News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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With just over 300 ballots in Okanogan County left to count, the mayoral race in Elmer City is the closest local race in last week’s election, hanging by one vote. If the current count holds, there will be a turnover in the mayor’s office as challenger and sitting council member Gail Morin will have defeated current Mayor Mary Jo Carey, 43-42. County elections officer Mila Jury said Tuesday that only the mayoral race in Pateros is closer, tied at 71 votes each for Gail Howe and write-in candidate Liberty Harrison. Jury said the elections boa... Full story
A Bureau of Reclamation employee was flown to Harborview Medical Center with injuries after a fire Monday in the John W. Keys III Pump Generating Plant, which a bureau press release said is believed to have been caused by a switch gear failure. Another employee is being treated locally for smoke inhalation. All plant employees were evacuated and acrid smoke rose out of the pump generating plant around noon Monday as multiple fire trucks were staged outside and firefighters were seen entering...
A meeting called by three of four hospital district commissioners, cancelled by the commission president on Friday, will take place anyway, a commissioner said. President Greg Behrens cancelled the meeting on the advice of the district’s attorney, who said calling the meeting, while not already in a meeting, violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act, which forbids a majority of such a governing body to convene without proper notice to all its members and to the news media. Kennedy disagrees, and said at that at least two members of the boa... Full story
Three of four commissioners of the public hospital district that runs Coulee Medical Center have called a special meeting of the commission for Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Special meetings must adhere to a pre-announced agenda. The agenda emailed along with the notice to The Star Thursday night is a full one, including several non-standard items. Those include the selection of "independent counsel," followed by an executive (closed) session, followed by personnel action, then a "Reorganization of... Full story
An accident two miles north of Keller has resulted in a death, the Washington State Patrol stated this afternoon. A WSP press release indicates the single-car collision took place on SR21 at milepost 119 in Ferry County at 3:50 p.m. today (Nov. 14) and that the road is partially blocked. A second notice states that Colville Tribal Police will handle the incident with state assistance.... Full story
There will be a new mayor and two new council members in Coulee Dam, all defeating incumbents, vote totals as of last Friday show. The new mayor will be Gregory Wilder, who defeated longtime Mayor Quincy Snow, 231-107. New council members will be Gayle Swagerty who defeated incumbent Karl Hjorten, 206-104; and Duane Johnson, who won over Andrew Trader, 226-83. All take office in January. The three new leaders had joined in the effort to derail the Coulee Dam wastewater treatment plant project seeking a delay and possible relocation. They had... Full story
by Roger S. Lucas Although the final count won’t take place until Nov. 26, the official certification date, several local elections seem likely to withstand any late mail-in ballot arrivals. Winning a seat on the Electric City council was Aaron Derr who gained the Position 1 spot over Birdie Hensley, 160-134. In Hospital District 6, Betty Brueske won Position 5 seat, an open position, by defeating Diane Larson, 712-514. Incumbents winning back their seats were Jerry L. Kennedy who defeated Gerry L. Salstrom, 948-361; and Kristan Hare who d... Full story
Local PTA officials are already making plans to have another Missoula Children's Theater performance next year. "Blackbeard the Pirate," put on in two performances Saturday, attracted enough theater fans to encourage officials to look forward to another run in 2014. PTA Vice President Crystal Jones said Monday that she was pleased with Saturday's performances, when 32 children from local schools, kindergarten through the sixth grade, participated. She said that Missoula Children's Theater dates... Full story
The public hospital district that runs Coulee Medical Center is aiming for zero next year. That is, a net gain of nothing on its bottom line, which would be an improvement over this year and last. Commissioners for Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan Hospital District 6 approved a budget Oct. 30 that sets out that break-even goal on total patient revenues of $37.3 million, which gets cut to $22.9 million after adjustments for Medicare, Medicaid and insurance payers, charity care, bad debts and other deductions. The hospital is on track to lose... Full story
A Grand Coulee man cited for operating a business in a residential district without a license may get his day in court soon. Donovan Picard, of 431 Grand Coulee Avenue, could argue his case before municipal court judge Richard Fitterer as early as Friday, Nov. 22. Picard has been served a citation with a penalty of $750 by Grand Coulee Police, telling him to cease repairing vehicles at his home garage in violation of the city’s ordinances. Two mechanic firms in Grand Coulee, MPH and Jack’s Service, had complained to the city council back in... Full story
A subcontractor advised police that someone had gained access to a tool trailer at the new school construction site and made off with a number of tools. David Hall, foreman for Icon Corporation, said that two padlocks on the tool shed had been cut with bolt cutters. Missing were four DeWALT screw guns two Leister heat guns, a Hitachi grinder and a small tool satchel full of tools. Police stated that several people had handled the cut locks so there was no chance of picking up fingerprints. The forced-entry theft occurred sometime last... Full story
Commission to hire police will meet Grand Coulee’s Civil Service Commission meets Friday, Nov. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers, where members will work on the details of how to proceed in the hiring of a new police officer, set test dates, and other matters before the commission. Church to offer Thanksgiving dinner The Church of the Nazarene will hold its community Thanksgiving dinner from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Senior Center, according to Pastor Adrian Harris. Corridor group to meet here The November monthly meeting of t... Full story
The Colorama Rodeo was named “Rodeo of the Year” for the second time in a row at a meeting of the Pro-West Rodeo Association last Saturday night. The award was announced at the association’s annual awards banquet in the Tri-Cities area. George Kohout, president of the Ridge Riders, said that he was pleased with the announcement. Kohout is in his second year as president of the group, and was honored by the chamber of commerce as “Achiever of the Year” for his activity on behalf of the Ridge Riders. “We could never have done this without the... Full story
Colville Tribal police received a possible bomb threat Friday at 3:30 p.m., at Tribal Trails gas station at Barney’s Junction near Kettle Falls, also known as “Noisy Waters.” Tribal officers were dispatched, along with Ferry County deputies, and the building was evacuated and the perimeter around the building secured. A caller had stated that a bomb would go off within the hour. Washington State Patrol was notified, and a portion of SR-20 was shut down. Stevens County Emergency Services were also placed on standby. A bomb squad for the area... Full story
Randy and Lila Watson were named as managers of Sunbanks Lake Resort last week. Managing partner Pat Welton said that “the pair bring a history of resort management” to the Electric City resort on Banks Lake. The Watsons have had resort management experience in Minnesota and more recently are from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The Watsons are scheduled to assume duties at Sunbanks later this week. They replace Sandy McInnis, who had managed Sunbanks since 2007.... Full story
At each end of a big holiday decoration, city maintenance heads for Electric City (Ken Dexter, right) and Grand Coulee (Dennis Francis) unload one of several big pieces of decorations at the Electric City shop Friday. Not used for years, the colored light adornments will likely need many new bulbs. Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands said he hopes to put some of them to use this year, and plans on refurbishing the steel structures with new LED lights for the future. - Scott Hunter... Full story
• The Missoula Children’s Theater, which the local PTA paid to put on an impressive musical with local kids in less than a week, is a happy symptom of a depressing malady in society. We need more resources to go toward such humanities efforts, less for educational testing ad nauseam. • It will be interesting to see what a judge makes of the dispute between a local mechanic working out of his house and the city, which fined him for not having a license and practicing the trade in a residential zone. He claims his services have basically gone... Full story
I am honored and humbled that the Coulee Dam electorate decided to put their faith in me as their new mayor. THANK YOU! As well, Duane Johnson and Gayle Swagerty were equally honored. Now the work (and fun) begins, crafting a more involved and open government and resolving so many more other issues, as well. And, regardless of the testy campaign rhetoric, it is also a time to honor the 16 years Mayor Snow has served us. Greg Wilder... Full story
Thank you to my friends and neighbors for your overwhelming support in my bid for Town Council. I plan to work to improve communication between town leadership and everyone in our town, so let me hear from you both with your ideas and concerns so we can work together to create a community we are proud to reside in. Gayle Swagerty... Full story
A horse's story can be hard to tell and even harder to listen to. These horses have horrible stories of abuse, neglect, abandonment and starvation. But that is all changing for a few of them. Buddy, Silver, Snickers, Baby and Reme all have very different tails of how they got to Delano, Wash., and fell into the hands of Chris Holeman and his group of dedicated, passionate, hand picked helpers at "Nourishing Hands." The horse rescue operation held a thank-you barbecue for volunteers and... Full story
Ten Years Ago Workers from Basin Paving Co. finished planting the last juniper tree at the intersection of highway 155 and Kent Street in Electric City. Approximately 196 trees were planted in town as part of a beautification project. Two Lake Roosevelt coaches received honors this week announced Bruce Shields, Athletic Director at LR. Gary Darnold, Cross County and Jennifer Kann, Volleyball both were named Caribou Trail League Coaches of the Year in their respective sports. Last Friday at Grand Coulee Middle School, veterans from across the... Full story
Chamber to Meet at Noon The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its noon meeting at Siam Palace in Grand Coulee on Thursday, Nov. 14. The program will be presented by Jenn Tate and April Wertz of Earth and Sky Studios. They will be talking about Social Media practices. CMC Guild The Coulee Medical Center Guild (auxiliary) will hold regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month. The next scheduled meeting and lunch is November 19 at noon at CMC. The Guild is in need of new members. Please join us. For information call... Full story
Teacher Sandy Hood addresses students and veterans at the conclusion of the Grand Coulee Dam Middle School assembly Wednesday honoring veterans. But the veterans decided this year to honor her back, presenting her with a plaque of appreciation for 16 years of organizing the annual project that has students writing to and learning about veterans and their service. The student-made posters lining the wall in the gym are each about a particular veteran, many of whom are seated at right. This year,... Full story
The Pioneer Museum is now open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on highway 155 in Electric City. Currently the museum is featuring the Kennedy era with dolls, magazines, board games and paper dolls. Where were you 50 years ago when you heard about the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Who was one of the first area lawyers? Where was his office located and why there? What was his relationship to Al Capone, yes, the gangster? Come to the museum to get the answers and a lot more.... Full story
It’s a boy James and Pimonpat Stair of Wilbur are proud to announce the birth of their son Jayden Patrick Watcharaphon Stair on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, at Coulee Medical Center in Grad Coulee. He weighed 6 lbs., 12oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Jessica, Jackie, Julia, Joseph and Jared Stair. Maternal grandparents are Watcharaphon Koysupma and Booncheum Koysupma of Ban Kham Pom, Chaiyaphum, Thailand. Paternal grandparents are Ray Stair of Marysville, Wash., and Catherine Anderson of Omak.... Full story
