News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The city of Grand Coulee voted to put consolidation, or the merging with other area towns, on next year’s ballot, the first of the four local towns to do so. Councilmember Tom Poplawski spoke about the issue at the Oct. 16 council meeting. “We’re in a position now where we have some things moving,” Poplawski said. He had attended a consolidation discussion meeting at The Wine Bar last month. “I believe Grand Coulee should step to the front of this and move to the head of the line and say ‘we are in favor of this,’ and this council shoul...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders played a friendly game of football with the Soap Lake Eagles on Friday night in Coulee Dam, defeating them 38-20 to go 7-0 in LR's overall win-loss record. The highlight of the first half was a 93-yard touchdown pass from Raider senior Steven Flowers to Trevor McCraigie. Flowers had an outstanding game both on offense and defense, rushing for five touchdowns on offense, and leading the team in tackles with 14 on defense. Flowers also forced a fumble that was recovered...
Community members gather Sunday to eat spaghetti and donate to the cause of Melody Restaurant owner Juan Moreno, who, after running into legal trouble in a domestic dispute last summer, wound up being detained in Grant County Jail on a retention order from from federal immigration authorities. "The response was awesome," said Lonna Bussert. "I was shocked." She and Lynda Anderson headed up the effort that put out about 100 tickets to the event for $15 donations and netted nearly $3,000, Bussert...
Coulee Dam’s sewer plant customers could end up paying three quarters of a million dollars more to add a lift station to carry Elmer City’s sewage to the new wastewater treatment plant, a new cost for which a search for funding will now begin. Meeting in a special session Monday night, the Coulee Dam Town Council voted to pursue one of two options laid out in a hurry by Varela and Associates engineer Daniel Cowger last week following a closed session of the council. Cowger’s $760,000 was described as a “rough” estimate for the cost for the a...
Coulee Dam power rates may rise The rates people pay for electricity in Coulee Dam will likely go up next year. The town council discussed the issue during a special council meeting Monday night. Coulee Dam ratepayers are charged a base rate of $6.07 a month, plus 5 cents per kilowatt hour. Discussion Monday included suggestions of a 40-percent increase to the base rates, plus 5.7 cents per kWh. The council will discuss more on the coming year’s budget at a budget workshop open to the public at 5:15 tonight (Wednesday), just before the r...
Members of the union that represents "classified" school district employees, such as bus drivers, secretaries and more, showed up at Monday night's school board meeting for a direct appeal to the board, following an apparently fruitless second negotiating session with the district through a mediator last week. The school board listened to Jesse Utz speak on behalf on the Public Service Employees, who feel they deserve more money for the work they do. Community members, teachers, and PSE members...
Grand Coulee city council members don’t like having drug houses in the community, and so approved an ordinance that gives them some teeth in the matter. Council approved adding to their ordinances the state law on the abatement of drug houses, Revised Code of Washington 7.43, at their Oct. 16 council meeting. If a house is regularly the scene of police enforcement, drug use, drug dealing, or otherwise, the home could be evacuated and boarded up for a year to effectively remove any ongoing nuisances. “Any final order of abatement issued und...
If you’ve noticed a bit of smoke in the air, there’s a chance it’s from controlled burns performed by the Colville Tribes. Acting “fuels manager” for the Colville Tribes, John Elliott explained in a phone call to The Star that the burns should be finished before Thanksgiving. “At that time it’s usually getting too cold to have a lot of success burning,” Elliott said. “At the moment we’re probably about half done with what we’re trying to do in the fall.” Elliott said that they are burning some slash piles that were thinned out by loggers....
An independent candidate for the state Legislature visited the Grand Coulee Dam area last Thursday and Friday, knocking on doors and speaking at the chamber of commerce luncheon. Ann Diamond is running to represent the 12th Legislative District, which includes most of the Grand Coulee Dam area. A physician who founded the first family practice clinic in the Methow area, Diamond, said her travels during her campaign have taught her that small towns share in common many issues of concern:...
Did you know that in the 2016 presidential election, over 108 million eligible voters didn’t vote? Were you aware that nationally, the voter turnout was less than 40 percent in the 2014 midterm elections and 21.4 percent of eligible voters were not registered? That’s greater than 46 million people. And here is another sobering statistic — according to a Pew Charitable Trusts Foundation 2016 survey, around 60 percent of both unregistered and registered voters said they had never been asked to register to vote. The study also showed that eligi...
This is another bill sponsored by billionaires and organizations such as Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR). They spent $10.5 million to get I-594 passed in 2014. That bill approved by voters now makes it illegal to loan a rifle to a friend to hunt with, among other things. Then they spent $7 million on bill 1491 in 2016. Now the same five billionaires, along with WAGR, have spent $4.3 million to get this passed. If bill 1639 is approved by the voters, it could potentially make every gun owner in Washington state a felon. This...
Cindy Carter is a rarity these days, an elected official who knows where money comes from. She learned to work as a child and retains a remarkable work ethic. I visited the Carters when they were finishing their house. Cindy was not there giving directions; she was there working. When Cindy first ran for the office of county commissioner, the county Republicans opposed her because she was a political outsider. She’s been the lone voice in county government for those living south of I-90. Things have changed since Cindy Carter was first e...
We have important PUD Commissioner choices on the ballot this year. The platform of two of the PUD Commissioner candidates seems solely to be reducing rates for irrigation and residential customers. But, history is full of unintended consequences from seemingly simple solutions. Irrigation and residential electric rates in Grant County are among the lowest in the nation. Much of that is due to the foresight of prior PUD commissioners in building Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, but it’s also due to the practice of current PUD commissioners in a...
There are some students who fly by under the radar, and they are moving to the college of their choice when you realize you missed out on knowing a senior who is pretty special. That is not the case with Rainy Dawn. I met her a few years ago and have been addicted to her personality ever since. So when I sat down with her this past week to talk about all things “her,” I was really looking forward to what she had to say. She did not disappoint. Rainy is one of those rare students. Good grades, go...
Ballots are starting to arrive and it’s getting to be decision time. As someone who works with a lot of businesses, especially small businesses, I am concerned about the impact of the costs associated with Initiative 1631, the energy tax measure. That’s why the [Moses Lake] chamber is opposed, and why I am voting NO on I-1631. Living in the Columbia Basin, we do have some mass-transit options. But most of us — especially businesses — rely on our vehicles to get around town or leave the county. We also rely on vehicles to transport product...
International speaker and television personality, Cheri Peters, is the creator of the “Celebrating Life In Recovery” program. Available worldwide, a new recovery group starts meetings here in Grand Coulee next month. In 1994, Peters founded True Step Ministries (www.truestep.org), a non-profit organization that provides support for recovery from every kind of dysfunction, abuse or addiction. Peters speaks to audiences around the world in prisons, rehab centers, schools, churches and on the streets. She presents a disruptive, hope-filled mes...
Chamber This Week This week’s meeting will be held at noon at Siam Palace in Grand Coulee. General business is on the agenda. Senior Volunteers Offering Caregivers a Break Senior Center volunteers will be offering free activities for those with mild-to-moderate dementia whose caregivers need time for other tasks. For more information call Cheryl at 509-431-1027, Char at 425-879-5835, or Betty at 509-631-2201. Grant County Fire Dist. 14 to Meet Grant County Fire District #14 will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m., October 29, 2018 at t...
On October 7, the Ridge Riders proudly crowned Miss Cassidy Meng as their 2019 Colorama Pro-West Rodeo Queen. Cassidy is 17 years of age and attends Moses Lake High School. She has enjoyed competing in Jr. Rodeo, Posse Shows, WAHSET, 4-H, and Barrel Club. The community can expect to see a lot of this young lady, as she has a lot of excellent ideas and plans for 2019....
Jessica Clune and Dominic Cotton, of Grand Coulee, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Kyler Elliot Clune, born Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 8 lb., 10 oz., and was 20.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Bonnie and Chuck Lepo of Stanwood, Washington, and Rodney Clune of Grand Coulee. Great-grandparents are Ross and Carrol Clune....
The community choir will be rehearsing Mondays at 7 p.m. for its upcoming Christmas concert. Practice takes place at St. Henry’s Catholic Church. Singers are welcome....
Commerce, likely many other things, is dependent on current weather and long-term climate. Our regional wheat growers know that our climate is conducive to their work and production. The same applies to the transportation of goods. Be they from a farm or a manufacturing plant, the goods have to be brought to market. We know that major weather events can cause havoc on the highways, rail systems and open seas. Climate change will affect the transportation of goods as weather events change. A...
OLYMPIA – Oct. 17, 2018 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will again offer 12 free days next year, in which day-use visitors won’t need a Discover Pass to visit state parks by vehicle. The first free day of 2019 is New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. State Parks free days are in keeping with 2011 legislation that created the Discover Pass, which costs $30 annually or $10 for a one-day visit. The pass is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wil...
Grand Coulee Police 10/16 - An officer assisted Colville Tribal Police in standing near while a patient with a history of violence and non-compliance whom they had brought in was treated at Coulee Medical Center. - An Electric Blvd woman complained about a neighbor’s music. The officer asked the neighbor if he could turn down his music, which he did. 10/17 - A woman approached an officer saying she was wanted on a warrant and that she wanted to turn herself in. The officer didn’t find a warrant for her. She said it might be a tribal war...
At the annual homecoming game Friday night at Lake Roosevelt High School, students crowned their elected princesses, princes, king and queen of the homecoming court. The freshman class named Sergio Galicia and Sadie Trotter, left, as prince and princess. To the right of them in the photo are sophomore prince and princess Hunter Whitelaw and Jozlyn Hansen, along with friend Michael Willams. Cameron St. Pierre and Ellie Hansen wre prince and princess of the junior class. And from the senior...
The Raiders ran in the Central Washington 2B league championship at the Liberty Bell course Oct. 20. Top Lake Roosevelt finisher for the girls’ three-mile race was senior Hannah Wapato, who placed fifth with a time of 20 minutes, 27.7 seconds. Top LR finisher for the boys’ three-mile race was junior Soarin’ Marchand, who finished with a time of 17:55.4. Seventh-grader Chase Marchand finished third in the middle school boys’ 1.5-mile race with a time of 8:43. The high school district tournament starts at 3 p.m. today, Oct. 24, in Moses Lake at B...
