News Bites for July 26, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
Sheriff Joe Kriete swore in two new corrections deputies Monday, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Eric Rojas, left, rejoined the GCSO after a hiatus of about a year, according to the statement, while Deputy Eric Clark, right, is new to the GCSO and will attend the Basic Law Enforcement Academy in August.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCSO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | July 26, 2023 1:30 AM
COULEE CITY — The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team and Homeland Security joined forces to make a sizable drug bust in Coulee City Thursday, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
Daniel King, 56, of Tulalip, was arrested and booked into Grant County Jail for two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to the GCSO.
King allegedly traveled from Western Washington to sell more than 50 fentanyl pills and crystal methamphetamine to a customer in Coulee City, according to the statement. When King arrived at the residence in the 200 block of North Second Street, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and INET detectives arrested him on felony distribution charges without incident.
INET recovered more than 5 grams of a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine, more than 50 blue pills believed to be fentanyl, more than $500 in cash, a working digital scale commonly used to weigh narcotics and several empty small baggies commonly used in the drug trade to package narcotics after being weighed, according to the statement.
INET was asked to assist in the investigation by GCSO after a possible overdose death in the same neighborhood of Coulee City on July 18, according to the statement. The investigation into that death is still ongoing.
OTHELLO — Registration for the last session of swim lessons at the Othello pool closes Friday, according to an announcement from the city of Othello.
The third session begins Monday and goes through Friday, Aug. 11, according to the announcement, and space is limited. Interested participants may visit at the Parks and Recreation building, 81 E. Pine, to get help signing up or register online at parks.othellowa.gov.
RITZVILLE — A candidates forum will be held Thursday in Ritzville, according to a statement from the Ritz Theatre, which will host the event.
The forum will include candidates for all contested races in the city of Ritzville, according to the announcement, including for mayor and two city council positions. Theater doors will open at 6 p.m., and concessions will be sold.
The Ritz Theatre is located at 107 E. Main Ave. More information is available by calling the theater at 509-659-1950.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”