News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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by Jacob Wagner Those who have an interest in the education of local youth will have two opportunities to learn more about an upcoming school levy that will be on the ballot for the November election. The Grand Coulee Dam School District’s proposed educational levy seeks $2 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation, down from the $4.20 total collected from three levies expiring at the end of this year. The educational levy is also tied to about $700,000 more per year from the state that the district doesn’t get if voters don’t approve a levy....
After a nice break for a couple weeks, the infection control nurse at Coulee Medical Center had to get back in the saddle the third week in September with three employees out with Covid-19. And as of Monday night, reported CEO Ramona Hicks to the hospital district board, five more employees were isolating due to exposure and 10 more were testing for it. The hospital has lost 710 working days among staff, due to the covid pandemic. Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere, officials say, but there are still precautions to take to prevent yourself, and o...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders played at home in Coulee Dam against Liberty High School Friday, securing the win for a 4-0 win-loss football record. The Raiders won 18-7 against the Liberty Lancers, and LR is now ranked second in the state for 2B football teams, according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, behind only Okanogan, which is also 4-0 this year. The Lancers, from the Spangle, Washington area, had been ranked second before the loss to LR, which had been ranked third...
The Lady Raiders won a road game but lost at home last week, making for a 3-2 win-loss record. The Lady Raiders played in Tonasket Sept. 20, where they beat the Lady Tigers 3-0. "It was a good game for our girls," Head Coach Meagan Caudell said. "Shyanne Marchand had nine ace serves over the net. Carly [Neddo] in all three sets had nine kills, and Shyanne Marchand also had assists! Jenna Cleveland also really stepped up and had five big kills for our team. She was really strong this game!...
Raider cross country runners are running all over the place, having competed at the Okanogan Valley Golf Course and at Kettle Falls last week. In Okanogan Sept. 20, Caden Portch had the fastest time for Lake Roosevelt, finishing the course in 20 minutes, 31 seconds to place 29th out of 58 runners. Kailah Leadingham was the only Lady Raider there, finishing 22nd out of 36 runners with a time of 29:26. Running at the Kettle Falls day use area for the Can-Am Invitational Sept. 24, Portch again had...
The Lady Raiders soccer team suffered a 10-0 loss Saturday in Quincy. “I was proud Lake Roosevelt showed perseverance against a very polished 1A opponent,” Assistant Coach Solveig Chaffee said. “We came away with a determination to improve our passing game and to continue working on our defensive marking. Every game is a learning experience and the team handled the loss with grace, ready to learn and improve.” “Quincy has worked on their game and LR was on their second game when coming against them,” Head Coach Micah Esmond said. “These girl...
A school’s vision and mission will inevitably affect the success of the education of the children who go there, and the Grand Coulee Dam School District is working on updating their strategic plan. The current strategic plan originates from 2017 and was last updated in 2020. At the GCDSD’s Sept. 12 board meeting, it was looked at piece by piece, and board directors suggested changes that could be made to it. The plan states that the district’s mission is to “empower all students to become successful members of our diverse society,” and that...
Although the idea of consolidating local towns wasn’t popular during a brief discussion in Electric City, the idea of consolidating local fire and EMS services does have support. During their Sept. 13 council meeting, the council briefly discussed the idea of the consolidation of towns. Councilmember Brian Buche said the vast majority of people he has spoken to on the topic are against the idea. Councilmember Bob Rupe agreed. Fire Chief Mark Payne said that he wasn’t in favor of consolidating the towns, but was in favor of consolidating loc...
The Lady Raiders lost to Okanogan in volleyball but beat Bridgeport this past week and currently has a 2-1 win-loss record. LR lost 3-0 in Okanogan Sept. 13. "Our game against Okanogan was really good," Head Coach Meagan Caudell said. "We didn't win, but we learned a lot about where our weaknesses were, and the girls really stepped up with a lot of changes that were made. Nevaeh English was dominant all throughout the game, along with Aaliyah Marchand." Cylia St. Pierre entered the contest in...
The Raiders are off to a good start this season, with a 3-0 win-loss record following their victory over Mabton. In a road game Sept. 15, The Raiders had a solid victory, shutting out Mabton 44-0, and scoring all of those points in the first half. Tanner Kiser returned an interception 26 yards to put the Raiders’ first points on the board, 6-0. Brit Egbert then scored on a 40-yard run to go up 12-0, then threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Whitelaw to put the Raiders up 18-0. Egbert scored again on an eight-yard run, Ivan Alejandre ran two...
Lake Roosevelt cross country runners went to Wapato Point in Manson to compete in the Trojan Invite on Sept. 17. Noah Hunt was the fastest Raider boy in the 5,000-meter race, placing 14th out of 34 total runners with a time of 21 minutes, 28 seconds. Kailah Leadingham placed 6th out of 12 runners in the girls’ 5,000-meter race with a time of 28:08. “As far as the first race goes, I think it went pretty well,” Head Coach Matthew Timentwa said, adding that he was glad for the smoke to have cleared out before the day of the race. “All of my kids...
Time to lace up your sneakers because the Run the Dam festival takes place this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17, and includes fun and activities for people of all ages in addition to the race. About 300 runners are expected to run in the event, according to event organizer Kelly Buche. Runners can participate in 5k, 10k, and half marathon races that begin by running across the top of the Grand Coulee Dam starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Participators can pace themselves in the event, and can...
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...
The wildfire smoke in the air, which may come from this or that fire depending on which way the wind is blowing, is unpleasant and unhealthy to breathe, and has an effect on local events. Grand Coulee Dam School District leaders discussed air quality at their board meeting on Sept. 12 when Superintendent Paul Turner discussed www.purpleair.com, showing how sensors installed at volunteer locations measure air quality. Local sensors on the network include one south of Osborn Bay, one near Spring Canyon, one in downtown Grand Coulee, another in ea...
The Raiders hosted the Highland Scotties in a smoky Coulee Dam Sept. 9, defeating them mightily and giving them a 2-0 win-loss record for the season. The Raiders led 42-0 at the end of the first half. In the first quarter, Ivan Alejandre ran 51 yards for a touchdown, then put the icing on the cake by kicking the extra point. He put in work kicking extra points after a 36-yard Chase Clark touchdown run, a Brit Egbert 16-yard touchdown run, and a precision 51-yard touchdown pass from Egbert to...
Local park district commissioners have secured funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to help keep North Dam Park alive for several years to come, provided matching funding can be secured for a park that is the center of community-wide events. “It looks like we have done it, mission accomplished,” Commissioner Kevin Portch of the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District said Aug. 31 in an email to the other commissioners and interested parties, including The Star. CAPRD, which manages North Dam Park, located on USBR land, was in some fin...
Fall approaching doesn't mean we are in the clear as far as wildfires go, and many of our worst fire seasons have happened in September and October. "Washington state is in the midst of wildfire season," the Washington State Department of Health warned in a statement last week. "Although it's been a mild season to date, it is important to be prepared and ready to protect yourself and your family from wildfire smoke before the smoke hits." It was in September of 2020 that about half a million acr...
By Jacob Wagner The Lake Roosevelt Raiders won their football season opener in Kittitas Friday to mark a successful start to their season. Against the Coyotes, Sept. 2, the Raiders won 40-21. "The kids played hard for the first game," Head Coach Bubba Egbert said. "We did things pretty clean, really. They did really well." LR led 21-0 at the end of the first half. Kittitas got on the board with a pair of touchdowns with extra points in the third quarter, scoring 14. The Raiders added 13 more...
Sunbanks Lake Resort's "Blues & Roots Festival" begins Thursday night and runs through the weekend, and locals get a discount to enjoy the music. In the resort's third and final music festival of the year, the tunes aren't limited to "blues" in the strictest sense of the term, although one of the Pacific Northwest's favorite blues rocker bands, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, will top off the show Sunday night. Before the Taildraggers take over the stage, the weekend will be filled with music...
With emergency medical services, such as ambulance services, being desired everywhere in the Coulee, it’s important to have a successful EMS system in place, city leaders heard last week. Nic Alexander, who serves as assistant fire chief to Chief Ryan Fish for the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department and the Grand Coulee Ambulance, spoke at the city’s Aug. 23 council meeting. “We need to be ready for the future,” he said. Alexander noted forming an EMS tax district is just one option for providing support to the service that is current...
Rock ‘n’ Roll has come a long way since LIttle Richard, continuing to both dazzle and offend, allowing young people to express themselves, and now, earn credits in high school. Raider Rock Band started as a club last year with history and creative writing teacher Justin Thompson leading the group, and now it is an actual class taught on the stage at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School, open to grades 9-12 for the year-long course that applies to a student’s art credits. “Last year, rock band club became something really special, although not ent...
Sometimes it's hard to know where to look for help when it comes to things like getting food or energy assistance, or how to go about receiving medical care, but luckily some people specialize in connecting you to the right people. The STAR Hub, located on Midway Avenue in Grand Coulee since November of 2021, is a division of Rural Resources Community Action, a non-profit based out of Colville, and they specialize in connecting people to organizations that may be able to help. The STAR acronym...
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is open to receiving any questions, comments, or concerns regarding security upgrades they are planning on making at the Grand Coulee Dam and related facilities. The bureau has identified eight areas where it says security upgrades are needed, from new or upgraded gates and fences to a new security department office. The bureau "invites the public to identify issues or alternatives for consideration in the development of an environmental assessment for the Grand...
Short-term rentals are an unpopular idea to some in Electric City, but the idea keeps getting brought up. The city voted down the idea of allowing short-term (under 30 days) rentals in 2019 after more than a year of discussing the issue. But the idea was brought up again last month, with the city council discussing various pros and cons to the idea, and rules they could make to address problems that can arise from short-term renters. Such rules could include requiring owners to live within a certain distance of a rental property, requiring the...
A pedestrian and bicycle pathway connecting the Coulee Playland area to the Banks Lake Park area will probably be done next year instead of this year, and now has some extra funding. Last February, the pathway's construction looked likely for this summer, but at the Aug. 9 Electric City council meeting, City Engineer Steve Nelson of Century West Engineering said the project looks more likely to be constructed next year, although it could still go out to bid in 2022. He also said that an addition...
