Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 460
RITZVILLE — Teenage pregnancies have declined in Adams County at a higher rate than any other county in Washington over the last five years. According to a recent health study, the teenage birth rate dropped 18% during that time. Adjacent Franklin County also saw a healthy decline in teenage birth rates. There, the rate dropped by 14% over the last five years, the study reported. Yakima County wasn’t far behind, with a decrease of 13%. And adjacent Grant County declined by 12%, the study reported. Health officials said the...
It’s as simple as X and Y. The question of whether boys should be participating in girls sports in our state may finally be addressed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association next spring. Among proposed amendments to the organization’s athletic code are proposed rule amendments that relating to so-called “transgender” competitors. The proposals will be introduced to the 53-member assembly during its annual meeting Jan. 27. One amendment would limit partici...
RITZVILLE - The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague boys basketball team took command of the court early Friday night, Dec. 27, and cruised to an easy 70-34 win over the visiting River View Panthers. The Broncos (4-4) opened the game with a 10-6 first quarter, then exploded in the second quarter to expand the margin to 20 points as Bronco senior Brody Boness dominated the baseline. At the half, the Broncos led the Panthers, 34-16. Lind-Ritzville's momentum continued in the third quarter, w...
RITZVILLE - The game was over before it started. The Lind-Ritzville girls put 28 points on the board in the first quarter to immediately run away with a 62-35 win over the River View Panthers on Dec. 27. The Broncos (5-3) starting lineup put 24 points on the board before the Panthers (2-6) could get a single bucket - and that came with only 1:50 left in t he first quarter. Backup players started rotating into the game immediately in the second quarter, and the Broncos still...
RITZVILLE — The Broncos boys basketball team went 1-1 last week, falling to NE2B competitor Asotin, but edging Class 1A Connell Against Connell on Dec. 21, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (3-3) opened with a 20-15 first quarter lead and expanded the margin by outscoring the Eagles 22-12 in the second quarter. At the half, the Broncos led 42-27. The Eagles rallied in the second half, closing the gap by 8 points in the third quarter and 5 more in the fourth. But the rally wasn’t quite enough and the Broncos held on to edge the Eag...
Ah, Thanksgiving. Turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie and family. It’s a time to give thanks and celebrate family traditions. But not if you’re glued to a cellphone. As adults, it’s time to set an example and put those devices away. Spend time with your family partaking in longstanding traditions or creating new ones. There’s no need to be spending the day surfing social media. Instead, enjoy real social media with family and friends. Talk together, eat together, enjoy each ot...
BASIN CITY — Charges may be pending against a man believed to have led law enforcement officers on a high speed chase across areas of Franklin and Adams Counties. The name of the suspect has yet to be released, as the case is still being investigated, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reported. The details of the Saturday, Nov. 16, incident have been forwarded to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possible charges. The investigation stems from a chase that began when Franklin County deputies pursu...
OTHELLO — The last football team from Adams County was eliminated from the playoffs Friday night, Nov. 15. No. 8-seeded Othello was upended by No. 9-seeded Sehome, 22-21, on the Huskies’ home field in Class 2A playoffs. The Huskies were leading 21-7 in the third quarter before Sehome junior quarterback Nolan Wright threw the first of two touchdown passes to Andre Watson. The second Wright-to-Watson pass came with less than a minute remaining in the game and Othello leading 21-15. Grady Evans kicked the PAT to give the Seh...
Four measures on the Nov. 5 general election could make a difference in your lifestyle and your wallet. Here’s what you need to keep in mind when you cast your ballot: Initiative 2066 This initiative would repeal regulations that attack your ability to use nature gas use dryers, stoves, heating systems and more in your home and business. It would also restrict government agencies from implementing policies and programs that promote the use of electric appliances over n...
OTHELLO - A high-speed pursuit in excess of 100 mph ended abruptly Oct. 25, when the driver lost control of his Toyota pickup and crashed on state Highway 17. Driver Jacob Arceo, 25, of Pasco, and passenger Tatianna Seideman, 20, of Oldtown, Idaho, were both injured and transported to the local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Arceo is facing possible charges of first-degree driving with a suspended license and reckless driving. The incident has been...
OTHELLO — A local man was airlifted to a Richland hospital after his car struck a truck Oct. 21 about sevens west of the city. Walter Gregorio Lopez, 21, of Othello, was flown to Kadlec Medical Center following a 2:58 p.m. crash on near Milepost 33 of Highway 26. According to the Washington State Patrol, Lopez was westbound in a 2012 Subaru Legacy. When a 1992 Kenworth truck and construction trailer slowed in front of him, rear ended the vehicle, the patrol said. The truck was driven by Jacob C. Valdez, 21, of Othello, who w...
OTHELLO — A local man was transported to a Richland hospital after his car struck a truck Oct. 21 about sevens west of the city. Walter Gregorio Lopez, 21, of Othello, was transported to Kadlec Medical Center following a 2:58 p.m. crash on near Milepost 33 of Highway 26. According to the Washington State Patrol, Lopez was westbound in a 2012 Subaru Legacy. When a 1992 Kenworth truck and construction trailer slowed in front of him, rear ended the vehicle, the patrol said. The truck was driven by Jacob C. Valdez, 21, of O...
RITZVILLE — A 14-year-old is facing at least one charge of threats to bomb or injure property following social media posts to shoot classmates and blow up schools. The boy was arrested today, Oct. 22, following an investigation into the threats reportedly found on social media last night. The threats prompted school officials to close campuses today. Police also called in a bomb-sniffing dog. This evening, law enforcement officials remain at some of the school campuses. Police have not identified the boy, citing Revised C...
OTHELLO — Two people have been arrested for allegedly dealing drugs in Adams and Grant Counties. Dennis Wayne Riojas, 57, of Othello, and Slade Hardesty Fortner, 31, of Moses Lake, were both arrested Oct. 16, court records show. Riojas was arrested on charges of possession of a stolen firearm, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Riojas was booked into the F...
Motorists in Washington state are sometimes handing over hundreds of dollars for licensing of their vehicle, but only receiving paper plates in return. According to an Aug. 28 legislative report, the state is had a backlog of at least 230,000 standard license plate orders, 10,000 specialty orders and 5,000 personal vanity orders. More than 20 counties (30 counties now) statewide are out of or nearly out of license plates. Still, the state is collecting money for plates it...
Local stargazers looking to the west, left of Venus and about 20 degrees above the horizon, can catch a glimpse of the comet C/2023 Ag Tsuchinshan-ATLAS this week. The photo above was taken between Tyler and Cheney on Monday. The comet is faintly visible for about an hour starting at sunset through Oct. 26.....
RITZVILLE — The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos got off to a good start Friday night, but just couldn’t close out the game as Warden came from behind for the win. The Wardan Cougars topped the Broncos, 29-20. Senior Brody Boness put all three of the Broncos’ touchdowns on the board. Boness opened scoring in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown dive. With the point-after kick good, the Broncos held a 7-0 lead at the end of the first stanza. Boness added another TD early in the second quarter, when he took the hando...
A geomagnetic storm created colorful lights in the sky over Eastern Washington last Thursday night, Oct. 10. Geomagnetic waves were visible pulsating in the color. At the bottom of the image, the red tail lights from a passing car leave color of their own....
There’s a disturbing trend among tax-payer funded agencies that needs to be nipped in the bud. If you haven’t noticed, public agencies like hospital and utility districts, school boards, city councils, and others have been taking steps to insulate — dare I say isolate — elected board members. Have a concern about something in your local school district? Don’t like a utility rate increase? Want to know if your local public hospital is making a profit? Have questions about cit...
RITZVILLE - A man who attempted to stab a local police officer is being held in the Franklin County Jail without bail. Brian Jedediah Sumner, 45, is was booked into the jail Oct. 8 on three counts of first-degree assault, third-degree assault, obstructing a public servant, resisting arrest and felony eluding. Court records show Sumner, who frequents the Sprague area, was apprehended in Spokane. His arrest stems from an Oct. 5 domestic call. Records show police were dispatched...
PASCO — With less than 30 days to go in the Nov. 5 general election, a county auditor and state representative want to intervene in an effort to sweep away the constitutional residency requirement to vote. Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton of Pasco and 19th Legislative District Rep. Jim Walsh of Aberdeen, both Republicans, are seeking to require to state elections officials to follow the state Constitution or go about a legal change to residency requirements. At issue is the unilateral decision by Secretary of State S...
It's a bit premature to say the bell tolls for community newspapers. Sure, big city media printing the same diatribe you see on television is declining. (That's because the city media moguls have forgotten their place in society.) And sure, with the Googles of the world, cellphones and social media have impacted our advertising, which, by the way is how we pay our bills. But in our community newspapers, we haven't forgotten our place. Our reporters shop in the same stores, eat...
BASIN CITY - A man wanted in the shooting of his mother and step-father is in the Franklin County Jail following his Sept. 16 arrest. Daniel Arceo-Martinez, 28, of Basin City, is being held on $1 million bail, charged with first-degree assault. He was arrested in Moses Lake following a tip on his whereabouts. Arceo-Martinez was wanted in the Sept. 15 shooting of his mother and step-father in rural Franklin County, court records show. The couple was treated for gunshot wounds...
RITZVILLE - Law enforcement agencies, ranchers and rural counties are forming a coalition to push back against the state Fish and Wildlife Commission's failure to manage large predators effectively. The coalition was announced Sept. 17 following a meeting here on large-predator issues. The meeting attracted about 16-20 law enforcement officers, as well as two ranchers speaking about the effects of wolf, cougar and bear depredation on farms, ranches and rural communities. "The...
OTHELLO — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who planned to meet a young local girl here for sex has been sentenced to federal prison. Koby Don Williams, 49, of Ellensburg, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice to 135 months in federal prison, to be followed by 15 years probation. He was convicted of attempted online enticement. According to court records, Williams replied to a decoy online post as part of an undercover sting to catch pedophiles willing to meet minors for sex. The post s...