Children in Moses Lake are being treated for rabies after they were found playing with several dead bats. The rabies treatment was recommended by the Grant County Health District as the bats are too damaged to be tested for the virus. 

Bats are the primary carrier of the rabies virus in the northwest United States. The virus is rare, there have only been two cases of human rabies in Washington in the last 20 years, but rabies is almost always fatal. A rabid bat was found in Pasco, WA earlier this month. 

Between and five and ten percent of tested bats come up positive for rabies, this is partly because the majority of those tested are sick or injured, much like the dead bats the Moses Lake children were found playing with. Rabies is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is usually spread through bites or scratches. 

The Grant County Health District wants to remind residents never to touch bats and encourages them to "bat proof" their homes by making sure open windows have screens and small entry points are sealed.  

The Washington State Patrol has been called in to investigate the disappearance of an M16 rifle from the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

The rifle was last logged into a secured arms room at the Grant County Courthouse but was discovered missing during a recent routine inventory of equipment. The sheriff's office immediately launched an internal investigation to try and find the rifle.

When that proved unsuccessful, the state patrol was called in to help aid in the search.

I am enormously concerned about this missing rifle, Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said.

I am sorry to alarm the public that such a weapon has been lost from our control, and I reassure everyone that we will find the rifle and anybody who is found to be responsible for any malfeasance will be held accountable at the highest level, he added.

The M16 is a fully automatic rifle that fires a .223-caliber round. Carried by patrol officers, it is similar to the ones used by the military.

A truck driver parked his semi outside a convenience store in Grand Coulee and went inside to buy some items. The truck ended up rolling into the store, causing significant damage to the building.

It happened Monday morning at Jack's Four Corners 76.

According to the store's owner, the truck was parked up a small hill and became loose while the driver and a few other people were inside the store. No one was hurt.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, the truck is still in the store.