Friday, April 03, 2026
48.0°F

COVID-19 outbreak reported in extended care facility

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 6 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. | September 30, 2020 1:00 AM

OTHELLO — Adams County Health Department officials have announced a COVID-19 outbreak has been discovered at an Adams County extended care facility.

Eight people who live or work at the facility, which was not identified, had been diagnosed with the virus as of Sept. 22. One person has been hospitalized, according to an ACHD press release.

Facility-wide testing was conducted the week of Sept. 14 with follow up testing the next week. The facility’s residents are in individual isolation.

The ACHD reported 38 new cases of coronavirus from Sept. 22 to 28. Of the new cases, 35 were in Othello, two in Hatton and one in Ritzville. As of Sept. 28, three people are hospitalized.

Adams County has reported 864 positive cases since March. Of those, 810 cases have been in Othello, 38 in Ritzville, 10 in Hatton, four in Lind and one each in Benge and Washtucna.

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
April 3, 2026 3 a.m.

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
April 2, 2026 1:48 p.m.

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
April 1, 2026 3:45 a.m.

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.