News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands has submitted his resignation, effective at the end of February. In a letter to the editor that appears in this week’s Star newspaper, Sands notes that he and his wife Connie would like to spend more time with family. Sands has steered the city through a major annexation, the construction of the arsenic treatment plant, cleaned the city up through enforcement of the city’s ordinances, and tried to lift the city’s spirit by flags welcoming visitors and getting a holiday lighting program going, all during his a... Full story
A roundup of wild horse on the Colville Indian Reservation was stopped just before noon Sunday due to mounting pressure from tribal members. The roundup had been planned to take about three weeks, gathering between 700 and 1000 of the horses. The process stopped short today, just over a week into it. Ralph Moses, of the Range department, said they estimate 3,000 to 4,000 live across the reservation, creating "hot spots" of over-grazed habitat. Moses said the operation took in a total of 422...
Two teenagers were killed and a third injured in Coulee City Friday night when the car they were in left the road and hit a light pole at the city park. The driver, Auston Frye, 17, of Hartline; and a passenger, Pedro Huitron, 18, of Lind, died in the crash that occurred about 8:30, the Washington State Patrol reports. Another passenger, Roberto Valdovinos, 16, also of Lind, was injured and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The 1994 Honda Civic, in which they were traveling west on highway 2, left the road to the right and struck... Full story
After 22 months of negotiations, four senators—two Republicans and two Democrats—have unveiled a $15 billion transportation package with an 11.7 cents-per-gallon gas tax increase at its revenue core. “It’s been a thorough and tough negotiation, but we did it with an honest appreciation for each other’s needs,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Curtis King (R-Yakima). King and Sens. Joe Fain (R-Auburn), Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens) and Marko Liias (D-Mukilteo) announced the package during a press event on Feb. 12. The proposal wo... Full story
OLYMPIA—Local communities could have more access to water if legislators succeed in implementing a new system of leasing surplus state-owned water rights. A bill proposed by Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, would require state agencies to more clearly identify, hold and reassign unused water rights associated with agency-held land. Sen. Doug Erickson, R-Ferndale, is the bill’s co-sponsor. Affected agencies include the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Hon... Full story
Lake Roosevelt High School art student Kiana Sam works on her technique in an assignment Friday studying the art of Wassily Kandinsky, one of the founders of pure abstraction in the early 20th century. The school will hold an Art, Music and Poetry Night Feb. 26 in the library. English teacher Brian Daniels said the event is designed to be a place where kids who enjoy exploring their creative side can be featured. "We just don't get the time (in class) to really spend on things like that," he... Full story
Electric City’s council voted to remove any restrictions on the size of accessory buildings at its meeting last Tuesday night. The city’s planning commission had sent up a litany of proposed changes to the building code, the accessory building question one of the items, along with minor changes in fencing and businesses in homes. The council only addressed the size of accessory buildings after hearing a number of people from the audience ask for the proposed size of 1,728 square feet be scrapped. Councilmember Aaron Derr moved to remove the... Full story
Lucinda Parker, a Portland artist who has been selected to create art for the new school, will be here next Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday. Parker, an abstract painter, was selected from among several artists who were recommended by the Washington State Art Commission to a local committee in charge of the project. The art project will total up to $75,000, under a state requirement that art be placed in new public buildings. While here, Parker will meet with school officials, drive the area, visit museums, and generally get a feel of the... Full story
Electric City stepped up to the plate last Tuesday night and pledged up to $15,000 to move the idea of consolidating local cities along, and now the ball is in Grand Coulee’s court. The city council action was a boost for the chamber of commerce, whose efforts to get the subject of consolidation a fair hearing in the months ahead picked up a little steam. Grand Coulee’s council a month ago showed a level of interest by voting a letter of support, but no funding. They would need to vote to spend up to $15,000 also if the full $30,000 budget is n... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce singled out members to honor at its annual banquet last Thursday night at Pepper Jack's Bar and Grille. The Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union was voted business of the year by the membership. The credit union had what President Kerry Higgins said was probably its best year ever, despite the challenges of a year filled with news of identity theft fraud across the country and in their own market. And they've been great supporters of the chamber, said... Full story
Sewer plant updated meeting slated The town of Coulee Dam will hold a wastewater treatment meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 25, beginning at 5 p.m. at town hall. The findings of an alternative analysis for updating the town’s plant will be discussed. The town has been encouraging citizens to attend. “We want to hear from you,” a postcard to residents said this week. Blood drive scheduled The Inland Northwest Blood Center, along with Grand Coulee Community Blood Drive Volunteers led by Sommer Hicks, will conduct a blood drive from 11:30 - 5 p.m., Monda... Full story
After Thursday’s ballot tabulations, the favorable vote for Grand Coulee Dam School District’s special levy remained at more than 65 percent. The final count in the mail-in-ballot election that ended Tuesday, Feb. 10, shows 734 yes votes and 381 no votes. “A levy election is in many ways a referendum on the quality of the programs being offered in our community schools and a statement of the commitment of our community to support — through the election process — continuation of our efforts to improve our schools and programs,” Superintend... Full story
Electric City has voted to put all of its hotel/motel tax money in one account and asked its attorney to draw up an ordinance indicating this. The city council, in response to the chamber of commerce’s objections to the city holding a large reserve fund, voted to fold its reserve account of about $280,000 into its regular hotel/motel account. The city has had a policy of holding back half of each year’s tax collection, socking it away for a future use. And the council had been considering putting most of it into an account that could only be ta...
Council members in Elmer City got a glance of what the sidewalk project that will be funded by a Transportation Improvement Board grant will look like at its meeting last Thursday night. Th town was awarded the $225,375 grant by the Washington State Department of Transportation’s TIB. The grant will provide sidewalks on Front Street and Williams Street, along with safety improvements, a bus stop and signalized crossing across Highway 155. The project will also connect residents to the post office, town hall, park and local business l... Full story
My wife Connie and I retired in 1999 and moved to Electric City from Seattle. We did some investing in the area, did a lot of fishing and I played a lot of golf. Then one day in 2005, Troy Ritter asked if I would consider running for Electric City Council. I finally said yes and was elected and started in 2006. Then in March of 2009, after Mayor Ray Halsey passed away, I became mayor for the last nine months of his term. I was re-elected in November of 2009 for a four-year term and re-elected in 2013. Connie and I have two sons and a daughter... Full story
The voters in our Grand Coulee Area know how important it is to Support Strong Schools. The school levy passed, and it will allow the school district to maintain and operate the new debt-free school. Several community volunteers helped by being “sign-walkers”: Steve and Sheila Sauer, Susan Kennedy, Marsha Fields, Joe Tynan, Marian Spackman, Jim Depew, myself. We also had Michael Williams walk around with a sign at the boys’ basketball game. Megan and her son, Caden, walked in Electric City showing support for the levy. The levy committee neede... Full story
Many of us can recall the days of the Service Station, a place where one went to get the gas tank filled, windshield washed, oil checked, among other things, all while one waited in the vehicle and the person at the Service Station performed the service for us. One rarely sees such things today, but we have one right among us. It is Jackson’s Chevron Service at Nespelem! They have Full Service and Self Serve pumps so one has a choice. These fantastic folks, Chick, Denny and Robert Jackson and all their other crew members provide a wide v... Full story
I was disappointed to read an inaccurate account of what happened at last week’s Electric City Council meeting in Roger Lucas’ “Electric City pathway proposed” article in the February 11th Star Newspaper. For clarification, the proposed pathway that Mr. Parrish was quoted as presenting at the city council meeting was barely mentioned. Mr. Parrish brought it up, gave a few general comments about the project, stated that there needs to be a committee formed to work on the idea and also mentioned that he had a meeting scheduled with the Bureau... Full story
Valentine’s month is a good time to celebrate the work that is being done to reduce healthcare-associated infections in our community and to engage consumers in their own care. After all, Coulee Medical Center shares its heart with everyone. We believe one’s family is the most important thing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. At least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these inf... Full story
The legislative session is approaching the half-way mark and there are many important issues being discussed and debated; education, transportation, the environment, public safety, healthcare, taxes, and economic development to name a few. The pages, websites and broadcasts of our local media have contained many articles and stories about the goings-on in Olympia and we commend them for keeping the citizens of our communities informed on these important issues. There is another issue of high importance to law enforcement that we want to bring... Full story
Our kids need us. That part we can all agree on, but it is the how that can sometimes get overwhelming, causing some of us to drag our feet and hope someone else will take up the cause. The other barrier is sometimes we let the “Bad” kid or the troubled youth color our blank page for all kids, leaving us with an unfair representation of all kids in our area. Words like spoiled, undisciplined and out of control are common phrases and ideas that can sometimes bring down whole generations as we use our small example to classify the whole group. Gr... Full story
After a short illness Myrtle Maude Wilson passed away at the Coulee Medical Center Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. She was born July 15, 1917, at Emmett McLean Co., N.D., to Roy and Margaret Rosseau Wilson. She said "It was during the horse and buggy days." She grew up and graduated high school McLean Co., N.D., with her siblings Mernice Doris, Pattie, Edwin and Earl. She married her husband Cecil L. Wilson at Fairview Richland Co., Mont., on November 23, 1936. That was 67 years before he passed away.... Full story
Dorothy Ethel McClure was born on Dec 23, 1929, to Delbert and Ethel Powell of Spokane,Wash. Dorothy had many aspirations growing up and became musically involved with singing and playing the piano. While attending North Central High School, one of many highlights included having the lead in a musical opera and being a guest singer with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra while in college. She met Stan Roderick while in attendance and they married upon graduation having two daughters, Gail and Robin.... Full story
On the midday of December 31, 2014, Richard passed away peacefully after a brief pneumonia infection while at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California. Richard was visited and comforted by his family during his final days. Richard was 79 years old. Richard Sears was born in Mason City, Washington, now Coulee Dam, on January 19, 1935. He was the third child of Clara Margaret and Clarence Eugene Sears. His mother was very proud that he was the first male baby born in the new Kaiser Mason City... Full story
Nelson W. Snedeker was born May 30, 1918, in Perkasie, Penn. A veteran of WWII. Nelson married Luray Cliver, Colmar, Penn., on April 13, 1950. They spent several years traveling the U.S. and settled in San Diego, Calif. Nelson was employed by the Solar Aerospace Division of International Harvester. He loved sailing the Pacific coast. When he retired they started traveling again and in 1987 bought a home next to Luray’s sister, Gail Allen in Grand Coulee, Wash. Luray passed away on April 6, 1992. In 2006 Nelson and Gail both sold their homes a... Full story
