Bomb threat causes temporary evacuation at MLHS
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 10 months AGO
A phony bomb threat temporarily shut down classes at Moses Lake High School Tuesday. After about 30 minutes and verifying that the caller had a history of hoaxes, classes were resumed.
COURTESY PHOTO/GOOGLE
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 17, 2022 4:16 PM
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School was evacuated briefly Tuesday afternoon after a bomb threat was phoned into the school.
No one was injured. A message from MLHS principal Triscia Hochstatter said an investigation by the Moses Lake Police Department determined the threat was not credible.
“At approximately 1:50 p.m., one of our office staff received an anonymous phone call saying a bomb had been placed in the school,” Hochstatter wrote.
Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said law enforcement officers traced the phone number used by the caller to a person in the city of Quincy. Moses Lake officers notified the Quincy Police Department, Fuhr said.
“There’s a history with this person,” Fuhr said.
Fuhr said the caller had no connection with MLHS that MLPD could identify.
The district’s school resource officers conducted a search of likely areas anyway, Fuhr said.
“We had the kids back in school in probably 30 minutes,” he said.
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.