Quincy woman drowns when car goes into canal
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 2 weeks AGO
A Quincy woman drowned when she drove into an irrigation canal sometime Sunday, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
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. | May 21, 2025 6:23 PM
QUINCY — A 24-year-old Quincy woman died when she lost control of her car and drove into a large irrigation canal near Quincy, apparently sometime Sunday.
Erika Martinez Chavez was driving on a canal maintenance road near Road 7 Northwest when she apparently lost control of the vehicle, according to a press release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle went into the canal and Martinez Chavez was unable to get out of the car, the GCSO release said.
“This was one of the larger canals,” said Kyle Foreman, GCSO public information officer. “It’s about 75 feet wide and the water was about 20 feet deep.”
Her family last heard from Martinez Chavez on Sunday night, according to the GCSO press release.
“The road her home address was on was Road 9 Northwest, which wasn’t far and in the direction she was heading from the incident site,” Foreman said.
The pilot of a helicopter flying over a nearby orchard saw the car in the water Monday afternoon and notified authorities, the press release said.
Canal maintenance roads are owned by the irrigation districts that manage them, Foreman said. Access rules may vary from district to district, but drivers should stay off them regardless.
“Canal maintenance roads are not intended for traffic,” Foreman said.
Drivers should use the other options available to get where they’re going, he said.
“In most cases you’re probably going to be able to reach your destination by using county-maintained roads,” he 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.