Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store gets new wheels
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 2 weeks AGO
The Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store recently acquired a 2021 Ford Econoline through a grant from the Paul Lauzier Foundation.
COURTESY PHOTO/EPHRATA SENIOR CENTER THRIFT STORE
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. | November 5, 2025 12:50 AM
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store has a new truck, thanks to a grant from the Paul Lauzier Foundation.
“We asked the board for $10,000 budget to get a new one,” said Store Manager Tandra Harrington. “We found some different options, and about that time the Paul Lauzier grant opened up. So instead of using the $10,000 that (the board) granted us, we went ahead and wrote for the grant and the Paul Lauzier Foundation granted $40,000.”
It wasn’t a quick process, Harrington said. The previous truck’s engine had blown up six or eight months earlier, she said.
The new truck is a 2021 Ford Econoline, Harrington said. It will be used primarily for pickup and delivery.
“We do two pickups per week,” Harrington said. “And then its used for any materials or supplies needed for the store, and for dump runs.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
NCW Tech Alliance expo showcases AI uses
WENATCHEE — Artificial intelligence has found a place in North Central Washington classrooms, farms and more, NCW Tech Alliance demonstrated at the sixth annual AI Expo in Wenatchee Aug. 11. Wenatchee teacher Sheena Zacherle took home $4,000 from Microsoft for her educational program Sheena Town, which uses artificial intelligence to give students hands-on experience with financial decision-making, according to a release from NCW Tech Alliance Marketing Director David Mabee.
Rodeo kicks off with barbecue, fundraisers and fun
MOSES LAKE — There was a whole lot going on at the Grant County Fairgrounds rodeo gate Tuesday, when the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Business After Hours combined with the kickoff of the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo. “It brings out some people who only go to one or two (chamber events) a year,” said Chamber Director Debbie Doran-Martinez. “The rodeo extends an invitation to all its major sponsors.” Doran-Martinez estimated that about 250 people came out to enjoy the warm sun, cold drinks and good food. Dinner was catered by Top Gun Concessions, and consisted of barbecued ribs with beans, salads and sides.
BASIN EVENTS Aug. 14-22
COLUMBIA BASIN — The third week in August is coming up, and we all know what that means: the Grant County Fair, Miner Services Demo Derby and Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo. But that’s not all that‘s happening this week. Check out these options as well.