George Library resource fair successful
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months AGO
The Department of Social and Health Services brought its mobile office to George Monday for the first Resource Fair at the George Library. Attendees could do almost anything at the mobile office that they could at the main office in Moses Lake, including applying for various state benefits.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Renew, Grant County’s mental health service, was one of the agencies present at the George Resource Fair Monday.
Representatives from the Grant County Health District offered a variety information at the George Resource Fair Monday. They had several resources to provide, including pamphlets for parents to use to facilitate conversations with their children about staying away from nicotine, alcohol and drugs.
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 10, 2025 3:00 AM
GEORGE — The first Resource Fair held at the George Library was a success, said Librarian Jeana Rushton.
“We had 17 participants,” Rushton said. “I was estimating 10-20, so it came in right where I thought it would. And since it’s the first time we’ve had a resource fair like this in George, we really weren’t sure what to expect in terms of turnout.”
The fair featured representatives from the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Licensing, Renew Mental Health and the Grant County Health District. The purpose was to enable George residents to take care of paperwork — renewing driver’s licenses and vehicle tabs, applying for benefits and so on — that otherwise would require a drive to Ephrata or Moses Lake.
The DOL and DSHS mobile units were the primary draw, Rushton said.
“(They) both had participants that came specifically for those services,” she said. “But Renew and the Grant County Health programs were able to talk to everybody who came, for the most part.”
Because this was the inaugural program, there were a few lessons learned, Rushton said. She had told the Columbia Basin Herald that North Central Washington Libraries hoped to hold another in the fall.
“I think next time we host an event like this, we’ll focus on morning hours rather than having it be all day, because we did have more participation earlier on than in the afternoon,” she said.
Renew, Grant County’s mental health service, was one of the agencies present at the George Resource Fair Monday.
Representatives from the Grant County Health District offered a variety information at the George Resource Fair Monday. They had several resources to provide, including pamphlets for parents to use to facilitate conversations with their children about staying away from nicotine, alcohol and drugs.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.