'Man up'
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
Bidders make their mark at the Man Up Crusade’s silent auction, hosted by the Moses Lake Roundup and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. This year’s auction is Aug. 11.
FILE PHOTO
New Hope team members sport their Man Up shirts with the Moses Lake Roundup Committee and Miss Moses Lake Roundup. The Man Up Crusade will raise money and awareness for domestic violence services from now until the rodeo.
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 29, 2026 3:10 AM
MOSES LAKE — When the rodeo riders wear purple, that means it’s time to man up.
“Man Up" is for awareness of domestic violence, said Kim Pope, executive director of New Hope. “Any time we make someone aware of the services that are provided in our (area), that’s important.”
The Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo teams up every year with New Hope for the Man Up Crusade, an awareness program to raise both money and awareness of domestic violence. Rodeo competitors and spectators will wear purple bandannas, shirts and more at the rodeo Saturday to signal their support for the folks who care and advocate for domestic violence victims.
There are several ways to help New Hope financially through the Man Up Crusade. One is through a silent auction that takes place at the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours rodeo kickoff at the rodeo grounds Aug. 11. There will be Man Up swag for sale at Moses Lake’s annual Cowboy Breakfast, which is Aug. 14 at the Moses Lake Elks Lodge, and then again at the rodeo itself.
Finally, there’s a raffle going on from now until the end of the rodeo with three grand prizes: four Mariners tickets including parking pass donated by the McGraw family, Airpods Max donated by Vyve Broadband and jewelry donated by Miller’s Fine Jewelers. Tickets are available at the New Hope office and will also be available at the rodeo Aug. 21 and 22. The drawing will be held at the end of the rodeo Aug. 22.
The fundraising is making a difference, said Elsa Borrego, emergency shelter advocate for New Hope.
“Last year we raised over $8,000, and that was probably one of the biggest years since I’ve done it,” Borrego said. “Prior to that, it was about $4,000. Last year we had a lot of donors because more people were becoming aware of the crusade.”
New Hope serves Grant and Adams counties, and despite the fact that it’s technically a Grant County agency with county oversight, the county provides very little of its funding, Pope said. The majority of the funds come from grants and private donations.
“Grants are very specific as to what you can use them for,” Pope said. “There are a lot of times where we fall short on grant money, so this will help us considerably. Whatever our greatest need is, then we have these funds available for that.”
“Housing is always a problem,” Pope said. “For people who are fleeing domestic violence situations, being able to provide housing and keep them safe is very important. And then finding therapy that doesn’t have a big wait list, or that people quality for (with their) insurance. That is really difficult for us to find.”
The other half of the Man Up Crusade is awareness.
“A lot of times people don’t want to acknowledge that we have domestic violence or sexual assault,” Pope said. “(We want to think) that it doesn’t happen in our town, but it does, and we’re here to help those victims.”
Roughly twice as many women as men are victims of domestic violence, and 75-85 percent of persons arrested for domestic violence are male, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The Man Up Crusade was created by then-Canyon County, Idaho, Sheriff Kieran Donahoe in 2012 to remind men of their responsibility to combat the problem through iconic cowboy values.
“The cowboy is an iconic figure of strength, conviction and fortitude,” Donahue wrote on the crusade’s website. “The cowboy … understands the fundamental belief that right is right and wrong is wrong. It is the goal of the Man Up Crusade to celebrate this courageous spirit and be an example to people everywhere that we can stand up for what is right and help put an end to domestic violence.”
“It’s part of that western culture and that rodeo community,” said Joe Ketterer, executive secretary for the Moses Lake Roundup Committee. “There are many values that align between the Columbia Basin Rodeo Association, the Moses Lake Roundup and New Hope. We’re happy to continue supporting it.”
Business After Hours rodeo kickoff and silent auction
5-7 p.m. Aug. 11
Rodeo Arena Last Chute
Grant County Fairgrounds
3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake
Enter at the Green Gate off Paxson Drive
New Hope team members sport their Man Up shirts with the Moses Lake Roundup Committee and Miss Moses Lake Roundup. The Man Up Crusade will raise money and awareness for domestic violence services from now until the rodeo.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.