KEN SMITH

Survival of the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit hinges on sagebrush

Protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, efforts are ongoing to keep it self-sufficient

EPHRATA — The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit was once prolific in the region, numbering in the thousands. But with agricultural development, its numbers have plummeted to around 100-150 fragmented populations. However, a dedicated group of people and organizations are working to preserve its habitat, primarily corridors of shrub cover, critical to their survival.

Othello Huskies new coach begins his journey -- following a legendary coach

OTHELLO— Coach Jerome Learman was hired as the Othello Huskies head coach in April. He looks to fill big shoes, replacing retired Hall of Fame Coach Roger Hoell, who built a winning tradition in the 32 years he coached the Huskies, which included one state championship and 238 victories in his illustrious career. The Huskies finished last year with a 9-2 record, losing in the first round of the playoffs. With over 40 players on the roster, compared to 90 in past years, the rebuilding process will be a challenge for a new coach, introducing a new system. However, Learman brings a great deal of experience in football coaching with over 31 years on the gridiron in various capacities as an assistant and head coach at both the high school and college levels. He said the yearning to return to football led him to seek head coaching at a high school.

Brothers rack up honors for heifer and lamb

MOSES LAKE—Two brothers left with a few Grand Championship titles at the Grant County Fair. Eli Ahmann, 15, and his brother, Zach, 12, won several categories in FFA for breeding heifer and lambs. Eli took the Grand Championship prize for a breeding red Rhone heifer, and Zach won Grand Champion for the Skyline 4-H Club intermediate showmanship lamb and overall Reserve Grand Champion for a prospect lamb. Genetics play a big role in raising champion livestock, but also a lot of work and commitment to raising the animals. “Every day in the morning, we feed it, and work with it,” said Eli. “And at night, we wash it and comb the hair to grow it.”

Moses Lake's newest Mexican restaurant opens — Cactus

MOSES LAKE — Suced Yusso is a new restaurateur in Moses Lake, opening the Cactus restaurant downtown at 212 S. Division Street. Yusso's passion for food, along with her enjoyment of serving people, led her to start a restaurant. "I love working with families, with customers, and I want to offer a little bit of my Mexican food for the residents of Washington," Yusso said. The restaurant offers a mix of Mexican and American cuisines, including seafood, beef, and chicken dishes. Yusso emphasized the importance of family involvement in running the restaurant, with her husband and three sons helping out in all aspects of the business, and a waitress, who Yusso said she has raised like a daughter since she was six years of age. In the kitchen, Yusso hired two cooks, each with 18 years of experience.

Technicians working to fix damaged fiber circuit, restore cable channel outages

Technicians continue to work on resolving a damaged fiber circuit, which has caused an outage of cable channels in Grant County and other areas. While the Spokane Complex Fire hasn't directly been attributed to causing damage, the impact of the fire in the region has stretched resources thin and caused technicians to work on other fiber issues. The exact cause of the cable damage remains uncertain.

Fiber circuits damaged by Spokane Complex Fire impacts local channels

The Spokane Complex Fire has caused channels to go black in Grant County.

Meet the candidates at the Old Time Political Rally July 22 in Ephrata

EPHRATA—The Grant County Museum will host an Old Time Political Rally on Wednesday, July 22. All Grant County-wide candidates have been invited, as well as all candidates for the 13th Legislative District and the 4th Congressional District. Each candidate will be given approximately five minutes to convince you to vote for them in the upcoming primary election.

Expect SR 17 delays during roadwork from Moses Lake to Othello

Roundabout at Cunningham Road and SR 17 completed; designed to slow traffic at dangerous intersection

OTHELLO — If you are driving south or north on SR 17 between Moses Lake and Othello, then expect delays as pavement sealing work is underway, creating delays between milepost 27 south of Moses Lake and milepost 44 south of Othello. The backup at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday lasted about 20 minutes, according to Othello City Engineer and Public Works Director Robin Adolphsen, and there is no convenient alternative route to circumvent the roadwork.

The U.S. is out of the World Cup, but the excitement continues for the final games

SEATTLE – The United States men's national team ended its World Cup tournament with a loss to Belgium 4-1 Monday at Seattle Stadium in the round of 16. It was a disappointing ending to a tournament every U.S. fan had high hopes to see the team make it to the semifinals. Prior to the game the fans once again showed up at the stadium hours before the start of the game, dressed in red, white and blue ready to watch a U.S. victory. Unlike the previous game in Seattle when the U.S. played Australia, and the streets were lined with thousands of yellow shirted Australians, the Belgium turnout was sparse in comparison. The Belgium team had been staying in Renton, Washington at the Providence Swedish Performance Center and Clubhouse, home to the MLS Seattle Sounders. And the team looked more rested on the field than the U.S. They played a step ahead of the U.S., fresher legs and more skillful. The U.S. defenders couldn't stop the speedier Belgian forwards, and the U.S. team will now watch the Belgians take on Spain in a quarterfinal game in Los Angeles Stadium on Friday.

Treat Your Pets

Moses Lake couple offers freeze-dried premium pet treats

MOSES LAKE – Gale and Danny Wilson, owners of Treat Your Pet LLC, based in Moses Lake, went on a journey three years ago making freeze-dried human grade pet treats for dogs and cats. Their products include a wide variety of treats, and they offer them at the Moses Lake Farmers Market and expanded to the Richland Farmers Market this year. Despite high costs and fluctuating prices for the products, their business is growing, with plans to add another freeze dryer to the three they currently own to meet demand. They spoke to the Columbia Basin Herald at the Moses Lake Farmers Market on Saturday. The business idea, said Danny, sprouted after they bought freeze dryers to make fruit for their children and then began freeze-drying treats for their six dogs. When they decided to create a business, the first challenges presented themselves, most importantly licensing and Washington State Department of Agriculture approval, which took up to six months. Once that was completed, they were ready to launch their business.