JOEL MARTIN

‘A story of hope’

Moses Lake residents gather for the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

MOSES LAKE — About 80 people gathered in the dining room at Brookdale Hearthstone Assisted Living Facility early Thursday morning for bacon, eggs and prayer.

Skills on display

Job Corps hosts open house

MOSES LAKE — Dylan Sanders credits Job Corps with showing him a path forward. “I graduated high school and I wasn’t really doing much,” Sanders said. “I was working at Walmart as a cashier, but that’s not really what I wanted to do. I wanted to get an education, but I didn’t want to go to college. I heard about Job Corps and (I looked into it) and saw they offered computer networking, which is exactly what I wanted to do.” Sanders was representing the Computer Networking program at an open house Wednesday at the Columbia Basin Job Corps Center in Moses Lake, giving visiting students an idea of what Job Corps has to offer. About 200 students from high schools around central Washington had come through the open house in the first hour and a half, Community Liaison Susan Mann said. Students took a tour of the campus, located in the Larson area across from Big Bend Community College, and then fanned out among tables and displays, inside and out, where current students told them about the programs the center offers. Students from the construction trades – plastering, carpentry, cement masonry – had small workspaces set up in the closed-off driveway to demonstrate the skills they were gaining.

Palos Verdes moves into Moses Lake

Mae Valley homes a first for the Othello-based builder

MOSES LAKE — One of Othello’s biggest developers just started its first new housing development in Moses Lake. “We’ve been building in Othello for the past 12, 13 years, and then moved to the Quincy area seven, eight years (ago),” said Angel Garza, owner of Othello-based Palos Verdes. “We’ve always had our eye on Moses Lake.” Garza was there Wednesday to cut the ribbon at Sandhill Place, the new Palos Verdes development in Mae Valley. Palos Verdes has 31 lots under development, Garza said, with right of first refusal on another 50 or so, including some that face the Moses Lake Golf Club. The homes at Sandhill Estates are a little different from Palos Verdes’ previous floor plans, Garza said, something he had some reservations about at first.

BASIN EVENTS: May 8-16

COLUMBIA BASIN — The weather is just about perfect and there are things going on all over the Basin. Here are some options to check out. May 8-10 ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Basin Community Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning musical. 7:10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Moses Lake High School Theater, 803 E. Sharon Ave. Tickets and info: basincommunitytheatre.com.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’

Basin Community Theater musical packs an emotional punch

MOSES LAKE — Some stage musicals are grand, brightly-colored affairs, with lots of dancing and flamboyant sets and unbridled joy. “Dear Evan Hansen” is not that kind of musical. “There’s a lot of emotion,” said Basin Community Theatre producer Marion Wyman. “It’s going to make some people shed some tears. In fact, one of our adult cast members at (a rehearsal) sat down and just cried over the emotion he felt during the last song.” “Dear Evan Hansen,” which opens tonight, is loaded with heavy-duty themes: bullying, mental illness, drug abuse and suicide. The story centers around Evan (Kaleb Stanberry), a high school senior who is beset with social anxiety and depression, with a single mother who works too many hours to provide him the support he needs. Evan’s therapist has him writing notes to himself during the day to cope with his problems. Meanwhile Evan’s school bully nemesis Connor (Gus O’Donnell) comes from an outwardly healthy family but turns to drugs to cope with his own depression. When Connor takes his own life, one of Evan’s notes is found in his possession and Evan pretends to have been Connor’s best friend in an attempt to comfort Connor’s parents Larry (Weston Beck) and Cynthis (Amy O’Donnell), and especially Connor’s sister – and Evan’s crush – Zoe (Emma Leavitt). The story is told partly through Evan’s internal monologue and narration by Connor’s ghost, as Evan’s pretense spirals out of control.

Students write letters, fight for TRIO program

MOSES LAKE — Some Moses Lake High School students gathered April 30 to make their voices heard. “I’ve grown up in a low-income first-generation household,” Vanguard Academy student Daniel Heeney wrote in a letter to state Rep. Alex Ybarra. “I’ve always wanted to pursue higher education and a career as a veterinarian, but that would not have been possible without TRIO (Upward Bound). Before I joined TRIO UB I lacked things like motivation, knowledge, and leadership. TRIO UB provided me with knowledge and insights that have helped me find and win scholarships making college more affordable.”

Mail carriers to collect food Saturday

MOSES LAKE — Mail carriers in Moses Lake will collect food for the Moses Lake Food Bank Saturday, part of the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. “(We’re asking) for a small donation of non-perishable food by your mailbox,” said carrier Michelle Schmidt, who’s coordinating the drive this year for Moses Lake. “And then on Saturday when we’re delivering, we’ll be picking up the food as we go along our route.” Schmidt suggested marking the food donation clearly, so carriers don’t pick up someone’s delivery order from a store. Anyone wanting more information can ask their mail carrier. The drive, put on by the National Association of Letter Carriers the second Saturday in May, has been going on since 1993, according to the NALC’s website.

Rusty Mammoth Sale supports museum in a big way

MOSES LAKE — This year’s Rusty Mammoth Sale at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center was, well, mammoth. “We about doubled what we usually bring in for this type of thing,” said Museum Superintendent Dollie Boyd. “We got really close to $6,000, and we’re accustomed to making closer to $3,000. Our friends and supporters really came out to show us some love.” Part of the reason, Boyd said, was that the sale came at the beginning of yard sale season. “The bargain hunters are hungry after a winter of being trapped inside,” she said. “And I think people are seeing what’s going on with city budgeting and want to help any way they can. And if they get to take home some treasures, then all the better.”

Tooth Fairy visits Moses Lake schools

MOSES LAKE — Some Moses Lake schoolchildren recently got a lesson in dental care from the world’s foremost authority: the Tooth Fairy. “(Presenters) dress up like the Tooth Fairy and come in and explain oral hygiene and read a story to kids,” said Stephanie Bannon, the school nurse at Sage Point and Peninsula elementary schools. “They provide oral hygiene kits for all the students kindergarten through second grade.” The program, called “The Tooth Fairy Experience,” is a service of Delta Dental to improve children’s dental health, according to an announcement from Delta. The kits included a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and a two-minute timer to help children remember how long to brush for, according to the announcement.

New tech lets home carers and hospice providers communicate better, more safely

WENATCHEE — Anyone who’s ever had to deal with communication between medical providers, home caregivers and Medicare or insurance knows the frustration of trying to get everybody on the same page. A new system debuted by Confluence Health is expected to make those connections easier and safer. “Suppose a patient fell and (injured themselves) and they go in for (treatment),” said Adam MacDonald, corporate communications program manager for Confluence Health. “This is going to make it so their home health and hospice nurses are looking at the exact same record.” Dorothy, for home health care patients, and Comfort, for hospice patients, are both made by the same company that operates MyChart, which many medical providers use for communication between patients, providers and Medicare. Both systems integrate with MyChart.