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 Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors Monday night approved a $1.1million four-year levy for maintenance and operations to go before district voters Feb. 10. In doing so, the board followed the recommendations of a special levy committee that had met twice to flesh out a levy plan for the district. The levy will ask district taxpayers to fund the $1,130,000 over four years, making it the third time the district has voted on a four-year levy plan. The levy, if approved, will help the district keep class sizes small, pay for pre... Full story
Following a shakeup in the Coulee Dam Fire Department that came to a head last week, town leaders this week have stated their confidence that citizens are safe and that calls for emergency services will be met. “In terms of providing protection, we’re safe,” Mayor Greg Wilder said in an interview Wednesday, but there are definitely longterm issues that are being addressed. Within the last week, Wilder has received three resignations of longtime fire department and ambulance personnel. First, the fire chief, Robert Jackson resigned. Then Ben A... Full story
Jack's Service gave the Lake Roosevelt Junior Senior High School Associated Student Body officers and members of the leadership group a check for $4,813.80, Monday. The money came from a special promotion Jack's held during the entire month of November. Owners Jack and Loretta Madsen pledged 10 cents a gallon for every gallon of gas pumped during the month to the school's ASB fund. From the left, in the back row: Jack Madsen, Austin Rosenbaum, Kayley Duclos, Lachelle Bearcub, Kammi Rosenbaum... Full story
When you make a 911 call to report a fire in Coulee Dam you expect a town fire engine and crew to respond. Don’t count on it. Last week, Coulee Dam fire chief Robert Jackson resigned after 12 years as chief. When reached he refused to comment on his resignation. The issue came up at the Coulee Dam Town Council meeting last Wednesday night, and shortly after announcing it to the council, Councilmember Ben Alling, who has been a member of the fire department for 38 years, announced his resignation from it. Since then, Mayor Greg Wilder stated, a... Full story
The town of Coulee Dam has made an offer to Electric City to provide police services. The offer was sent last week and outlined for Coulee Dam Town Council members last Wednesday night by Mayor Greg Wilder. The five-year offer would begin in 2015 at $101,253.50, and include annual cost-of-living increases in each subsequent year. Currently, Electric City contracts with Grand Coulee for police protection, but its five-year contract runs out Dec. 31. The final year on that contract was about $80,000. In spite of the fact that Electric City and... Full story
Electric City will spend thousands less on boosting tourism efforts and related job growth after the city council reversed itself in a 3-2 vote last week. The council last Tuesday night backed off its previous decision in November to spend 75 percent of its annual hotel/motel taxes each year, choosing instead to stay with its present ordinance that fixes spending at 50 percent of what comes in during a given year. John Nordine, one of two council members on the tourism committee, told the council that he would still like to see the city do a... Full story
Early deadline for newspaper Due to the Christmas holiday The Star newspaper has a deadline for its next issue for news and advertising at 5 p.m. this Friday. Next week’s issue will be published Tuesday, Dec. 23. Happy Holidays. Pay raise approved Coulee Dam’s council approved a 2.1-percent increase in wages and salary for Teamster Union employees and department heads for 2015, at its meeting last Wednesday night. The council also selected Councilmember Shawn Derrick as mayor pro-tem for 2015. Senior meals supported Electric City council vot... Full story
Lucinda Parker, an abstract artist from Oregon, has been commissioned to produce $75,000 worth of artwork for the new school complex. Parker was one of scores of artists recommended to a local committee by the Washington State Art Commission. The $75,000 project is required as part of the public building/art program and is administered by the state art commission. Nate Piturachsatit outlined the local committee’s selection to Grand Coulee Dam School District directors Monday night and indicated that dozens of artists were considered before P... Full story
Elmer City passed its 2015 budget last Thursday night — barely. The $674,662.80 budget passed with a 3-2 vote. A large portion of the budget, $244,971, is pass-through money that will come in 2015 from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board for a street and sidewalk project scheduled for 2016. The budget and council meeting took a dark turn as the lights went out just as the meeting was scheduled to begin. Out came the flashlights, but within 10 minutes the lights came on again. The budget passed after some intense budget workshop mee... Full story
Bidders move in to check their bids on items at a silent auction Saturday at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center, where plenty of bargains were for sale, along with lunch. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
While the Grand Coulee Dam area was shrouded in clouds Saturday, just above Crown Point the view offered bright blue sky over fluffy clouds. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Evidently, we need a little more time to think. Each year, The Star solicits nominations from readers for Volunteer of the Year award, and each year, we receive multiple letters nominating between five and 10 individuals, any of whom deserve special recognition for the unselfish work they do in the community. But something about the timing, or mood, or perhaps just the exceptional business of this season, has limited the nominations to just three, only one of which is eligible. The other two have been awarded the honor previously, and the commu... Full story
We are one glum country. Trust in the federal government is at historic lows, according to Gallup. More than half of the respondents to an October Rasmussen poll think our best days are behind us. And just a few weeks ago, an NBC/Wall St. Journal poll found that the one thing Americans agree upon whatever their race or circumstances is that the system is stacked against people like them. Scratch an American, it seems, and you’ll get a litany of complaints about our representative democracy. I see this defeatism all around me. When I speak to c... Full story
Sometimes during the hustle and bustle of this time of year we must pause. (OK, let’s pretend there is a dramatic 20-second silence right here) Sit back, relax, take a breath and let it soak in a second. That happened to me this weekend. Let me fill you in. As some of you know, we recently moved. And, as most of you know, that leaves you in a hectic state for a while. Boxes filled with your necessity items fill your every space, and you just can’t find that one thing you need. Now, that is hectic in its own right but add Christmas nearly two we... Full story
Ten Years Ago The Coulee Dam Town Council approved a hotly contested budget last week before a packed house of community members who spoke their minds on several hot budget issues with the Mason City Park project and the rejection of a $90,000 grant from the county for park improvements, the top issue. Dick Taylor of the Coulee Dam Business Alliance, the driving force behind the park project, commented, "This is a major gift....the town's partnership is a relatively small, short-term loan to... Full story
The “ Lighting of the Library’ was held Dec. 9 at the Grand Coulee Public Library and was attended by about 75 people. Santa arrived, courtesy of the Grand Coulee Fire Department, and greeted each child in attendence with a new book and a candy cane. Cookies and punch were furnished by the librarians and the library board. There were several door prizes donated by members of the community. The winners and donors were: • Aaliayah Cheney won the teddy bear donated by Grand Coulee Postmaster Fawn Brashears. • Theseus Berry won a $50 gift card, d... Full story
Chamber After Hours This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Chamber After Hours meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Starkey Professional building. See our ad page 3. Care and Share Food Bank The food bank at the Church of the Nazarene normal operating hours are every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. It is located at the Church of Nazarene, hwy 174, Grand Coulee. The bank still can use clean plastic grocery bags. The food bank will be closed on Friday, Dec. 26 and reopen on January 2. Merry... Full story
Raider Wrestling had to move its Dec. 10 home mixer to the Grand Coulee middle school gym, but at least the move was made easier by new mats the wrestling program received through a donation by the Nespelem District of the Colville Tribes. Chelan's JV, Brewster, Wilbur-Creston-Keller, and Davenport attended, with 45 matches being wrestled. LR had only three wrestlers competing. Oscar Pakootas and Octavio Alejandre dominated their competition at the mixer, winning matches with ease. Reese Caddy... Full story
The Lady Raiders had an interesting week. The Dec. 9 game against Liberty Bell was rescheduled for Jan. 22nd. Then the home game Dec. 11 against Oroville was cancelled and will not be settled until early January at the League meetings. LR did get to play on Dec. 13 at Warden, where the Lady Raiders recorded their first win of the season. The Cougars were behind for most of the game. LR came home with a 16-point win over Warden, 54-38. This week, the Lady Raiders were supposed to travel to... Full story
The Lake Roosevelt boys basketball team had been scheduled to play three games this past week, but instead one was rescheduled, one is up in the air, and the Raiders lost to Warden in the only game played. A Dec. 9 road trip to Liberty Bell has been rescheduled for Jan. 22. Oroville protested moving to the old middle school a game scheduled for last Thursday, and stated that as the reason they would not come to play Lake Roosevelt. “The outcome of that contest will be decided at the League Athletic Directors meeting in January,” Grand Cou... Full story
With the Lake Roosevelt gym in the midst of getting a new roof, it hasn’t taken much over the last two weeks to send sports schedules into disarray, with schedules changing sometimes daily. The reconstruction of the leaky roof couldn’t be started until after the school district knew it would have money left over in its construction funds and has led to leaky conditions during a rainy November and December, cancelling, altering and postponing basketball games and wrestling matches. Senior high games have been moved to the old middle school gym... Full story
The Nespelem Eagles earned the championship of the Panorama League and cut down the school’s basketball net in celebration last week. The undefeated team had a 10-0 win-loss ratio.... Full story
TUESDAY HI LO’S TEAM W L Coulee Internet Serv. 43 17 Pepsi 37.5 22.5 Riverview Lanes 34.5 25.5 Fullers 31 29 Sunflower Graphics 30 30 Team 6 0 60 High Game: Pepsi 462; Sheila A. 193 High Series: Pepsi 1232; Sherry 470... Full story
Public Notice Town of Coulee Dam ORDINANCES ADOPTED BY THE TOWN OF COULEE DAM Ordinance 728 – An ordinance setting salaries and wages for officers and employees of the Town of Coulee Dam for the calendar year 2015 and repealing Ordinance No. 723. Ordinance 729 – An Ordinance of the Town of Coulee Dam, Washington, fixing the amounts to be raised by Ad Valorem Taxes for the Year 2015. Ordinance 730 – An Ordinance of the Town of Coulee Dam adopting the Budget for the calendar year 2015. Full and complete copies of the above ordinance are avail... Full story
