News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The community is about to face a very good problem to have. Even as plans are made to complete a new school, an older edifice that has served for decades may still be put to good use. The time to start thinking about what to do with the building that is the current Grand Coulee Dam Middle School is now, suggested school district Superintendent Dennis Carlson at a recent chamber of commerce meeting. Carlson pointed out that the community has about two-and-a-half years to figure out what it will want the building to be next. The building that... Full story
Local astronomers will gather at Crescent Bay Lake area beginning at 3 p.m. today to view an event that won’t happen again until 2117 as the planet Venus moves between Earth and the sun. Provided there is any break in the clouds, you can join them to use solar viewing glasses and pin-hole cameras, and filtered telescopes to witness the transit of Venus. Trying to view the transit without such equipment would be impossible and is very dangerous. Venus will begin to cross the sun at 3:06 p.m. and continue moving across the sun through sunset. ... Full story
State Sen. Linda Evans Parlette will be one of the speakers at Lake Roosevelt High School’s graduation exercises, Saturday, June 9. Parlette said last week that her talk will be brief and that she was taking the opportunity while in the community to meet with any constituents who want to talk with her. She said she will be at the R&A Cafe in Coulee Dam from 11 a.m. to noon for public meetings. She will address the graduating seniors shortly after the start of ceremonies beginning at 1 p.m. P... Full story
Participants at the annual Isle of Flags Memorial Day ceremony listen as Becky Kerns sings The Star Spangled Banner. The event served “to remind us as a people of the cost of a free and undivided republic,” in the words of General John Logan as quoted by a speaker at the event, Sgt. Ashbrook. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
“I have never seen a community that has an opportunity like this one has to re-invent the K-12 school system,” Dennis Carlson told business leaders at a chamber of commerce meeting recently. Carlson, the superintendent of the Grand Coulee Dam School District, said that the district will soon have a new K-12 facility, be debt free, and will be able to focus its attention on education. That could allow for some serious rethinking of how that education is delivered, he said, touching on ideas such as promotion of students along subject lines the... Full story
Okanogan County and Brewster law enforcement officers assisted Grand Coulee police in locating an Electric City woman wanted for stabbing her boyfriend with a knife May18. Arrested on assault in the first degree, domestic violence, and providing false information to a police officer, was Mercedes A. O’Dell, 22, of 138 Miller Ave., in Electric City. Police say she tabbed Jacob M. Jackson, 24, who gave his address as Omak. Officers had originally answered a call that a suicidal person was at the Miller Avenue address. When police arrived the o... Full story
Police arrested a Coulee Dam man last week after a knifing incident at his home. Donald Wilson, of 611 Holly Street, was arrested Thursday for first-degree assault, resisting arrest and intimidating a public servant. Wilson is accused of stabbing Dion Socula in the chest and wrist after an argument in Wilson’s home. Police were called by a neighbor after Socula stumbled onto the neighbor’s property and collapsed. The police were told that a person visiting the neighbor had taken Socula to the hospital. When officers arrived there, Socula was... Full story
Grand Coulee has named Deputy Clerk Valerie Keck as its nuisance ordinance compliance officer. Mayor Chris Christopherson told the council May 15 that she has already started sending letters out telling residents of their non-compliance with the city’s ordinances. Keck will also be active in “dangerous building abatement.” The city’s efforts to get people to clean up their properties were started after Becky Billups, a resident who lives on Burdin Boulevard, complained that places near her residence looked like a “ghetto.” This sparked a r... Full story
Three guys boating near Spring Canyon rescued a woman whose boat caught fire in front of them Sunday night. Kim Simons, of Bremerton, and her husband Jeff had just launched their 23-foot Warlock boat from the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area boat launch at Spring Canyon. Kim took the boat for a quick spin while Jeff parked the trailer and walked back to the dock. He was chatting with someone on the dock, he said, “and they said, ‘Hey, your boat’s on fire.’ ” Jeff and Randy Semanko,... Full story
Electric City no longer makes audio recordings of its council meetings. The city stopped doing this about a month ago on agreement between Mayor Jerry Sands and City Clerk/Treasurer Jackie Perman. That raised a question from resident Sam Stanczak, who has been attending council meetings the past several weeks. “How can you do this,” Stanczak asked? He asked Sands if it was illegal to not record the meetings. Sands answered, “no,” and explained that most cities and town do not. The city has made a practice of recording meetings for years,... Full story
Visitors to three Columbia River dams, including Grand Coulee, can join in on a high-tech educational treasure hunt that could earn them a special patch simply by taking part in the “D3 Geocache Challenge.” It began May 27 and will continue through Labor Day. The visitor centers at Bureau of Reclamation’s Grand Coulee Dam; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Chief Joseph Dam; and the Chelan County Public Utility District’s Rocky Reach Dam will be the starting point to discover the hidden treasures of hydropower production and other essential... Full story
The school board will hold a public hearing, beginning at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 6, on a new policy to deal with holding students back a grade. The district, in effect, has been operating without a formal retention policy. The board had its first reading of the new policy at its meeting, May 21, and the final reading is scheduled June 6. The public will have an opportunity to examine the policy and comment on it during the public hearing aspect of the board meeting. The policy deals with the retention issue in all 12 grades. For grades K-4, th... Full story
Coulee Dam will seek a lower interest rate for its loan for the proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant. The town currently has a $4.992 million loan from the Department of Ecology at 2.7 percent interest. The town council Wednesday asked engineering firm Gray & Osborne to prepare an application for a 1-percent, 20-year loan from the state’s Public Works Trust Fund. The PWTF projects are awarded after approval by the state Legislature, with funds being made available in 2014. Council members were told that Gray & Osborne would prepare the a... Full story
A town hall meeting on Coulee Dam’s Wastewater Treatment Plant will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 31, at Elmer City’s town hall. The meeting was called by Elmer City so residents could discuss the financial impacts the plant would have on local residents. Elmer City contracts with Coulee Dam to process its sewer flow. Mayor Mary Jo Carey said the meeting is for information only and that no official decisions will be made. Elmer City is in a tug of war with Coulee Dam’s council over whether it is a partner in the current sewer treatment plant... Full story
It is with gratitude and appreciation that I see people step up and offer their time and often unfaltering support at endurance events all over the world, including our events. I took over this company going on three years ago now because I have personally witnessed what the power of believing in people can do and I wanted to have a vehicle to do the same for others that has been done for me. At the age of 28, I lost the feeling in my legs due to an injury and after waking up from the surgery was told that while I would probably walk again I... Full story
If I had a penny for how many times I’ve used the phrase “Use your words,” over the last two years, I’d be, as they say, rich. My house at this time is like an intensive English-language boot camp. My three-year-old daughter is at that stage all children pass through where her emotions far outpace her command of the English language. Although perhaps this is a stage not restricted to childhood. As adults, putting emotions, wishes, fears, and angers into the right words is sometimes equally... Full story
Activists waging a national war on coal have turned their sights on the Pacific Northwest, targeting proposed shipping terminals in Washington and Oregon that would export coal to China. They’re aggressively lobbying federal officials to change how these projects are evaluated. If they succeed, our economy could become a casualty of the war on coal. Currently, such projects undergo a rigorous environmental review known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) involving months or even years o... Full story
Ten Years Ago Grand Coulee Dam’s Third Powerhouse received a colorful addition last week just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Using cranes, Bureau of Reclamation workers placed a 30-foot by 57-foot American flag on the front of the powerhouse, highly visible from across the river. Grand Coulee Dam area residents might soon have a little different way of disposing of their garbage. Sunrise Disposal owner John Gotti and manager Dick Howe presented a cart system proposal to the Regional Board of Mayors on May 13. All garbage cans would be r... Full story
Beverly Haffner, 55, lost her battle with cancer August 7, 2011, at her home in Jacksonville, N.C., surrounded by her family. She was born January 30, 1956, in Bushnell, Ill., to Mary and Harlan Hummel. She attended elementary and high school in Bushnell, moving to Walker, Minn., her senior year of high school. She graduated from Walker High School in 1974. From 1986 to 1988 Beverly attended Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Ill., earning her Associates in Nursing in 1988. Beverly was an... Full story
Willice (Will) A. Pendell Jr. passed away peacefully, of natural causes, at his home in Spokane, Thursday, May 17, 2012. He was 77 years old. Will was born on August 9, 1934, to Willice A. Pendell and Myrtle Everets Smith Pendell in Spokane. He was the 10th of 11 children. Will had six sisters: Rose, Lavine, Hattie, Myrtle, Gladys, and Evelyn; and four brothers: Davis, Eugene, Ross and James. Will loved all types of animals, especially horses. He liked outings of all kind, especially to restaura... Full story
The loving family of David D. Taylor Jr., wishes to announce that David passed away Wednesday, May 16, 2012, after lengthy illness. David retired from General Telephone Company and then made his home in Grand Coulee where he and his wife were proprietors of a beverage and eating establishment. He enjoyed outdoor sports such as fishing, boating, camping and travel. His passion was building and flying Radio Controlled Model Airplanes and teaching others to do the same. He is survived by his wife Ida; his mother Viola; daughters: Debbie, Vicki... Full story
Christine C. Clark, 89, born July 15, 1922, in Inchelium, Wash., to Alex and Lucy Hawk-Covington, passed away, her loving family by her side, on Thursday, May 24, 2012, in Grand Coulee. Christine graduated from Salem, Oregon’s Chemawa High School and went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree from Evergreen State College in Olympia. A member of Nespelem’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Christine’s employment history included working for Nespelem Fire Control, as a guidance counselor at Grand Coulee... Full story
Spring Canyon Cemetery holds more than 500 American flags for the annual Isle of Flags Memorial Day ceremony on Monday. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Evangelina and Mark Piturachsatit are proud to announce the birth of their son Ezra Kellin Piturachsatit on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz. He joins siblings Anya, Camryn and Gideon at home. Maternal grandparents are Robert and Sheila Clark of Pullman and Atara MacNamara of Centralia. Paternal grandparents are Kachane and Cheryl Piturachsatit of Grand Coulee.... Full story
Chamber to Meet The Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon on Thursday, May 31, at the Siam Palace in Grand Coulee. Saturday Market Meeting Thursday A meeting for this year’s Saturday Market will be held May 31, at 6 p.m., at Brandy’s Antiques, 325 Midway Ave., Grand Coulee. Last year’s vendors and anyone interested in participating this year are encouraged to attend. The market will start June 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Saturday until mid-September. Please contact Leroy at 631-2032 or Jean 631-0301 for further information. The appli... Full story