News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
Even if a new “enrichment” levy passes next February, the Grand Coulee Dam School District is set to lose $800,000 per year the way things are currently budgeted, the result of recent changes in state law. If the levy doesn’t pass, that loss figure is closer to $1.2 million. According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, many districts are on a course to lose major dollars. The 2012 McCleary decision by the state Supreme Court ruled that the state wasn’t fully funding basic education, and it required the Legislature to do s...
The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department/Ambulance Service and the Grand Coulee Police Department members and spouses met Saturday night to honor and thank them for their service to the area. The year's activities were recounted, good teamwork the three departments had enjoyed and the fact all the departments had not had any injuries were reported this year. The major wildland fires and large fire in Elmer City with which the volunteers and police officers had been involved were also...
The local chapter of the Public School Employees union voted 28-8 to ratify a 6-percent raise in the Grand Coulee Dam School District late last month and the school board approved the change last Thursday. After months of deliberations, the PSE Nov. 27 approved the raise for the roughly 75 members, plus a $2-an-hour raise for the lead mechanic position and a 50-cents-an-hour raise to the Spanish paraprofessional position. The lead paraprofessional in the preschool was made a “coordinator,” which comes with a raise of about $1.15 an hour, as...
Coulee Dam’s mayor is resigning due to health concerns, he told The Star in a text message Sunday. Mayor Larry Price was elected in November 2017 and took the helm of the town at the start of this year. Price had told The Star last month he had suffered some “mini-strokes” and that he was taking a couple weeks’ leave of absence from his duties. Mayor Pro Tempore Bob Poch has presided over the last two council meetings and other duties. He will presumably preside again tonight, Dec. 12, as the town council considers several items on the agenda....
Grand Coulee approves senior meals donation Grand Coulee will donate $3,500 to the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Meals Program, the city council decided at their Dec. 4 meeting. The program donated over 16,000 meals to the Grand Coulee Dam area from October of 2017 to September of 2018. Grand Coulee approves hotel-motel tax distribution The Grand Coulee city council decided how to disperse their hotel-motel tax money for 2019, giving $4,000 to the Coulee Area Park & Recreation District, $7,000 to the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, and...
Hank Wiebe and his friends are raising hell against the United States Bureau of Reclamation’s recent announcement that they are considering no longer allowing people to drive onto “Geezer Beach” behind the Third Powerhouse at the Grand Coulee Dam, or possibly not allowing fishing there at all. The Grand Coulee man has been placing petitions at local businesses to gather signatures to voice opposition against the idea. “People are fired up, saying, ‘Keep after them,’”Wiebe said. Wiebe said that he and his friends go fishing at the beach regular...
It will take nearly $4.4 million to run the city of Grand Coulee next year, according to a budget prepared for the city council, which took a look at it last week. That’s just about a break-even amount that includes nearly $1 million for fixing streets. The city expects to take in just under $4.5 million, including more than $637,000 in taxes and $955,000 for goods and services, including water and sewer. The Grand Coulee City Council was presented the preliminary budget at their Dec. 4 c...
The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking comments on the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed modernization project for generating units 19–21 (G19–G21) in the Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam. The proposed modernization project will provide continued, reliable hydropower production for 40 years or more and will ensure that Reclamation meets its contractual obligations for power generation, the bureau said in a press release. In the draft EA, analysis is underway on a proposed action and a no-action alternative for any pot...
The volunteer group that has fed and nurtured hundreds of thousands of fish in Banks Lake may come to an end Dec. 19, its longtime leader Carl Russell said this week. The Promoters of Wildlife and Environmental Resources will meet at the senior center in Grand Coulee next Wednesday at 10 a.m. with a representative of the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. And he had asked owners of Coulee Playland and Sunbanks Lake Resort to come also, he said. “It looks like it will be shut down,” he said....
Solutions to serious problems should not require contortions of logic that look like the loser in that old game of Twister. You know the one: where players try to reach different spots on a large surface on the floor with different parts of their bodies until one of them finally falls over. The solution the state Legislature came up with after the state Supreme Court ruled the state was neglecting its primary constitutional responsibility — basic education — was a partial solution that will not last because it does not address fundamental ine...
I had my heroes, just like every kid. Mine really got started by getting to know the owner of one of the three active taverns in Palouse in the late 1930s. His name was Pop Brantner. I never did learn his first name. The unlikely friendship began from my bringing in empty beer bottles, for a penny a “stubby” and five cents for a quart bottle. Kids could go in the back door of the tavern, up to the pool tables with their retrieved bottles, and Pop would come back and pay us for them. For some reason, Pop took a liking to me and started tal...
A couple weeks ago, I told you about my moment of reflection during Natural Helpers. Well, Sunday night I found myself reflecting again, and this time things got personal. Sometimes it is hard to write this column without giving you a deep look into my personal life and little peeks into my family and friends. Especially this week. So, be gentle to me and anyone I mention. It was during the baby shower for Levi and Davida and the precious little package that is on the way. It was fun, and a celebration and laughs were had many times during the...
Yet another takeaway? As a disabled fisherman, I, along with many other disabled, aged friends, have fished Geezer Beach for many years. We fish this area exclusively four to five times per week from January to June. Due to our disabilities and very limited walking capabilities for many of us, it is the only alternative for fishing the area. In all of my years of enjoying fishing Geezer Beach, I have never seen or experienced any of the suggested scenarios. I am proud to say that due to our appreciation of the ability to fish there, we are...
I would love to see the cinema start showing movies again. I know a lot of people were disappointed when it closed, and with so little to do around the area it would be a big win to see it reopened. I hope the town keeps supporting Kimberly Christensen and her efforts to make this happen. I will be there ready to buy her popcorn at the first movie shown! Winona Simons Coulee Dam...
Members of the community are invited to a drop-in reception at the Nazarene Church on Wednesday, December 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. to honor Elmer Rinard for serving our nation in WWII. His quilt will be presented at 1:30 p.m. by Lt. Col. Emily Tate (retired USAF) from Spokane. The Quilts of Valor (QOV) Foundation began in 2003. The mission of the QOV Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts of valor. Over 200,000 quilts have since been presented in all 50 states. A quilt of valor is sewn...
Santa and Mrs. Claus hear Phrazer's Christmas wishes at the Moose Lodge's annual Christmas party for kids Saturday. The event drew a standing-room-only crowd. - Scott Hunter photo...
The community is invited to the Grand Coulee Library Holiday Open House Thursday, December 13, beginning at 4 p.m. The gifts and services are provided by your library card and NCRL. Find out all about the wonderful services provided by your library free of charge. For example, learn about downloading ebooks, movies, audio books and music to your device; learn a new language, a craft, valuable computer skills, and many, many other services. Don’t have a library card?? No problem, we can make cards for anyone in the NCRL service area. (Please b...
Chamber This Week Chamber will meet at noon, Thursday, Dec. 13, at Voltage Coffee House. General business is on the agenda. Grant County Fire Dist. 14 to Meet The Grant County Fire District 14 will hold its regular monthly meeting Monday, December 17, at 7 p.m., at the Electric City Fire Station. Grant County Mosquito Dist. 2 to Meet Grant County Mosquito Dist. 2 will hold its regular monthly meeting Thursday, December 13, at 5 p.m., at the Mosquito District building. Senior Volunteers Offering Caregivers a Break Senior Center volunteers will...
Vanessa Berry and Lindsey Vargas of Nespelem, Washington, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Skyler Sierra Vargas, born Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz., and was 21 inches in length at birth.... Full story
Raider wrestlers competed at the LR Mix & Match before winning the Connell Invite last week. Lake Roosevelt competed against worthy opponents from Wilbur-Creston-Keller, Davenport, Inchelium, and Okanogan, with a total of 59 matches in the LR gym Dec. 5. "It was a very good night for everybody, the idea being that they get mat time, get matches," said Head Coach Steve Hood, who seemed happy with the competition the other schools brought in to challenge his wrestlers. "There were lots of good wre...
The Lady Raiders basketball team defeated Bridgeport and Soap Lake last week to go 3-0 for the season. In Bridgeport Dec. 4, the Lady Raiders dominated the Fillies, 56-13. "This was a good game that allowed us to work on things and give players minutes that they normally would not get," said Head Coach Peewee Pleasants. Kelsie Olbricht led Lake Roosevelt with 10 points in the game. The Lady Raiders had a remarkable 52 rebounds total. The Lady Raiders traveled to Soap Lake Dec. 7, winning a...
The music department at Lake Roosevelt Schools will hold its annual holiday concert next week in the high school gym. The concert, slated for Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., will feature the fifth- through 12th-grade bands and chorus. An art show will also be on display....
Wed., Dec. 12 5 p.m., Jr. High Boys Basketball at Oroville 5 p.m., (time change), LRHS Wrestling here with Okanogan, Wilbur/Creston & Davenport Fri., Dec. 14 LRHS Basketball at Tonasket, BJV/4:30 middle school/GJV/4:30 p.m. high school/GV 6/BV 7:30 LR Wrestling at Tri State Invite Norht Idaho College Sat., Dec. 15 10 a.m., LRHS Wrestling at Cashmere LR Wrestling at Tri-State Invite North Idaho College Tues., Dec. 18 LRHS Basketball at Okanogan, BJV/4:30 middle school/GJV/4:30 p.m. high school/GV 6/BV 7:30...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders had two strong basketball wins last week, defeating Bridgeport and Soap Lake on the road, both by double digits. The Raiders lead the Central Washington 2B league with a 3-0 win-loss record, the only undefeated team in the league right now. Tonasket and Brewster are ranked next in the league, with 2-1 overall records. Lake Roosevelt defeated the Mustangs 74-40 in Bridgeport Dec. 4. Tyler Jordan led the Raiders with 17 points. Sam Wapato scored 15 for the Raiders,...
City of Grand Coulee PUBLIC NOTICE AVAILABILITY OF 2019 PRELIMINARY BUDGET PROPOSED 2019 BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING A copy of the 2019 Preliminary Budget for the City of Grand Coulee is available to the public at the City Clerk’s office, 306 Midway, P.O. Box 180, Grand Coulee, WA 99133. The city council will hold a Final Budget Hearing on December 18, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. The public hearing will be held in the council chambers of the Grand Coulee City Hall. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to provide both written and oral c... Full story
