In Other News

HOSPITAL BOARD SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR VACANT SEAT

 EPHRATA —Grant County Public Hospital District No. 3 is accepting letters of interest from qualified applicants for appointment to a vacancy on its five-member board of commissioners following the departure of Catherine Snyder, who resigned her Position 3 seat effective March 1.

 Commissioners oversee policies and operations, including delivery of patient care, for Columbia Basin Hospital and its associated facilities.

To qualify for appointment, a prospective applicant must be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older and a registered voter who has resided within the hospital district for at least 30 days. Commissioners cannot be employees of the district.

Interested persons may call the hospital’s administration office at 509-754-4631, ext. 1222, to schedule a meeting and facilities tour.

Letters of interest may be mailed to: Rosalinda Kibby, CEO, Columbia Basin Hospital, 200 Nat Washington Way, Ephrata, WA 98823. Her email address is kibbyr@columbiabasinhospital.org.

The application deadline is Tuesday, March 24.

Commission meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month in the CBH conference room.

ADAMS ROAD OVERPASS CLOSED AT I-90

GEORGE — The Adams Road overpass at Interstate 90 about three miles east of George has been closed due to a hole in the bridge deck, the state Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

Currently, there is no estimated time to reopen the overpass, located at Exit 154, said the DOT.

Traffic is being detoured to the junction of I-90, the frontage road, and State Route 281 Spur.

Another overpass closure remains in effect on I-90 at Hansen Road at Moses Lake, the department said. Deterioration of the bridge deck and pier prompted the closure earlier this year. DOT officials said a replacement bridge will be built at the same location with a completion estimated in December.

Detoured divers traveling eastbound on I-90 can access the south side of I-90 via the Exit 174 ramp, but westbound traffic must use Exit 169/Hiawatha Valley Road and turn around to access via eastbound I-90.

DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME STARTS SUNDAY, MARCH 8

 Daylight-saving time starts at 2 a.m. this Sunday, March 8, when clocks “spring forward” one hour.

As a reminder, the weekend change from Pacific Standard Time is also a good time for residents and businesses to change batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Daylight-saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 1. Washington is among the states which have lobbied Congress to enact legislation making DST permanent in the U.S. So far, Congress has not.

The Canadian province of British Columbia announced earlier this week that it will now remain on daylight-saving time year-round.

DNA IDENTIFIES 2011 HOMICIDE VICTIM

EPHRATA — Through advanced DNA testing, the identity of a victim in a 2011 homicide has now been confirmed, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office announced.

The skeletal remains of 39-year-old Jorge Palayo-Rodriguez of Othello were found by hunters near the Potholes Reservoir on Nov. 23, 2011. An autopsy determined he had been shot, perhaps a year earlier, but a DNA sample submitted for testing at the time did not result in a match and his identity remained a mystery.

Recently, the cold case was revisited by sheriff’s detectives and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. A DNA sample was submitted for advanced forensic testing to a Texas-based firm, Othram, which matched Palayo to a relative to confirm his identity.

Detectives are again investigating circumstances of Palayo’s death. Anyone with possible information is asked to contact the Grant County Sheriff’s Office through MACC Dispatch at 509-762-1160. The case number is 11GS15427.

The Grant County Coroner’s Office is in the process of returning Palayo’s remains to his family, said authorities.