Thursday, May 14, 2026
57.0°F

Business Expo 2020 set for Tuesday

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 3 months AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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. | January 20, 2020 9:45 AM

Chamber to celebrate ‘The New Roaring ’20s’

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake businesses will be “Puttin’ on the Ritz” – and showcasing what they do – at Business Expo 2020, from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds. The expo is sponsored by the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Admission is free, and the expo is open to the public. Broadcasters from KDRM Radio will be the emcees.

Chamber marketing director Lori Robins said 54 businesses will have booths at Expo 2020. Recognizing the centennial of a tumultuous decade, “The New Roaring ’20s,” is the theme.

The 1920s is good for costumes. “Don your furs, pearls, top hats and tails. Be a flapper, silent film star or gangster,” said the Chamber’s press release.

Vendors will be giving away prizes, Robins said, and the Chamber is sponsoring a “scavenger hunt” during the evening. Attendees start with a “passport,” and winners will be drawn from attendees who get a stamp from each vendor. Prizes include a Ring doorbell and an Echo Show 8.

Vendors include health care businesses and agencies, financial businesses, insurance agencies, technology businesses, hotels and motels, restaurants. Bud Clary is the title sponsor, and major sponsors are Samaritan Healthcare, Confluence Health, KDRM Radio, Horizon Credit Union and Signs Now.

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Theresa Sullivan retires as Samaritan Healthcare chief executive officer
May 14, 2026 3 a.m.

Theresa Sullivan retires as Samaritan Healthcare chief executive officer

MOSES LAKE — Theresa Sullivan said what really interested her in the job at Samaritan Healthcare, back in 2014, was the potential for growth. Then-Chief Executive Officer Tom Thompson was recruiting an administrator. “What really attracted me was what he described in the need for services here,” Sullivan said. “I had been in a rapidly growing organization where we grew a lot of services, and I was excited about that possibility.” Sullivan took chief operating officer job and was promoted to the CEO job in 2015. After 11 years in that job, she’s retiring next week.

McFarlane named interim Othello Police Chief
May 12, 2026 5:56 p.m.

McFarlane named interim Othello Police Chief

OTHELLO — Brent McFarlane has been appointed as the interim chief of the Othello Police Department. McFarlane has been working as assistant chief since late February. Mayor Ken Johnson said McFarlane’s appointment will be in effect until city officials determine what they want to do. “We’re still undecided as to the direction we want to take,” Johnson said. McFarlane replaces Aaron Garza, who took over the job full-time in January. Garza was hired as the Othello city administrator in April and started his new job May 1.

After lengthy discussion, Royal City food truck ordinance approved
May 12, 2026 5:35 p.m.

After lengthy discussion, Royal City food truck ordinance approved

ROYAL CITY — After more than a year of discussion, Royal City has a revised ordinance governing food trucks. “Times have changed since we did the first one 40 years ago,” said Mayor Ryan Piercy. The revisions removed a section that caused a lot of discussion and debate when the ordinance was first reviewed in spring 2025. “We did away with some of the distance restrictions we had before,” Piercy said. The original ordinance prohibited a food truck from operating within a designated distance of a restaurant serving a similar menu. But because Royal City’s business district is not that big, former Mayor Michael Christensen said in an earlier interview that the restrictions limited the area where food trucks could operate. It also only applied to food trucks, so two restaurants serving similar food could operate next to each other without restrictions.