Primary election results certified
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 7 months AGO
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 18, 2020 10:21 PM
EPHRATA — Incumbent county commissioners received fewer votes than their challengers in Grant and Adams counties in primary election results certified Aug. 18.
Challenger Rob Jones, of Moses Lake, received slightly more votes than incumbent Tom Taylor, of Moses Lake, in the race for Grant County Commissioner, District 2. Jones has 3,378 votes to 3,158 for Taylor.
Challenger Dan Blankenship, of Ritzville, finshed the primary with a big lead over incumbent John Marshall, of Ritzville, in the race for Adams County commissioner, District 1. Blankenship has 1,093 votes to 462 votes for Marshall. The third candidate in the race, Glenn Stockwell, of Ritzville, finished with 375 votes. The top two candidates will advance to the general election.
Danny Stone, of Hartline, finished with the most votes in the race for Grant County Commissioner, District 1. Stone has 3,506 votes to 2,688 for Earl Romig, of Moses Lake. Mark Wanke, of Ephrata, has 1,663 votes. Incumbent Richard Stevens did not file for re-election.
Jay Weise, of Othello, led Ken Johnson, of Othello, in the race for Adams County Commissioner, District 2. Weise has 486 votes to 269 for Johnson. Incumbent Roger Hartwig didn’t file for re-election.
Incumbent Tom Dent, of Moses Lake, will be challenged by Eduardo Castaneda-Diaz, of Quincy, in the race for Washington House of Representatives, 13th District, Position No. 1. In the primary, Dent received 15,540 votes to 3,659 votes for Casteneda-Diaz in Grant County. Across the 13th District, Dent received 31,136 votes to 9,553 for Castaneda-Diaz. John “the man” Malan, of Quincy, received 586 votes in Grant County and 1,136 votes in the 13th District overall.
The House seat was the only contested legislative race in the 13th District.
One of the House seats and the Washington Senate seat in the Ninth District were contested races.
Incumbent Mark Schoesler, of Ritzville, finished the primary with a substantial lead over challenger Jenn Goulet, of Pasco, in the race for the Washington Senate. Schoesler had 2,744 votes to 702 votes for Goulet in Adams County. District-wide, Schoesler finished with 26,707 votes to 12,753 for Goulet.
Incumbent Mary Dye, of Pomeroy, also had a big lead over challenger Brett Borden, of Pullman. In Adams County Dye received 2,861 votes to 446 for Borden. Across the district, Dye had 29,056 votes to 7,870 for Borden.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.