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Cases of COVID-19 have slowed in local towns since last week's update from The Star, following a statewide trend. The surge of the Delta variant that started last summer peaked in mid-September when four local counties were reporting a combined seven-day case rate of 1,336, state Department of Health data show. That one-week case rate for Grant, Okanogan, Lincoln and Douglas counties was down to 146 at midnight Monday. The rate of vaccines shots being given each week has been trending higher... Full story
Providing for senior housing needs is one part of plans by local developers for the land at the former Center Elementary School in Grand Coulee, who updated the city council on their project last week. Centerline Development, owned by Nic Alexander and Ian Turner, purchased the former school located on 8.3 acres between Spokane Way and Martin Road in 2019 for $155,000. The pair has planned to develop senior citizen living quarters at the former school, as well as single-family homes on the...
If you hear loud booms this weekend, there’s a good chance it is fireworks going off on Alan Cain’s property along SR-174 near Lakeview Terrace. Cain is a member of the Northwest Pyrotechnics Association and told The Star that the group is meeting privately on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Dec. 3-5, to do what they love best: light off advanced fireworks. The group got a permit to light the fireworks between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. from the city of Grand Coulee, whose fire department covers the area....
A new, free, home COVID testing program in several counties is intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and test the idea that it can. The Say Yes! COVID Test At-Home Testing Challenge provides households with access to free, rapid COVID-19 test kits that they can self-administer and are now available in Okanogan County. The program encourages residents to use the tests to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep the community healthy. Okanogan County residents can order testing kits online fo... Full story
Coulee Dam plans to offer a $1,500 bonus to employees who have been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a reversal of its direction two weeks ago when its council was leaning toward a mandate. The city council, meeting online Monday night, took up a proposal by Councilmember Keith St. Jeor to use some of the federal funds the town will get for Covid relief as an enticement for some reluctant employees. “We should probably reward those that are wanting to follow the rules and mandates,” St. Jeor said, contending that the move would qua...
Someone left a big-wheel trike in an appropriate place at Osborne Bay recently, the humor spotted by photographer Nora Jenn, who said it was still there late Tuesday. - Nora Jenn photo...
For many of us, the holidays mean coming home. With all the joys of being reunited with family and friends, you might also be figuring out how to avoid certain topics of conversation with people you love but don’t always agree with. It’s okay if you change the subject when Uncle Ron starts telling you about his most recent alien encounter, but one topic that can’t be ignored if it shows up is impaired driving. If you’re at a gathering where someone intends to drive impaired, the greatest gift you can give them this holiday season is an alterna...
As talks of defunding the police ring through the halls of Congress, West-side legislators in Olympia continue to push through policies that are negatively impacting our communities, and this time, the consequences could be dangerous. Instead of empowering our law enforcement officers to protect our families and businesses, recent legislation passed by Democratic leaders in our state, in particular HB 1310, has tied the hands of our law enforcement officers behind their backs. Under this law, which went into effect in July of this year, our...
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is often misunderstood as favoring urban residents over rural. Formerly known as food stamps, a new study analyzing this program shows the opposite may be true. SNAP provides nutrition assistance payments to one in eight Americans every month. Approximately 16% of rural households use SNAP benefits, compared to 13% of metro households. In those rural households, a large majority of benefits assist vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The...
When I lived in Bothell, I used to fly a lot in small planes. One of my friends, Phil Strathy, had a land plane, kept in Monroe. Another friend had a seaplane, kept on Lake Washington at Kenmore. About every month I would get a call from Phil wanting to know if I wanted to fly with him to someplace for lunch. The answer was always yes. Phil was the Darigold distributor for our area, and he was always interested in getting some flying time in. Usually, lunch meant about a three- or four-hour break. You can do this if you are the boss. One day...
Nathan "Nate" Joseph Michel, age 63, of Coulee Dam, Washington, passed away in Spokane, Washington, the morning of Friday, November 26, 2021. Born Tuesday, November 18, 1958 in Omak, Washington to Lawrence V. and Lenora Wallahee-Michel, Nate attended Omak High School, where he competed in Track, Football and Boxing. A proud member of the Yakama Nation, Nate was a lifelong member of St. Mary's Mission in Omak, Washington. He was well known as an employee of the Nespelem Trading Post and later... Full story
Auditions will be held for the Masquers presentation of the comedy “Beer for Breakfast” on December 11th and Dec 12th at 9:30am at the theater. This play about a reunion of middle-aged college buddies needs 3 middle aged men and one middle aged woman. The director is Pat Rosman. Opening night will be February 11, 2022,and run for a total of 9 shows over three weekends through Feb 27th....
New Online Library Catalog! NCW Libraries is thrilled to offer you an improved way to search for books and library materials! Our online library catalog is the place to go to find books, music, movies, and so much more! This new and improved online library catalog offers tons of great features to help connect you to your next favorite book! Stay tuned to our website and follow us on Facebook for more information about all its great features. You can still browse our current catalog through December 1st. New Releases at the Library Did you know...
The Trees of Sharing are now out in area businesses. The schedule is: Now – December 11: Trees decorated with ornament tags with children’s wishes will be available at North Cascades Bank, Safeway Pharmacy, Spokane Teachers Credit Union, and Harvest Foods until December 11. Please pick up a tag & fill the wish. Monday, December 13: (Very important date!) All gifts, wrapped and with tags attached to the outside of the package, need to be returned to a ‘Tree’ location so they can be organized for delivery. Saturday, December 18, 10:00 – 11:00...
Grand Coulee Police 11/23 - A report of a woman yelling in the Hill Avenue area may have been a howling coyote, police surmised, after responding to the area and not hearing anything else. 11/24 - A damaged street/stop sign at Coulee Boulevard and Miller Avenue may have been caused by a pedestrian, police thought after looking at it and determining it hadn’t been struck by a vehicle. 11/25 - Responding to the situation of a deer stuck in the canal, police attempted to chase it up the canal walls near the SR-174 bridge. The animal instead ran so...
Douglas County Fire Protection District #3 The 2022 budget for Douglas County Fire Protection district # 3 has been prepared, discussed and accepted. And will be placed on file. (Publish Dec 1, 2021) City of Electric City Public Notice Notice is hereby given that the 2022 Preliminary Budget Public Hearing will be held by the ELECTRIC CITY CITY COUNCIL, in council chambers at City Hall, 10 Stevens Avenue, on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 6:00pm. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to provide both written and oral comments... Full story