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 current wave of coronavirus spread is more ominous than the first in Washington for reasons that give doctors cause to fear the near future, including those at Coulee Medical Center, where “we’ve been pretty lucky thus far,” says Dr. Jacob Chaffee at CMC, but they’re also feeling upbeat about coming vaccines. “Hospitals across the state are becoming saturated both on their medical floors as well as their ICUs, and so our biggest fear is that if we see our rates climb significantly, we’re not going to be able to transfer patients wh... Full story
Robert Fields has been wanting a big piece of art on the side of his garage facing the highway to Bridgeport for more than a decade, and he got it this summer in collaboration with his longtime friend and artist Keith Powell. A closeup of a billowing American flag brings the steel siding on Fields' shop to life, the stripes undulating like the Palouse hillsides near Pullman, which is not what Fields had originally thought he'd get. "I just got way more than I dreamed I would," said Fields, who...
There are birds aplenty in the world, the country, the state of Washington and in the Grand Coulee Dam area, and if you need something to do, looking for birds is one option. "There are many opportunities locally for bird watching, wildlife observation or wildlife photography in general," said Eric Braaten, a local biologist for the state Department of Fish & Wildlife, in an email to The Star. "With a mixture of private and public lands, our area is species-rich most of the year with different...
As of Monday, school is intended to continue as planned, with high COVID numbers in local counties, but not in the area itself. At Monday’s Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting, Superintendent Paul Turner presented a document outlining the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in relation to the school. Turner explained that although COVID numbers are currently high in local counties, in talking with county health officials, spikes are related to incidents outside of the Grand Coulee Dam area, such as in northern Okanogan County and d... Full story
Like every person who attended high school in France, I studied philosophy in my senior year. I learned about Spinoza, Rousseau, Descartes, Voltaire, and many others. One quote from Voltaire has always impressed me, especially considering the context of his time where freedom of expression was not the norm: “I may not agree with your opinion, but I will fight to my death so you have the right to express it.” Learning about the principles of freedom and testing them in my own life, I naturally concluded that France had to be the country tha...
I appreciate the opinion and feedback that was shared in the Nov. 18 newspaper regarding my public comments at the Nov. 9 school board meeting. Sharing our opinions on various subjects, knowing that we don’t have to agree on everything, and being willing to hear various perspectives as we shape our own understanding is part of the beauty of our country. Part of our responsibility in sharing those opinions is being sure that our facts are correct. Regarding the school board policies on public comment, please see the district website and read P...
Thanks, Donna DeWinkler, for the thoughts you shared in The Star Newspaper recently. Tolerance of a diversity of viewpoints is always healthy. Everyone needs to have a growth mindset and be open to learning from each other. We get better together when different perspectives are valued. Often times we listen to others but we don’t validate that they have been heard. It is time in our local school district, that we love, for a new progressive direction to be taken that has true collaboration from all stakeholders involved. Donna went old s...
Steptoe Butte lies 12 miles north of Colfax, the Whitman County seat. Its elevation is 3,612 feet, hovering over the Palouse wheat fields. It is said that on the horizon you can see the high mountains in Montana. For me, the view affords me a visit to many of the places that made my Palouse childhood so pleasant. To the southeast are the hills in Idaho where my family spent many a fall day picking huckleberries. The picking was always good, and my dad would scout the area so we would have success. I spent many a day probing huckleberry bush....
Trees of Sharing 2020 is here to help struggling families provide a Christmas gift for their children. Since the early 1980’s, the Trees of Sharing program has been a pathway for Grand Coulee Dam area residents to be a blessing to needy children living in the area. Trees are located at Safeway, Coulee Family Medicine, and Harvest Foods. The schedule: • November 20 – December 11: Trees decorated with ornament tags with children’s wishes available at North Cascades Bank, Safeway Pharmacy, Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union, and Harvest Foods.... Full story
New Cancer Support Group Cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors have been gathering semiweekly to talk, in a safe environment with honesty about the physical, emotional and spiritual impact of cancer. The group meets the first and third Thursdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the multipurpose area of the Nazarene Church. Face masks and social distancing are maintained. New AA Group in the Area A new Alcoholics Anonymous group is meeting each Saturday at noon at the Grand Coulee Community Church, 405 Center St. Meetings are open. More...
Nine people have died of COVID-19 at one Grant County nursing home, and two other long-term care facilities tallied 108 infections among residents and staff, Grant County Health said Friday. GCHD said cases at two long term care facilities, one in Moses Lake and one in Ephrata, are linked to a recent large wedding event held in Ritzville. "It is important to note that mass gathering events where COVID is spread will quickly spread into the community and risks the safety of our most vulnerable...
The city of Grand Coulee has lost revenue from late fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-23, first issued in March of 2020, doesn’t allow utilities to be shut off for a resident, nor for late fees to be charged. At Grand Coulee’s Nov. 17 city council meeting, City Clerk Lorna Pearce told the council that the city has about $18,000 in outstanding utility bills from people not paying. In 2019, Pearce told The Star, the city brought in $5,127 in revenue from late fees. Pearce said one frustration is th...
High school sports have been delayed even further. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association put off the start of high school sports seasons in the 2020-21 school year to Feb. 1. Seasons had been scheduled to start Dec. 28, but because of a surge in COVID cases around the state, the executive board of the WIAA decided on Nov. 17 to delay the start of sports seasons even further, until Feb. 1. In the meantime, summer-style coaching is allowed until Jan. 23 for all sports. Traditional winter sports are scheduled to begin with...
Three separate donations were approved at Monday’s Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting. The three donations, all attributed simply to “Raider Community Supporters,” are: $140 to the senior class; $832 to the senior class; and $183 to senior high girls’ basketball....
Grand Coulee Police 11/16 - Police assisted law enforcement officers from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol with a vehicle that was not pulling over for a Grant County officer while heading north from Coulee City and travelling at speeds as high as 110 miles per hour. The vehicle eventually pulled over near milepost seven along SR-155. The driver and passenger, two men, both appeared intoxicated. There were empty beer bottles in their car. The WSP trooper processed the driver for driving while intoxicated and t...
Town of Nespelem Notice of Public Hearings Notice is hereby given that the Town of Nespelem will hold a Preliminary Budget Hearing on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 5:00 PM at Town Hall. Copies of the 2021 Preliminary Budget are available at Town Hall during normal business hours. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to provide either written or oral comments concerning the 2021 Budget at said Preliminary Budget Hearing. Notice is hereby given that the Town of Nespelem will hold a Final Budget Hearing on Wednesday, December 9,... Full story
Billboards along Main Street in Grand Coulee will be allowed to stay, at least until leases for the billboards are over, and a committee will be looking at ways to possibly allow them to stay indefinitely. Following a couple of complaints, Sam Hsieh, who owns Coulee Plaza, a lot of grass and picnic tables on Main Street, was told he’d have to take down his advertising signs that line the property. The money brought in from those signs helped pay the mortgage and maintenance costs of the property. After being told he’d have to take them dow...
