SL council appointee, school facilities study, 9/11 remembrance, irrigation turnoff, EHS athletics donation, HW waste disposal.
Updated
Woodhouse returns to SL city council
SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake city council members on Wednesday appointed Karen Woodhouse to fill a vacancy on their five-member panel following the resignation of Judith Gorman on Aug. 5.
Woodhouse, 67, has prior experience on the council. She was initially appointed in September 2021, then elected that November to a full four-year term which ended last December. At the time, she was serving as Soap Lake’s pro tem mayor.
The remainder of Gorman’s unexpired term ends Dec. 31, 2027. The nonpartisan position will be up for election next fall.
“I do have prior experience, and I believe the elections (next year) may take the city in a new direction,” Woodhouse said in emailed comments to GCJ.news. “I will do my best to serve the citizens of Soap Lake and look forward to a brighter future.”
Woodhouse mounted a write-in campaign last year against current mayor Peter Sharp, but lost by less than two dozen votes in the November 2025 general election. Her stated priorities have included maintaining a balanced city budget, code enforcement, and infrastructure improvements.
The Soap Lake City Council regularly meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Members set policy for the city, oversee its financial operations, and approve an annual budget.
Ephrata school facilities study meetings planned
EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District will host a series of facilities study meetings as it considers whether to seek voter approval of a construction bond measure during a special election next February.
The sessions are scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Ephrata Middle School library on the Wednesdays of Sept. 9 and 23 and Oct. 7 and 21. Persons interested in participating can learn more here.
“Since this past February, we've been listening, and we want to keep listening as we prepare for the next potential bond,” the district said in an online statement. “We hope you'll join the conversation and help shape what comes next.”
This past February, voters rejected a $75 million bond proposition that would have funded construction of new schools to replace Grant Elementary and Parkway Intermediate schools and added a new performing arts center and a secured entryway at Ephrata High School.
Patriot Day – 9/11 remembrance ceremony
EPHRATA — American Legion Art Semro Post/Unit 28 will host a public ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, in observance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorism attacks on American soil in 2001.
The ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata.
There will be tributes to first responders for their heroism during the 9/11 attacks, and to police, fire, and emergency services providers in this area who continue to serve local communities. It’s suggested that those who attend next Friday’s ceremony bring lawn chairs for their personal comfort at the event.
QUINCY — The Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District has announced final dates for the 2026 irrigation season, said secretary-manager Roger Sonnichsen.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 will be the last day for water delivery changes; Thursday, Oct. 22 will be the last full day of water delivery; and Friday, Oct. 23 will be the turnoff date for irrigation water at the head of the West Canal.
This Saturday, Sept. 5, will be the last Saturday for QCBID ditchrides this season. Afterward, no water changes will be made on a weekend unless it is an emergency. Weekend canal surveillance will continue with supervisory personnel. Telephone voice messages may be left until 11:30 a.m. on Sundays for Monday water deliveries.
Water users should contact their ditchrider or area watermaster with any questions about the upcoming schedules, said Sonnichsen.
Gesa donation to EHS athletics
EPHRATA — Ephrata High School’s Tiger athletics program has received a $5,000 contribution from Gesa Credit Union through its Affinity debit card program.
Gesa members with checking accounts can receive the free debit cards and designate a recipient which receives a 5-cent contribution every time the card is used to make a purchase.
During a recent presentation, EHS athletics director Bryan Johnson said the high school has received $5,000 contributions from Gesa in the past two years. Johnson said the funds help pay for athletic department supplies, equipment, uniforms, and the Hudl video program that records and streams Tiger sports events.
In a press statement, Gesa said it has awarded nearly $440,000 in funds through its Affinity Debit Card program to 31 partner school districts in the Pacific Northwest.
Household hazardous waste disposal event
EPHRATA — Grant County residents may dispose of household hazardous wastes at no cost during two upcoming events, one in Grand Coulee and one in Ephrata.
Dates, times, and locations are:
— Grand Coulee — Friday, Sept. 25, noon to 4 p.m., Delano Regional Transfer Station, 22151 Alcan Road NE;
— Ephrata — Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Grant County Public Works complex, 124 Enterprise St. S.E. (near the Ephrata Airport).
The free events are for all rural and city households within Grant County.
A list of accepted and non-accepted wastes can be viewed on the county Public Works/Solid Waste website.
Limits apply for paint, gasoline, oil, antifreeze, rechargeable batteries, vape pens with built-in batteries, and fluorescent light tubes, CFL bulbs, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps.
Waste should be brought in original non-leaking containers, and all other containers should be clearly labeled. Gasoline containers will not be returned.
For more information, call 509-754-6082, ext. 3508. The disposal opportunities are supported in part by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
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SL council appointee, school facilities study, 9/11 remembrance, irrigation turnoff, EHS athletics donation, HW waste disposal.
Woodhouse returns to SL city council
SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake city council members on Wednesday appointed Karen Woodhouse to fill a vacancy on their five-member panel following the resignation of Judith Gorman on Aug. 5.
Woodhouse, 67, has prior experience on the council. She was initially appointed in September 2021, then elected that November to a full four-year term which ended last December. At the time, she was serving as Soap Lake’s pro tem mayor.
The remainder of Gorman’s unexpired term ends Dec. 31, 2027. The nonpartisan position will be up for election next fall.
“I do have prior experience, and I believe the elections (next year) may take the city in a new direction,” Woodhouse said in emailed comments to GCJ.news. “I will do my best to serve the citizens of Soap Lake and look forward to a brighter future.”
Woodhouse mounted a write-in campaign last year against current mayor Peter Sharp, but lost by less than two dozen votes in the November 2025 general election. Her stated priorities have included maintaining a balanced city budget, code enforcement, and infrastructure improvements.
The Soap Lake City Council regularly meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Members set policy for the city, oversee its financial operations, and approve an annual budget.
Ephrata school facilities study meetings planned
EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District will host a series of facilities study meetings as it considers whether to seek voter approval of a construction bond measure during a special election next February.
The sessions are scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Ephrata Middle School library on the Wednesdays of Sept. 9 and 23 and Oct. 7 and 21. Persons interested in participating can learn more here.
“Since this past February, we've been listening, and we want to keep listening as we prepare for the next potential bond,” the district said in an online statement. “We hope you'll join the conversation and help shape what comes next.”
This past February, voters rejected a $75 million bond proposition that would have funded construction of new schools to replace Grant Elementary and Parkway Intermediate schools and added a new performing arts center and a secured entryway at Ephrata High School.
Patriot Day – 9/11 remembrance ceremony
EPHRATA — American Legion Art Semro Post/Unit 28 will host a public ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, in observance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorism attacks on American soil in 2001.
The ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata.
There will be tributes to first responders for their heroism during the 9/11 attacks, and to police, fire, and emergency services providers in this area who continue to serve local communities. It’s suggested that those who attend next Friday’s ceremony bring lawn chairs for their personal comfort at the event.
Congress has designated Sept. 11 as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.
QCBID irrigation turnoff dates
QUINCY — The Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District has announced final dates for the 2026 irrigation season, said secretary-manager Roger Sonnichsen.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 will be the last day for water delivery changes; Thursday, Oct. 22 will be the last full day of water delivery; and Friday, Oct. 23 will be the turnoff date for irrigation water at the head of the West Canal.
This Saturday, Sept. 5, will be the last Saturday for QCBID ditchrides this season. Afterward, no water changes will be made on a weekend unless it is an emergency. Weekend canal surveillance will continue with supervisory personnel. Telephone voice messages may be left until 11:30 a.m. on Sundays for Monday water deliveries.
Water users should contact their ditchrider or area watermaster with any questions about the upcoming schedules, said Sonnichsen.
Gesa donation to EHS athletics
EPHRATA — Ephrata High School’s Tiger athletics program has received a $5,000 contribution from Gesa Credit Union through its Affinity debit card program.
Gesa members with checking accounts can receive the free debit cards and designate a recipient which receives a 5-cent contribution every time the card is used to make a purchase.
During a recent presentation, EHS athletics director Bryan Johnson said the high school has received $5,000 contributions from Gesa in the past two years. Johnson said the funds help pay for athletic department supplies, equipment, uniforms, and the Hudl video program that records and streams Tiger sports events.
In a press statement, Gesa said it has awarded nearly $440,000 in funds through its Affinity Debit Card program to 31 partner school districts in the Pacific Northwest.
Household hazardous waste disposal event
EPHRATA — Grant County residents may dispose of household hazardous wastes at no cost during two upcoming events, one in Grand Coulee and one in Ephrata.
Dates, times, and locations are:
— Grand Coulee — Friday, Sept. 25, noon to 4 p.m., Delano Regional Transfer Station, 22151 Alcan Road NE;
— Ephrata — Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Grant County Public Works complex, 124 Enterprise St. S.E. (near the Ephrata Airport).
The free events are for all rural and city households within Grant County.
A list of accepted and non-accepted wastes can be viewed on the county Public Works/Solid Waste website.
Limits apply for paint, gasoline, oil, antifreeze, rechargeable batteries, vape pens with built-in batteries, and fluorescent light tubes, CFL bulbs, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps.
Waste should be brought in original non-leaking containers, and all other containers should be clearly labeled. Gasoline containers will not be returned.
For more information, call 509-754-6082, ext. 3508. The disposal opportunities are supported in part by the Washington State Department of Ecology.