News Staff In about 3 weeks we will say goodbye to 2020 but that won’t be the end of COVID-19 restrictions in the state. Gov. Jay Inslee announced yesterday that the stricterrestrictions imposed in mid-November will be extended to Jan. 4, 2021. Inslee says none of the restrictions have changed and none will be added. Inslee also … Read more
You’ll notice a new name on the Umpqua Bank branches in Ritzville, Coulee City, Medical Lake and Othello as they are now owned by Spokane Teachers Credit Union . The deal closed last Friday and Umpqua branch employees have accepted positions at STCU so staffing is not expected to change. STCU was founded in Spokane … Read more
Traffic on State Route 243 was blocked for several hours on Tuesday when a semi truck rolled over south of Mattawa. Police say it happened around 8:45 a.m. and according to troppers the driver was likely going too fast for conditions. Heavy equipment including plows were brought in to clean up the wreckage and the … Read more
The Grant County Health District reported 165 additional COVID-19 cases on Monday. They are Coulee City, Ephrata, Mattawa, Moses Lake, rural Othello, Quincy, Soap Lake and Warden. 54 people have died from COVID-19 related complications but over 15 death certificates are pending review. 16 people are hospitalized. Adams County recorded close to 50 new cases … Read more
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is closed to the public after 4 corrections officers contracted the coronavirus. All close contacts have been notified of the positive virus tests. There are no reported COVID-19 cases with any inmates at the jail. The office closure dones not impact the sheriff’s office’s response to emergency or non-emergency calls. … Read more
A Royal City grocery store sells a $30,000 winning ticket in a Washington Lottery scratch game. The “Spicy Crosswork Triplet” ticket was sold last Friday at Harvest Foods to a man identified as “Pablo F”. Odds of winning are 1 in nearly a half-million. Lottery ticket sellers in Washington receive a 5% commission on all … Read more
The body of a man reported missing last month is found in a rural area east of Oroville. Police say the body found last Friday is that of 28-year-old Reinaldo Beltran from Tonasket who had not been seen since Nov. 24 after being at an Oroville are residence. The cause of death is being determined … Read more
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and the Ellensburg Police Department recently conducted the first local sessions of a new course on Patrol Tactics and principles of de-escalation. The course is part of the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act passed by voters in 2019 as Initiative 940. All Police Officers, Deputies, and other sworn … Read more
Nonprofit organization HelpSource in Ellensburg takes delivery of a new electric vehicle thanks to Puget Sound Energy. The organization moves people to self-sufficiency by providing access to education, employment, economic development and vital services. According to the Daily Record the car will be used by all the nonprofit’s departments and Puget Sound Energy installed a … Read more
A Mattawa woman is killed in a three-car crash Sunday night on State Route 243. Police say a Redmond man was heading east around milepost 4 when he drifted into the westbound lanes hitting a car head on that was driven by Veronica Perez resulting in her car rolling over landing facing east in the … Read more