News bites for June 27, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 8 months AGO
Corporal Jason McDonnell, left, was sworn in Monday morning by Sheriff Joe Kriete, right.
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. | June 27, 2023 1:30 AM
EPHRATA — Nicole Shenefelt, 25, is being held at the Grant County Jail after reportedly setting a fire in Ephrata, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
Grant County Fire Districts 7 and 13 and the Ephrata Fire Department responded Saturday to a wildfire at the Wagon Wheel Mobile Home Park in the 17000 block of Highway 26, according to the statement.
The fire burned about 15 acres, according to a statement from GCFD 13, which is based in Ephrata. The blaze threatened the east side of the park, the GCFD 13 statement said, but firefighters were able to contain it on both flanks while natural barriers slowed the head of the fire.
Shenefelt was arrested Saturday afternoon after witnesses and evidence placed her at the spot, the GCSO statement said. She is lodged in the Grant County Jail for investigation of second-degree reckless burning, the GCSO wrote.
OTHELLO — An investigation is underway into an officer-involved shooting near Othello Sunday.
At about 2 p.m., the Adams County Sheriff’s Office was assisting Othello Police in locating a suspect allegedly involved in an investigation in Othello, according to a statement form the ACSO. The suspect was located in the area of Kulm Road and SR 26, where the officer-involved shooting occurred.
The Central Basin Investigative Team is conducting an independent investigation of the incident, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. CBIT investigation team members include investigators from the Moses Lake Police Department, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police, Ellensburg Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Ephrata Police Department, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, according to the GCSO statement. Capt.
Jim Weed of the Ellensburg Police Department is heading up the investigation, according to a GCSO statement.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Space Burger booth open March 13-15
MOSES LAKE — Those who can’t wait for the Grant County Fair can get their Space Burger fix next weekend, according to an announcement from the Lioness Club of Moses Lake. The iconic Grant County sandwiches will be available at the Grant County Fairgrounds March 13-15, according to the announcement. There is no admission fee to get into the fairgrounds that weekend.
SENIOR EVENTS: March 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Plays, art shows, auctions and more await seniors in the Columbia Basin this month. Here are some opportunities to get out and about in March.
Valentine’s Day cards flood Brookdale Hearthstone with love
MOSES LAKE — Residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Assisted Living in Moses Lake got Valentine’s Day greetings from across the country last month. “I believe that the only states we have not received (cards from) yet are Vermont and Maine,” Lifestyle Director Imelda Broyles said Feb. 24. “We keep receiving new cards every single day. They have not stopped. My residents are in awe with every single one of the cards that we’ve been receiving.” The Hearts Across America project started as a way for children in school classrooms to exchange Valentine’s Day cards with classes in other states or even countries, but the idea has expanded to senior living facilities, according to the project’s social media.