News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Incumbents in local positions appear to be keeping their seats as election results come in. Although there will be more votes to count, including 1,300 Grant County ballots, 1,760 Okanogan ballots, plus those arriving by mail postmarked on or before Nov. 2, vote counts so far for local elections have been posted. According to Grant County’s website, 25.35% of the county’s voters turned out. In the race for Grand Coulee Council Position #1, Ben Hughes leads 74 votes to 39 over Tracey Wright, with there additionally being 29 write-in votes. In th...
The Electric City council is prioritizing how they would like to spend $278,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. City Clerk Peggy Nevsimal told the council at their Oct 12 meeting that the guidance “is really loosey goosey” on how the money can be spent and how the city needs to report its spending. She and city engineer Steven Nelson, she said, have never seen money that is so “unstructured” regarding how to spend it, but there still must be a record of how they intend to use the money and how they ultimately do spend it. The cit...
The intersection of Electric Boulevard and Crest Avenue in Electric City was never perfect, and the city has considered its fourth change to its stop signs in three years. The cross sections of streets that make up the intersection never quite lined up. Electric Boulevard, which runs southeast to northwest, lines up. However, the section of Crest Avenue that runs down a hill from the southwest, comes into it in an off-kilter, caddy-wompus way in relation to the other forks of the intersection....
The Raider Cross Country teams competed in boys' and girls' district tournaments this past week. At the Central Washington 2B League Championship and state qualifier event at the Okanogan Valley Golf Course Oct. 27, senior runner Colton Jackson placed 16th, just two spots shy of qualifying for state. Jackson ran the 5,000-meter race in a time of 19 minutes and 40 seconds. "I think they all gave an effort that they can be proud of," Head Coach Matthew Timentwa said. The girls' state qualifier...
Community members like their spring and fall cleanups, a survey reveals, and expressing that may help pay for the cleanups. The cleanups involve free dumping of yard waste at the Delano Regional Transfer Station for residents of Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City, and sometimes curbside pickup conducted by local cities. Last week The Star reported that the Regional Board of Mayors was applying for a roughly $30,000 air quality grant from the Department of Ecology to pay for spring and fall cleanups in 2022, and a spring...
Some workers in Washington state, faced with the ultimatum to get the jab or lose their jobs, have chosen to quit or retire instead of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. With employees in various fields, including school, health care, and state government required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement for their employment by Oct. 18, many workers in the state have opted to retire early or simply quit their jobs. Locally, council members for the city of Grand Coulee, as well as the mayor, expressed support for city employees to make...
Taking a brief survey can help pay for 2022’s Coulee area spring cleanup, fall cleanup, and another spring cleanup in 2023. During the cleanups, residents of Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City are allowed to dump yard waste for free at the Delano Regional Transfer Station, and cities sometimes pick up yard waste for you from your street. Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout, on behalf of the Regional Board of Mayors, is applying for a roughly $30,000 air quality grant with the state Department of Ecology to pay for costs associ...
Having received several complaints about loud fans at the cryptocurrency mining building owned by Canada-based Atlas Blockchain Group, Electric City is going to use a decibel meter to measure just how loud the fans really are. Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout said the fans on top of the building, formerly the Young’s Welding building on Coulee Boulevard, are loud and running 24 hours a day. She said people have reported having difficulty sleeping because of them, leading the city to look at their noise ordinance. Kohout explained that the c...
Fall is a colorful time to hike Steamboat Rock, nearly as iconic an image to the area as the Grand Coulee Dam. Not only does the state park of the same name offer camping and beaches, but you can also climb to the top of this majestic basalt landmark that stands 800 feet above beautiful Banks Lake, which almost completely surrounds it. In Steamboat Rock State Park, which requires a Discover Pass to park, the trailhead starts in two separate places, both fairly close to each other, across the roa...
Having served on the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors since 2009, Ken “Butch” Stanger would like to serve one last term to see certain things get accomplished. Stanger, who lives in Belvedere, between Elmer City and Nespelem, graduated from Coulee Dam High School in 1961 after attending both Nespelem and Grand Coulee schools before that. Having grandkids, nieces, nephews, and lots of other relatives in the district, Stanger told The Star over the phone that “we all need to pay special attention to general education as it re...
Buffy Nicholson has a vested interest in being a Grand Coulee Dam School District director, having two daughters in the district, a son who will be, and other family members, as well. Nicholson is running for the School Director #2 position against incumbent Butch Stanger in the Nov. 2 election. The Elmer City woman has an eighth-grade daughter who attends Lake Roosevelt, Cora; a fifth grade daughter, Claire; and a son who will attend when school age as well, she told The Star in an email. She also has a large and extended family with many...
Current Councilmember Donald Redfield, who brings with him experience in law enforcement and on various clubs and committees, wants to keep his seat on the Electric City council. After being appointed to a vacant seat in June, Donald Redfield wants to stay in Council Position #1, which is up for election in November. Redfield first lived in Electric City in 2002, then after some time in Grand Coulee, moved back to Electric City in 2013. His wife Lynette Redfield owns Changes Salon in Electric...
Birdie Hensley would like to be back on the Electric City council after just a couple of years being off it. Hensley has served six years total on the council, most recently finishing a four-year term in 2019, which she lost to Bob Rupe in that year's election. Having lived in Electric City for 22 years, Hensley said in an email to The Star that she believes, "If you do not take an active part in city council you do not have any idea what is going on in the community." She said she would like to...
Being that she is unopposed in the election for Grand Coulee Dam School District's Director #1 position, it looks like Shannon Claire Nicholson of Coulee Dam will fill the seat. Carla Marconi, who currently holds it, did not file for reelection. "As a school board member," Nicholson wrote in a candidate statement, "I intend to serve as an open and honest channel of communication between the school district and the community, ensuring that the decisions of the board reflect the diversity of our...
Crows might be afraid to fly through the Coulee - with a scarecrow contest coming to decorate local towns. The 2021 Scarecrow Trail is being held by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce and will place scarecrows made by locals at local businesses for people to see and choose their favorite. Those wanting to build a scarecrow have just until Oct. 11 to register with the chamber, and the scarecrows will be displayed from Oct. 16 until Nov. 7 at businesses in Electric City, Grand Coulee, a...
The Lady Raiders lost two volleyball games and won one this past week, giving them a 4-3 win-loss record. On Sept. 28, the Lady Raiders lost a home game against Manson in three sets, 25-15, 28-26, and 25-19. "Our girls played really hard, but we got behind and just couldn't quite ever catch up," Head Coach Meagan Caudell said. Lake Roosevelt lost another home game Sept. 30 against Okanogan in three sets, 25-23, 25-14, and 25-12. "Manson and Okanogan were definitely both learning experiences for...
The Lady Raiders lost a Sept. 28 home game to Okanogan with a final score of 9-1. "The game against Okanogan was a tough loss," Assistant Coach Merlee Liberty said, "but it was great to have the opportunity to compete against such a strong team. Every game, win or lose, is a great experience for these girls to have and to learn from." The Lady Raiders won 2-0 on the road against Bridgeport. "The game against Bridgeport was a great one!" Liberty said. "We were able to bring home a win. Hopefully we can carry that same energy into our next game a...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders cross country team ran in Tonasket Sept. 30. "Tonasket was a little wetter than I'm used to," Head Coach Matthew Timentwa said. "It rained buckets for about ten minutes right after we arrived, but it calmed down before the kids actually had to run." "The course is still as tough as ever with all the hills that are involved in the course," he continued, "but every team has to run the same course." Colton Jackson was the fastest Raider there, finishing third out of 31 boys' varsity runners with a time of 20 minutes,...
Housing developments in Elmer City and Keller are being built in the hopes of attracting health care professionals to the areas. On June 8, the Colville Business Council "voted to move forward with a commercial general contractor for the construction of two professional housing developments," Chairman Andrew Joseph Jr. said in an email. "Both sites will be completely developed, however we will only build seven houses on each site at this time," Joseph explained. Out of the seven houses on each...
Grand Coulee will be spending federal money towards a new waterline, a new ambulance, and more. The Grand Coulee City Council on Sept. 21 approved how they would spend about $292,500 in American Rescue Plan Act funds received from the federal government. The city has already received half of the funds, and will receive the other half in May of 2022. Included in the agenda packet for the meeting was an outline of how the money could be spent, which the council approved without much discussion. Trees at the wastewater treatment facility have...
Lake Roosevelt students have been spending Fridays focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) projects. Junior/Senior High Principal Sara Kennedy shared several photos of students working on STEAM projects in her report to the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors on Monday. "Teachers have been doing lots of fun, creative lessons," she wrote in her report. "Students and teachers seem to be enjoying STEAM Fridays," she told The Star on Tuesday. "It...
The Lady Raiders soccer team suffered a pair of losses this past week. In Omak on Sept. 21, LR lost 9-1. In Grand Coulee on Sept. 23, the Lady Raiders lost 4-1 against Brewster. "I am very proud of these girls with every game," Assistant Coach Merlee Liberty said. "Even though we've lost more than won, these girls play their hearts out every game. It's been amazing to watch them take what they learn at practice and apply it in a game. Many of them haven't played before, so to see how quickly...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders football team lost 28-8 to the Davenport Sept. 23, unable to stop the Gorillas' running game. Davenport put the first points on the board with a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion to go up 8-0. In the second quarter, Raider Gabe Waters recovered a Gorilla fumble but the Raiders were unable to cash in. Later in the second quarter, with under a minute left in the half after Davenport punted to LR, Raider quarterback Brit Egbert threw a long pass to Chase...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders cross country team ran at the Okanogan Valley Golf Club Sept. 21, “always a pleasant area to run,” according to Head Coach Matthew Timentwa. “The course itself is pretty flat and grassy so it is easy on the legs,” he said. “I thought all of our runners ran really well.” Timentwa said sophomore runner Brandon Pino stood out in the race. Pino placed 45th out of 68 total runners with a time of 21 minutes, 55 seconds. Timentwa also highlighted eighth-grade runner Tor Chaffee as a standout for the middle school prog...
The Lady Raiders volleyball squad had a busy week this past week with a win, a loss, and some tournament play. Lake Roosevelt defeated Oroville 3-0 at home in Coulee Dam Sept. 21, then lost to Liberty Bell 3-1 in a road game two days later. The Lady Raiders participated in the Quincy Invitational tournament Sept. 25, where they competed with Tonasket, Royal, and Ephrata. Results were unavailable for the matches at the tournament. LR was scheduled to host Manson yesterday, results of which will be reported next week. A home game is scheduled...
