News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Whether you call it a ban or a significant deterrent to future natural gas consumption, voter approval of Initiative 2066 (I-2066) in Washington may be only the first giant pothole to fill. The next one in the road ahead may be a hefty tax on natural gas. In 2019, Berkeley, Calif., became the first city to prohibit natural gas connections in new buildings. San Jose, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and others followed. However, last year the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a setback by holding that federal law preempts local bans...
A cooking mishap turned a house to ashes Friday, leaving a family without a home, but well, not including one or more less fortunate pets. Firefighters got the call at 5: 24 that evening, according to a post on the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department's Facebook. When they arrived, "the fire had progressed enough to determine it would be a defensive attack," the post states, so firefighting would emphasize keeping it from spreading to other structures and the dry grass in the adjacent lot. A...
Despite comments on social media that two people were shot in Delano around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 16 — including a woman who said she was a family member of the victim or victims — police responding to multiple 911 calls from neighbors reporting gunshots were not able to identify any victims, nor any physical signs that anyone had been shot. However, Grand Coulee’s outgoing interim police chief told The Star in a text message Sept. 16 that “there is a suspect” and he confirmed there were two victims. He did not name them, but character...
The motion picture “The Bridge on the River Kwai” had more of a jungle setting than the real bridge. I made the trip in an elongated canoe to reach a mango plantation owned by the family of a student our family sponsored at the University of Washington. His name was Khien, and he became a real member of our family. He was loved by everyone. Khien already had his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and his law degree. He was at the UW to get his doctorate. He had already written several books. His specialty — Communist China. Khien had a cubbyhole...
It looks increasingly likely the Grand Coulee Police Department won’t exist for much longer. Instead, the city may contract with an outside entity for law enforcement within city limits — potentially the Soap Lake Police Department or the Grant County Sheriff’s Office — based on comments made at Tuesday night’s council meeting, and by outgoing interim police chief Levi Johnson in a phone call with The Star last week. Johnson confirmed he had put in his notice earlier this month, and his last day with the department is next week. Council m...
A Lake Roosevelt teacher’s recycling proposal won approval from the school board last week, a move he hopes will reduce the district’s waste footprint and perhaps even its garbage bill. The unanimous decision at the board’s Sept. 9 meeting means the district will begin collecting mixed paper and cardboard in a separate recycling bin provided by Sunrise Disposal. “[Sunrise] expects we may be able to eliminate a dumpster within 2 months of getting our program up and running,” wrote Aaron Derr, a 6th grade teacher at Lake Roosevelt Elementary. Pic...
Organizers for Run the Dam say registration this year has almost doubled over last year, with participants coming from all over the western U.S., B.C., and as far away as Texas and Florida. Executive Director Kelly Buche said she expects to surpass 500 sign-ups, a milestone that has been her goal since she took over in 2016. That's thanks in part to a new marketing person, Buche said, but the run and the accompanying weekend festival is attracting more people by simple word of mouth, too. "The...
I wanted to thank you for your thoughtful editorial coverage on “Mental health troubles and news,” and the article “Man rescued from bridge standoff” in the September 11 edition of The Star. You are absolutely correct: “... Hope has to be part of the coverage” you provide, and is a reminder that each of us can offer hope to those who are struggling. Each of the community members who noticed the at-risk individual on the bridge and contacted the appropriate authorities, as well as the worker from Nespelem Valley Electric Co-Op, who was willi...
Just wanted to send a shout out to the Coulee Wall Variety Store. They opened up on Labor Day so that I could get some kitten milk replacement for some sick kittens I was asked to foster. A business and folks like this are truly a godsend to this community. Brittany Belgarde...
Excellent letter from Jim Catlow about “a vote for Trump is actually a vote for”. He does a great job of laying out why people should vote for Trump and not Harris. People need to get over their “TDS - Trump Derangement Syndrome” and vote for what is best for this country. Do I wish that the Republicans had picked someone other than Trump, yes I do, but in this election he is the only choice for preserving the greatness of this country. Glen Graevell...
The gray wolf was never native to the lower 48. But since the introduction of the gray wolf to the lower 48 here are some facts. Yellowstone National Park wildlife numbers in 1990 Elk population was 20,000. Moose population 1,000 Wolf Population 14 Yellowstone National Park Wildlife population 2022 Elk population 5,000 Down 75% Moose population 120 Down 80% Wolf population 120 Up 750% The Gray Wolf has spread from Yellowstone into Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Wyoming, The Idaho Elk hunter harvest in 1995 Lolo Zone was 1,975, In...
A number of years ago while living in Bothell my personal doctor and I became close friends. When I moved there, our clinic had about half a dozen doctors, and I chose the youngest as the one I wanted to go to. When my visit to see him came to a close, he would always take about five minutes to learn what I was interested in. It probably was not the best thing to allow, by either of us. One time, at the close of my visit, he said he intended to go to the Pavarotti concert and wondered if my wife and I would be interested in going. He got...
The education and operations levy that squeaked by in 2022 expires next year, and Grand Coulee Dam School District is already working on the next funding proposal to voters, which the board president would like to see appear on the February ballot. Though the final proposed rate and election date won’t be set until November, it will likely fall somewhere between $2 and $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, based on comments at the school board meeting Sept. 9. Superintendent Rod Broadnax says he intends to bring a proposal to the b...
After a decade of planning and debate, Electric City residents may see early signs of their first city-owned park before the snow falls. Park Planning Committee members are hoping so, as they discussed plans September 3 to get bids for concrete or asphalt, a perimeter fence, rocks, excavation, and lawn irrigation. A six-piece set of outdoor fitness equipment is already on the way, which will include a cross-country skier machine, a sit-up bench, a rower, a fit rider, an elliptical and a warm-up station for the “parcourse.” The set is wit...
It started as an answer to a job interview question in 2015, and next week, the Gathering of Wellness Powwow and Health Fair returns to the CMC grounds, across Highway 174 from the hospital campus in Grand Coulee. Though in its fifth year, it will be the first time since 2019 that Coulee Medical Center has offered the free community event, co-presented by the Colville Tribal Health Program. The powwow specifically began with the goal of improving CMC’s relationships with tribal communities, but everyone is welcome — and it makes for a great fir...
A young man came down from the top of the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Thursday evening, coached down by a Nespelem Valley Electric worker with a bucket truck. Police had called for the truck earlier in the day from the Rural Electric Authority utility, which also contracts to do line repairs for the city utility in Coulee Dam and was nearby. Police were looking for a way to communicate with the man and planned to have a cell phone delivered with the bucket truck. But the man in the...
As a newspaper, we actually try not to cover certain stories if they’re arising from an individual’s personal mental health problems. It’s not unusual to get a report that authorities have responded to an individual in distress, or worse. But if someone threatens to do themselves harm, most often it seems far less likely that a news story would help either the individual or society, which might only suffer greater loss if a news article placed more pressure on an already bad situation for that individual. Most of the time. But it was diffi...
It was at the end of World War II that I became fascinated with cars. During the war, auto manufacturers were busy making tanks and ammo carriers. The public had to get along with some early 1945 models and people were lucky to find one. Those were the days when you could look at a car and know what make it was and the year it was manufactured. It was still a few years before I was old enough to drive and make enough money to purchase a car. We didn’t have driving classes then. My dad wasn’t anxious to let us drive the family car. My first exp...
The suspect in an Aug. 6 shooting in Delano has been charged with second-degree assault. Austin Krabbenhoft, 28, pled not guilty to the Class B Felony charge in his arraignment hearing Aug. 20 in Grant County Superior Court in Ephrata. Though he was booked into Grant County Jail right after his arrest, Krabbenhoft has been out on a $50,000 bail since Aug. 7. According to the terms of his release, he is not to use or possess any firearm, nor make any contact with the alleged victim or a neighbor police interviewed as a witness. According to the...
Citing its current "security posture," Bureau of Reclamation staff has told the Grand Coulee city clerk the agency does not intend to renew its $750,000 annual contract for law enforcement services with the city. The agreement, which has been amended and renewed since it began in 2017, is set to expire May 31 of next year. "As of now, we will not be renewing unless our security posture changes, and it is required," the Bureau's contract specialist wrote to the clerk last month. Although that...
Update A young man came down from the top of the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Thursday evening, coached down by a Nespelem Valley Electric worker with a bucket truck. Police had called for the truck earlier in the day from the Rural Electric Authority utility, which also contracts to do line repairs for the city utility in Coulee Dam and was nearby. Police were looking for a way to communicate with the man and planned to have a cell phone delivered with the bucket truck. But the man in...
This story has been corrected to reflect a witnesses statement that Sen. Schoesler backed into the same vehicle twice, not into two separate vehicles. An additional sentence was added, noting the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08. RITZVILLE - The local 9th Legislative District senator was released on his own recognizance Saturday night, Aug. 31, after being arrested for allegedly driving drunk and striking another vehicle twice. Sen. Mark Schoesler, 67, of Ritzville, was arrested by citation...
This Saturday’s Swing for the Good Charity Scramble at Banks Lake Golf Course will help the cause of developing a new park in Electric City. The event, sponsored by Jess Ford and the Columbia Basin Foundation offers teams of four a fun tournament Saturday morning with an 11 a.m. shotgun start. The $400 registration fee for the foursome includes green fees, cart fees, lunch, goodie bags, and prizes — plus that chance to win a new vehicle. Run the Dam, the local non-profit that puts on the annual Run the Dam race coming up on Sept. 21, will get...
A new Alternative Learning director at Nespelem School told its board of directors Aug. 26 he was excited for the program. “I just wanted to thank you all for the opportunity of bringing an alternative program to Nespelem,” said Mark Herndon, who made the move to Nespelem this fall after heading the ALE program at Grand Coulee Dam for several years. Nespelem’s program is integral to the startup last year of its emerging high school offerings, designed to develop a Career and Technical Education component, working with the Colville Tribe...
The new school year is beginning for many, but before the bell rings, I want to address the increasing dangers we see from opioids in our schools. Fentanyl is sadly the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, and it only takes a 2-milligram dose—the size of a grain of rice—to cause an overdose. As it becomes increasingly available, it is crucial for parents to understand the risks that their children are facing. According to the Washington State Department of Health, over 300,000 people have died due to drug overdose deaths nat...
