Air Force flyover honors health care workers
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 10 months AGO
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base flew over Samaritan Hospital Friday in a show of gratitude for the work of its staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Samaritan Hospital employees scan the sky for aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base Friday. The air crews flew over Samaritan and other regional hospitals in appreciation of work done by their employees during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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. | May 10, 2020 11:41 PM
MOSES LAKE — Crews and aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base showed their support for health care workers and first responders in Central Washington on Friday, with a flyover of a number of health care facilities including Samaritan Hospital.
The pair of planes appeared overhead at 12:22 p.m., right on schedule. Samaritan was the first destination, followed by Yakima, Tri-Cities, Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
Hospital employees gathered outside on the terrace, cellphones in hand.
“Very cool,” Jan Sternberg, director of nursing, said.
It took the crews 13 minutes to fly from Moses Lake to Yakima, which impressed Gretchen Youngren, Samaritan’s director of communications and development.
“Holy moly, they can motor. I want to be on their travel plan,” she said.
The flight was to show support for the people responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a Fairchild AFB press release. Colonel Derek Salmi, commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, said it was a way to express gratitude for the efforts of people working at the center of efforts to treat the outbreak.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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.