News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1751 - 1775 of 6918
A man from Grand Coulee has died of complications from COVID-19, Grant County Health District said Monday night. The district was notified Monday that the man in his 50s, who was hospitalized, had died. The health district did not report where he had been hospitalized. “Our hearts are with his family and friends. On behalf of Unified Command, our staff, Health Officer, and Board of Health, we are so sorry for your loss,” a statement on the district’s website said. The death brings Grant County’s total to four, with 192 confirmed cases and ano... Full story
Local cities and towns could soon receive money as part of a COVID-19 federal relief package, but city officials are leery of requirements they may not meet. “Local governments will soon receive their portion of nearly $300 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds awarded to the state to address COVID-19-related costs,” a press release from the Washington State Department of Commerce announced May 8. “The funds are flexible, allowing cities and counties to use their allocation for everything from p... Full story
"Achiever of the Year" and "Business of the Year" for 2019 were chosen last week by members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. Kerry Higgins, who co-owns Coulee Hardware, was named achiever of the year. Coulee Wall Variety Store was picked for business of the year. Coulee Wall Variety Store was named business of the year, an honor given to a business that "is active in the area, demonstrates growth, has innovative products or services for the community, provides excellent...
Electric City accepted a bid to build a new sewage lift station on the southern end of Grand Avenue, replacing one that dates back to the 1960s. The lift station pumps sewage to the wastewater treatment facility in Grand Coulee. The city council voted at their May 12 meeting, held via Zoom, to accept a $382,463.20 bid from TEK Industries, the lowest out of four bidders, to build the lift station. Steve Nelson from Century West Engineering, the city’s engineering firm, attended the Zoom council meeting as well. Nelson answered questions from C...
Some people are expressing little but regret over the fact that high school graduations across the country, Lake Roosevelt’s included, will not be what anyone had in mind this year. That much is certain, but, graduating class, it’s also true that if you’ve learned anything in your dozen or so years in school so far, you’ve likely learned to roll with the punches and make the best of the situation in which you find yourself. There is no course syllabus or homework for that. But our current situation is the best lesson (call it your final h... Full story
In recent years, papermakers in the Pacific Northwest have been losing ground. However, today there is a ray of hope. Surprisingly, that optimism results from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first days of the pandemic, grocers couldn’t keep toilet paper on store shelves even though paper mills were running 20 percent higher than normal capacity. Cardboard plants also were operating full bore making shipping boxes for medical supplies and personal protective gear. As Amazon and online sales ramp up...
Service looks a little different lately at the Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Coulee. COVID-19 social restrictions won't allow typical gatherings, but drive-in services are being allowed now. On Sunday, May 17, Pastor Shawn Neider gave a sermon standing on a stump on the grass at the church, while 28 people sat in 16 vehicles, comparable to the church's normal attendance numbers, parked there to hear him. Neider said that he spoke "about our balance of church and state, obeying God and how...
This year's Lake Roosevelt High School graduation ceremony will likely look a lot different than those of their older siblings, friends, parents, or grandparents. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected yet another part of our lives, with the social distancing requirements making the rite of passage of graduating from a high school all the more difficult. Graduation will be held June 13 at 7 p.m according to a plan reviewed by the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors Monday night.... Full story
A man from Grand Coulee has died of complications from COVID-19, Grant County Health District said Monday night. The district was notified Monday that the man in his 50s, who was hospitalized, had died. “Our hearts are with his family and friends. On behalf of Unified Command, our staff, Health Officer, and Board of Health, we are so sorry for your loss,” a statement on the district’s website said. The death brings Grant County’s total to four, with 192 confirmed cases and another 35 “probable,” the district’s demographics on the disease say.... Full story
Okanogan County officials Tuesday debated possible paths for the county to progress into the state’s Phase 2 toward easing COVID-19 restrictions. To qualify to move to Phase 2 of the state’s “Safe Start Washington” phased recovery plan, a county won’t gain permission if it hasn’t seen three weeks since its last positive test for COVID-19. County commissioners met with Okanogan County Health officials in an open Zoom meeting, as a line of division became evident, following arguments similar to those heard across the state and nation: Mor... Full story
Rachelle Haven took the reins as executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce in April during a strange year for a local economy that counts on tourism. Haven moved here 10 years ago, but has been coming here longer. "I grew up on the coast, but my dad is a 'Grand Coulee original,' and I still have many family members located here," she said. "I grew up spending my summers in the Coulee with my grandparents and fell in love with the area. I decided that Coulee was my home... Full story
During our lives we experience a number of acts of kindness that help make life more pleasant or easier. With the coronavirus here, we all have an opportunity to perform meaningful acts of kindness by observing a few procedures to both protect ourselves and others at the same time. In an effort to stem the advance of the virus, we are asked to observe social distancing, wear face masks when around other people, and to practice cleanliness by washing our hands thoroughly. Some people just don’t get it. Theirs is a rush to expose or be e...
I believe that the community needs to honor two people who are responsible for keeping our golf course open. Jim and Rose Keene have volunteered numerous hours in the last couple of years at the golf course. They don’t do it for self-recognition, but because of their love for the community. I feel that many of the members fail to realize Jim and Rose’s dedication to the golf course. The golf course likely would not be open if not for these two people. I personally would like to thank them for their work at the golf course. Michael Lac...
By now it is apparent that, barring a miracle, a cure for COVID-19 will not happen soon; however, to make it a condition of removing the economic lockdown would be a catastrophic mistake. They must coexist. The shocking news that America’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to 14.7% as employers cut 20.5 million jobs last month is demoralizing. It is approaching Great Depression numbers. The bottom line is our country needs people working in safe surroundings. The fact is the COVID-19 pandemic may f...
Fishing has resumed in most of the state following Gov. Jay Inslee's adjustment to his Stay Home – Stay Healthy orders. Fishing has not opened up all the way on the Colville Indian Reservation, however, as the Colville Tribes is keeping it closed to non-members until May 29. The state opened boat launches on Banks Lake Tuesday, and anglers were on the water in the early morning. On Lake Roosevelt, within Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, boat launches are open as water levels allow, t... Full story
A charitable-giving organization that manages millions and has grown 380 times its initial size in 24 years is reaching out to smaller communities, including this one, wanting to make a bigger impact. Not that it hasn’t given to local causes in the past. Just recently, the Ephrata-based Columbia Basin Foundation has given the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce $1,000 for local business support, and it’s donating another $1,000 to the Care and Share Food Bank, both under the foundation’s “ReCOVIDery,” initiative to help during the COVID... Full story
In the Grand Coulee Dam School District, teachers, students, and parents have been navigating the uncharted waters and new paradigm of "distance learning" for the past few weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and education leaders expect it to continue as a feature of schooling after the crisis ends. "I am really proud of the work that we've done through the past few weeks with implementing our distance learning plan," said Kirk Marshlain, principal of Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School.... Full story
Grand Coulee Dam School District’s budget is anticipated to be in good standing this coming school year, but maybe not the year after. “I think we’re going to be OK,” Superintendent Paul Turner told the school board April 26 in a meeting held via Zoom. “My bigger worry is 2021-22.” The optimism was a shift in tone from the previous board meeting in which larger cuts were anticipated in school revenues due to the strain on the state’s funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Turner said that cuts aren’t anticipated to be made by state l...
With this year's Colorama festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to take a look back at the history of the event that has been an integral part of the coulee community in one shape or another for over six decades. The festival evolved over the years. According to books on the subject compiled by the Coulee Pioneer Museum, which reference old newspaper articles, the Grand Coulee Rodeo, which was first held in 1935 or 1936, evolved into the Western Festival in 1954, a joint...
I cannot stop thinking back to state volleyball, state football, and most recently state basketball. Standing outside with my students and their homemade signs waving and cheering as the fire trucks, police cars, and buses came through the bus lane cheering our athletes on as they made their way to the state tournament is something that I will never forget. My husband and I have been a part of multiple programs in various states, including private and public schools, and both college and high school programs. NEVER have I ever experienced a...
A short item in the Sunset Magazine caught my eye just as we were planning a quick early summer vacation. lt featured a bed and breakfast in Lamoille, Nevada, only a few miles from where Dorothy and I were married in Elko. Over the years we have traveled Nevada from all directions and knew of its beauty. A quick call and we had reservations. When we arrived there we became aware that you can’t always trust what you read. They were cleaning the place, and it was a mess. They explained that they had winter guests for skiing and hadn’t cleaned up...
Bids to build the construction railroad were received May 17, 1934, and 22 firms competed for the work. The two low bidders were L. Coluccio of Seattle, and David H. Ryan of San Diego. Irregularities were found in the Coluccio bid, resulting in an investigation of the bids. They came in at Ryan at $235,570 and Coluccio at $236,925. The contract was awarded to Ryan on July 17, 1934, and a notice to proceed was issued August 8, 1934. Ryan claimed to be able to outbid anyone else by already being...
We are all frontline workers, a local doctor says, and we need to be creative in our lives. Dr. Sam Hsieh, a general surgeon and chief of staff at Coulee Medical Center, has given out over 100 caps with a special Chinese character on the front within an imperfect frame and the word "#Frontline" on the back. Hsieh's goal is to give the caps, made by Sunflower Graphics in Grand Coulee, out to all the health care workers at CMC. The symbol, according to a letter Hsieh gives out with the caps,... Full story
Nespelem School is at more of a disadvantage when it comes to distance learning, Superintendent Mary Hall told The Star, explaining that being in such a rural area limits access to the internet, as well as cell phone service. Hall said teachers do put together learning packets that are handed out when the school delivers lunches to students, and that teachers call the families or have the students call them to check in on their learning. Helpful websites are recommended to those with internet access, but many don’t have it, Hall said. “It’s jus... Full story
A person in Electric City has tested positive for COVID-19, the Grant Health District said Tuesday night putting a bit more local emphasis on the national crisis that local governments struggle to address. That person joins at least one other in the local community, in Okanogan County, with the illness. Grant County reports a total of 161 cases so far, including three deaths and the three new cases reported Tuesday, the others in Moses Lake and Quincy. Okanogan County Public Health has recorded 26 confirmed cases, including one death. Twelve... Full story