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
'Pete the Cat' rocks the Wallenstien
MOSES LAKE — The Wallenstien Theater at Big Bend Community College erupted Saturday night into high-octane silliness with the presentation of “Pete the Cat,” a musical adaptation of the popular children’s books by Kimberly and James Dean. The show is produced by New York-based TheaterWorks and sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts as part of its Green Turtle children’s theater series. A crowd of about 180 people turned out for Saturday’s performance.
Brews & Tunes draws crowds
Old Man Winter may have held Moses Lake in his icy grip recently, but he unclenched long enough Saturday for folks to enjoy music, beer and sunshine at the Brews & Tunes event downtown.
Daddies, daughters and a dance floor
MOSES LAKE — The fathers were handsome, the princesses were resplendent and the superheroes were, well, heroic Saturday night at Moses Lake High School’s annual Daddy-Daughter Dance. The event raises funds for the choir students to take a trip to Hawaii next year, said Choir Boosters treasurer Travis Steffler.
Country Sweethearts Banquet raises funds for cancer patients
MOSES LAKE — The 4-H Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds was alive with activity Saturday night as 350 people came to enjoy the annual Country Sweethearts banquet and auction. The event raised over $124,000 for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation, according to the foundation’s executive director, Angel Kneedler.
Scouts match cars at Pinewood Derby
MOSES LAKE — The roar of the engines may have been replaced by the rattle of plastic wheels and the whoosh of carved wood propelled by gravity, but the racers at Cub Scout Pack 67’s Pinewood Derby in Moses Lake Saturday had enough enthusiasm for any NASCAR crowd. Each boy had cut out, assembled, painted and decorated his own vehicle (no more than 7 inches long by 2 3/4 inches wide and weighing no more than 5 ounces, according to Boy Scout regulations) and they were all eager to see how their cars stacked up. In a Pinewood Derby, vehicles are started from a standstill and allowed to roll down a ramp to a finish line.
Christmas miracle
EPHRATA — “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel...” (Micah 5:2)
Auction raises money for Christian Academy
MOSES LAKE — Nearly 300 people turned out for Moses Lake Christian Academy’s annual fundraiser banquet and auction recently. Not only did the event sell out, but enough additional people showed up that an extra table had to be set up to accommodate them, according to auction coordinator Jeni Chandler.
Lindpocalypse
LIND — The turnout wasn't huge for the Lind Zombie Walk Saturday and Sunday, but the folks who were there had a wild and gory time taking over Lind Town Park and shambling through the streets in search of edible gray matter. The Zombie Walk began with a parade Saturday and moved on to a paintball zombie-shooting gallery and two scary-but-family-friendly movies, finishing up with a cakewalk and trunk-or-treat for the kids Sunday evening.
Shootout at the museum
EPHRATA — It was a fairly peaceful Saturday afternoon in the old West town. The dusty gravel street had a few people meandering about between the print shop, the general store and the doctor’s office. Others stood idly on the wooden sidewalks. Suddenly off near the saloon, a couple of drunks began shouting and waving their guns between swigs from the whiskey bottle they’d been passing back and forth. A sheriff’s deputy tried to reason with them a little, but everybody knew what was going to happen. One sot took aim at the deputy, and a few bangs later, both lay dead in the street, the bottle leaking next to the bodies.
Art & Wine Walk coming Oct. 7
MOSES LAKE — Once again, local artists, vintners, brewers and more will converge in Moses Lake Oct. 7 for the annual Art & Wine Walk. The event sprawls across downtown and runs from 1 to 5 p.m.
Spud Run showcases classic vehicles
Othello’s Kiwanis Park became hot rod heaven over the weekend, as the Spud Run car show put wheeled beauty on display. The sun did its part by reflecting dazzlingly off the various paint schemes on the vehicles, but the downside was that every available spot of shade was occupied. Some exhibitors had the foresight to bring canopies to keep the sun off. Still, the heat didn’t deter a sizable crowd of visitors from walking around in awe of the array of classics.
Special Star Pageant a place to shine
MOSES LAKE - Beauty pageants are known for being glittery, glamorous extravaganzas. But if there’s ever been one more out-and-out joyful than the Special Star Pageant, it’s hard to imagine what it would be.
Mail carriers team up to stamp out hunger
MOSES LAKE — Mail carriers deliver packages, letters and (alas) bills to residents all over town. But this week they’ve been carrying something extra the other direction: food.
It's all geek at Wenatchee pop culture convention
WENATCHEE — Costumes. Gaming tournaments. Time machines. It’s all coming to the Wenatchee next Saturday at the first annual WEN-CON, held at the Town Toyota Center.
Y.O.U. brings the outdoors to kids
The Best Western in Moses Lake was a chaotic and enthusiastic scene Saturday evening, as the 7th annual Youth Outdoors Unlimited banquet and auction brought some outdoor dreams within reach.
Here come the brides: Women's Expo features all things wedding
MOSES LAKE — The atmosphere was fun, friendly and feminine on Saturday as the Washington Women’s Expo filled the ATEC Center at Big Bend Community College. Although a wide range of services and products geared toward women was featured, the expo’s origins as a bridal show still shone through. About 700 people attended, according to event coordinator Tera Redwine.
Ephrata veterans mark the day the guns fell silent
EPHRATA — A crowd of about 500 people lined the streets of Ephrata Friday for the 20th annual Veterans Day Parade put on by the American Legion. Veterans of a wide range of ages and all branches of the service marched down First Street and back up Basin to honor all those who had taken on the uniform and placed their lives between their country and danger.
Ephrata turns out big for Sage-n-Sun
Sage-n-Sun
There are some things Ephrata is sort of short on: high crime, traffic, crowds. But two things the Grant County seat has in abundance are sunshine and sagebrush. So it’s only fitting that the biggest community celebration of the year is named for those elements.
Vacation Bible School presents timeless truths in a fresh way
Bible School
MOSES LAKE — It’s not your father’s Vacation Bible School.
Distinguished Young Women show their stuff
Distinguished Young Women
MOSES LAKE — The fire department places a maximum on the number of people who can fit into the Moses Lake High School auditorium, a maximum that was nearly met Saturday night. Fortunately, there is no cap on the amount of beauty, talent and achievement that can be packed into the building. If there were, the seven young ladies who participated in the Distinguished Young Women pageant would undoubtedly have exceeded it.
Othello chamber honors local luminaries
Othello honors
Othello — About 270 members of the Othello community turned out for the Othello Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet recently. Besides dinner, the evening featured a silent auction and awards for Othello’s teachers, business, civil servant(s) and citizen of the year.
The Pack is back
Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show took the stage Saturday
MOSES LAKE — They were four guys: two Italian, one Jewish, one black. They sang, danced, acted and kept America entertained on stage, screen and the front pages of newspapers. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. called themselves “The Clan” or “The Summit,” but the rest of the world knew them as The Rat Pack. And during the years between Sputnik and Woodstock, they were the yardstick for measuring cool.
Missoula Children's Theater brings classic to impromptu stage
‘Sleeping Beauty’
MOSES LAKE — A crowd of about 60 kids danced and sang their way through two performances of “Sleeping Beauty” on Saturday. The shows were the culmination of a week of rehearsals with two actor/directors from Missoula Children’s Theater.
Downtown trick-or-treat
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Curt Carpenter resigns from MLIRD
MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District general manager Curt Carpenter resigned this week from his position.