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Articles from the December 27, 2017 edition


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  • New variety store possible

    Roger S. Lucas|Dec 27, 2017

    A search for a location for a new variety store is currently underway, and with everything else in place, principals in the business are hopeful for an opening sometime in February. Negotiations are currently stalled on a lease of the Midway Avenue building that until last fall housed The Variety Store, but Launi Ritter said she is also looking for another suitable location for the business. The principal investors would be her parents, Douglas and Mary Lou Lockard, of Sammamish, Washington. Ritter said they are interested in leasing space are...

  • Cast for recognition

    Dec 27, 2017

    Officials gather around a new bronze plaque presented at a Coulee Dam City Council meeting Wednesday night to be hung on the new wastewater treatment plant when it's complete. From left are Travis Denham, Varela & Associates; Rick Rose and Dave Dunnell, both of USDA Rural Development; Mayor Greg Wilder; Daniel Cowger, Varela & Associates; and Kurt Holland, Varela & Associates. Wilder emphasized that the Rural Development lending agency deserved credit for its helpful approach to financing...

  • Company will convert Electric City facility into Bitcoin mine

    Jacob Wagner and Scott Hunter|Dec 27, 2017

    A warehouse in Electric City will soon become the "Grant County Data Centre" for processing a type of currency that only exists digitally and has gained recent worldwide attention as its value increased 2,700 percent since September. Atlas Cloud Enterprises Inc., a Canadian company, has apparently purchased the former Young's Welding building in Electric City for $300,000, and plans to invest another $2.6 million into it. Atlas Cloud, shares of which are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchang...

  • Old buildings eyed for demolition

    Roger S. Lucas|Dec 27, 2017

    The city of Grand Coulee may soon destroy an old museum on Spokane Way that once displayed the remnants of its owner's most radical invention - a car powered with a different kind of propulsion. The colorful old Constantinos Vlachos building has been declared a "dangerous" building by city building inspector Gary Lampella, and the matter is slowly working its way through the council. There are a lot of memories from the 1930s, '40s and '50s in regard to the old building. It housed a collection...

  • Newsbriefs

    Dec 27, 2017

    Hundreds of ambulance calls noted for year Grand Coulee’s ambulance service was called out 455 times so far in 2017, volunteer fire chief Richard Paris reported to the council last Tuesday night. He reported that during the month of December the ambulance was called out 36 times, nine in Coulee Dam, and that there were eight transport incidents. Fire trucks, Paris reported, went out a single time in December to fight a structure fire where there was smoke from an electrical problem. Sewer rates set for Grand Coulee Sewer rates are going up i...

  • City acquires fiber optics in preparation to offer service

    Scott Hunter|Dec 27, 2017

    The city of Coulee Dam has bought a business and its 96 strands of fiber-optic cable that run beneath the Columbia River bridge, the mayor announced at a special city council meeting Wednesday. The purchase, a year-and-a-half in the making according to Mayor Greg Wilder, will allow Coulee Dam to move forward in developing plans that council members have advocated to bring internet speeds in town up to modern standards. The council had voted Dec. 13 to allow Wilder and City Attorney Mick Howe to work out a deal with Basin Broadband LLC, a Moses...

  • City sets new sewer charges for USBR, others

    Scott Hunter|Dec 27, 2017

    Coulee Dam’s city council voted Wednesday to sewer service rates that will charge low-income customers a little less and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation a lot more. Low income senior citizens and disabled residents who qualify for a discount will find slightly better rates, with discount levels bumped from 25 to 30 percent and from 30 to 35 percent. Mayor Greg Wilder said the increased discount would make very little difference, about a couple hundred dollars, to the town’s budget, but could make a meaningful difference to those who qua...

  • NPS wants to keep Lake Roosevelt mussel-free

    Dec 27, 2017

    Boaters in Lake Roosevelt will be asked to “self certify” that their boats aren’t carrying invasive species, the NPS announced Tuesday. In an ongoing effort to prevent aquatic invasive species, the National Park Service (NPS) at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is implementing a mussel-free self-certification program. The NPS is requesting operators certify their boat or personal watercraft free of aquatic invasive species, especially quagga/zebra mussels, prior to launching, and for boaters who have recently boated in infested water...

  • Grant PUD restructures $77 million in debt ahead of tax changes

    Dec 27, 2017

    Grant PUD has refinanced $77 million in outstanding debt to reduce finance costs, help hold a planned 2018 rate-revenue increase to 2 percent, and more equitably align debt burden to the life of the assets it finances, a PUD press release stated Tuesday. “This transaction increases customer value by spreading the debt burden over the multiple generations who will benefit from the equipment upgrades it financed,” Bonnie Overfield, senior manager of finance, said. The transaction refinances bonds of varying maturity dates through 2023 into a sin...

  • The truth is in there, somewhere

    Scott Hunter|Dec 27, 2017

    As we enter the New Year, we suggest the best resolution of all would be to keep a level head, an open ear and a metaphorical red pen at the ready to scratch out the hyperbole in our political rhetoric, examples of which can be found in each of the following columns. They represent the arguments at both ends of the debate over the tax-cut bill that just passed, and each overstates the case made — one by your elected congressman for Washington’s fourth district in the U. S. House of Representatives, the other by the liberal group Americans for...

  • Promise kept on reducing tax burdens

    Dan Newhouse Representative 4th Dist3|Dec 27, 2017

    For hard-working families and entrepreneurs in Central Washington, keeping more of your own paycheck was my goal in supporting historic legislation approved by Congress, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The last time the nation’s federal tax system was overhauled was in 1986, under President Ronald Reagan. But with the leadership of President Trump and Republicans in the Senate and House, and with my support, we succeeded in pushing major tax reform for American families and businesses across the finish line. Reducing the rate for American c...

  • The GOP's tax overhaul: worst Christmas present ever

    Frank Clemente|Dec 27, 2017

    Some Christmas presents are a wonderful surprise, others a big disappointment. We try to be polite about the clunkers, figuring it’s the thought that counts. But the new Republican tax law — what President Trump has described as a “big, beautiful Christmas present” for the American people — is the worst Christmas present ever. And there’s no need to be polite, since the thought behind it stinks, too. Imagine being promised a new doll or Xbox, only to unwrap the package on Christmas morning to find an empty box — empty, that is, except for an un...

  • Changing the focus and moving forward, with a little inspiration

    Jesse Utz|Dec 27, 2017

    One of my desires is to one day be able to help people in need. I have been helped by many members of our community over the years and I have always wanted to “pay it forward.” I recently heard about a heartwarming story that is unfolding in the Coulee and felt I needed to share the bits I know of it. Christmas can be a difficult time for families that are in crisis mode. Over the past few weeks a desperate family moved to the area. They were living on the west coast in a drug- and cri...

  • Births in the Coulee

    Dec 27, 2017

    It’s a girl for Epperson/Marchand Alana Epperson and Loren Marchand are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Hayzen Shay Marchand, born Friday, November 17, 2017, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 8 lbs., .08 oz., and was 20 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Jace Marchand, age 4, and Maddison Marchand, age 1. Maternal grandparents are Vancy and Darcy Epperson. Paternal grandparents are Janice Marchand and Felimone Orozco. Wick/Rhodes have a boy Rebecca Wick and Anthony Rhodes, of Grand Coulee,...

  • First two State Parks free days of 2018 coming up in January

    Dec 27, 2017

    OLYMPIA – Dec. 20, 2017 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is offering two free days in January, when visitors to state parks will not need a Discover Pass for day-use visits. The first free day is Monday, Jan. 1, which also coincides with First Day Hikes, a nationwide initiative that aims to get people outdoors on New Year's Day. More than three dozen Washington state parks are hosting First Day Hikes events. Learn more here: http://parks.state.wa.us/Civi...

  • Senior Meals

    Dec 27, 2017

    Wed., Dec. 27 - Dinner Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich, Green Beans & Onions, Chips, Pineapple, Cupcake Thurs., Dec. 28 - Dinner Fish & Chips, Coleslaw, Peaches and Cream Fri., Dec. 29 - Breakfast Biscuits & Gravy, Eggs, Fruit Bowl, Orange Juice...

  • Help tie charity quilts

    Dec 27, 2017

    Every Wednesday in January and February following the 9 a.m. Bible Study, those interested can help tie charity quilts. The quilts go to World Relief and Omak Shelter. Bring a sack lunch. Come and go as you like, everyone is welcome. For more information call 633-0648....

  • Meetings and Notices

    Dec 27, 2017

    No Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will not meet this Thursday, December 28. The next chamber luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, January 4, 2018, at Siam Palace in Grand Coulee. Coulee Creators Meet on Tuesdays Coulee Creators meet at 412 Federal Ave. Room 207, Grand Coulee. Contact Marlene Oddie at KISSed Quilts or 509-386-5715 for further details. There will be no Sew-in on December 26. Hours are normally Tuesdays 1-4 p.m., on Jan. 8, 9-5 p.m., All Day Sew-in. Stop by and get started on something new in 2018!...

  • Net neutrality repeal not a big factor locally, so far

    Jacob Wagner|Dec 27, 2017

    A recent topic in the national news has been the repeal of “net neutrality” rules which restrained internet service providers (ISPs) from charging consumers more for access to certain websites, and from charging websites more for faster download speeds for their sites. The repeal has people nationwide worried that their internet bill could go up and be comparable to satellite and cable television services which bundle their channels and charge more money for access to certain channels. Micah Seekins, operations manager at Coulee Internet Ser...

  • Start the new year off right with a First Day Hike

    Dec 27, 2017

    OLYMPIA – Dec. 14, 2017 – Washington State Parks invites the public to start the new year off with a First Day Hike on Monday, Jan. 1, at more than three dozen state parks across Washington. “First Day Hikes are a fitting way to cap off the holidays and discover the off-season appeal of Washington’s state parks,” said Don Hoch, Washington State Parks director. “This year parks are offering something for every fitness level and interest, including guided hikes with rangers, snowshoe treks and fat bike rides.” First Day Hikes will take place in...

  • This week in sports

    Dec 27, 2017

    Thurs., December 28 10 a.m., LRHS Wrestling Powerhouse Tournament, here LRHS Basketball to West Valley HS, Spokane, Eagles Holiday Classic (9 a.m. GV, 10:30 a.m. BJV, 1:30 p.m. BV) Fri., December 29 LRHS Basketball to West Valley HS, Spokane, Eagles Holiday Classic (10:30 a.m. BV, noon GV) Sat., December 30 10 a.m., LRHS Wrestling, Banks Lake Brawl at Almira-Coulee-Hartline Tues., January 2 LRHS Basketball, here with Bridgeport (L) (4:30 Boys & Girls JV; 6 p.m., GV; 7:30 p.m., BV)...

  • Legals for December 27, 2017

    Dec 27, 2017

    Grant County Conservation District PUBLIC NOTICE A poll-site election for a board seat on the Grant County Conservation District will be held on February 13, 2018 at Grant County Conservation District, 1107 S Juniper Drive, Moses Lake, WA 98837. Polls will open at 8:30 AM and close at 12:30 PM. Registered votes who reside within the Conservation District boundary are eligible to vote. Candidates must be a registered voter residing in the conservation district, and may be required to own land or operate a farm. The candidate filing deadline is... Full story

  • Coulee Cops

    Dec 27, 2017

    Grand Coulee Police 12/18 - A caller reported a man walking through yards and knocking on doors in the Delano area. He was elusive and not seen by police when an officer arrived. - An officer responded to a report of an injured deer in a driveway on Partello Park. It was gone when police arrived. - A Nespelem man was stopped for having auto tabs that had expired nine months earlier. The officer learned that the man had a suspended license and also a warrant for his arrest. A passenger also had a warrant for his arrest from the Department of...

  • Raider basketball victories

    Jacob Wagner|Dec 27, 2017

    The Lady Raiders beat the Fillies by 50 with a final score of 73-23 before the Raiders pulled off a comeback victory in overtime against the Mustangs 77-74. These videos show Kayla St. Pierre with a steal and a layup, drawing the foul (she made the free throw), and Trevor McCraigie hitting a big three in overtime to go up 77-74, leaving only a few seconds left on the clock which Bridgeport wasn't able to do anything with. The nail biter LR victory was something you'd have to see to believe....