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
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 …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 3 DAYS, 13 HOURS AGO
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 …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 3 DAYS, 13 HOURS AGO
Big fun on a small scale
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 …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 4 DAYS, 13 HOURS AGO
Choosing plants for a drought-resistant garden
MOSES LAKE — Heritage gardens, with native, drought-resistant plants, aren’t just nice to look at, they’re economical, and they make a difference when the water bill rolls around, said Columbia Basin Conservation District Conservation Director Dinah Rouleau at a class hosted jointly by the CBCD and Habitat for Humanity Aug. …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK AGO
BASIN EVENTS September 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — The summer is over, and it’s time to start the fall festivities. Here’s a taste of what awaits you in September.
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK AGO
Back-to-school event includes free eye exams and glasses
MOSES LAKE — When the new school year starts, some Moses Lake children will be able to see the front of the classroom a little more clearly, after a free event Monday. “Anyone in the community can get vision screening; if they need it, they can get prescription eyeglasses mailed …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK AGO
Better prices, strong quality boost WASH. cherry harvest
YAKIMA — This year’s cherry harvest is looking positive, said Washington State Tree Fruit Association Executive Director Jon DeVaney, “The growers I’m talking to are saying that they feel that it was a good cherry year, and that they made some money in a way that they could really use, …
BASINBUSINESSJOURNAL | UPDATED 1 WEEK AGO
School supply giveaway helps Scout earn Eagle status
MOSES LAKE — A lot of work went into the bags of school supplies that were being given away at the Boys & Girls Club in Moses Lake Monday. “I went around town with some of the other Boy Scouts in Troop 75 asking for donations at EDUBS C/S and …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 1 DAY AGO
Tent revival coming to Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — Blue Heron Park in Moses Lake will be abuzz with faith next week, when Glory Cloud Crusade holds its annual tent revival. “It’s like having church, but under a tent,” said Nini English, one of the organizers of the event. “We’re uniting the Moses Lake community to …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 1 DAY AGO
Stuck on science
MOSES LAKE — It was just another Saturday at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center, with Program Assistant Savannah Betz explaining non-Newtonian physics and the scientific method to a group of grade-school children. “We know that something is solid because we can feel that it’s solid,” Betz said. “We …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 2 DAYS AGO
Credit union shreds sensitive documents, collects for food bank
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake branch of Solarity Credit Union held a paper-shredding event Saturday. “We’re encouraging everybody to bring any of their documents that they don’t want lying around, that you don’t want anybody to get their hands on,” said Solarity Community Activation Activist Sean McEwen. People took …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 2 DAYS AGO
‘I have been incredibly blessed’
MOSES LAKE — When LeAnne Parton steps down as executive director of the Big Bend Community College Foundation at the end of August, she’ll do it with her head held high. “Serving as Executive Director of the BBCC Foundation has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life,” …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 3 DAYS AGO
Sip & Stroll to offer greater variety of sips
MOSES LAKE — Sip & Stroll, the Downtown Moses Lake’s annual celebration of wine and local business, is expanding its horizon this year. “In years past, Sip & Stroll has been mainly wine,” DMLA Executive Director Mallory Miller said. “This year we decided to include beer (plus cider and spirits). …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 3 DAYS AGO
Creativity clicks into place at Grant County Fair Lego Build-Off
MOSES LAKE — Some people work all year on an artwork or craft project to enter at the fair. And some young creators make theirs on the spot. “They (the kids) bring in their own Legos,” said Arts and Crafts Building Superintendent Lanita Pomeroy. “It can be a free build, …
COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD | UPDATED 1 WEEK, 4 DAYS AGO
