News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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County commissioners told those attending the sixth public meeting on the Okanogan County’s Juvenile Department last week that they would commit to continue housing juveniles in the county facility in Okanogan, rather than outsource the job to a far-away place. The latter possibility had brought 100 or more citizens, including two opposed superior court judges, out to a series of meetings in which commissioners explored various aspects of the question. Their announcement June 21 followed the filing of a lawsuit against them a day earlier by t... Full story
New interpretations of old regulations forced a last-minute change to plans for a water park, a new feature of the chamber of commerce's Festival of America. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, which is putting on the festival and an associated feature for kids meant to be more about water features, is less so than planned. The changed followed an 11th-hour phone call from the Grant County Health District, which said it wouldn't allow the features that had been planned. There are...
Jim Boyd, leader of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and renowned musician and recording artist, died unexpectedly last week at the age of 60. "This is a very, very sad day for the Colville Tribes," said Vice Chairman of the Colville Business Council Michael Marchand. "One of our most respected leaders and talented tribal members is no longer among us. The sheer enormity of our loss has not set in yet, and I doubt that it will for quite some time." Boyd, who won seven Native... Full story
You just bought a bag of fireworks and are wondering where you can set them off. Here’s your answer: Fireworks are banned from the Colville Tribes’ reservation this year. Likewise in Elmer City and Coulee Dam. Fireworks are also banned in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. You can let fireworks off in Electric City if you adhere to the state law covering fireworks. In Grand Coulee, North Dam is still open to fireworks, subject to fire department approval; anywhere else in the city is off limits. The Colville Tribes on June 17 issued a... Full story
There are a lot of fun, interesting things to do in the area this week. We detail them in a special section inside this issue, from the Festival of America, with its new water park, to a huge, national art quilt show with more than 180 pieces on display to honor the National Park Service. Here's an online version of the printed special section:... Full story
There are not enough superlatives to accurately describe Bob and Bev Bruno's rural log home. You could take the view. Or the careful detail of their home. Or even the house for their five banties. Nothing by itself will do! Bob, a log-house builder now semi-retired, has put all the things he has learned about log- house construction into one. The view is so outstanding that one room is designed for two cushioned chairs, providing comfort, and a place to stare at the view. The view is not only of... Full story
American flags available The Grand Coulee Dam area American Legion Post has free 3-by-5-foot American flags and a few 4-by-6-foot flags. You can stop by during the Post’s Saturday garage sale in Electric City and get a flag. County bans fireworks The Okanogan County Commissioners signed resolution 51-2016 on June 27, implementing a county-wide ban on fireworks due to hazardous fire conditions. Deadline on consolidation survey coming A survey on local feelings on merging the four local towns, or parts of them, will wrap up next Tuesday, July 5... Full story
There will be some changes on the Colville Business Council as a result of the general election tally over the past week. During the tally, it was announced that Chairman Jim Boyd had died. Boyd was running against Georgia Simpson in the Inchelium District Position 1 race, and lost the count 268-184. In other races, William “Billy” Nicholson II, lost his Nespelem Position 1 council seat to Willie Womer 409-346. Sheilah Cleveland captured the Nespelem Position 2 seat over former councilman Brian Nissen 416-333. In the Inchelium Position 2 rac... Full story
Lake Roosevelt High School could field a girls’ soccer team this year. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board is dealing with the cost and plans to review the soccer request at its July 11 meeting. Six schools in the North Central Washington 2-B League already have girls’ soccer teams — Brewster, Bridgeport, Liberty Bell, Manson, Oroville and Tonasket. Making the presentation before the board Monday was Casey Moore. She explained that the current youth soccer program had 120 kids involved and has become highly successful. The distr... Full story
The coulee loves basketball, and produces winners at Hoopfest 2016 in Spokane. Garrett Strocsher, a 2002 Lake Roosevelt High School graduate, finished first in the men's elite bracket at the big contest that hosted about 7,000 teams last weekend. Strocher's teammates from the Spokane Club probably had something to do with it too. They are Matt Brunell, Curtis Carlson and Brian Rabas. And in the much younger Youth Male division, the "NWA Elite" team took their bracket championship. Chase... Full story
I didn’t know Jim Boyd well, just enough to like him and admire his talent. So it came as a complete surprise when the sudden news of his death overwhelmed me last week. That reaction likely has something to do with being nearly the same age, but it was more than that. Boyd was an artist who was a leader, someone who could articulate for those of us on the outside of his culture, his tribe, the importance of the commonplace and of the sacred. Because he had that ability, politics somehow seemed less about self-interest than about grappling w... Full story
Over the past three years, the current county commissioners have outsourced jobs to contractors in other counties. I assume they want to reduce the size of government and lower expenditures. But this has very negative outcomes on all of us. Okanogan County has the lowest annual income average of its citizens, the smallest population and largest land mass of any of Washington’s counties. Does it make sense that decent middle-class salaries of county workers are sent to and spent in other counties? We don’t like this type of action when big bus... Full story
How old were you when you first learned about Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, and the First Amendment? Fourth grade? High School? It is disturbing that our county commissioners publicly questioned whether a critical editorial comment in the Omak Chronicle violated its contract as newspaper of record. Fortunately, their attorney urged the commissioners to drop that thought like a hot potato. While ignorance of basic founding principles of our country is often tolerated in friends, we expect much more from elected officials. Reassurance... Full story
The elections process is not usually grist for inflammatory rhetoric. But this year has been different. Republican Donald Trump labeled the GOP primary process “crooked.” Democrat Bernie Sanders suggested his party’s use of super-delegates made its nominating process a “rigged system.” For many voters, the intricacies of voting rules quickly became a topic of overriding interest. Now that the primaries are over, I hope Americans remain just as intrigued by the laws governing general-election voting in their states. Because at the moment, t... Full story
My wife and I have had it on our hearts for years to be foster parents. We even looked into adoption at one time and almost adopted a little girl from North Dakota. For many different reasons things just never panned out and we put a value on our family time and time together over other things. But here we are again at a crossroads, and this time we hear Gods calling loud and clear. We made the first step this past week, with many more steps to come. But how we got to this point is the better story. I already told you we have thought about... Full story
In 1938, this scenic site was leased to C.D. Newland, who subsequently erected and equipped The Green Hut restaurant, shown in the foreground, and landscaped the adjoining grounds. – July 4, 1939 photo... Full story
Luther Allen Leith, 37, was born November 16, 1978, in Grand Coulee, Washington, to Roy and Joanne Circle-Leith. He left us much too soon from Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, Saturday morning, June 18, 2016. A proud member of the Colville Confederated Tribes and Catholic Church, Luther graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1997. To say that Luther "loved horses and rodeo" would be an understatement. He participated in the "High School National Finals Rodeo"... Full story
North Central Regional Library will be offering a wide range of programs over the summer, including its popular reading programs for children and adults. Coming July 5th will be a Puppet Show at the Grand Coulee library beginning at 10:30 a.m. Signups are now underway at each of our 30 branches. Sign up at your local library to be eligible for prizes and raffle drawings, or online at ncrl.org. Readers can track their hours and books read, and win prizes throughout the summer as they reach their goals.... Full story
The WSU Colville Reservation Extension is presenting a Basics of Water Bath Canning workshop on Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14. The Wednesday class will be from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Omak Senior Mealsite and the Thursday class is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Keller Community Center. Pre-registration is requested and can be done by contacting Kayla Wells at 634-2304 or kayla.wells@wsu.edu.... Full story
"Four Star Brass," a brass quartet from Navy Band Northwest, provided a 45-minute concert Sunday night at the Bureau of Reclamation's Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center. The four musician sailors played a variety of traditional patriotic songs, gospel, jazz, popular songs and, of course, a John Philip Sousa march, all under a perfect summer evening sky. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Rielee Smith and Louis Clark, of Omak, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Alayiah Kree Mary-Jean Clark, born Saturday, June 18, 2016, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Siblings include X’Zavior Clark, age 6, and Ar’Reya Vincent, age 3. Maternal grandparents are Sheri Carden and George Smith. Paternal grandparents are Angela Clark and Ronald Friedlander Jr. Great-grandparents are Norma and Fred Carden and Daria and Ronald Fri... Full story
Bowling Scores SENIORS 6-22-16 Leo 139/122/147=408; Bob 141/190/ 163=494; “The Gov” 99/117/130=346; Karen117/148/136=401;Ray 151/157/ 154=462; Scott 187/188/166=541 Spring League Team W L Flaying W 19 9 San Poil 16 12 Aw Split 12 16 La Familia 9 19 High Game: Tiger Altin-Covington 260; Mae Stensgar 215 High Series: Don Richer 675; Mae Stensgar 584 Splits: Kota 2-4-10... Full story
Five of six administration positions in the Grand Coulee Dam school system will change for the new school year. Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carlson concludes his six years here June 30, and is being replaced by Paul Turner. Turner was hired by the board to follow Carlson this spring, after it was learned Carlson planned to retire. This year Turner was assistant principal at the junior/senior high school and prior to that principal at Tonasket. Things moved fast at the school board meeting Monday night. The board accepted the resignation of... Full story
Lucinda Parker, an abstract artist from Portland, Oregon, was here June 21 as six of her paintings were hung at various places in the Lake Roosevelt school building. Two of the 5-foot by 9-foot paintings went up in each cafeteria, and one in each of the main stairwells. Parker was selected by a local committee and commissioned through the Washington State Arts Commission to provide art for the new school complex. Shown here is Parker with her "Two Turkeys" painting. Each of the paintings... Full story
IN THE TRIBAL COURT OF THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION Colville Tribal Credit Corporation, ) Case No.: CV-CD-2015-38236 a lending institution wholly-owned by ) the Confederated Tribes of the Colville ) Indian Reservation ) ) CHIEF OF POLICE ) PUBLIC NOTICE ) OF SALE OF Plaintiff(s), ) REAL PROPERTY vs. ) David E. Boyce, Zelda Andrew, ) Tara Naomi Isam, Jason Boyce, ) and State of Washington Department ) of Social and Health Services ) ) ) ) ) ) Defendant(s) ) The Colville Tribal Court has directed the undersigned Chief of... Full story