News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Coulee Dam wants to know if its residents would like high-speed internet access through a fiber-optic broadband network it's considering building, some of it just for its own use and savings. After researching the origin of some 96 strands of fiber that crosses the Columbia River in a city power conduit underneath the bridge, the city purchased for $34,995 the fiber that winds through west Coulee Dam, crosses the bridge and actually supplies broadband internet access to some enterprises on the...
The community will see its children perform "The Snow Queen" at this year's Missoula Children's Theater production this Saturday, March 10. Saturday will see performances at 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m., both held at the Lake Roosevelt High School gym. This will be the PTA's fifth time bringing the Missoula Children's Theatre to the Grand Coulee area. Local people attending will see some 60 local children from kindergarten through the 12th grade perform the musical. Spokesperson Kim Stout said children...
The school district’s Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) program might be coming back. The alternative school program was cut last summer due to budget crunches, but could be coming back, Superintendent Paul Turner told the school board Feb. 26. Last July, in the midst of shaping this school year budget, the district was faced with cutting some $700,000 from its staff and programs in order to present a balanced budget. On the chopping block, along with some personnel and other programs was the district’s ALE program. Turner noted that about...
A new vibe may find its way to Main Street in Grand Coulee in the form of The Wine Bar. The aptly named establishment will feature wines and food pairings, and the owners are hoping it will become a spot where people come to talk and break bread. The owners are Brad Oliver, Levi and Rachel Seekins, and Jeff Henry. Oliver and Levi Seekins have been friends since 1990, growing up in the area. Seekins and Henry played basketball together for Vanguard University. Henry resides in Paso Robles,...
Key player not interviewed The men interviewed in last week’s article “1960 G.C.H.S. teammates remember their state championship,” Kenny Hoke, Wayne Snyder, Don Kurth, and Ray Rice, said this week that they wished to express the significance to the team of Bob Pachosa, who was unable to be interviewed due to his health. “He was a key player and a big part of the team,” Hoke said, adding that Pachosa was the leading scorer in the state tournament out of any of the teams. Shortly before the championship game began, someone realized that the...
A Nespelem man wanted on several arrest warrants was finally captured Feb. 24, after a foot chase in Electric City and taken to Grant County jail. Arrested was Amos M. Staggs, 23, wanted on a felony warrant and two misdemeanor warrants. Staggs is also facing new charges of escape, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest and criminal trespass. Police officer Levi Johnson saw Staggs standing outside Banks Lake Pub Saturday afternoon and told him he was under arrest. That’s when Staggs took off running, in spite of repeated statements that...
The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District board Monday met with a full set of commissioners Monday night for the first time in years. Above, the all-volunteer board listens to Secretary Carla Marconi, right, read the minutes of the last meeting. From left, the other commissioners are newly appointed Benjamin Hughes, Debbie Bigelow, Robert Valen (current chair and treasurer), and, also newly appointed, Kevin Portch....
An Electric City man, who had been cited earlier, was cited again Sunday — for having too many dogs. Police wrote Frank Brown, who resides at 18-B West Grand Avenue, citations for his dogs barking and and for having eight dogs on the premises. The officer’s report stated that Brown had been cited earlier for barking dogs and for having more dogs than the city ordinance allows. Electric City allows only two dogs per residence. Police were following up on a complaint of barking dogs. When the officer arrived, he looked over the fence and cou...
Several school and other agency personnel are in Emmitsburg, Maryland, this week at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute taking training on school safety. In the forefront is Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner. Others in Maryland are elementary Principal Lisa Lakin; Randy Bowman, school maintenance; Stephanie Duclos, bus operations; and Tammy Norris, secretary. Other agency personnel include Randy August, Colville Tribes; Rick Paris, volunteer fire chief from Grand...
In the late 1990s, as The Star was starting to publish online as an experiment, access to the internet was not essential. Things have changed. Today, the world is online. New and innovative ways of accomplishing old tasks more efficiently often also lead to other improvements, better insights, more services or, sometimes, lower expenses. For better or worse, access to the world through the avenues of the digital revolution are now essential, and many rural areas in the United States still struggle and fall behind economically for lack of...
When you’re surrounded by kids for most of the day, sometimes you reflect on parenting skills: your own and others’. I also have many friends, who are young parents themselves, who come to me on occasion for advice or to just tell me their story of the week. But some recent events have gotten me thinking even more. Whenever a bunch of fathers get together, the subject always seems to somehow, someway come back to poop. A diaper expulsion, a bath-time floater or crib full of brown artwork are...
Last week, I opened the newspaper to find a [letter to the editor] mentioning how the NRA was not to blame for ANY gun violence, and that it was more of a cultural issue rather than a gun issue. I’m here to say that it is a GUN CULTURE issue, and that it’s not just people that kill people, it’s people with GUNS that kill people, and gun violence is the leading cause of homicides in the U.S. (source: procon.org). The NRA has fought against so many regulations that would prevent people from having access to automatic and semi-automatic rifle...
The current Electric City Municipal Code clearly states its purpose “to protect residential areas from potential adverse impacts as a result of activities which may be deemed commercial in nature.” A new City Ordinance, drafted to allow Short Term Rentals (vacation short stays) in all city residential zones, would change this. Friendly family neighborhoods would be flooded with an influx of non-owner occupied rental homes with revolving renters next to family homes. Short term rental properties are much like motels and there are reasons zon...
What would life in the Mid-Columbia be like if dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers were removed? What would then be used to control flooding that devastated communities before the dams were put in place? How would we provide clean, reliable hydropower for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses? How would our region’s farmers and agriculture industry replace lost access to water that is currently stored behind the dams? This worst-case scenario is not as far-fetched as we would hope, unfortunately. For some interests—many from out...
Bonnie M. (Whitcraft) Rinker, 82, of Electric City, Washington, passed away Monday, February 19, 2018, in Yuma, Arizona. She was born January 12, 1936, in Malta, Montana. She graduated from Grand Coulee High School in Grand Coulee, Washington. She married Ronald E. Rinker and was a rancher's wife for over 65 years. She was a member of the Moose and Eagle Lodges and was a rodeo secretary for numerous years. She is survived by her husband, Ronald, at the home; son, Dale (Lynne) Rinker, of... Full story
Shirley Jean Jones went to be home with her Lord on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. She was born September 8, 1930, in Seattle, Washington, to Henry and Martha Sagehorn. The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, where she graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949. Shirley then attended Pacific Lutheran College. During this time, she met the man who would become her husband, Preston Jones. They married December 15, 1951, and were together for 66 years. They had two daughters, Michelle and Lisa.... Full story
Hunter Piccinini, 4, reacts with delight at finding the first buttercup brought to our attention this spring. Hunter and his mom found it on a hike along Banks Lake Feb. 26. - Rose Piccinini photo...
Here are the LR Elementary and Nespelem Elementary students of the month....
Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan Comment Period Okanogan County is updating the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) in accordance with RCW 70.95. This is a 5-year update. The plan identifies solid waste and moderate risk waste management practices within Okanogan County and associated service areas. The plan will ultimately be approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology and then subsequently adopted by Okanogan County. The preliminary draft of the SWMP is currently available for review. The plan may be viewed or... Full story
We are renewing our subscription to The Star newspaper. We have enjoyed reading many of the articles and like seeing the news about the people and the area which has become our home. We do not enjoy your one-sided political cartoons. I believe everyone is aware that our political scene never will be perfect. You, however, seem to find only one side of the equation to be worthy of ridicule. I have friends who have discontinued their subscription to The Star because they have become irritated with your incessant one-sided perspective. Editorial...
Some 18 ladies turned out to tie quilts for World Relief and the Omak Support Center. Many thanks to each of them and to the ones who work at home. At this time, we together have finished 51 quilts and decided to continue into the first two weeks of March. The World Relief quilts will go anywhere in the world where there is a great need or a crisis, and the Support Center quilts will stay here in this area, either in the center itself or will go with families in crisis. The center services our area and are on call. We also keep two or three...
Trump’s most recent challenge to DACA failed when on Feb. 26, 2018, the Supreme Court refused to review lower court decisions that keep DACA in place indefinitely. This administration will undoubtedly continue to challenge the path to citizenship for people brought into our country at a young age. Newhouse could change that but apparently he won’t. There are 19,500 potential citizens in Congressional District 4 alone who meet the criteria to walk the path to citizenship under the Dream Act of 2017. According to the Center for the Study of Imm...
Grand Coulee Police 2/26 - A city employee advised police that a door was open at a Continental Heights location. An officer checked on the report and didn’t find anyone inside. He advised the owner. - Police followed a vehicle that was often used by a man known to be wanted on an arrest warrant to Electric City, where he was arrested and taken to Grant County jail. - A 23-year-old woman was stopped for driving problems, and the officer wrote citations for having no operator’s license, no insurance, and an outdated registration. A licensed driv...
A controversial gun control bill to ban bump stocks was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. SB 5922 passed both chambers in the Washington state legislature by slim margins and largely along party lines. The vote was 29-20 in the Senate and 56-41 in the House of Representatives. Gov. Inslee signed the bill on Tuesday, March 6. Starting July 1, 2018, bump stocks will be illegal to manufacture or sell, and starting July 1, 2019, the accessory will be illegal to possess. The bill also allows po...