Controlled agriculture burns underway around Moses Lake Tuesday
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 3 weeks 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 12, 2025 4:27 PM
MOSES LAKE — Smoke visible around Moses Lake Tuesday afternoon is actually a pair of controlled agriculture burns.
Both are previously scheduled agriculture burns, one at Road P Northeast and Road 4 Northeast, the other at Road 3 Northeast and Road Q Northeast, said Haley Jones, firefighter with Grant County Fire District 5.
The Road P permitted burn was 100 acres, while there was no information available for the Road Q location.
Farmers must take into account air quality and local conditions when deciding to burn, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. Burn permits are required, the DOE said.
“It is very highly regulated,” Jones said.
Regulations require adequate water at the site and people on scene until the fire is completely out.
“It is being monitored as long as it’s going,” Jones said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.