Sky dancers
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 53 minutes AGO
With long wings stretched wide, sandhill cranes fly together across the sky, calling to one another like trumpets. These tall, graceful birds love wetlands and open spaces – and every sighting is special, because sandhill cranes are endangered in Washington. Can you spot your favorite crane facts and words in the graphic and word search below?
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Agencies acknowledge communication failures during Mattawa wildfire
MATTAWA — A fast‑moving wildfire that burned nearly 3,100 acres near state Route 24 on Sunday night prompted a four‑hour highway closure – but no public alerts from either the Washington State Patrol or the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, despite both agencies’ long‑standing practices of issuing emergency notifications. Both agencies now say internal communication breakdowns prevented timely alerts from reaching the public, leaving residents without the Nixle messages, Facebook posts or X updates they typically rely on during major incidents.
4-acre blaze mostly contained in rural Ephrata
EPHRATA — Three fire agencies were called to a wildfire in the 13000 block of Road A.5 Northwest in Rural Ephrata at around 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
‘This is one way we come together for our kids’
MLSD to host gang town hall tonight at Vanguard Academy
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District is convening a broad coalition of educators, law enforcement officers and regional safety specialists tonight for a gang awareness and prevention town hall, an event district leaders say is aimed at equipping families with practical tools to recognize early warning signs and keep youth connected to positive supports.