STAFF REPORT

Couch, Weyand, Sciasia, Bunday take Desert Aire men's kick-off

DESERT AIRE - Larry Couch, Tom Weyand, Deborah Sciasia and Ron Bunday combined the efforts to post a 66 and take the Desert Aire Men's Club kickoff scramble on Saturday.

How to communicate concern of committee

ROYAL CITY - A school construction bond was not the primary discussion at the March 21 meeting of the Community Communication Committee, according to Royal School District superintendent Rose Search.

Crews are optimistic SR 20 could reopen by May

TWISP - A five-man maintenance crew and their collection of snow-clearing equipment headed west up State Route 20, past Mazama, on Monday for the first day of work to clear the North Cascades Highway.

Cougar boys finish in top 10

GRANDVIEW - Four Cougar golfers broke 100 at the Grandview Invitational at Black Rock Golf Course Monday, which was good enough to land Warden in 10th place out of 22 schools that participated.

Coroner confirms body that of Toya

MOSES LAKE - The body of a man found in Potholes Reservoir Monday has been confirmed to be that of Dan Toya.

Sage Point earns second place in math competition

Heads to state competition in May

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake students flexed their brains during a math competition last week.

Deputies investigate Quincy man's death

EPHRATA - Grant County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating the death of a man near Quincy.

March students of month chosen

ROYAL CITY - Royal High School counselor Marge Edwards has announced the students of the month for March.

Republican convention around the corner

MOSES LAKE - The next major event on the calendar for area Republicans is the county convention on Saturday, April 7, from 10 a.m. until the close of business.

DA ladies start play, set kickoff for May

DESERT AIRE - The Desert Aire Ladies Golf Club began the 2012 score posting season on March 1.

Port, Pacific Coast Canola consider lease

WARDEN - Port of Warden commissioners and Pacific Coast Canola officials are reviewing a likely 50-year lease for the company.

Hearing scheduled for commissioner districts

Will be on Monday

EPHRATA - A public hearing is scheduled for Monday on the redrawn Grant County commissioner districts.

Young Royal teams sweep soccer matches

ROYAL CITY - The Columbia Basin FC hosted a Soccer Jamboree in Ephrata on Saturday, March 10, and two teams from Royal City experienced perfect success.

Gregoire appoints new Big Bend trustee

Completes Katherine Kenison's unexpired term

MOSES LAKE - Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed Anna C. Franz, of Lind, to the Big Bend Community College Board of Trustees effective March 15.

Safer public goal of town hall

GEORGE - Creating a safer community will be the focus of a town hall meeting here on April 19 organized by the Grant County Sheriff's office.

Crab & Seafood Feast this Saturday

DESERT AIRE - The Mattawa/Desert Aire Lions Club will have its annual Crab & Seafood Feast this Saturday, March 24.

Rathbone sales suffers heavy fire damage

Firewall keeps blaze from spreading

MOSES LAKE - Fire engulfed the back half of a Moses Lake business that specializes in dealing and servicing farm equipment.

Taste of Home tickets go on sale Wednesday

Show is April 10

MOSES LAKE - Tickets go on sale Wednesday for the Taste of Home Cooking School.

Grant county caucuses reflect state vote

MOSES LAKE - Grant County Republican Party caucus straw poll results on March 3 mirrored what happened across the state, GCRP Chair Dani Bolyard has reported.

Warnick's water bill signed into law

OLYMPIA - Governor Christine Gregoire has signed State Rep. Judy Warnick's water relinquishment bill into law, putting pen to the measure on March 7.

Fatal house fire reported Sunday

Cause under investigation

MOSES LAKE - A body was found Sunday after a house fire was extinguished.

Companies eye Port of Quincy land

QUINCY - Two separate companies are eyeing Port of Quincy land for future purchases.

Sheriff warns of email, phone scams

EPHRATA - If it looks or sounds too good to be true, it probably is and should be avoided, says Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones,

State updates permit for irrigation weed control, seeks comment

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) invites the public to comment on an updated permit that regulates the use of pesticides to control aquatic weeds and algae in irrigation systems in eastern Washington.

Annual Desert Aire clean-up slated for April

DESERT AIRE - The annual Desert Aire clean-up has been set for April 20.

Truax, Jepson take March 3 men's day

DESERT AIRE - Tom Truax and Doug Jepson combined their talents to win the March 3 men's day play at Desert Aire Golf Course.

DA ladies set for start of season

DESERT AIRE - The Desert Aire Ladies Club will have its kick-off scramble on April 9 with a 9 a.m. start.

Time to file Desert Aire candidacies

DESERT AIRE - Desert Aire property owners have until May 1 to file their candidacies for positions on the board of directors.

Othello track team expects to contend in CWAC

OTHELLO - When the Huskies take to the track today in Prosser, they'll have to perform without the likes of Christine Kirkwood who set the state record in the javelin and was nationally ranked in the event. They will also be without thrower Adrian Garcia. But coach Mandi Perez said she is excited to see how the team will measure up this season.

Crab & Seafood Feast scheduled

DESERT AIRE - The Mattawa/Desert Aire Lions Club has scheduled its annual Crab & Seafood Feast for Saturday, March 24.

Tiger boys start season with wins

Beat Ellensburg and Grandview

EPHRATA - The Ephrata boys golf team swung into the season in fine fashion, beating Ellensburg by 35 strokes and Grandview by 88 at the Lakeview Golf and Country Club Friday.

Students injured when Quincy bus rolls

QUINCY — A Quincy school bus rolled off state Route 281, near Road 5 Northwest, at about 8:20 a.m. today.

Royal receives "exemplary" rating

ROYAL CITY - Royal High School has been recognized with the public school accountability index rating of "exemplary".

Red Rock has annual talent show

ROYAL CITY - For the last 15 years Red Rock Elementary has held an annual talent show to shake off the mid-winter blahs.

Quincy farmer breakfast is Wednesday

Seeking pancake art

QUINCY - The Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce's Farmer Appreciation Breakfast is set for 7 a.m., Wednesday.

Detectives need help in double murder case

MATTAWA - Grant County Sheriff's detectives investigating the Feb. 11 shooting homicide of Esperanza Vicente-Mestizo in Mattawa have released a flier asking the public for help solving the case.

Mayor visits, thanks grade-schoolers

ROYAL CITY - Royal City Mayor Mike Stark went to the Red Rock Elementary School to visit with second- through fourth-grade students who wrote papers describing what living in Royal City means to them for the 50th Birthday of Royal, celebrated on Feb. 14.

Methodist Church chili feed this Saturday

Annual event to raise funds

ROYAL CITY - Members of the Royal City United Methodist Church remind the public that their annual chili feed will be held this Saturday, March 10, at the Royal City Community Center.

Mother, children escape house fire

Fire crews rescue pets

MOSES LAKE - A mother and her two children evacuated their Moses Lake home when a smoke detector alerted them to a fire.

Wahluke's Abarca, Baustista make state high school art show

MATTAWA - Seven pieces by area high school artists, including two from Wahluke, have advanced to OSPI's statewide Superintendent's High School Art Show later this spring.

Robot does not find Toya

Sheriff says SARBOT worked well

MOSES LAKE - Search teams utilized a remote control robot to search for missing Moses Lake man Dan Toya at the Potholes Reservoir.

CHS Hunger Drive offers lunch for your donations

ROYAL CITY - For the donation of non-perishable foods or money, you are invited to enjoy a hot dog lunch by CHS Harvest for Hunger at the city park on Friday, March 9, from 11 a.m-3:30 p.m.

Kirwan joins 'Get Rich Quick' Properties

MOSES LAKE - Marianne Kirwan is now a part-time agent at "Get Rich Quick" Properties in Moses Lake.

Simplot obtains new warehouse

Located in Othello

OTHELLO - A new warehouse is helping the J.R. Simplot Company grow in the areas of storage and customer service.

Warnick, Hinkle schedule phone-in town hall meeting

OLYMPIA - Residents of the 13th Legislative District are invited to join Reps. Bill Hinkle and Judy Warnick for a telephone town hall Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Company adds new tank on Stratford Road

MOSES LAKE - Conoco-Phillips is adding a new tank at its gasoline and fuel distribution terminal on Stratford Road near Moses Lake.

City okays Easter hunt

MATTAWA - The Mattawa City Council approved an Easter Egg Hunt for Saturday, April 7, at its regular meeting last Thursday.

Chiefs travel team takes second at state

KENMORE - The Moses Lake High School Division 1 varsity traveling team finished runner up at the state bowling tournament at Kenmore Lanes Feb. 18 and 19.

Citizen action leads to arrests

MOSES LAKE - Alert to possible criminal activity, a Moses Lake resident made a call to police on Jan. 23 that led to the arrest of two men on charges related to theft.

ESD adds member to board

YAKIMA - Educational Services District 105, which serves school districts throughout central Washington, has added Ellensburg resident Mark Grassel to its board of directors.