News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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We could all use a morale boost these days, and a little bit of kindness can go a long way. Rachelle Haven, executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, has started a project called Coulee Kind that encourages people to perform “random acts of kindness.” “I started [Coulee Kind] because I had been hearing from business owners that they were struggling with morale within the community, whether it be employees, themselves, or customers,” Haven told The Star. “I know a lot of people are home right now due to the delta var...
Harvest Fest has been cancelled due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The board of directors of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce called a special meeting Sept. 1 to make the decision on the seasonal festival, originally planned for Sept. 18-19, Chamber Executive Director Rachelle Haven said. “The decision was not made lightly,” she said. “While we know that everyone wants to get back to business as usual and in person events again, we felt, with the surge of COVID cases in the community, it would not be responsible of us to host an ev...
When you drive across it on highway 2, you may not think of Moses Coulee as anyone's home, but once it was a place where people lived in villages, grew gardens and gathered what they needed to live. Previously undocumented rock feature sites in the Moses Coulee region, significant to local tribes, can now be recorded with help from National Park Service dollars. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are one of 12 recipients of Tribal Heritage Grant money. Congress appropriated...
Northrup Point Boat Launch bustles Monday night as boaters pull out of Banks Lake at Steamboat Rock State Park at the end of the Labor Day holiday. Plenty of boats hit the water for what for many is a last summer outing, but hikers were curtailed if they planned on hiking in the super dry conditions. The park had placed signs at trailheads saying they were off limits due to extreme fire danger. That danger continues at least through today (Wednesday), the National Weather Service warned Monday....
COVID-19 cases in the Coulee are still rampant as there have been more cases in the past month than all previous months since the pandemic began. In the Grand Coulee and Electric City area of Grant County, total cases have surpassed 100, at 111 as of Sept. 7, up 13 since last week, according to Grant County Health District. Additional cases were reported on Sept. 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7. There have been 150 total covid deaths in the county. The 14-day incidence rate in the county is at 1,221 cases per 100,000 population. A rate lower than 200 used... Full story
"Music is part of human nature," according to new Lake Roosevelt Music Teacher Gabriel James, who moved to Coulee Dam recently for the gig. James, who grew up in Spokane, received his undergraduate degree in jazz performance from Whitworth University, then a master's degree in teaching in June of this year. Saxophone is his main instrument, and he also plays flute and clarinet. While in high school, James played in the Spokane Area Wind Ensemble, and Spokane Area Jazz Ensemble, both of which...
A document released by the Grand Coulee Dam School District answers some questions related to COVID-19 and health protocols at the school. The document explains that the district’s guidance on the topic of health comes from the Centers for Disease Control, the Washington State Department of Health, Washington Labor and Industry, Region 7 Public Health, and Okanogan County Public Health. “The start of the 2021-2022 school year will be more like our typical non-COVID year,” the document says. “All students are in person, five days a week. S... Full story
Remember way back at the beginning of the pandemic, about a zillion years ago, when all we knew is that it could be bad for a while, but then schools actually closed? That’s when we knew this was going to be inconvenient as hell and hoped it would not last too long. Back then, there was some limited discussion about whether it was possible to come up with a vaccine, or whether that was even the right approach. The majority of scientists, and just as importantly politicians, decided the new coronavirus was probably lethal enough that taking t... Full story
It’s that time of year again when we dust off our boots and compete against our neighbors in all sorts of animals, crafts, cooking and what-not contests at the Okanogan County Fair. The Okanogan County Fair Advisory Committee would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to join us at our 74th annual fair, Sept. 9-12. As we prepare to celebrate, we reflect on the many challenges we have faced leading up to this year’s event. From wildfires to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are “Okanogan County Strong.” Like many, we look forward to the fai...
On August 31, 2021, I injured myself when a 400-pound welding table fell off a cable, knocking me down, causing a severe laceration to my right leg requiring surgery. I have lived in this community since 1969 and have had limited encounters with our local hospital. I had formed a somewhat passive opinion of the emergency medical care available, however this injury gave me a new and more definite perspective. From admittance to discharge, my care was excellent and complete from the all members of the medical team. I was so impressed with the...
I’ve seen a mountain of big attractions. But little things do matter, and sometimes they are embedded in your memory. A few years ago, I took on a consulting job in Kodiak, Alaska. The owner wanted to clean up some of her business practices so she could sell her newspaper. I made several trips there and twice my wife accompanied me. On one trip, I had the weekend free and decided to fly to Anchorage and see a healthcare practitioner who lived just up the block from us in Bothell. She showed us around and we made a drive to Denali National P...
September 11, 2001: a day that no American who lived to see will ever forget. I was recently asked about where I was that day, and I remember it keenly, deeply. I think it’s a question every American has an answer to — a moment engraved in time. Since it was early September, it was right in the middle of hop harvest. My cousin and I were working to unplug the picking machine, a more-than-common occurrence for hop farmers, when his wife called, crying. Those first moments that morning were ones of disbelief. Then, justification — it must have...
On August 31, 2021, I injured myself when a 400-pound welding table fell off a cable, knocking me down, causing a severe laceration to my right leg requiring surgery. I have lived in this community since 1969 and have had limited encounters with our local hospital. I had formed a somewhat passive opinion of the emergency medical care available, however this injury gave me a new and more definite perspective. From admittance to discharge, my care was excellent and complete from the all members of the medical team. I was so impressed with the...
Patrick Dale Quill an Amazing Father, Brother, Grandfather, Great grandfather, and friend left us unexpectedly on August 17, 2021 He was born to Jerome Quill and Mae Carson in Nespelem WA on July 2, 1943. In 1963 He started working for Mt Tolman fire center and retired in 1999 only leaving for a brief time while he was enlisted in the Army, B Company 2nd/ 501st 101st Airborne in Vietnam in 1969. Patrick is survived by his Brother Jerome "Porky" Quill" Jr. of Omak, WA, and Sister Maryanne... Full story
Gary Lee Bjorson, 72, of Grand Coulee, Washington, passed away at his home after a second battle with cancer on August 22, 2021, in Grand Coulee. Gary was born to Claude and Genevieve Bjorson on June 28, 1949, in Mason City, Washington. He graduated from Grand Coulee High School in 1967. Gary was born and raised in the Grand Coulee Dam Area. He met his wife of 47 years in October of 1972 while she was visiting a friend who was having her first child. The pair married on December 22, 1972. Gary...
Grand Coulee Police 8/31 - A hospital employee told police that someone had cut the fence to gain entry to “the bull pen,” a fenced in parking area, and taken the catalytic converters off two vehicles. Police photographed the scene, including where the converters were cut off. They are estimated to be worth $700 to $1,500 apiece, but Jess Ford estimated the cost to fix the vehicles at about $5,000. Police also left a message at Coulee Recycling asking if any converters had been brought in. The next day, Jess Ford reported converters cut off...
The Raider varsity football team won their season opener Friday, defeating the Chewelah Cougars 12-7 in Chewelah. “We knew that Chewelah was a tough opponent,” Raider Head Coach Tim Rasmussen told The Star on Monday. “It was a very good battle, a great defensive game from both schools.” “When it comes down to it, we made more plays than they did,” Rasmussen continued. “I was impressed with our team. We were fighting together and not letting things, like the adversity on the field, affect us.” After a 0-0 tie at the end of the first half, Rai...
The Lady Raider volleyball team warmed up for the regular season in a tournament in Davenport on Saturday, where the Lady Raiders defeated Springdale and Davenport but lost to Odessa and Reardan. “We had more logistic things like rotation to work on, otherwise the girls did great,” Head Coach Meagan Caudell said. “We just beat ourselves when it came to those logistic things, but it was a good learning experience!” “My impression [from the tournament] is that our girls have grit,” she said. “They bring their A game to every single game, and onc...
Tonight's home football game against Dayton-Waitsburg has been cancelled. The game was cancelled by Dayton-Waitsburg "due to Covid issues," Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Tim Rasmussen said in an email. LR was unable to find another opponent to take their place. The Raiders will try to find an opponent to play against during what was going to be a bye week on Sept. 24 or 25....