Saturday, September 05, 2026
66.0°F

OneD to hold thank-you event Thursday

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 4 months AGO
by JOEL MARTIN
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. | April 22, 2024 5:43 PM

MOSES LAKE — OneD Battery Sciences will show off its Moses Lake facility in a pilot manufacturing event Thursday, according to an announcement from the company.

The invitation-only event will include a short presentation from OneD executives and a tour of OneD’s SINANODE pilot manufacturing facility on Road N east of Moses Lake.

“What we want to do is basically say thank you to the contractors and subcontractors that have (built the facility), and thank the authorities that have helped us to get our permits,” said OneD CEO Vincent Pluvinage in a Zoom interview Monday.

OneD uses silicon nanowires to supplement the graphite in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, Chief Operating Officer Jan-Marc Luchies told the Columbia Basin Herald in October, which can double the storage capacity of the battery and thereby reduce its cost by 20%.

The OneD facility employs 15 people full-time, Pluvinage said, a number that is expected to increase slightly in 2024 and double in 2025.

The Columbia Basin Herald has been invited to the event and will provide coverage afterward.

ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN

Quincy National Night Out scales down
September 1, 2026 3:20 a.m.

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
September 1, 2026 3 a.m.

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
August 31, 2026 3:20 a.m.

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.