Latest news with #ColumbiaBasinHerald
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WA student summer food program open for applications
Jun. 3—OLYMPIA — This summer, approximately 620,000 children across Washington will benefit from SUN Bucks, a program designed to help families purchase food when school is not in session. The initiative, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program, is aimed at providing nutritional support during the summer months. "The Washington SUN Bucks Summer EBT Program is a vital resource for many of our Ephrata families, especially those experiencing housing instability," Ephrata School District Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning and McKinney-Vento Liaison Deb Knox said in a statement to the Columbia Basin Herald. "During the summer months, when school meals aren't available, this program helps ensure students still have access to nutritious food. It eases some of the burden families face and supports the health and well-being of our kids during a critical time." In December 2022, the federal government established a permanent summer EBT program to ensure that children have access to food amidst rising costs and limited resources. With federal approval secured, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has partnered with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to kick off the distribution of SUN Bucks starting June 1. "Students learn better when their basic needs are met," State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said in a statement. "During the school year, we ensure students are fed during the day with our recently expanded school meal program. While school isn't in session, the summer EBT program provides an essential opportunity for children in Washington to access nutrition and meals." Each eligible child in participating households will receive a one-time payment of $120, which will be deposited onto existing SUN Bucks cards beginning June 1. People who qualify have 122 days to use the funds before they expire. For newly eligible participants, cards will be mailed starting mid-June. Eligibility requirements vary for children aged 8 to 18 from households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Benefits will qualify automatically. "I think the biggest thing is that having a program provided by the state that enables families to access food for school-aged children during the summer is always going to be important," Moses Lake School District Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said. "While it's a one-time benefit, a lot of families find that benefit immensely important, especially during the summer months, when kids are home more versus in school and their grocery bills naturally tend to be a little bit higher during the summer months." Additionally, students who attend schools offering the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program and are certified for free or reduced-price meals may qualify as well. "Food is foundational to everyone's well-being," Cheryl Strange, acting secretary of DSHS, said in a statement. "We are pleased to partner with OSPI to ensure as much support for children and families as we can, especially during the summer months." Families who do not automatically qualify can apply online for the SUN Bucks program, which is available in both English and Spanish. Applications will be accepted through August 29, 2025. Moreover, families receiving SUN Bucks can still participate in existing Summer Child Nutrition Programs, including grab-and-go meals at local schools and community sites, ensuring comprehensive food access during the summer. The Columbia Basin Herald published an article yesterday on where students can access grab-and-go meals and sit-down meals during the summer months. For more information or assistance, families can contact the SUN Bucks Contact Center at 833-543-3230 during regular business hours.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airborne adventure
May 27—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Airshow will take to the skies again June 21-22. "Moses Lake is rapidly becoming recognized as a significant center for aviation, and we are excited to showcase the progress in general aviation, particularly the innovative field of (short takeoff and landing) aircraft," airshow Board Chairman Carl Poteete wrote in a statement to the Columbia Basin Herald. "Our airshow provides a unique opportunity for attendees to witness the extraordinary abilities and potential of these impressive aircraft firsthand." This is the fifth year the air show has been held at Grant County International Airport. The show features a runway loaded with static displays of aircraft both military and civilian, small and large, for people to take an up-close look. There are also a range of veterans' services and other informational booths spread out on the tarmac. Meanwhile, the sky above the airport will be the venue for daredevil demonstrations and competitions. The list of performers wasn't final on Thursday, explained Marketing Coordinator Lynnsey Evans, but the show's website indicated that some of the performers who thrilled Moses Lake audiences in the past would return. Stunt pilots Yuichi Takagi, Kyle Fowler, Jon Melby and Brad Wursten are all expected to return, according to the website. The U.S. military will also be there, with the Air Force Globemaster III and Navy EA-18G Growlers demonstration teams and Wings of Blue, the Air Force parachute team. Those plans are all subject to change, Evans warned. "Things happen with weather, or the military has to go and be somewhere else at last minute," she said. Wursten's show has an extra element to it, Evans said. Anyone who purchases tickets before June 1 will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a ride in Wursten's MX aircraft MX2, a plane known for its agility and performance. Wursten began building and flying model aircraft when he was 8 years old and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in 50 different types of aircraft, he wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. Like last year, the Short Takeoff and Landing, or STOL, competition will make Moses Lake one of the stops on its tour. In a STOL competition, pilots show off their expertise in taking off and landing within a very limited space. "It's really great in back-country when they're out flying general aviation if you do a quick landing or an unexpected one," Evans said. "Short takeoff and landings are skills that any pilot should know. And out of that came a competition ... What's cool is, for anyone who doesn't know about STOL, or does know about STOL, or wants to get into aviation, they're all out there with their planes, and so it's easy to network with them, bounce ideas off them." The airshow will also host the World RC Invitational, where radio-controlled aviation enthusiasts put on a show for the fans. Everything at the Moses Lake Airshow is family-friendly, and that's by design, Evans said. "There are less and less family friendly events anymore," she said. "So we're really trying to promote that this is a family-friendly event, come on out. We'll have activities for the kids, some STEAM activities, and face painting and balloons." The board also tries to bring in as many local sponsors and food vendors as possible, Evans added. Moses Lake has a long history as an aviation hub, Evans said, and last year the show drew about 8,000 attendees. "The Moses Lake Airshow is a vital economic engine for the city and county, drawing thousands of visitors and filling our local accommodations," Poteete wrote. "We eagerly anticipate welcoming guests from both near and far — our average attendee travels over 100 miles to be here — to join us in celebrating this special fifth anniversary."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
GALLERY: Memorial Day memories
May 27—COLUMBIA BASIN — On the last Monday of May, Americans across the nation, and across the Basin, come together to honor those who have fallen in their country's service. The Columbia Basin Herald will have coverage of this year's solemnities in tomorrow's edition; meanwhile, here are some scenes from Memorial Days past.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lake water improvement may not affect housing
May 9—MOSES LAKE — Owners of homes along the shore of Moses Lake may see an improvement in the view from their docks after treatment the water received last summer. "Last summer, the lake saw a major breakthrough in water quality and for the first time in recent memory: the Rocky Ford Arm made it through the entire recreational season without a single harmful algae bloom advisory," representatives of the water treatment company SePRO wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. The improvement was as a result of a treatment SePRO did to reduce the phosphorus in the water that feeds blue-green algae, said Ryan Van Goethem, a limnologist with SePR and the lead for the Moses Lake project. The treatment reduced the growth of algae in the project area within a couple of weeks by about 30%, he said. "The goal of this project is to reduce how much phosphorus is in the lake," Van Goethem said. "We did a treatment to the lake sediments in the upper part of the lake called Rocky Ford Arm. We treated about 2000 acres of the sediment to prevent phosphorus release from the sediment in the lake during the summer." Anybody who's lived in Moses Lake for any amount of time has discovered that our lake is a little different from mountain lakes like Chelan or Coeur d'Alene. Our lake is susceptible to blue-green algae, which both discolors the lake and can cause health problems for people and animals. That can affect the waterfront homes with yards sloping down into the lake. "I would have to think that if we had Lake Chelan water quality, we'd have much higher waterfront pricing," said Moses Lake real estate agent Alan Heroux. "Moses Lake is what it is; it's never been a clear body of water." Nonetheless, waterfront property is some of the most desirable, and thus highest-priced, land on the market, he said. "Average pricing for waterfronts is in the $800,000 range for active listings right now," he said. "So waterfront is by far most expensive property." Moses Lake, being part pf the Columbia Basin Project, is diluted somewhat by irrigation water coming in from Crab Creek to the east, Van Goethem said. The northwestern part of the lake is fed by Rocky Ford Creek and while there's some mixing with the irrigation water, it tends not to be flushed out as thoroughly. "What we found was, with the water that came into the lake last year, if we weren't doing this project and there was no treatment, the algae levels would have been twice as high," Van Goethem said. While the improvement in quality may make the water safer, Heroux said the draw of Moses Lake isn't based on its natural beauty so much as that it's a part of the community. "Moses Lake is what it is," he said. "If you can clean it up, that'd be cool, but we're not going to change what we locals do with the lake. We're still going to recreate. We're still going to play on it. We still love to live on it." That means lots on the lake aren't going to be driven up by people moving to the area specifically for the lake and pricing out local residents, he added. "A local market has to depend on the local people to be able to afford homes in that market," Heroux said. "It's when forces from outside come in and artificially drive up the market that things get crazy."
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It helps to know you're not alone': Small towns in 'ruby-red' counties joined Saturday's Hands Off! protests
Apr. 7—As thousands gathered in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene to protest the Trump administration Saturday, hundreds more assembled in smaller towns across the region. About 3 million people joined more than 1,400 protests in all 50 states, according to the Hands Off! organizers. In the remote mountain town of Republic, Washington, about 25 people assembled at a corner on the main street. "Ferry County is blood-to-ruby-red," organizer Rod Hubbard said. "So, that was a good turnout for this town." Hubbard held a sign with a downward graph representing the Dow Jones Industrial Average labeled "The Trump Crash." Over three hours, they received honks and waves from cars and pedestrians passing by, as well as a few "obnoxious" reactions from trucks blasting music, revving engines and squealing tires. Hubbard said he recently moved back to Republic after living there from the mid-'70s to the mid-'90s. Those who attended got to know each other by talking about their personal histories that brought them to protest. "Many of those folks were like me, a part of the minority politically in this community, so they expressed gratitude that someone put that together," Hubbard said. At least three protests came together across Stevens County in Kettle Falls, Colville and Chewelah. A video on Facebook shows protesters standing on all four corners of a busy intersection on U.S. Highway 97 in Omak, Washington, chanting, "This is what democracy looks like!" The Columbia Basin Herald estimated 75 to 80 people gathered in Sun Basin Plaza in downtown Ephrata, the Grant County seat. Hundreds protested in downtown Walla Walla, The Union-Bulletin reported. The Lewiston Tribune estimated 250 to 300 people lined Bridge Street in Clarkston, at least 400 attended a rally in Moscow's Friendship Square and hundreds gathered in Pullman. The Bonner County Democrats reported "nearly 800" showed up in Sandpoint. A panning video showed crowds in front of the courthouse stretching down both sides of First Avenue. Photos showed women dressed in red robes from the Margaret Atwood novel turned Hulu sereies, "The Handmaid's Tale," and others holding "Hands Off" signs for things like public lands, "our bodies," Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Other signs said, "Tariffs are a tax on working Idaho families," "How's your 401k?" and "Elvis is America's only king." Karen Matthee, chair of the Bonner County Democrats, said she believes it is a record turnout, even exceeding local Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020. The Democrats helped promote the event organized by the 50501 Movement chapter and Indivisible Sandpoint, but it included moderate Republicans, independents and veterans groups, Matthee said. Other residents came down from neighboring Boundary County. The Sandpoint Police Department kept a respectful distance, and everything went peacefully, Matthee said. With so much happening right now, both with the Trump administration and the Idaho Legislature, Matthee said, it is hard to know where to focus resistance as an activist. But the weekend's activities renewed her belief in the power of protest to make voices heard. "It helps to know you're not alone," she said. Women's health remains a salient issue in Sandpoint, two years after Bonner General closed its obstetrics unit as doctors fled the state's abortion law. Matthee said she is fighting for health exceptions for abortion to bring doctors back to North Idaho. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
