News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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More than half the power outages in the city of Coulee Dam last year were caused by wild turkeys that roam the town freely. Last year the town, which operates its own electric utility, suffered nine power outages, the last five all because of the big birds, said Mike Steffens, the city superintendent who gets to deal with such emergencies. Each time, that takes a minimum of two employees spending a couple hours walking the lines, arranging for upstream power to be shut off, then reconnected, and...
A 41-year-old Almira man was booked into Lincoln County Jail on several charges stemming from a fraud investigation by the county sheriff’s office, Sheriff Wade Magers stated Saturday. David W. McCoy was booked into jail Friday on charges of first- and second-degree theft, money laundering and first-degree identity theft, jail records show. McCoy was still in jail on Tuesday with a bond amount set at $15,000. His arrest followed an investigation by Deputy Jon Evans, who had received a complaint from an Almira resident that nearly $10,000 had b...
Dale Rey, along with the mayor and two other council members, took the oath of office and accepted a seat at the council table in Coulee Dam, Jan. 8. Rey was appointed by the council Dec. 11 to the seat vacated by Marcia Warnecke last fall. As of Jan. 1, the council is still short one member as long-time council member Ben Alling did not seek re-election last year, but he took a seat in the audience last week. Rey had plenty of questions during the 30-minute meeting, including about the town-own...
Chief Henry Hix of the Colville Tribal Natural Resource Enforcement Department, identified the body of 41-year-old Leonard “Junior” Simpson Tuesday afternoon. Simpson was found by two volunteers of the search-and-rescue team organized by Chief Hix. “We are thankful to all the volunteers that showed up to help with the search and rescue,” Chief Hix stated. “Although it was not the ending we had hoped for, the body of Mr. Simpson has been returned to his family and friends. We appreciat... Full story
If you'd like some active fun on New Year's Day, here are a couple local options: Pretend you're a polar bear Meet at Spring Canyon at noon for a polar bear plunge into Lake Roosevelt or join a few crazy kayakers braving the cold. They're both happening at noon. Spring Canyon, the National Park Service's closest campground in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area to Grand Coulee, isn't open with full service now, so plan on taking any trash with you when you leave. And be sure to bring a t...
Coulee Dam’s town council passed new rates and a budget this month that included utility rates increases following a series of budget workshops the council worked on in November and December. A flat increase for garbage pickup of $3 per container will be implemented in March and leave about $13,000 next December in the garbage fund that was in the hole at the end of this year. The base rated for electric service will also rise, by $6 per month, to increase the fund accumulated in anticipation of needed maintenance by $38,000. Sewer rates w...
Quick thinking and some downright neighborly effort saved the day last week when hundreds of frozen turkeys could have spoiled instead of finding hungry families. Pacific Aquaculture, which operates the fish-raising farm in Lake Rufus Woods under contract with the Colville Tribes, each year spends $10,000 worth of turkeys to distribute through the tribal food bank operation, usually at Thanksgiving. This year, however, the tribes had decided to match that effort, so about 600 turkeys were still...
The second fire in the neighborhood just above the Columbia River along the Lower River Road in about three weeks brought a quick response from firefighting agencies last Wednesday evening and was quickly brought under control. Like the fire just down the road Nov. 25, the blaze Dec. 18 affected a building that had been unused for some time, this one a small apartment building that had just been sold this month. Firefighters from Okanogan County District 2 and elsewhere responded about 5:15...
Don Brunell, who wrote a column on this page, doesn’t know the local Portch family, but he might as well have used them as an example in his column on local business owners who do good for their communities. Like his parents before him, Loepp Furniture and Appliance owner Kevin Portch doesn’t miss much in the way of opportunities to make life a little better in his hometown, and it’s an ethic his employees embrace, as well. Which led to the story on the front page about rescuing frozen turkeys to maximize the good to come from another local...
The city administrator in Electric City, who has shepherded through many of the projects that have turned out to be the most contentious in the last few years, will resign in January to work for the engineering firm that designed them. Russ Powers delivered his letter of resignation Tuesday night, effective January 31, 2020, to the city council he admired during its last meeting before four new members take the place of the members they defeated in the election last month. Some of them had said...
Police officers responding to a reported car crash in Coulee Dam Sunday morning found no sign of a driver, except for a blood trail. A Colville Tribal Police officer Coulee Dam Police Chief were following a trail that went nowhere as a reporter arrived. Neighbors later reported having seen the driver walk away from the seen at 1109 River Drive, which is also SR-155. The crash happened about 7:30 a.m., and when no driver could be found, the Washington State Patrol was asked to investigate. A WSP...
Looking back is much easier than looking forward, but it’s not like no one is trying. Two opinion pieces on this page point to turning points in two different areas of society that will converge at some point to change the future, hopefully for the better. Rep. Dan Newhouse points out the need for STEM-educated people to fill burgeoning demand for workers in science, technology, engineering and math careers and the bill he supports to increase such education in rural areas. And Don Brunell, a career-long observer of economic trends in Washingto...
The local hospital has an acute need to provide daycare for its employees, a circumstance that has led to the purchase of nearby grain elevators. Coulee Medical Center asked employees in a survey earlier this year about their need to find daycare for their children. Some 65 children of hospital employees would be served by a daycare if the hospital built one, concluded Chief Executive Officer Ramona Hicks. So that's now one of her goals. CMC has been successfully recruiting young professionals...
A woman who helped generations of members of the Colville Tribes pursue their educations died in a crash Friday night just north of Coulee Dam. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation held a remembrance event Tuesday in the auditorium of the Lucy F. Covington Center after the unexpected passing of longtime employee and tribal member Gloria Atkins. She was 70. "I've known Gloria my entire life," lamented Colville Business Council Chairman Rodney Cawston. "To not have her here,...
A 70-year-old Nespelem woman died Friday night when the car she was driving rolled on the highway just north of Coulee Dam. Gloria Atkins, 70, was headed north on SR-155 when the wheels of the Chevy Equinox she was driving left the roadway on the right. She corrected, turning left, then once again to the right before the vehicle rolled, a Washington State Patrol investigation found. It came to rest on its top on the northbound shoulder. Atkins was wearing a seatbelt. The wreck happened about... Full story
Authorities have closed SR-155 just north of Coulee Dam for a fatal collision tonight. Anyone traveling between Coulee Dam and points north should take the Lower River Road. The Washington State Department of Transportation issued a notice of the road closure, which started at 7:48 p.m. No other details are available now. Three Colville Tribal Police units were at the scene. The Washington State Patrol was reportedly en route to investigate and should issue a report in a few... Full story
An Idaho man will spend 40 months in prison for an assault that took place on the Colville Indian Reservation, a federal judge decided Monday. Roberto Lewis Doran, 40, an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty in August to “Crime on Indian Reservation - Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury,” a statement from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said Monday. According to court documents, Doran and his girlfriend had been drinking at a neigh...
If you felt a little shaking Monday morning, that wasn't just a big truck passing by. The region felt an earthquake at about 10:49 a.m. Monday, centered about 15.5 miles southwest of Coulee Dam. The U.S. Geological Survey website indicates the shaking was reported by nine "citizen scientists" from Tonasket to Davenport. The magnitude 3.5 quake was likely centered about a mile underground, west of Banks Lake in Douglas County, roughly halfway down the length of the lake, according to data on the...
A favorite childhood memory led to the opening of the newest venture on Midway Avenue, where the latest iteration of a local business has planted roots. The Popcorn Shoppe opened earlier this month at a new location, Midway and Main in Grand Coulee to sell gourmet popcorn, candy and more. Owner Kim Christensen said last week that the shop is step toward fulfilling her vision of a destination shop that will become a tradition that provides good memories like she has of a place from her...
No matter who the experts are, the city administration and the city council who hire them must keep their eyes wide open. Problems in city infrastructure can take a long time to develop and be noticed, but two things are certain: they will develop, and you will pay, sooner or later. So, while the tendency in local governments is to let the experts do their thing, the people we elect to oversee them have a tough job to do in overriding that tendency and holding accountable those who know more than they do. The selection in Electric City of a...
Lake Roosevelt's Raiders won the day in their first round of the state football playoffs Saturday in Coulee Dam, besting Friday Harbor 19-14, but losing a key player in the process. Of any of the state's 53 2B-classified teams, the two with the least points scored against them this season slugged it out in a game that wore out the grass in the middle of Greene Field and seemed to give up nearly as much yardage to yellow flags as plays. The most severe of those penalties saw Raider Cameron St....
Lake Roosevelt's Raiders won the day in their first round of the state football playoffs Saturday in Coulee Dam, besting Friday Harbor 19-14, but losing a key player in the process. They'll play next week on the west side of the state at a time and place to be determined. The Lady Raiders volleyball team competed against two teams at the state tournament in Yakima Thursday, losing to each in four sets after winning the first set in each contest. Their season is done, but it included being the... Full story
The little local rodeo that almost stopped happening nearly a decade ago is poised to join the ranks of the larger professional rodeo world. The Ridge Riders Saddle Club’s annual Colorama Rodeo each May will likely join the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association, following a vote of the Ridge Riders board of directors Nov. 6. President George Kohout announced the coming change at the chamber of commerce luncheon the next day. “This is by far the biggest chance we’ve ever taken,” Kohout said. The move was instigated by the group’s stock con...
In a strong show of disapproval for current government, Electric City voters have chosen a new city council and mayor, casting about four or five times as many votes for the challengers as for incumbents. They selected Diane Kohout as the new mayor over incubent Aaron Derr, 238-33; Bob Rupe for city council position 2 over Birdie Hensley, 217-53; Cate Slater over Carol Nordine for council position 4, 221-49; and Cheryl Hoffman over Lonna Bussert 210-55. The challengers have been campaigning on a platform of changing the direction, and the...
If someone asked you if you would commit to a job that could send you to anywhere in the world, even some of its worst places, for years, and that you had to obey orders of your supervisors at all times or there could be serious repercussions, and that the pay wasn’t great, and that it would be entirely possible that you could be in serious danger, even killed, would you jump at the chance? You might, if, like the men and women depicted in our special section honoring veterans this week, you found that the job also allowed you to serve the n...