January 13, 1939 - October 12, 2026 Rawley Rounds Taylor, 87, of Mesa, Washington passed away peacefully in his home on October 12, 2026 with his family at his side. Rawley was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on January 13th, 1939 to Wells and Thelma Taylor. Thelma died before he reached the age of two and Wells married Bardee Lake who became his mother for the remainder of his life. Wells and Bardee raised the children in Grant, Idaho where the family owned the local grocery stor

October 21, 2026 By: Clayton Trowbridge The Mesa Grocery Store It was near midnight on Monday, October 19 when a person wearing a hoodie and mask broke a window at the Mesa Grocery and Deli. One of the large windows was broken by throwing an object at 11:40pm. The suspect, then, proceeded straight to a beer cooler and took 2 cases of beer, uninterested with other items. The person then left with the stolen property as the business camera recorded. The video footage was pre

October 9, 2026 The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District (S.C.B.I.D.) board of directors voted to extend the 2026 irrigation season. While water shut off was set for October 16, the extension will provide water through Friday, October 23. The extension will provide much needed water for agricultural production in this dry season. The Bureau of Reclemation's October water forecast, thier final for the season, shows September precipitation for the five reservoirs that supp

Connell Gets New Restaraunt HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: October 8, 2026 By: Miurlin Escalante & Clayton Trowbridge Lilliana and Adriel Rivera welcome you to La Luna - their new restaraunt in Connell. Lilliana Rivera, owner and manager of La Luna Kitchen & Bar in Connell (710 S. Columbia Ave) welcomed the Graphic to introduce herself and the restaurant to the community. Rivera and her four employees are happy to be serving the Connell community as well as passers by who stop in o

August 13, 2026 By: Katherine Trowbridge Monty Huber leads over Chris Lee in the Primary, they both took the lead in the race for Franklin County's next Sheriff, moving them onto the General Election The results of the August 4 Primary Election are coming in with preliminary numbers showing two local law enforcement leaders set to face off for Franklin County Sheriff in the November General Election. Current Undersheriff Monty Huber took the lead in the primary with 47.16% of

By: Andrew Rice (The Center Square) - Voters in Washington’s fourth congressional district decide in the Aug. 4 primary which candidates will represent central Washington in the general election without an incumbent on the ballot. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., is not running for reelection to the central district. In his place, six Republicans, one Democrat and two independent candidates are vying for the congressman’s position. The Center Square spoke to candidates in the dist

Three vie to become your next Sheriff July 30, 2026 By: C&K Trowbridge Monty Huber Chris Lee Kohl St. Peter The Aug. 4 primary election will narrow the three candidates for Franklin County sheriff to the voters' top two choices. With Sheriff Jim Raymond announcing his retirement, this election season will determine who our next sheriff will be. The top two candidates in the August 4 primary will go on to the November general election. The top candidate there

Mike Meads Memorial Livestock Show fills up CBJLS Barn July 28, 2026 By: Katherine Trowbridge Showmanship was on display at the Columbia Basin Junior Livestock Barns on Saturday, July 25. The Mike Meads Memorial Livestock Show, better known as the “Summer Showcase,” filled up the show barn at the Columbia Basin Junior Livestock (CBJLS) grounds in Connell on Saturday, July 25. This show emphasizes the efforts young showmen are putting to prepare for the upcoming fair season,

The North Franklin School District (NFSD) is inviting community members, parents, and local stakeholders to apply for seats on a new Community Facilities Task Force (CFTF), a volunteer advisory committee that will help shape the District's long-range facilities plan. The CFTF will bring together approximately 20 community members and stakeholders alongside representatives from the School Board, faculty and student body to study district facility needs and develop recommendati

Deputies arrest two July 15, 2026 By: Katherine Trowbridge Franklin County is seeing an increase in agricultural thefts. Over the past several weeks, there have been multiple cases involving the theft of brass sprinklers from irrigation equipment. Brass may be a relativley low value item, yet the impact to area farmers is significant, often resulting in thousands of dollars in replacement costs. Franklin County Sheriff's Deputies have been investigating these cases and on Tue