News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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In the last few weeks, Congress has been focused on keeping taxes from increasing and putting the U.S. government on a sustainable path toward growth and prosperity. Over long days and late nights, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, we worked on plans to avert the “fiscal cliff” – automatic tax increases (more than $3,000 for the average family in Eastern Washington) and spending cuts – that economists predicted would push the country back into recession and higher unemployment. The good news is that we didn’t go over the cliff — we p... Full story
Visions of a snow day likely danced in the heads of children aboard Grand Coulee Dam School District buses struggling on the Coulee Dam hill Monday morning. The section of State Route 155 owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was closed for about 45 minutes during a heavy snowfall. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
School patrons can get a final look at the plans for the new K-12 school complex on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Grand Coulee Dam Middle School library. Architect Cameron Golightly will present final plans, answer questions, and review the color schemes of the new buildings. The plans recently went through a constructability review with some minor changes occurring, largely in the wording for the bid documents. The school board meeting will begin at 6 p.m., with the public presentation shortly after 7 p.m. The public is invited. The public... Full story
The Star newspaper has launched a new Community Calendar of events that will make schedule coordination across the community easier. Cities, churches, ball clubs, service organizations and more can all add their upcoming events to the calendar, which can be accessed by anyone, anytime online and at least once a month in the newspaper. It’s on page 8 today. To see the calendar online, go to The Star Online at grandcoulee.com. Just under the date at the top of the home page, click on Calendar in the green menu bar. The GCD Community Calendar w... Full story
The Port District is opening Banks Lake Golf Course March 1. The opening of the course this year has been in question since money is running out at Port District 7, which also runs the Grand Coulee Dam Airport. The first indication that a decision has been made to open the course came in the form of an advertisement placed in The Star newspaper this week. Last season the port district opened the golf course after the operator pulled out just weeks before golf play, and after a community meeting of golfers where district commissioners pledged to... Full story
The Bonneville Power Administration is inviting members of the public to comment on a proposed transmission line rebuild between Coulee Dam in Grant County and Creston in Lincoln County. Public comments can help identify issues that should be addressed in the project’s Environmental Assessment, a BPA press release said. The 28-mile Grand Coulee to Creston 115-kV line has aged over the decades since it was built in 1941. Although routine maintenance has been performed on the line, all the wood poles and conductor need to be replaced due to r... Full story
The seniors now have a bus. Bob Rupe, Electric City’s representative on the Grant Transit Authority Board had the surplus bus delivered to the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center on Friday. “It’s a 14-passenger bus, small enough so anyone can drive it,” Rupe stated. Rupe has served on the GTA board previously and stated Friday that when he recently returned to the board “it was like going home.” The “People to People” bus was used by a contract carrier to help fill bus routes for the GTA. Rupe said... Full story
Membership up Chamber of commerce Manager Peggy Nevsimal reported at the group’s weekly luncheon meeting last Thursday that 11 new members had joined the chamber so far this year. She reported that 36 regular members had already paid their 2013 dues. Could it be a sign of an early spring? Sheila Whitelaw called last week to report that she saw a lone robin near her place, and some 30 or more cedar waxwings. They either flew left instead of right, or their arrival is a sign of good things to come. No snow day School Superintendent Dennis C... Full story
Despite national some regional reports of a run on gun buying following fears of increased regulations, the gun rush doesn’t seem to have surfaced locally. The two local police departments haven’t noticed any spikes in applications for concealed pistol licenses, spokesmen noted this week. Coulee Dam Police Chief Pat Collins said his department has about 20 CPL’s on the books, all renewals. “We haven’t seen any rush by people here to get concealed pistol permits,” Collins noted. Likewise in Grand Coulee, Police Chief Mel Hunt stated about the s... Full story
The Star newspaper followed one rancher’s plight after the big fire destroyed much of his pastureland last year. Jim and Michelle Hemmer have managed to find enough hay for winter feed for their 400 head of livestock. Jim said last week that they have trimmed their herd of 500 cattle down to less than 400 and spent countless hours finding winter hay and repairing fence, all because of the fire, Hemmer would be the first to tell you that many ranchers up in the Delrio flats suffered as much loss as he did, if not more. But it has been a s...
To educate the whole person, you must develop fully the mind, the body and the spirit. Are our schools (public and private) doing this? Consider these facts: • HS School dropout rates vary from 30-50 percent. • Students graduating from HS oftentimes require at least one year of remedial education at Community College to meet entry requirements. • Science and mathematics skills are dreadful (elem-HS). • Obesity is indication of poor physical fitness and health. • Stress abounds due to poor priority choices and prevalence of constant assaults... Full story
The new 113th Congress are now seated. The 112th Congress failed to recognize veterans of the Vietnam War. House Bill HR-3612 and Senate Bill S.1629, to restore The Agent Orange Equity Act did not make it out of committee. In all probability, these bills are dead and must be re-introduced. There are 439 members of Congress, 100 members of the Senate. In the 112th assembly of both houses, only 126 representatives co-sponsored the house bill and 14 senators co-sponsored the Senate bill. What does this say about those legislators who ignored the... Full story
This letter is to thank the administration of CMC for their prompt concerns and action on my complaint (below). Mike Delgado and the CFO in particular were very helpful. The bill to my kids is cancelled and they are working with Montana Medicaid on payment. Also received apologies for the billing problem and rudeness. Thanks again. J. Robert Kelton [Editor’s note: Below is Kelton’s letter to hospital administrator J. Scott Graham] Dear Sir: I am writing to resolve a situation on payment of medical treatment for my two-year-old grandson, Gab... Full story
On Tuesday, noon at Omak City Park, Jan. 22, 2013, there will be a march for life in Omak so that we will not forget that it is legal to kill an innocent, helpless baby in a mother’s womb through abortion. Everyone is welcome to join us January 22 to commemorate the sad, infamous day that the U.S. Supreme Court passed the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand in the United States of American in 1973. Common sense tells us that this is wrong. It seems that not much attention is directed at the killing of these babies any longer, i... Full story
Ten Years Ago A plan to help fish by changing the way dams in Montana are run will leave Banks Lake 10 feet lower in August, possibly affecting tourism. The Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation will put the plan they call VARQ into motion this year as an interim measure to satisfy a “biological opinion” of another federal agency. It could become permanent later. Kyle Desautel recently received his Masters of Business Administration from Easter Washington University. Lake Roosevelt girls claimed two close victories against Fre... Full story
Ronald Dean Thomas Sr. (53) “RT” Big Ron” Sw’as’kin passed away in Nespelem, Washington, on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. Born September 16, 1959, in Coulee Dam, Washington, Ron was a proud member of the Colville Confederated Tribes. He worked for many years protecting the ancestral lands he loved as a wildland firefighter on the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane, Kalispell and Colville tribal reservations. Ron also spent time working as a tree trimmer and as a pipefitter and iron worker, but he loved nothing more than spending time in the outdoors, b... Full story
Chamber to Meet at Noon at Pepper Jack’s The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet Thursday, Jan. 10, at noon at Pepper Jack’s Bar & Grille. Lee Seekins will give information on the SHARP Kids program. Lincoln County Fire Dist. 9 to Meet Lincoln County Fire District 9 will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m., at the Nazarene Church, off highway 174, Grand Coulee. March for Life in Omak A March for Life for the defense of the unborn will be held Tues., Jan. 22, the infamous anniversary of Roe vs Wade dec... Full story
Women of a church group in South Sudan rejoice after receipt of 25 pairs of reading glasses from the Grand Coulee United Methodist Women. They can now read their Bibles. The simple help of a pair of glasses, which can be purchased in the U.S. for $1, are changing lives in this area of Africa. “There is almost zero possibility for anyone in South Sudan to get a pair of reading glasses,” writes Missionary Amanda Samrani, once a Wilbur resident and nurse at Coulee Community Hospital. She now rep... Full story
Someone once told me that the first five years of a child’s life are remarkable in their ability for rapid change. Every few months bring about a new life stage that changes how a child sees his or her world and interacts with it. As my daughter moves through these stages, I have had to change with her. And change, as always, is challenging. My daughter is now almost 4, and for some time we have been moving out of the moment-by-moment living that is the life of a toddler. At that stage, I f... Full story
Kevin and Alisa Lind of Electric City are proud to announce the birth and adoption of their daughter, Elisabeth Marie Lind, born on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, in Tuscon, Ariz. Her adoption was finalized on Wednesday, Dec, 26, 2012, in Spokane, Washington. At birth Elisabeth weighed 6 lbs., 2 oz and was 18.5 inches long. She is welcomed home by big sisters Hannah and Abigail Lind.... Full story
Aaron and Kelsey Nachtigal of Electric City are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Charlotte Mae Nachtigal on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. She weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz., and was 20.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Mitch and Diana Sorensen of Almira. Paternal grandparents are Peggy and Terry Ayres of Electric City and the late Paul Nachtigal.... Full story
Kaylynn and Dale Batten of Coulee Dam are proud to announce the birth of their son Lucian Wilbert Batten on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012,at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 8 lbs., 14 oz., and was 21 inches in length at birth. Sibling is Mattie Zella Batten. Maternal grandmother is Cheryl Grunlose. Great-grandparents are Kay and Phil Grunlose.... Full story
Jennifer Williams and Jamie Williams are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Jersey Raine Williams on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 5 lbs., 9 oz., and was 18.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Julie Williams and Barry Williams. Paternal grandparents are Becky LaCourse and Tim Williams.... Full story
by Scott Hunter A Tonasket man, impressed with the behavior of Lake Roosevelt’s students at a restaurant, asked the principal to find and thank one of them for his honesty. Randy Middleton wrote to Principal Brad Wilson this week, asking him to find the young man who had stopped Middleton from leaving the restaurant without his dropped credit card, then politely refused any monetary reward. “I’m a great believer in what I call the HICK mentality, which stands for Honesty, Integrity, Courteousness and Knowledge,” Middleton wrote. “This y... Full story
Raider wrestling had a busy Christmas Break wrestling at the Othello girls and JV tourney Dec. 22, Selkirk on Dec. 29, and last Saturday at Warden. The Othello Tourney was a late add and the Raiders who went impressed Head Coach Steve Hood. “Guys really stepped up and wrestled well at Othello,” he said. Alexia Hanway continued to place in the money at tourneys as she came away with the third-place medal at 106 pounds. Hanway was the only Raider girl at the Othello girls tourney. Raiders James Monaghan (at 120), Josh Jim (132), and Andrew McClur... Full story
