RACHAL PINKERTON
Staff Writer
Recent Stories
Tree planted to honor Royal City volunteer
The wife, daughter and granddaughter of longtime Royal City farmer and volunteer “Ike” Parker planted a tree in the Royal City Park in his honor on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Othello Chamber to host city-wide farmers market
The Othello Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an all-city farmers market this Saturday, Oct. 10. Instead of being held in one location, the market will be held at various businesses around Othello.
Ephrata School District starts remodeling projects
Voters in the Ephrata School District will finally be able to see the results of the bond measure passed in 2019 for remodelings at several schools in the district.
People For People to make route changes
Starting Monday, Oct. 12, People For People will be making changes to two bus routes.
Royal High School students struggle with online engagement
Of the 120 high school students currently enrolled in 100 percent online learning, 20 percent are checking in daily. Another 20 percent “wiggle in and out,” according to McCoy. It is the remaining 60 percent of online students that have McCoy, Achondo and other district staff concerned.
Quincy School District gets two auditor findings
The Quincy School District received two findings from the Washington State Auditor’s office on Monday, Sept. 21.
Mennonite Country Auction goes online
The annual Mennonite Country Auction has gone online this year, due to the coronavirus epidemic. It will close on Saturday.
People For People to make changes to Tri-Cities route
On Oct. 12, People For People will be adding a stop in Moses Lake for those wishing to take the bus to the Tri-Cities.
Quincy sets cleanup day
The city of Quincy will hold Fall Clean-Up Day on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the city yard next to the Quincy Public Services Building.
Royal HS welcomes new principal
ROYAL CITY — Courtney McCoy has taken the position of principal at Royal High School. For the past five years, McCoy has been the principal of Warden High School. Prior to that, she taught for 20 years, specializing in English, communications and journalism classes.
Royal Intermediate School gets new principal
ROYAL CITY — Royal Intermediate School is welcoming a new principal for the upcoming school year.
Wahluke School District has new special education director
MATTAWA — The Wahluke School District has a new special education director.
Calls continue for Wahluke board member to resign
MATTAWA — Nine people, including alumni, teachers and one school board member, spoke out against Wahluke School Board member Seth Weeks — and comments he has made on social media — during the community comment portion of a Wahluke School Board meeting on Tuesday, July 14.
Q&A with Georgia Bunch, Othello valedictorian
OTHELLO — On Friday evening, Othello High School senior Georgia Bunch walked across the stage and graduated as the Othello High School Class of 2020 valedictorian. The Sun Tribune reached out to Bunch and asked her questions about high school, the COVID-19 shut down and where she is headed this fall.
Unemployment rate rises in Adams County
OLYMPIA — The unemployment rate in Adams County increased in May 2020.
New COVID-19 cases continue to increase
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — The number of positive cases of COVID-19 continues to rise in both Grant and Adams counties.
Quilters make best of lockdown time
OTHELLO — The quintet of Dianna Booth, Julie Bridges, Janet Larsen, Linda Boothman and Pattie Yonkers take their quilting seriously. They and some other Othello ladies meet regularly at Othello Christian Church and ply their craft, and a couple of times a year, the ladies get together for a quilting weekend.
Wahluke’s Sentinel Tech: Helping students succeed
MATTAWA — This year Sentinel Tech, the alternative high school in Mattawa, had a 100 percent graduation rate. That is a major accomplishment for a school that has had a low graduation rate in the past.
Adams County unemployment rates up for May 2020
OLYMPIA — The layoffs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic brought an increase in the unemployment rate in Adams County during May 2020. While April 2020 numbers showed a rise in unemployment, it was not as high as May 2020, which recorded an unemployment rate of 12.2 percent. The unemployment for April 2020 was 9.1 percent.
Two more deaths linked to COVID-19 in Grant County
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — Two more Grant County residents passed away this week after having tested positive for COVID-19. The first resident, whose passing was reported on Thursday, July 9, was a Moses Lake man in his 70s. The second, a Mattawa man in his 50s, passed away late last week. However, the death wasn’t reported until Monday, July 13. These deaths bring Grant County’s death toll linked to COVID-19 to eight.
Saddle Mountain Fire contained
MATTAWA — South County fire departments have experienced or responded to a couple of different fires over the past week. The first fire, named the Saddle Mountain Fire 2020, started Monday, July 6, around 12:30 p.m. on the western end of the Saddle Mountain range. Fire departments from Mattawa, Royal Slope, Hanford, Franklin County, Ephrata and Quincy initially responded to the fire. By Tuesday morning, command of the fire had been handed over to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
Quarantined Quilters featured artists at Othello’s Old Hotel
OTHELLO — Five ladies are the featured artists this month at the Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello. The quintet of Dianna Booth, Julie Bridges, Janet Larsen, Linda Boothman and Pattie Yonkers has been quilting together for several years. They and some other ladies in Othello meet at the Othello Christian Church and quilt. Also, a couple of times a year, the five ladies get together for a weekend and just quilt.
Othello Farmers Market makes plans to open
OTHELLO — The Othello Farmers Market is scheduled to open Thursday, July 23 in a different location from previous years.
Ag facility in Adams County does mass COVID-19 testing
RITZVILLE — An ag facility in Adams County tested all of its employees over the Fourth of July weekend, according to Karen Potts, community health director of the Adams County Health Department. The facility has had three unrelated COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks.
Number of COVID-19 cases rising
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — Grant County reported 114 new cases of COVID-19 between Monday, June 29, and Monday, July 6.
Fire restrictions issued for Eastern Washington
SPOKANE — Fire restrictions are now in place for Eastern Washington. The restrictions took effect at midnight on Friday, July 3, for the counties in the region, including Grant and Adams. The Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation issued the restrictions in a press release on July 1.
School districts adjust to McCleary Fix
SOUTH COUNTY — State legislators passed the McCleary Fix last February, a bill that limits the amount of money school districts can ask for at levy time.
Grant County reports 6th death from COVID-19
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — A sixth person in Grant County has died from COVID-19-related issues. The patient was a Moses Lake man in his 90s, according to a statement from Grant County Health District. The patient was not associated with a long-term care facility.
CBHA donates money to Othello, Connell, Mattawa
OTHELLO — Columbia Basin Health Alliance (CBHA) recently donated $5,000 to each of the cities it serves – Othello, Connell and Mattawa. The donations were from the money raised in last year’s CBHA Run for a Cause Color Run.
Wahluke School Board member receives flak over social media posts
MATTAWA — Three Wahluke School District employees and one high school teacher from western Washington participated in public comment during the Wahluke School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 23. All four spoke about some comments that Wahluke Board Member Seth Weeks has made on social media.
Wahluke teacher takes kids where the learning is
MATTAWA — Wahluke Junior High science teacher Mike Bosko’s background paid some dividends this year.
A year later: How is the McCleary Fix really affecting local school districts
SOUTH COUNTY — Last February, the state legislature passed what was called the McCleary Fix, which limited the amount of money that school districts could ask for at levy time. At the time, school districts around the state began to wonder how to pay for all the services that were provided to students. Many districts began making cuts in preparation for the McCleary Fix to take effect this fall.
School districts make plans for reopening this fall
OLYMPIA — Last week, on Saturday, June 20, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released a video on YouTube regarding the reopening of school this fall and answered four main questions that OSPI has been asked recently.
COVID-19 cases jump significantly in Grant County
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — The news for new COVID-19 cases in Grant County has not been good this past week. On Monday, June 15, a total of 337 cases had been reported. As of Monday, June 22, 471 confirmed cases had been reported. The past week was the highest week for reported cases since the outbreak started in early spring, with 134 new cases reported through the week.
Speakers lined up for Fourth of July in George
GEORGE — Since 1957, a Fourth of July celebration has been held every year at the George Community Hall. Even with the coronavirus, this year is no exception.
Mattawa restaurant tries to manage COVID-19 restrictions
MATTAWA — Tiddaly Diddalys, a restaurant in Mattawa, tried not to miss a beat when restrictions on business and movement were enacted to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Fifth death, large increase in COVID-19 cases reported
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — The past week has seen a large increase in new cases of COVID-19 in both Grant and Adams counties. It also saw the fifth death in Grant County from the virus.
A police chief’s perspective on policing and customer service
MATTAWA — On June 1, Mattawa experienced a protest regarding the death of George Floyd. The protest was peaceful.
Mattawa city staff come together for mask distribution
MATTAWA — The effort to educate the population of Mattawa about the COVID-19 virus started prior to the first positive test announced in the community. On March 6, leaders from various community organizations came together to discuss their initial plan of attack for how to combat the COVID-19 virus. Since then, community leaders and the staff at the city of Mattawa have been working together to promote the health and safety of their city during the COVID-19 crisis.
A high number of COVID-19 cases reported in Grant, Adams counties
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — The past week saw a higher number of new cases of COVID-19 than usual in Grant and Adams counties. From Monday, June 1, to Monday, June 8, Grant County has had 14 new cases and Adams County has had 16 new cases.
Mattawa restaurant works through coronavirus restrictions
MATTAWA — The time of COVID-19 has caused many businesses to change and adapt their business models. For those in the restaurant industry, adaptations have been made as dining rooms have been closed and now reopened with limited seating areas.
Hiawatha Elementary students artist of the month
OTHELLO — Sixth-grade science students at Hiawatha Elementary School are the featured artists for the month of June at the Old Hotel Art Gallery, in Othello.
Quincy Farmers Market to open in new location
QUINCY — Quincy Farmers Market will open for the season on Saturday, June 20, at Heritage Park, outside the Reiman-Simmons House, 415 F St. SW, Quincy.
Spike in new COVID-19 cases in Grant, Adams counties
MOSES LAKE/OTHELLO — There were a lot of new cases of COVID-19 reported in Grant and Adams counties this past week. From Friday, May 22, to Monday, June 1, 38 new cases were reported in Grant County, bringing the new number of confirmed cases to 236. The only cities not to see new cases were Royal City, Soap Lake and the Grand Coulee/Electric City area.
Wahluke plans parade for high school graduation
Wahluke plans parade for high school graduation
MATTAWA — Wahluke High School has announced the parade route that graduates will take on Friday, June 12, as part of their graduation ceremony.
Royal School District names employees of the year
ROYAL CITY — The Royal School District has chosen this year’s certificated and classified employees of the year.
Othello pool to stay closed this summer
OTHELLO — The Othello Community Pool will not be opening this year. The city council voted to keep it closed with a near-unanimous vote during a meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
Grant, Adams health officer issues face mask directive
EPHRATA/RITZVILLE — Residents of both Grant and Adams counties are being instructed to wear face masks, according to a directive issued by Dr. Alexander Brzezny, health officer for both counties. Brzezny issued the directive for Adams County on Tuesday, May 26, and Grant County on Wednesday, May 27.
Stormy weather keeps emergency services busy
SOUTH COUNTY — Fire crews and emergency services were busy on Saturday with the lightning storms that passed through the area both early in the morning and again in the afternoon and evening.
Mid-Columbia Libraries announces summer reading challenge
KENNEWICK — Each year, Mid-Columbia Libraries offers the Summer Reading Challenge. This year, with the libraries closed due to COVID-19, the Summer Reading Challenge is being held online, according to a press release from the Mid-Columbia Libraries on Monday, June 1.