Tiger spirit to wave in the wind
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
EPHRATA — One hundred bright orange or black flags adorned with the letter “E” will start waving in the wind decorating Basin Street on various occasions.
“We came together to raise community spirits and we're going to put flag days together for several different occasions, the first day of school, graduation, Homecoming, anytime we play Quincy, to keep that rivalry going,” ESD Communications Director Sarah Morford said. “Then anytime we send kids off to state. So, you know that could be state competitions for athletics, or it could be state competitions for a math team or regular robotics or those types of things.”
The Tiger Booster club and ESD invested $3,000 in the flags to raise school spirit, said Morford. The first official flag day was the first day of school, Aug. 28.
The flags are currently being put up and taken down by school administrators, however they plan on organizing an official flag team made of students. Morford said she hopes to have that organized before the next flag day, which will be Sept. 13 when Ephrata plays Quincy in a home football game.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.
Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”
Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests
EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.
