News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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After having been in Grand Coulee for almost two years now, one of the biggest changes that I am still trying to adapt to is an unexpected one. It’s not the distance to the nearest big box store or mall, nor is it the weather or the size of the community. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the fact that I cannot put out my recycling with the trash. For much of my youth, many might have labeled me an environmentalist. When I was in high school I organized a grass roots campaign, if it could even be cal... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 11/18 - Police confronted a driver known to have a suspended license. He said he had a new license. When asked for his new license the driver produced a license issued in 2009. The man couldn’t produce an insurance card, and will likely be charged with driving without a valid license, driving while suspended, having no insurance and giving false statements to an officer. The man’s mother came to take control of the car. - A motorist was stopped because his license tabs didn’t correspond to the vehicle he was driving. The o... Full story
The Star is accepting letters of nomination for the 2012 Volunteer of the Year through Dec. 10. The annual honor is given to one person in the community who exemplifies the spirit of working selflessly for a cause or just helping those who need it. Anyone who volunteers his or her time and talent for the good of someone else is eligible, whether in the public eye or not. Nominations for groups of people will not be accepted. The entire community will comprise the selection committee. Letters of nomination will printed and posted online, and... Full story
A 20-year-old man was cited for possession/consumption of alcohol by a minor and for 17 counts of supplying alcohol to minors, after officers were called on a complaint of noise at a residence on 803 Division Street, Grand Coulee, about 12:30 a.m., Sunday morning. A person living nearby complained to police of excessive noise coming from a party at the home. When officers arrived, they found evidence of drinking both outside and inside the residence. Police met two teenage boys attempting to leave, and they rushed back into the house yelling,... Full story
A landscape crew and one CMC employee, Erik Rogers, erect a popular sculpture at its new home at Coulee Medical Center Nov. 20. The Richard Beyer sculpture, donated by the Castrodale family, used to greet people approaching the front entrance to the old Coulee Community Hospital. It was removed for cleaning during construction of the new facility. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Wal-Mart donates for car seats Omak Wal-Mart employees, through their foundation, recently made a $500 cash gift to Coulee Medical Center to purchase seven infant car seats. Coulee Medical Center CEO Scott Graham said the hospital appreciated the cash gift and noted: “By law, every newborn must leave our facility in an approved infant car seat. This gift means a number of babies will be able to go home … as quickly and safely as possible.” Students to eye college interests Six students from Lake Roosevelt High School will travel to the Unive... Full story
It’s time to play “name that school.” The school board is tackling the job of naming the district’s new K-12 facility by passing the process off to Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carlson. But it’s all according to Hoyle. The board policy calls for district buildings to be named after persons who have attained national or local prominence in the field of education, arts and sciences, politics, military achievements and statesmanship; after U.S. presidents or Washington national senators or representatives or after the geographic characteristics of th... Full story
The Coulee Area Park & Recreation District’s efforts to obtain tax revenue failed at the polls by about 44 votes. The district’s final vote count gave the measure 57.42 percent favorable votes. It needed a 60-percent yes vote to pass. Voters within the district’s boundaries cast 2,076 votes, of which 1,192 were favorable, 884 unfavorable. County auditors were required to certify the election with the state on Tuesday. The district would have gained 15 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, providing money for the upkeep of North Dam Park... Full story
The Rotary Club is seeking a project from the school district so it can go after a grant to double its fund for the new K-12 school. Rotarians Jim Keene, Roy Hamilton and Bob Valen appeared before the school board Monday night and told directors that the club had an opportunity to get a grant equaling its $15,000 school building fund but needed a project in order to do so. Keene said he was grateful for all the small donations during the club’s school fund projects and it was in a position to leverage its money to twice that amount. R... Full story
Wilson Construction linemen Monday dismantle equipment on the new towers carrying 500 kilovolt lines from the Third Powerhouse on Grand Coulee Dam. The linemen are tethered to the tower when they are in place, but not usually on the climb up. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Ambulance services for Medicare patients have finally been approved for payment, Fire Chief Rick Paris told Grand Coulee City Council members last week. Paris said that a third-party billing service can go back to Jan. 1, 2009, according to Medicare sources. He stated that normally Medicare doesn’t accept billings that are more than 12 months old. “I don’t know yet how many billings and how much this represents in money,” Paris said. The city has been trying to get the Medicare problem solved, and before the federal agency would accept the bil... Full story
Nearly 200 people will get to experience “A Night in Paris” without having to leave town Saturday night. It’s the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Vintners & Brewers Tasting & Auction night at the Vet Center in Electric City. Some 183 tickets have been sold. No additional tickets will be available for the event. The evening event begins at 6 p.m. with wine and brew tastings, food, and both silent and oral auctions. Wines and beers are from L’Ecole No. 41 Winery, Otis Ken-yon Winery, Patit Creek Cellars and Rocky Coulee Br... Full story
There’s a new twist to that Spokane Way sidewalk project. Grand Coulee’s council heard engineer Jeff Stevens from Gray & Osborne explain that he thought the Spokane Way sidewalk application needs to have its language adjusted to reflect the fact that Center School is not now the primary reason for the project. Stevens said that two years ago, when the language of the application was developed, the school district hadn’t embarked on a building program that would eliminate Center School. The main language of the application was that it would... Full story
High school students will find a radically altered science and math curriculum offered next year at Lake Roosevelt High School, and the school has launched a “STEM Family Night” program to introduce the concepts and get family involved. Monday at 6 p.m. at the the Village Cinema, 18 people gathered to hear the concepts. STEM is the education profession’s acronym for “Science Technology Engineering and Math,” which, as a combined subject area, is being emphasized nationwide. Lake Roosevelt... Full story
Think about all the people you (all of us) take for granted. Folks who do things to help their community as a matter of course. No community could function without its volunteers and their selfless spirit. That’s why each year this newspaper honors one volunteer in particular, picked by the community as the “volunteer of the year.” That process begins this week, with our call for nominations (see front page). In the last issue of the year, we’ll announce who was chosen. Scott Hunter editor and publisher... Full story
Ten Years Ago Several of the decades-old circuit breakers for water pumps and generators in Grand Coulee Dam will be replaced at a cost of millions over the next two or more years. The Bureau of Reclamation awarded Alburquerque, New Mexico based Gardner Zemke Company a $9.7 million contract on Nov. 20. The Washington State Silver Glove boxing championship will take place in Coulee Dam next week. AFTER HOURS - Chamber of Commerce members join Coulee Hardware hosts in an after-hours party the store hosted Thursday night. Twenty Years Ago Local co... Full story
There is no question that the past few years have been challenging for many Americans. Americans have weathered 45 straight months of unemployment ranging from 7 to 10 percent. After four years of running trillion-dollar deficits, our national debt currently stands at $16.2 trillion. These figures are so large that it is sometimes easy to forget that they have real consequences, but our debt level means each American owes nearly $52,000. Last year, Congress and the President reached a compromise to put a $2.4 trillion down payment on our debt.... Full story
The politically charged debate over high-income tax cuts is reaching a fever pitch, and the question being asked across the nation is whether small businesses’ hiring ability will suffer if these cuts expire at the end of the year. Recently released scientific opinion polling shows what real small business owners think, and it might surprise you. The majority of small employers in the poll—more of whom identify as Republican than Democrat, an important distinction given the partisan nature of... Full story
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate George Kohout as volunteer of the year. We are not members of the Ridge Riders, but we appreciate what George has done for the entire community. He has brought the Ridge Riders from the brink of extinction to a very vibrant and forward looking organization that contributes substantially to the community. He organized the recognition dinner for Shane Proctor that raised thousands of dollars for the Ridge Riders and Colorama Rodeo. He followed that up with securing advertising for the Ridge Rider...
Last week you published an article about the Coulee Dam/Elmer City sewer plant project that painted a very positive face on the Coulee Dam Town Council. And, as it was, they earned that praise — they deserved that praise! They were courteous, they were interested, they were responsive, and they were focused on a better and more flexible project path. As an active participant in that meeting I also found the town’s engineer to be more thoughtful and open to other/different ideas and solutions … bravo to them all! I left that meeting reene...
Inland Northwest Blood Center workers attend to donors James Hicks, left, and Randi Pakootas Monday during a blood drive at Coulee Medical Center’s old clinic building. INBC collected 40 units of blood. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Brittany Moreno and Jerald Boyd Sr. of Coulee Dam, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Jayla Ann Boyd, born Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 5 lbs., 13 oz., and was 18 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Marishia Boyd, 18 and Jerald Sonny Boyd Jr., 12. Maternal grandmother is Cheyenne McLaughlin. Paternal grandparents are Norman Boyd and Gladys Boyd.... Full story
Valerie Clover and Michael R. Dennis of Coulee Dam are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Kinzley Evelyn Dennis born Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 6 lbs., 7.5 oz., and was 18.75 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Kody 10, Ashlyn 9 and Jeri 5. Maternal grandparents are Ray and Kathy Clover of Electric City. Paternal grandparents are Bill and Linda Goodin of Grand Coulee. Great-grandparents are great-grandma Jean Routon, Arizona and great-grandpa Carlos Clover, Arizona. She was... Full story
Amber Elwell and Evan Brown of Nespelem are proud to announce the birth of their son Zayne Lennox Brown on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Sibling is Evander Lee Brown. Maternal grandparents are Annabelle Elwell and Brian Stine. Paternal grandparents are Lita Avalino and Raymond Sammaripa. Great-grandparent is Raeann Choweah.... Full story
Chamber to Meet at Noon at Vets’ Center The GCD Chamber of Commerce will meet at noon at the Vets Center in Electric City on Thursday, Nov. 29, to start decorating for the Vintners and Brewers event being held this weekend. Pepper Jack’s Bar & Grille will be providing lunch. Port Dist. 7 to Meet Grant County Port District No.7 will hold its regular monthly meeting Thursday, November 29, at 1 p.m., at the Grand Coulee Dam Airport office. Fall Noxious Weed Conference Okanogan County Noxious Weed Control Board is sponsoring a Fall Noxious Wee... Full story