GALLERY: Sage-‘N-Sun 2025

EPHRATA — Ephrata’s annual Sage-‘N-Sun festival Friday and Saturday brought the community out for music, a parade, food and fun. Here are a few scenes from the event.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Congrats to the Class of 2025

Over the last two weeks, I’ve had the distinct privilege of running a newsroom that covers more than a dozen high school graduations and one college graduation. Students, armed with knowledge, grit, sass and an absolutely wonderful desire to push for their dreams walked across football fields, stages, basketball courts and other venues to receive their paper that says they are, officially, done with a chapter of their lives. I would encourage the Class of 2025 to remember something, and this is something that took me probably longer than it should have to realize: Everything up to high school is just a lesson, and life as an adult is the final exam. That may sound a little daunting, and it is, but there’s something even more important to remember: You’ve had good teachers for this test.

111th graduating class strolls out in style in Ephrata

EPHRATA — About 200 students strolled, cavorted, lightsaber-battled and marched their way onto the Ephrata High School football field last Friday evening. Some wore honor cords showing accomplishments, some had decorated mortar boards and others a look of relief that their day had finally come. Student speaker, Charles Flynn, a graduating senior and outgoing Associated Student Body president, thanked the teachers, staff, parents and others who’d helped him and his classmates reach their educational and other goals. “I would also like to thank the class behind me,” Flynn said while at the podium, facing the gathered audience. “Many of us have grown up with each other since grade school, making mistakes and maturing from them along the way, staying up late to complete work, then waking up early to turn it in, going to football games and bonfires. All of these moments have given me the utmost confidence in the class sitting behind me. Today is not merely a heartfelt goodbye, but it is also a new beginning.”

Gorge shooting suspect appears in court

EPHRATA – James Kelly, the suspect in the June 2023 shooting at the Beyond Wonderland music festival, appeared in court Tuesday morning when his defense team requested a continuance for his omnibus hearing.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: The importance of learning spaces

What a weird time we live in. We have the greatest access to information since the dawn of time, but the double-edged sword of the internet is that we also have the greatest access to misinformation since the dawn of time.

UPDATED: Fire prompts evacuations near Ancient Lakes

QUINCY – A wildfire has broken out near the Ancient Lakes, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. An evacuation notice has been issued for those at the nearby campsites, and GCSO deputies are visiting campers to inform them that they need to evacuate the area.

Fire near Wanapum Village fully contained

WANAPUM VILLAGE – A fire broke out Wednesday evening almost due east of the Wanapum Village between Royal City and George, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources. It was contained at about 60 acres Thursday afternoon.

Five fantasy series for ages 12 and up

When I first started fourth grade, I despised reading. Now, that very thought sounds like sacrilege and I’ve gone on amazing adventures all through the pages of books. Not only do I have fond memories of reading particular books, but I grew as both a person and a writer as a result. Generally, fantasy and science fiction have been my favorite genres, though poetry and the occasional biography have drawn me in.

Narcan vending machine has long path to installation, cancellation

MOSES LAKE – North Central Washington Libraries staff said they were surprised by Moses Lake City Council’s actions requiring the removal of the Narcan vending machine from the Moses Lake Public Library in late March. NCW Deputy Director for Public Services Kim Neher said the machine being installed wasn’t an initiative spearheaded by the library district, but rather something the city had approached them about.

Civil Air Patrol presents at council workshop

EPHRATA – Civil Air Patrol cadets practiced presenting the colors at an Ephrata City Council workshop Wednesday evening at City Hall. The drill and ceremonies competitors are headed to California for competition soon and wanted to get practice in front of an audience. Kathy Maxwell with the Civil Air Patrol said this is multiple years in a row the Ephrata squadron has qualified for the competition. Members said the competition includes a variety of categories including physical fitness, knowledge and drill and ceremonies.

Ephrata parks ready to welcome residents, visitors

EPHRATA - Anyone just driving through Ephrata on Basin Street may miss some of the parks and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors that the city offers. From hiking on Beezley Hill to picnics at Patrick Park to shooting hoops at Lions Park or working on your kick flip at the city’s skate park, there’s a bit of something for everyone.

Moses Lake cleanup day scheduled

MOSES LAKE – The Downtown Moses Lake Association isn’t messing around – no, really. The organization has planned its annual Downtown Spring Clean-up for April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Quincy PD arrests burglary suspect

QUINCY – The Quincy Police Department, assisted by the Moses Lake Police Department and Grant County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Joshua D. Avalos, 33, of Quincy after he was identified as a suspect in an apartment burglary.

Basin residents protest Trump policies in Ephrata

EPHRATA – A group of between 75 and 80 people gathered in front of Sun Basin Plaza in downtown Ephrata Saturday from a little before 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. to protest policies put forth by the Donald Trump administration.

City of Ephrata considering logo options

EPHRATA – The Ephrata City Council is reviewing options for a logo for the city which could be used for marketing and other purposes and discussed how to move forward during their April 3 meeting. “A logo is a graphic symbol or emblem that visually represents a company, organization or entity,” said City Clerk Kaitlin Kapalo. “It distinguishes us from others and gives us something to recognize (us for). Logos matter because it’s our first impression as a city.”

Guns, cocaine paraphernalia seized in drive-by investigation

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Police Department announced the successful execution of search warrants that resulted in officers confiscating a dozen firearms and evidence of cocaine sales at a home in the 200 block of W. Knolls Vista Drive. The search was associated with the second of two drive-by shootings in Moses Lake in less than two weeks.

All three suspects in custody for March 21 drive-by

U.S. Marshals confirm two suspects' involvement in Norteños

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Police Department and U.S. Marshals service have captured all three suspects in a March 21 drive-by shooting on Loop Drive in Moses Lake. The suspects, an unnamed 14-year-old from Mattawa, Jose Beltran-Rodriguez, 20 of Moses Lake, and Mathew Valdez, 18, Moses Lake are all now in law enforcement custody.

MLPD investigating Saturday morning drive-by

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Police Department is investigating a drive-by shooting – the second such incident in less than two weeks – after officers were dispatched to Olympic Drive in response to reports of a shooting.

MLSD denies reports of rosaries being taken from students

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake School District staff deny claims that students have had rosaries taken from them at Frontier Middle School after a student who attended that campus was killed in a March 21 drive-by shooting.

Second of three suspects arrested in Moses Lake drive-by case

BEAVERTON, Ore. - The Moses Lake Police Department announced the arrest of Mathew Valdez, 18, or Moses Lake in Beaverton, Oregon with the assistance of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon and the U.S. Marshals Service.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Focusing on firearm safety

If you’re like me, and many in the Pacific Northwest are, you grew up with not just one but several firearms in your home. You were taught to shoot, clean and be careful with your weapons. You didn’t touch a firearm without mom and dad knowing and you certainly knew to treat every gun as if it were loaded.

U.S. Marshals begin manhunt for two suspects in Moses Lake drive-by

MOSES LAKE – The U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force is stepping in to assist with the investigation into the Friday evening drive-by shooting in Moses Lake that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy and the injury of three juveniles and one adult. All of the victims were from Moses Lake.

One arrested in Friday drive-by case

RICHLAND – The Moses Lake Police Department has announced the arrest of a 14-year-old male from Mattawa in connection with the Friday drive-by shooting after the suspect went to Kadlec Hospital in Richland to obtain treatment for an accidental gunshot wound sustained in the attack.

MLPD releases further information on Friday drive-by

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Police Department has released additional information Sunday and again Monday regarding the drive-by shooting that occurred on West Loop Drive Friday evening shortly after 9 p.m. during which a 14-year-old boy was killed.

UPDATED: MLPD releases additional info on Friday drive-by investigation

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Police Department has released additional information regarding the drive-by shooting that occurred on West Loop Drive Friday evening shortly after 9 p.m. during which a 14-year-old boy was killed.

MLPD responds to Friday-evening drive-by

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake Police Department officers have responded to a drive-by shooting on Loop Drive in Moses Lake.

Oxford House set to open fourth Moses Lake home

MOSES LAKE – Oxford House, an organization that provides housing and support for people recovering from addiction, will be opening up a third home for men in Moses Lake. “Oxford House, Incorporated is a network of self-run, self-supported recovery homes for people recovering from alcoholism and addiction,” said Nokey Pando, who works for the Oxford House organization.

Tigers take a win, a loss and lessons from Johnson-O'Brien Classic

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Tigers hosted several teams from around the state for the Johnson-O-Brien Classic Friday and Saturday. The Ephrata High varsity team had mixed results with the home team taking down Chelan 8-7 on Friday but suffering a loss to Orting Cardinals Saturday evening.

Fundamentals, communication key to Wahluke baseball strategy

MATTAWA – Wahluke Head Baseball Coach Chet Bangs said he’s feeling optimistic as his team moves into the spring season. Five seniors are returning this year, and he’s had players step up to ensure the team’s success. “(We’ve got) five seniors stepped up this year, showing a lot of leadership together,” Bangs said. “It’s starting out pretty good.”

Wahluke Warriors starting tough to play strong soccer

MATTAWA – The Wahluke Warriors soccer team is working the pitch to ensure a successful season and Head Coach Cele Lopez said he’s hoping to set the team up to represent their school, community and families well. He’s working to address the gaps left by last year’s graduates while building up returning players.

Tigers looking to grow toward success on the diamond

EPHRATA – The Ephrata baseball program had a really solid turnout this year with about 40 students, resulting in a good mix of players at all skill levels, according to Tigers Head Coach David Tempel. “We have 12 on varsity, 13 on our JV and then 15 on our C-squad,” Tempel said.

New Ephrata golf coach excited to connect with players, teach skills

SOAP LAKE – Ephrata Tigers started making the short commute to the Lakeview Golf & Country Club last week to begin practicing their swings for the 2025 spring golf season. Head Coach Dan Molitor said the boys golf team is looking solid for his first year leading the program.

Ephrata Legion Post and Auxiliary to host fundraiser to support youth civics

EPHRATA – The American Legion Post 28 and Auxiliary will host a fundraiser to support students who will be participating in Boys State and Girls State, according to the post’s Jane Montaney.

Mavs Knowledge Bowl team headed to state competition

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks Knowledge Bowl Team from Moses Lake High School secured first place in their division at the North Central Education Services District competition held Feb. 24 in Wenatchee, according to a Moses Lake School District press release.

BBCC hosts welding competition

Event highlights viability of trades as careers, aids student networking

MOSES LAKE – Students from Moses Lake High School, Columbia High School and Newport High School participated in a friendly welding competition Friday morning at Big Bend Community College. Teams of students split into six teams to weld metal sculptures inspired by their school mascots. “We are a community college and we work with (the high schools we serve) to try to make sure that we’re able to meet the educational needs of the surrounding community, including all the various trades that we train for,” said BBCC Senior Associate Professor Shawn McDaniel, who helped organize the event.

Wildcats fall to WWU Vikings

BELLINGHAM – The Wildcats men’s basketball team had a hard time getting shots to fall as the CWU team dropped their second to last game of the season to Western Washington University who took the game 90-73.

Groff Elementary closed this week after electrical incident

MOSES LAKE – Groff Elementary School students will be attending classes from home this week after an electrical problem caused an unidentified person to be shocked on campus. Moses Lake School District Director of Communications Ryan Shannon said the person’s identity and exact condition could not be disclosed due to privacy regulations.

GCSO seeking citizen use of force committee volunteers

EPHRATA – The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a volunteer outside of active law enforcement to serve on its independent use-of-force investigative team.

Ephrata schools accept grants, donations

EPHRATA – The Ephrata School Board met Monday and tackled a variety of issues and heard updates from various campuses and district staff.

Taters take center stage in Olympia

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Potato Commission served about 1,600 baked potatoes last Tuesday. The commission sponsors the annual event and brings farmers, legislators and other stakeholders in the potato industry to Olympia to discuss the challenges and opportunities present in the potato industry.

Five-year-old boy forges connection with local first responder

MOSES LAKE – Five-year-old Preston Thomas has had more challenges than the average young man his age. He was born prematurely due to a car accident when his mother was just 25 weeks pregnant. Preston was born weighing one pound and 11 inches long.

After two-year-plus effort, Soap Lake Creative District is official

SOAP LAKE – Anyone who’s been to Soap Lake for a bite to eat at the Del Red Pub and heard live music there or seen a production at the Masquers Theater knows that Soap Lake has a thriving arts scene. The arts are an important part of the community, and now even the State of Washington recognizes that.

Six Broncos headed to the west side to compete

RITZVILLE — As six Broncos get ready to hop on the bus for Tacoma, Coach Jason Hilzer said he’s proud of his team and is looking forward to seeing the brackets that indicate who his folks will be paired up with. “It’s been going pretty good. (We’ve been doing) drills, live wrestling and just kind of getting ready to look at the brackets and who they potentially would have to go against,” Hilzer said.

ACH Warriors take youth, strength to Tacoma

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors have 10 boys and three girls who earned a position at the Mat Classic this weekend. The roster includes three seniors, one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen on the boys’ side. The girls side includes a junior, a sophomore and eighth-grader Karis Butler. “She’s had a phenomenal year for an eighth grader, and it’s going to be exciting to see how the tournament goes for her. It’d be pretty incredible to get an eighth grader on the medal stand at Mat Classic,” Coach Brandon Walsh said.

Wahluke wrestlers set to represent Mattawa well

MATTAWA – The Wahluke High girls wrestling team is sending four athletes to the Mat Classic in Tacoma this weekend. The girls will be joined by Alex Tapia from the boys team and the hope is that he and his fellow Warriors represent the school well.

Tigers wrestlers work for a strong Mat Classic showing

EPHRATA — The Tigers are sending four juniors from the boys wrestling squad and one senior, six juniors and one freshman on the girls squad to the Tacoma Dome to compete this year. This year’s tournament roster includes Tiger girls wrestler Carolina Monico who earned fourth place at the Bring Home da Beef tournament in Quincy on Feb. 1.

Washington winter fun

Where to go in the Evergreen State to hit the slopes and enjoy the outdoors

MOSES LAKE – The Columbia Basin may be in the flatlands, sort of, but area residents who enjoy the slopes have a lot of options to choose from just a bit of a road trip away if they’re craving a ski weekend. With the recent snows, packing up skis and poles may be a good way to have an adventure as spring starts to peek around the corner.

Ephrata Schools EP&O levy passing in initial results

EPHRATA – The Ephrata School District Board of Directors voted in favor of asking district voters to approve an educational programs and operations levy on Nov. 25 of last year and initial results from Tuesday evening show the measure to be passing. “We are incredibly grateful that initial election results indicate the Ephrata community continues to support our students and staff,” said Ephrata School District Superintendent Ken Murray.

FLASHBACK: K-9 Convo

K9 Officers from around Grant County speak with children, families and staff at the Ephrata Public Library regarding where the dogs come from, how they're trained and more during a public meet-and-greet last August.

iNET works at identifying, mitigating narcotics in the Basin

Local joint task force works to mitigate the flow of controlled substances into Grant, Adams counties

EPHRATA – If you live in the Columbia Basin, you've seen coverage from the Columbia Basin Herald and other outlets regarding the prevalence of drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in the area. The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, otherwise known as iNET, is tasked with fighting the drug epidemic in the region. “We have a mission – I would say mandate – but our mission is to target middle to upper-level narcotics traffickers in drug trafficking organizations,” said the group’s lead detective. “... Our primary area of responsibility is Grant and Adams counties.”