A pay cut for Moses Lake School District staff as a result of the coronavirus outbreak which forced classes into online learning was discussed at last Thursday’s board meeting. Board President Elliot Goodrich says he found it troublesome that businesses terminated workers because of the outbreak yet the district is keeping employment the same as … Read more
Washington State will ban all single-use plastic bags beginning January 1 under a bill signed last week by Gov. Jay Inslee. The measure which was passed by the legislature during this year’s session also includes an eight-cents-per-bag charge for those who don’t bring their own bags with that charge rising to 12 cents in 2026. … Read more
Six more confirmed coronavirus cases are reported by the Grant County Health District bringing the total to 39 with four patients currently hospitalized. Two of the new cases are Quincy residents, two are from Ephrata and two are from Moses Lake. There are 32 probable COVID-19 cases and officials say they are awaiting test results … Read more
Expect the North Cascades Highway to have a later opening this year as snow removal work is being delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. DOT officials say that due to compliance with Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order they are operating in an “essential maintenance” mode which postponed operations on State Route 20 … Read more
A Moses Lake High School staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. The unidentified employee’s last day of contact at the school was on March 16, the last day of school for the district before schools across the state were closed. School officials say alll individuals believed to have been exposed or in contact with … Read more
A Moses Lake man who escaped from the Yakima County Jail was apprehended on Thursday. Police say they found Miguel Chavez Amezqua in a vehicle on Interstate 90 and the driver identified as 25-year-old Alexis C. Brock-Sturtevant, of Yakima, will face charges related to aiding Chavez Amezqua. He was one of over a dozen inmates … Read more
A trio of juveniles suspected of breaking into a Moses Lake gas station to take cigaretes now face vandalism charges for spray painting several vehicles. Police say they caught the 11, 13 and 14 year olds early Thursday while in the act of taking the smokes and found one of them had orange paint on … Read more
As expected the coronavirus outbreak caused the first-time unemployment numbers to skyrocket. The Employment Security Department shows increases by as much as over 1000% the week of March 15-21 compared to the previous week. In Grant County it went from 93 claims to 1,039 while Adams County claims increased eight-and-a-half times from the second to … Read more
Area organzations serving the homeless that are providing help for the coronavirus outbreak are now eligible for grants from a partnetship between the National Health Care For The Homeless Council and Kaiser Permanente. Awards range between $25,000 and $50,000 with preference given to Preference will be given to organizations receiving 330H funding and medical respite … Read more
The Grant County Health District reports six additional confirmed coronavirus cases including four more in Quincy, an additiona case in Ephrata and the first in Royal City. The county total is now 33. Officials say that 165 test results are expected back within the next few days and of those more than 30 cases are … Read more