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Articles from the July 6, 2016 edition


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  • Suit: Grand Coulee Dam pollutes river

    Scott Hunter|Jul 6, 2016

    An environmental group has sued the Bureau of Reclamation to force compliance with the Clean Water Act, which it contends Grand Coulee Dam and other big dams are not meeting. Pollution discharges from the USBR’s operation of the dam “contribute to the pollution crisis on the Columbia River,” the suit brought Thursday by Columbia Riverkeeper says. The group wants Reclamation to switch to using so called eco-friendly oils and greases as lubricants in machinery that contacts water and file for a pollution permit under the Clean Water Act. In 20...

  • Glory and glow sticks

    Jul 6, 2016

    People wearing glow sticks sit watching the fireworks finale in the Visitor Center park Monday night at the conclusion of the Independence Day festival put on by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. The crowd cheered with approval through the nearly 20-minute spectacle, especially when the biggest explosions lit the sky. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Land for parks, pathway to be discussed in public meeting

    Roger S Lucas|Jul 6, 2016

    A second Electric City Pathways and Parks meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, July 16, in the park-like grassy area behind city hall, where residents can see how well the city’s Pathways and Parks Revitalization plan is coming along. Ice cream will be provided by MJs Bistro. The futuristic plan has been shaped by a Washington State University team from the school’s Rural Communities Design Initiative, after an earlier public meeting in May. A local committee, appointed by the city council, has reviewed some of the plans from the WSU gro...

  • Bill bickering brings in lawyers

    Roger S Lucas|Jul 6, 2016

    Grand Coulee and Electric City continue their disagreement over a $39,000 arsenic treatment dispute. Grand Coulee Mayor Paul Townsend proposed to his council that maybe it would be a good thing to meet Electric City halfway on the disputed $39,000. His suggestion got nowhere at the last council meeting. In fact, it prompted Councilmember Erin Nielson to move to stand firm on the city’s contention that it doesn’t owe Electric City the $39,000. His motion passed unanimously. Accordingly, Townsend sent Electric City the bad news by letter. The...

  • Water park was less wet than planned

    Scott Hunter|Jul 6, 2016

    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 put on the festival and an associated feature for kids planned to be mostly water features, but it was less so than planned. The change followed an 11th-hour phone call from a Grant County Health District official who said the district wouldn't allow the features that had been planned. The...

  • Holiday weekend had its problems

    Scott Hunter|Jul 6, 2016

    It wasn't the smoothest sailing for festival planners over this Independence Day weekend. Problems started with short notice from Grant County Health District authorities that a water park for kids couldn't happen the way it was planned. Smaller complications, such as reportedly rude political protesters and a lost child (she was found) were wedged between that announcement and the final blow - a power outage that cancelled the Laser Light Show during the biggest festival of the year. Officials...

  • City may increase water rates

    Roger S Lucas|Jul 6, 2016

    Grand Coulee residents may soon face a water rate increase. City Clerk Carol Boyce said last week that she will propose to the council July 19, that the city increase its water rates by $3 a month, beginning in September. The increase would help the city replenish its water reserve account, which was depleted during several water service repairs back in 2014. That year, the city made major water delivery improvements near Jess Ford, city hall and East Heights. “We paid for those improvements out of our reserves,” Boyce stated. Those imp...

  • West Nile present in county

    Roger S Lucas|Jul 6, 2016

    Grant County Mosquito Control District 1 has reported a mosquito sample collected west of Moses Lake has tested positive for West Nile virus, making it the first detection of the virus in the county this season. Mosquito District 1 covers the Greater Moses Lake area, including the Moses Lake Sand Dunes and Potholes areas. The positive sample is an indication that WNV is present in this area and potentially other areas of Grant County. During the 2015 season, four humans, seven horses and 107 mosquito samples were found to be infected with WNV,...

  • Thanks for Koulee Kids Fest

    Sara Rice|Jul 6, 2016

    I’d like to publicly thank all the individuals, businesses, and organizations who participate in making Koulee Kids Fest happen. This is the second year I’ve attended with three of my grandchildren, and they have had fun all day long! So, thank you, Grand Coulee Dam area, for “Kids Fest.” My grandkids and I will be back again! Sara Rice Wilbur...

  • Hoping for huckleberry progress from Jesse

    Bob Stephen|Jul 6, 2016

    The column by Jesse Utz on huckleberries touched on a subject of special interest to me. Hopefully, the Colville fire areas will bounce back at a quicker pace than Jesse projects in regard to the huckleberries. The intense heat in these cases is obviously the problem. If the underground rooting systems were destroyed, the slow recovery will possibly result. Fire is the best friend of the huckleberry, but the massive, hot fires change the equation. Hopefully, Jesse will provide follow-up columns in the coming years on the recovery. Thank you,...

  • CBC failure part of deep deception

    Lou Stone|Jul 6, 2016

    “As The Stomach Turns” is possibly how many of us Tribal Members felt, who read the Bill Of Impeachment content against former Colville Tribal Court Chief Judge Scot Stuart in November 2015. While we read it with interest, many of us rolled our eyes with the anticipation of another routine Clowncil effort in FAIL. Sure enough, we could see right away, the Clowncil would avoid its duty to lawfully impeach under the weight of the most numerous, immorally disgusting, and egregious of offenses as outlined in the Bill of Impeachment. The usual sus...

  • Family, photos and fireworks

    Jesse Utz|Jul 6, 2016

    The last few days, Karrie and I spent with friends who have adopted us as family. They have a large family with a lot of moving parts and we blended in the best we could and felt like a part of the root system of this great tree. We became an intricate part of a great machine that helped in the kitchen, learned in the garden and laughed in the family room. The reason I mention this, is because that is how we should be as a community. You have heard me say this before, but I think it is worth repeating. We need to look out for one another, help...

  • Made in America

    Don Brunell|Jul 6, 2016

    In the presidential campaign leading up to the November elections, hopefully we will hear about ways to “Make America Great Again!” One of the most effective strategies is to entice U.S. companies with foreign factories to relocate back home. Another is to encourage those who remained in America to reinvest here. Discussions about bolstering domestic production of goods and services did not start this year. They are largely rooted in our nation’s anemic job creation over the last decade. A “Reshoring Institute” launched in 2014 at the Unive...

  • Years ago

    Jul 6, 2016

    Date unknown Nespelem pow wow grounds...

  • It's a boy for Berry/Vargas

    Jul 6, 2016

    Vanessa Berry and Lindsey Vargas, of Malott, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Ryder Vargas, born Sunday, June 26, 2016, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. He weighed 7 lbs., 15.3 oz., and was 20.5 inches in length at birth. Sibling is Xena R. Vargas, age 2. Maternal grandmother is Elizabeth Berry. Paternal grandparents are Marc Vargas and Laurie Saulque. Great-grandparents are Julianne and Vernon Saulque and Myra Agapith....

  • Library activities are in full swing

    Jul 6, 2016

    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 19, employees from the PUD will be visiting at 11 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. In addition, many libraries will be hosting the NCRL Puppeteers,...

  • Canning workshop next Wednesday in Nespelem

    Jul 6, 2016

    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....

  • Joining the Arbor Day Foundation in July will help high-need national forests

    Jul 6, 2016

    Forests across America are a prized natural resource, and anyone can help plant trees in these vital areas by joining the Arbor Day Foundation this month. Through the Replanting Our National Forests campaign, the Arbor Day Foundation will honor each new member who joins in July by planting 10 trees in forests that have been devastated by wildfires, insects, and disease. The cost for joining the Arbor Day Foundation is a $10 donation. America’s national forests face enormous challenges, including unprecedented wildfires that have left a b...

  • Art quilts draw hundreds

    Jul 6, 2016

    Alison Toivonen, left, of Summerland, British Columbia, and Rosa Brady of Penticton browse the art quilt show Friday that was hosted by the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in honor of the National Park Service's centennial year. The quilts inspired by national parks are featured in a new book, "Inspired by National Parks, their Landscapes and Wildlife in Fabric Perspectives," by Donna DeSoto. The show drew about 500 people who came from as far away as California to see it, ranging in...

  • Water balloon extravaganza

    Jul 6, 2016

    Rob Carroll, right and Victor Landeros, left form the stiff part of a human slingshot as a young neighbor prepares to let loose of a water balloon in the Stevens Avenue annual event. The neighborhood potluck in Coulee Dam also got a lot of kids very wet and cool with hundreds of balloons, supplied by Carroll. Nobody hit the neighbor's boat down the street, despite dozens of attempts. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Golf tourney coming

    Jul 6, 2016

    The Coyote Golf Tournament kicks off with a practice round this Friday at Banks Lake Golf Course. Those interested can get registered and pay the $135 fee. This includes all green fees for the two days, a dinner on Saturday and a luncheon on Sunday. The actual golf play kicks off Saturday, July 9, at 8 a.m. then resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. On Saturday, golfers steaks will be waiting for golfers after they play 18 holes. On Sunday, there will be a shotgun start, so players will finish about the same time, then treated to burgers. Full details of...

  • Coulee Cops

    Jul 6, 2016

    Grand Coulee Police 6/6 - A man on Spokane Way told police that someone keeps moving the remnants of his chain link fence he is putting up. He said it has occurred twice. 6/26 - A Pleasant Valley car owner was advised that his vehicle needed to be moved from North Dam Park or it would be towed. The vehicle had been there for two weeks and had a bad clutch. - A woman at a Hill Avenue apartment told police that someone had kicked open the door to her apartment. She said that two people saw her boyfriend in the area at the time but didn’t see him...

  • Council will consider meeting more

    Jul 6, 2016

    Grand Coulee’s council is going to look at meeting twice a month soon. It came up at the council’s last meeting after the meeting lasted about 90 minutes, long for a Grand Coulee meeting. Councilmember Tammara Byers brought it up, saying that she felt the council was rushed in making decisions. She got immediate support from Councilmember David Tylor, who wanted to make a motion to change meetings to twice a month. The council opted instead to put the issue on the agenda for its July meeting. Grand Coulee’s council had historically met twice...

  • Legals for July 6, 2016

    Jul 6, 2016

    IN THE TRIBAL COURT OF THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION Colville Tribal Credit Corporation, ) Case No.: CV-CD-2015-38251 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. ) The Estate of Elizabeth Emerson, ) David R. Emerson Jr., ) Darla Emerson, Amanda Emerson ) and Roberta Rosnik, ) ) Does 1-20, ) Claiming any right, title, estate lien or ) interest in the real estate or secured ) interest...