News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Regional Board of Mayors learned Monday of a proposed Banks Lake Pumped Storage Project that could employ 2,500 people during construction and end up providing permanent employment for 150-200 workers. Columbia Basin Hydropower managers told the mayors that the project could run as high as $1 billion and take several years to complete. The target date for completion would be 2025, representatives stated. But there’s a long way to go before anything could be declared “shovel ready.” The permit process and finding the money for the proje... Full story
A risky first-time replacement to the traditional Colorama carnival came through as a big positive for most families with children and even helped the fund-raiser's bottom line, the chamber of commerce reported Tuesday. The Fun Zone, home to nine big, inflatable slide-and-jump attractions, was a major hit with families, Peggy Nevsimal, executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce stated Tuesday. The rented attractions were a last-minute replacement for the carnival, which... Full story
A man involved in many local causes who helped with the sound system heard at Saturday’s parade died driving his Harley later that night just east of Grand Coulee. Walter H. Nuehring, known locally as Steve Nuehring, was riding his white 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle toward Wilbur on highway 174 at milepost 23 when he left the road to the right, then tried to correct it and rolled the bike, the Washington State Patrol reported. He was 59. Nuehring had lived in the Grand Coulee Dam area for a couple years, he had told The Star last year, s... Full story
A young driver died as a result of a single-car accident 10 miles north of Nespelem Sunday afternoon. The Washington State Patrol said the car, driven by Thomas C. Jacobs, 17, Tonasket, was going too fast for road conditions in the area. The driver was taken to Coulee Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The WSP said the 1996 Honda Civic was southbound about 3:17 p.m. on highway 155 near milepost 55, when the driver failed to negotiate a curve, lost control and struck a tree.... Full story
The Colorama Pro-West Rodeo was a great success, according to Ridge Riders President George Kohout. "I think it was one of the best rodeos we have had here for a long time," Kohout said early this week. The "Rattlesnake Saloon" lived up to its name again this year and rodeo hands had to dispatch a rattlesnake that wandered into the refreshment tent. That's the second time this has occurred. "The rattlesnakes are bad this year," Kohout stated. "We had to kill four or five as we were getting... Full story
Electric City will hold the first of two planned community meetings to discuss its plan for a Pathway Trail through the city. The full topic will be parks, recreation and revitalization. The meeting will be from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, May 14, in the Veteran’s Hall in Electric City. The public is invited to participate by offering ideas they might have about any possible trail system. Running the meeting will be a team from Washington State University’s Rural Communities Design Initiative, made up of two professors and several students. A sec... Full story
Award-winning blues musician Matt Andersen will take the stage with his band, the "Bona Fide," on May 21 at the biannual Sunbanks Resort Rhythm & Blues Festival. His new album, "Honest Man," debuted at number five on the sales charts in Canada, from where he originally hails. Andersen has toured the world, sharing the stage with such legends as Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, and Greg Allman, among others. Armed with a soulful voice and an acoustic guitar, Anderson belts out his earthy songs with true... Full story
Grand Coulee won hands down the blue ribbon for producing the highest tonnage of garbage for 2015, a Sunrise Disposal report to the Regional Board of Mayors indicated. The disposal company reported that it picked up 700.77 tons of garbage in Grand Coulee last year. Coulee Dam was a close second, with Electric City third and Elmer City fourth. The four municipalities together operate the Delano Transfer station through the RBOM. Sunrise presented their report at Monday’s meeting of the mayors. Coulee Dam contributed 609.73 tons of garbage, a... Full story
The Laser Light Show’s opening performance for the year will be Saturday, May 28, beginning at 10 p.m., Bureau of Reclamation officials stated last week. Work on the drum gates, which has occupied most of the spring, will be finished in mid-May, which will allow a spillage of water for the Laser Light Show’s background. The Laser Light Show, now billed as “One River, Many Voices,” is a new presentation developed for the 2014 season by Luma Laser of Eugene, Oregon. Last year, because of a number-three drum gate leak, it was not possible to spil... Full story
About 60 sixth graders from Lake Roosevelt Elementary and Nespelem Schools will be trekking to the Tall Timber Ranch, near Leavenworth, next week. Sixth graders from the two schools have been going to the ranch for the past several years to learn about teamwork and outdoor experiences. Lake Roosevelt Elementary has 51 sixth graders, and Nespelem eight. School officials here said six adults will go with the students, and all will travel by school bus. The outing is for May 18–20. While there, students for the local schools will be the first t... Full story
The school board meeting for the Grand Coulee Dam School District scheduled for Monday night, May 9, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The delay is due to a lack of a quorum. The town of Coulee Dam council meeting that was scheduled for tonight (Wednesday, May 11) has been canceled. The next meeting of the council will be Wednesday, May 25.... Full story
Lest we get into the “it will never happen here” mood, let’s remind ourselves that the existence of this community was preceded by a very nutty idea that was laughed at by the whole nation. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was derided for supporting the building of Grand Coulee Dam. That is, until he looked like a genius when the nation suddenly needed its hydropower to fight World War II. But big dreams are easy for those of us with noses to the grindstone to dismiss. Grasping their particulars often requires more time and energy than... Full story
As a member of the Washington State Council on Aging, I am asking you to join me and my fellow members, and Governor Jay Inslee, in honoring Older Americans during the month of May. A meeting in April 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens led to his designation of the month of May as “Senior Citizens Month.” Every President since Kennedy has issued such a formal proclamation, currently named “Older Americans Month,” proclaiming the month of May as the time that the entire nation pays trib... Full story
The big weather story, from my perspective, was the record-breaking snowmelt here in the Pacific Northwest. During April, western snowpack dropped at record speed, according to data from the fifth and final 2016 forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "In the Pacific Northwest, low precipitation and high temperatures led to a dramatic reduction in snowpack," reported NRCS. "Peak stream flow is arriving weeks earlier than normal this year."... Full story
Last week I started a peek into the Senior class which, before we know it, will be stepping out on stage and receiving that coveted paper that says, “Congratulations, you have met all the requirements …” and lets them know that the next step is totally up to them. We are talking about young adults like Bubba Garcia, who decided his future last year when he swore an oath, entered into the armed forces and spent his summer at boot camp. With a focus and vigor, he knows what he wants and is fighting a very strong fight to achieve it. Bubba... Full story
Mildred Brown, 3 years old, shows a string of silver trout dipped from the river below the falls at Grand Coulee Dam by her father. Every spring there is a "Silver" downstream migration at the dam. Thousands of trout are injured in their sudden descent through or over the 350-foot dam and are easily netted by the local residents. - April 14, 1949... Full story
Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon this Thursday, May 12, at La Presa in Grand Coulee. Debbie Starkey of Investment Services Northwest will be speaking about a grant writing workshop she attended. Lincoln County Fire Dist. 9 to Meet The Lincoln County Fire District 9 will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m., on Thursday, May 12, at the Nazarene Church just outside of Grand Coulee on SR-174. Dedication of Flags Deadline For those that have a deceased veteran’s flag you would like to donate to the I... Full story
Leslie Pearl Green, age 69, born in Lakeview, Oregon, February 22, 1947, passed away Tuesday, April 26, 2016. She graduated from Morao High School. She worked as an office manager and in the billing department at Coulee Community Hospital. She was a member of several Masonic families, but was mostly active in the Eastern Star. She loved this organization and the friends that became a second family to her. She is survived by her husband, Phil Green; sister, Bonnie Carratures; sons: Scott Green,... Full story
Kay Lynelle McDowell was born to the late Bill and Geneva Rogers on December 12, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona. She attended schools in Arizona and completed her education in California. It was there she met her husband, Brad McDowell. By the time she was 21, she had brought three children into the world. Two more babies became part of the family before they moved to Rhode Island, where her husband completed his studies at Barrington College. In Rhode Island, seven more children were added to the... Full story
The Colorama rodeo queen for 2016, Caitlin O'Neil, center, poses with visiting royalty and her grandmother, the very first Colorama queen, at the Ridge Riders Saddle Club royalty luncheon last week at the clubhouse. Pat (Snyder) Heckert reigned over the first rodeo of the long-running celebration 60 years ago and spoke at the luncheon. - Janet O'Neil photo... Full story
Tamura Robles and Nicholas Gray are proud to announce the birth of their son, Leonardo E. Lee Baker, born Saturday, April 30, 2016, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. He weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz., and was 21 inches in length at birth. Sibling includes a sister, Mia Robles. Maternal grandparents are Kay Robles and Gary Robles. Paternal grandparents are Theresa Gray and Bobby Baker. Great-grandmother is Mary Baker. .... Full story
Alanna Picard and Alfredo Labro, of Nespelem, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Kered Labro, born Sunday, May 1, 2016, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. Siblings include William, Blayne and Junie. Maternal grandparents are Victoria Circle and the late Merle Picard. Paternal grandparents are Danny Conant and Patricia Conant. Great-grandparents are Kenneth Pat Bray, Hazel Whitney, Joanne Leith and Merle Picard Sr.... Full story
Marissa Thomas and Loren Marchand, of Omak, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Maddison Jae Marchand, born Monday, May 2, 2016, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 8 lbs., 11 oz., and was 20.5 inches in length at birth. Sibling includes a brother, Jace Allen Marchand, age 2. Maternal grandparents are Brenda Condon and Mike Thomas... Full story
Raider Baseball is one win away from advancing to the regional tournament for the first time since 2011. To get to this point, the Raiders had a doubleheader in Tonasket May 3 to close the regular season as the Tigers surprised the Raiders in the first game with a 10-4 win. But in the second game the Raiders turned around and trounced the Tigers by a score of 12-1. With the number-four seed from the North going into districts, the Raiders knew they would face a tough team in the first round. In Moses Lake on Saturday, the Raiders faced the numb... Full story
Raider Tennis played three matches last week, and one already this week, ahead of the Central Washington North 2B Tennis Tournament at the North Cascade Athletic Club in Omak this Friday and Saturday. The Raiders traveled to Entiat May 3, where, as Head Coach Steve Archer explained, they had a different match setup. “We had to play most of the matches in pro-set format, because Entiat only has three courts and no lights,” Archer said. The Raider boys defeated the Tigers but the girls came away with only one win. “Tanya Ang and Rylee Pitne... Full story