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Articles from the May 15, 2013 edition


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  • Colorama 2013 in the books

    Jesse Utz|May 15, 2013

    Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Here is a recap of how the weekend went for this homegrown Colorama combative. For me, like many of the chamber members, it started months ago, but I will spare you the boring setup and jump to the steak and potatoes. Heat was the story of the weekend. I would have to say this was the hottest festival I can remember and I think it brought out the masses. I think we should schedule Mr. Sunshine to perform every year for Mother’s Day weekend. Everywhere was full w...

  • Truck crashes into business at 4-Corners

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    by Roger S. Lucas A runaway truck early Monday morning almost made Jack’s 4-Corners Union 76 & Mini Mart a drive-in as it crashed its way through the southwest corner of the building. The driver, Clifford Scott Taylor of Mountain Home, Idaho, told police that he had parked his semi tractor-trailer near the car wash and went to the station to purchase some breakfast and a drink; as he was paying his bill, the truck crashed through the building. Taylor said he parked the truck in neutral with t...

  • District adding preschool next fall

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    Center School could get a little crowded next fall. The district will have three first grades and three kindergarten classes as well as providing preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds, according to Superintendent Dennis Carlson. The district received word that Grant County Head Start ceased operating here as of April 26, more than three weeks earlier than planned, due to a 5.27-percent cut in federal funds due to the sequester. Sally Gundry, executive director of Grant County Family Services, the agency in charge of the local Head Start, said the...

  • Newsbriefs

    May 15, 2013

    Colorama huge hit Despite the fact that new Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Peggy Nevsimal broke a collarbone Friday night, which kept her from seeing the fruits of most of her work on the event, reviews have been largely positive. President Jesse Utz said Tuesday that he had just been told it was “the best Colorama ever.” And other board members say they’ve gotten similar unsolicited comments. The biggest addition, and probably the largest amount of added work, had to do with the revival of The Beer Tent, a low-key, three...

  • Candidates file to seek office

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    Candidates for upcoming elections are filing for positions on school boards, city councils, hospital boards and some junior taxing districts this week. In early filings, three have filed for positions in Hospital District 6. These include two incumbents, Kristen Hare and Jerry L. Kennedy. Betty Brueske has filed for a six-year short and full term on the local commission, which has one vacancy. John Nordine II, has filed for a four-year term on the Electric City council, a position he now holds. In Elmer City, Gail Morin, who is currently on...

  • Coulee Dam rejects early end of contract

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    A request from the town of Elmer City to get out of its wastewater plant joint operating agreement with Coulee Dam was turned down by that town council last Wednesday night. In a letter to Coulee Dam officials, Elmer City Mayor Mary Jo Carey requested that the present joint agreement, some 37 years into its 50-year term, be dissolved. She has maintained that action by Coulee Dam reveals that the joint operation agreement no longer controls the relationship between the two towns. The Coulee Dam council quickly rejected the proposal. Elmer City...

  • Two lose office in tribal primary

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    Two Colville Business Council incumbents lost out in their bids for another term in the primary election certified last week. Losing in the primary were Brian Nissen, in position 1 in the Nespelem District and Darlene Zacherlie in the position 1 race in the Keller District. Nissen came in third in the vote tally with 112 votes, trailing Deb Louie (155) and Ricky Gabriel (117). Louie and Gabriel will face off in the June 15 general election. Others in that race and their votes were Randy Laramie (43), Joaquin Marchand (89) and Tum-chis-li-wit...

  • Bull headed

    May 15, 2013

    Bull rider Erik Bala of Ellensburg gets ready to dismount just as photographer Biffle French makes a big mistake at at the end of the last ride of the last event of the 57th Colorama Rodeo Saturday night. Fans got extra excitement after Bala, the eighth and last bull rider and the only one to hang on eight seconds, rode all the way across the arena — just before the bull escaped as French opened the gate to the warmup arena. The 1,600-pound bull crashed through the gate and rumbled behind the f...

  • Counselor reports on LR grad class

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    Lake Roosevelt High School counselor Sue Hayes is one of this year’s senior class’s biggest boosters. Hayes spent 20-30 minutes with each senior available for an exit interview and was so impressed she made a report to the school board about this year’s top class. Students emphasized over and over that when they had trouble achieving the goals set for themselves, it was their own fault. Making right choices and getting support from family, school staff and friends made all the difference, their replies noted. One important factor, seniors state...

  • Coulee City readies for last stand rodeo

    May 15, 2013

    Every May over Memorial Dayweekend, the citizens of the oldest town in Grant County put on their boots and dust off their hats for an action-packed weekend with Coulee City’s “Last Stand Rodeo.” The May 24-26 event historically has drawn some of the best talent in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It starts Friday night under the lights with a Bullarama at 7, pitting cowboys against beasts that weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Also on Friday there is the added wild and woolly action of Mutton Bustin’ for children ages 3 to 8 years old...

  • Theater owners get out of lease

    Roger S Lucas|May 15, 2013

    The Village Cinema in Coulee Dam is history. Its fate was settled last Wednesday night by mutual consent of the town council and the cinema operator, Lynette Zierden and her family. She asked for relief from her lease with the town and explained that she would make arrangements to pay off any debt owed the town of Coulee Dam. The town council quickly OK’d the request, recognizing that it was a sign of the times. The need to convert the theater’s present film projection equipment to digital was more than Zierden could afford. The theater was...

  • On restricted input

    Tom and Kathy Skordas|May 15, 2013

    We were quite surprised and frankly disappointed that Coulee Dam residents are not permitted to speak at future council meetings. In recent months this input has been very positive and certainly reflective of the desires of most residents. We hope our next council and mayor are more receptive to the voices of Coulee Dam residents. Tom and Kathy Skordas...

  • More participation needed, not less

    Greg Wilder|May 15, 2013

    The town of Coulee Dam is facing a lot of issues with the sewer plant, huge increases in utility rates, the impacts of a new school, needed improvements to our parks, sidewalks, and roads. We need a better and growing relationship with our local sister-cities, the USBR, the Park Service, the School District and the Tribes. Our local demographic is changing — the times are changing. We need the public’s involvement to help with thoughts, ideas and energy. We expect that our Town Council meetings will give us an opportunity to participate. We...

  • Colorama burglary stems from a bigger problem

    Womacks|May 15, 2013

    Hello to the GC area. This was our 30th year in the Colorama Parade with our 1968 AMX. This has always been a great time of the year for us. That is -- except for this last time. When we arrived on the 9th we found our little trailer house on View Place in Delano had been burglarized. The TV and related equipment were taken. They also took all our keys for the vehicles in the garage. After we called the police, it took two hours for the Grant County sheriff to show up to take our statement and investigate the crime. During the report, the...

  • So she's running for mayor

    Gail Morin|May 15, 2013

    About one year ago, I noticed something was going to happen with the Sewer Treatment Plant. I became curious. I attended meetings and began looking into Elmer City’s expenditures for sewer. I kept reading and researching and asking for further information. None of the answers made any sense to me. We are a very small community with a varied population. Many of our citizens have lived here for decades. Could our residents afford this project? No. My friends in Coulee Dam can’t afford it either. My findings proved that many of us living here fac...

  • Sad to see movie theater close

    Winona Simons|May 15, 2013

    I was saddened to read about the Village Cinema closure. It is one less activity for residents and tourists to enjoy in the coulee. Lynette and Don, along with Lynette’s kids, deserve a big thank you for their efforts to keep the theater open. Since their family took over operating the theater, they did a lot of work remodeling and made going to the movies fun. Thanks for your efforts, guys. Winona Simons Coulee Dam...

  • Float missed a queen

    SJ Carnahan|May 15, 2013

    The Queen of Hearts Pageant Float was minus “One Queen of Hearts” who has been ignored or overlooked twice now and never asked to participate after the original pageant was over. Seems like this Queen of Hearts pageant is not following the guidelines of its purpose. The judges favored and bestowed upon the pageant leader’s daughter most awards when she was by no means any better than the other girls which definitely showed favoritism. Did she need more of a morale boost than the rest of the girls? A public apology would be nice and a moral...

  • One person makes a difference

    C Williamson|May 15, 2013

    To all the naysayers ... one person can make a difference! Geezer Beach is no longer being patrolled or ticketed by C.C.T. Enjoy your beach! C. Williamson...

  • Forward thinking commissioners deserve thanks

    May 15, 2013

    We want to extend our sincere appreciation to county commissioners Jim DeTro, Sheilah Kennedy and Ray Campbell for their forward thinking approach to improved security in our courthouse. Rather than wait for tragedy to strike, our commissioners, in recognition of citizens’ needs to feel confident and safe in seeking access to courthouse services, adopted a resolution creating a courthouse security officer position. The courthouse building serves voters, jurors, employees, litigants, victims, tax payers, and people stopping in to get a p...

  • Coulee Recollections

    May 15, 2013

    Ten Years Ago The possibility of bringing a swimming pool back into the Grand Coulee Dam area seems to be closer to reality after several county governments are encouraged by it. Sean Hess, chair of the Coulee Area Recreation Effort (CARE), and others in the grass-roots group met with the Okanogan County commissioners Monday about becoming the lead country for a proposed Parks and Recreation District. Lake Roosevelt alumna Kristen Shields won the 100 meters and anchored the Whitworth College 4x100 relay win at the Ken Foreman Invitational in...

  • Legals for May 15, 2013

    May 15, 2013

    PUBLIC NOTICE SURPLUS ITEMS The TOWN OF COULEE DAM has surplus items which will be auctioned on-line at the website of propertyroom.com. A list of Surplus items is available at town hall during business hours. Please continually check website for scheduled auction date and time of interested items. Carol Visker Clerk/Treasurer (Publish May 15, 2013) Public Notice Town of Coulee Dam ORDINANCES ADOPTED BY THE TOWN OF COULEE DAM Ordinance 712 – An Ordinance of the Town of Coulee Dam, Washington, re-numbering, established accounting funds of the T...

  • Out for a ride

    Scott Hunter|May 15, 2013

    A couple girls ride the Octopus at the Colorama carnival Friday night. More photos of the Colorama weekend are available to view online. Follow the slideshow below and just click through to see it in a larger format, or to buy photos and more. Colorama 2013 - Images by Scott Hunter...

  • Community-wide talent show set

    May 15, 2013

    The Junior Class is sponsoring a community-wide talent Show to be held on Thursday, May 30th at Lake Roosevelt High School gym. There will be a spaghetti dinner beginning at 5:30 and the show will start at 7:00. If you are interested in participating please contact Karyn Byam @ 631-2275 or Pam Byam @ 633-0529....

  • It's a girl for Myers/Greene

    May 15, 2013

    Loni Myers and Kyle Greene of Nespelem are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Nova Rose Marie Greene, born Monday, May 6, 2013, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Sibling includes big brother Casey Ray Myers age 2. Maternal grandparents are Connie Myer and Shawn Fowler. Paternal grandparents are Margret Gunshows and Russel Greene. Great-grandparents are Loni-Sheila Gendron and Joseph Myer....

  • It's a girl for Tsosie/Chase

    May 15, 2013

    Shinina Tsosie and Darryl Chase are proud to announce the birth of their daughter KaeCea Chase on Monday, May 6, 2013, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Sibling includes Damien Chase, age 4. Maternal grandparents are Bernice Tsosie of Dilkon, Ariz., and Francis Tsosie of Grand Coulee. Paternal grandparents are Deborah Stout of Wellpinit and the late Timothy Chase. Great-grandparents are Cecelia Hall of Grand Coulee, Stella Chase of Dilkon, Ariz., and Violet Shorty of...

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