News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The weather elsewhere is disrupting events in the coulee tonight. A special meeting of the local hospital district commission will be postponed until probably Thursday, Commissioner Geary Oliver said. An attorney central to the agenda can’t make it from Spokane, where cars are piling up due to snow conditions. And tonight’s Raider basketball games with White Swan have been cancelled due to inclement weather in Yakima. They will be rescheduled, said Athletic Director Rich Black....
A special meeting for Tuesday night has been called of the commission that governs Coulee Medical Center. A majority of the five commissioners set the special meeting to consider, among other things, hiring a different law firm, a proposal that died at a regular meeting of the commission Dec. 26, less than two weeks earlier. At issue were public complaints about stopping a popular discounted lab test week. Commissioners Jerry Kennedy and Geary Oliver had served as a committee to look into obtaining independent legal counsel for the board to...
An Omak woman was injured and flown to a hospital after the car she was driving hit black ice Friday morning. Maya Best, 31, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with unspecified injuries after the 2007 Ford Freestyle she was driving slid off the highway 155 about 11 miles north of Nespelem, close to Disautel Pass. As Best was southbound at 7:15 a.m., her car hit black ice and slid off the road to the right and into a boulder, then came to rest blocking the northbound lane at about milepost 56, according to a Washington State... Full story
A new mayor and two new council members were sworn in at Coulee Dam last Monday. Mayor-elect Greg Wilder, and council members-elect Gayle Swagerty and Duane Johnson all took their oaths of office at a ceremony at town hall with U. S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney from the Eastern Division of Washington, and Dana Cleveland of the Office of the Reservation Attorney at the Colville Indian Agency, officiating. Over 60 persons showed up for the official swearing in process.... Full story
Four individuals with records of service to the community have been nominated for the annual volunteer of the year honor, and the community will now choose. It could be a difficult choice, but the one chosen will ultimately serve as an example, as do all nominees, of how individuals can follow an ideal, a philosophy of helping others. Jerry Birdwell, Heather Downs, Fern Blaylock and Jan Erickson each have passionate supporters who appreciate their good work in the community. Their letters nominating these individuals have all been published in... Full story
Several people have taken the time to write out some great explanations as to why they believe their particular nominee deserves to be recognized as the 2013 volunteer of the year. We hope readers will take time to review those nominations and help select the honoree by writing us a note on their choice or going to the online poll at grandcoulee.com So much needs to be done in any community to keep it moving in a good direction. Volunteers who work for the good of all simply because it’s the right thing to do make progress possible. Honoring o... Full story
Against tough competition, Raider wrestlers took fifth place at a Cashmere tournament Dec. 21. Lake Roosevelt placed higher than Reardan, Cascade (Leavenworth), and Omak. It was sweet revenge for the Raiders, who had lost a dual meet with Omak four days earlier. That dual at home ended with the final score of Omak 54-LR 24. The Raiders had to forfeit to the Pioneers at six weights, giving them many easy points. Of the 11 matches wrestled against the Pioneers, the Raiders won five. Alexia Hanway, at 112 pounds, won both her matches against Shyan... Full story
I would like to nominate Jan (Bonamici) Erickson for volunteer of the year. I realize that because she is a teacher many see what she does as part of her job, but it goes far beyond that. I have known Jan since 1985, as a volunteer in her classroom, then co-worker for many years. I know she is a totally dedicated teacher, but she also spends untold amounts of her own money on extra materials, prizes etc. each and every year to make learning more interesting, meaningful and fun. She buys foods and many other things that fit into the curriculum... Full story
This past week my husband and I have been layed up at home; with our activities limited, and since there is 24-hour coverage, we watched plenty of news. For many years now I have been puzzled by the public stance that a number of Christians have taken against the poor and down trodden in our country. I am continually dismayed by their vehement denial of government aid to those in need, but by the same token they stubbornly protect the financial securities of the wealthy at all cost. My spirit has felt troubled by a quiet, yet persistent doubt.... Full story
By John R. McNeil II Lake Roosevelt snapped a two game losing streak Dec. 16 against the Entiat Tigers, beating them on their home court 60-50, then dropped a two-point game to Pateros in Coulee Dam Dec. 20. "We needed that win against Entiat to help with our confidence and energy," Raider Head Coach Matt Simpson said. "We did a lot of great things and used this game as another learning experience moving forward." At Entiat, Chance Garvin picked up a double-double, scoring 12 points and... Full story
The Lady Raiders had a tough week, losing to Entiat at Entiat on Dec. 16, then losing at home to the Pateros Nannies on Dec. 20. The two losses drop the Lady Raiders’ win-loss record to 0-5 overall. Head Coach Wallace Pleasants says that the girls have to overcome these setbacks and, “It’s all about learning how to win.” Against Entiat the Lady Raiders faced a well coached quality team with a height advantage under the basket. Even with the disadvantage of height, the Lady Raiders played a tighter game than the 60-45 final score would suggest... Full story
We should expect inches of snow today, the National Weather Service says. Below is their winter weather alert issued this morning: . Urgent - Winter Weather message National Weather Service Spokane WA 432 AM PST Fri Dec 20 2013 ...Heavy Snow accumulations today and tonight... Upper Columbia Basin- including the following locations...Ritzville...Grand Coulee... Odessa...Wilbur...CouLee City 432 AM PST Fri Dec 20 2013 ...Winter Weather advisory in effect from 7 AM this morning to 7 PM PST this evening... The National Weather Service in Spokane...
All I want to say is my mom finally found a good doctor in Grand Coulee, instead of having to drive her into Spokane all the time. Her doctor is Dr. Chaffee, and I was so relieved when she and my dad found him! He is very caring and he gives my mom a hug every time she goes in to see him. He makes time for her, and it was a worry off me knowing she finally has a good, caring, and not a rush, rush out the door doctor. But now there are problems with the hospital, etc. Whoever you are that is in charge, please dont mess this all up with your... Full story
I would like to nominate Jerry Birdwell for 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Jerry has stepped up far beyond the call of duty to help keep the Banks Lake Golf Course open for the community this past year. Day after day, as the golfers hit the course, Jerry was at the course with his own truck, his own chain saw, his own tools working on the sprinklers system. Some times you could see Jerry’s truck, and finally you would see Jerry’s head pop out of the hole he had dug to find and repair a leak in the system. Right after the several wind storms, Jer... Full story
I would like to nominate Heather Downs for the Volunteer of the Year award. Heather has her hands in many different organizations and has been helpful to many different people in many different ways throughout this last year. Heather runs the local pageant program for girls and boys from the ages of 0 to 18. This youth activity program runs all year long and helps teach these kids that their shape and style is okay (without makeup) and not to be ashamed of it no matter what the media says. In this program she is also helping these young girls... Full story
Raider wrestlers grappled in three contests last week -- two at home, against Warden Dec. 10 and a mix and match tournament Dec. 12 -- then at the Connell Invitational tourney Dec. 14, where the Raiders were the only B school present. In the dual against Warden, only nine Raiders wrestled. LR had to forfeit five matches to the Cougars, leading to the Warden win, 42-17. LR's points came from wins by Kodie Horn and Octavio Alejandre. Horn (152 pounds) fought hard in his match to come away with a... Full story
In the first road game of the season, the Raiders travelled to Tonasket to take on the resurgent Tigers Dec. 10. The Raiders came back from first-half setbacks, but it was too little too late. Lake Roosevelt lost 70-46 to Tonasket to fall to a 1-2 overall win-loss record for the season. Tonasket used superior speed to outrun the Raiders early on. LR eventually slowed down the Tigers, but they had already built a large lead that the Raiders could not close. LR was using a new offense that had just been put in the day before. The offense is a... Full story
The Lady Raiders forced the Tonakset Tigers into overtime Dec. 10 in Tonasket, hoping for their first win of the season, but came away with an 56-51 loss, but also lot of positives. LR played much more consistent basketball, leading the Tigers at one point by seven and forcing the game to go to overtime. Raider Head Coach Wallace Pleasants said his team has been making good improvements in every game they’ve played. He noted the youth of the squad and that the miscues on offense during the game were in part due to the girls still learning to ru... Full story
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association on Nov. 22 released student enrollment counts for its member schools for the upcoming 2014-16 classification cycle that groups competing schools by size. This is an important cycle as it is the first of a new four-year system in which the schools are divided by equal percentage and numbers in each classification (like 93-207 in the present 2B category). This is the first year of the new counting system in which grades 9-11 are counted rather than the past 10-12 system that had been in use si... Full story
The Star is seeking nominations for the annual Volunteer of the Year honor to be awarded to one individual who deserves to be acknowledged for their unselfish efforts to help others or the community. To nominate someone you think is deserving of the recognition, write a letter of nomination, detailing how your nominee volunteers. Include names and contact information of more people who know about your nominees activities. Send letters of nomination via email to star@grandcoulee.com with the subject line Volunteer of the Year. Or mail letters... Full story
Hospital District Commissioner Jerry Kennedy said Monday that a commission meeting that had been scheduled for Dec. 18 has been rescheduled for Dec. 26. Kennedy said the commission discovered that a regular monthly meeting can only be rescheduled during a regularly scheduled meeting, but the Dec. 18 change had been made during a special meeting last month. The commissions bylaws require the meeting to take place on the next business day, which is Dec. 26. Kennedy, who sits on three committees formed to respond to community concerns, said those... Full story
A small group of parents with concerns about bullying, buses and more met Monday night to discuss ways to help the local school district improve. But if response to a posting on The Star’s Facebook page is an indication, the issues are a hot button item with much of the community. The meeting at the Grand Coulee Fire Hall, facilitated by parent Heather Downs, drew eight including Downs, plus Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson, who attended to listen. The parents attending have a total of 15 children in the d... Full story
There have been several articles in the newspaper lately about Coulee Medical Center, and I feel it is time for me to voice my concerns. We all are expected to choose a primary health care provider. That health care provider gets to know you as a person and knows your medical history. When a health issue arises you shouldn’t have to wait a month or more to get in to see your primary care provider. If you end up seeing someone else, they usually know nothing about you or your medical history. We need more health care providers, not less, in o... Full story
I would like to thank David Noggles on his (letter to the editor) in the December 4 issue. I first heard about the CMC issues on the November 27 issue and the “red flags” started going up when I heard the three words: “just in time” when tied to “inventory.” I would also assume that since the CMC has adopted the Virginia Mason management style, that management is using similar measuring tools for such things as “performance or productivity” (more red flags). When I worked over on the “wet side” for a large well known aerospace firm, we... Full story