JOEL MARTIN
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves.
Recent Stories
Talent on Main Street
Coulee City Art Walk highlights local artists
COULEE CITY — Seven local businesses played host to artists from the Basin at the third annual Coulee City Art Walk Friday. The walk brought a pretty good-sized turnout to the town of about 600, said Don Nutt, owner of Cariboo Trail Studio and the organizer of the event, “It’s kind of been in waves,” Nutt said. “I stepped out just for a second, and all the parking spaces were pretty much filled on Main Street. And the next time I looked, there weren’t very many there, so I think it’s just going to be a lot of people filtering in here and there.”
Documentary of JFK in Moses Lake to premiere Thursday
MOSES LAKE — On Sept. 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy stepped off Air Force One onto the tarmac at Larson Air Force Base in Moses Lake. Instead of getting straight on another plane as scheduled, Kennedy stopped for a few minutes, shook hands and chatted with locals at the base. A documentary premiering Thursday at the Moses Lake Civic Center will offer a glimpse into that day. “Imagine spending five minutes somewhere and making an impression on the people you meet for the rest of their lives,” says narrator Shane Humphrey in the 12-minute film “JFK in Moses Lake, Washington.” The film, made by filmmaker Lee O’Connor, features archive footage of Kennedy’s stopover and interviews with people who were present on that day. The screening is hosted by the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center.
Families, agencies join together at Child Abuse Prevention Month event
MOSES LAKE — Law enforcement, the Boys and Girls Club, Renew, firefighters and more joined Kids Hope at the Grant County Fairgrounds Wednesday to raise awareness of child abuse. “April is Child Abuse Prevention Month,” said Elisa Adolphsen, children’s advocacy coordinator for Kids Hope, who was handing out paper masks at the front door for children to wear. “For the past several years (we) have held an event for the community. We make it free so families can come and gain information about child safety. Every booth has something to do with child safety or child abuse prevention.”
Bikers to raise funds for scholarship in Peny Archer’s name
MOSES LAKE — Two local motorcycle clubs will hold events next weekend in honor of Moses Lake Food Bank Director Peny Archer, who passed away in January. Road Brother will be at the Ross Dress for Less parking lot April 19 in Moses Lake from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., said Road Brother member Thomas Johnson. Then from 4 to 6 p.m. the Unchained Brotherhood will hold a spaghetti feed at the Moses Lake Food Bank. The suggested donation at the spaghetti feed is $10.
Support in difficult times
Crossroads offers information, help with unplanned pregnancy
MOSES LAKE — An unplanned pregnancy can be a very scary thing. It brings big decisions to make, and no matter what course of action an expectant mother chooses, the outcome is life-changing. Crossroads Resource Center’s goal is to get her the information she needs to make those choices, its operators said, and then support her afterward.
Home prices and active listings both up in Grant County
MOSES LAKE — Active listings are considerably up in Washington compared to a year ago, and a Washington city showed the highest growth in homeownership in the U.S. over a 12-year period, but rising prices are still making the dream of owning a home difficult to fulfill.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to hold annual banquet
MOSES LAKE — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will hold its annual banquet and auction Saturday in Moses Lake.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Basin Community Theater stages ‘Mary Poppins’
MOSES LAKE — It won’t be the “Mary Poppins” everybody knows. But the Basin Community Theatre production opening Thursday promises to be at least supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. And if everything goes right; it might even be practically perfect.
George Library resource fair successful
GEORGE — The first Resource Fair held at the George Library was a success, said Librarian Jeana Rushton.
New Moses Lake shop offers electronics and service
MOSES LAKE — For almost a century, Radio Shack was the electronics geek’s mecca, with parts and components for any project as well as cutting-edge toys and kits. Then the company ran into financial trouble in the 2010s and closed more than 8,000 franchise stores, including the one in Moses Lake. Now its products are making a little bit of a comeback.