News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 6969
Local 9th through 12th graders with a knack for creative writing have the chance to win one of three cash prizes this spring in the 13th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition, hosted by North Central Washington Libraries and a Wenatchee-based nonprofit organization. High school students - whether in public school, private school, home school or Running Start - are invited to submit original short fiction up to 2,000 words in length, either a short story or the beginning pages of a longer piece,...
Sometimes city governments run smoothly, but as they operate with humans in a democracy, rough patches happen. Balancing human needs, egos, ambitions, desires, skills, or a lack of them, all within the confines of public perceptions, budgets, legal restrictions, and politics sounds like the kind of idea that might cause many stalwart business pros to run screaming from the room where it was suggested. But that’s exactly what it takes for a city, or any municipality that serves us, to operate. It’s natural when tensions rise, and they can be...
I was just a kid during World War II but I still remember a lot about that time. I remember how America was very close to being beaten by the Axis (Germany, Japan and Italy), they did unspeakable things against the rest of the world, but they didn’t count on how America was all together on defeating them. We lost a lot of heroes to keep our freedom. Today, we are seeing the same kind of people trying to divide us with lies, lies and more lies. Maybe some people think it’s just exciting to divide us. I think lies are awful and so are the peo...
Answering an advertisement started my love of the railroads. I saw the ad in our hometown newspaper, The Palouse Republic. The ad was seeking people to apply for menial labor on our section of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The section ran from Palouse to Tekoa, about 50 miles of track. I was a junior in high school, but 16, the minimum age suggested in the ad. The track foreman, Bill Fisher, did the interview. He went on to complete 50 years as track foreman, a distinctive achievement. I was hired on to work Saturdays that could lead to...
A growing number of Americans think the American Dream is out of reach, but I think they are wrong. According to a recent Wall Street Journal poll, only 36% of voters said the American Dream still exists, way fewer than the 53% who believed so in 2012. Half of the poll’s respondents believed that America’s economic and political systems are “stacked against people like me.” These are troubling findings, but I think more of our native-born non-believers need to start dreaming — and acting — like American immigrants. Many immigrants still belie...
The Grand Coulee Library closed this week for a lighting upgrade and is expected to re-open in early April, according to the branch’s website. It has been a long-time need, according to library staff, and several boosters of the local branch, who described the old lighting using words like “flickering,” “buzzing,” “humming” and “dim.” The upgrade is intended to make the branch a more pleasant place to visit and work, and will make it more energy efficient, according to Amanda Brack, communications and engagement manager for North Central Was...
In the decision between three finalists for Grand Coulee police chief, Mayor Mike Eylar has chosen option D: None of the Above. “I’m not offering the position to any of the three that I interviewed,” Eylar said in a phone call Tuesday. “I’ll tell you exactly what I told them: I don’t doubt the heart and the desire and willingness to do the job, whatsoever. It’s just that we’re in what I think is kind of a critical stage, where I need somebody that has the knowledge, skill and abilities that the job requires, in order for us to be able to be a...
Residents of the local towns will have the opportunity next month to hear from–and address–all four mayors and most council members at one joint public meeting dedicated to area-wide issues, the Regional Board of Mayors decided at their March 6 meeting. The all-community town hall will take place Saturday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the Coulee Dam Town Hall Ballroom. The Star editor and publisher Scott Hunter will moderate the event. The idea has been out there since Grand Coulee Mayor Mike Eylar floated it at the February mayors meeting. Ove...
Local firefighters fought a stubborn fire in a Delano home early Monday, with one person being taken from the scene by ambulance for treatment. At approximately 1:47 a.m. Grand Coulee and Electric City fire departments were dispatched for the fire at 57928 Yakima Street NE in Delano. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation also responded for assistance and led fire ground operations, the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department, stated on its Facebook Monday. The Grand Coulee Ambulance took one patient from the scene to Coulee Medical Center for...
A ribbon cutting ceremony in Elmer City will introduce to the public the town's new fire hall March 21 at 1 p.m. The recently completed structure is already in use, housing fire engines for Okanogan County Fire Protection District 2. The $1.3 million project, funded mostly by the state Legislature with the final $150,000 coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act via Okanogan County commissioners, began in 2022 when the town began seeking state funds. The project involved the work of two...
Among Cathy McMorris Rodgers’s negative legacies she leaves as US Representative, her most impactful may be on immigration. However, she still has time to improve that. Donald Trump cares nothing about our country, just his election. Accordingly, he recently ordered all Republicans to scuttle the bipartisan, long-negotiated Senate deal supporting Ukraine and limiting immigration that would be a victory for President Joe Biden. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, an election-denier, obeyed Trump by withholding a full House vote, despite e...
Two longtime teachers at Lake Roosevelt Elementary were commended Monday night for their everyday work and leadership at the school. The two had just reported on their activities with a new Teachers Advisory Committee, which works to provide information and perspectives to administration and the board. Christy Portch, the committee president, and Jaci Gross, vice president, said the committee of 13 had just met that day, discussing pertinent facts that some educational statistics don't make...
No matter where you are or what city you’re in, if you received serious wounds in an accident and needed immediate care, chances are you’d head for the nearest hospital. But for infected wounds, non-healing wounds or chronic wounds like bed sores, you’d want the nearest wound care center: one with a wide range of treatment options, including high-tech therapies, administered by certified wound care nurses who receive regular training on an evolving body of medical evidence. That’s not something all hospitals provide. Coulee Medical Center...
The debate over how Washington reduces greenhouse gasses is headed for a showdown in November. To supporters, The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is a "gold standard" environmental policy, because it sets carbon limits on polluters who must pay if they don't meet emission goals. To critics, the program is failing because it isn't really reducing emissions, is pushing up the cost of gasoline and much of the $1.8 billion it has generated isn't going to projects that reduce greenhouse gasses. This Nov...
Coulee Dam will get state and federal help planting new trees on a street it clear cut last summer. The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced this week it will award Coulee Dam $71,180 for the work. The project is designed to restore and enhance Ferry Avenue’s tree canopy. More than 30 90-year-old maples were removed unexpectedly during a sidewalk replacement project in 2023. City engineer Marisa Stevens, of TD&H Engineering, applied for the funding to plant 24 new trees along Ferry Avenue, which was stripped of more than 30 of...
The document guiding Electric City’s future growth plans has an update coming due in 2025, and the first round of review is underway. The city’s Planning Commission, an appointed advisory board made up of five Electric City residents, is taking a first look at the comprehensive plan, chapter by chapter, as part of a regular periodic update required by the state’s Growth Management Act, or GMA. “We’re just basically going to methodically go through each chapter and update it the best we can,” said Kurt Danison, a planner working with the ci...
Have you noticed how many retired school employees regularly volunteer throughout our Okanogan County communities? Retired school employees have told me that helping community members is hard work but extremely satisfying. You may find them working throughout Okanogan County’s many organizations: local, state and federal citizens’ committees, hospitals, clinics, OBHC, senior citizen centers and Community Action. They also serve their communities through groups such as Okanogan County School Retirees’ Association (OCSRA), Kiwanis, Rotary, Mason...
This is about ice skating. I wish I could claim to be good on a pair of ice skates. But, no luck. When I was growing up in Palouse, we were able to ice skate on the Palouse River. It would nearly freeze solid so there wasn’t much danger in falling through the ice. I wasn’t much good because my ankles let me down, but I gave it a whirl anyway. We had the type of skates that screwed onto your shoes. That was the state of the art, Palouse style, at the time. Later, much later, I got regular ice skating shoes. It didn’t change my proficiency on th...
Raider pride runs deep. And for a group of young men who've been working hard together for years, their final win on the hardwood felt good Saturday as they took third place in the state of Washington at the WIAA 2024 2B Boys State Basketball Tournament at the Spokane Arena. It wasn't a given outcome, despite the obvious talent on the team. They have speed, not a lot of height. They're smart, dedicated, and fearless. And their coach figured they had the best defensive team in the state. "I feel...
Kids in the Grand Coulee area can now receive a free book in the mail every month until their 6th birthday, courtesy of a partnership between the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Friends of the Grand Coulee Area Library. It's one of several ways the local Friends group supports the community and local library branch, according to board President Nancy Carlson, who made a presentation on behalf of the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization at the Grand Coulee City Council meeting Feb. 20. "The...
One way to get people involved might just be to throw a good party. Or as they call it at the Indian Education Program at Lake Roosevelt Schools, a "Family Engagement Night." They had a good one last week, as 230 people showed up to an event they'd planned for 100. "We were blown away by the attendance," program coordinator Ashley Three Irons-Atkins told the school board Monday night. The theme for the Feb. 22 event was a valentine "Be My Huckleberry" relationship-building emphasis. Dinner was...
We are a Gonzaga household. Not the usual kind of specific fans. For instance, I don’t focus on the individual players. I don’t know them by number and can seldom identify any of the players while watching the games. I leave that to my great grandson, Damon Landeros, who often comes up to the house to watch Gonzaga games with me. I started watching the Zags several years ago when I was intrigued by how a small university could develop such a strong basketball program. I haven’t been disappointed. The Zags give me something to watch up to and i...
Looks like James Tweed must be a Democrat in sheep’s clothing of a Rino. We have the most inept destructive administration in my lifetime. Over 13 million illegals’ coming across the border from Mexico not counting the ones coming from Canada. Highest increase in inflation from President Carter days. All because Biden war on fosil fuel stopped the keystone pipeline stopped the drilling in Anwar that was to start in 2020. His total administration were not qualified for the job they were put in, there only qualifications was they were part of...
As a third-generation farmer from Sunnyside, I understand the crucial role agriculture plays in our region. From tree fruits and hops to apples, potatoes, and wine grapes, Central Washington farmers produce over 300 different products and contribute over $9 billion in agriculture production to our economy. But without prioritizing our next generation of farmers, this level of impact will soon become impossible to replicate. The average age of farmers in the United States is 57 and a half years old, with only 9% under the age of 35. Children...
It's a time of year full of wake-up calls, and the Raiders got one Saturday as they squeaked by a team they'd had by 10 points in the first half of their "Opening Round" game in the state basketball tournament Saturday in Wenatchee. Lake Roosevelt (23-1) beat the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars (18-4) by three points, 67-64. "That was a little bit closer than I'd like," Raider Coach Ed Wolfe said after the game. "They can shoot well, all the way across the board, all of them." The Raiders held a...
