News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 2203
Sunrise Disposal, which empties your garbage cans each week in Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City, is raising the rates it charges those towns by 15%. The rate increase, announced in a Jan. 20 letter to the Regional Board of Mayors, comes in response to the Delano Regional Transfer Station’s 33% rate increase, which is being implemented in response to a rate increase at the county landfill near Ephrata. Sunrise’s and Delano’s increases take effect on April 1. The individual cities will decide, in the meantime, how much...
Homeless people would have quick access to shelters and other facilities under a $815 million, multi-agency plan supported by Gov. Jay Inslee. Flanked by Democratic officials from King County, Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma, Inslee on Feb. 3 pressed the state Legislature to pass Senate Bill 5662. The law would create an intergovernmental coordination office to reduce the number of homeless camps by helping people get into permanent housing. “We have to move more quickly and compassionately to serve the thousands of people who are now living u...
The recent eruption of the Tonga volcano was captured by various geostationary satellites showing us the size and scale of that eruption. The eruption plume was about 162 miles in diameter before upper winds disrupted it. The Tonga volcano, officially called the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, is mostly under water. It is about 12.5 miles wide and is 6,000 feet high. The volcano is 40 miles north of capital of Tonga (175˚23’W, 20˚33’S). This volcano’s recent past activity was in 2009 and...
Last year, Gov. Jay Inslee attempted an end run around the legislature by banning natural gas in new homes and commercial buildings via the state’s building codes. It was a bad idea. Now, some fellow Democrats who control the Legislature are working on legislation trying to do the same — also a bad idea. Inslee’s proposed regulations forbid the use of fossil fuels for heating and hot water in new structures. Prohibiting natural gas is expensive for home and building owners, many of whom installed energy-efficient natural gas heat pumps and t...
The Lady Raiders began the North Central Washington district tournament with a win last night and will play the next round on Friday. During the regular season, the Lady Raiders defeated Okanogan on the road on Feb. 1 48-43, then prevailed over the Lady Bears in Brewster 62-50 on Feb. 4. The next day in Coulee Dam, LR hosted Manson in the final game of the regular season, with LR winning 79-24. Lake Roosevelt led 23-2 at the end of the first quarter, 41-12 at the end of the second, scored 27...
Raider wrestlers competed at district meets in Tonasket and Spangle on Saturday to qualify for regionals. For the boys, the top three wrestlers in each weight class qualify for the regional tournament in Warden. Wrestling in Tonasket on Feb. 5, 10 Raider boys qualified for regionals. Roger Cate placed first in the 106-pound weight class by pinning Miguel Depaz from Tonasket one minute and 48 seconds into the match. Colton Jackson placed second at 120, losing the top spot to Aaron Polito of Tonasket 6-3. Francis Louie placed second at 132,...
Three Raider and four Lady Raider basketball players have made the Central Washington 2B “All League” selection, and Raider Head Coach Jeremy Crollard was named coach of the year. For the girls, Audrey Hansen was named “co-player of the year” along with Okanogan’s Daniele Sparks. Lady Raider Zalissa Finley was named to the first team, and Aaliyah Marchand and Halle Albert were named to the second team. For the boys, Alonzo Adams was named to the second team, and Chase Marchand and Brandon Pino received honorable mentions. Raider Head Coach Jer...
The Raider boys finished their regular season ranked third in the league with an 8-4 win-loss record in the Central Washington 2B league, 12-5 overall, and are moving onto the district tournament tonight (Feb. 9). In the league, they trail behind Okanogan (11-1, 18-2) and Brewster (9-3, 15-5). The Raiders lost to Okanogan on the road on Feb. 1 with a final score of 61-57. Alonzo Adams led the Raiders, scoring 28 points. Chase Marchand added 13 points, with Brandon Pino scoring another 12. On...
It may make sense that a school board would have good communication with students, being that students are the reason schools exist. That need may be addressed in the Grand Coulee Dam School District in the 2022-23 school year by a pair of student representatives, a junior and senior, being chosen to represent the student body at school board meetings. Sophomore Celeste LaPlace, daughter of School Board Chairman George LaPlace, made a presentation to the district’s Board of Directors Jan. 24, leading to the approval of moving forward with t...
Local voters are casting their ballots on two school district levies that would replace three levies expiring at the end of this year, with passage of the educational levy coming with a bonus of $700,000 in "assistance funds" from the state annually for the four-year duration of that levy. On Feb. 8, election day, ballots will be counted for the two levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. If passed, the two levies will bring in an estimated $1.4 to $1.7 million to the school district...
Approximately $31,000 in work is being done on a sewer line along Main Street in Grand Coulee and is expected to be done by the end of the week. Public Works Director Dennis Francis told the city council Jan. 18 that about 500 feet of sewer line on Main Street from around Loepp Furniture to around Teepee Burger was collapsing, although not completely blocked, and requires an emergency fix. "Our best bet is to dig it up and replace it," he said. "We need to get it done, real quick." Francis said...
If anyone in the Coulee area has a few hours a week to volunteer at Lake Roosevelt’s junior high school for a good cause, now is your chance. “We are looking for some dependable volunteers who are willing to commit anywhere from two to six hours per week to help in the junior high school,” Principal Sara Kennedy told The Star in a Jan. 28 email. “We need help with lunchtime and hallway supervision, hall monitors, and support in classrooms.” “Support in classrooms would entail being an extra set of hands during activities such as science exp...
The city of Grand Coulee adopted a resolution stating they are against having a local income tax. The council discussed wanting to come out against a local income tax back in November, and at their Jan. 18 meeting, approved a resolution saying as much. The resolution reads: “The City Council hereby declares its position that the imposition of a local income tax on the residents of the City of Grand Coulee is prohibited and respectfully requests that the Governor and our State Representatives consider the will of the people in deciding on s...
Lake Roosevelt's Knowledge Bowl team showed off their smarts in competitions at Soap Lake Jan. 24, and in Omak Jan. 31. Peyton Robison, Virgil Bearcub, Kailah Leadingham, Noah Hunt and newcomer Lily Brandon, comprise the LR team who competed with others from Cascade High School, Cashmere, Chelan, Eastmont, Ephrata, Moses Lake, and Soap Lake. Some of those schools had multiple teams competing, explained Pam Johnson, who manages LR's team. "Scoring more points than at previous three-round meets,...
Following a boys event in Okanogan and girls event in Ephrata, Raider wrestlers are moving into the postseason starting with the district tournament in Tonasket. On Jan. 25, the boys wrestled with Okanogan opponents in a dual event. Head Coach Billy Monroe highlighted a couple matches that stood out to him. “Teyten Flores wrestled a good match last night,” he said, “and Landon Krohn wrestled a very tough opponent from Okanogan that has pinned him three times this year. Landon wrestled smart and closed the distance losing only 10-4. He at one p...
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...
Three school district levies are expiring at the end of 2022, and two proposed levies totaling the same tax rate are on the ballot for the February 8 election to replace them. The levies have collected up to $4.20 per $1,000 of assessed value from property taxes. Two educational “enrichment” levies expiring at the end of 2022 are being combined into one proposed levy, the Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which would collect an estimated $2.50 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. The capital levy would remain at the sam...
Anita Eylar has been selected to fill Council Position #1 on Grand Coulee's city council. The seat was left vacant with former mayor and longtime Councilmember Tamara Byers choosing not to run for reelection in 2021, then the winner of that election, Ben Hughes, moving out of the city. The city received letters of interest from three applicants for the open seat, including Eylar, Kim Christensen, and Ruth Dalton. At their Jan. 18 city council meeting, the council asked Eylar and Dalton...
Upcoming school levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District don't have a lot of support among those who took a Star poll. The online survey, found in last week's issue of The Star and shared online, received 59 responses, with 15 (25%) saying they support the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, 39 (66%) saying they don't, and five (9%) saying they aren't sure. Those who support or do not support that levy tended to feel the same about the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and...
Colville Tribes member Tony Louie is among a group of local tribal members working at carving out a niche in the California film scene. Louie had his film, "HIStory," screened at the 15th Annual LA Skins Fest film festival at the famous TCL (The Creative Life) Chinese Theatres in Hollywood in November. Louie's five-minute short "led the opening night screenings and set the tone for the entire festival," a press release from Louie's team reads. The film "is a spoken word piece poetically...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District (GCDSD) is seeking voter approval for two separate levies in the upcoming election on February 8, 2022. The intent of my letter is to provide the facts regarding these levies and enable voters to make well-informed voting decisions. The first of these levies is the educational programs and operations levy—commonly referred to as an “enrichment” levy; and the second is the capital levy for safety, technology and facilities improvement, or simply, “capital levy.” Both of these levies have been approved...
Raider wrestlers faced off against Okanogan Bulldogs in a duel last week before going to Tonasket for the Tigers' Apple Pie Tournament. In Coulee Dam on Jan. 12, LR hosted Okanogan in a dual meet, with the event ending in a 30-30 tie, but Okanogan technically winning because LR had more forfeits from not having wrestlers in certain weight classes. "I am super thankful we were able to have this match, especially for our senior wrestlers," Head Coach Billy Monroe said. "It ended up being an exciti...
With two school levies on the ballot for the Feb. 8 election, one teacher/parent/taxpayer weighs in, and you can too in an online survey. The two levies — the Educational Programs and Operations Levy and the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and Facilities Improvement — would bring in an estimated combined total of $1.4 million and $1.7 million annually from 2023 through 2026. The Star reached out to a handful of teachers at Lake Roosevelt via email for comment. Pam Johnson, who teaches language arts at the high school and has been a tea...
School sports restrictions have been tightened up again with the Omicron COVID-19 variant becoming prevalent in the area. The Grant County Health District detailed the restrictions in a press release for "Region 7," which includes Grant, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Adams, and Okanogan counties. The extra precautions include items like some limits on attendance at games, indoor masking requirements, eating in a designated area, and following the covid attendance rules set by a statewide school...
A stolen Cadillac that police stopped following because of a new state law was found at the Keller Ferry Marina the next day anyway. Grand Coulee Officer Matthew Gilbert began following a suspicious vehicle about 9:35 p.m. Dec. 27. The 1999 beige Cadillac with tinted windows was traveling along SR-155 near the Grand Coulee Dam, another officer had told him. The Cadillac was going about 10 miles per hour under the speed limit. Gilbert followed the vehicle onto Federal Avenue, watching it swerve side to side in its lane. The Multi Agency...