Sometimes the hardest part of building something important is not the work itself. Sometimes it is waiting for the system around you to catch up.

That was one of the clearest takeaways from the recent Grant County Hospital District 2 Board of Commissioners meeting at Quincy Valley Medical Center here in the 98848.

QVMC CEO Glenda Bishop gave an update on the hospital’s swing bed program. The conversation painted a picture of a rural hospital doing exactly what it was supposed to do: building a needed service, testing it carefully, and trying to protect the community’s resources while navigating a slow-moving state certification process.

The frustrating part is that the biggest thing holding the program back right now is completely out of their capable hands. It’s not a staffing issue, patient demand, or readiness inside the hospital. It is bureaucracy chugging along as only government can.

TL;DR

• QVMC’s swing bed program is already seeing strong patient demand.
• The hospital has recorded 317 swing bed days since January.
• QVMC cannot bill for swing bed care until the state certifies the program.
• State survey delays appear tied to limited survey teams and CMS prioritization rules.
• Hospital leadership is temporarily capping swing bed patients at two to reduce unreimbursed costs.
• QVMC leadership says the goal is to keep the program active while protecting the hospital financially.
• The hospital believes the program is working and needed in the 98848.

What Is a Swing Bed Program?

For people unfamiliar with the term, a swing bed program allows smaller rural hospitals like Quincy Valley Medical Center to care for patients who no longer need full acute hospital care, but are not ready to safely return home yet.

That could include someone recovering from surgery, rebuilding strength after an illness, or needing therapy, medications, wound care, or additional nursing support before going home.

Instead of staying in a larger city hospital farther away from family, swing bed care helps patients recover closer to home. This is one of many benefits of having a medical facility like ours, you can be a little closer to home while still receiving the care you need.

For rural communities like Quincy, George, Winchester, Crescent Bar, and the surrounding 98848 area, that matters.

“If You Build It, They Will Come”

One of the biggest takeaways from the discussion was just how quickly demand appeared once the program got moving.

Bishop explained that back in December 2025, QVMC was still trying to figure out how to get its first swing bed patient admitted. The hospital needed real patients in beds so state surveyors could review charts, observe care being provided, and evaluate whether the program was operating properly.

Once those first patients arrived, however, things changed quickly.

According to Bishop, the hospital has consistently had four to five swing bed patients over the last six weeks to two months. For a small rural critical access hospital with only eight beds total, that is a significant number.

The referral relationships are there. Hospitals are calling. Patients are coming. Listening to the conversation the demand could fast outpace the availability even once the state officially certifies the hospital and program.

As Bishop put it during the meeting, “If you build it, they will come, and we built it.”

The Problem: QVMC Cannot Bill for the Care Yet

Here is where the situation becomes difficult.

Even though QVMC is already caring for swing bed patients, the hospital still cannot bill for those services until the state officially certifies the program. That means every swing bed patient currently staying at QVMC is costing the hospital money.

The hospital is still providing staffing, medications, meals, nursing care, supplies, transportation support when needed, and all the daily services required for patient care. But until certification is complete, those swing bed days are not reimbursable.

Bishop told commissioners that QVMC has already logged 317 swing bed days since January.

That is 317 days of care the hospital currently cannot bill for. While the hospital’s first priority is to take care of people who need care, they would not exist long if they cannot bill for the patients.

Now the hospital has to weigh the program and its fiscal responsibility to community.

The State Certification Process Is the Bottleneck

Based on the discussion during the meeting, the issue does not lie with QVMC, they are prepared and running the program well.

Policies are in place. Staff have been trained. Patients have been admitted. Charts exist for surveyors to review. The hospital has intentionally been operating the program so state reviewers can evaluate a functioning system. They are meeting the requirements on their end.

The delay appears tied to survey capacity and prioritization at the state and federal level.

Bishop explained that the Department of Health contact working with QVMC told them swing bed certification surveys are currently considered “tier four” work under CMS prioritization rules. In practical terms, that means almost every other survey type takes priority first; for every hospital in the state.

Washington State only has so many survey teams available, and those teams are responsible for reviewing hospitals and healthcare facilities across the entire state. Currently there is no clear timeline for when QVMC will get surveyed, on the optimistic side there was talk of a couple of months which creates a major financial dilemma.

According to Bishop, the Department of Health representative has been trying to advocate for QVMC and push the issue up the chain, but even he acknowledged the process depends on staffing, funding, and federal priorities.

That leaves QVMC stuck in an uncomfortable position. The hospital needs to keep the program active enough to demonstrate that it works, but the longer the certification process drags on, the more unreimbursed care the hospital absorbs.

QVMC Is Trying To Be Responsible

One thing that came through clearly during the meeting was that hospital leadership is trying to approach the situation carefully and responsibly. Instead of immediately filling every available swing bed, Bishop said she asked staff to temporarily cap the program at two swing bed patients.

Not because the demand disappeared. Not because the program failed. Because leadership realized they needed to protect the hospital financially while waiting for the state to complete the certification process.

That distinction matters.

The hospital is not shutting the program down. It is not abandoning the idea. Leadership is trying to balance two realities at the same time: keeping the program active and functional while also limiting the amount of unreimbursed costs piling up on the hospital’s books.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly described the decision as an effort to minimize costs while continuing to prepare for full certification.

The Program Is Affecting More Than Just Nursing

Another interesting part of the discussion was hearing how many areas of the hospital are impacted by swing bed care. Once a patient becomes part of the swing bed program, the hospital has to provide all medications directly rather than allowing patients to use medications from home. Some medications can be extremely expensive.

There are also transportation costs, specialty supplies, dietary needs, and staffing adjustments that come with caring for longer-term patients.

At one point during the meeting, staff discussed how the dietary department had to make changes because of the increased patient load. Weekend meal coverage became difficult enough that staffing changes had to be made to support the program properly.

Hospital leadership also said operating the program before full certification has helped reveal areas that needed adjustment. In many ways, the current period has become a real-world stress test for the system.

Bishop told commissioners she has no regrets about temporarily running the program at higher patient levels because it helped expose operational gaps, workflow issues, and areas that needed improvement before the full launch.

Why Not Just Stop Until Certification Happens?

Commissioners also asked a question many community members are probably wondering themselves: if the hospital cannot bill for swing bed care yet, why not stop completely until certification is approved?

Hospital leadership gave several reasons.

One major concern is referral relationships. If larger hospitals and discharge planners hear “no” too many times, eventually they may stop calling Quincy altogether.

Another concern is staffing consistency. Swing bed care is different from regular acute care, and staff need regular experience working within that system. Stopping completely could mean having to restart the learning process later.

Finally, the hospital wants to maintain an active program with current patients and records available whenever surveyors finally arrive.

In short, QVMC is trying to keep the engine warm without burning unnecessary fuel.

A Program Worth Fighting For

There was frustration in the room during this discussion, but there was also confidence.

Nobody sounded like they doubted the value of the program. If anything, the opposite seemed true. The demand has already shown that swing bed care fills a real need in this community.

Now the hospital is trying to balance growth with responsibility. This program is extremely valuable to our community here in the 98848, letting people be closer to home instead of Wenatchee, Moses Lake or even further.

QVMC built the program. The patients came. The staff adapted. The systems are operating.

At this point, the biggest thing slowing the program down is not Quincy Valley Medical Center.

It is the pace of government bureaucracy surrounding it.

Memorial Day is a complicated holiday that stirs a lot of emotions.

For many Americans, it has become the unofficial beginning of summer. A long weekend filled with barbeques, camping trips, lake days, and family gatherings. And honestly, for those of us who feel the full weight of Memorial Day, it is hard to fault people for that entirely. Modern culture, advertising, media, and even political leaders have slowly helped reshape the story over time. One of our vice presidents even called it a “nice long weekend”

But culturally, we become the stories we tell ourselves.

And the story of “summer starting” is far easier to carry than the story of sacrifice, grief, loss, and bloodshed that made this country possible in the first place. We live in a culture that increasingly avoids hard truths and prefers comfortable endings. Memorial Day was never meant to be comfortable.

Today, I had the privilege of standing alongside veterans, families, survivors, and community members here in the 98848 to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. For the people gathered at the Quincy Valley Cemetery today, Memorial Day was never just another three-day weekend.

For many, it is one of the heaviest days of the year.

TL;DR

• 🇺🇸 Memorial Day honors Americans who died in military service

• 🎖 American Legion Post #183 hosted a Memorial Day Service at Quincy Valley Cemetery

• 🎶 The ceremony included prayer, music, a veteran’s address, a 21-gun salute, and Taps

• 🪖 Volunteers placed flags throughout the cemetery to honor fallen service members from our community

• 💔 Memorial Day carries deep emotional weight for Gold Star Families, veterans, survivors, and friends of the fallen

• 📜 More than 1.3 million Americans have died in service throughout U.S. history

• 🇺🇸 The freedoms Americans enjoy today were purchased at a very real human cost

A Morning of Remembrance in Quincy

Today, American Legion Post #183 hosted a Memorial Day Service at the Quincy Valley Cemetery, and it was genuinely beautiful in its simplicity and sincerity.

Early this morning, volunteers placed flags throughout the cemetery in honor of fallen service members from our community. Standing among them afterward is overwhelming in a way that is hard to fully explain. Quincy is not the largest town, but there are still so many flags. So many stories. So many families forever changed.

Veterans Operation Creation singers performed the National Anthem along with several other selections. There was prayer. There was reflection. A speech from a veteran. A benediction. A 21-gun salute. And finally, Taps.

I cry every time.

There is something about Taps that cuts through all the noise and bravado. Originally known as “Extinguish Lights,” the bugle call was first used as the final signal of the day for soldiers to put out fires and lights and settle in for the night.

During one instance in the Civil War, it was used instead of a 21 Gun Salute in fear of giving away their position during a funeral. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson reportedly had it played at his funeral and its use continued to spread. By 1891, Army regulations officially required Taps to be played at military funeral ceremonies.

Today, it remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful sounds in American tradition.

As the final notes echoed across the cemetery, you could feel the emotion in the air. Every veteran. Every spouse. Every child. Every friend. Every survivor carries their own story into a ceremony like this.

But there is one thing present in all of them:

An emptiness.

A space that never truly fills back in.

The Cost of Freedom

War, violence, and conflict are as old as humanity itself. The history of the world has always been written in the blood of young men and women.

And while the United States is still a relatively young nation as we approach our 250th anniversary, the American story has also been paid for in blood from the very beginning.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

That statement may make modern people uncomfortable, but history repeatedly proves it true.

Here are the best estimates historians currently have for American military deaths in major conflicts:

• Revolutionary War — 29,435

• War of 1812 — 20,000

• Mexican-American War — 13,283

• Civil War — 623,026

• Spanish-American War — 2,446

• World War I — 116,708

• World War II — 407,316

• Korean War — 36,914

• Vietnam War — 58,151

• Desert Storm — 269

• War on Terror — more than 6,000 and still counting

That is more than 1.3 million American lives.

More than 1.3 million sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and friends.

The freedoms Americans enjoy today did not appear magically out of thin air. The ability to speak freely, worship freely, disagree openly, raise families in relative peace, and pursue opportunity has come at a staggering human cost.

As J. Reuben Clark once said, “The price of liberty is and always has been blood, human blood.”

Memorial Day exists because generations of Americans paid that price.

Memorial Day Was Born From Grief

Memorial Day originally began as “Decoration Day” in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Communities devastated by unimaginable loss gathered to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags. Over time, the observance spread across the nation and expanded to honor Americans lost in all wars.

The first national observance took place on May 30, 1868.

It would not officially become a federal holiday known as Memorial Day until 1971. Despite the cookouts, sales, road trips, and long weekends that grew around it, the heart of Memorial Day has always remained the same:

Remembrance.

The Weight Carried by Gold Star Families and Survivors

For Gold Star Families, Memorial Day carries a weight most people will never fully understand.

They are asked to continue living after losing someone they loved deeply. They wake up every day carrying an absence that never goes away. And often, they do it quietly while the world around them moves on.

Many learn to wear a smile simply to make other people more comfortable around their pain.

For surviving veterans, Memorial Day can reopen wounds that never truly healed. Survivor’s guilt is real. The loss of a brother or sister in arms is something many veterans struggle to even put into words. For some, that pain leads to isolation, addiction, depression, self-medication, or darker places.

And for friends, there is simply a hole left behind. Other friendships may come and go through life, but no one ever fully replaces the friend who never made it home.

What Memorial Day Asks of Us

There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying time with family this weekend. There is nothing wrong with barbecues, laughter, or celebrating the freedoms we have been given.

But somewhere in the middle of all of it, Memorial Day asks something simple of us:

Remember them.

Remember the people who never came home.

Remember the families still carrying the weight of that loss.

Remember that freedom has never been free, no matter how casually we sometimes treat it.

Because long after the grills cool down, the lake trips end, and everyone goes back to work Tuesday morning, there are families across this country who will still be carrying that absence with them.

And they always will.

This week felt like the 98848 looking directly at the realities of growth. Not the exciting version people like to talk about. The practical version.

The version where roads, schools, emergency services, transportation, public safety, and community identity all start colliding with the pace of change at the same time.

And honestly, that’s probably why so …

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How would you feel if it took you an extra 3 hours to get home?

There is a problem in our community that most of us are immune to or completely unaware of. I have lived in Quincy for almost 20 years now and I have heard more than a few people complain about the increasing traffic as our community grows. I have been guilty myself of complaining because I had to wait more than 30 seconds to turn on to 28 from 6^th and I didn’t used to have to wait 10 years ago. Let’s be honest, traffic is not that bad in the 98848 if you have ever lived in larger communities with real traffic issues.

3 extra hours to get home is a problem that one Sunland resident complained about when I was down in Sunland Estates last night.

Let me be clear, most of the time the residents of Sunland Estates and Live Nation live in a normally harmonious state. Sunland Estates has fully embraced the Gorge as much as Quincy has fully embraced the Data Centers.

However, the infrastructure that supports this venue has not evolved at a proportionate rate to the venue. Creating a hardship few of us would tolerate for residents of our community.

TL;DR

• Sunland Estates residents say concert traffic at the Gorge is creating major disruptions during event weekends.

• Some residents reported waits of 2–3 extra hours just to get home during the first two concert weekends of 2026.

• Residents say the biggest issues happen on the first day of major camping events when thousands arrive at once.

• While road improvements were made in 2024, locals say traffic bottlenecks and lane closures are still causing major problems.

• Grant County says Live Nation will continue traffic studies through the 2026 concert season to evaluate whether improvements are working.

• At the same time, the county has approved additional growth at the Gorge, including new glamping sites, creating frustration among some residents.

• Sunland residents say they support the Gorge and understand its economic value, but want realistic solutions that allow them to get home safely and reasonably during concerts.

• The issue is becoming a larger conversation about infrastructure, rural communities, and how growth is managed in the 98848.

Residents Say the Problem Is Getting Worse

After a massive traffic disaster on Friday that was also acknowledged by Live Nation as well, and hearing from some very irate members of the community, we decided we should hear a little more.

Full disclosure, I was already planning to head to Sunland Estates last night to have a little fun with some friends. Dinner and a great concert in the park the Sunland way with the Chris Eger Band. The timing just worked nicely. I noticed while on the way down there, despite the concert that the traffic was nothing of note, so now I had another question.

While we were down there, I got to talk to some of the members of the community, and it didn’t take long for Friday night’s traffic issue to come up. One member of the community said she had gone to Moses Lake that morning and when she was coming home at 2’oclock, traffic was already backed up miles adding hours to her trip.

It raises bigger concerns as well: emergency services reaching residents in a timely manner, people trying to get home after a long workday, and elderly residents being stuck in hours of traffic with potential health concerns.

When I asked about traffic not being bad on the way down there that night, I was told that the first day of an event is the worst. All the people who will be camping coming in is where the bottle neck seems to be. So where is the real issue?

How Sunland and the Gorge Grew Together

Sunland Estates was formed in 1965 as primarily a hunting and fishing getaway spot. A place where West side residents and some from the bigger Eastern Washington cities like Spokane came to get away. However, things started changing as people saw a place like Sunland Estates that they loved to retreat to become a place people wanted to stay.

The Gorge Amphitheater opened in 1986. Originally named the Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, the venue was owned and operated by Dr. Vincent Bryan and Carol Bryan alongside their adjoining winery, now known as Cave B Winery. Over the next few years, capacity grew to over 15,000 by 1988.

The final show at the originally named Champs de Brionne Music Theater featured The Steve Miller Band & Paul Rodgers on August 14th, 1993. It was then sold to a company called MCA in 1993 and eventually was sold Live Nation in 2006.

In 1986 it initially seated 3,000 people, grew rapidly and has expanded to its current capacity of 27,500. The Gorge Amphitheater was recently voted number 5 in USA Today’s recent Readers Choice Awards. Incredible talent has performed at what has become one of the great concert venues in the country for many years now and Sunland Estates loves the amphitheater.

Since 1965, Sunland Estates has grown into a thriving and uniquely diverse community made up of retirees, full-time residents, weekend visitors from across the region, and vacationers who return year after year.

The Infrastructure Never Caught Up

The one thing that has not grown in the area is the infrastructure around this area. Yes, there was some repaving in 2024 and some widening of the lanes along Silica Road and Baseline. Turn lanes were even added in some areas to help; however, according to many locals those are shut down and not allowed to be used during concert traffic. I saw firsthand when I went out to Sunland Estates last night that turn lanes and regular lanes were shut down and rerouted around baseline and Silica narrowing traffic flow lanes.

Grant County Planning Director Jim Anderson-Cook has said that “they” (Live Nation) are going to conduct a traffic study to collect information and data on traffic patterns through the 2026 concert season to see if the 2024 improvements fixed the issues.

This has left some residents unhappy as the county and Live Nation should already have data from the 2025 season. The question arises, why do we need another season worth of data? It sounds more like the problem is just being pushed off another year instead of being a data issue. We have also already seen some of the problems with the first two concert weekends for 2026.

At the same, Anderson-Cook and the county have approved growth for Live Nation by allowing them to build 35 new “glamping” sites with some of them having hard surfaces and being ADA accessible. As long as Live Nation finally catch up on requirements imposed on Live Nation back in 2018 which have not been complied with.

Live Nation is building a 1.25 million gallon water reservoir to help with drinking water and more importantly fire protection. “Live Nation needs to install fire protection measures. We need to see the water lines and fire hydrants, things like that, that were due to be installed in previous approvals. We want to see those things take place now,” Anderson-Cook said.

It is hard for local residents who understand the value of the Gorge Amphitheater for the community to see it get approval to expand some more while residents are still fighting a major issue of just being able to get home on concert nights.

Residents Have Been Asking for Solutions

The Home Owners Association at Sunland estates has reached out many times over the years to Live Nation and the county looking to resolve or at least alleviate some of the traffic disruption for local residents.

Last season they came together and expanded the inspection staging area at the Gorge to hold more cars at one time. Residents have been met with resistance on other ideas. One idea suggested; Sunland members and visitors could have a meeting spot in George and at set times a pilot car could guide us down past standing traffic.

In the past this idea was rejected because of safety concerns specifically around EMS and emergency response access. However, the president of the HOA told me, ‘I know a number of people drove miles on the wrong side of the road Friday on Silica trying to get through the traffic” It is already happening and in a dangerous way due to frustration and anger. Something all of us would feel if we had hours thrown into our commute home

One idea that has been floated is extending Road 1 all the way through to Sunland Road and making it local access only through card access or something. It runs into issues of private property belonging to local farmers and having to build a bridge over the canal that runs between 2 fields which is always pricey. I do not know if this ideas was ever even fully explored.

There are no easy fixes here, everyone knows is this problem is complex, costly and difficult. That may be exactly why it feels like county officials aren’t in a hurry to fix it.

A Community Looking for Solutions

There is a lot of head scratching and frustration for the community at Sunland Estates. Meetings have been requested with county officials and Live Nation leadership to find solutions sooner rather than later. With serious traffic issues plaguing the first 2 concerts of the year, residents are sour to the idea of waiting out a “traffic study” for another season while the Gorge gets bigger.

Talking to them, many feel ignored and disregarded by the county. The residents of Sunland do understand the value the Gorge brings and support the Gorge wholly. Many a Sunland resident enjoys attending concerts there regularly and they have their own shuttle as a community to make sure their members can go easily and safely. Sunland Estates has fully embraced the Gorge as much as Quincy has fully embraced the Data Centers.

They are simply trying to find a way to live with it in a way that doesn’t upend their lives when events happen.

I have enjoyed getting to know some of the amazing people in Sunland Estates. They are a laid back, jovial community thriving together down on the river. It takes a lot to get their dander up. But here in the 98848, I would get pretty steamed if 2 to 3 hours got added to me getting home too.

How this gets sorted out is important, because we are not a big city, we are a community that is connected. Most of us in the 98848 have never had to plan our lives around whether a concert is happening just to get home. For Sunland residents, that has become normal. The question now is how long the community is expected to accept it?

With elections coming up, the county will be under scrutiny as this story grows because it will communicate a lot about how the county prioritizes our rural communities.

Every time an ambulance leaves the station in the 98848, hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment, training, staffing, maintenance, fuel, insurance, and preparation are rolling down the road with it.

Most people only see Fire District 3 for a few minutes on one of the worst days of their lives. What they do not see is the massive financial system working quietly in the background long before the sirens ever sound.

Grant County Fire District 3’s 2025 annual financial report gives the community a rare look into that system. And while the report itself is full of accounting terminology and technical fund categories, the bigger story is actually very human: emergency response in rural communities is getting dramatically more expensive, and Fire District 3 appears to be trying to stay ahead of those costs before they become a crisis.

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For most people in the 98848, transportation projects usually become visible when orange cones show up, roads get torn up, or traffic gets rerouted. But long before that happens, there’s a planning document quietly shaping what Quincy could look like years down the road.

The City of Quincy’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program outlines more than $40 million in planned street, sidewalk, trail, and infrastructure projects between 2023 and 2028. And while the document itself is mostly engineering language, funding tables, and project numbers, the bigger story is about growth, safety, accessibility, and preparing Quincy for what the community is becoming.

TL;DR

• Quincy’s six-year transportation plan outlines more than $40 million in planned infrastructure projects through 2028.
• Major focuses include road reconstruction, overlays, ADA accessibility upgrades, sidewalks, trails, stormwater systems, and industrial growth corridors.
• The largest project is a proposed $21 million reconstruction of M Street NE stretching toward the county boundary.
• Several projects are designed specifically to support heavy truck traffic and future industrial expansion.
• Other projects focus on safer pedestrian access, neighborhood connectivity, and quality-of-life improvements.
• The plan affects nearly every part of Quincy, from SW neighborhoods to industrial corridors and downtown connectors.
• Many projects rely heavily on local funding, showing how much infrastructure responsibility falls on the city itself.

This Is More Than Paving Roads

At first glance, transportation improvement plans can feel like little more than spreadsheets. But when you step back, this document tells a much bigger story about where Quincy believes it is headed.

Some projects are straightforward maintenance. Streets like Alder Street SW, Birch Street SW, J Street SW, Division Street SW, Columbia Way, and 1st Avenue SE are slated for overlays or resurfacing work. These are the kinds of projects most residents notice immediately because they directly impact daily driving, vehicle wear, and neighborhood appearance.

But other projects point toward Quincy’s continued expansion.

The city is planning entirely new roadway connections in growing areas, including the extension of R Street SW, T Street SW, and 10th Avenue SW. There are also plans to construct new roadway links like C Street NE between 3rd and 6th Avenue NE.

Those projects are less about fixing old infrastructure and more about preparing for future development and traffic flow.

Quincy Is Still Building Around Growth

One of the clearest themes throughout the plan is that Quincy is continuing to wrestle with rapid growth.

The transportation document repeatedly references stormwater systems, widened roads, heavy truck traffic, industrial reuse water systems, and expanded utility infrastructure. This is not the language of a city standing still.

One project in particular stands out.

The proposed reconstruction of M Street NE carries a projected cost of more than $21 million and stretches from Central Avenue North to the city/county boundary line. The scope goes far beyond simple paving. Plans include roadway widening, all-weather pavement, curb and gutter installation, stormwater handling systems, a 16-inch water main, industrial reuse water, and wastewater infrastructure.

That project alone signals how seriously the city is planning for continued industrial and commercial expansion north of town.

In practical terms, projects like this are about making sure Quincy can continue handling growth tied to agriculture, food processing, warehousing, and data center development without overwhelming existing roads and utilities.

Safety and Accessibility Keep Showing Up

Not every project is about growth or heavy industry.

A significant portion of the transportation plan focuses on accessibility and pedestrian safety throughout the 98848.

The city included a dedicated ADA Ramp Improvement Program to upgrade ramps throughout Quincy to current standards. There is also a broader Sidewalk Improvement Program that includes sidewalk installation, curb and gutter work, and stormwater handling infrastructure.

Another project calls for pedestrian-activated crossing signals with flashing beacons at F Street SE/SR-28 and 6th Avenue.

Those projects may not generate the same attention as a multi-million-dollar road reconstruction, but they matter deeply to families, seniors, students, and anyone trying to safely move through town without a vehicle.

The transportation plan also includes development of a Non-Motorized Transportation Plan intended to connect city blocks through trail paths.

That may sound small on paper, but long term, projects like that shape how walkable and connected a community feels.

Quincy’s Southwest Side Is Getting Major Attention

One area that appears repeatedly throughout the document is southwest Quincy.

Projects planned there include:

• R Street SW and T Street SW expansions

• 13th Avenue SW reconstruction and widening

• Division Street SW overlay

• 3rd Avenue SW roadway improvements

• Alder, Birch, and J Street resurfacing

The 13th Avenue SW project is especially notable because it includes widening the roadway to accommodate multiple through lanes, turn lanes, sidewalks, lighting, school warning signs, and stormwater systems.

That is the kind of project that reflects both current traffic concerns and expectations for future residential and commercial growth.

Even the “Beautification” Project Says Something

Buried among the utility and roadway projects is something easier to overlook: the Quincy West Gateway Beautification Project along SR-28/F Street SW.

The project includes landscaping, irrigation, and updated “Welcome to Quincy” signage.

On paper, it is only a $300,000 project. But projects like this matter because they shape first impressions. They influence how residents feel about their city and how visitors experience Quincy when entering town.

It is another reminder that infrastructure is not only about traffic flow. It is also about identity.

The Roads Quincy Builds Now Shape the Quincy People Will Live In Later

Most people will never read an 18-page transportation improvement document filled with engineering codes and funding tables. But the decisions inside it will quietly shape daily life in the 98848 for years to come.

The roads we drive, the sidewalks kids walk on, the intersections people cross, the truck routes businesses depend on, and even the way Quincy welcomes people into town all start here — long before construction crews arrive.

And if this plan tells us anything, it is that Quincy is not planning for the community it used to be. It is planning for the one it believes is still coming.

To watch the LIVE Stream May 21st 2026 at 5:30PM or the Playback of the event after of the May 21st 2026 Sheriff’s Candidate Forum hosted the Quincy Business and Event Center; click on the image or the Link Below.

May 21st 2026 Sheriff’s Candidate Forum

The Interview Series

As part of our ongoing effort to strengthen local communication across the 98848, we sat down with all three candidates in the 2026 Grant County Sheriff’s race for in-person interviews. Each candidate was asked the exact same 22 questions, in the same order, with no access to each other’s responses.

What you’ll find here is not a summary or a filtered story, but a direct look at each candidate in their own words—full transcripts, complete audio, and the same set of questions for each.

Our goal is simple: give the people of Grant County, especially those here in the 98848 and the surrounding communities, a clear and consistent way to hear from the men asking to serve as Sheriff so you can make your own informed decision.

The protocol we used to make sure we stayed fair and impartial in this process.

I interviewed all 3 candidates for the Grant County Sheriff’s race for 2026.

• All 3 Candidates were asked the exact same 22 questions in the exact same order

• They never saw each others answers

• The answers have not been altered, edited, modified, editorialized, changed, or edited in any way by the staff, ownership, or affiliates of this publication.

• For each I have posted the transcript, not a story, their words. (transcripts by AI)

• For each I have included the audio from the interview.

• A full list of the questions

• Below the interviews I will post their posted bio from their candidate website, their sign and a link to their website and or FaceBook

• A picture with them to show we did this in person

Disclaimer:
This interview is presented as part of our commitment to providing accessible, local information to the community. All candidates in the 2026 Grant County Sheriff’s race were given the same questions, in the same format, and the opportunity to share their perspectives directly.

The responses published here are the candidate’s own words, presented without editing, interpretation, or commentary beyond basic transcription. Audio recordings are provided alongside transcripts to ensure full transparency.

Welcome to Quincy WA News does not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate. Our role is to provide information so residents of Grant County—including the 98848 communities—can make informed decisions based on their own judgment.

If you’ve been paying attention around Quincy lately, you’ve probably noticed it too. Spray paint showing up on fences, alleys, buildings, signs, and public spaces faster than crews can clean it up. Some of it is random vandalism. Some of it, according to Quincy Police, is gang-related tagging. And after weeks of growing frustration among both the city, the community and a spike in incidents across town, Quincy’s city leadership decided this week they were done waiting for it to get worse.

At Tuesday night’s Quincy City Council meeting, the city formally approved a new reward program offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti offenders. It’s one of the strongest public responses the city has taken on the issue so far, and officials made it clear: this is no longer being treated as harmless vandalism. In the 98848, they see it as a public safety and community identity issue.

TL;DR

• Quincy approved a new graffiti reward program this week

• Residents can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction

• An additional $250 reward is available if the graffiti happens near schools, parks, libraries, or recreation centers

• Police say graffiti incidents spiked dramatically over the last several weeks

• Quincy PD believes some tagging is gang-related

• Officers are now using cell phone and GPS data in investigations

• Police say they have identified at least one suspect who is not a Quincy resident

• Community members are discussing creating neighborhood block watch groups

• City leaders say the goal is to stop the problem before it becomes normalized in the 98848

A Sharp Rise in Graffiti Reports

During the meeting, Quincy Police Captain Jorge Trujillo told council members the city had seen roughly 27 separate graffiti incidents over a recent two-week stretch before numbers started slowing down. According to Ruiz, last week only two incidents were reported, and this week officers investigated another call that turned out to already be documented.

That drop may not be accidental.

Ruiz told council the department has already identified a suspect and is actively building a larger case using cell phone location data and GPS evidence. The strategy matters because if investigators can connect multiple incidents together, prosecutors may be able to elevate the charges from misdemeanor vandalism to felony-level crimes.

That changes the stakes significantly.

The city also acknowledged just how fast these crimes are happening. Mayor Paul Worley referenced surveillance footage showing taggers covering nearly 30 feet of surface area in just 22 seconds before disappearing.

That speed is part of why Quincy leaders say they need community help.

The New Reward Program

The resolution approved Tuesday authorizes rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti offenders.

According to discussion during the meeting, the reward program includes safeguards and eligibility requirements. Tips are investigated, claims must follow a formal process, and rewards are not automatically issued simply because someone reports another person.

The policy also includes an additional $250 reward enhancement if graffiti occurs within 500 feet of:

• Schools

• Recreation centers

• Libraries

Council members discussed concerns about retaliation, false reporting, and even the possibility of rival taggers turning each other in. City officials said the policy requires investigation and conviction standards before any reward is paid out.

In other words, this is structured as an investigative tool, not just a hotline.

Why City Leaders Are Taking This Seriously

For a lot of longtime residents, graffiti hits differently in a smaller community like Quincy.

In larger cities, people sometimes become numb to tagging over time. In the 98848, many residents still see it as a warning sign that something is changing in the community — and not for the better.

That tension has been building quietly for months.

Police and city officials are increasingly connecting portions of the graffiti activity to gang-related behavior. Even when the actual property damage is relatively small, the broader concern is what repeated tagging represents: territory marking, intimidation, normalization of vandalism, and the feeling that public spaces are no longer being respected.

And once that perception takes hold, it becomes much harder to reverse.

The city’s response this week felt less like a routine policy vote and more like an attempt to stop momentum before the problem becomes embedded.

Technology Is Changing These Investigations

One of the more important details shared Tuesday night was how Quincy Police are approaching investigations differently than they may have in the past.

Captain Trujillo specifically referenced officers using:

• Cell phone data

• GPS data

• Aggregated incident analysis

That matters because graffiti crimes are often difficult to solve traditionally. By the time officers arrive, the suspects are long gone.But modern digital evidence can create patterns.

If investigators can place the same individual near multiple incidents across the city, especially within narrow time windows, prosecutors may be able to pursue significantly stronger cases.

For a town the size of Quincy, that represents a fairly aggressive investigative posture toward graffiti crimes.

Residents May Become Part of the Response

The city’s strategy is not just enforcement-based.

Trujillo also shared that residents who attended a recent graffiti discussion meeting expressed interest in launching neighborhood block watch programs. Quincy Police are now preparing informational packets to help organize those efforts.

That could become an important piece of the equation.

Small towns often succeed against problems like this when residents stay engaged, communicate quickly, and report suspicious activity before patterns grow larger. Officials repeatedly emphasized that rapid reporting helps investigators connect incidents together.

And in a town where people still recognize neighbors, vehicles, and unusual activity, community awareness can matter more than many people realize.

A Small Town Drawing a Line

The reality is graffiti is rarely just about paint.

It’s about visibility. Presence. Territory. Attention. Sometimes intimidation.

And for a community like Quincy, the bigger fear is not one tagged fence or one alley wall. It’s the idea that people stop caring because they start seeing it everywhere.

Tuesday night’s vote was the city drawing a line before that happens.

The 98848 has grown fast over the last two decades. With that growth comes pressure, challenges, and problems many longtime residents never used to think about. The question now is whether Quincy can stay proactive enough to protect the sense of community people still value here.

This week, city leaders made it clear they intend to try.

In a community like the 98848, school is never just school. It is where our kids learn, yes, but it is also where they begin to imagine what kind of life might be possible for them after graduation. At the May 12 Quincy School Board meeting, the CTE report gave us a clear look at something much bigger than a list of classes. Quincy School District is not simply offering electives. It is building a bridge between classrooms, local employers, college opportunities, trades, certifications, and real careers — and that is something every parent and community member should understand.

TL;DR

• Quincy’s Career and Technical Education program now serves the majority of high school students.

• Local business, industry, healthcare, agriculture, technology, and skilled trade leaders help guide the programs.

• CTE advisory boards help shape curriculum, equipment purchases, certifications, internships, and work-based learning.

• The district is using CTE to connect students to both college and career pathways.

• This is not the old “vocational track” model many adults remember from 20 years ago.

• With national reading and math scores still struggling, Quincy is trying to make education more connected, practical, and relevant.

• For the 98848, this is about workforce, opportunity, student confidence, and keeping more pathways close to home.

This Is Not the CTE Many Adults Remember

For a lot of parents, “CTE” may still sound like the old vocational model from 20 years ago. Back then, many schools treated career or technical classes as a separate track. College-bound students went one direction. Trade-bound students went another. Sometimes, whether anyone said it out loud or not, one path was treated as more valuable than the other.

That is not what Quincy School District described at this meeting.

The current CTE model is much more integrated. It includes agriculture, business, marketing, IT, family and consumer science, ASL, health sciences, skilled trades, STEM, fire science, photo/video, certifications, dual credit, industry partnerships, work-site learning, and college planning. The district’s own four-year CTE summary says the program addresses 16 OSPI criteria, including student access, safety, instructional materials, leadership, advisory involvement, career guidance, work-based learning, program evaluation, and professional development.

Local Industry Is Helping Shape the Classroom

One of the most important pieces of the report was the role of CTE advisory boards. These are not just names on a page. These boards include local and regional people from agriculture, healthcare, construction, business, technology, education, EMS, and skilled trades.

The district presentation explains that advisory boards bring local industry professionals, community members, and educators together so students are learning current workplace skills. These boards are required to meet at least three times per year and help review goals, equipment, certifications, work-based learning, and program direction.

That matters because it means Quincy students are not only learning from textbooks. They are learning through programs being shaped by people who actually work in the fields students may enter one day.

The Classroom Is Being Connected to the Real World

During the presentation, CTE Director Elizabeth Averill and CTE Coordinator Ross Kondo talked about business site tours, guest speakers, mock interviews, resume preparation, internships, job shadows, and work experience. The district presentation lists those same areas as core ways advisory board members serve students, including business partnerships and work-based learning activities.

That is a big shift from education that only asks, “Did you pass the class?”

This model asks bigger questions. Can students see the job? Can they understand the pathway? Can they meet someone in that career? Can they earn a certification? Can they visit the workplace? Can they graduate with a clearer idea of what comes next?

For parents in the 98848, that should matter. Because one of the hardest things for students is not always ability. Sometimes it is visibility. They cannot pursue what they have never seen.

CTE Is Becoming a College Strategy Too

One of the most important points from the meeting was that Quincy’s CTE work is not being treated as an alternative to college. It is being used as part of the college and career system.

The four-year plan summary lists dual credit opportunities through Big Bend Community College, Wenatchee Valley College, and Central Washington University in business, marketing, IT, FACSE, ASL, health sciences, skilled trades, and STEM areas. It also lists certifications such as MOS, CompTIA A+, HubSpot, ServSafe, CPR/First Aid, AHA Certification, EMT/EMS credentials, YouScience Precision Exams, and others across different programs.

That means students may be able to leave high school with more than a diploma. Some may leave with credits, certifications, experience, contacts, and a clearer plan.

That is not less academic. Done well, it may actually make academics matter more because students can see where those skills connect to life after school.

How This Compares to Traditional Education Models

This is where the larger education conversation gets interesting. The traditional model many adults grew up with was built around general academics first, career application later. Students took math, English, science, and history, and then after graduation they were expected to figure out how those subjects connected to work, college, family, finances, and adulthood.

But nationally, the old model is under pressure. NAEP, often called The Nation’s Report Card, remains one of the clearest national snapshots of student performance. In 2024, national eighth-grade reading scores were lower than both 2022 and 2019 levels, and Washington’s 2024 eighth-grade math score was lower than its 2003 score.

That does not mean academics do not matter. It means schools are trying to figure out how to make learning stick, especially after years of pandemic disruption, attendance struggles, changing technology, and widening gaps between students.

So the question is fair: Is a more career-connected model better than the traditional classroom-first model?

The honest answer is that it depends on how well it is done. CTE should never become a shortcut around strong reading, writing, math, and science instruction. Students still need those foundations. But when career-connected learning is tied to strong academics, it can give students context. It can answer the question many kids silently ask: “When am I ever going to use this?”

That may be one of the strongest arguments for the direction Quincy is taking.

This Is Also About Keeping Opportunity Close to Home

At the meeting, district leaders talked about wanting students to have access to opportunities here instead of needing to leave the area for technical programs somewhere else. That is a very real rural issue. Bigger communities often have more programs, more exposure, more employers, and more visible pathways. Smaller communities have to build those connections more intentionally.

That is why the advisory board list matters. It includes people and organizations tied to agriculture, Microsoft, Sabey Data Center, WorkSource Central Basin, Confluence Health, Columbia EMS, Quincy Hardware & Lumber, local farms, colleges, healthcare, and more.

That is not just a school list. That is a community network.

And if that network is used well, it can help students see that opportunity does not only exist “somewhere else.” Some of it is already here. Some of it is nearby. Some of it can be built.

Building More Than Classrooms in the 98848

When you step back and look at the full CTE presentation, this was never really about electives, certifications, or even career pathways alone.

It was about whether schools are preparing students for the world they are actually walking into.

For years, education often operated on a delayed timeline. Students sat through classes for twelve years with the promise that someday the lessons would connect to real life. Sometimes they did. Sometimes they did not. What Quincy School District is trying to build now feels different. The goal is to connect students to careers, college opportunities, industry leaders, certifications, and hands-on experiences while they are still inside the classroom.

That does not replace strong academics. It gives students context for why those academics matter.

And in a community like the 98848, where agriculture, healthcare, trades, technology, logistics, and industry all shape daily life, that connection matters. Because when students can actually see the pathways in front of them, they are more likely to believe those opportunities belong to them too.

That may end up being one of the most important things quietly happening inside Quincy schools right now.

This week felt like a reminder that the real strength of a community usually shows up in places most people overlook.

Not in headlines. Not in big announcements. Not even necessarily in outcomes yet.

It shows up in who keeps investing before there’s recognition. Who keeps building before there’s proof it will pay off. Who keeps showing up for kids, famili…

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For years, kids in George have practiced soccer wherever they could find room. Open dirt lots. Scrub land. Random patches of grass near the school. Anywhere a few cones and a soccer ball could fit. Not a strange occurrence in the 98848. What’s odd is that one of the fastest-growing communities in the Quincy School District still does not have a true soccer field inside city limits.

That may finally be changing.

At the May 12 Quincy School Board meeting, district officials and City of George representatives discussed a developing partnership that could bring the first phase of a new community sports complex to George Elementary. If funding comes through, the project would create a regulation soccer field with lighting, fencing, accessible parking, pathways, and additional recreation infrastructure tied into the city’s long-term parks vision.

More importantly, though, this conversation felt different than past discussions. This time there’s actual funding conversations happening, actual planning work underway, and multiple organizations trying to move in the same direction.

TL;DR

• George may finally get its first true soccer field inside city limits

• The proposed project would be built on George Elementary property

• The City of George is pursuing RCO grant funding using a $100,000 donation toward a project budget around $500,000

• Soccer ranked as the second most requested recreational activity in the city’s parks survey

• The project is part of a larger long-term parks and recreation vision for George

• Quincy School Board members raised questions about parking, maintenance, and future school expansion

• Current plans are still conceptual and flexible

• Earliest projected completion timelines discussed point toward 2029

The Project Has Been Building Quietly for Years

One of the more interesting moments during the discussion came when Quincy School District Executive Director of Operations Tom Harris explained this idea actually traces back several years. Around 2021, the district began discussing what they called a “Field of Dreams” concept around George Elementary — a long-term idea to expand recreation and community-use space on undeveloped district property.

At the time, there was very little traction. Now, the City of George appears fully engaged in the project and is actively pursuing Recreation and Conservation Office grant funding to help move it forward.

The proposal currently centers around a soccer field complex located directly adjacent to George Elementary on district-owned land.

Why Soccer Became the Priority

This was not a random project choice.

According to the City of George Comprehensive Parks Plan process, soccer ranked as the second-highest desired recreational activity in the community behind basketball. The problem is George currently has basketball courts but no actual soccer field.

City planning documents presented during the meeting openly acknowledged that local children currently practice in rough undeveloped areas or limited green space because dedicated soccer facilities simply do not exist.

That reality probably does not surprise many George parents. Soccer already exists in the community. The infrastructure simply never caught up to the demand.

More Than Just a Soccer Field

One thing the board discussion made clear is this is not being viewed as a standalone field project. The conceptual plans shown during the meeting tie directly into George’s larger parks vision, including future walking trails, recreation areas, playgrounds, additional sports facilities, and broader community connectivity.

City planners described the site as one of the few realistic locations capable of supporting this type of recreation development while still being centrally accessible to residents.

That matters because George is growing quickly, and once housing and commercial growth fill in available land, projects like this become significantly harder and more expensive to build later.

The Collaboration Piece May Be the Real Story

One of the presentation slides referred to this project as “The Collaboration Effect.” Normally phrases like that feel like presentation filler. In this case, though, it actually reflects something important happening behind the scenes.

This project currently involves the City of George, Quincy School District, Microsoft funding through TREAD, community recreation advocates, and regional planning partnerships.

That combination matters because projects like this rarely happen in small communities unless multiple organizations are willing to share responsibility, funding, and long-term maintenance. The school district has the land. The city has the parks vision. Outside organizations can help leverage funding opportunities. Community groups help create long-term use and support.

That is usually how these projects become possible.

The Board Asked the Right Questions

One thing I appreciated during the discussion was that the school board did not simply celebrate the idea and move on. Board members pushed into practical concerns like parking limitations, future school expansion, long-term maintenance responsibilities, whether the field sits too close to the school building, and how future phases of development could affect the current layout.

Several members pointed out that parts of the current conceptual parking layout overlap with land likely needed for future George Elementary expansion.

District officials emphasized repeatedly that the current drawings are still conceptual and flexible. Right now, this is still a developing partnership and funding proposal — not a finalized construction project.

Bigger Than A Soccer Field

Nothing about this project is guaranteed yet. Funding still has to come through. Plans will likely evolve. Questions about parking, expansion, and long-term operations still need answers.

But after years of hearing variations of “maybe someday,” this was the first time the George sports complex conversation felt like it had real momentum behind it.

And for a town trying to catch up with its own growth, that matters.

2026 Summer Meals Program Flyer

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For Immediate Release

The Quincy School District announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for children. Meals are available at no charge to children 18 years of age and younger.

Meals will be served at the following location(s):

Contact and Phone Number: Food Service Director – 509.787.4335 ext. 3680

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877‐8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD‐ 3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form.

To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632‐9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250‐9410; fax: (202) 690‐7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

This statement is published as an official press release issued by the Quincy School District from the office of Jessica Blancas, Communications Coordinator for the Quincy Washington School District. The content has not been altered, edited, or modified in any way by the staff, ownership, or affiliates of this publication.

This platform is providing public distribution as a public service of this material at the request of the Quincy School District. This platform is not under contract with, an official representative of or associated with the Quincy WA School District

At Tuesday night’s Quincy School Board meeting, Monument Elementary quietly delivered one of the most important conversations happening anywhere in the 98848 right now.

Not because administrators stood up and claimed everything was perfect.

Actually, the opposite.

Principal Phil Averill and his staff openly discussed attendance struggles, intervention gaps, reading concerns, scheduling limitations, and the reality that many students need more support than schools traditionally have time to provide. But alongside those challenges was something else: a school actively redesigning how it serves students instead of simply accepting that the system is overloaded.

The presentation was honest, practical, and deeply focused on students.

That tone mattered.

Because for parents in the 98848, hearing a school say, “Here’s where we are, here’s what’s working, and here’s what still needs improvement,” builds trust in a way polished statistics never will.

TL;DR

• Monument Elementary improved its percentage of students attending school 90% of the time from 69% to 73% this year
• Monument staff said illness outbreaks in February significantly impacted attendance numbers
• Students reported record-high feelings of safety and connection inside the school building
• Monument created a “dual intervention schedule” allowing students to receive multiple support services instead of forcing schools to choose only one intervention path
• Forty-three additional students were able to participate in STEAM because of the new intervention structure
• Monument reported major math growth gains for special education students, including a 37% increase in students reaching “Typical” or “High Growth” on STAR Math
• Restorative circles continue to become a major part of Monument’s culture and conflict resolution process

The Attendance Conversation Was About More Than Attendance

One of Monument’s major School Improvement Plan goals this year focused on attendance. The school set a target of increasing the percentage of students attending at least 90% of the time from 69% to 79%. Current numbers now sit around 73%.

During the meeting, Averill noted that February illness outbreaks heavily impacted the data, adding that without that month the school would likely have been closer to 76%.

But the most important part of the discussion was not the percentage itself. It was how Monument framed the problem.

“The most important part of that is creating an environment that they wanna be in,” Averill told the board.

That sentence became the through-line for much of the night.

The school is not approaching attendance as simply a compliance issue. Monument’s leadership repeatedly tied attendance back to relationships, belonging, safety, and connection. Based on the school’s student survey data, those efforts appear to be making an impact.

According to Panorama survey results shared during the presentation, 96% of Monument students reported having a trusted adult in the building. That number increased from 92% earlier in the year. Students also reported the highest school safety scores Monument has seen in years.

That kind of growth does not happen accidentally. It reflects a deliberate effort to build a school culture students actually want to be part of.

Monument Is Rethinking How Intervention Works

One of the strongest parts of the presentation centered around Monument’s intervention schedule.

Traditionally, schools often face a difficult reality: students may qualify for multiple support services, but schedules only allow schools to prioritize one at a time.

A student may need reading intervention, multilingual learner support, special education services, or enrichment opportunities like STEAM. In many schools, staff are forced to choose which need gets addressed during intervention periods.

Monument decided to rethink that model.

The school developed what staff called a “dual intervention schedule,” allowing students to receive multiple Tier-2 supports instead of forcing teachers to choose one service over another.

Tier-2 specialist Pauline Boffen described the old reality honestly during the meeting: “We would have to say, ‘Well, I want this student, but you need this student,’ and we were making decisions about what intervention students were receiving.”

The redesigned schedule now allows students to receive combinations of services including LAP, TBIP, SPED, and STEAM instruction. Monument reported that 43 additional students were able to participate in STEAM this year because of the new schedule structure.

That matters because enrichment opportunities are often the first thing students lose when intervention schedules become overloaded. Instead of asking students to sacrifice one need for another, Monument is trying to create enough flexibility to support both.

The Math Growth Numbers Got Attention

While Monument acknowledged reading growth still needs improvement, the school’s math numbers stood out during the presentation. Particularly for special education students.

According to Monument’s report, the percentage of special education students reaching “Typical” or “High Growth” in STAR Math increased by 37% compared to the previous year. That is a substantial jump. Averill acknowledged the school intentionally put heavy focus on math this year after recognizing performance concerns.

“It wasn’t like a quiet whisper of math,” he said. “It was a very loud, ‘We need to get better at math.’”

At the same time, staff also acknowledged that heavily focusing on one area can sometimes unintentionally allow another area to receive less attention. Reading growth numbers showed improvement for some student groups but not at the same pace as math.

Again, the tone mattered. There was no attempt to avoid the uncomfortable parts of the data. Instead, the conversation focused on what adjustments need to happen moving forward.

Restorative Circles Are Becoming Part of Monument’s Identity

Another major portion of the report focused on restorative circles, which Monument increasingly uses as part of its school culture and conflict resolution process. Unlike traditional discipline systems focused primarily on punishment, restorative circles bring students together to discuss conflict, emotions, harm, accountability, and solutions. Students answer guided questions in structured conversations designed to help them understand both impact and responsibility.

“If we don’t take care of their SEL needs and meet those needs, we’re never gonna get to them in the academic realm,” Averill explained during the meeting.

The process appears to be becoming deeply embedded inside the school culture. Staff said students now regularly ask for restorative circles themselves when conflict happens. “I need a circle with…” has become common language inside the building.

That may be one of the strongest indicators that the process is working. It is no longer simply a disciplinary tool being imposed on students. It is becoming part of how students communicate and solve problems.

The Bigger Story Happening Inside Monument Elementary

At one point during the presentation, Averill described Monument’s larger goal this way:

“Our goal is to create a place where students experience safety and belonging.”

That idea connected nearly every part of the discussion Monday night.

Attendance.
Interventions.
Math growth.
Reading struggles.
Restorative circles.
STEAM access.

All of it ultimately comes back to whether students feel connected enough to engage in learning. That may have been the biggest takeaway from Monument Elementary’s report. The school is not treating relationships as separate from academics. They are treating relationships as the foundation academics are built on.

For families across the 98848, that is probably worth paying attention to.

Seven athletes from Quincy Special Olympics went to regionals this year.

All seven qualified for state.

For a program with only about 12 athletes total, that is a huge accomplishment. In any sport, at any level, sending that high a percentage of your athletes to state competition is impressive.

But honestly, after sitting down with Coach Joseph James for nearly two hours, the placements stopped feeling like the biggest part of the story pretty quickly.

The real story was in the way he talked about the athletes.

The way he talked about parents seeing their kids compete publicly for the first time. The way he talked about friendship. The way he talked about kids learning to speak up for themselves. The way he talked about people in our own community who are often seen as disabilities before they are seen as people.

And honestly, maybe the line that stuck with me most came right near the beginning.

“They are lost members of our community sometimes,” Coach James said. “People tend to forget that they’re around.”

That hit hard.

Because the more we talked, the more obvious it became that Quincy Special Olympics is doing something much bigger than helping athletes run races or win medals. It is creating a place where athletes with special needs are seen, known, challenged, celebrated, and connected.

And in a small town, that matters.

It Started With His Son

Like a lot of meaningful things in small communities, this didn’t start as some giant organization or strategic plan.

It started with a dad trying to find something for his son.

“My son,” Coach James said when I asked what got him involved. “I started off kind of selfishly. I did it for my kid.”

He and his late wife realized there simply wasn’t much available for their son to participate in, so they decided to start Special Olympics in Quincy themselves.

That sentence sounds simple now, but anybody who has ever built anything in a small town knows there is nothing simple about starting something from scratch.

And this year carried even more weight emotionally.

Coach James shared that his wife passed away in February. In previous years, she handled much of the organization while he focused on coaching. This season he took on both responsibilities while trying to keep the program moving forward for the athletes.

You could hear the emotion underneath parts of the conversation when he talked about it. But you could also hear the pride.

Because somehow, during one of the hardest years of his life, every Quincy athlete who competed at regionals qualified for state.

The team is also supporting Miley Arellano, who was unable to compete because of an injury.

“All seven of our athletes that participated in regionals all made state,” Coach James said. “That’s rare for any community.”

It is.

Especially here.

Beyond the Athletics

One of the things I appreciated most about the conversation was that Coach James never reduced any athletes to a diagnoses. He talked about them with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.

You can see in his face as he talk about his athletes how much he enjoys his connection with each one of them.

At one point he laughed and said, “We have characters.”

Then he started describing them one by one.

Marcos is the funny one who says the most random things at exactly the craziest times. Yaretzy is the “drama queen” who sings and does a little bit of everything. Miley loves to sing too. Alejandro likes playing pranks and scaring people. Christopher is the happy-go-lucky one of the group.

And somewhere in the middle of describing all their personalities, Coach James said something that honestly feels like the core of the entire story.

“They’re all great athletes,” he said. “They’re all great humans.”

That may sound obvious.

But I don’t think we always do a great job of remembering that as a society.

Too often people with special needs get defined entirely by what they struggle with instead of who they are. We slap a label on it like autistic, crippled, disabled, down syndrome, ADHD and even neurodivergent. It makes people more comfortable.

Coach James sees the unique athlete that is facing their own set of challenges like every other athlete he coaches at Quincy United. An out of shape athlete and an athlete lacking confidence is the same on every field. They are just athletes who need help training for their goals.

At a very human level Coach James sees his people first. Funny people. Competitive people. Emotional people. Goofy people. Loving people.

People who are training for athletics

And maybe that sounds like a small thing, but I don’t think it is.

The Victories Nobody Sees

The medals are easy to celebrate.

The harder things to notice are often the things that matter most.

Coach James talked about athletes who could barely finish a 50-meter race when they started but are now running 100 and 200 meters.

He talked about parents who doubted whether their child could finish the race at all. Then he talked about one athlete who medaled in the 200.

That mattered.

But another story mattered even more.

Coach James described an athlete who used to barely speak and struggled socially. Over time, through the program and interaction with teammates, that athlete started finding confidence.

“We went from a kid being shy, to not talking, to actually defending himself at school,” James said. “Like, ‘Hey, leave me alone,’ or, ‘Hey, stop.’”

Think about that for a second.

That is not a sports story anymore.

That is a life story.

And honestly, that theme kept surfacing throughout the interview. The longer we talked, the more it became obvious that Quincy Special Olympics is not really about creating athletes nearly as much as it is helping people build confidence, friendships, routines, identity, and connection.

Coach James told me about athletes who now have friends they can call to go to the movies with. Friends who understand them. Friends they can invite over to jump on the trampoline or watch Transformers.

“Where before he might not have that friend, now he has a friend,” James said.

That line stayed with me too.

Because at a really basic human level, everybody wants the same thing.

Everybody wants a place they belong.

Not Just For Kids

Another thing James really wanted people to understand is that Special Olympics is not just for children.

The Quincy program currently serves athletes ranging from around age 10 into adulthood. Their oldest athlete right now is 34 years old, and James said there was even a 90-year-old athlete competing at regionals this year.

That matters because the need for community, activity, friendship, and belonging does not disappear once somebody ages out of school.

“There are adults in our community that have autism, that have down syndrome, that have all these special needs, and there’s an outlet for them,” Coach James said.

He also emphasized that there truly is something for almost every athlete. Wheelchair events. Assisted walks. Modified throwing events. Activities designed for different physical abilities.

“There’s something for every athlete,” he said.

And honestly, listening to him talk, it became pretty clear this is about much more than sports participation.

It is about visibility.

It is about integration.

It is about making sure people with special needs are not hidden away from the rest of the community.

“We want them to be out there,” Coach James said. “We want them to be part of the community.”

The Community Side Of This Story

One thing I found really interesting was how much Coach James talked about the families. The athletes are building friendships, but so are the parents and caregivers.

Families help each other with rides, schedules, school challenges, advice, and support. Over time, the program has become its own little support system.

“The families have to be involved because the athletes are just the athletes,” Coach James said. “But together, now we’re forming a big community.”

That honestly feels very Quincy to me.

People helping people.

People figuring it out together.

And there are signs the broader community is slowly starting to rally behind the athletes too. The American Legion donated. The thrift store donated. The Booster Club is helping purchase state shirts for the student athletes heading to state. The school district has started recognizing the athletes publicly as well.

That visibility matters.

Especially for kids and families who may have spent years feeling invisible.

What The Athletes Teach The Rest Of Us

Near the end of the interview, I asked James what these athletes teach the rest of us about resilience and determination.

He paused for a while before answering.

“That’s the first time this question has ever been asked to me,” he said.

Then he explained that watching the athletes push through challenges changes your perspective on your own problems. “That push, that drive, that motivation,” he said. “That’s what it’s about.”

He also said coaching Special Olympics changed him personally. It taught him patience, empathy, and the importance of understanding people instead of immediately judging them.

“Not everybody learns as fast,” he said. “Not everybody runs as fast.”

Honestly, that may be one of the quiet lessons underneath this whole story. These athletes are not just growing themselves, they are changing the people around them too.

Looking Toward State

Now Quincy Special Olympics heads to state with seven athletes representing the community.

That deserves recognition all by itself.

But after hearing Coach James talk about the athletes, the families, the friendships, the growth, and the sense of belonging this program creates, it feels pretty clear the biggest victories are already happening long before anybody steps onto a track.

When I asked Coach James what he would want the community to know most about his athletes, his answer came quickly.

“They’re loving,” he said. “They are the first ones to give you a hug, even when they’re mad at you.”

For a lot of these athletes and families, this program is bigger than sports now.

It is friendship.
It is confidence.
It is community.
It is a place where they are seen, known, and included.

And honestly, listening to Coach James talk about the athletes, it becomes pretty hard not to realize something important:

This was never really about medals.

It was about making sure nobody in the 98848 gets forgotten.

This week felt like Quincy showing itself a little more clearly.

Not through one major announcement or one defining story, but through a collection of moments that all pointed toward the same thing: this community is still deeply relationship-driven, even as it continues to grow and evolve.

If you followed the daily this week, you probably noticed the con…

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Some stories sneak up on you because they do not look extraordinary at first glance. They look like kids at a soccer field. They look like families loading coolers into cars on a weekend. They look like coaches setting up cones, players running drills, and parents trying to figure out where the next tournament is.

Then you sit down with Coach Joseph James and realize something much bigger has been happening here in Quincy.

Quincy United and J&S Futbol Club are not just giving kids a place to play soccer. They are building a serious competitive program that has already helped local athletes win state championships, sign college scholarships, travel across the country, and now step into international opportunities with one of the biggest clubs in Mexico.

“A lot of people know me as Coach James from Quincy United,” James said. “But we were able to take kids from Quincy to Mexico City where they participated in a club trial with Club América, one of the biggest soccer clubs in Mexico.”

A few players even received callbacks.

That alone would be a major story. But for Coach James, the bigger part is what happens when kids from a small community like Quincy get to step outside the world they know and see what might actually be possible.

“The callbacks are cool,” he said. “But getting to see kids from Quincy, from this small community, leave our community and go to Mexico City… some went to Spain… they’ve been traveling all over the world with this game called soccer.”

TL;DR

• Quincy United and J&S Futbol Club have grown into a serious competitive soccer program serving athletes from age 8 through U19 in Quincy and surrounding communities.

• Coach Joseph James says local athletes recently traveled to Mexico City for trials with Club América, with some players receiving callbacks for future opportunities.

• The broader J&S Futbol Academy network now serves roughly 1,500 players across Quincy, Mattawa, Othello, Moses Lake, and the Tri-Cities.

• Quincy United has won six state championships and helped 32 athletes sign college scholarships.

• Players are competing in showcase tournaments across Washington and around the western United States, including Portland, Las Vegas, California, and Denver.

• The program emphasizes education and discipline alongside athletics, with James saying the club currently has a 100% high school graduation rate among its athletes.

• Through partnerships and international connections, Quincy athletes now have pathways connected to Mexico, Spain, Holland, Canada, and higher-level competitive soccer opportunities.

• James says the biggest impact is not just soccer success, but exposing local kids to bigger opportunities, travel, college pathways, and life experiences beyond the 98848.

This Is Not Rec Soccer

For people who have only seen soccer through the local rec league or school sports lens, it is important to understand the difference. Quincy United is not just a casual local soccer program. This is competitive club soccer.

Coach James said players are traveling across Washington and beyond for tournaments. Some teams are playing in Portland. Others have played in Las Vegas, California, and summer tournaments around the region. One group is heading to Denver, Colorado for nationals.

“This is not rec soccer,” James said. “This is competitive soccer.”

That difference matters because the soccer landscape has changed. College scouts are not always driving into small towns looking for players anymore. They are going to showcase tournaments where they can see dozens, or even hundreds, of teams in one place.

“If you really love the game and you’re not in these showcase tournaments, you’re more than likely not getting scouted,” Coach James said.

That is part of what Quincy United is trying to provide: a way for local athletes to get into the rooms, fields, tournaments, and opportunities where the next level is actually watching.

From Micro Soccer to Mexico City

Coach James has been coaching soccer in Quincy for almost sixteen years. Like a lot of community stories, this one started small. His nephew’s team needed a coach, and James stepped in.

“I started doing rec soccer because my nephew’s team didn’t have a coach,” he said. “I played it growing up, so I said sure.”

That decision slowly grew into something much larger. The teams became more competitive. The players improved. The program developed. Eventually, Quincy United became a base for athletes who wanted to train seriously and chase bigger opportunities.

Some of the players now moving through the program started with James when they were in Micro Soccer.

“That’s really crazy,” he said. “I’ve been the same coach they had their whole life.”

Now those same kids are training, traveling, competing, and in some cases being connected to pathways that can lead to college soccer, elite club programs, or international trials.

The Program Is Bigger Than Most People Know

Quincy United currently serves around 150 kids in Quincy. Coach James also serves another 50 in Mattawa. Through J&S Futbol Academy, the reach extends even farther, including Quincy, Mattawa, Othello, Moses Lake, and a group in the Tri-Cities.

Altogether, Coach James said the broader academy network serves around 1,500 players.

That number may surprise people who still think of this as a small local soccer club.

Coach James now does much of the operational work for the organization and spends a lot of his time developing coaches rather than coaching one team directly. He holds a National C coaching license, and other coaches in the program are pursuing additional training and certifications.

“These are coaches that really love the game and are learning the game,” he said.

The program has also produced results. Quincy United has won six state championships. Coach James has coached three of those. Other coaches in the organization have added to that total.

The club has also helped 32 athletes sign college scholarships.

For a community the size of Quincy, that is not a small number.

The College Pipeline Matters

The international opportunities are exciting, but Coach James kept coming back to the educational impact of the program. He said when players travel and see bigger opportunities, it changes how they think about school.

“They realize, ‘I can’t do all these things I want to do if my education isn’t right,’” Coach James said. “‘I can’t go play college ball if I don’t have that 3.0 or above.’”

That may be one of the most important pieces of this entire story. Soccer becomes the hook, but discipline becomes the result.

Coach James said the club has a 100 percent graduation rate among its high school athletes. That is the kind of number that should make the whole community pay attention.

“The biggest thing we’re most proud of as an organization, we have 100% graduation rate from our club kids at the high school,” he said.

Some former players have gone on to college. Some have gone to trade schools. Some have become electricians. Some are now teachers. One is heading toward medical school.

“They changed their lives,” Coach James said. “They changed their family’s lives.”

A Real Pipeline to Bigger Soccer

One of the biggest developments for the program is its partnership with Club América. Coach James said the local program now falls under the Club América “nest,” giving players access to a legitimate pathway connected to one of Mexico’s largest soccer clubs.

“Our whole program is going to be wearing Club América gear,” James said. “They’ll have a pipeline to Club América.”

He emphasized that this is not just branding or wishful thinking. Players from Quincy were actually in Mexico City, training in the same compound where academy players train and on fields connected to the professional club environment.

“This is a real pipeline,” James said. “This is not a game.”

For families and players, that means the long-term vision has changed. The goal does not have to stop at high school. It does not even have to stop at college. Some players are already scheduled to return for full trials. Others are preparing for extended opportunities in Spain.

From Quincy, Washington, that is an extraordinary sentence to write.

The Commitment Is Real Too

Coach James is also honest about what this level of soccer requires. Competitive club sports demand time, travel, money, and family sacrifice.

“There’s times we sacrifice Mother’s Day and Easter because we’re out there playing,” he said.

Families should not confuse this with a short rec season or a few local games. Club soccer can mean tournaments, hotel stays, gas, meals, uniforms, registration fees, and long weekends away from home.

Coach James said the club works hard to keep the cost as low as possible compared to similar programs in larger markets. Registration is $425 for the year, with uniforms separate at around $150. The club also breaks payments into installments to help families manage the cost.

“We’re trying to keep our costs as low as possible to maintain the ability for our kids to play,” he said.

That matters because one of the hard truths of youth sports in America is that opportunity often costs money. Coach James does not sugarcoat that, but he also makes it clear that Quincy United is trying to keep the door open for as many local players as possible.

More Than a Soccer Story

At one point in the conversation, Coach James said there might be a Quincy kid on TV one day.

After hearing the full story, that does not sound unrealistic anymore.

But even if that never happens, this program is already doing something important. It is helping kids see more of the world. It is helping them connect hard work to opportunity. It is helping them understand that grades matter, commitment matters, and discipline in one part of life can carry into every other part.

That is the real story here.

Quincy United and J&S Futbol Club are not just building better soccer players. They are helping local kids imagine a bigger world, then giving them a reason to work toward it.

It’s funny how different events carry a completely different feeling the moment you walk through the doors. Usually when you walk into a big choir or band performance, there’s almost this unspoken understanding in the room. People settle in quietly. They talk softly to the people they are sitting with. It can feel formal. There’s a certain gravitas to it.

Most choir concerts, band concerts, drama performances, and school events over the years here in the 98848 fall into that category.

SING is not that; SING is something completely different.

Walking into the PAC Thursday night felt more like walking into a small live music venue than a traditional school performance. People were talking and laughing right up until the lights dropped. Friends were waving at each other across the auditorium. Families were excited. Students were buzzing around.

There was almost an electricity in the air.

Then the lights went down, the first performer walked onto the stage with the house band, and we were immediately off to the races.

No giant intro.
No formal opening.
No explanations.

Just music.

From the very first song with Zoe Mata opening the night, it was obvious this year’s QHS SING fundraiser was going to be special again.

What makes SING so unique is that it feels personal. It’s not just a choir performing together as one big polished ensemble. That is not a slight against our large group performances, I enjoy those every time, but this feel unique. Something different.

This is students stepping out individually. Soloists. Duets. Trios. Small ensembles. Different genres. Different personalities. Different risks.

I’m always a little awed by the courage it takes to step out in front of everyone and lay your soul bare for all to see.

Think about that for a second.

It’s one thing to stand on stage with fifty people around you in a choir performance. It’s another thing entirely to stand there by yourself with a microphone in front of a packed PAC singing a song everybody already knows.

Some of these kids are covering massive artists. Sinatra. Radiohead. Florence + The Machine. Songs people immediately recognize. Songs tied to iconic voices.

That takes guts.

And these students absolutely shined Thursday night.

There were fun performances. Emotional performances. Powerful performances. Some songs had the audience laughing and singing along. Others had the room dead silent because the vocals were just that strong.

There were some familiar faces if you actively attend our arts program here in the 98848. Young people you will recognize from some of the great plays the high school does as well as the choir program like Juan Ferreyra and Ruby Gonzalez. You’ll also meet young performers you may not know as well yet, like Julianna Lambert and Jorge Salas-Ruiz

Each student brings their own style, passion, look and voice to the songs they’re sharing with all of us. With no introductions you don’t know what is coming next until they start performing, well, at least I didn’t because I didn’t recognize a lot of the titles in the program.

Honestly, part of the fun for me every year is the variety.

I’ll admit it; I probably recognized maybe 30 or 40 percent of the songs. Most of us tend to stick pretty close to the music we grew up with. I still listen mostly to the same music I listened to back in the ‘90s. Meanwhile my daughters recognized way more of the set list than I did.

It didn’t matter whether I knew the songs or not though, good performance is good performance.

There were moments where the vocals just hit you right in the chest regardless of whether you’d ever heard the original song before.

One of the standout moments of the night for me was a student performing an original song with just guitar and upright bass accompaniment. That takes an entirely different level of confidence. No famous lyrics to lean on. No familiar chorus the crowd already loves. Just your own work put out there for everybody to hear.

That’s brave.

The song was in Spanish and I don’t speak Spanish, yet I felt the song at a very real level and enjoyed it immensely. That is the power of music, it speaks to the heart at a very intimate level and crosses all boundaries.

Maybe my favorite thing about the entire night wasn’t even the performances themselves.

It was watching the students support each other. It might just be the dad in me coming out, but I love watching the camaraderie of our arts programs.

Most of the performers sat together in the front rows while the others performed, and they absolutely erupted for each other all night long. Cheering. Laughing. Celebrating big moments. Supporting each other after every song.

You could feel how much they genuinely wanted each other to succeed.

That kind of energy changes a room.

The house band deserves a huge amount of credit too. Kylie Youngren and Riley Youngren helped anchor an incredibly talented rotating group of student musicians who were constantly adapting to completely different styles and setups from song to song. Moving on and off stage, changing instruments. I don’t think people always appreciate how hard that actually is.

One song might need piano and vocals.
The next might need electric guitar, trumpet, bass, percussion, and background vocals.
Then suddenly you’re shifting into something soft and emotional with acoustic accompaniment.

That’s a lot of moving pieces.

The PAC sound and lighting crews also deserve some love because this show is technically demanding. The instrumentation changes constantly. The performers change constantly. Running sound for a performance where the entire setup changes every single song is really complex. And overall, they handled it really well.

The lighting especially elevated the entire experience. It helped every song feel different emotionally and visually instead of just becoming one long blur of performances.

But the biggest thing I walked away thinking was honestly just how lucky we are as a community to have arts programs like this.

These students are learning how to stand in front of people and risk failure publicly.

Think about how rare that is today.

They’re learning confidence. Performance. Communication. Creativity. Courage.

That matters.

Those are life skills that stay with people forever whether they go into music or not. SING gives these kids a space to really step into that.

There’s one more performance tonight, and if you’ve never gone before, go.

Seriously.

Take the family.
Grab concessions.
Support the choir program.
Enjoy a genuinely fun Friday night.

You’ll laugh. You might get emotional once or twice. You’ll definitely walk away impressed by the amount of talent inside this community.

And more than anything, you’ll walk away reminded that there are some incredibly brave young people in the 98848 willing to step into the spotlight and share what they love with the rest of us.

That deserves a full room.

The first commission Deb Adams ever thought she earned never actually arrived.

It was 1987. She had just started in real estate after running a local children’s retail store, and one of her first deals was a vacant lot down in Sunland Estates. Excited about finally earning a commission, she went out and bought herself a new coat before the transaction officially closed.

Then the seller unexpectedly passed away.

The deal fell apart before closing, the commission disappeared, and Deb learned an early lesson about real estate.

“Don’t spend your money until you get it,” she said with a laugh.

Nearly 40 years later, Deb Adams is still helping families buy and sell homes across the Quincy Valley, and that early lesson still feels fitting for the way she approaches the business today: stay grounded, take care of people, and never assume anything is simple.

Before Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin became one of the most recognizable real estate offices in the area, Deb was simply a Quincy girl trying to figure out what came next after retail.

“What the heck, why not?” she remembered thinking when someone suggested she get her real estate license.

That decision turned into a nearly four-decade career.

It did not take long for her to realize real estate was not a business you could truly do halfway.

“You can’t do this business part-time,” Deb said. “Not if you’re going to take good care of people.”

Nearly 40 years later, she is still doing exactly that.

And somewhere along the way, Deb Adams became more than just a longtime realtor in Quincy. She became part of the fabric of the community itself.

A Quincy Jackrabbit Through and Through

Deb is not someone who simply works in Quincy. She is deeply rooted here.

Born and raised locally, she spent all 12 years of school in the Quincy School District and proudly calls herself a Quincy Jackrabbit. Those roots matter because for Deb, Quincy has never just been a market or a place to build a career. It has always been home.

She could have left. Real estate opportunities exist almost everywhere, and larger markets often mean larger commissions. But Deb said money was never really the deciding factor.

“I probably could make a lot more money someplace else,” she said. “But it’s a good community. Good people.”

That sense of connection is part of why she stayed through decades of change, growth, and transformation in the Quincy Valley.

Why People Come Back

At one point in the conversation, Deb described Quincy with a single word:

Comfortable.

Not stagnant. Not boring. Comfortable in the way a place feels when people know each other, support each other, and stay connected over time.

That idea surfaced again and again throughout the interview.

Deb talked about running into former students years later and hearing how something she did impacted their lives. About seeing kids grow up, become adults, and raise families of their own. About staying in one place long enough to witness the ripple effects of relationships over decades.

“You hope that you’re able to be a positive impact on at least one person,” she said. “When you can hear about it and see it later, it is rewarding.”

It is also part of why so many people who come to Quincy end up staying longer than they expected.

During the conversation, I mentioned to Deb that I originally came here for construction work nearly 20 years ago and fully expected to leave after a couple of years. Instead, my family stayed.

Like many others, we discovered that Quincy feels different once you become part of the community itself.

People know your kids. They recognize your family at local businesses. They show up when someone needs help. Relationships become rooted over time instead of temporary.

That is difficult to explain to someone who has never lived in a small town like this, but once people experience it, many do not want to leave.

Deb has watched generations grow up here. She has seen families leave and eventually return home. She has watched kids become parents, students become business owners, and longtime neighbors become lifelong friends.

In a town like Quincy, people are not just passing through each other’s lives for a moment.

If you stay long enough, you get to see the ripple effects.

Watching Quincy Evolve

Over the course of Deb’s career, Quincy has changed dramatically.

She remembers when the area was almost entirely defined by agriculture and farming. A strong, hardworking community, but one that also faced challenges in sustaining long-term economic growth. Deb’s earlier involvement with city government gave her a firsthand look at how difficult it could be to balance budgets and support a growing community.

Then Microsoft arrived.

“It’s hard to believe Microsoft came here 20 years ago,” Deb said. “Can it really be 20 years already?”

Like many longtime residents, Deb has watched Quincy balance growth with preserving its agricultural roots. But she also understands what diversification has meant for local families and the future of the community.

“In order to survive, just like anything, you need to diversify,” she said.

The arrival of the data centers brought jobs, growth, new housing developments, and opportunities that simply did not exist before. Quincy changed from being solely an agricultural town into something broader and more economically diverse.

Still, Deb believes the core of Quincy remains the same.

“The people,” she said. “I think it’s the people.”

Taking Care of People

Today, Deb primarily works in residential real estate, but her work extends into commercial sales, commercial property management, vacant land, and surrounding communities including Ephrata, George, Crescent Bar, Soap Lake, Moses Lake, and beyond.

But one thing she feels strongly about is that local knowledge matters. Just because an agent technically can sell in another city does not mean they should.

“Our job is to take good care of people,” Deb explained. “If we’re not familiar with an area, then it’s not in that client’s best interest.”

That perspective comes from experience. Early in her career, Deb helped friends buy a home in Ephrata before she truly knew the market well. During that process, she learned about flood zone concerns she had not previously understood.

The experience reinforced something she still believes today: clients deserve someone who knows the area, understands the details, and knows the questions to ask.

In rural communities like Quincy, those details can matter more than many people realize. Propane systems, irrigation issues, flood zones, utility setups, zoning concerns, and local infrastructure are all things that someone unfamiliar with the area could easily overlook.

The Importance of Listening

After nearly 40 years in the industry, Deb believes one of the most important skills in real estate is not salesmanship. It is listening.

“You have to be able to listen,” she said.

Every buyer is different. Every seller is different. Some clients are highly emotional. Others want straightforward numbers and facts. Some need reassurance. Others need guidance slowing down and thinking through a decision carefully.

Deb sees her role not as someone making decisions for clients and more as someone helping them fully understand their options.

“It’s not our house,” she said. “It’s not our decision. We need to be able to guide people.”

That guidance often means taking extra time, laying out the positives and negatives clearly, and helping clients understand not just what they want today, but how a decision fits into their larger life goals.

Helping First-Time Buyers Think Long-Term

Deb said first-time buyers often enter the process believing they know exactly what they want.

Then they find the right house, and it turns out to be completely different than what they originally pictured.

For her, the bigger question is always why.

Why does this home matter? How does it fit the buyer’s life? What are their long-term goals? Is this a forever home, a starter home, or an investment that helps them build toward the next step?

“It’s the why,” Deb said. “Think through the why.”

Sometimes the right first house is not the dream house. Sometimes it is simply the right next step.

Selling a Home Has Changed

Deb says selling homes today looks very different than it did even 20 years ago.

Back then, yard signs played a major role in attracting buyers. Today, nearly everything happens online first. Photos matter more. Presentation matters more. Buyers often decide whether they are interested before ever stepping inside the house.

The process itself has also become far more complex over the years.

“ Oh my goodness, yes,” Deb laughed when talking about the amount of paperwork now involved in modern real estate transactions.

The process has become more detailed and more regulated, but she believes many of those changes are ultimately designed to better protect buyers and sellers. One thing that has not changed, however, is the emotional side of selling a home.

“You can’t get your heart set on a certain number because the market’s going to dictate what the number’s gonna be,” she said.

For sellers, preparation and realistic expectations matter. Deb encourages clients to focus on their goals, prepare their home well, and stay open to guidance throughout the process.

“If you take good care of people, then it’ll be okay.”

Reputation Matters in a Small Town

In a community like Quincy, relationships matter.

Deb said many of her clients come to her because they already know her, know someone she has helped, or have seen her involvement in the community over the years.

“I’ve always said that if you take good care of people, then it’ll be okay,” she said.

That philosophy shapes not only how she works with clients, but how she approaches her business overall. She wants people to feel comfortable seeing her around town long after the deal closes.

“We intend to be here and live in this community,” she said. “We want to be able to say hi to people at the grocery store and feel good about it.”

That kind of reputation is built slowly over time.

One client at a time. One relationship at a time.

Building Windermere Around Relationships

Over the years, Deb has also helped shape Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin into something that reflects the values she believes matter most in a small community.

Today, the company serves clients throughout Quincy, Ephrata, George, Crescent Bar, Moses Lake, and surrounding areas, with offices in both Quincy and Ephrata. The office handles residential real estate, commercial properties, property management, land sales, and investment opportunities across the region.

But Deb says the culture inside the office matters just as much as the transactions themselves. The agents who work there are expected to focus on people first.

“We intend to be here and live in this community,” Deb said. “The people that work for me, they’re not in the business for themselves. They’re in the business to help people.”

That mindset shapes how the office approaches clients, negotiations, and long-term relationships.

In a larger city, a real estate transaction may be a one-time interaction. In Quincy, there is a good chance you will continue seeing those same people at football games, grocery stores, school events, restaurants, and community fundraisers for years afterward.

“We want to be able to say hi to people at the grocery store and feel good about it,” Deb said.

That long-term accountability, she believes, changes how business should be done in a small town.

Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin is also currently the only real estate office in Quincy that maintains active membership in the Realtor organization, something Deb believes helps her agents stay informed about changing laws, industry standards, ethics requirements, and policy changes affecting buyers and sellers both locally and nationally.

For Deb, staying informed is part of taking care of clients well.

And after nearly 40 years in the business, that remains the standard she continues to build around.

Deep Community Involvement

Both Deb and her husband Tom have spent years deeply involved in the Quincy community.

Tom has served on the hospital board, worked extensively with track and school activities, and helped improve athletic facilities in the district. Deb has been involved with Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, and numerous community efforts over the years.

More recently, much of their focus has gone toward supporting Veterans Operation Creation, a local organization helping veterans and their families. The connection began almost accidentally when Deb learned that Daniel Chisholm, founder of the organization, was a Marine veteran.

“I said, ‘Can I help?’” she recalled.

Over the past four years, that involvement has grown into a major commitment for both Deb and Tom. She said the work has helped her better understand the experiences veterans carry and the importance of building stronger community support around them.

“I’ve learned a lot about how we can help our local veterans and their families,” she said.

Still Not Done

People ask Deb when she plans to retire. She is not entirely sure. For Deb, the work has never just been about selling houses. It has always been about helping people navigate major moments in their lives.

“I don’t know what I’d do,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not gonna sit at home and watch soap operas and eat bonbons.”

For her, purpose still matters. There are still clients to help, projects to support, deals to work through, and grandkids to watch compete in sports and activities.

Success, she says, is not one final destination.

It is helping someone close a difficult deal. Supporting a local organization. Watching family succeed. Solving the next challenge.

“There’s always something else that I need to do,” she said.

After nearly 40 years in business and a lifetime in Quincy, that mindset may explain why Deb Adams has become more than just a longtime realtor in the community.

One client at a time. One relationship at a time. One community project at a time.

Deb Adams has spent nearly 40 years helping people build lives in the Quincy Valley while quietly building one of her own alongside them.

And after all this time, she still is not done.

About Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin

For decades, Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin has helped families, homeowners, investors, and businesses navigate real estate across Quincy, Ephrata, George, Crescent Bar, Moses Lake, and surrounding communities. With deep local roots and a strong focus on relationships, the team provides residential real estate, commercial real estate, land sales, and property management services throughout the region.

Located in the communities they serve, Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin believes real estate is about more than transactions — it’s about helping people make good decisions for their families, businesses, and future.

To learn more, visit Windermere Real Estate / Central Basin or stop by their Quincy or Ephrata offices.

Spring is moving fast toward summer here in the 98848, and graduation is right around the corner for seniors and their families. It’s one of those milestone moments; something that’s been building since kindergarten and lands all at once on June 5th.

But for the class behind them, that path may start to look a little different.

At the latest Quincy School Board meeting, there was a lot covered. Policy updates, student reports, FAFSA progress, spring testing, arts recognition, athletics, and upcoming district events all made their way into the conversation.

But one presentation stood out because it touches nearly every family with a student moving through the secondary system.

Alicen Gaytley, Quincy School District’s Director of Teaching & Learning, gave the board an update on 2026 Graduation Progress and the High School & Beyond Plan, including the district’s implementation of SchooLinks, a new statewide platform designed to help students, families, counselors, and staff better track where a student is, what they still need, and where they want to go after graduation.

This was not just a software update.

It was a look at how Quincy is trying to move from simply asking, “Is this student on track to graduate?” toward a bigger and better question:

“Are our students just getting enough credits to graduate, or are we helping them build a real plan for what comes next?”

TL;DR

• Quincy students must meet three major graduation requirements: earn 25 high school credits, complete a High School & Beyond Plan, and complete a graduation pathway.

• Graduation pathways include postsecondary education, military, or Career & Technical Education options.

• QSD is preparing to launch SchooLinks in the 2026–2027 school year.

• SchooLinks is designed to give students and families a clearer view of graduation progress, course planning, career exploration, and post-high-school goals.

• The district has spent much of the year cleaning up course data and aligning systems so the platform works correctly.

• Staff training begins this spring and summer, with student onboarding planned for the start of the next school year.

• The district is still working through questions around counselor/advisory roles, sixth grade access, Big Picture Learning, and implementation for different student pathways.

Graduation Is More Than Credits

Gaytley began by reviewing the three major graduation requirements for Quincy High School students.

Students must earn 25 high school credits, complete a High School & Beyond Plan, and complete a graduation pathway.

That last piece matters because graduation is not built around one single route anymore. Students can meet pathway requirements through postsecondary-focused options like ACT, SAT, dual credit courses, state assessments, WA-AIM, or Bridge to College courses. They can also meet the requirement through the military pathway by taking the ASVAB with a qualifying score, or through a CTE pathway tied to a sequence of Career & Technical Education courses.

One board member asked whether passing the ASVAB, for example, would allow a student to graduate early.

Gaytley clarified that it only satisfies the pathway requirement. Students still have to meet the other requirements, including the 25 credits.

That distinction matters. These pathways do not replace graduation requirements. They help define how a student demonstrates readiness for what comes next.

The Current Challenge: Tracking Pieces Instead of the Whole Picture

One of the clearest parts of the presentation was the district’s acknowledgment that the current system has limitations. Right now, counselors are primarily tracking two things: whether students need to recover or retake classes, and whether they have completed a graduation pathway.

That is important work, but it does not always give the full picture.

The larger intent of the High School & Beyond Plan is to help students think through who they are, what they may want to become, and how their classes, activities, and experiences connect to that future. Gaytley said the district wants students to receive more consistent advising around their options, not just near graduation, but throughout their high school journey.

In plain language, the goal is to make this less reactive.

Instead of waiting until senior year to find out what a student still needs, the system should help students and families see progress earlier, understand options more clearly, and make better decisions along the way.

Why SchooLinks Matters

SchooLinks is the platform Washington is moving toward as a universal system for High School & Beyond Plans. Gaytley explained that one of the issues across the state has been variance. Different districts have used different tools, processes, and systems, which means the student and family experience has not been consistent.

The legislature’s intent is to create a more universal student experience. The platform is supposed to routinely update academic course, credit, and grade data so students and families can see graduation progress more clearly.

For Quincy, that meant a lot of behind-the-scenes work before the district could simply “turn on the lights.”

Gaytley said the district found differences in course codes between the middle school and high school, including duplicate or overlapping codes. If those had been pushed into SchooLinks without cleanup, the information families saw may not have been accurate.

So the district has spent the year working through course codes, building cleaner data systems, and preparing Skyward to connect correctly with SchooLinks.

That is not flashy work, but it is the kind of work that determines whether a system actually helps families or simply creates more confusion.

There’s also a fair question sitting underneath all of this.

Whenever the state rolls out a “one system for everyone” approach, it sounds good on paper. More consistency. More transparency. Same experience across districts.

But anyone who’s been around more than one school or school district for a while knows it’s rarely that simple once it hits real classrooms.

Every district runs a little differently. Programs like Big Picture Learning don’t fit neatly into traditional models. Even something as basic as course coding turned into a year-long cleanup process just to get ready for this.

And that’s before you get into what happens when families and staff are actually using it every day. So while the potential here is real, so is the reality that rolling something like this out statewide is going to come with friction.

“On paper, a system built for everyone makes sense. In real classrooms, it’s rarely that simple.”

That’s also why the district is spending so much time right now on training, role clarity, and making sure this doesn’t just become another system people have to work around.

A Student-Friendly Tool With Long-Term Potential

One of the more encouraging pieces of the presentation was how the platform may function for students beyond basic compliance. Gaytley described SchooLinks as engaging, relevant, and student-friendly.

Students will be able to explore career interests, build profiles, track goals, plan courses, and eventually create a kind of digital portfolio that can include their story, experiences, accomplishments, credentials, references, and even a video introduction.

Students will also be able to keep access beyond graduation by connecting the account to a personal email rather than only a district email.

That detail may sound small, but it matters. Gaytley noted that even something as simple as students needing a non-school email for Big Bend registration can become a hurdle. Building that habit earlier could help students avoid problems later.

The potential here is bigger than checking boxes.

Done well, this gives students a place to collect evidence of who they are becoming.

What This Could Mean for Families

If you’ve ever sat at the kitchen table trying to figure out where your kid stands: how many credits they have, what they still need, or whether they’re actually on track. Then this is the kind of thing that could make that a whole lot clearer.

If the rollout works the way it is intended, families should eventually have a clearer view of where their student stands, what courses they are requesting, what pathway they are pursuing, and how their plan connects to life after high school.

That matters because school systems can be hard to navigate from the outside. Graduation requirements, pathway options, advisory lessons, course requests, CTE programs, credit retrieval, college forms, and career planning can all feel like separate conversations.

SchooLinks is meant to pull more of that into one place.

That does not mean the platform solves everything. It means families may have a better starting point for conversations with students, counselors, and teachers.

The Questions Still Being Worked Through

The district was also honest that there are still pieces to figure out.

Gaytley pointed to several areas still under discussion: role clarity for counselors and advisory teachers, aligning advisory lessons with career interests and postsecondary planning, access for sixth graders, implementation for Big Picture Learning and other flexible learning options, and the course planner requirement.

Big Picture Learning brought up a particularly important issue. The program already does a lot of individualized planning around student goals and future pathways, but it does not operate like a traditional course-and-grade model. District leaders said the state has acknowledged that flexible learning models still need clearer guidance inside the platform.

There were also questions about students with disabilities and how transition planning, IEP requirements, and High School & Beyond Plans will better align. District staff said OSPI training has addressed that area and that more support is expected.

Those are not minor details. They are the difference between a platform that works for most students and a system that truly works for all students.

“Graduation isn’t just a finish line; it’s where everything either comes together… or doesn’t.”

A Step Toward Better Conversations

There is always a risk with new platforms that the tool becomes the story. The better story here is not SchooLinks itself. The better story is that Quincy School District is trying to make graduation progress, career planning, and post-high-school preparation more connected and more visible.

That matters.

Because when students can see the path in front of them, families can better support them. When counselors and teachers have cleaner data, they can advise more clearly. And when a student starts asking earlier, “Who am I? What can I become? How do I get there?” the conversation changes.

Graduation becomes more than a finish line.

It becomes the point where everything either comes together… or doesn’t.

And that’s really what this is trying to improve.

This past week felt active in a way that’s becoming more normal around here. Not just busy for the sake of it, but layered. There were multiple events, multiple conversations, and a lot happening at the same time across Quincy, George, Crescent Bar, and Sunland Estates. If you were out in it, you felt it. If you followed along through the daily, you saw…

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