News bites for June 27, 2023
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 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
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.