JOEL MARTIN

The hunt is on

Easter eggs will sprout all over the Basin this weekend

COLUMBIA BASIN — Small plastic eggs will be stashed – and snatched up by little hands at an astounding rate – all over the Basin this weekend. Nearly every community in the area has its own Easter egg hunt either Friday or Saturday, as is traditional the weekend before Easter. The first one will be at Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, at 10:30 a.m. Friday. This hunt is for kids 6 and under.

Checking it out

A home inspector can catch problems before they turn expensive

MOSES LAKE — Buying a home can be a risky proposition. There are many things that could go wrong with the home or the land, so many things that prospective buyers could miss that could cost them a lot of money down the road. That’s where a professional home inspector comes in. “I've looked at houses and fallen in love with the house,” said Henry Counter, owner of Pillar to Post Home Inspectors in Ephrata. “And then after you move in, you find everything that's wrong with it.” “Home inspections are a critical part of the home buying and selling process,” the National Association of Realtors wrote on its website. “Failure to obtain a home inspection could potentially cost you a great deal of money and hassles in the long run.”

Seeing the sights

Quincy Valley Historical Society hosts bus tours

QUINCY — The Quincy Valley Historical Society is going on tour. “We’ve wanted to do this for a number of years,” said Harriet Weber, director of operations for the organization. “It stemmed from way back in the Quincy Centennial in 2007. I was on that committee and we did bus tours that year, aside just from the Farmer-Consumer Day bus tours; we did them throughout the season, and we wanted to revive that. So we worked out a legal arrangement with the City of Quincy so that we could use their little mini bus.”

Tax help available at senior centers

MOSES LAKE — Taxes can be confusing at the best of times. The Moses Lake and Ephrata senior centers are teaming up with AARP to take some of the confusion out of them at no charge. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is supplying volunteers to assist seniors with filling out and filing their tax forms, according to Tax Aide’s Moses Lake coordinator Jeanette Entz. The volunteers undergo training in January and at the end of the training take the same test tax preparers take, Entz said...

A call answered

Moses Lake pastor retires after 50 years in ministry

MOSES LAKE — There’s been a lot of change in American churches in the last 50 years. The Sexual Revolution, the Jesus Movement, megachurches, the end of the Cold War, the Internet, the pandemic – all these things have left their mark. And through it all, Pastor Floyd Wilks has been right there, in his pulpit, ministering...

Royal schools adopt new math curriculum

Teachers excited about new methods that focus on helping students learn visually.

ROYAL CITY — Royal schools will be seeing some changes in math after the Royal School Board voted unanimously at its meeting Monday to adopt new K-3 and 4-6 math curricula. The curriculum for elementary students is called Eureka Math2 and makes extensive use of hands-on and digital aids. Second-grade teacher Rachel Dubes showed the board one such aid, an abacus-like device called a Rekenrek, and described how it had spurred her students into multiplication...

Royal City robotics team has chance to compete in California

ROYAL CITY — If they can raise the money, nine budding Royal City engineers will be headed to California next month. The Royal Middle School robotics team, dubbed the Power Rangers, excelled both at the regional competition in Richland and the state competition in Spokane, bringing home the Champion Finalist Award said their robotics teacher and coach, Theresa Piper. Their next stop, they hope, will be the Western Edge Invitational, held May 12-14 in Long Beach, California...

Reading room

Royal City library moves closer to larger space

ROYAL CITY — Royal City’s library is about to have some breathing room. “We are hurting for space,” said librarian Jess Rosez. “Sometimes we have our programs indoors and they get a little bit tight. So we're really excited for the expansion.” The current library, located at 136 Camelia St., is only 1,200 square feet, said Susan Piercy, president of Royal City Friends of the Library.

Record hunt

Youth Outdoors Unlimited raises largest amount of funds for young hunters and anglers to date

MOSES LAKE — The room was brimming with both people and emotion at the Youth Outdoors Unlimited fundraiser banquet the evening of March 4. “We made a little over $129,000, which is an all-time record,” said YOU founder and director Cindy Carpenter. “We are so blessed to have such generous support from our hometown.” ...

Exploring the Seep Lakes can pay off for anglers

MARDON RESORT — Between Moses Lake and Othello, there’s a great big reservoir that boasts excellent bass, walleye and other fishing. Potholes Reservoir is kind of a well-known mecca for anglers. Head a little south and the landscape is dotted with myriad little spots of blue, somewhere around 70 of them – nobody really seems sure. These are the Seep Lakes, and they’re one of the Basin’s best-kept fishing secrets...

Perfect fit

Achievement Award winner has found her niche

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes, the profession and the person just match up neatly. LeRae Redal has a story like that. The owner of Moses Lake Real Estate Group, who received the Achievement Award at the Moses Lake-Othello Realtors Association in January, sort of fell into real estate 25 years ago and has been thriving there ever since. “I had a store downtown, (called) The Perfect Ac’Scent,” Redal said. “I decided that it was time to sell that and move on, and I got an offer on it. Then I was taking care of my dad's RV park – he was sick and going for treatment.”

Early days

It’s not time to plant yet, but there’s still plenty of garden preparation to do

MOSES LAKE — Spring is finally here, or so we all hope, although last week’s weather may have shattered many people’s faith in the season. And spring means the garden is calling. But don’t be too eager to answer that call, experts say. “Things are still really dormant, you know, and so people need to be a little patient,” said Lisa Villegas, owner of Seed Cupboard Nursery in Royal City. “One thing that you need to remember is it's still way too early in our area for most types of plants to be out. We're in Zone 6B here in Moses Lake, and our last frost date is approximately May 2. I don't ever put my plants out, my seedlings and annual flowers, until around Mother's Day,” said Valerie Parrott, president of the Moses Lake Garden Club and owner of Seed Cupboard’s satellite nursery in Moses Lake.

Full house

Columbia Basin Home and Garden Show draws crowds

MOSES LAKE — It was only about an hour into the first day of the Columbia Basin Home and Garden Show Friday morning, and already the place was packed. “I’m very happy with the way it’s started,” said Joe Eaton, behind tables laden with hot sauces and jerky. “You know, I've been vending for 28 years. And when someone says it's a first-time event, I always get a little nervous.” The show occupied the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds, and it wasn’t just customers who filled the venue. The show’s organizers, the team at Seed Cupboard Nursery, had originally planned for 50 vendors, but ended up having closer to 70. Originally, the organizers had asked a different organization to put the show together, Seed Cupboard owner Lisa Villegas said, but couldn’t get anyone interested, so they ended up organizing it themselves.

Growing excitement

Seed Cupboard Nursery opens for the season

ROYAL CITY — It takes a little work to get to Seed Cupboard Nursery, a mile or so west of Royal City. Every year though, lots of people think it’s worth the drive. We draw from around the entire community,” said Seed Cupboard owner Lisa Villegas. “From down in Desert Aire, Mattawa, they drive from Ellensburg, a small group from Wenatchee, Quincy, Ephrata, a lot of people from Moses and Othello. So we're kind of in the center. We're not in just one of those locations, so we're fortunate to have really loyal customers that come from all of those locations and support us.” Seed Cupboard, which opened for the year on Wednesday, is in its eleventh year of business, Villegas said. It started in a small red barn and one greenhouse, as Villegas’ retirement project, but that small scale didn’t last for long, she said.

Central Washington on display

Moses Lake Museum exhibit shows the best of our region

MOSES LAKE — Central Washington, in all its beauty, is on display at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. The exhibition titled simply “Life in Central Washington” features the work of Yakima Valley Arts Association members. The show opened on Feb. 3 and runs until March 17. “All the pieces in the show are pretty much inspired by our landscape,” said Dollie Boyd, director of the museum. “The work that we do here, the agriculture, the plants, the flora, the fauna.”

Versatile sound

Badger Mountain Dry Band creates bluegrass out of varied material

GEORGE — Almost anything can be turned into bluegrass, as the Badger Mountain Dry Band demonstrated at the George Community Hall on Saturday. “We play lots of different kinds and styles of music,” said Jim Honeyman, lead vocalist and mandolin player for BMDB. “Basically whatever we want, adapted into bluegrass style and played with bluegrass instruments.” Saturday’s set list covered a pretty broad range of music, all converted, as Honeyman said, run through the filter of mandolin, fiddle, guitar and high vocals (sung from the heart and through the nose, as banjo player Nick McLean said) that defines bluegrass.

Moses Lake woman jailed following damage to courthouse

EPHRATA — A Moses Lake woman is in jail after inflicting damage on the Grant County Courthouse in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Thinking small

Kit home legislation could ease housing crunch, aid those facing homelessness

OLYMPIA — Everybody knows there’s a housing shortage, especially for very low-income people and solutions are hard to come by. State Sen. Jeff Wilson, D-Longview, thinks he may have the start of one, however. “A hundred years ago, people bought houses from the Sears catalog – they came in a boxcar, you found a local crew to build them or you did it yourself,” Wilson wrote in a press release announcing the introduction of Senate Bill 5657. “We see prewar kit bungalows standing proudly today in every community of the state. As prices of starter homes skyrocket, we ought to take another look at kit homes as a solution for today.”

Arting early

Young, local artists on display at museum

MOSES LAKE — More than 250 budding artists got to see their work on display and show it off to the community Saturday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. “Oh, everyone has been so excited,” said Colleen Seto, the preschool instructor at the museum. “The preschool teachers showed up; the children have been able to show off their art, their friends’ art.” ...

Royal City considers security cameras

ROYAL CITY — The Royal City City Council considered the purchase of surveillance cameras at Tuesday’s meeting. Royal City Police Chief Rey Rodriguez presented council members with three options for PODS, or portable observation devices from Security Lines US, a California-based supplier of electronic surveillance equipment. “This first set I want to put right here as close as we can to Camelia and Ahlers,” he said. “To keep an eye on the park and that intersection (where) you get a lot of collisions.”

Summerfest at risk

ROYAL CITY — Last July, the streets of Royal City were filled with fun as the town’s annual Summerfest brought out parades, concerts, games and food. This year, it may not happen. “Nobody wants to volunteer anymore,” said Carly Smith, the chair of the Summerfest committee. “It can’t be run by four people, and four people only,” Those four people – Smith, Tiffany Workinger, Sharon Chesterman and Sherrie Rodriguez – have been the entire committee for the last three years, Workinger said, and all have stepped down this year due to other obligations.

Refuge at Mae Valley

New Hayden development selling fast on west shore of Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — There was a time not so long ago when Mae Valley west of Moses Lake was fairly wide open, with not much more than a golf course and Blue Heron Park, then called the Moses Lake State Park and a few streets of small houses. The west shore of Moses Lake has boomed in the last couple of decades though, and now there’s one more development springing up. The Refuge at Mae Valley is the latest development in Moses Lake by Redmond, Oregon-based Hayden Homes, which has built numerous others over the years, including the Crossroads and Hayden Estates neighborhoods north of Nelson Road on either side of Highway 17, and more recently, Maple Grove near Highway 17 and Grape Drive. Hayden Homes has been building in the Basin since 1993, according to the company’s website, with an emphasis on affordable family housing.

Thinking ahead

Chess players face off in Ephrata

EPHRATA — Chess isn’t something most people think of as a spectator sport, but in Ephrata on Saturday, it was the center of attention as about 100 children, encouraged by parents and teachers, gathered at Parkway Elementary School to show their checkmate chops. “Chess is a real thinker's game,” said Roger Pugh of the Waypoint Foundation in Ephrata, which sponsors the annual tournament. “You’ve got to think ahead. You’ve got to think before you move, and if not, you're gonna pay some consequences. And we hope they can use that same lesson in life.” ...

Vanguard Now

Students highlight passion project during presentation

MOSES LAKE - From left, Peter Martin, Gauge Brown and Warren Skaug present the story of their online school news program “Vanguard Now” at Vanguard Academy’s Passion Project presentation event. About 900 parents, friends and family members came to the school to see students show off projects including baked goods, art and a homemade recumbent bike. About 300 projects were presented, according to Vanguard Principal Kelly Cutter.

Drive to succeed

Moses Lake-Othello Realtor of the Year making waves in the business

MOSES LAKE — The signs in Tara Zerbo’s office say it all: “I’m not bossy, I’m motivational” and “Wake up, kick (backside), repeat.” Zerbo, 37, was named Realtor of the Year by the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors on Jan. 21. She also stepped down at that time as the president of the association, a role she handled with the same drive and energy her signs attest to. “Tara Zerbo is a first class person, takes her career extremely seriously and is a great role model,” said Jason Hall, managing broker at BHGRE Gary Mann Realty. “She was successful before entering the real estate industry so it's not surprising how well she is doing.”

Ruff times

Grant County Animal Outreach deals with overcrowding, dated facility, challenging jobs at Moses Lake shelter.

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Animal Outreach has run out of room. “The facility was built in World War II,” said Kar Vanerstrom, GCAO’s vice president. “And there haven't been any updates on it, so it's kind of in dire straits.” ...

Facing the past

Racial restrictions still on the books in some Basin neighborhoods

MOSES LAKE — When you buy a home, there are often neighborhood covenants that come with the property. Sometimes you have to have your house set a certain distance back from the street, or you can’t put up a shed as a second residence, or you can’t run certain kinds of business out of the house. And on paper, at least, sometimes you have to be white to live there. “Starting in the mid-20th century in eastern Washington, and earlier in some other places, developers began adding racial restrictions,” said Dr. Larry Cebula, a professor of history at EWU and managing director of the project. “These typically read ‘only members of the white or Caucasian race will live here.’ There’s usually a kind of codicil saying ‘excepting servants thereof.’ So if you had a servant who was a person of color, they could live there. Most of the racial covenants we find in eastern Washington reads like that. Sometimes there’s a list of who can’t live there: ‘No Negros may live here,’ ‘no members of the Asiatic race,’ – something like that. The language varies, but it’s usually only whites.” ...

Home sales drop, but show signs of bouncing back

MOSES LAKE — Home sales dropped pretty hard last month. According to data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, home sales in Washington dropped from 8,017 in December 2021 to 4,524 in December 2022, a 43.57% decrease. Grant County followed the trend with a drop of 44.57% from 2021. For the year as a whole, 1,103 homes were sold in Grant County in 2022 compared to 1,311 in 2021, a dip of 15.87%. Adams County sales dropped from 163 in 2021 to 139 in 2022, a 14.72% decrease. “There was nothing for anyone to buy,” said Tera Zerbo, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Mann Realty. “Nobody was putting their stuff on the market, so it made it really hard for you to move. Because you had your house you could sell, but where were you going to go? So there's no movement … Inventory was just non-existent. And the thing is last year, the interest rates were great, and people wanted to move and take advantage of all of that. And the appreciation in homes was fantastic. It's just we just didn't have any inventory.”

Farm efficiency

Tech advances help farmers manage crops

MOSES LAKE – As technology advances for fancy cars, trucks and devices in our pockets, so do advances in equipment used to grow our food. With employees stretched thin, advances in agricultural tech can help keep ag pros going. “One of the biggest situations is labor,” said Tim Prickett, co-owner of Rashco Farm Supply in Moses Lake, Washington. “(The response to) the increases in cost of labor is to mechanize, improve their processes. So that's kind of what we try to do is to find equipment that is going to reduce their inputs and increase their outputs.” ...

The dream lives on

Moses Lake gathers to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

MOSES LAKE — Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is still alive. That was the point that more than one speaker made at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration last Monday in Moses Lake. The event began with a march down Third Avenue to the Moses Lake Civic Center, and continued with songs, prayers and a reading of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. That speech spoke of a day “when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing.” “That speech, if you read through it, we're currently in that day. As I was looking out at the crowd, it was a very diverse crowd. And I saw that as he was speaking it, he was seeing into the future. And so I was thinking, I was standing in the future, looking back at what he was seeing, and it was just a surreal type of thing,” said Isaac Jones, who delivered the gathering’s keynote speech...

Odd jobs

Moses Lake's Home Electrical tackles the strange stuff

MOSES LAKE — James Anderson likes odd jobs. And sometimes they get pretty odd. Anderson is the owner of Home Electrical Services, based in Moses Lake. The name may sound pretty ordinary, but HES’ repertoire is anything but. Anderson prides himself on taking on jobs other places don’t want to do. “We recently did a churro line in Connell,” Anderson said. “And we had to set it all up and hook it up for him. It was a two-year project. It took two years to get it done. We just finished it.” ...

Something off?

What to do when a real estate professional lets you down

COLUMBIA BASIN — In a perfect world, every real estate transaction would be completely above board, and all parties would walk away happy. Unfortunately, it’s not a perfect world. Serious disputes between real estate professionals and clients aren’t common, but they do happen. So what is a person who feels wronged to do? Well, the best solution is not to get into a bad situation. Do your homework first, suggested Logan Hickle, spokesman for the Better Business Bureau...

Back in the game

Big Bend Cooperative Preschool re-opens in new digs

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Cooperative Preschool is back. The preschool, which had operated on the Big Bend Community College campus since the 1960s, was forced to shut down like so many other things in the summer of 2020. Now it’s found a new home at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moses Lake. “We were part of the college,” said preschool Board Member Jennifer Hickok. “And then we leased a spot at the college and the college, right before COVID, canceled our lease. And so we had to find a new place to be. Of course, it was during COVID, where are you going to go? It was really hard to keep open. The previous board actually made the decision to close because there was nothing we could do.” ...

Local talent

Moses Lake Museum showcases member’s works

MOSES LAKE — Oil portraits. Photos. Welded sculptures. Intricately painted feathers. Virtually anything a local artist can create is on display at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. “I keep telling everyone, there's something for everyone in this show, literally,” said Museum Director Dollie Boyd. “Because there's so many different styles and types of mediums. There's photography, there's this kind of upcycled work. There's paintings and illustrations. So it's a really cool mix. And I think everybody will find something they like.” This is the second year the museum has thrown open its gallery to its members and invited them to show off their creations. About 32 artists entered 90 artworks this year, which pretty well maxed out the available space, Boyd said.

Soap Lake standoff ends without incident

SOAP LAKE — A felony suspect is in custody after a standoff with police in Soap Lake Friday afternoon. The suspect, who had a felony warrant, fled on foot from a Soap Lake Police officer and ran into a residence in the 300 block of Road 20 Northwest, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. He stayed in the house for at least two hours, Foreman said, while the SLPD called for assistance from the sheriff’s office. Because the residence was close to Soap Lake schools, the schools were put on modified lockdown during the standoff. “He didn’t want to come out for a long time, and then we were able to coax him out of the house,” Foreman said. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, Foreman said. Neither the suspect’s name nor what his warrant was for was available Friday. Joel Martin can be reached at [email protected]

Sitting pretty

More than half of Washington homeowners equity-rich

COLUMBIA BASIN — Lots of homeowners are in good shape this year. A recent study by analysis firm ATTOM Data Solutions indicates that nearly half of mortgaged residential properties in the U.S. were considered equity-rich, meaning that the amount owed on them was no more than half the estimated value, the report said. “The way you make money on your home is your equity,” explained Jessie “Weno” Dominguez, CEO of Imagine Realty Group in Othello. “And the way you look at equity is as your savings account. So if I purchased a home, let's say, four years ago, right before the craziness, for $200,000, I put 5% down, I owed $190,000. I've been paying it for five years and owe now $170,000. I kept the house up, maintained it, kept it pretty nice. As home values rise, the prices continue to go up. That same home is now worth, let's say, $425,000, and I owe $170,000. So I'm equity-rich.” The study indicated that in the third quarter of 2022, 48.5% of mortgaged homes were classed as equity-rich, compared to 48.1% in second quarter and 39.5% in the third quarter of 2021. In fact, the the third quarter of 2022 marked the 10th consecutive quarter in which the proportion of equity-rich homes increased, according to the ATTOM report.

Royal City approves golf course funding

ROYAL CITY — The Royal City Golf Course could be getting a boost this year. The Royal City City Council voted Tuesday to approve an amendment to the usual annual agreement between the city and the Royal Golf Association regarding funding for the Royal City Golf Course. The amendment would allow the Royal Golf Association to request up to $30,000 in additional city funding for equipment replacements. “They have equipment there that's been aging for years,” Finance Director Shilo Christensen told the Herald Thursday. “And they just don't have a way to fund capital expenditures for equipment purchases. The last few years, they've been saying they're having a hard time with their current equipment. So this year, they're saying, well, maybe the city as part of the management team can help fund that. Because if they can't maintain the golf course, then we have no golf course.”

Booking history

Carnegie library in Ritzville looks to serve community

RITZVILLE - It’s a long way from Dunfermline, Scotland to Ritzville, Washington. Four thousand, three hundred eighty miles as the crow flies, in fact. (A very, very determined and untiring crow.) So why is the name of a child laborer from Dunfermline engraved proudly above a building in Ritzville? Because Andrew Carnegie loved books and wanted other people to enjoy them. “Being an immigrant and being poor when he first got here, he was really into helping the working class work their way up,” said Millie Hopkins, circulation manager for the East Adams Library District, which operates the Ritzville Carnegie Library...

Highway oasis

Java Bloom serves weary travelers and antique lovers

WASHTUCNA – For a lot of SR 26, there’s not a lot to see. One wheat field follows another as the interminable miles blur together. Then you dip into a small coulee and there before you, at the edge of Washtucna, is Java Bloom. “We wanted to do something at the corner here to help travelers since we're out in the middle of nowhere,” said Patricia Hulett, who owns Java Bloom with her husband Bill. “To give people a place to stop and refresh.” ...

‘This is such a wonderful season’

Gothard Sisters give Christmas a Celtic flavor

MOSES LAKE — The Wallenstien Theater took on a Celtic glow Tuesday evening, as the Gothard Sisters, Greta, Willow and Solana, brought their Christmas concert to Moses Lake. “This is such a wonderful season. I always love December when it comes around,” said Solana, the youngest of the trio...

Screen test

Royal High School News team keeps students in the loop

ROYAL CITY — Royal High School students can’t say they don’t know what’s going on in their school. “Hello, and welcome to this … edition of Royal High School News,” says a young anchorperson, holding a printed script and flanked by a classmate and a coffee mug that says “RHS News.” The edition changes according to whatever is being recognized on that particular day: National Education Week on Dec. 2, National Zipper Day on April 29. The teenage journalists go on to introduce themselves and the happenings of the day at Royal High School before launching into an interview with a teacher or an athlete...

Home prices up, sales down for November

MOSES LAKE — Home sales were down across Washington compared to November 2021, according to a statement from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, with rural East Side counties showing some of the heaviest declines. At the same time, median prices rose slightly, also with the exception of some rural counties. “Determined buyers are purchasing homes, with pent-up demand driving the market,” said Dean Rebhuhn, owner of Village Homes and Properties in Woodinville, in the statement. “Sellers who price to the market are attracting showings and receiving good offers.” ...

Area libraries to be redesigned

WENATCHEE — Libraries in the region will be getting a facelift, according to a statement from North Central Washington Libraries. The NCW Libraries Reimagining Spaces Project represents a $10 million, multi-year redesign of all the libraries in the NCWL system, NCWL spokesperson Amanda Brack told the Herald. Twenty-seven of those libraries, including all the branches in Grant County, will be redesigned by Library Forward, out of San Francisco, in conjunction with Wenatchee-based Forte Architects. Work is already underway at the remaining three libraries, in Wenatchee, Winthrop and Brewster, also funded by the Reimagining Spaces Project...

Celebrating agriculture

Ag Parade shines brightly through bitter cold

MOSES LAKE — It was chillier than a penguin’s toes Friday evening, but that didn’t deter the crowds at the annual Ag Appreciation Parade in Moses Lake. “I have never been so cold,” said Denise Kinder, president of the Downtown Moses Lake Association, as she organized parade floats in the Surf ‘n Slide Water Park parking lot. The temperature was somewhere in the teens and there was still snow on the ground from earlier in the week. Kinder wasn’t sure off the top of her head how many entrants there were, but she estimated 50 or 60, about in line with last year...

‘Pretty drastic’

Food banks gear up for increased need

COLUMBIA BASIN — With the year winding down and the holidays looming, more and more people are counting on local food banks to make ends meet, especially in a struggling economy. “We had a 19% increase from Thanksgiving week last year,” said Peny Archer, executive director of Community Services of Moses Lake, which operates the Moses Lake Food Bank. “Our numbers are definitely climbing. It’s pretty drastic. I mean, any for-profit (organization) that had that 19% increase would be really excited.” Unfortunately, that kind of growth isn’t a good thing when you’re helping the needy. In the United States, more than 10% of households are food-insecure, according to a USDA study completed last year. The numbers are higher in rural areas: 11% of households have low or no food security, and 87% of the counties with the highest food insecurity rates are rural – in places like Grant and Adams counties.

Merry and bright

All-out holiday decorating takes a lot of work, planning and holiday spirit

MOSES LAKE — Now that the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays are over, it’s time to prepare for the big one. For a lot of us, Christmas decorating means setting up the tree, dusting off the Nativity scene and maybe hanging some twinkling lights around the front window. But some folks like to take decorating to a whole different level, with lights upon lights upon lights and inflatable figures of every variety that can turn a neighborhood into a winter wonderland. For those who go full Griswold, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. “It's taken probably two and a half to three weeks this year to get everything up,” said Alan Coulter, whose holiday displays are considered legendary in Moses Lake. “When we moved here in the Montlake neighborhood about 20 years ago, we only had a couple of inflatables. This year, we have 75 inflatables, we’ve got 30 walk-through illuminated arches, three-quarters of a mile of extension cords laying out there and close to 15,000 lights. So yeah, it's grown.” ...

Keeping Warm

Take steps now to winterize your house inside and out

COLUMBIA BASIN — As perceptive observers may have noticed, the weather has recently changed. Here in the Basin, we’ve had our brief annual visit from fall and winter is now pounding at our door like a battering ram. Which means it’s time to seal up, wrap up and warm up the house. “One of the things obviously, when you're coming into the winter, is that people at home should definitely be checking all their air filters,” said Logan Hickle, a spokesman for the Better Business Bureau. “They should be checking their windows and their doors, making sure all the correct sealants are in place, if anything's cracking, getting that replaced, because that can one help keep you warm and to save on energy bills.” “When you're worried about winterization, the biggest issues are the pipes, and then things like insulation,” said McLain Fanning, general manager of Ace Hardware in Royal City. “Of course, it's nice to have a good space heater. But that's not worth all that much if you have all these cracks in your home, if there's any spaces where you can see daylight through like a door frame or a window, or sometimes people will put a hole in their garage to run an air compressor hose into their shop or something. If there's any place where air can freely travel, basically that makes it so you're heating the world instead of just your home.”

‘Enriching lives’

Entrust Community Services helps people with disabilities be included

MOSES LAKE — Entrust Community Services’ slogan is “Enriching lives thorough opportunity,” and that’s what they’ve been doing, without a lot of fanfare or publicity. “We do four things,” said Entrust CEO Tom Gaulke. “We work with high school students with disabilities to try to help them get jobs before they graduate school. So they graduate into something not nothing. We work with folks with disabilities of all kinds in our employment program. And our employment program serves folks with a wide range of disabilities ... We do housing for folks who are living on the streets or are at risk of losing their homes. We help them find places to live ... And then the last thing we do is community inclusion, which is working with our families who have those adult children who maybe work is not something they want to pursue. And we work to connect them up to their community. So we engage in in clubs and classes and social activities within the community to give the parents a break, but then also to develop skills in those folks so they can gain some more independence and move throughout the community.”

Royal City considers 2023 budget

ROYAL CITY — The Royal City City Council tentatively approved the city’s budget for 2023 at its meeting Tuesday evening. The first part of the meeting was the last public hearing on the budget, city Finance Director Shilo Christensen said, although no members of the public turned up to comment on it. “We're required to have so many public hearings before we adopt it,” Christensen said. “So this is our final public hearing. We can continue to talk about as much as we want, we just have to adopt it before the end of the year. So my assumption is, the first or second council meeting in December it will be adopted.”

‘It was the kiddos’

MLCA teacher came to her dream job in roundabout way

Julie Carvo said she didn’t plan from the outset to become a teacher. It just sort of crept up on her. Carvo, who’s been teaching fourth grade at Moses Lake Christian Academy for 10 years, started out home-schooling her own kids. While she was doing that, her husband suggested she put that experience to another use. “He said, ‘Honey, I know you love what you're doing, but would you like to go get the paperwork that says you're qualified to do what you're doing?’” Carvo recalled. “So I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ So that's when I went to school to get the paperwork that said I'm qualified to do what I'm already doing.” At first, Carvo was helping out students at Moses Lake High School who were in danger of missing graduation because of a behavioral or medical problem.