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Articles from the July 22, 2020 edition


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  • Enjoying the water safely

    Jul 22, 2020

    A family of kayakers paddles past the beach at Steamboat Rock State Park. This is Washington State Parks' "Paddle Safe Week," emphasizing safe practices in paddle sports, which are growing rapidly in popularity - especially kayaking and stand-up paddling. Only 23% of kayakers and 31% of stand-up paddlers have considered taking formal training to further their skills, something State Parks strongly recommends. - Gwen Hilson photo...

  • Fire burning on "Wilbur Hill"

    Jul 22, 2020

    A wildfire burning in the "Wilbur Hill" area, near mile post 27.5 on SR-174, is mostly contained, fire fighters say. The fire, which started roughly at 11 a.m. today, July 24, had been moving towards wheat fields above the hill, where firefighters concentrated their efforts. The fire is also approaching the highway, and firefighters are keeping an eye on it, with traffic being stopped and one lane of travel being allowed at a time. Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish, serving as incident command...

  • Fire threatening Nespelem area

    Scott Hunter|Jul 22, 2020

    Update 3 p.m. 7/24/20: Level 3 evacuations have been lifted in the Nespelem-to-agency area today, but Level 2 Evacuation has been issued for the area north of Nespelem from the Catholic Cemetery to the Jackson Ranch off SR-155. People in that area are warned of “significant danger” and asked to “consider voluntarily relocating to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area.” There’s a Red Flag Warning for fire weather today until 8 p.m. for gusty winds and low relative humidity...

  • Local COVID cases go up again

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 22, 2020

    The Grand Coulee Dam area has had an additional three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the past few days. A July 20 update from the Grant County Health District said they received an additional 59 cases between the evening of July 17 and 5 p.m. on July 20, including one in the Grand Coulee area of Grant County. “There is widespread community spread in Grant County,” the district wrote in its daily report online Monday. “It is not limited to one employer, community or household.” They then received another 20 cases by 5 p.m. July 21, including ano...

  • Schools working on mix of online, in-school plan for fall

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 22, 2020

    The upcoming school year will be a hybrid mix of online and in-school learning for most students, if plans in development at Grand Coulee Dam School District come to fruition amidst current uncertainties about timing and COVID-19. That was the topic of discussion at a Zoom school board meeting Monday night, which was well attended by staff, parents, and more. The superintendent and board of directors met in the library at Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High, passing a health screening before entering the building, wearing masks, keeping a...

  • No Friday Night Lights this fall

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 22, 2020

    High school football, volleyball, and soccer will be played in the spring, rather than the fall. The executive board of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association made the decision July 21 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The school year will break down into four WIAA seasons, with lower-risk sports able to occur earlier in the year, and higher risk sports starting later in the hopes that Washington counties by then will have moved into later phases in the Washington State Safe Start Recovery Plan. Depending on what phas...

  • Harvest Fest, Run the Dam canceled

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 22, 2020

    More local events that have become traditions have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Run the Dam running event, as well as the Harvest Festival, have both been canceled this past week. Both were originally scheduled for the third week in September. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce announced on July 17 the cancellation of what would have been the ninth Harvest Festival on their Facebook page. Their board of directors "have explored all possible options to keep this...

  • Two coffee stands proposed in Coulee Dam

    Scott Hunter|Jul 22, 2020

    Two proposals for drive-through coffee stands are being considered by the town council in Coulee Dam, each by different would-be entrepreneurs who must navigate the murky waters of city and tribal regulations and interests. Dan Moomaw and Casey Garvin each attended a call-in city council meeting July 8 and may again be at tonight’s 6 p.m. call-in meeting (July 22). Moomaw has attended several this year, expressing frustration at not being able to meet in person and lay out plans for discussion. Garvin last week pulled out a 2018 business p...

  • Floating a boat idea for fire department

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 22, 2020

    With local fires sometimes taking place across a lake, should a fire department have a boat ready to take firefighters there? At Electric City’s July 14 council meeting, Public Works Director Jarred Armstrong brought up the idea that the Electric City Volunteer Fire Department should have a boat. While discussing the Fourth of July weekend, Armstrong mentioned a boating accident that took place, as well as fires that burned near SunBanks Resort and as Barker Canyon, incidents requiring responses via boat. Armstrong commended Fire Chief Mark P...

  • School survey available online

    Jul 22, 2020

    The Grand Coulee Dam School District has sent a survey to parents and students asking for their input on distance learning, which has taken the place of traditional, in-school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are two separate surveys, one for parents and one for students, available on the homepage of the district website at https://www.gcdsd.org/. The surveys asks parents and students alike about their experiences so far with distance learning, what works and what doesn’t, and how engaged they were with the process. The survey a...

  • The future was on display, and it looked better

    Scott Hunter|Jul 22, 2020

    No matter what you think of the plans for the upcoming school year, the good news is that along the way to hacking out a path through an impossible situation, the Grand Coulee Dam School District directors Monday displayed what could well be the future model of civic engagement. The board, while holding its latest Zoom online meeting accessible by the public, did exactly what they are supposed to do in full view of all. Usually, when citizens call up a board member about an issue, the elected representative of the people takes the information a...

  • About immigrants

    Roger S. Lucas|Jul 22, 2020

    Ever wonder why some of our elected officials have it in for immigrants? All of us could easily trace our citizenship back to the time that our forebears arrived on our shores. In a sense we are all immigrants, some more mindful of it than others. I have always wondered what my first immigrant families might have uttered when they first saw the USA. My Lucas family came by sailing vessel to America in 1710. They had escaped religious persecution in France and escaped to Germany in what would be a hardship journey. The family was in Germany for...

  • A Coulee Country scavenger hunt

    Jesse Utz|Jul 22, 2020

    When you live in the same area for a lifetime you come to know some things. So let’s have a little fun and I will take you on a scavenger hunt with clues to certain locations to be discovered by you and your family. Disclaimer: There are no prizes or hidden treasures waiting for you, this is just for fun. So let’s start. There is a little building that packs the making for punch. Under the white domed entrance you just may find Hershey’s and Hooks. Back when baseball cards were a thing to be co...

  • B Street Fire

    Samuel F. Taschereau, Them Dam Writers online 2020|Jul 22, 2020

    It was a sultry Saturday evening, July 24, 1937. The blaze started about 9:15 p.m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery, and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the heart of the business district. The flames threatened the entire business district for over four hours as they raced down the block of buildings before a high wind. The Kozy Korner restaurant, the Hub Clothing company, Ross department store, Public Market, Stone's Market, and the Grand Coulee News office and...

  • It's time to learn what our system's about from the inside

    Lee Hamilton|Jul 22, 2020

    I’ve spent a long time in politics, and over those years one thing has remained constant: a lot more Americans criticize government than serve and do something about it. There have been times when I’ve felt a bit resentful. It’s hard to enter the fray, listen patiently to criticism from all comers, and then look around to find that many of them are nowhere to be found when it comes to the hard work of improving our communities and our system. But mostly what I’ve felt is amazement at the immense but often un-grasped opportunity our system...

  • Legals for July 22, 2020

    Jul 22, 2020

    GCD School District #301J Budget Hearing Notice Notice is hereby given that Grand Coulee Dam School District #301J, will hold a public budget hearing to review the 2020-2021 budget in the Lake Roosevelt Jr. /Sr. High School Library at 5:30 p.m. on the 27th day of July, 2020. Regular board meeting will follow the hearing. B. Paul Turner, Superintendent Grand Coulee Dam School District No. 301J (Publish July 15 & 22, 2020) City of Electric City CALL FOR BIDS FOR 2018 JEEP RENEGADE The City of Electric City will sell by sealed bid the following:...

  • Coulee Cops

    Jul 22, 2020

    Grand Coulee Police 7/11 - Someone smashed a windshield of a motorhome parked on Dill Avenue. A white SUV was seen driving away, but police were unable to locate the vehicle, and there are no suspects. 7/13 - A man found a pellet pistol near the rodeo grounds and turned it into police. 7/14 - An officer went to a Washington Place residence where two men had been arguing. The homeowner came out of the house and began yelling at the other man and the officer. The other man said there was no need for police, and he and the officer left. - Police w...

  • Blake Crouch will be the virtual author July 28

    Jul 22, 2020

    Blake Crouch is the next guest for the North Central Regional Library Reads Virtual Author Series for adults.Crouch will read on Tuesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. He is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle...

  • 4-H members stay active during COVID-19 Quarantine

    Jul 22, 2020

    Quarantine orders can be difficult for some to contend with. Not necessarily the case for Colville Reservation 4-H members! These young people have plenty of activities to keep them busy. Besides their distance learning school assignments, many 4-H members have daily chores and a variety of projects to work on. 4-H is a year-around Positive Youth Development program. Caring volunteers help to provide a safe environment for 4-H members to learn, explore, and gain life-skills through their various projects. These 4-H projects are as varied as the...

  • Jerome Bussert

    Jul 22, 2020

    Interment of Jerome Bussert’s ashes will take place at Spring Canyon Cemetery on Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m. Bussert, passed away Tuesday, August 27, 2019, at Seattle Washington VA Hospital. A complete obituary was in September 4, 2019 of the Star....