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Articles from the February 15, 2023 edition


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  • Coach honored with friends at dinner

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    Coach Pleasants was surprised when he walked into the banquet room at the Coulee Dam Community Church to be greeted by dozens supporters there to wish him well and honor his time as a Lady Raider coach. Wallace "Peewee" Pleasants coached the Lake Roosevelt High School girls' basketball program for 12 years, ending in 2022 at the state tournament in Spokane, each year punctuated with motto to drive home a lesson. His coaching career started 24 years ago, when he coached his son Mathew's...

  • Ferry closed tonight due to high winds

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    Keller Ferry is closed tonight due to high winds, the state Transportation Dept. said. It should be reopened at 6 a.m. tomorrow, Feb. 21. Winds are expected to be around 14 mph with gusts of up to 41 tonight. While a high of 46 is expected Tuesday, the low Tuesday night is expected to get to 22, and on down to 11 on Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane. The change in weather has to do with a "massive winter storm" about to hit. "A massive winter storm is expected to impact a large portion of the U.S. the next...

  • Ice fishers beware: USBR begins pumping into Banks Lake Feb. 17

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    The ice on Banks Lake could "could rapidly change without warning" as the Bureau of Reclamation will begin pumping water into the lake on Friday, Feb. 17, the Bureau announced Thursday. A similar warning applies for those fishing at Potholes Reservoir. The most popular spot for ice fishing in the local area may well be the area near North Dam where the feeder canal brings in water from deep in Lake Roosevelt. That starts Friday, and "Recreationalists on Banks Lake and Potholes Reservoir should...

  • Radio change leads to larger discussion for fire departments

    Feb 15, 2023

    One thing sometimes leads to another. A recent change in Electric City is causing leaders in Coulee Dam and Grand Coulee to look at more possible changes for area fire departments and the ambulance service. Electric City this year awarded its contract for supplying police services to Coulee Dam, after decades of Grand Coulee supplying the service. The two towns are largely in different counties, and each has used different county dispatch systems — Coulee Dam’s with Okanogan County, Electric City’s with Grant County’s Multi-Area Communi...

  • GCD School superintendent to retire in summer

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Tuner will retire this coming July, he told his school board in a letter Monday. Turner, hired in 2016, put forth a plan a year ago to work part time for two more years alongside a full-time assistant, who could then take over. That assistant was never hired. In his letter, Turner recounted accomplishments and obstacles. Among them, upgrading the CTE building, working with the tribe to establish a Native language/culture program, and establishing a viable alternative learning environment...

  • School bus goes in ditch

    Feb 15, 2023

    A school bus returning kids to home after sports and afterschool activities Thursday ran off the road in Electric City. No one was seriously injured. “No serious or major injuries were reported,” the school district stated in a noted about the incident posted on its website. “However, there were some minor bumps and scrapes.” The students were either picked up by families or were taken home on another bus. The accident happened at 5:49 p.m. as the bus was headed south on SR 155 at Kent Street. The driver had realized he turned south, the wro...

  • Angler amid angles

    Feb 15, 2023

    An angler employs strategic patience to fish from the shoreline of Lake Roosevelt Saturday, along with a couple rods and a campfire, as the lowered lake provides a sculpted beach backdrop. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Ferry sidewalk contract awarded

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    Heaving sidewalks along Coulee Dam’s Ferry Avenue will finally get replaced this year, after years of delays. J.M. Pacific Construction Inc, of Moses Lake, will replace the sidewalks for $195,390. The total cost on the project, including engineering, construction, consultants and more, comes to $230, 514. The project is completely funded by the state Dept. of Transportation and Chelan-Douglas Transportation. The work must be done by September....

  • Proposal would expand Running Start to sophomores

    Alexandria Osborne, Washington State Journal|Feb 15, 2023

    The Running Start program, which allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college level credits, will expand to include sophomores if a proposal in the state Legislature is approved. “It’s a heavy lift when you’re a junior and senior to try to accomplish your two-year degree in those two years,” said Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee. “A little running start to Running Start might be good to actually accomplish some of the two-year attainment that we’re seeking in the state.” Running Start allows high school students to earn credits at co...

  • Hi Voltage networking

    Feb 15, 2023

    People mingle at Voltage Thursday night in a "Chamber After Hours" event designed to give businesspeople in town a time and space to just visit in a social setting. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • To the USBR, a request to honor a hero

    Family of Toni Godsil|Feb 15, 2023

    To whom it may concern: It has come to our attention that the Bureau of Reclamation is currently constructing a new fire department facility at the Grand Coulee Power Office in Grand Coulee, Washington. Along with this, we are excited to make you aware of an opportunity the Bureau has to recognize and pay tribute to Toni Jean Godsil, the first Bureau-hired female firefighter, hired as part of a controversial 1989 pilot program, who tragically lost her life in the line of duty. Before she did, though, she proved that men and women can...

  • America needs Navy's nuclear expertise to meet electricity demands

    Don Brunell|Feb 15, 2023

    It’s past time for an energy reality check. If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear power. Today, U.S. nuclear plants generated enough electricity to power more than 70 million homes. It’s the most reliable source of electricity operating at full capacity over 90 percent of the time. It is “greenhouse gas” free, yet many activists are pushing to close, not build, nuclear power plants. If President Biden a...

  • Sailing ships and ships of war

    Roger Lucas|Feb 15, 2023

    We were in Baltimore visiting our daughter Kathy, who lived there at the time, and did the town. One of the highlights was touring the USS Constellation, a three-mast sailing man-of-war. It was the last ship in the fleet commissioned by the United States that moved under sail power. Named after two other ships by the same name, the ship was commissioned in the mid 1850s, was 181 feet long, and had a crew of about 350. The Constellation had several decks, with 16 large cannon and four smaller guns, all on the same deck. In the hull, where the fo...

  • The border and fentanyl crises put our communities at risk

    Congressman Dan Newhouse|Feb 15, 2023

    We are now two years into the Biden Administration and the crisis at our southern border has only gotten worse. Recent figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show record levels of border crossings with no sign of improvement while fentanyl is flooding into our communities. Moreover, the American people have not seen any signs from President Biden that he is serious about addressing this worsening crisis and bringing forth solutions to get it under control. The crisis at our southern border is a crisis that affects every...

  • Yvaughn Grace (White) Carstensen 

    Feb 15, 2023

    Yvaughn Grace "Yvaughnie" Carstensen, (95), of Almira, WA passed away on January 28, 2023. Yvaughn a lifelong resident of Almira, WA was born in Wenatchee, WA on October 21, 1927. The only daughter of Vaughn and Mary (Krause) White. She graduated from Almira Public School in 1945 and attended Eastern Washington State College graduating in 1949 with a teaching degree. Her first teaching job was in Colfax, WA from 1949-1950. She married her husband Henry on September 23, 1950 at the Almira...

  • Coulee Cops

    Feb 15, 2023

    Grand Coulee Police 2/7 - Police searched Burdin Boulevard but didn’t see anyone matching the description of two men who were reportedly up to no good and “casing” the neighborhood. - Multiple tenants at an apartment building have complained about drug activity at a particular apartment, including weird smells and people coming in and out of it and putting things in their pocket. Police explained that they would need to establish probable cause by catching people selling drugs and not simply having possession in order to do something about...

  • NCW Libraries offers kits for book clubs

    Feb 15, 2023

    Do you want to start a new book club, or need reading ideas for your existing club? NCW Libraries has recently added new titles to its collection of Book Club Kits. The library district maintains a collection of nearly 300 kits, each containing 12 copies of the same book as well as discussion questions. Each kit can be checked out for up to six weeks. The Book Club Kits collection contains titles in a wide range of genres for adults, young adults and children. Newly added titles include The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, The Vanishing Half by...

  • Meetings & Notices

    Feb 15, 2023

    Grand Coulee Alumni Association to Meet Grand Coulee Alumni Association will be meeting at 1 p.m., Wednesday, February 15 at theGrand Coulee Community Church 405 Center Street. All alumni are welcome to join us. Care and Share Food Bank Open Care & Share Food Bank regular hours are Fridays 1-3 p.m. Join our Facebook Group. Questions call Pastor Shawn at 633-2566. AA Meetings in the Local Area AA meetings are held Monday through Saturday at the Vets Center in Electric City. Call Paul at 633-3377 days or 633-3345 evenings. New Hope Group...

  • Raiders take District 6 championship

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    With a blood-pumping finish, the Lake Roosevelt Raiders came back from an eight-point deficit with under three minutes left in the game against Brewster to claim the District 6 basketball championship Saturday night at Omak. With LR down 61-53 with 2:47 left in the game, Coach Jeremy Crollard called a time out, and the Raiders switched to a press to stop the Bear advance. Brandon Pino sunk a free throw, then added a trey to cover half their deficit. Chase Clark, open at the top of the key,...

  • Ladies take second in District, advance to crossover game

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    The Lady Raiders took second in the District 6 championship game in Omak Friday, falling to Okanogan, the top-rated 2B team in the state. "That was the competition we needed," said Coach Melissa Meza, a reference to the two-tiered nature of District 6, with Okanogan's 21-1 overall win-loss record, Lake Roosevelt's 15-8, and Brewster's 13-8 setting them apart from everyone else. Cylia St. Pierre took top scoring honors for LR, but the Lady Bulldogs kept her to 12. Carly Neddo put in nine;...

  • Wrestlers onto state

    Scott Hunter|Feb 15, 2023

    Don’t be alarmed if you hear a lot of sirens Thursday morning about 11, but look outside and cheer. Several Raider wrestlers will be headed to state, with an escort out of town by police cars and fire engines. The Raider boys’ team took fifth at the WIAA 1B/2B/1A/2A Region 4 tournament last week, and five of them will compete in the Mat Classic state tournament in Tacoma. Two LR girls will also head to the state event. Rodger Cate took the regional championship at 106 pounds last weekend and will try for his second state championship in Tac...

  • Raider wrestler named state athlete of the week

    Feb 15, 2023

    Raider Rodger Cate was named an "Athlete of the Week" last Friday by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which picks high school student athletes across all sports and school sizes in the state to honor each week. And that was before he won the wrestling championship for WIAA's Region 2 at 106 pounds for 2B schools. The award sponsored by Gesa Credit Union notes that Cate, a Colville tribal member, made history last year by winning the WIAA 1B/2B State title at 106 pounds in...

  • GRAND COULEE CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOTICE

    Feb 15, 2023

    The Council of the City of Grand Coulee, Washington has moved the regular council meeting that was scheduled for February 21, 2023 to February 28, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at 306 Midway Ave., Grand Coulee, WA, as well as via ZOOM. ZOOM information for the council meetings will be available by contacting Grand Coulee City Hall at (509) 633-1150 or via email at clerkgc@gccitywa.org. The city hall is accessible to persons with disabilities....