One dead, another injured in one-vehicle crash
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 1 week AGO
A one-vehicle crash at about 3:30 a.m. Friday on Road W-Northeast near Marlin resulted in one fatality and one person injured. The subjects did not have seat belts on.
FILE PHOTO
MARLIN – A 33-year-old man from Moses Lake, Don “Chris” Terrell, was killed in a one-vehicle accident early Friday morning near Marlin, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. Friday when Terrell was driving a 1994 Mazda pickup north on Road W-Northeast at a high rate of speed. He failed to stop at the stop sign at State Route 28 East, lost control of the vehicle, and subsequently rolled over four times in the sagebrush on the west side of the road, according to GCSO.
Terrell, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was transferred to the care of Coroner Craig Morrison, who conducted an autopsy.
A passenger in the vehicle, 39-year-old Tawni Jahns of Richland, was also not wearing a seatbelt. She was airlifted to an out-of-area hospital with injuries resulting from the collision.
“It seems as though all too often in Grant County, people lose their lives due to not wearing a seat belt,” GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said. “We certainly hope everyone buckles up and does their part to be safe.”
The Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit is currently investigating the incident. Local agencies, including Grant County Fire District 12 and LifeLine Ambulance, Airlift Northwest, Grant County Coroner’s Office and GCSO, assisted with the incident.
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.