Saturday, September 05, 2026
66.0°F

Piano students to support orphans with recital

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 3 weeks AGO
by JOEL MARTIN
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. | December 15, 2025 3:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake-area music students will perform to raise money for a Ukrainian orphanage, according to an announcement from piano teacher Marina Munter. 

Students of Moses Lake-Central Basin chapter of the Washington State Music Teachers Association members will perform “Christmas Songs for Ukrainian Orphans” Dec. 20, at Moses Lake Christian Academy, Munter wrote in the announcement. There is no set admission price but donations are encouraged. 

Participating piano teachers are Preta Laughlin, Marina Munter, Gracie Payne, Whitney Reck and Harriet West. Violin teacher Iryna Novikov’s students will also perform. 

The funds raised will benefit World Light Foundation, which was founded in 2004 by a former Moses Lake family, Munter wrote. The WLF operates three homes in Ukraine for abandoned and orphaned children, according to its website.  

“Their children attend public school and on Saturdays they go to the Christian club,” Munter wrote. “Some children are healthy; others are (infected) with HIV and AIDS.  The door of the orphanage is open for all vulnerable children who need a home.” 

Munter’s students will perform at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. with Novikov’s students. Reck’s students will perform at 2 p.m. West’s and Laughlin’s students will perform at 3:30 p.m. Payne’s students will perform at 5 and 6 p.m. 

For those who would like to help but can’t attend the recital, donations can be mailed to Munter at P.O. Box 1572, Moses Lake, WA 98837. All donated funds will be sent to the orphanage’s bank account, Munter wrote. 

“Our community is invited to come and enjoy a Christmas performance by local piano students,” Munter wrote. 

Christmas Songs for Ukrainian Orphans 

Dec. 20

Moses Lake Christian Academy Event Center 

1312 S. Moses Lake Ave. 

Performances begin 10:30 a.m. 


ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN

Quincy National Night Out scales down
September 1, 2026 3:20 a.m.

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
September 1, 2026 3 a.m.

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
August 31, 2026 3:20 a.m.

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.