Benefit auction Saturday for GCAO
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 10 months AGO
Timmy, a resident at Grant County Animal Outreach, put on his best bib and tucker to encourage people to attend the GCAO silent auction Saturday.
COURTESY PHOTO/GRANT COUNTY ANIMAL OUTREACH
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. | December 14, 2023 3:40 PM
MOSES LAKE — Animal lovers are being invited to participate in a fundraising silent auction to benefit Grant County Animal Outreach Saturday afternoon. “Paws for a Cause” will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Rick’s Eatery & Entertainment, 810 W. Third Ave., Moses Lake.
Kar Vanerstrom, vice president of the GCAO board, said businesses have been responsive.
“Right now I have about 70 (auction items),” Vanerstrom said Thursday afternoon. “We’ve got (auction items) from A to Z.”
They include jewelry, toys, gift certificates from businesses around town, gift baskets put together by businesses and individuals. The owners of Rick’s donated the use of the space, she said.
“We just got a bunch of people that have been willing to help,” Vanerstrom said “It’s been really encouraging.”
Santa will be at Rick’s for pictures with children, and so will the mean, green, frowny face known as the Grinch.
“We’ve got cocoa and cookies,” Vanerstrom said, “and, of course, candy canes.”
The auction also will include a “pet tree,” where the ornaments feature pictures of GCAO animals. The dogs and cats pictured are available for adoption but, Vanerstrom said, not everyone can adopt a pet. So attendees also have the option of donating money for sponsorships for animals. There’s a payment code on the back of every ornament for people who want to pay on the spot.
Sponsorships pay for procedures and services the animals need, including spay and neutering, vaccinations and microchipping. People can make a monthly donation to sponsor a kennel.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Power lines, dam upgrades headline Grant PUD capital plans
QUINCY — The Grant County Public Utility District is projected to spend about $118.6 million on a multi-year project to build additional transmission lines from Wanapum Dam to Quincy, about $103.3 million to finish a new maintenance facility in Ephrata. Those are the two largest projects outlined in the PUD's proposed 2027 budget.
Income and priorities subject of Ephrata budget discussion
EPHRATA — Balancing requests and revenues, what can and should be done in 2027 and what can wait was the subject of a budget discussion at the Ephrata City Council meeting Wednesday.
GCFD 8 firefighter sustains minor injuries when hit by car
MATTAWA — A Grant County Fire District 8 officer sustained minor injuries Wednesday when he was hit by a driver subsequently arrested for DUI. Battalion Chief Doug Anderson and GCFD 8 crews were on the scene of a non-injury collision at about 10:30 p.m. when a car drove through the crash scene, according to a media release from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The driver, Jorge Ramirez Suarez, 33, Mattawa, allegedly drove through the crash scene, hit Anderson in the leg, and kept going without stopping, according to the GCSO. He was subsequently booked into the Grant County Adult Correctional Facility on suspicion of DUI, vehicular assault and hit-and-run. Anderson was treated at the scene. He joined GCFD 8 in 1998 as a volunteer firefighter, said Barb Davis, the district's business manager, and is still a volunteer. He has served as a GCFD 8 captain, assistant chief and interim chief, as well as battalion chief.