News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Students at Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School may feel like something is missing during the coming school year as smart phones will not be allowed during the school day. According to a handbook policy approved on July 25 at the Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting, the students aren’t allowed to have their cell phones during the school day, not even during lunch. “Students will be asked to NOT bring phones to school,” the handbook reads. “Students who have their phones at school will be asked to store them in lock boxes....
by Jacob Wagner Preventing the spread of invasive species can save millions of dollars, and boaters at Northrup Boat Launch can now use free equipment to help with that prevention. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and demonstration of a "Clean-Drain-Dry-Dispose unit, known as a CD3 system," will be held on Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. at Northrup Boat Launch. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife partnered last year with the Washington Invasive Species Council, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Washington...
The governing body of the Colville Confederated Tribes has a new chairman in Jarred-Michael Erickson, appointed by fellow council members on July 14, following the June election of the Colville Business Council. Erickson, a representative of the Nespelem District, replaced fellow Nespelem District Representative Andy Joseph Jr. as chairman, with Joseph returning to his former position as Health and Human Services chair and having served as CBC chairman from 2020-2022. Also on the CBC, Keller...
This month I'll start with an interesting research project. The study involved data gathered more than 200 years ago. For the period of 1826 through 1872, citizens in New York state made observations and collecting data on basic natural events. Those early observers used thermometers and rain gauges; they also watched seasonal changes unfold. These citizens documented when certain species of birds arrived, specific trees started to leaf out, when strawberries ripened and when wheat harvests...
Seventeen local scouts traveled to San Juan Island for a g camping and learning adventure last month. Through a state grant, the group was able to travel and catch a ferry to Friday Harbor before setting up at Camp Bogardus, situated on a forested hillside between historical sites. The scouts left on July 15 and returned July 25. Highlights of the trip included charter fishing for flounder and crab, whale watching, exploring state history, hiking, checking out museums, and scout campfire...
North Dam Park will host another First Friday event on Aug. 5 from 5-9 p.m. that will include live music, mixed cocktails, food, and vendors, organized by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. Dry Fly Distillery will be providing the alcohol in the beer garden in the form of cocktails in a can with drinks like huckleberry lemonade, Moscow mules, bloody Marys, gin & tonics, greyhounds, whiskey smash, and more. Two musicians will provide the acoustic ambience Friday. Local musician Randy...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District approved a ballot measure Monday that will ask voters this fall to pay about half what they have been under levies about to expire. The levy resolution approved by the school board Monday will go on the November ballot seeking only $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value within the district from 2023 through 2025, compared to the current rate of $4.20. “We are looking to reduce costs for taxpayers, especially now with inflation,” School Board Director Rich Black said at their July 11 meeting. Grant Cou...
Oroville Mayor Jon Neal would like to be an Okanogan County Commissioner. Neal has lived in Oroville his entire life, taking over his family's auto body repair business in 1992 and working in the industry for over 40 years, he described in a Facebook page for his campaign. He has raised three children in Okanogan County and has six grandchildren, along with wife Traci. Neal has been involved in city government for 21 years, including six years as the mayor of Oroville and, along with that role,...
Surprisingly, recent U.S. Presidents and congressional Democrats and Republicans agree America’s economic and national security hinge upon tiny, yet powerful semiconductors. Semiconductor computer chips are the brains of modern electronics that operate our laptop computers, vehicles, and smart phones. They permeate every sector of our lives from farming and manufacturing to health care and public safety. They are embedded in our most advanced military equipment and weapons. Sophisticated s...
Electric City is moving with caution as they consider an ordinance to allow short term rentals just three years after banning them. During their July 12 meeting, the city council discussed the pros and cons of allowing people to rent out residences for short stays, less than 30 days, as made popular by websites like Airbnb. Mayor Diane Kohout noted that the previous council had voted down the idea of allowing short term rentals. That happened in 2019, after more than a year of discussing the issue. At that time, a Lakeview Avenue couple noted t...
Colville Confederated Tribes Natural Resources Director Cody Desautel is one of 47 people, selected from 500 applicants, appointed to the new federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Interior and Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the selections on July 7. The commission will “play a key role in recommending ways that federal agencies can better prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires. It will also recommend policies and s...
North Dam Park can continue to be maintained, at least for a while longer, as more funding has been donated by the community to the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District. At their July 13 meeting, CAPRD commissioners were presented with a $5,600 check by Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachelle Baughman who started a page at the online fundraising site, GoFundMe.com. Commissioner Kevin Portch said that CAPRD also received $900 in private donations separately from that online donation site. The group voted to...
Affordable housing, good jobs, good schools are just a part of Kari Alexander's vision for Okanogan County as she runs for county commissioner. Alexander would like to see youth more involved in the local government. "Our youth are the future of this county," she wrote in an email to The Star. "I think we all want to ensure that Okanogan County is the kind of place our kids want to come back to and raise their own families - which means we need affordable starter homes, good jobs, and good...
Attention may be the most valuable thing a county commissioner can do for issues, and Aaron Kester, if elected, wants to give his attention to a multitude of issues facing Okanogan County. Mental health, housing, and industry maintenance and growth are among what Kester listed to The Star as issues facing Okanogan County. "Each issue needs direct inspection and attention," Kester wrote in an email, "and although I hate to see it, some issues will not receive needed attention when our most concer...
Google and Facebook have enormous economic and political power in society - especially over the news industry. Many ask if they have played a role in the misinformation that erodes our free press and plagues our democracy. Google and Facebook have a duopoly of the distribution of digital news content, which drives people to their platforms where they make money. The platforms hoard critical data and use clever tactics, like reframing stories in rich previews, to keep users on their sites – sipho...
After two school levies failed in February for the Grand Coulee Dam School District, school board directors are looking to run just one levy election in November. Roughly 56% of voters voted against two levies the district proposed in February — the Educational Programs and Operation Levy, and the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and Facilities Improvements. The board of directors, in their July 11 meeting, told Superintendent Paul Turner they would like to pursue a $2 educational levy for three years, a significant drop from the $4.20 t...
Staff at Lake Roosevelt Schools say that student cell phones have been a major issue in the classroom, and options for addressing the issue were discussed at the latest Grand Coulee Dam School District meeting. On Monday, school board directors discussed the issue of cell phones in the classroom when the topic of student and staff handbooks came up for discussion. The current cell phone policy in the elementary school’s handbook states that students can bring their phones to school, but can only use them before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m., before a...
There are some who have what it takes. I'm not talking about outstanding pro athletes, astronauts, or mountaineers. I am talking about weather forecasters. I recently visited the Spokane National Weather Service office and spoke with Steven Van Horn, a forecaster a that office. He has what it takes. Van Horn shared with me the requirements needed to become a weather forecaster. "I went to University of California, Davis to get my bachelor's degree in atmospheric science." He explained that...
Lake Roosevelt's new principal, Natalie Kontos, has worked in the Grand Coulee Dam School District for several years and plans to be here for several more. Kontos had taught elementary school physical education and health at LR Elementary for the past eight years before being approved by the school board as the new junior-senior high school principal in June. "During this time, I have had the privilege of teaching and building relationships with every student in our school," she wrote to The...
Vacant positions are getting filled in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Natalie Kontos, who previously taught physical education at Lake Roosevelt Elementary, was hired as the new principal of the junior/senior high school. Taking on the athletic director and facilities coordinator positions is Nancy Kuiper, who is also the director of the SHARP Kids programs. Wade Magers, who just retired from his position as Lincoln County Sheriff, will serve as the school safety officer. “We’re excited to get him on board as our safety officer,” Turne...
Joey Kriete knows the ins and outs of Grant County law enforcement, having worked in multiple aspects of it for 29 years, and now he wants to be sheriff. "I'm very passionate about the county," Kriete told The Star, describing his history in the county dating back to his great grandparents who ran a dairy in Ephrata. "I believe I put myself on the career path to becoming the next Grant County sheriff and my track record shows for that," he said. That track record includes serving as a patrol...
Lake Roosevelt High School graduate Kaitlyn Nordine participated at the national Future Business Leaders of America competition in Chicago, Illinois that took place from June 29-July 2. Although not placing, Nordine competed in the journalism category in a test covering the economics of journalism, grammar and format, law and ethics, the business of journalism, and the history of journalism. The test focused "on the principles of journalism, such as the laws pertaining to journalism, and the...
A crowd of people shopped, listened to music, enjoyed frosty brews and ate food at North Dam Park in the First Friday event held there July 1. "It was a great night," said Morgan Tillman, who helped organize the event for the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. "I think everyone that came enjoyed themselves, and it was quite busy!" Republic Brewing sold beer, acoustic musician Rylei Franks provided the tunes, and Porky's Hot Dogs purveyed food for the event. Over a dozen vendors took the...
James Baker wants to be the new sheriff in Grant County, and feels that his having not worked for the sheriff's office in the past would benefit the county. "A new perspective can get the office on track," Baker, who has spent most of his life in the county, told The Star. "A new fresh set of eyes, a new perspective, can get the office on track. I have administrative and office experience that the other guys don't have as much of. They haven't started or ran their own business." Baker, a...
A number of community members who value North Dam Park are working to keep it afloat for the remainder of 2022. The park could close for lack of funding in August of this year, a result of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District having been unable to renew a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before the end of 2021. The district is in the process of renewing their contract with the bureau for 2023, but in the meantime, is set to quit maintaining the park, including lawn care, water, power, and garbage services, in mid-August. Tha...