GALLERY: A look at Christmases past
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 11 months AGO
Dania Pena goes over her Christmas wishes with Santa during the Downtown Street Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House in 2021 sponsored by the Downtown Moses Lake Association. The jolly old soul is a common site at holiday celebrations throughout the Basin.
FILE PHOTO
Deacon Frank Martinez, right, prepares to give communion to a worshiper during a Christmas Eve mass at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Parish in Moses Lake in 2020.
Participants in the Bells on Basin parade in Ephrata wave from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat during the 2013 holiday season. The sheriff’s office is currently collecting donations for its annual Shop with a Cop event through Dec. 15. GCSO partners with the Moses Lake Police Department each year to bring joy to local children.
The Grinch sits in an orange Grant County Jail jumpsuit on the back of the GCSO’s paddy wagon as part of 2022’s Bells on Basin parade in Ephrata. Bells on Basin returns this Saturday and is organized by the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce. With the Grinch in custody, we’re sure the festivities will go off without a hitch.
Volunteers working with the Quincy Valley Historical Society reenacted the Christmas story last year. Such expressions of faith and appreciation are common sights throughout the area during the holidays.
Students from Soap Lake Elementary School, under the direction of music teacher Allison Pheasant, sing Christmas songs in Sam Israel Panayiri Square in 2021 during the town’s annual Winterfest celebration.
Christmas baskets and food are loaded into a community member’s truck to be delivered to families in need for the holidays for the Othello Community Christmas Basket program last year. The Basin’s generosity steps out front and center during the holidays.
The Christmas tree stands outside Othello City Hall during the 2022 Christmas Miracle on Main Street event.
A Lower Yakima Valley truck with Christmas light decorations rolls down Boundary Avenue on its way to the end of the parade at Wahluke High School last year.
This live depiction of the birth of Jesus was part of the Mattawa Community Christmas Celebration held in 2012. Pictured are: Brennon Zirker, Regan Calaway, Valerie Cruz, Jonah Gallacci, Jack Yorgesen, Matthew Yorgesen, Diana Cruz and Danielle Bird.
Ritzville Shop with a Cop on Dec. 10, 2022, and brought together Ritzville businesses, organizations and children for an afternoon of Christmas gift shopping.
COLUMBIA BASIN — Grant and Adams counties often show their best off when the holidays roll around each year. Local law enforcement agencies collect money for children to go shopping with officers. Churches hold large gatherings and offer a variety of small and large celebrations and city streets are lit up with twinkling lights and smiling locals out shopping for loved ones.
Here is a look back at past holiday seasons in the Basin. The Columbia Basin Herald team hopes your Christmas, Hanukah and New Years holidays, or any of the many others that occur this time of year, are filled with joy, family and a laugh or 20.
Deacon Frank Martinez, right, prepares to give communion to a worshiper during a Christmas Eve mass at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Parish in Moses Lake in 2020.
Participants in the Bells on Basin parade in Ephrata wave from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat during the 2013 holiday season. The sheriff’s office is currently collecting donations for its annual Shop with a Cop event through Dec. 15. GCSO partners with the Moses Lake Police Department each year to bring joy to local children.
The Grinch sits in an orange Grant County Jail jumpsuit on the back of the GCSO’s paddy wagon as part of 2022’s Bells on Basin parade in Ephrata. Bells on Basin returns this Saturday and is organized by the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce. With the Grinch in custody, we’re sure the festivities will go off without a hitch.
Volunteers working with the Quincy Valley Historical Society reenacted the Christmas story last year. Such expressions of faith and appreciation are common sights throughout the area during the holidays.
Students from Soap Lake Elementary School, under the direction of music teacher Allison Pheasant, sing Christmas songs in Sam Israel Panayiri Square in 2021 during the town’s annual Winterfest celebration.
Christmas baskets and food are loaded into a community member’s truck to be delivered to families in need for the holidays for the Othello Community Christmas Basket program last year. The Basin’s generosity steps out front and center during the holidays.
The Christmas tree stands outside Othello City Hall during the 2022 Christmas Miracle on Main Street event.
A Lower Yakima Valley truck with Christmas light decorations rolls down Boundary Avenue on its way to the end of the parade at Wahluke High School last year.
This live depiction of the birth of Jesus was part of the Mattawa Community Christmas Celebration held in 2012. Pictured are: Brennon Zirker, Regan Calaway, Valerie Cruz, Jonah Gallacci, Jack Yorgesen, Matthew Yorgesen, Diana Cruz and Danielle Bird.
Ritzville Shop with a Cop on Dec. 10, 2022, and brought together Ritzville businesses, organizations and children for an afternoon of Christmas gift shopping.ARTICLES BY STAFF REPORT
Connell woman killed in Booker Road crash
CONNELL — Charges are pending against a Kennewick man following a collision about 12 miles south of Othello that killed a Connell woman and injured three other people Tuesday evening. A Washington State Patrol press memo said intoxicating substances were a factor. Jessica Zarate, 37, Connell, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the intersection of SR 17 and South Booker Road, the WSP memo said. She was driving south on Booker Road approaching the intersection when her car was hit by a pickup driven by John Reiss, 62, Kennewick. Edgar Garcia Quirino, 28, Othello, was driving north on SR 17 and ran into Zarate's car, the WSP memo said. The crash occurred at about 6:40 p.m.
Wheeler Road closed because of traffic collision
UPDATE: The road was reopened as of noon, according to a GCSO media release. MOSES LAKE — Grant County Sheriff’s Office has announced there is a road closure between Road 3-NE and Road S-NE. There was a serious traffic collision. GCSO is asking for drivers to avoid the area and find alternative routes. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Doors opening: The Currents will provide homeownership for more local workers
About 104 homes are planned at the former Atlas sawmill site
Teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers who keep Coeur d’Alene running will soon have more places to buy a home in the community where they work. About 104 homes are being planned to be built at Atlas Waterfront, on roughly 10 acres that are part of a swath of land that was once home to the Atlas sawmill and is being redeveloped. Ignite CDA, the city of Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, is leading this effort.