Staff Writer
JOEL MARTIN
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.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Word wizards
MOSES LAKE — These students know how to use their words. Forty-two thousand, four hundred thirty-eight of them, in fact. MLCA recently competed in the Vocabulary.com Vocabulary Bowl, and students demonstrated mastery of 42,438 words in a David-and-Goliath battle against schools with vastly larger teams. “We were competing against hundreds, …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 0 MINUTES AGO
Small, local shops offer unique Christmas gifts
MOSES LAKE — Plenty of people do all their Christmas shopping from the comfort of their laptop. But just a few blocks away, local small businesses are offering things you won’t necessarily find online. “Most of our shoppers, they're looking for something unique, not something they can get from Amazon …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 0 MINUTES AGO
BASIN EVENTS: Dec. 5-13
COLUMBIA BASIN — The holiday season is in full swing with community festivals, bazaars, performances and more. Ignore your inner Grinch, get out and celebrate with your neighbors. Here are some of the festivities happening in your community:
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 0 MINUTES AGO
Mini-farm for sale has deep Grant County roots
SOAP LAKE — There’s a little piece of history in the mini-farm for sale east of Soap Lake. “It’s been with the same owner since the 1930s,” said Anna Van Diest of Moses Lake Realty Group, who is listing the 25.19-acre property at 20226 NE Adrian Road, just south of …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 HOUR, 59 MINUTES AGO
Moses Lake teachers march downtown
MOSES LAKE — Teachers from across Moses Lake marched from Sinkiuse Square to Frontier Middle School Thursdayin support of the Moses Lake Education Association’s work stoppage. The teachers stayed at Frontier while a band played at Carl Ahlers Park across the street and passing motorists honked. The teachers had been …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 7 HOURS, 30 MINUTES AGO
Local organizations collect Christmas presents for children
MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot of talk about the true meaning of Christmas, but it’s hard to deny that one of the best parts is seeing children open their new toys.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 23 HOURS, 59 MINUTES AGO
‘People connector’
MOSES LAKE — Allan Peterson is hanging it up after more than two decades of helping the little guy find success. “(We) really appreciate all that he has done for Grant County,” Grant County Economic Development Council Director Brant Mayo said. “He’s been an unsung hero of the growth in …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 DAY AGO
Cookie decorating the focus of Free Family Saturday
MOSES LAKE — ’Tis the season for all kinds of sweet treats, and this month’s Free Family Saturday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center continues that tradition, decorating gingerbread cookies. “It’s our annual December event,” said Creative Programs coordinator Jenni Shelton. “We’ve done gingerbread cookies for, I think …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 DAY, 23 HOURS AGO
Senior events for December 2025
COLUMBIA BASIN — The weather outside may be frightful, but the holiday events this month make the chill in the air a little more bearable. Here are some opportunities to get out and about in December:
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 2 DAYS, 1 HOUR AGO
Plan early for dementia care
MOSES LAKE — Having dementia can seem like the end of everything. But in some ways, it’s only the beginning. “The most important thing (for) people with dementia is planning for the future,” said Dr. A. Carroll Hayman, a Seattle physician who specializes in Alzheimer’s and other dementias, at a …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 2 DAYS, 1 HOUR AGO
Celtic Christmas returns to Moses Lake Dec. 12
MOSES LAKE — Fiddler Geoffrey Castle will bring his Celtic Christmas show to Moses Lake again Dec. 12.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 2 DAYS, 23 HOURS AGO
Moses Lake Council approves temporary ice rink fix
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting to rent replacement equipment to keep the Larson Recreation Center ice rink functional.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 3 DAYS, 23 HOURS AGO
GALLERY: November 2025 in review
COLUMBIA BASIN — November in the Basin began with memorials for the departed, surged through state sports championships and finally began to look like winter during Thanksgiving week. Here are a few highlights from last month.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 4 DAYS, 23 HOURS AGO
BASIN EVENTS: December 2025
COLUMBIA BASIN — Now that the Thanksgiving turkey coma has passed, it’s time to get off the couch and start the December festivities. Here are some things happening this month.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 6 DAYS, 23 HOURS AGO
