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Feb. 10 initial election results

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 weeks, 1 day AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZERR. HANS MILLER
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. | February 10, 2026 8:36 PM

EPHRATA — Voters were asked to approve or reject educational programs and operations levy requests from a number of Grant and Adams county school districts in Tuesday’s special election. Voters in the Ephrata School District and East Adams Rural Healthcare decided the fate of specific proposals. Unofficial results released Tuesday night are listed below with additional votes coming in via mail over the next few days. Mailed-in ballots must have been postmarked by Feb. 10, 2026, to be counted.  

Election results will be certified Feb. 20.  

Grant County 

Coulee-Hartline School District 

Two-year EP&O levy:
Yes: 239
No: 98 

Ephrata School District
Construction bond 

Yes: 1,147
No: 1,261 

Quincy School District
Four-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 933
No: 500 

Royal School District
Two-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 292
No: 170 

Wahluke School District
Four-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 261
No: 222 

Warden School District
Two-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 167
No: 123 

Two-year capital levy, safety and technology: 

Yes: 169
No: 107 

Wilson Creek School District
Two-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 43
No: 33 

Adams County 

East Adams Rural Healthcare:
EMS levy lid lift: 

Yes: 466
No: 379 

Healthcare levy lid lift 

Yes: 411
No: 432 

Lind School District
Two-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 122
No: 71 

Two-year capital levy, technology and facility upgrades 

Yes: 125
No: 68 

Othello School District
Four-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 564
No: 348 

Ritzville School District
Two-year EP&O levy: 

Yes: 315
No: 224 

Two-year capital levy, technology and facility upgrades 

Yes: 342
No: 197 

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Hansen Road bridge construction to begin late June, early July
March 11, 2026 3:28 p.m.

Hansen Road bridge construction to begin late June, early July

MOSES LAKE — Demolition of the Hansen Road overpass will begin in late June or early July. Chris Keifenheim, North Central Region administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said DOT officials will be monitoring the Hiawatha Road overpass to ensure it stays open during construction.

State Senator Judy Warnick announces retirement
March 11, 2026 12:42 p.m.

State Senator Judy Warnick announces retirement

MOSES LAKE — State Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, has announced her retirement from the Washington Legislature at the end of her term in January 2027. Warnick represents the 13th District and has been in the Senate since 2015. “Serving the people of the 13th Legislative District has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Warnick wrote in a press release issued Wednesday. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together to protect our water rights, support our small businesses and empower the next generation of leaders.”

Registration open for hunter safety classes
March 10, 2026 6:30 p.m.

Registration open for hunter safety classes

OTHELLO — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, is sponsoring one-day classes for people needing field training to complete their hunter safety courses. Classes are scheduled for March 21 and April 18, with the potential for more classes later in the year.