In Other News
Youth program funding, SL tourism volunteers, driver faces hit-and-run charge.
EYA FUNDING FOR YOUTH PROGRAMS
EPHRATA — Ephrata Youth Assets is accepting funding requests for new projects or existing programs that support youth in the Ephrata-Soap Lake area.
Prospective applicants can provide a letter of interest describing the sponsoring organization, program or project and its importance, and funding amount sought.
Letters should be submitted by March 1 to: Ephrata Youth Assets, P.O. Box 604, Ephrata, WA 98823. Grants will be determine by March 31.
EYA is a local nonprofit that has served community youth since the late 1990s. For more information on the grant process, or about EYA and ways to be involved, send an email to jmpope@accima.com.
SOAP LAKE SEEKS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT MEMBERS
SOAP LAKE — The City of Soap Lake is seeking community and business members to serve on its Tourism Development Committee.
Committee volunteers help promote Soap Lake as a destination and in supporting local events, attracting visitors, and bolstering the local economy.
The committee helps guide the use of tourism funds, supports marketing and promotional efforts, shares ideas to showcase Soap Lake’s uniqueness, and collaborates on events, projects, and volunteer experiences.
No prior committee experience is required and volunteers do not have to live within city limits.
Interested persons need to submit an application and volunteer handbook acknowledgment form. For more information, visit online or contact Soap Lake City Hall.
DRIVER FACES HIT-AND-RUN, ASSAULT, DUI CHARGES
EPHRATA — A Desert Aire man has been charged with felony hit-and-run, drunk driving, and third-degree assault following an incident reported around 11:15 p.m. Saturday in the unincorporated community south of Mattawa.
During an initial appearance Monday in Grant County Superior Court, 19-year-old Alain Suarez Pantaleon pled not guilty to the charges. Judge Anna Gigliotti set bail at $5,000, scheduled a trial for March 25, and ordered him to have no contact with the involved parties.
According to a Grant County sheriff’s report, Pantaleon – claiming he wanted to “make amends” – was involved in an altercation with a 22-year-old man who had previously been in a fight with Pantaleon’s brother.
A 21-year-old bystander tried to break up the altercation. But Pantaleon got into his 2005 Dodge Neon and sideswiped the 22-year-old’s 2024 Chevrolet Corvette, then drove into the 21-year-old, flinging him into the air, before leaving the scene, the report stated.
The alleged victim escaped serious injury, only sustaining a facial abrasion, authorities said.
A responding sheriff’s deputy who located Pantaleon’s car and initiated a traffic stop said he observed empty beer bottles in the vehicle and described the suspect as appearing intoxicated. When questioned, Pantaleon allegedly denied drinking alcohol or hitting the 21-year-old or the Corvette.
The deputy said Pantaleon refused to perform field sobriety and breath tests. After obtaining a search warrant, he was transported to Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, where blood samples were taken, then booked into the Grant County Jail.
