturday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the library.

Othello officers sworn in, Dorow appointed mayor pro tem

OTHELLO — Monday’s regular Othello City Council meeting featured a ceremony for the promotion and oath of office for Othello Police Officers Bryan Jacobsen and Omar Ledesma respectively, as well as a motion to approve a new Mayor Pro Tempore.

Washington state election summary

OLYMPIA – Washington state general elections will be held Nov. 5, with a primary election Aug. 6. According to the Washington Office of the Secretary of State website, the primary is a “top 2” primary, which allows voters to choose among all candidates running for each office.

Adams County reviews accountability audit findings

RITZVILLE – Assistant Audit Manager for Washington’s State Auditor’s Office Weston Fink and Assistant State Auditor Brittany Benning met with the Adams County Board of Commissioners Tuesday for the exit interview of their accountability audit covering Jan. 1 2022 through Dec. 31 2022.

Othello Schools share strategic planning feedback

OTHELLO – Othello School District Superintendent Pete Perez and Tammy Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of The Scholar First – an educational consulting organization based in Washington – shared a presentation during Monday’s Othello School Board meeting on feedback from the district’s ongoing strategic planning process.

Othello receives $50K for road safety planning

OTHELLO – Monday evening’s regular Othello City Council meeting saw the approval of a contract with SCJ Alliance Planners to update the city’s Local Road Safety Plan, as well as approval of the sale of surplus equipment and the awarding of a bid from pavement repair.

Othello Food Bank doing well, finances stabilized

OTHELLO – Othello Food Bank Board Chair Adam Janes, pastor of Othello Christian Church, spoke to the Othello City Council during Monday’s regular meeting to provide an update on the organization and its financial status heading into 2024.

Othello banquet raises money, honors community members

OTHELLO – Friday evening’s annual Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet went very well, Chamber Manager Jackie Wilhelm said. The event is the chamber’s only fundraiser each year and is also a chance to honor annual community award recipients.

Warden SB adopts resolution opposing state bills

WARDEN — The Warden School Board unanimously approved a resolution Thursday stating the district’s opposition to two legislative bills. The bills in question are House Bill 2331, modifying requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials and Senate Bill 5462, promoting inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools. Board member Bryce Cox spoke about the bills. “I've been a little bit involved in this. It started as we looked at these bills coming through. I'm seeing this across the state, not just in Grant County, but losing local control is a big deal,” Cox said. “It's why we're elected; we feel that we do know the individuals in this community. We know what they want, and things like that. To have someone else dictate that from the outside is not what we want. So that's where this is all coming from.”

Economic Revenue and Forecast Council provides updated state forecast

OLYMPIA — Dave Reich, executive director of the Washington Economic Revenue and Forecast Council, provided an updated economic forecast for the state during the council’s regular Feb. 14 revenue review meeting in Olympia. “I think that's probably the main message, is it's not a recession,” Reich said. “That's not part of our base case, but just a slowly growing economy.” Reich elaborated on what it means to forecast a slow-growth economy. “Nationally that means slow employment growth, it means inflation will continue to trend down slowly from where it is now and it means GDP, or economic growth, will just be slower, sort of in the 1%-2% range,” Reich said. “For Washington, we are also expecting the same to happen here, slower employment growth, but also not a huge spike in unemployment, just fewer job ads pretty much. We also expect, of course, inflation will fall here.”

Levies mostly passing in Washington, bonds mostly failing

OLYMPIA – Preliminary results from the Feb. 13 Special Election show a significant majority of levies passing on local ballots across Washington state, but only a third of bond proposals passed, according to a Feb. 14 announcement from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

WA House passes transit-oriented housing bill

OLYMPIA — House Bill 2160, promoting transit-oriented housing developments, passed with a floor vote of 56 to 40 during a Feb. 13 floor debate. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, has moved on to the Senate for further consideration. The bill requires cities in fully planning counties, such as Grant County, to conform to certain requirements and limitations for housing near transit systems. Reed spoke about the bill during the Jan. 9 hearing. “The bill before you addresses that urgent need for housing in our state, the state with the fewest number of housing units per household than any other, by making it possible to build new, denser housing around our most used and most heavily invested in transit modes, rail, light rail and bus rapid transit lines,” she said.

Port of Othello continues work toward airport plan

OTHELLO – Port of Othello Executive Director Chris Faix gave an update on some of the port’s progress with its ongoing projects, mainly working with J-U-B Engineers to develop an Airport Layout Plan and entering the process of designing the incoming Bruce Water Tower.

Adams Co. gives update on respiratory illnesses

RITZVILLE – Adams County Health Officer Alex Brzezny gave an update during the Adams County Commissioners and Board of Health meeting Feb. 14 on several ongoing trends for illnesses and diseases in the county and the region.

Mattawa receives water system funding, discusses ongoing projects

MATTAWA — Gray & Osborne Civil Engineer Jamin Ankney presented to the Mattawa City Council Thursday regarding funding the city received for two water system projects, with the council also approving two design contracts with Gray & Osborne. Mayor Maria Celaya introduced the first funding award, through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. “We have $7.2 million,” she said. “We don't know how much of it's a loan and how much of it is a grant.” “You will get some grant (money). They just don't know exactly how much yet. It sounds like it'll be a good funding package,” Ankney said.

Wahluke superintendent discusses levy failure

MATTAWA — After Wahluke School District’s capital levy failed to pass following the Feb. 13 vote, Wahluke Superintendent Andy Harlow said the district will likely soon have to cut $1.5 million from its budget. "Knowing how many staff just on our campus had voted, community members, and then with our additional high school seniors, we thought the election would be a little closer and that's why we chose to run this again,” Harlow said. The levy would have been used to pay for needed HVAC upgrades the district implemented last year at Mattawa Elementary and Wahluke High School. Harlow said the district had to take out a loan for the $2.7 million project, which had been pushed off for about 10 years. “We made about $2 million in cuts last year, (cutting) over 25 staff,” he said. “We’re probably set to make another $1.5 million in cuts, so probably another 10 to 15 staff will be cut and the facilities, they don't get done and the loan that we took out for the HVAC, we'll just continue to pay on.”

Mattawa continues work on parks and rec plan

MATTAWA – Thursday’s regular Mattawa City Council meeting featured an update from SCJ Alliance regarding the city’s ongoing Parks, Recreation and Open Space plan, which will help the city plan its future parks projects and obtain funding for those projects.

Warden approves $570K for sewer upgrades

WARDEN – The Warden City Council voted unanimously during the Feb. 13 regular meeting to award a bid of about $570,000 to DW Excavating for upgrades to Warden’s lift station number 1, as well as approve the construction administration contract with Gray and Osborne engineers.

Easter planning under way

Othello approves Easter egg hunt, waives event fee

OTHELLO – During Monday’s regular meeting, the Othello City Council voted to approve the facility use agreement for the Othello Holiday Committee’s free community Easter egg hunt event and to waive the full event fee.

Port of Mattawa to sell wastewater treatment plant

MATTAWA — Port of Mattawa Commissioners voted unanimously during Monday’s regular meeting to allow Executive Director Gil Alvarado to move forward with the sale of the port-owned wastewater treatment plant, located on Road 23 Southwest. “Frankly, that type of facility is better managed in the hands of folks who are in that industry,” Alvarado said. The other reason the port is selling the facility is because its expenses are outpacing its revenues, Alvarado said. “The way the port operates, with that wastewater treatment facility you have two wine-crushing companies. One is J&S (Crushing), and you have Milbrandt/Wahluke (Wine Co.). So both of those folks, because at the time one of them did not have the ability to discharge its waste when it crushed (grapes), basically, we would enter into a lease with them,” Alvarado said. “They would lease part of our wastewater facility. We would take their waste, process it, and spray it within a certain time frame. J&S decided to part ways with the port and create their own system.”

WSD awarded $47K for digital equity initiatives

WARDEN — The Warden School District was recently awarded two grants totaling about $47,000 through the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, both as part of OSPI’s digital equity and inclusion initiatives.

Othello contracts with Hands 'N Paws

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council voted unanimously during Monday evening’s regular meeting to enter into a one-year contract for dog sheltering services with Hands 'N Paws Animal Assistance. The council also approved the purchase of three large kennels for the city’s temporary animal control building. Othello Mayor Shawn Logan introduced the contract and purchase requests. “The services that (Hands 'N Paws) would provide in essence are the same services that we were in the contract with Adams County Pet Rescue for because we offered them the same contract,” Logan said. “The only difference is they decided to accept it.” The city is still responsible for certain animal control services under the new contract.

New Mattawa port director discusses challenges, port’s future

MATTAWA — Gil Alvarado, recently hired as the Port of Mattawa’s executive director, has been working with commissioners to overcome challenges facing the port, make changes, and implement new goals and focuses for the trade center’s future.

Warden School District enrollment growing

WARDEN — During Thursday’s regular Warden School Board meeting, Warden Superintendent Scott West and members of the board discussed Warden’s increasing enrollment numbers and its impact on the district’s future, as well as the district’s levy and the board’s vacant position.

Othello schools implement new point-of-entry security upgrades

OTHELLO – The Othello School District installed new Secure Access Keypads at all its school buildings Feb. 5. Moving forward, all visitors are required to check in through the keypad, which allows school staff to see and speak with the visitor before letting them enter.

Othello going to the birds

Sandhill Crane Festival flying into town March 22-24

OTHELLO – The 26th annual Sandhill Crane Festival will be held in Othello from March 22 to 24 with a series of lectures, tours, hikes and activities located at Othello Church of the Nazarene, McFarland Middle School and the surrounding area.

Small bookstore owners reflect on doing business in a small town

Moses Lake’s Sandbox Bookstore owner Mai Houvener and Wenatchee’s Ye Olde Bookshoppe owner AnaMaree Ordway discussed what it’s like to operate a bookstore in a smaller town while competing with larger retailers ...

Moses Lake library offering free citizenship classes

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake Public Library and Hand in Hand Immigration Services will begin their second round of free citizenship classes Feb. 27, after an informational session Feb. 13 from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Classes are offered in English and Spanish.

Growing season inbound

Basin farmers discuss spring planting, evolving techniques

MOSES LAKE – Mark Kallstrom and Travis Meacham, of Kallstrom Sweet Corn and Friehe Farms respectively, have decades of combined commercial farming experience and discussed some of the ways they prepare for the spring planting season and how their practices have evolved over the years.

Networking power: Wahluke students compete in annual Amazing Shake

MATTAWA – Wahluke Junior High held its annual Amazing Shake event Thursday morning, where students competed to demonstrate their “soft skills” at 21 different stations and scenarios designed to help them improve communication and interpersonal skills.

Reichert’s Showhouse in Othello for sale after 32 years of business

OTHELLO — Bob and Donna Reichert have owned and operated Reichert’s Showhouse 3 in Othello with their son Robert Reichert for 32 years. Now, they are selling the building and retiring from the theater business.

Mattawa votes on truck parking, construction regs

MATTAWA – Thursday’s regular Mattawa City Council meeting featured unanimous approval of a motion to amend the city’s truck regulations and a motion to approve updated construction standards.

Port of Warden requesting more funding for bypass road

WARDEN – Port of Warden Executive Director Pat Millard shared several updates regarding the port’s ongoing industrial bypass road project, primarily that the port will be requesting more funding for the bypass road during the current legislative session.

Recognizing local: Othello Chamber seeking nominations for 2024 banquet

OTHELLO – The Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 2024 Annual Awards Banquet fundraiser Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Othello, during which the chamber will announce this year’s award winners based on community nominations.

Recycling a mixed, reusable bag

MOSES LAKE — If you are looking for places to recycle paper, cardboard, cans, and in some cases plastic, you can find various locations throughout Grant and Adams County. If you are looking to recycle glass, not so much.

Kadlec outreach program assisting Othello community

OTHELLO — Kadlec Regional Medical Center, based in Richland, has entered the fifth month of providing a pilot outreach program to Othello community members in need, called “One Day at a Time.” The program was created by Kadlec Community Health Worker Maria Perez, who runs a similar program in Tri-Cities called Homegrown Connect. Both programs focus on providing food, supplies, assistance and company to individuals in their respective communities. Perez outlined the basics of the Tri-Cities program, and the Othello program’s influence.

Othello low-income development gets $1.5M grant

OTHELLO — The Othello Housing Authority and Adams County Building and Planning were awarded $1.5 million toward the Othello Rocky Point Development low-income housing project, according to a Tuesday announcement from the Washington Department of Commerce.