News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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It was Grand Coulee’s turn last night to address where its police contract with Electric City is going. Two council members were instrumental in working out an arrangement that would extend Grand Coulee’s police contract with Electric City for one year, allowing time to study how or if the two cities could develop a joint police department. Councilmembers Erin Neilson and David Tylor met with their Electric City counterparts, Aaron Derr and John Nordine, July 3 to hammer out the plan. The current contract between the two cities ends Dec. 31, 20... Full story
A brush fire that started south of Leahy Junction Wednesday afternoon had consumed nearly 7 square miles of grass and brush by this morning after some short-range jumping and fast movement late Wednesday. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Eric Braaten discovered the fire about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. With crews totaling 20 firefighters and three fire engines, what's now called the R Road fire set local mutual-aid agreements into play, and firefighters from Grand Coulee and...
OLYMPIA -- A state of emergency was declared late Tuesday, July 14, in 20 Eastern Washington counties in response to multiple wildfires threatening homes, businesses, public infrastructure, and natural resources in many parts of the state as fire crews face continued severe fire weather conditions. The proclamation was signed at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, acting for Gov. Jay Inslee, who is on state business in Washington, D.C. Firefighters are battling multiple fires in eastern... Full story
The Grant County Board of Commissioners have issued a temporary ban on outdoor burning effective, Wednesday, July 16. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning until further notice and will be lifted when conditions improve. If citizens are caught burning they could face fines and other consequences, the news release noted. Elmer City council voted to allow Jeremiah Seekins and a Young Life group to use its basement room. The town will charge $10 a week for use of the room, which Seekins said will be about two hours a week. The council at Elmer... Full story
With hundreds attending, the Sunday afternoon pow-wow, held at the Nespelem Circle Grounds, marked the closing of the annual 10-day Fourth of July Celebration, where Native American dancers, from youngsters to elders, dressed in regalia and costumes, paid tribute to their families, friends and ancestors in a ceremonial grand entry dance, led by Colville tribal elder, Bill Timentwa (far right) and flag bearers, with traditional songs sung by local and visiting drums, an invocation and prayer and... Full story
A brief storm, with high winds, lightning and rain hit north of Elmer City, and north of Nespelem and Keller Monday. Mt. Tolman Fire officials said there were over 100 lightning strikes on the Colville Reservation. A few small spot fires were being handled Tuesday. Winds caused damage to a carport and broke limbs from trees in the Belvedere area and an inch of rain was reported by one resident there. Another reservation resident noted on The Star’s Facebook page that he recorded a 61.5 mile per hour gust of wind in the brief storm. The storm t... Full story
You can capture the fun this weekend when the Ridge Riders feature their Junior Rodeo, beginning at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Bring your cameras and capture some of the most exciting type of rodeo activity you will ever see. Watch youngsters show their mettle, and who knows, you may be watching a future rodeo star. It’s all happening at the Ridge Rider Rodeo Grounds in Delano. Features include, but are not limited to, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, and steer wrestling, all junior style. Then there are t... Full story
One Central Washington fire has been put out and firefighters are making progress on two others, officials reported Friday. Crews mopped up the Highland Fire, just east of Bridgeport early Friday. Two strike teams that were preparing to leave assisted Douglas County firemen. This fire started last Wednesday and didn’t damage any structures. The fire was managed by the Spokane County Management team. A 240-acre fire near 25-mile Creek on the south shore of Lake Chelan was reported 90% contained Sunday. Kari Grover-Wier, Chelan District R... Full story
A 28-year-old man who was arrested by Spokane police after an incident at Deaconess Hospital is a person of interest in an ongoing investigation by Grand Coulee police. Cameron A. Trevino, listed from Nespelem, was involved in an incident in Electric City, June 30, and has been sought by police after he allegedly pointed a gun at another person while committing an armed robbery of a cell phone and laptop computer. Trevino was initially arrested Friday by Spokane police for first-degree assault with a firearm and unlawful possession of a... Full story
A veteran who "was surrendered" by Bataan military authorities to the Japanese in World War II, was a visitor to Grand Coulee Monday. Dan Crowley, who enlisted in Hartford, Connecticut, in early January, 1941, reported to Ft. Slocum, N.Y., and shortly after found himself on a troop ship to the Philippines. After being surrendered on Bataan, a small group of a couple hundred, decided to swim after dark the half mile to Corregidor, where they continued to fight for another month before "being... Full story
Illness outbreak investigated Grant County Health District staff are investigating three laboratory confirmed cases and 210 people who have come in contact with ill individuals with whooping cough (pertussis) in Mattawa and Quincy, No one has been hospitalized. “We are responding to a cluster of whooping cough cases among migrant farm workers. Dr. Alexander Brzezny said. “Because of a large number of exposed and ill individuals in a very well-defined area, we are considering this a local outbreak,” Between July 3 and July 7, 210 patients recei... Full story
Four Western Washington men were convicted last week in Grant County Superior Court for poaching on Banks Lake, using gill nets to catch dozens of fish Dec. 5, 2013. “There really is no excuse for this behavior,” Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee said. “We will be asking the court to impose two months of county jail time on each of these four defendants.” Arrested at the time were Vladimir Savchenko, 36, Edmonds; Peter Zhezhelev, 46, Kenmore; Aleksandr Kashnikov, 45, Everett; and Sergey Mitsevich, 38, Everett. The four were charged with using g... Full story
Of the 81 workers who lost their lives while working on Grand Coulee Dam, 79 have been identified by researcher Susan Dechant. Dechant has been researching the accident incidents for the past several years and only recently reported that she was able to identify two more victims. The Colville resident spoke before the Coulee Dam Town Council this spring when council members showed an interest in developing a monument to honor the victims. It would be a replacement monument since one that was placed here in the mid-30s was taken back by the... Full story
Some lucky child is going to end up with a playhouse this weekend. It's the annual one built by DWK Fowler Construction and given to the Ridge Riders for a special drawing, this year at the Junior Rodeo. Tickets for the raffle drawing are $1 each and may be purchased from Cindy Edwards at Loepp Furniture on Grand Coulee's Main Street, or at the rodeo grounds before the drawing. You can even check the playhouse out in front of the Loepp Furniture store. Fowler Construction has been building and... Full story
Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man after responding to a reckless shooting incident near the Jameson Lake Resort last Friday. Deputies received a report that two men were shooting in a reckless manner and the reporting party was afraid that a camper might be injured or that a fire might be started. Two men were contacted and one was arrested when deputies learned that he was a convicted felon and was in possession of a gun. Arrested was Peter R. Emery, 31, of Kenmore, Wa. When arrested he was holding a .40 caliber Smith and W... Full story
Over the weekend my beaded stethoscope was taken out of my office in the hospital section of Coulee Medical Center. I have had it for years and used it to help people. It is a Littman Cardiology III with multi-colored native beadwork and my name Aric Frank with a peace sign engraved on the bell. It means the world to me and I am heartbroken at it being taken. Please return it to Coulee Medical Center, no questions asked. Thank you, Aric Frank RN, BSN Nurse Manager Coulee Medical Center... Full story
Many thanks to the SHARP Kids who painted the Gehrke Windmill pots last year, and to Phil and Linda Hansen and helpers for planting flowers in them and keeping the place watered this year. The improvement to the site is a special benefit for both locals and tourists. Jim and Mary Jane Bailey... Full story
For the past 2-3 years, our tribal council have not heard “the peoples.” They literally, purposefully, have not listened to the peoples. We in fb land know you sneak in and out of here to see what is the latest in what all of you call innuendo, gossip, fairy tales, etc. Do you have hidden dirty laundry? YOU better start listening … responding! Yes, the peoples are fed up … totally, totally fed up with personal agenda council and the ongoing non-transparency. To my surprise, and most certainly to someone else’s chagrin, the first fairy tal... Full story
In the aftermath of the explosion of a fertilizer storage facility in West, Texas last year that killed 15 people and destroyed three schools and a nursing home, federal officials realized there are serious gaps in federal oversight authority of facilities that house dangerous chemicals. In response, President Obama tasked an interagency working group with developing new guidelines for improving chemical facility safety and ensuring that some federal agency has responsibility for implementing and enforcing new safety guidelines. On Friday, June... Full story
There is an epidemic going on around us. Over the past month I have heard from strangers and friends about being the victims of crimes. As a matter of fact, the past few years in the Coulee have seen theft and burglary go up, with the theft of safes, propane tanks, HVAC units and smaller stuff. Recently, homes have been broken into, not just in our area but in Wilbur, Almira and Coulee City and homes in between. Even a car, stolen from the Emergency Services Building in Nespelem, was taken from... Full story
1 Years Ago The tenure of the Grand Coulee Dam School District's Superintendent, Dennis Chambers, came to an abrupt end Wednesday when he received notice to clear out his office. With two years remaining on his contract the $82,500 a year left on his contract was bought out. Grand Coulee Dam Area firefighters have been busy this last week with more than 5,000 acres burned within a thirty mile radius. Each fire was caused by lightning, fireworks or unknown causes. 20 Years Ago Only one real bid... Full story
Susan Lynn Cunningham was born October 20, 1947 in Ephrata Washington. Suziy was raised in Grand Coulee at the "Ranch". As an adult, she lived in the bush of Alaska with her children, where they had many adventures. She settled in the Yakima area in 1991. She worked in the restaurant business most of her life and became friends with everyone that she met. Suziy had a very good sense of humor and loved all people equally. She was very involved in AA and she believed that it saved her life. She... Full story
Gary Dean Brown, 66, died at his Elmer City, Washington home Saturday morning, July 12, 2014, following a courageous battle with cancer. Born on February 22, 1948, in Spokane, Washington to Dean and Janie Brown, Gary's first job was as a teenager working with his Grandpa Pete selling vacuum cleaners in Lewiston, Idaho. A graduate of Eastern Washington University, Gary went on to work for the Coulee Dam School District teaching sixth grade, a position he pursued passionately out of love for each... Full story
Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet Thursday, July 17, at noon, at Pepper Jack’s Bar and Grille in Grand Coulee. Coulee Area Community Blood Drive The Inland Northwest Blood Center along with the Coulee Community Blood Drive volunteers led by Rebecca Derrick will be coordinating the blood drive at Coulee Medical Center Professional Building B on Monday, July 21, from 11:30 am. to 4:30 p.m. INBC needs an average of 200 blood donors every day to meet the needs of more than 35 hospitals in the Inland Northwest... Full story
Christy M. Niewald and Daniel A. Atkins of Keller, are proud to announce the birth of their son Noah Daniel Atkins, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 5 lbs., 7 oz., and was 18” in length at birth. Sister is Dani Marie Atkins. Paternal grandparents are Bridgette and Gene Stace. Maternal grandparents are Cheryl Richmond and Donald Gua. Great-grandparents include Pricilla and Dan Atkins and Anne Hulett and Harold Crate.... Full story