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
Sharing the wealth
Moses Lake gardeners gather to swap plants and ideas
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Garden Club held its annual plant swap Monday evening. “We bring all kinds of plants … and we gift our plants to each other,” said club President Valerie Parrott, who hosted the event at her business, Pieces by Parrott. “We have a bunch of brand-new gardeners that are here this year, so we planted all kinds of seeds to do starter pack gardens for them.” This was the third year the club has held the plant swap, Parrott said. About 100 people turned out Monday to exchange plants, share tips and enjoy a potluck dinner.
‘Ireland’s Greatest Showman’
David Shannon to perform in Moses Lake Sunday
MOSES LAKE — The Wallenstien Theater will ring this weekend with the voice of Irish tenor David Shannon. The concert will start at 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Sometimes billed as “Ireland’s Greatest Showman,” Shannon has a long and varied list of credits under his belt. He’s performed leading roles in productions of “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables” and “Sweeney Todd” in London’s prestigious West End theaters, according to his biography, and he was an original cast member of the London Company production of “Come From Away.” Shannon is equally at home with traditional folk music, and laces his performance with songs accompanied by the fiddle and the bodhran, a handheld drum that’s a staple of Irish tradition.
Powering affordability
OneD Battery Sciences plant almost online
MOSES LAKE — More affordable electric vehicles are on the way. That was the takeaway from a tour that OneD Battery Sciences offered to a small contingent of Moses Lake community members Thursday afternoon at the company’s SINANODE plant on Road N Northeast.
Moses Lake’s Well 20 to begin producing water
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake’s water difficulties came a little closer to being alleviated this week, according to an announcement from the city.
MLSD levy voted down for second time
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District educational programs and operations levy was voted down a second time in Tuesday’s special election. District voters rejected the levy by a vote of 3,947 against to 3,094, or 56.06% to 43.94%, according to the Grant County Auditor’s Office. That margin was even greater than the 3,758-3,611 vote that defeated the levy in the Feb. 13 election.
Play ball!
Moses Lake Youth Parade ushers in season
MOSES LAKE — Forget the flowers, the showers and the red, red robin. The true sign of spring in Moses Lake is when the youth baseball and softball season kicks into gear with the annual Moses Lake Youth Parade.
Gas leak shuts down stores, streets in Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — A gas leak closed streets and caused some businesses to be evacuated Tuesday morning in Moses Lake. At just before 8 a.m., a construction crew was excavating at Penn Plaza, at North Stratford and Mart roads, when workers struck a natural gas line, according to Moses Lake Police Chief David Sands. “(It) caused a significant enough leak to spread pretty far and wide, so out of an abundance of caution we closed down the area as best we could,” Sands said.
Photographer to speak on shooting the stars
MOSES LAKE — Shooting photos of outer space will be the topic of a presentation in Moses Lake Thursday. Astrophotographer Mike Brady will discuss the techniques of capturing the night sky, the equipment needed and the processing that’s needed to make the photos clear at the Moses Lake Civic Center auditorium, starting at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but seating is limited to the first 200 attendees. Brady, who graduated from Big Bend Community College, went on to earn a degree in biology from Central Washington University, followed by a career in the army. When he retired, he taught biology at a community college in North Carolina before coming back to Columbia Basin College in Pasco, where he became the director of the observatory. That’s where he fell in love with photographing the heavens, he said.
Candidate Filing Week 2024 begins May 6
OLYMPIA — Citizens who want to run for public office in Washington will have their chance in early May, according to an announcement from the Washington Secretary of State’s office. The opportunity to declare candidacy formally for the 2024 elections opens May 6 at 8 a.m. online and at elections offices across the state, according to the announcement. Mailed declarations are being accepted now and must be received with payment no later than 5 p.m. on May 10, when filing week ends. During the May 6-10 filing period, candidacies can be declared for more than 400 federal, state, judicial, legislative, county and other offices scheduled for 2024 elections, according to the announcement. All statewide executive offices, all congressional seats, a U.S. Senate position, and the majority of state Legislature seats will be on the ballot. This year for the first time, candidates for Superior Court and all legislative districts must file with the Office of the Secretary of State, which can be done via the office’s website, by mail, or in person.
Spring cleanups planned for Moses Lake Saturday
MOSES LAKE — The Downtown Moses Lake Association is looking for volunteers to help with its annual spring cleanup Saturday, according to Executive Director Mallory Miller.