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Local voters will soon get ballots in the mail asking them to decide on a second levy for the Grand Coulee Dam School District and may wonder why when a levy just passed last November. The November vote will only allow the district to collect a little more than a third of the tax support voters had passed in 2015. That was ancient history, before the “McCleary Fix” was passed by the state Legislature, which mandated reducing local levies, added an extra statewide tax, and leaving the local district with trying to partially make up for it wit...
The Coulee will see an increase in arts and culture with the return of the Grand Theatre on Main Street in Grand Coulee, with a ribbon cutting and then an open-mic show later this month. The 170-seat theater is reopening with a new vision from new owner Faran Sohappy, owner of Music & Beyond, a shop selling CDs, comic books, video games, movies, and more in the same building as the theater. He also owns C-Rez Records, which produces a variety of music and is setting up a recording studio in the...
The creation of a Statewide Broadband Office and an initial investment of $25 million into getting broadband into “every nook and cranny” was announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday. “We know the reality on the ground is that there are just too many places that do not have access,” said Inslee. “So, we know that fundamentally the digital divide should not and will not be able to divide those haves and have nots when it comes to digital and broadband access.” Inslee’s proposal targets extending the reach of broadband through a variety of progr...
Coulee Dam has a new mayor. Bob Poch was elected by the city council last week to take the place of Larry Price, who resigned Dec. 6, 2018. The council did not discuss the motion made by Councilmember Ben Alling and seconded by Councilmember Keith St. Jeor, immediately voting to seat the new mayor, who had been filling the post as mayor pro tempore since Price's resignation. "Thank you all for your confidence," he said, before launching into the rest of the regular meeting of the council. Poch...
A 500-foot-wide, 7,281-foot-long, no-shooting "buffer zone" is being proposed between residences of Electric City and the Osborne Bay area. The buffer zone would be an area people cannot shoot guns out of or into. City Clerk Russ Powers said the city has had several complaints regarding hunters behind houses on Silver Drive, and that just last week he saw people with high-powered rifles in the Osborn Bay area near homes. "That is just too close for my comfort," Powers said. Currently Electric...
Annual predictions begin for lake levels The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued its January water forecast for the 2019 flood control season that determines what the needed levels will be for Lake Roosevelt in the coming months. “Based on current conditions, the April 20 flood control level … is 1249.9 feet above sea level,” noted Lynne Brougher of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which physically controls the level of the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam. The predicted level for the end of April is about 40 feet lower than compl...
The Colville Business Council voted in a Jan. 8 meeting not to approve a contract to remove feral horses from the reservation, the Tribal Tribune reports. A $478,000 proposal by Sun J Livestock to remove about 1,250 feral horses was submitted after the tribe released a request for proposals for the project in December 2018. The same company had removed 420 feral horses from the reservation in 2015 in a similar effort. Feral horses are said to overgraze the land, competing with livestock and wild animals, cause erosion issues and other...
I am writing this letter to help you, as part of our community, make an informed decision on the upcoming vote for a school district levy. The bottom line in this complicated issue is this: For taxpayers, approving this school district levy will mean paying a lower total property tax than was paid in 2018. Let me explain. Due to recent state legislation capping the dollar size of school district levies, it was necessary to approve two smaller levies to approach the dollar value of the previously approved four-year levy ($4.01 per thousand...
Call it a loophole if you want. But I call what Talos Tactical owner Matt Cieslar is doing in West Richland a moral win for rural residents and 2nd Amendment supporters ... albeit temporary. The owner of the gun shop at 4096 W. Van Giesen St. vowed recently to continue selling hunting rifles to adults older than 18 and younger than 21 despite the enactment of portions of Initiative 1639 effective Jan. 1. The gun-control measure restricts all sales of “assault” rifles to state residents older than 21 as of Jan. 1 and enacts a myriad of oth...
On April 4, 1968, a shot rang out in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Riots started in many cities in the aftermath and the United States went into mourning. The leader of the Civil Rights movement have been taken out and our nation was in civil unrest. As we celebrate the day named after the man who is looked at as the pivotal stepping piece in bringing equality to all people, I want to look at his immortalized “I have a dream” speech and pick out a few pie...
I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve been writing this monthly column about our weather, and climate and related issues and events. One thing I do like — and I admit I’m a bit of a facts-driven person — is gathering the weather data from the previous year and sharing it here. We’ll have to rely on data from the home weather station only, for now the “partial government shutdown” is affecting access to our local official weather station data. So, let’s take a look back and see what happened...
It is with great sadness that the family of Randall Henry Bjorklund announces his passing after a 10-year struggle with Alzheimer's and the recent discovery of a glioblastoma brain tumor. Randy passed on the afternoon of Monday, January 7, 2019. He was 64 years old. Randy grew up in the Grand Coulee Dam area and graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1973. He served our country with the Navy for four years, stationed twice in Japan. His married life began with Claudia Hartman on December...
Beverly Jean Carlson Morin, 83, was born to Ed Carlson and Sadie Desautel at home near Disautel, Washington, on July 16, 1935. Bev joined brother, James "Jimmy" Carlson, and the family grew with sisters Patsy, Joanne and Sandy. Bev attended school at Nespelem and wherever else her dad found work. In the fall of 1951, Bev and Patsy attended Chemawa Indian School. This is where Bev would meet the love of her life and life-long companion, Pat Morin Sr. She also made lifelong friends, which...
An American bald eagle casts a wary eye toward a photographer across Federal Avenue, near The Star Jan. 9. The area is popular with the big birds for winter nesting, especially during winters when Banks Lake is not frozen. - Jacob Wagner photo...
Martina C. Tallbull and William E. Nicholson II, of Coulee Dam, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Parker Klay Nicholson, born Saturday, December 23, 2018, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 4 lbs., 6 oz. Siblings include Tyson 15, Taryn 9, Trey 22. Maternal grandparents are Mary Tallbull of Kamiah, Idaho, and Milward Tallbull of Billings, Montana. Paternal grandparents are Janet WakWak Nicholson of Coulee Dam, and Gene Nicholson of Moses Lake, Washington....
Tiffany S. Peters and Alan Stanger of Nespelem, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Ida Rae-Sweetwater Stanger. She weighed 7 lbs., 2 oz., and was 19 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Alan Jr., Myalove, and Amelia Stanger. Maternal grandmother is Juile Jones of Grays Harbor, Washington. Paternal grandparents are Myrana Adolph and James Stanger. Great-grandmother is Grace Moore....
Here are Lake Roosevelt's students of the month for November and December. Way to go kids!...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders basketball team trounced the Trojans and turned the Mustangs into dog food this past week, winning by extra-large point margins. The Raiders defeated the Manson Trojans on the road Jan. 8, scoring almost double what the Trojans did, winning 80-41. "Our boys just played really well," Head Coach Jeremy Crollard said. "We studied film, shut down what they wanted to do, pressed, and the boys just showed up and shot really well, and played physical." "It was definitely our...
The Raider wrestling team took second place at a 17-school tournament on the west side of the state Saturday, following a mix-and-match tournament they dominated there the previous day. They also sent a female wrestler to the Napavine Tiger Classic. Leaving Friday on the journey to Rainier, the Raider wrestlers stopped in Yelm to have fun playing a little bowling in a team-building exercise before making it to Rainier's mix and match event, an event they weren't necessarily counting on making....
The Lady Raiders earned two straight wins last week, defeating both the Fillies and the Lady Trojans. Lake Roosevelt defeated the Manson Lady Trojans on the road Jan. 8 with a final score of 41-24. "Manson was the start of where we really started focusing on the things we gotta do," said Head Coach Peewee Pleasants, happy to win after a string of losses. "We were playing as a team, and it all started coming back together in Manson." The Lady Raiders hosted the Bridgeport Fillies Jan. 11, almost...
Notice of City Council Vacancy Council Position No. 2 Coulee Dam The Town of Coulee Dam is seeking applications for the appointment to Council Position No. 2. Councilmembers must reside within the City limits and be registered voters in Coulee Dam. Anyone interested in applying is invited to submit an application to the Mayor’s office by 9:00am, Friday, February 8, 2019. Applications may be obtained from the Coulee Dam City Clerk, 300 Lincoln Ave, Coulee Dam WA 99116, 509-633-0320 during normal business hours, or by emailing c...
Grand Coulee Police 1/7 - A woman was cited for going 54 miles per hour in the 35 mph zone on SR-174 near E Street. 1/8 - An officer chased a man wanted on a misdemeanor warrant on foot after spotting him walking on Spokane Way. The officer grabbed him by his hoodie, which he slipped out of and continued to run. The suspect eventually went into a trailer at Alcan and Yakima. The officer returned to his patrol car and took note of the items inside the hoodie, including cigarettes, a lighter, scratch tickets, marijuana and hypodermic needles....
Lake Roosevelt Elementary will host a winter concert for the community, put on by the kindergarten, second- and third-grade students, as well as the fifth- and sixth-grade chorus, and fifth- and sixth-grade band. The concert will be offered at the Lake Roosevelt elementary gym from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24....
THURSDAY MIXUPS TEAM W L San PoilValley 49.5 22.5 Only Nine! 38.5 29.5 The Star 29 43 High Game: Chance Epperson 201; Mae Stensgar 173 High Series: Chance Epperson 595; Mae Stensgar 48 Splits: Frank Quinto 4-5-7; Gwen Hilson 5-10/5-7 Previous: High Game: John Stensgar 220; Mae Stensgar 191 High Series: John Stensgar 632; Mae Stensgar 519 Splits: Bishop Stensgar 2-7-8; Mae Stensgar 2-10/3-10; Marvin Bob 5-7; Frank Quinto 3-10/3-10; Adrian Grant 5-7; Amber Olson 3-10 High Game: LJ Stensgar 2-10; Mae Stensgar 183 High Series: LJ Stensgar 569; Mae...