MOSES LAKE — The Ninth Annual Newspapers in Education Golf Tournament at the Moses Lake Golf Club brought out the very best in community support, raising close to $16,000 for the NIE program, which is aimed at keeping students engaged in their local, state and national news while promoting the importance of newspapers and social media sites.

The Columbia Basin Herald is promoting the importance of print newspapers with the national program The 18-team (72 players) field helped fund the NIE program for the 2017-18 school year.

"Our biggest focus is to keep kids reading and engaging with their community through the local newspaper. Our NIE program is a great way to help kids unplug, but still engage with community," said Eric LaFontaine, publisher, Columbia Basin Publishing Co.

The golf action on the 6,375-yard, par-72 Moses Lake Golf Club was impressive. The team from Samaritan Healthcare came with a score of 51. The team included Margie Milbrandt, Lloyd Stever, Jim Heilsberg and Julie (name unknown).

Othello Realty, last year’s winner, was a stroke back at 52. Othello Realty included Drew, Brenda and Blake Roosma and Ric Wolfs. Third place went to Team Yahoo! Gabe Lopez, Josh Schuyleman, Justin Filbeck and Dan Bond posted a score of 56 for a good cause.

Organizers hope to build on that momentum to help students across 11 school districts in the Columbia Basin receive daily newspapers in the classroom. The funds raised will provide more than 1,000 daily newspapers into the Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy, Othello, Warden, Royal City and Mattawa school districts.

The NIE mission is to help with the educational process in a world filled with technological gadgets and a growing list of information sources. Students who use the newspaper in school show significantly more interest in local government, neighborhood events and current issues in foreign affairs.

Studies also show that children who frequently read newspapers are more likely to be reading other sources of information. In a three-year study, NIE student groups showed significantly superior gains in spelling and vocabulary in their classrooms.