Friday, February 13, 2026
24.0°F

School bells signal end of summer

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 5 months AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZERStaff Writer
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 25, 2016 6:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — Summer might not be officially over until mid-September, but summer is really over when school starts.

Depending on the school, summer is over late this week or early next week. Warden schools opened today for all students but kindergarten. Kindergarten kids will have orientation Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday will be their first official day of school. Othello schools open Thursday, with the exception of kindergarten. Parents of kindergarten students will meet with classroom teachers before Aug. 30, which is the first day of school for kindergarten. Construction is continuing on 14th Avenue in Othello and the road is closed past Wahitis Elementary. For now, 10th Avenue to Scootney Road is the access route for parents and others coming and going from Wahitis. The goal is to keep that route open all during construction, said Othello city administrator Wade Farris, although it may be closed temporarily periodically during construction. A “clearly marked” route for pedestrians along 14th Avenue will be ready for school, Farris said. Other local schools open next week. Tuesday is the first day of school in Ephrata for first-graders through high school. Kindergarten students start with the “kindergarten rodeo” at Columbia Ridge and Grant elementary schools, the district schools with kindergarten programs. The kindergarten rodeo is Aug. 30 and 31 and Sept. 1; parents of incoming kindergarten students set up appointments for their children to get hearing and vision checks and tour the kindergarten classrooms. September 2 is the first day of school for kindergarten students. Tuesday is also the first day of school in Wilson Creek for first-graders through high school students and for 3-year-old preschool students. Four-year-old preschool starts Wednesday. Kindergarten students Thursday. Wilson Creek parents and students are invited to “Back to School Night,” from 5 to 6:15 p.m. Monday. Parents can meet teachers and staff, and school administrators and teachers will talk about expectations and commitments for the school year. Soap Lake schools open their doors Wednesday for all students. Kindergarten students will attend half-days through Sept. 16. All Soap Lake parents and students are invited to a school open house and community dinner, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Soap Lake Elementary cafeteria, 410 South Ginko St. School doors open in Quincy Wednesday for all students. Pioneer and Monument elementary schools will hold open house for parents and students Monday. Parents and kids can meet teachers and look at the school from 4 to 6 p.m. at Pioneer and from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Monument. Seventh-graders get orientation from the eighth-graders on seventh-grade “Web Day,” scheduled for 8 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Eighth-graders show seventh-graders around the junior high school and, according to the school website, “give seventh-graders the tools they need to start off the year right.” School starts for most students Wednesday, but there are exceptions. Only sixth-graders attend school on Wednesday in Chief Moses Middle School. Only freshmen attend classes Wednesday at Moses Lake High School. Seventh- and eighth -graders start Thursday at CMMS, and so do sophomores, juniors and seniors at MLHS. All Frontier Middle School and Endeavor Middle School students start classes Wednesday. Conferences for parents of kindergarten students district-wide are scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and 2. The first day of school for kindergarten students depends on the last name. Kids whose last name starts with A through L begin Sept. 6, Kids with M to Z last names begin Sept. 7. All Moses Lake kindergarten students start class Sept. 8.

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Moses Lake officials working to correct audit issues
February 13, 2026 3 a.m.

Moses Lake officials working to correct audit issues

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake city officials are working to correct errors identified by the Washington State Auditor’s Office and catch up on delayed audits. Municipal Finance Director Madeline Prentice said city officials are working to have the delayed audits for 2023 and 2024 submitted by May. “Trying to get caught up on the audits is our first priority,” Prentice said. “We have actually brought in an outside accounting firm to assist us with that.”

Wheeler roundabout construction scheduled for Feb 23
February 12, 2026 4:06 p.m.

Wheeler roundabout construction scheduled for Feb 23

MOSES LAKE — If the weather cooperates, construction will begin Feb. 23 on a roundabout at the intersection of Road L Northeast and East Wheeler Road. Moses Lake’s financial contribution to the project is about $81,000. Contributions by other stakeholders in the project was not immediately available.

Moses Lake residents asked to weigh in on financial priorities
February 11, 2026 6:03 p.m.

Moses Lake residents asked to weigh in on financial priorities

MOSES LAKE — With the Moses Lake City Council working on a financial plan that will require what council member Jeremy Davis said will be hard decisions, city officials want to hear which services residents think are the most important.