News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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An effort to get talks going on consolidating two local cities may be in jeopardy. A decision Feb. 10, by Electric City’s council, to move forward in support of an independent study, was not a formal vote, according to City Clerk Jackie Perman. At the city council meeting on that date, a motion was made and seconded to move forward with providing up to $15,000 for a study by consultant SCJ Alliance, facilitated by the local chamber of commerce. The council was asked for a show of hands to show who was in favor of the idea. A majority of the c...
Shoppers explore vendors' handmade gifts and more at the Vintage Christmas Market held at Coulee Dam's town hall Saturday. The event featured dozens of vendors and a lunch offered by the Ridge Riders Junior Rodeo. Watch for The Star's special section next week on upcoming holiday events and more. - Scott Hunter photo...
Carrie Derr’s sixth grade class let the school board know how they felt about school uniforms Monday night. The school board has discussed pursuing school uniforms for next fall to begin the 2016-17 school year. A special committee will be formed to work on the project. Earlier this year, administrators reported to the board that an unofficial poll of teachers indicated the majority were in favor of the idea. The school uniform plan, if initiated, would involve all grades and even the staff, according to preliminary comments made at board m...
The Star is accepting nominations for the annual Volunteer of the Year award. Each year, the community selects between several worthy people nominated for the honor. One person is honored. Groups are not eligible. Nominations can be made until Jan. 4, 2016. Letters of nomination should be as specific as possible about why the candidate should be honored, including contact information for the nominator and for anyone who could speak about the nomination. Send nominations by e-mail, through the U.S. Postal Service, or in person as follows: • b...
Riverview Lanes has set Tuesday, Dec. 8, as its opening date. New owner Scott Elmore said Monday that he still had some minor mechanical problems to iron out before the lanes would be ready. He had earlier scheduled the opening date for Dec. 1. Elmore, along with former lanes owner Pat Zlateff, has been reconditioning the mechanics of the eight-lane operation for several weeks. A couple of mechanical problems cropped up over the weekend, forcing Elmore to delay the opening. He has been working with the town to finalize a new lease on the...
A state official will give a public talk in Coulee Dam next week, where he will also speak with town officials about the possibility of designating parts of town as a historical site. Michael Houser, from the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, will speak at a Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the town hall Dec. 10. The event is open to the public. The price for the catered lunch will be $10; and those wishing to attend the Thursday lunch must call the...
Ending strokes presentation planned Janet Mano, RN, will give a presentation of “Together We Can End Strokes” at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center from 4-4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The presentation is sponsored by Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington. School count lower Grand Coulee Dam School District had an average attendance of 687.47 students during the month of November, a report to the school board Monday night indicated. Last year for November the average was 720. The budget for this year is for a monthly average of 680...
The Christmas wishes of 138 children from 52 local families are on the Trees of Sharing this year. The Trees of Sharing is a well-established, community-wide program sponsored by local churches whose purpose, they say, is to "bless Grand Coulee Dam Area children at Christmastime." Area residents are encouraged to purchase a gift based on the information given on the ornaments (suggested value approximately $20 per gift.) Trees are located in Safeway Pharmacy, North Cascades Bank, Coulee Dam...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s Vintners & Brewers Tasting and Auction event this Saturday night has 13 tickets left at press time. The chamber has been holding the event for nearly 20 years. It is always held the first Saturday of December. The event will be in the community room at Coulee Dam Town Hall, where doors will open at 6 p.m. It features dinner, wine and beer tasting, and an auction. Auction items have been donated by both local and outside the area businesses and individuals. Tucker Cool from Dayton will be the a...
Coulee Dam could have a new police chief sometime in December. Town officials were busy Monday, interviewing the top three candidates provided by the Civil Service Commission, which narrowed the list of candidates down from 10 who applied for the position. Civil Service Commission member Herb Sherburne stated last week that all applicants were from Eastern Washington. Town Mayor Greg Wilder said he had planned to complete the interviews of the three on Monday and then would wait until all the background checks were made before making a...
A concert, complete with a visit from Santa is in the planning stage for the Grand Theatre on Grand Coulee's Main Street, the operator says. Theater operator Cody Wilson, who took over the venue this year and has been offering a variety of events, said the "A Very Merry Christmas Concert" is offered a "donation preferred" basis, but they also want anyone who can't pay to "come in and enjoy everything. ... It is a great way to share the Christmas spirit too." The concert is set for two nights,...
Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful editorial (“Seeking the fair tale land of no taxes” 11/18). Not surprised you drew fire from the “Greed is Good” crowd. “How much is enough?” your critics ask. (Or, “What’s in it for me?”) Because if we give more, we should get something more in return. Right? The answer to “How much is enough?” is all that we see around us and anything more that we dare to imagine. A few generations ago, who could have foreseen “indoor plumbing” and germ-free water flowing in every home? (Remember when we had to...
Great response from Mr. Cathcart. I appreciate your letter “Wanting to pay less to government is no fairy tale, 11/25” and agree with you. We are taxed excessively (those who pay taxes) and there is little to no accountability from our officials. We do need much less government and they need to do the right thing for us. We are not getting that response much of the time. Bob Hendrickson...
Can we Americans trust the government? According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 81 percent say sometimes or never. Yet we American citizens state we want the government to act in their behalf and provide services we want and need. In the same poll, 55 percent of us stated “ordinary Americans” would do a better job of solving problems. Who and what is the government? The preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America reads that the government is “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union...
We would like to thank everyone for the interest you have shown regarding the potential purchase of the Center School by the North American Wool Co-op. We are members of the co-op and we were working together to assess the feasibility of the purchase. We are sorry to say it is not feasible for the co-op or us to go forward with the purchase. The building offers so much potential and risk! I wish we had deeper pockets to make it work. Just not so! We would like to thank the following: Dennis Carlson and Debbie Starkey for taking their time to...
Attention all health care professionals! Ranked 37th out of 39 Washington state counties in public health, according to a respected study, Okanogan County remains in critical need of a secure public health system. Yet our county commissioners have repeatedly cut the public health budget in recent years. A new Board of Health will begin its term on December 8. The new Board of Health members, who were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, are Steve Varrelman, a licensed installer of septic systems from Pateros; Larry Zimmerland, of...
No, I am not going anywhere. But sometimes the dreams we build up get temporarily postponed. Now, the title is about goodbyes and I am not going to elaborate on who is the good or the bad, or even the ugly; you can figure that out for yourselves. Goodbyes are difficult, no matter who you are. Well, I take that back. Sometimes they might be good, depending on who you are saying goodbye to. I will leave that one to interpretation as well. My wife and I now live back in the Coulee. We said goodbye to the ranch lifestyle, not entirely by choice,...
Elaine Sanford, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother passed away at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington, on Sunday, November 29, 2015. She was preceded in death by her parents, Perry and Ella Brooks; older sibling, Phyllis Sears; and younger siblings, Kenneth Brooks and Betty Whitelaw. She is survived by her husband, Frank, at home in Grand Coulee; a younger sister, Barbara Phillips of Portland, Oregon; two sons: Delmar (Linda) Sanford,...
In the early morning hours of November 20, 2015, Raymond R. Green passed away at home. Ray was a kind and gentle soul who loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was born in March of 1939 in Spokane, Washington, and was a life-long resident of the Coulee Dam area, where he grew up on the family ranch riding his horse to school. Ray graduated from Coulee Dam High School in 1958 where he excelled in multiple sports and developed a love of football and basketball. He was proud to be one of the l...
Christopher Whalawitsa and Tyana Towner, of Nespelem, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Illithiah Jane Whalawitsa on Thursday, November 19, 2015, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. She weighed 6 lb., 13.7 oz., and was 19.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Addie Simpson and Allen Towner. Paternal grandparents are Jason Whalawitsa and Fauna Ferguson. Great-grandparents are Lois Herman and John Herman....
Kelly and Leah Kobes, of Wilbur, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Jackson Kenneth Kobes, born Wednesday, November 25, 2015, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. He weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz., and was 20.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Andrew and Jill Jordan of Spokane, Washington. Paternal grandparents are David and LaDonna Kobes of Toppenish, Washington. Great-grandparents are Sonja Everett, of Coulee Dam, and Clarice Schmidt, of Billings, Montana....
Tom and Kathy Skordas, of Coulee Dam, Washington, are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary December 5. The couple were wed in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 5, 1960. They lived in the coulee since 1967 when Tom began his career with the United States Bureau of Reclamation, retiring in 1995. They have two sons, Robert and Richard, and four grandchildren....
No Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will not be meeting this week due to the Vintners and Brewers event this weekend. The next scheduled meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, at noon at the Coulee Dam Town Hall. Okanogan County Democrats to Meet Okanogan County Democrats will meet at the Breadline Café in Omak at noon Saturday, Dec. 5. There will be a no-host brunch or you can order off the menu. Care and Share Food Bank The food bank at the Church of the Nazarene is open Fridays. It is located at the Church...
The Etheta Anderson Library in Grand Coulee will be holding a “Lighting of the Library” again this year on Thursday, Dec. 10. The ceremony will include a visit from Santa who will arrive Grand Coulee Fire Department fire truck, plus drawings for young and old, cookies, Christmas carols, and fun for all. The party begins at 6:30 p.m., Santa arrives at 6:45, and the library will be lit up for the Christmas season. Come join the fun and help kick off the holidays....
Personnel changes in the Grand Coulee Dam School District approved by the school board Monday night include Cassie Wendt, Lake Roosevelt High School head softball coach; Annette Timentwa, Title VII/JOM paraprofessional; Debra Jimenez, Title I math paraprofessional; Wiyaka Steinke, special education paraprofessional; and Tracy Thiel, special education paraprofessional. Leaves of absence were approved for Shirley Ritchie and Jessica Tufts....