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 basement of the Church of the Nazarene in Grand Coulee was filled with help Saturday as local scouts hauled in the results of their annual food drive for the Care and Share Food Bank, an effort that restocked shelves that were getting empty. Care and Share is currently serving around 130 local families, according to Director Carol Nordine, including many young families with children and working parents who find it hard to keep up. About a dozen volunteers, plus the scouts, made fairly quick...
When Electric City’s leadership signaled last week that they want an independent attorney to rewrite an old, incomplete and ambiguous document governing the wastewater plant, they effectively put the ball in Grand Coulee’s court. Grand Coulee responded in kind — passing a nearly identical resolution at their Nov. 19 council meeting, and giving the wastewater plant’s joint board of operators some action items for their Dec. 5 meeting in Electric City. Then, Grand Coulee’s conversation turned toward the topic of the two cities coming together in...
It always seemed I ended up with a fry cooking job. It started in high school, quite by accident. A friend had the fry cooking job at The Oasis in Palouse, one of three restaurants in town at the time. One of the owners, Ellen, asked me if I would come in and help out for the evening. I would be washing dishes and peeling spuds for 50 cents an hour while she filled in as fry cook. My friend didn’t show for the second night and Ellen asked if I would like the job. I said yes and she assured me that she would stay with me until I was ready to go...
You may have likely heard that Grant, Chelan and Douglas PUDs jointly filed a lawsuit in June against the federal government over our collective contribution of hydroelectric energy and capacity we must send to Canada per the Columbia River Treaty. Implemented in 1964, the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada was established to facilitate the joint development of power generation and flood control in the Columbia River Basin. It has many elements and directly affects our ability to maximize the benefits of the...
After years of odious political behavior, it is time for elected officials to focus on governing our nation with civility and respect. It is time to go back to acting for the common good. Enough is enough! Our country needs leaders, irrespective of party affiliation, to set aside differences and unite — not demagogue and jockey for power. America is weakened by the continual onslaught of character assassinations, false accusations, misinformation, and bitterness which has been pervasive over the last dozen years. We do not know who to trust o...
KELLER – Until further notice, Keller Ferry users who travel across the Columbia River on State Route 21 should continue to find alternate routes. The Keller Ferry (M/V Sanpoil) is currently out of service due to a mechanical issue. At this time the Keller Ferry does not have an estimated time to return to service. Travelers planning a trip across the Columbia River on SR 21 should choose an alternate route during the closure via SR 25 or SR 155 and SR 174. Drivers should also plan additional time for travel, as it can take up to an hour to c... Full story
Two people were taken to hospital following an incident in which a 17-year-old had reportedly slashed two people with a knife at a party early Sunday morning. Coulee Dam Police responded to a Grand Coulee residence after overhearing a Grant County dispatcher call out a county sheriff’s deputy to the scene of a large fight about 2:15 a.m. at 213 Second Street. A Coulee Dam Officer responded after asking if the Grant County Sheriff’s Office wanted the assistance. On the way to the active scene he called another Coulee Dam officer for help. Whe...
Local emergency medical service volunteers are aging out and burning out, and it may be time to look at funding a new district to ensure full-time help is available. That's the message Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout and Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish, and others shared at a community town hall meeting hosted by the Regional Board of Mayors Nov. 6. "The volunteer base has eroded over the years," Kohout said in an opening presentation in Coulee Dam's town hall. "If this continues, we're in...
The management agreement for Grand Coulee and Electric City’s shared wastewater treatment facility — written in 1984 — needs a rewrite, according to the Electric City Council members. The plant is jointly owned by the two cities and overseen by a “joint board of operators” made up of council members from both jurisdictions. However, Grand Coulee is effectively the majority owner, meaning, among other things, it was the only signer with SJ Environmental, the contractor operating the wastewater plant. That contract is currently up for renewal....
The Great Depression was a great teacher. You’ve read about it, but few of you experienced it. As a youngster it wasn’t as bad for me as many others. I credit my parents for sparing me the suffering that hit America. It didn’t hit and then change. It hit and held on for my entire childhood. I still remember the fun I had growing up, more so than my three older brothers and sister. I don’t remember any of them who expressed any fond memories. Along came the war and suddenly I was cast into the real world. First, my oldest brother Richard...
Every year, on Veterans Day, we pause to honor the men and women who have worn the uniform of our country and served in defense of our freedom. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who stood guard over our nation’s ideals, from the founding of America to today. As a proud representative of Central Washington, I have the privilege of meeting veterans who have devoted their lives to preserving the freedoms we hold dear. From their courageous service on battlefields around the world to their ongoing efforts to support the local...
It's gotta make a guy feel pretty appreciated when a send-off-to-state rally is held just for him, as it was for Caden Portch Friday. The Raider junior alone among his cross-country teammates qualified for the state meet at Pasco's Sun Willows golf course held Saturday. So Lake Roosevelt saw him off Friday in the school's traditional style with an assembly, the "tunnel," and sirens and lights supplied by police and emergency services folks escorting him through town on the way out. Portch ran...
Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse has secured a sixth term representing central Washington, fending off Trump-backed challenger Jerrod Sessler. Newhouse has been leading since Election Day and declared victory in the race on Monday. The Associated Press called the 4th Congressional District race for Newhouse on Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday, Newhouse had 52.1% of the vote while Sessler had 46.2%. "The results from this election show the people want a results-driven leader who understands th... Full story
Though questions remain, the Grand Coulee Dam school board at their Oct. 28 meeting indicated openness to switching to a four-day school week in the 2025-26 school year. Board members will likely make their official decision at the Nov. 25 meeting after hearing more direct comments and concerns from staff, faculty and students — as well as a more complete proposal including the start time and end time for each school’s daily schedule. Superintendent Rod Broadnax presented survey results that tended to show staff in support of making the cha...
As most of the country’s election map turned red last night, so did most of Washington states but with different results overall. With only 64 % of votes counted in the state as of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, with 51% of the vote nationally had received 58% in Washington, giving the state’s 12 electoral college votes to her. Results are unofficial until they are certified Nov. 26 by county officials, then by the secretary of state on Dec. 5. That blue leaning in the most heavily populated areas of the state carried thr...
The Grand Coulee Dam district will propose a four-year school funding levy to voters on the February ballot, the board indicated at its Oct. 28 meeting. If approved, the new levy would replace the current one, which expires next year, and bring in nearly $4.2 million for educational programs and operations between 2026-29. The current year’s budget for educational programs and operations is just under $14 million. Though the final resolution language still needs formal approval by the board in November, members unanimously agreed with the r...
My son Paul is finally returned from Alaska. I had written about his “once in a lifetime” camping and exploring trip to Alaska. He left his home just north of Everett on May 15 and got back Oct. 4. He described it as his retirement dream. Paul drove 16,996 miles, went through a new set of tires, and cooked a lot of meals. His goal was to see a lot of Alaska. He did! Paul said he was on all major roads and a host of minor ones. He retired last year and spent the better part of six months planning the trip. A return trip is being discussed. Pau...
Washington’s agriculture is a $12.8 billion business with 33,000 farms — and it runs on gasoline, diesel, and natural gas. The hundreds of big rigs hauling crops and food products are not electric. Even though new trucks have reduced CO2 and other pollutants, some politicians are hastily charging ahead to replace fossil-fueled trucks with unproven technology. According to 2021 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, transportation was responsible for 30 percent of greenhouse gases of which 80 percent comes from cars and trucks. A qua...
When you've had one win all season and your last league game will be against one of the top 2B football teams in the state with 22 straight wins, you might not think it could be fun. But don't tell that to Lake Roosevelt's Raiders, at least not those who made the trip to the home of Bulldogs Friday night to endure a 78-8 drubbing. "We took 16 players to Okanogan, five of them freshmen," said Raider Head Coach Geary Oliver. "At the end of the game we had 13 able to play. Our guys played hard...
Grand Coulee Dam schools are scrambling this week to get almost 40 of their students who live in Nespelem to formally “choice in” to GCDSD — or else risk losing $9,100 per student in so-called “full time equivalent” funding from the state. As of Monday night, Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board they had not received paperwork from any of the Nespelem students yet, putting around $350,000 at risk. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has given GCDSD the ultimatum this year: Get it done or else lose out on th...
A popular program that provided after-school and summer educational activities for students may return to Lake Roosevelt Schools next year. School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the district board of directors Monday that several people have volunteered to help get the funding back that is lacking this year from the 21st Century grant program that once funded the District’s SHARP Kids program. Broadnax said Gene Sharrett, former NCW Education Services District superintendent, and one other person met with him Friday. “I’m very excit...
I want to share how much I enjoy seeing the progress of the reopening of the Village Cinema. My sister, Cecilia, and I subscribe to The Star and enjoy sharing what is happening. My parents, Rod and Anne Hartman, ran the Coulee Dam Theatre when I was growing up. I have such memories of having my parents own the theatre. Some good, some great, and some embarrassing. We’ll start with the embarrassing. My mom would cruise the aisles with her flashlight, watching for those that were not watching the movie but were choosing to make out with their d...
Over the past two years, as a member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, we have uncovered the malign influence the CCP has in American institutions. With these revelations, we have committed to finding real, actionable solutions to prevent the CCP from tightening their grip on our nation’s security and way of life. The Select Committee has exposed numerous CCP schemes aimed at undermining our national security. From increased land purchases near sensitive sites to di...
I have been in the writing business almost 70 years. It started under difficult circumstances and almost ended the same way. I took a couple of journalism classes early on and my prof, Helen Wilson, took a liking to my work. When an opening came up on the staff of the small daily paper in Nampa, Idaho, she arranged for me to go in for an interview. I talked with the editor, Jack Scudder, who sensed my hesitation. He explained that as sports editor I would be following and writing about sports events in the area. After I said I didn’t think I wa...
With their season about to wrap up, the Raiders grabbed a football win on the Lake Roosevelt field for their homecoming game Friday. They beat the Tonasket Tigers 40-35, boosting the Raider win-loss to 1-6. "I'm always proud of our players, but this week our team built on the value of personal sacrifice," said Head Coach Geary Oliver. "Our defensive line was asked to play a technique which would result in no personal accolades. However, it would give us our best chance to win the game. It was a...
