News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Small businesses are being helped out by local governments, and Okanogan County business owners have only a couple more days to apply for funds from that county. The Okanogan County Economic Alliance has the grant application for small businesses to apply for up to $10,000 at http://www.economic-alliance.com/. That money comes from $250,000 set aside by the county from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money. That application is due on Aug. 28. Grant County commissioners set aside $2.5 million out of the... Full story
Covid update for GOLD Cases of COVID-19 continue to accumulate in the area and so here is the latest data for COVID-19 in Grant, Okanogan, Lincoln, and Douglas (GOLD) counties. Counties need an incident rate of 25 cases or fewer per population of 100,000 in the past 14 days to move forward a phase in the Washington Safe Start Recovery plan, and local counties are far from that goal. As of August 26, Grant County has: 2,182 cases; 13 deaths; seven cases in the Grand Coulee Dam area; 525 cases in the past 14 days; and as of August 25 has an... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors will be holding a Special Zoom Meeting on Friday, August 28 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will address one item “Correction: approval of August Accounts Payable...
Gary Carden began taking the COVID-19 virus very seriously after he contracted the disease, was put on a ventilator - and survived. Relaying his story over the phone on Monday, Carden, 63, said that on June 18, he was sitting in his chair in Nespelem, where he lives and runs The Ketch Pen Tavern. He was feeling "weak and woozy." His sister told him that he didn't look too good, and they decided to call an ambulance, which took him to Coulee Medical Center. After about two hours at the hospital,... Full story
Grant County commissioners issued a "desperate appeal" Tuesday for the public's help in getting the COVID-19 epidemic in the county under control. With the county's rate of new infections currently the worst in the state, commissioners Tuesday passed a proclamation recognizing that community commitment "at a 'grass root' level will be the most effective in succeeding at eliminating the covid-19 virus." "We issue a desperate appeal to the Grant County community at large to implement the... Full story
Documents addressing options for Grand Coulee Dam School District students have been posted on the district website. An Aug. 19 letter from Superintendent Paul Turner to the community, parents, and students touches upon aspects of reopening school, including: a strict protocol to enter the school, understanding educational options, the first day of school being Sept. 8, with student academic participation beginning Sept. 11, and conferences being held Sept. 8-10 will make sure parents and students are familiar with the online platform the...
Census takers will be visiting homes on the Colville Indian Reservation between now and Sept. 30, the Colville Tribes said last week. “The visits are designed to reach every household which has not yet completed their 2020 census form and give every resident an opportunity to participate in the census,” an Aug. 21 press release states. “While the Reservation is closed to non-essential visitors, the census enumerators are deemed essential and are permitted access to the Reservation due to the importance of census participation.” Rodney Cawston,...
An online survey that sought to outline preferences people have for businesses requiring masks or not drew 136 respondents over 13 days and elicited 52 opinions on the matter. The online poll, conducted at grandcoulee.com, The Star's news site, using surveymonkey.com, started on July 31 and received its last response on Aug. 12. The survey asked the question: "How do you feel about being a customer of a business that does not follow public health requirements on face coverings?" Respondents... Full story
Effie Dean, superintendent and principal at Nespelem Elementary School, carries another load of three meals (hot dog, chips and watermelon) to a waiting parent's car Monday night. She and school board member Nancy Armstrong-Montes, left, handled the food table, while teachers and staffers in the background were ready to hand out information packets. The school normally opens the year with an orientation barbecue day but couldn't because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school board is set to...
Sometimes you discover history after it is past. I have visited a lot of cemeteries and memorials, but probably the most moving is the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. I’ve been there twice, the second time after I had learned that a cousin had been killed in the war and that his name was etched on the marble wall. I had a natural interest in the wall because I had made three trips to Vietnam while the war was still going on. Visiting the wall is a moving experience. It is one of the most popular memorials in D.C. On my visits it was crowded...
When rural communities call, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) answers. Our postal service employees provide critical services to the communities of Central Washington and are often the only delivery service that will go the “final mile” to ensure that important mail – including prescriptions, bills, and checks – can be safely delivered to every house in America. In Washington state, we also rely on the USPS to securely deliver our ballots as recently as earlier this month during our state’s primary election. In recent days, there has been a lot o...
Sunny summer weather helped restaurant owners and workers recover after they were broadsided by the coronavirus pandemic last March. However, as fall morphs into winter and diners are forced back inside, the big question will be: Are there enough customers to keep what’s left of the restaurant sector financially viable? The worst fears of many American businesses are coming true. With no recovery in sight from the COVID-19 pandemic, 72,842 businesses across the U.S. have permanently closed, acco...
Small businesses continue to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. While they are doing their best to keep the doors open, they are hurting. That is especially true in our rural towns. Congress has acted to provide businesses with loans through the Small Business Administration six months of payment forgiveness. This is a lifeline for big city enterprises, but it doesn’t help rural entrepreneurs. That is because many rural businesses do not have access to an SBA lender and must borrow from a USDA Rural Development program instead. On A...
SUMMARY OF ORDINANCE NO. 1069 of the City of Grand Coulee, WA On the 18th of August, 2020, the City Council of the City of Grand Coulee, Washington, passed Ordinance No. 1069. A summary of the content of said Ordinance, consisting of the title, provides as follows: ORDINANCE No.1069 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE 2020 BUDGET of the City of Grand Coulee, AS ADOPTED IN ORDINANCE NO. 1062. The full text of this Ordinance will be mailed upon request. DATED this 18th day of August, 2020 Lorna Pearce, Clerk Treasurer (Publish August 26, 2020) SUMMARY OF... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 8/17 - A man on Grand Avenue was arrested and taken to jail for assault after his wife said she was tired of him beating her up and showed police relevant injuries. 8/18 - Police were unable to catch up to a truck and trailer reported to be emitting smoke while headed east on SR-174. Lincoln County officers were notified. - Police went to Coulee Playland, where it was reported that a 1-year-old infant had been left alone in a car seat crying for about 10-20 minutes. The infant and its caretaker were gone upon police arrival....
John Terry "Jack" McKissen was born in Grand Junction, Colorado, the fourth child of Harry Escol McKissen and Mary Ethel Handley. Doctors advised that Ethel cease child-bearing, as she was becoming increasingly thin, so Jack was her last child. The entire family was musical, playing and singing together frequently. News clippings show that he went to the Colorado-Wyoming spelling bee both years of junior high school. High school records show steady participation in FFA and Band, an IQ score of 1... Full story
Charles Brian (Charlie) Minter passed away peacefully at his home in Republic, Washington, Sunday, August 16, 2020, at the age of 83. Charlie was born on September 26, 1936, in Stockton, California, and was the first of seven children raised by parents Robert and Frances E. (Dougherty) Minter. Charlie followed in the footsteps of his father for the love of the outdoors and in the profession of carpentry. He spent many years fishing, hunting and enjoying the woods in the Northwest. In the early... Full story
Lester E. Filion, 91, passed away peacefully in his family home of 65 years. His immediate family was by his side and continually with him the last several months of his life. Lester was born in Gregory, South Dakota, to Lester L. Filion and Laura E. Filion. He was raised in the Grand Coulee Dam area of Eastern Washington from 1935 on, after the family moved from Gregory when his father found employment working as an electrician on the Dam project. Lester graduated from Grand Coulee High School... Full story
Savanah and Steven Cooler are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Olivia Lane Cooler, born Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Payton Pera, age 3, and Kacie Pera, age 1.... Full story
Grant County Fire Dist. 14 Meeting via Conference As the result of the Covid-19 and in accordance with the Governor’s Social Distancing, Grant County Fire District #14 will be holding the monthly meeting Mon., Aug. 31, 2020 via conference call at 6:45 pm. To join meeting, call 1-717-275-8940 then enter access code 713 2121#. (Remember to enter # sign after the number). NCB School Supply Drive Continues North Cascades Bank is now accepting school supply donations for Lake Roosevelt Schools! Although the decision was recently announced for c...