News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1201 - 1225 of 6918
Everyone who enters Lake Roosevelt Schools’ indoor areas this year should expect to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status, including staff, students, and visitors. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner told The Star on Monday that he intends to follow the masks-for-all guidelines from the Washington State Department of Health and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. The DOH guidelines state that “all staff and students must continue to wear face coverings/masks, regardless of vaccination status.” A letter from Reykd...
"If you smell smoke, you're breathing smoke," a smoke outlook report from fires.airfire.org says. Today, Wednesday, Grand Coulee is projected to have air that is "unhealthy for sensitive groups," according to the report, and those sensitive groups should avoid physical activity outdoors. Fires producing smoke in the air include the Summit Trail Fire near Inchelium, which on Tuesday morning was at 22,305 acres and 15% contained; and the Cheweah Fire, which is holding at 36,752 acres and is 90%...
Grand Coulee has decided to allow local property owner Sam Hsieh to continue to display multiple advertising signs along his lot located on Main Street called “Coulee Plaza.” “I would like to thank the mayor and the city council for working together with me through this,” Hsieh told The Star on Tuesday. “I’m excited to see Coulee Plaza continuing to serve the community!” The issue has been ongoing since October of 2020 when the city council had initially voted against allowing the signs to stay. Hsieh was told by the city following a c...
There have only been a few cases of Covid locally in the past month. Since June 30, when The Star last reported local covid numbers, there have been zero cases reported from Grant County Public Health for the Grand Coulee and Electric City area of the county, with a total of 48 in those cities since the pandemic began. According to Okanogan Public Health, Coulee Dam has seen 68 total cases, up one since June 30, and Nespelem has seen three new cases since that date for a total of 83. Elmer City has stayed at a total of 20 cases. OPH breaks...
Thursday night some of us woke up to the fire fight. Thank you, Chief of Police and Mayor for telling us, the people in this sleepy little town, that this would take place for about three hours. Am I wrong in thinking the U.S. Army has an area in Yakima for just these kinds of games? Just to let you know, that was the rudest thing you could have done. All those that woke up to that. Old people, and let’s not forget all the combat veterans we have in this area. Carol Daily...
Governor Jay Inslee, I ask what do the powers to be think they can do to offset the so called climate change. I ask how many times the climate of the earth has changed over the Billions of years? This area was once covered with Ice 14,000 years ago, before that this area was a tropical forest there were Gingko forests Mammoths, Rhinoceros. As far as I am concerned the so called climate change is the natural process of the earth. One volcano will produce more greenhouse gasses in 24 hours than all the cars on earth in several years. The climate...
I was lucky to travel when the best hotels were still inexpensive. The Okura Hotel in Tokyo was part of the International Hotel chain. Cost for an overnight stay today would be from $400-$600. I paid $18 for a first-class room with all the amenities that only the Japanese can think of. When I arrived, a small army of nurserymen were building a small forest in the lobby area. By the time I left, their forestry project was done and a beautiful Japanese garden was there for patrons to enjoy. I stayed in the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, a...
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were billed as the “Hydrogen Olympics!” Then along came COVID and sporting events worldwide were put on hold. The summer games were delayed until 2021. Postponing the games cost Japan billions and thwarted its efforts to showcase the Japanese “Green Growth” strategies. Japan, like the United States, plans to become carbon-neutral by 2050. While countries like China are betting on lithium batteries, Japan’s centerpiece is hydrogen. As Japanese researchers develop new technology using renewable electricity generated...
When conventional food supply chains had difficulties adapting at the start of the pandemic, farmers markets and local food systems clearly displayed the resiliency of short supply chains as interest in local foods spiked nationwide. Farmers markets across the country did what they could to safely open for the farmers and the customers who had come to depend on them, with 72% of market organizations in the U.S. operating the same number or more market days during summer 2020 as in summer 2019, according to the Farmers Market Coalition. The...
Gov. Jay Inslee met with tribal leaders and people affected by wildfire in Nespelem last week, characterizing the area as perhaps "the epicenter of climate change." He met with the Colville Business Council as well as with incident command staff from recent reservation fires in a closed meeting inside the Lucy Covington Government Center, the Tribal Tribune reported. "These are such difficult days dealing with COVID and these fires," Inslee is reported as saying in the July 21 meeting. "No...
A fire that started along the highway along Banks Lake Thursday evening quickly turned into a threat to a local landmark canyon and to farms above the coulee wall. The Northrup Fire that scorched the canyon its named for started about 5 p.m. July 22 at milepost 18 on SR-155. Logan Braaten caught an image of the fresh fire on the coulee wall side of the highway and posted it on Facebook. Local firefighters responded quickly, but the intensity of the fire's approach during initial attack took at l...
Firefighters work up an appetite saving homes and lands, and they have to eat, often in a small town with no notice of a big need for food. The Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center served 500 meals this past weekend to firefighters who fought the Northrup Fire that started on Thursday. The senior center had helped feed firefighters on the Grass Valley Fire a few years ago, and they appreciated it so much they asked if the senior center could help feed them again. On Friday, a dinner was provided, on...
Loud gunfire that woke and frightened Coulee Dam residents Thursday night was part of a “routine military training,” a US Army spokesman said. The repeating racket that started about 10:30 sounded to some former military men like 50-caliber automatic weapons. Flashes from multiple gun barrels could be seen on the hillside above the Third Powerhouse on the east side of Grand Coulee Dam. And one caller reported seeing flames at the top of the north end of the powerhouse. The weapons fire, which continued until after midnight, woke at least one...
If you are one of many with questions you’d like answered before deciding whether to get vaccinated against the SARS Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, take note: you may get your questions answered at an upcoming forum on the topic hosted by Coulee Medical Center on Zoom. Dr. Jennifer Knox, a family practice physician at CMC, will present information and discuss with anyone attending what’s true and known about the disease and the vaccines being used to fight its spread worldwide. Knox met the hospital’s staff Monday to present the same...
Local cities will be able to spend money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, with a combined total of about a million dollars, on things like infrastructure and helping residents. The cities receive money based on their estimated 2019 populations. A list of distributions to cities from the Department of Treasury shows that Electric City, with a population of 1,002, qualifies for $279,706; Grand Coulee, population 1,048, qualifies for $292,547; Coulee Dam, population 1,080, qualifies for $301,480; Elmer City, population 248, qualifies...
“Well regulated” does not mean regulated by the government. The founding fathers knew that the right to bear arms and maintain a militia was indispensable because governments throughout history strive to grow and must be held in check. They had just fought a war and lost many precious loved ones in order to get out from under the rule of such a government. Therefore, well regulated means the armed militia does have order from within it, and does not break laws. Beyond that, our government has no say. It is a God given right to be able to mai...
In 2021, our State Legislature enacted several bills related to law enforcement. Most of the police reform bills go into effect on July 25, 2021, affecting how we will deliver police services. As your elected Sheriff, it is my responsibility to make sure the residents we serve are aware of the level of service that law enforcement can provide under the new laws. To get the agency prepared for these changes, the department is providing mandatory training to all commissioned and limited-commissioned personnel, particularly focusing on legislated...
(Editor’s note: The writer asked that his letter to Bureau of Reclamation Power Manager Coleman Smith be included on this opinion page) Dear Mr. Smith: I am writing in regard to an incident that happened last night, July 22. At about 10:30 PM we were startled by loud automatic weapons fire up towards the top of the east side of the dam. I was extremely alarmed by this situation as the gunfire was coming from multiple locations. As you are aware the Grand Coulee Dam is considered a target and has lots of security in place. We all know this. T...
Every fire season brings back a sense of apprehension and appreciation. A number of years ago my wife and I signed on with OK Cascade, a Bothell firm that provided support for firefighters. We did this for two seasons and were at a number of fire situations in both Washington and Oregon. While the support staff was a ways from the fire, they were essential to any firefighting success. Our support staff provided food, showers, laundry, and other needed help to those facing the actual fires. We could get a sense of how difficult things were for...
A 2021-2022 school budget of $14.6 million in expenditures was approved on Monday. The Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors approved the budget in their regular meeting following a public hearing in which there was no public input. The beginning fund balance is roughly $1 million, and with about $14,455,000 in revenues, the total funds available in the 2021-22 school year total about $15,480,000. Those revenues include roughly $816,000 in local taxes dollars (property taxes), $900,000 in local “non-tax” dollars, $6.9 million in...
A $4.9 billion pumped-storage hydropower project has been given preliminary nods by regulators for a site 35 miles upstream from Grand Coulee Dam, near Creston. Similar to the proposed Banks Lake Pumped Storage Project being developed for the Grand Coulee area, the 2,650-Megawatt Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project got a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Developer Daybreak Power Inc. says the project "would connect to the nearby Bonneville Power...
The Northrup Fire that started Thursday along highway 155 is now 65% contained after burning an estimated 252 acres, an update from the fire management team in charge said Saturday night. An update from Incident Commander Leonard Johnson of the Southeast Washington Type 3 Interagency Incident Management Team 2, which assumed command of the fire at 8 p.m. July 23, said all areas previously at a Level 2 evacuation (get ready to leave) have been stepped down to a Level 1 (be aware), including the...
The fire that started along SR-155 Thursday afternoon has burned about 300 acres, prompted evacuation notices and still threatening structures and standing wheat. It was moving down into Northrup Canyon last night as four Fireboss airplanes, three helicopters and a jet tanker attacked it from the air, and more resources were arriving as firefighters headed up to canyon on foot about dusk. An hour later, authorities were knocking on doors in the North Shore Acres community near Jones Bay, telling...
Level 2 Evacuation notice - Jones Bay community Level 2 Evacuation notice due to wildfire. This is a Level 2 evacuation notice for people in the following areas of Grant County, Washington. This notice was requested by the Bureau of Land Management fire command. Jones Bay community south of Osborn Bay, east of SR155. This is about 3 miles south of Electric City, Washington. This notice is effective as of 7/22/2021 at 10:05 PM. Police are going door to door to notify residents. This Level 2...
A fire across SR-174 from the Lakeview Terrace trailer park was nipped in bud before it could spread through the dry terrain July 17. The fire scorched under half an acre, burning multiple older vehicles, including an old camp trailer, tires, and garbage, according to Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire started at about 1 p.m. when fire departments of Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City responded, as well as Bureau of Reclamation...