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Articles from the March 15, 2017 edition


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  • CEO: Hospital must stop its own bleeding

    Scott Hunter|Mar 15, 2017

    After racking up multi-million dollar losses in four of the past five years, Coulee Medical Center will put in place a turn-around plan to “stop the bleeding,” CEO Jonathan Owens said, “sooner, rather than later,” and that will include some strategic job cuts. Owens said CMC will be operating in the black within eight months, predicting the restructuring plan will produce a nearly $6.6 million turnaround in 2017 and $3.6 million per year thereafter. The hospital is currently in debt to Grant County and out of sorts with its mortgage loan co...

  • Electric City man killed in rollover collision

    Press release, Grant County Sheriffs Office|Mar 15, 2017

    ELECTRIC CITY, Wash. (15MAR2017) - A 23-year-old Electric City man was killed and another man injured as the result of a one vehicle rollover about one mile south of Electric City early Wednesday morning. Brandon Buche was driving a 2006 Jeep Wrangler on Bay Area Drive near Coulee View Road around 2:00 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The Jeep left the roadway, tripped on the soft gravel ditch and rolled one-and-one-quarter times. Buche was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken by Grand...

  • Sneaky Fish SWATed

    Mar 15, 2017

    A regional tactical response team training at Center Elementary Wednesday surrounds a sneaky suspect, Ryan Fish, after finally finding him and ordering him onto the floor. Officers from the Grant and Adams county sheriff's offices, plus Othello and Moses Lake police departments, attended. Moses Lake Cpl. Aaron Hintz said the big, empty building provides a perfect training ground. On their first pass through the building, the team missed Fish, who had originally showed up to simply shut off an...

  • Man sentenced for receiving child pornography

    Scott Hunter|Mar 15, 2017

    A former vice principal at Lake Roosevelt Elementary School was sentenced in federal court Monday to seven years in prison for receipt of child pornography. Nathan Piturachsatit, 38, pleaded guilty to the charge Nov. 29, 2016. Sentenced by United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr., Piturachsatit will be supervised by the court for 10 years after release and must register as a sex offender. He also surrendered his iPhone, with which he had traded sexually explicit images with a 14-year-old Wisconsin girl using Instagram. Piturachsatit...

  • "Era of Megafires" to be presented

    Mar 15, 2017

    Anyone who has wondered about the growth of the local widlfire season and of the size of the fires that have struck the region in the last few years may want to catch up on the work of Dr. Paul Hessburg. They’ll have a good chance next week. That’s when Wildfire Project’s “The Era of Megafires” will be presented at the new Lucy F. Covington Government Center Auditorium in Nespelem on Tuesday, March 21. Another presentation is scheduled for the Omak Performing Arts Center the next night. Both presentation begin at 6 p.m. Dinner will be availa...

  • Town has grant in hand for trail connections

    Roger S Lucas|Mar 15, 2017

    You've heard it said that "the check is in the mail." Well, this one is in the hand! That check for $250,000 arrived last week for Elmer City's "Complete Streets" project. City Clerk Gary Benton and public works director "Jimmer" Tillman didn't waste any time in moving forward with the grant funds. The town has three years to use the funds. Tillman said Friday the project will likely be done in 2018. The grant is from the state Department of Transportation's TIB (Transportation Improvement Board...

  • Newsbriefs

    Mar 15, 2017

    School boards to meet together The boards of Nespelem and Grand Coulee Dam school districts will hold a joint meeting Wednesday, March 22, at La Presa Restaurant, in Grand Coulee, at 6 p.m. The joint board meeting is open to the public. Park board considering bids The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District is considering bids from three companies interested in taking care of North Dam Park. Bids were opened at the commission’s regular meeting March 6, and commissioners are weighing price, experience, proposed work and references in their deli...

  • Awarded firefighting scholarship

    Roger S Lucas|Mar 15, 2017

    An Electric City man has received one of two scholarships offered by the state to study structural firefighting. Joshua Reeding, who recently moved to the area from Victorville, California, won an 11-week training scholarship recently, and will be going to the North Bend Fire Center for instruction. The training runs from April 7 through June 25. "It is a great honor for Joshua and for our volunteer fire department," fire Chief Mark Payne told the Electric City Council last week. Reeding was a v...

  • Winter toll on roads and budgets steep

    Roger S. Lucas|Mar 15, 2017

    City officials in the four towns will be more than happy to see winter end, but they all fear what is going to happen to city streets in the region. Ken Dexter, public works director for Electric City, summed it up last week when he stated, "It has been the worst winter I've seen in 20 years or so." Dexter has been with Electric City for over 30 years and will be retiring at the end of March. City streets there are showing signs of breaking up, with frost heaves just showing up. Typical of...

  • Open letter to the US House of Representatives and District 4 Representative Dan Newhouse

    Brad Halm|Mar 15, 2017

    I am very concerned about the current state of affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bills are being voted on willy nilly with minimal input from constituents, across the aisle, and from the Congressional Budget Office, apparently in a quest to meet an arbitrary legislative agenda. In the words (through Twitter) of Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) regarding the replacement for the Affordable Care Act: “House health-care bill can’t pass Senate w/o major changes. To my friends in House: pause, start over. Get it right, don’t get it fast....

  • Speed limit change should be temporary

    Wiyaka Steinke|Mar 15, 2017

    I had to chuckle at Scott’s editorial about the speed limit change above the dam, as I too had done the mental calculations! After driving 40 mph through that stretch for 16 years, it’s apparently made its way into my DNA as I catch myself on a daily basis still driving 40 and having to slow myself down. I understand changing the limit during construction of the new fire station, but after completion, my personal feelings are that the limit should be raised again, as I know most law-abiding Americans already know to slow down and pull over whe...

  • Proof that your one vote counts

    Joan Green|Mar 15, 2017

    The Moses Lake School Bond passed officially Friday February 24, with a very small margin. For the last few months, I had been encouraging everyone to vote yes for the school bond and our kids. I specially wanted to urge the young people to vote. In talking with them, I got the impression they thought their one vote wouldn’t make a difference. This school bond issue sure shot that theory down, as it was a four-vote difference at one point. I’m not exactly sure when Washington state started mailing out our ballots — but, I do remember befor...

  • Progress on Repairing America's Health Care

    Dan Newhouse Representative 4th Dist|Mar 15, 2017

    Throughout my time representing the people of Central Washington in the U.S. Congress, constituents from across the 4th District have shared with me their deeply personal stories about the struggles and hardships they’ve faced under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare. In late 2016, a gentleman from Yakima wrote me in distress as his insurance provider was pulling out of his county: “My wife and I are losing our healthcare coverage. Our financial lives are about to radically change and a literal risk to our health is upon us. The cha...

  • Is it finally here?

    Jesse Utz|Mar 15, 2017

    Although spring does not officially start until March 20, I feel something in the air. Along with feeling the brisk morning air, I am smelling the morning wetness, seeing the sprouting buds, hearing the early-morning song birds and feeling the itchiness that comes with pollen. Yep, spring is here. After being held captive by the ice queen of a winter and the grumpy ground hog, we’ve made it to the thawing and warming process. Gardeners will be out tilling, weeding, raking and pruning, preparing for the bountiful harvest of seeds now in their h...

  • Seventy-nine years ago

    Mar 15, 2017

    Mining raw aggregate at the Brett Gravel Pit with a power shovel and conveyor system. - March 16, 1938 photo...

  • Mary Esther Sullivan

    Mar 15, 2017

    Mary Esther Sullivan, a long-time resident of Coulee Dam, Washington, passed peacefully Saturday, March 4, 2017, at Welcome Home Villa in Omak, Washington. Born in Seattle, Washington on Dec 31, 1923, to Karl Richard Mueller and Mary Bland (Cumbo) Mueller, Mary attended school in Waterville, Washington, graduating in 1941. She then received her nursing degree through St Anthony's Hospital in Wenatchee, Washington. Her nursing skills advanced her to 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army, where she served from...

  • Meetings and Notices

    Mar 15, 2017

    Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon, this Thursday, March 16, at La Presa Mexican Restaurant, Grand Coulee. General business will be on the agenda. Coulee Creators Meet Coulee Creators meet every Tuesday 1-4 p.m., except for Monday, March 28, which has been canceled. Contact Marlene Oddie 509-386-5715 or marlene@kissedquilts.com for details. Enter east end of building, push in door knob to release door latch. Grant County Demos to Meet The regular monthly meeting of the Grant County Democratic...

  • End of day

    Mar 15, 2017

    Ice fishermen cling to the last rays of sunshine Sunday evening on the ice of Banks Lake, now rapidly warming with 50-degree days coming. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Grand Coulee community blood drive planned

    Mar 15, 2017

    Inland Northwest Blood Center along with the Grand Coulee community blood drive volunteers, are planning a blood drive for Monday, March 20. Donation hours will be from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the community room in Coulee Medical Center. INBC needs an average of 200 blood donors every day to meet the needs of more than 35 hospitals in the Inland Northwest. A single donation can save the lives of up to three people! For more information contact Tina Lingo 509-981-7023....

  • Senior Menu

    Mar 15, 2017

    Senior Menu Wed., March 15 - Dinner Nick's Creamy Bacon and Potato Soup, Homemade Bread, Cheesy Cauliflower, Mixed Fruit, Cookie Thurs., March 16 - Dinner Corned Beef and Cabbage, Potatoes/Carrots, Applesauce, Rolls, Green Flip-Flop Jell-O Fri., March 17 - Breakfast Ham, Eggs, French Toast, Fruit Bowl, Orange Juice Mon., March 20 - Breakfast Sausage Links, Eggs, Hashbrowns, Toast, Fruit Bowl, Orange Juice Tues., March 21 - Dinner Chicken Casserole, Onions, Peas ad Carrots, Lima Beans, Pears, Pudding Parfait Wed., March 22 - Dinner BIRTHDAY...

  • LR Elementary students of the month

    Mar 15, 2017

    The students of the month for February at Lake Roosevelt Elementary include the following:...

  • Survey gives guidance to school leaders

    Roger S Lucas|Mar 15, 2017

    Curriculum, students, and staff received the most comments from a recent Lake Roosevelt School survey that was made available to patrons in the area. The survey was taken to provide some guidance to a team of school district personnel and local residents who work together in developing information for a Strategic Plan that will shape school activity for the next few years. The study team developing information for the school board met last Monday and Tuesday in the high school library. Superintendent Paul Turner, who is in Washington D.C. at...

  • Science fair coming up

    Mar 15, 2017

    The PTA will host its second annual science fair March 23 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the old LRHS gym. Judging of some 36 registered projects will occur at that time. There are about 56 students participating....

  • Aaaargh! Children's theater group to present "Treasure Island"

    Mar 15, 2017

    Missoula Children’s Theatre will be in town again April 24–29, and auditions for young actors for “Treasure Island” will start at 4 p.m. April 24 at the Village Cinema in Coulee Dam. Rehearsals will occur each evening from April 24-28 from 4 to 8 p.m. Two performances will be held on April 29, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. There will also be dress rehearsals earlier that day....

  • Bowling Scores

    Mar 15, 2017

    COLUMBIA LEAGUE TEAM W L Team 6 24 20 Solid T Const. 18 26 Strike or Spare 17 27 High Game: Jesse Vieira 248 High Series: Don Richer 621 Splits Don Richer 4-7-10; Corey Baker 5-6-10 SENIORS 3-8-17 Dixie L.R. 131+116+134=381 Frank E. 121+132+134=387 Scott E. 152+162+156=470 Karen M. 93+148+130=371 Mike 170+200+172=542 Ray D. 145+115+134=394 Splits: Frank 3-6-7-10; Karen 4-5 THURSDAY MIX-UPS TEAM W L Fry Bread Pwr 68.5 27.5 The Melody 66 38 San Poil Valley 52 52 Bob & His Gutter Girls 50.5 53.5 High Game: Kota Weed-Butz 236; Candy Weed-Butz 204...

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