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 two firms selling hard liquor locally since the June 1 change from state control to private control of liquor sales reported brisk business this week. Voters passed Initiative 1183 last year, resulting in the massive change in the state’s liquor industry. Safeway, which chose to place before-taxes pricing on their bottled inventory, said the ticket shock they expected at the cash register didn’t happen. At Marvin and Shirley Palanuk’s store, formerly a state-contracted liquor store, the pric... Full story
Two Electric City men who live on 2nd Street face citations because their dogs allegedly attacked a woman while she was jogging May 10. Amanda Lyn Button, 34, who lives on 3rd Street, reported to police that the dogs bit her on both legs, and a relative of hers had to come out and chase the dogs away. When officers Adam Hunt and Sean Cook found the dogs, the dogs acted aggressively and one dog had to be pepper sprayed. One dog belongs to Michael Lowry, of 214 2nd Street, and the other dog belongs to Joseph Balthazar, of 58063 2nd Street NW. Bal... Full story
In exit interviews at Lake Roosevelt High School, seniors said they had been their own worst enemies during their prep careers, but most stated they were satisfied with their high school experience. School counselor Sue Hayes spent a month interviewing 41 of the 58 seniors, asking a variety of questions. Interviews generally took about 30 minutes, with one lasting four hours, Hayes stated. She was impressed with their answers. The students regularly put their academic goals at the forefront. “Seniors didn’t try to lay the blame on anyone els... Full story
Elmer City is still trying to figure out if the town is a partner or a customer in its relationship with Coulee Dam and the wastewater treatment plant. And it will likely take the opinion of legal eagles to fully determine the issue. About 20 people attended a town hall meeting last Thursday night in Elmer City and listened to Greg Wilder explain his views on the proposed $4.992 million treatment plant project. Wilder asserted the following points: • that the Coulee Dam plant problems could be addressed for about $2.1 million, or even less. ... Full story
About half of those who are notified by letter that their properties are in violation of Coulee Dam’s town ordinances respond, Police Chief Pat Collins said last week. The town last week sent out a dozen letters informing property owners that they were in violation of the town’s ordinance. Collins was asked by city council members at their last meeting about some properties in town that had tall grass and debris in their yards. He said then that letters were being prepared advising residents to clean up their places. “Our officers, when they... Full story
Port District 7 commissioners labored over a golf cart issue at their meeting last Thursday. They eventually agreed that their choice in taking over a former lease on 21 golf carts and two utility carts wasn’t a good one, but they went ahead and agreed to the lease. The issue on the golf carts was that several of the golf carts and one of the utility carts were not operable. Commissioners found that the only choice they had was to assume the previous lease with Golf Carts, Inc, a Spokane firm. If the lease wasn’t signed, commissioners were afr... Full story
State Sen. Linda Evans Parlette will be one of the speakers at Lake Roosevelt High School’s graduation exercises, Saturday, June 9. Parlette said last week that her talk will be brief and that she was taking the opportunity while in the community to meet with any constituents who want to talk with her. She said she will be at the R&A Cafe in Coulee Dam from 11 a.m. to noon for public meetings. She will address the graduating seniors shortly after the start of ceremonies beginning at 1 p.m. P... Full story
“I have never seen a community that has an opportunity like this one has to re-invent the K-12 school system,” Dennis Carlson told business leaders at a chamber of commerce meeting recently. Carlson, the superintendent of the Grand Coulee Dam School District, said that the district will soon have a new K-12 facility, be debt free, and will be able to focus its attention on education. That could allow for some serious rethinking of how that education is delivered, he said, touching on ideas such as promotion of students along subject lines the... Full story
Okanogan County and Brewster law enforcement officers assisted Grand Coulee police in locating an Electric City woman wanted for stabbing her boyfriend with a knife May18. Arrested on assault in the first degree, domestic violence, and providing false information to a police officer, was Mercedes A. O’Dell, 22, of 138 Miller Ave., in Electric City. Police say she tabbed Jacob M. Jackson, 24, who gave his address as Omak. Officers had originally answered a call that a suicidal person was at the Miller Avenue address. When police arrived the o... Full story
Police arrested a Coulee Dam man last week after a knifing incident at his home. Donald Wilson, of 611 Holly Street, was arrested Thursday for first-degree assault, resisting arrest and intimidating a public servant. Wilson is accused of stabbing Dion Socula in the chest and wrist after an argument in Wilson’s home. Police were called by a neighbor after Socula stumbled onto the neighbor’s property and collapsed. The police were told that a person visiting the neighbor had taken Socula to the hospital. When officers arrived there, Socula was... Full story
Grand Coulee has named Deputy Clerk Valerie Keck as its nuisance ordinance compliance officer. Mayor Chris Christopherson told the council May 15 that she has already started sending letters out telling residents of their non-compliance with the city’s ordinances. Keck will also be active in “dangerous building abatement.” The city’s efforts to get people to clean up their properties were started after Becky Billups, a resident who lives on Burdin Boulevard, complained that places near her residence looked like a “ghetto.” This sparked a r... Full story
Electric City no longer makes audio recordings of its council meetings. The city stopped doing this about a month ago on agreement between Mayor Jerry Sands and City Clerk/Treasurer Jackie Perman. That raised a question from resident Sam Stanczak, who has been attending council meetings the past several weeks. “How can you do this,” Stanczak asked? He asked Sands if it was illegal to not record the meetings. Sands answered, “no,” and explained that most cities and town do not. The city has made a practice of recording meetings for years,... Full story
The school board will hold a public hearing, beginning at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 6, on a new policy to deal with holding students back a grade. The district, in effect, has been operating without a formal retention policy. The board had its first reading of the new policy at its meeting, May 21, and the final reading is scheduled June 6. The public will have an opportunity to examine the policy and comment on it during the public hearing aspect of the board meeting. The policy deals with the retention issue in all 12 grades. For grades K-4, th... Full story
Coulee Dam will seek a lower interest rate for its loan for the proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant. The town currently has a $4.992 million loan from the Department of Ecology at 2.7 percent interest. The town council Wednesday asked engineering firm Gray & Osborne to prepare an application for a 1-percent, 20-year loan from the state’s Public Works Trust Fund. The PWTF projects are awarded after approval by the state Legislature, with funds being made available in 2014. Council members were told that Gray & Osborne would prepare the a... Full story
A town hall meeting on Coulee Dam’s Wastewater Treatment Plant will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 31, at Elmer City’s town hall. The meeting was called by Elmer City so residents could discuss the financial impacts the plant would have on local residents. Elmer City contracts with Coulee Dam to process its sewer flow. Mayor Mary Jo Carey said the meeting is for information only and that no official decisions will be made. Elmer City is in a tug of war with Coulee Dam’s council over whether it is a partner in the current sewer treatment plant... Full story
Thirteen new flags will be dedicated in the “Isle of Flags” ceremony at Spring Canyon Cemetery, Monday, May 28, beginning at 11 a.m. American Legion Post 157 officials stated this week that more than 500 memorial flags will be waving over the Memorial Day weekend and beyond. Flags will go up beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, and volunteers will remove and store the flags beginning at 6 p.m. next Monday. Those being remembered for their service to their country this year are: • Vernon “Vern” Ross Coppersmith, • David C. Doppler, • Harrold W. Du... Full story
A proposal to develop further hydroelectric power in the area would store water at a higher elevation, then drop it to generate power in a scheme that would compliment the growth of wind power. The Grand Coulee Project Hydroelectric Authority’s project would generate up to 15 percent of the current capacity of the 6,800 megawatt Grand Coulee Dam. Speaking from his Ephrata office, spokesman Bob Stoaks called the project “theoretical” at this time and added the pre-permit process could take two to three years. It would take another seven or mo... Full story
Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands called for an audit of the books again, at the Regional Board of Mayors meeting May 14. He has done so several times several times in the past. The administration of the Delano Regional Transfer Station and the landfill project have now been taken over by Electric City from Grand Coulee. At their meeting, more than $1 million was transferred from Grand Coulee accounts to the new administration. Since Sands has asked for an accounting of the money involved for several months and not been satisfied with responses,... Full story
An Electric City resident trying to get her place fixed up so she can get custody of her two grandchildren said this week she would appreciate it if people would contact her before leaving things at her property. Mardee Davis said Monday that people have been leaving things she doesn’t need on her property. “I would appreciate it if people would call me first or stop by the house to see if I need something before they leave it.” Her phone number is 633-9828, and her residence is 103 West Grand... Full story
Look for the community’s largest yard sale of the year on June 14 and 15. It’s not a couple of families going together, nor a street of residents putting on the event. It’s going to happen at A.E. Wright Elementary School in Coulee Dam and will feature hundreds of items declared surplus by the school board last Monday night. Just to give you some sense of value, how is this for starters? - Two adjustable hospital beds, $20 each. - Six teacher desks, metal, three-drawer, $25 each. - Numerous counters with sinks, $5 a foot. - Rolling stora... Full story
Police arrested a Safeway deli employee last Friday on charges that she had taken from $3,200 to $3,500 from the cash register in her department over a period of 18 months. Sobhana L. France, 34, was taken to Grant County jail on a second-degree theft charge. The police report stated that France’s cash till showed shortages of $3,869 since August of 2011. Police stated that store security cameras showed several instances when France took cash from the till. Store officials gave police a statement signed by France admitting that she took the m... Full story
An open registration for the SHARP Kids Summer Programs will be held Thursday, May 17, from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the GCD School District Office. These programs are open to any students enrolled in the GCD School District or homeschooling within the boundaries of the GCD School District. All students must be re-registered to participate in the SHARP Kids Summer Program. For more details on the program available this summer please refer to the 2012 summer guides available at LRHS, GCDMS, Center Elementary and the GCD School District office. P... Full story
The Colorama Pro-West Rodeo last weekend attracted 202 contestants that competed in 270 events, officials said this week. That participation stood as a marked difference from a year ago, when the event almost didn’t happen. “It was the first time I remember when the stands were full,” Ridge Rider President George Kohout said. Contestants came from British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The Colorama Rodeo is one of the first of the season and this year’s event drew a record... Full story
Tick, tick, tick … the clock is ticking on the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s plan to “fast track” its K-12 facility project. Superintendent Dennis Carlson said last week that the district has received word from the state superintendent’s office that the new school project can move ahead immediately and that its schedule of going out for bid next January now is a reality. Accordingly, the school board last Wednesday gave its architectural firm, Design West, the OK to prepare complete drawings for its K-12 educational wing as well as the ne... Full story
Six area post offices could lose some hours but remain open under the latest U.S. Postal Service plan to reduce overall costs. The Postal Service had earlier released a plan to close 3,700 rural post offices across the nation in an effort to stop the flow of red ink that has plagued the agency for several years. The new plan was formally announced May 10, and provides options for rural post offices that were slated to close. The change of heart came on the heels of political pressure legislators felt from citizens living within service areas... Full story
