‘My cup runneth over’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
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. | July 14, 2025 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — The 23rd Psalm is one of the best-known passages in the Bible, filled with assurances of God’s protection and favor. That’s what Larisa Vorobey had in mind when she opened her new business.
“I lost my mom, and then my baby, and then I found myself navigating life as a single mom, (all) within six months,” said Vorobey, owner of Psalms 23, a new coffee shop in Moses Lake. “There were moments I didn’t think I would make it through, but even in the darkest times, God was with me. So, Psalms 23 became a promise I held on to.”
The coffee shop reflects that faith, with framed encouraging Bible verses on all the walls and the full text of the psalm on a poster near the entrance. The shop opened July 3, Vorobey said, with the pastors from her church all coming to pray and bless the new business. She had more than 200 customers every day for the first three days, she said.
“It’s been more than I ever imagined,” she said. “I ran out of supplies the first day. I had to go at 4:30 in the morning to Wenatchee to get stock.”
The business was christened into the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 8.
Besides coffee drinks, Psalms 23 offers pastries and other goodies, many of them baked in-house, Vorobey said. Eventually, she wants to introduce soups and sandwiches as well.
Psalms 23 is located in the former Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce office on Broadway. Vorobey’s brother did the conversion from office to coffee shop, she said.
“He did everything for me,” she said. “He hand-built the coffee bar, broke down the walls, the whole remodel.”
The shop boasts a deck overlooking the lake and a dedicated Kids Corner for the little ones filled with toys and books. Vorobey’s own younger daughter, 3-year-old Noami, makes frequent use of the toys, and so do the children who come in with their mothers.
“Being a mom, I always went to coffee shops and there was nothing for kids to do,” Vorobey said. “(Noami) was always bored and wanted to (play on) my phone.”
Besides the coffee shop, Vorobey works in real estate, she said. Her older daughter, Allison Vorobey, is part-owner of the shop and will take on more responsibility as the shop grows. Allison, a 2025 graduate of Moses Lake High School, said this is her first shot at working in coffee, and there’s a pretty steep learning curve with some surprises.
“(One was) not knowing if people really like their drinks,” she said. “Making them for family, they’ll tell you what’s good and what’s not good. Here you just make the drink and hope they like it. You try to get the perfect drink every time, but you don’t know because you can’t (taste) it.”
She expects to be at the shop every day and sometimes watch Noami as well, she said.
“I love the job; I love coffee; I love spending time with … my co-workers,” she said. “It’s a good environment and people are very happy to come in. It’s a very uplifting environment.”
Down the road, Larisa Vorobey said she plans to add a prayer wall, where people can write a prayer request on a little piece of note paper for someone else to pick up and pray about. Allison is hoping to use the space for youth events and worship nights as well, Larisa said.
“(After) everything that I've been through, I just wanted to open something that will honor God and bring community here,” she said. “I want people to walk in here and just feel warmth and welcome.”
Psalm 23 (King James Version)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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.


