Mattawa council discusses animal control
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 1 week AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 9, 2025 5:42 PM
MATTAWA – Mattawa City Council members discussed dogs running at large during the council’s Thursday meeting after a problem with a dog at the residence of council member Sylvia Barajas.
“It just barks at everything that passes – cars, humans, everything,” Barajas said.
The dog has caused problems in her neighborhood, she said, and family members have mistaken it for her dog. Her family members eventually caught the stray. When she inquired about animal control, she was told the city lacked equipment, she said.
Public Works Director Juan Ledezma said city officials have some challenges with that equipment.
“We found, when placing them around, they were going to be damaged,” Ledezma said. “Unless we’re monitoring it, it gets run over and they’re (difficult) to repair and fix, and we end up buying a new one.”
Dogs more than six months of age living within the city limits must be licensed, he said.
“If you feed a dog, then you assume responsibility for the dog,” Ledezma added.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
More park improvements planned for Royal City in ‘26
ROYAL CITY — Lions Park in Royal City now has a soccer field, so city officials will be working on the next phase of improvements in 2026. The first phase of upgrades to Apple Avenue also is scheduled for 2026, and both are among the projects reflected in the city’s 2026 budget. The budget was approved by Royal City City Council members Tuesday.
Sleep Diagnostic Center physician pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud
Charges involve charging Apple Health for recalled, altered CPAP devices
BREWSTER — A Brewster physician who operates a sleep diagnostic clinic in Moses Lake and Wenatchee will be sentenced March 24 as part of a Wednesday plea deal on Medicaid fraud charges.
Qualifying irrigation-only wells approved by Moses Lake council
MOSES LAKE — Public agencies and semi-public organizations will be allowed to drill individual wells to water fields and other publicly accessible green spaces under the terms of an ordinance approved by the Moses Lake City Council at the last meeting of 2025. Council members have been discussing the ordinance for about three months, following a meeting with Moses Lake School District officials.