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 happens repeatedly in Coulee Country, even when we invent ways to try to get around our biggest road block to progress. In a community with four town councils and four mayors, we’ve needed to find ways, institutions, to make it possible to tackle common problems and goals: hence, the Regional Board of Mayors was born for the purpose of managing our common landfill, now a transfer station. But the RBOM has little real authority and cannot act decisively when needed. A recent need for an emergency repair at the transfer station may be a l...
In case you were thinking of taking SR 20 over the pass to the west side of the state, time to rethink that strategy. State Department of Transporation workers will have to remove about 20 football fields worth of mud from the highway after last weekend's storms. More help on the way From the DOT: RAINY PASS – A team of two dozen Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance workers and contractors are working to clear a six mile stretch of the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) that was buried by a series of eight mudslides t...
The Regional Board of Mayors is finding out that its operating agreement is a poor way to run a railroad. Facing emergency repairs at the Delano Transfer site a month ago, the mayors put a hold on the single bid they received to do the work, hoping to get more bids this time around. At Monday’s meeting the mayors still had only a single bid. Now the matter has to go before the four town councils for approval, which will delay the emergency work further. That will take about a month to make the circuit, and then the mayors face making a b...
Tristen Holcom and his mother,Tia Holcom, were among those who stopped by Friday afternoon at Spring Canyon to look at the sun through a solar filtered telescope. With the Holcoms is NPS Education Specialist Janice Elvidge. The NPS had two programs at Spring Canyon and a pair of night programs at Crescent Bay. The Holcoms are from Sumner, Wash. — Roger S. Lucas photo...
Late mail ballots in last week’s primary election didn’t change those who will advance to the general election in November. Coulee Dam Mayor Quincy Snow faces an uphill battle to retain his seat after Greg Wilder had over a 100-vote margin going into the finals. Wilder, who has challenged the town of Coulee Dam over its wastewater treatment plant plans, gained the favor of voters, receiving 177 votes to Snow’s 66. A third candidate, Shawn Derrick, a newcomer to politics in the town, garnered 23 votes. In Nespelem School Board races, for the P...
It’s not just kids that ask the craziest things. One person at the Visitor Center asked Ivan Snavely, who heads the tour program at the Grand Coulee Dam, if they built the dam from the top down, or from bottom up. Snavely shared this question with members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce at The Siam Palace last Thursday as he explained what went on with the tourist program at the dam. One of the most successful programs at the Visitor Center is the geocache adventure, in which v...
Park commissioners Monday night barely passed a motion to allow the chamber of commerce to hold another beer garden event at North Dam Park next month. Commissioners expressed frustration with learning of the planned event in the newspaper before actually getting a request from the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. “I'd like to again apologize that we ‘jumped the gun’ on announcing that there would be a beer tent during Harvest Fest before clearling it with you,” chamber Manager...
The chamber of commerce has added one new twist and dropped one idea for its Sept.14, Harvest Festival at North Dam Park. The added twist is the Rotary Club will have a public BBQ for the celebration, featuring burgers and hotdogs. Dropped was a plan to have a nationally certified BBQ cook off. That’s still a possibility for the 2014 Harvest Festival. Chamber of commerce plans still are slanted toward the family with a host of games and activity that is geared for people of all ages. Like pets? Then you’ll have fun at the festival. There wil...
Chelan barrels champ from Grand Coulee At the 2013 Lake Chelan Rodeo Aug. 3-4, Denene Douglas of Grand Coulee won the Barrel Racing event with a final time of 17.694, the Lake Chelan Mirror reported. Back To School nights planned The Grand Coulee Dam School District will hold a Back to School Night for all students on Thursday, Aug. 22. The schedule is as follows: Center Elementary 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. GCD Middle School 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Lake Roosevelt High School 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Calling all Triathlon volunteers A meeting for volunteers for the...
Capt. Ryan Hunt took up a new assignment Aug. 1, with the Marine Corps in 29 Palms, Calif., as an instruction officer. The 1999 graduate of Lake Roosevelt High School and Washington State University is the son of Grand Coulee Police Chief Mel Hunt and wife Joyce. Ryan, who has served two assignments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is the recipient of two Bronze Stars for meritorious action. One was for action in Iraq and the second for action taken in Afghanistan, where he was the commanding...
Former Grand Coulee Police officer Adam Hunt started his duties as a county deputy Aug. 1 after a small swearing-in ceremony in front of Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones’ staff and Hunt’s family. Hunt tranferred from the Grand Coulee Police Department, where he started his career in 2007. "I am excited for Adam to come to work for the Sheriff's Office,” Sheriff Jones said. “I believe that he will be a good fit for our agency." Hunt, 30, is a 2001 graduate of Lake Roosevelt High School. Hunt wi...
The Grant County Board of Commissioners imposed a temporary ban on outdoor burning, effective Tuesday Aug. 13. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning until further notice and will be lifted once conditions improve. If citizens are caught burning, they could face fines and other consequences. With the hot, dry, arid conditions, and a heavy load of dry grass and sagebrush throughout the county, officials are additionally anticipating new wildfires to ignite. The risks include nighttime fires which may be ignited by summertime lightning storms....
Grand Coulee Mayor Chris Christopherson appointed three new members to the city’s civil service board. Alan Cain will have the six-year term, Mark Graves a four-year term and Ken Carroll the two-year term. The civil service board is a completely independent board that interviews and makes recommendations on police personnel....
I was both honored and humbled by the overwhelming support I received in the Coulee Dam primary election. Thank you all for taking the time to vote… and for thinking of me in the process! I believe that your support anticipates (maybe demands) meaningful change AND I can promise you a difference. If I’m elected this fall, my first acts and efforts will be to remove the obstacles blocking change … you will notice almost immediately a shift toward a more open, flexible, and service-oriented organization. You will be encouraged to attend (and...
“Nothing on the agenda” was the reason for canceling the August 7 Coulee Dam council meeting. July 22, 2013 a letter was sent to the Department of Ecology from Coulee Dam and the town’s engineers requesting funding for a revised plan to upgrade the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). The cost of this project is now well over $6,000,000. The reason for this request was “the high capital cost of the single-project alternative (Alternative 1) is not currently acceptable to the Town because of its impact on ratepayers.” Another rationale...
I still adamantly say the Colville tribal peoples across our rez and off are without a doubt victims in every sense of the word in the recent firing up of our CCT Admin. bldg. Legal proceedings against recent-past council/last year are imminently looming on the horizon; and it is thinking along these lines which I aver ‘that’ council of 14 has everything to lose and nothing to gain. We all have god-given free will, and intuition; and here, it is my innermost gut feelings and much much mindful thought and consideration which urges me to pus...
Well, last week I gave some predictions for the AFC and told you my Super Bowl pick for the AFC. So of course this week is the NFC. Also, I must apologize to you Bronco fans out there. I was advised by a very smart lady that hate is a very strong word to use, and in the past I have liked a few Denver players. So I am sorry, kind of. I also need to apologize to my fans out there that ha … I mean dislike football. I will be back to normal after this week. My draft is this week and I will be much better after. So here we go. Before we start, I s...
Ten Years Ago A hot day and an electric fence combined for a close call and some excitement in Seaton’s Grove Friday. A small brush fire spread quickly and would have consumed a home had neighbors and firefighters not responded quickly. On a hill in the nursery at his Seaton’s Grove Greenhouse, John Francis and a couple of friends noticed the smoke below an embankment behind Dennis Payne’s mobile home across the street. People from all over the country went to the Colville Tribe’s greenhouse last Wednesday to learn about how it’s run. The...
Raymond Joseph Zowada, Colonel U.S. Army, retired, passed away Saturday, August 10, 2013. He was born July 1, 1922. A complete obituary and service information will be printed in next week’s Star....
Dean Randolph Jess passed away Friday, July 5, 2013. He was born March 15, 1971, and raised on a wheat and cattle ranch in the Grand Coulee area. Dean went to school and graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1990. While at school, he participated in VICA in which he placed 1st in state and 13th in nationals in a small engine contest, also he enjoyed football and wrestling. Dean also worked on the family farm and later became a mechanic on light and heavy equipment. He was well liked and respected by his friends and co-workers. He was a...
Marjorie McClain, 91, of Federal Way,Wash., passed away on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. She was born to Harry & Hannah Smith in Tillamook Ore. A longtime resident of Grand Coulee (class of 1939), she and husband Clyde moved to Auburn, Wash. in 1984. Along with her husband of 57 years, Marjorie was an active member of the Lions Club. She is preceded in death by her parents and husband and granddaughter. She is survived by her children Joanne Quinlan of Reno Nev., Michael McClain of Chehalis, Patricia...
Chamber to Meet The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet this Thursday, August 15, at noon at Siam Palace in Grand Coulee. Eric Labis of Foundation Search will speak about his company’s grant searching software. Okanogan County Democrat Picnic/Auction The Okanogan County Democrat Annual Picnic and Auction will be held at Conconully State Park on Sunday, Aug. 18, starting at noon. Soccer Signups Grand Coulee Soccer sign-ups will be at Mason City Park playground in Coulee Dam on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 5-7 p.m. The cost is $40 p...
Coulee Dam High School Class of 1968 recently celebrated their 45th class reunion Aug. 2 and 3....
All new students must be registered in order to start school on the first day, August 27. The Grand Coulee Dam Middle School has set up August 21 and August 22 as Registration Days for new students to the Grand Coulee Dam School District who will be entering the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th Grades. Registration times will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please bring with you: • a copy of your child’s official birth certificate • copy of Social Security card • immunization record • last report card from the previous school attended Students not registere...
A wrap up for the summer reading program this Friday, August 16, 10:30 a.m. - SRP Gala -games, crafts, food, FUN! Go to www.ncrl.org for more information on activites through the North Central Regional Library....