News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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My friend Will Chausee had a sapphire mine in Montana about 35 miles east of Hamilton. He was an unlikely friend. Will owned a high-class cedar lumber operation, catering to high-end builders. He was a burly chap, probably 200 pounds if an ounce. Over time we got thrown together through the Rotary Club and other endeavors. Will kept inviting me to vacation at his Gem Mountain sapphire mine. So, my wife and I decided to do just that. The mine was located high up in the mountains, a fun and scenic drive, if nothing else. He spent time there in a...
Confetti falls as the graduating class of 2024 is introduced by Principal Natalie Kontos Saturday in the gym at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School. - Ethan Tatum photo...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Rotary Club is offering a scholarship for up to $4,000 to a Lake Roosevelt student to a four-year university, a community college, or a trade or technical school. The scholarship could pay $1,000 a year to a four-year university or #1,000 a year as needed at a community college or trade or technical school. - The General Scholarship Application is a writable Word document. You will be able to save your work and edit your responses directly on the application; otherwise, you must print the application after you have...
Have you noticed how many retired school employees regularly volunteer throughout our Okanogan County communities? Retired school employees have told me that helping community members is hard work but extremely satisfying. You may find them working throughout Okanogan County’s many organizations: local, state and federal citizens’ committees, hospitals, clinics, OBHC, senior citizen centers and Community Action. They also serve their communities through groups such as Okanogan County School Retirees’ Association (OCSRA), Kiwanis, Rotary, Mason...
Our Scott Hunter received the Miles Turnbull award for excellence in journalism. Turnbull was the publisher of the Leavenworth paper and later executive director of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. He is deceased, but remembered for his dedication to the principles of journalism. Miles traveled around the state visiting the various newspapers and was always asked for tips on how to run a newspaper more efficiently, especially a need in today’s marketplace. The award is given periodically to an outstanding publisher who beats t...
1 years ago The regional board of mayors is finding out that it’s operating agreement is a poor way to run a railroad facing emergency repairs at the Delano transfer site. A month ago the mayors put a hold on the single bid they received to do the work hoping to get more bids. This time around park commissioners Monday night barely passed a motion to allow the Chamber of Commerce to hold another beer garden event at the North Dam Park next month. Commissioners expressed frustration with learning of the planed event in the newspaper before g...
1 years ago Challenger Greg Wilder garnered 67% of the primary vote ending Tuesday night to place himself solidly in the general election race against Coulee Dam mayor Quincy Snow. The school board we’ll meet tonight in an informal setting with members getting a look at how the districts energy grant was spent and then given a walkthrough of the new K through 12 school site. The San Poil, the new Keller ferry will be christened in a special ceremony August 14th at the south shore terminal. The $12-million, 20 car ferry was built in pieces b...
Everyone knows Scott. In fact, he might be the best known man in our coulee towns. He owns The Star newspaper, and you might say he is The Star newspaper. You would have to have Gwen Hilson to take a bow. She has worked there for over 35 years and knows as much about individuals in town as anyone. Most people know Scott from covering serious and joyous events over a lot of years. He gets called out from sleep when anything serious happens, camera in hand. You want to know about things, just wait until Wednesday and you can read about it in The...
Forty students graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School Saturday as the class of 2023 gathered for that last time - on the stage at the gym in gown and cap. Much about the speeches echoed those sentiments that rightly drip from every high school graduation - "the last time," "the next chapter," and so forth. But the tone, the affection, the familiarity - as in, family-like - seemed something more. "The friendships that we have made over the years have shaped us into the young men and women...
After Tax Day, you may want to clean house of no-longer-needed financial records. To help, and in keeping with its recent practice, the Grand Coulee Dam Rotary Club will offer its biannual Shred Day service, when you can get rid of all those records and watch as a big truck double shreds them in bulk. The event will take place at North Dam Park by the Gehrke Windmills on April 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - or until the truck is full. The flow of traffic should start at the road by North Dam and ex... Full story
Right now, you may be thinking about taxes and records, but soon you’ll be thinking about what to do with those records you no longer need to keep. A local club has an answer. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Rotary Club, which has organized a day to shred those documents every other year for several years, is planning the event again for the Saturday after your federal income tax returns are due — April 22, tentatively at North Dam Park....
Jeff Foster sees changes that need to be made in Grant County, feels like he is the man for the job, and is challenging incumbent Commissioner Cindy Carter, who has held the seat since 2007, for the spot. "I believe that the people of Grant County should have the issues looked at from a new perspective with new energy!" he writes on his website. "I have the skills and experiences to help the citizens of Grant County and can give back to the community that has been very good to me professionally...
Do you know who’s going to need a career to make a living someday? High school kids. And do you know who could use some employees? The local hospital. Put two and two together, and you’ve got Coulee Career Connection. The local hospital has jobs to fill, and local high school students could eventually be the perfect fit. Lake Roosevelt High School students will be attending an event called Coulee Career Connection on Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school gym where they can learn about different careers in the medical field and the edu...
People agree that housing for seniors in the area is needed, but the effort comes with a hefty price tag in the $15-$20 million range. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Senior Center spent $7,500 on a feasibility study for senior housing in the area in collaboration with Centerline Development, which owns the former Center School and surrounding land on Spokane Way in Grand Coulee. The study’s conclusion that there would be demand for such a facility and service led to a $20,000 engineering study. The senior center contributed another $17,500 toward t...
Orville John Scharbach, 99, of Liberty Lake and former Grand Coulee resident passed away on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Guardian Angel Assisted Living surrounded by his family. He was born on July 22, 1922, on a farm in Colton, WA to John and Anna (Semler) Scharbach. He attended and graduated from Colton High School in 1940. In 1942 he enlisted in the US Navy where he spent time as a pharmacist mate in the South Pacific. He was honorably discharged in 1946. Following WWII, he attended and...
As in most of the country, housing in the Grand Coulee Dam area is in short supply, pushing prices high. “It’s happening everywhere,” said longtime local broker Merle Kennedy of Foisy and Kennedy. Nationally, prices on single family houses are up over 18 percent from a year ago, a trend that hold true in the Grand Coulee area, which Kennedy knows well. Speaking at a Rotary Club online meeting March 23, Kennedy illustrated with a story: A listing came up in the Northwest Multiple Listing Service on a Friday afternoon that he thought would inter...
This is an open letter of thanks to everyone who advocated for, supported, gave a forum for discussion, or assisted us to get the message out, regarding a piece of legislation that would have had a detrimental impact on rural healthcare in Washington State and especially our communities. Because of your willingness to express your concerns about this bill, the Senate listened, and the bill was not enacted. This bill would have had short and long-term devastating effects, and if enacted, would have forced Coulee Medical Center to consider...
A lot can be accomplished in a lifetime. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is starting a new award for lifetime achievement in honor of Colleen Manley who died unexpectedly earlier this year at the age of 63. “If you have been a part of this community, then you knew Colleen,” Chamber Executive Director Rachelle Baughman said at their March 8 meeting. “She was a huge aspect of this community. Colleen did a lot. She was a part of the chamber, she was a part of the Rotary, she was a part of the Lions. I’m not even sure of everything sh...
Capital levy dollars, with some assistance from grants, have helped upgrade the heating and air conditioning (HVAC), roofing and electrical systems at the gym, as well as to replace asbestos-based wall panels, and could upgrade school facilities further if renewed by voters next month. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner took The Star and The Tribal Tribune on a tour of the Career Technical Education building, also known as what remains of the old high school, to show...
Colleen Manley, who started her career as a teller and rose to CEO of the largest credit union headquartered in north-central Washington, died unexpectedly Monday from natural causes. Manley worked at CDFCU for 43 years, starting in 1979. She became president and CEO in 2008, and saw the credit union triple in size before last year’s merger with Spokane-based STCU. After the merger, STCU retained Manley as regional president, leaning heavily on her knowledge to continue meeting the needs of the communities in Okanogan, Ferry, Douglas and L...
Anyone needing answers about Covid vaccines can take advantage of an online meeting being arranged with a local doctor whose been taking note of people’s questions and is still listening. Dr. Jennifer Knox, a family practice and obstetrics physician at Coulee Medical Center, will appear in a live Zoom meeting next Tuesday evening to answer questions. The “AskVax Facts” meeting will be offered Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. In the meantime, anyone with a question may ask it through a simple online question site at cmccares.org/questions. The link to th... Full story
Even as COVID-19 issues cause the local hospital to be short staffed at times, Dr. Jennifer Knox is preparing to answer questions from the community on COVID-19 vaccines later this month in coordination with the Rotary Club, Grant County Health District and Coulee Medical Center. Anyone with questions or curiosity about the vaccines and how they work, what they do or don’t do, is encouraged to join in. Dr. Knox will offer simple, factual answers. The Ask VaxFacts event will be held online, with a link for anyone to ask question beforehand at C... Full story
Lake Roosevelt High School graduates took deep breaths of fresh air at their graduation ceremony Saturday after two school years boxed in by a global pandemic. The class of 2021, 56 in all, took their seats on the bleachers above the football field, facing a throng of families strategically distanced from each other in groups on the field below. Unlike last year, the weather cooperated on a beautiful day. Speeches from the valedictorian, salutatorian and two class speakers tried to summarize...
People with cars, trucks, SUVs and trailers wait in line Saturday at North Dam Park as Rotary Club volunteers unload their paper documents into bins for shredding. The machine operator at left loads the bins onto a lift that takes them to the top of the truck and dumps them into a powerful shredding machine. He estimated that 7,000 pounds of paper were shredded - more, he said, than many shred events he has serviced in Spokane. People were also generous at the free event, donating $1,567 to the...
The school district will be interviewing, then selecting, an architect who could eventually design new athletic facilities, as well as options for what to do with the former high school and middle school. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors voted Monday to interview two architectural firms out of five applicants to a Request for Qualifications to design options for school facilities. The interviews of Design West Architects and NAC Architecture will take place at a special Ap...