News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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A committee formed to try to heal a critical breach between health care providers and administration at Coulee Medical Center recommended hiring a consultant to investigate what the committee heard from staff and community members over the last five weeks. Commissioners Jerry Kennedy and Kris Hare reported at a regular meeting Dec. 26 that many had shared concerns in confidence and were afraid to speak critically of administrators for fear of job consequences. “Many of the personnel concerns expressed require additional investigation, more inve...
The weather elsewhere is disrupting events in the coulee tonight. A special meeting of the local hospital district commission will be postponed until probably Thursday, Commissioner Geary Oliver said. An attorney central to the agenda can’t make it from Spokane, where cars are piling up due to snow conditions. And tonight’s Raider basketball games with White Swan have been cancelled due to inclement weather in Yakima. They will be rescheduled, said Athletic Director Rich Black....
A special meeting for Tuesday night has been called of the commission that governs Coulee Medical Center. A majority of the five commissioners set the special meeting to consider, among other things, hiring a different law firm, a proposal that died at a regular meeting of the commission Dec. 26, less than two weeks earlier. At issue were public complaints about stopping a popular discounted lab test week. Commissioners Jerry Kennedy and Geary Oliver had served as a committee to look into obtaining independent legal counsel for the board to...
An Omak woman was injured and flown to a hospital after the car she was driving hit black ice Friday morning. Maya Best, 31, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with unspecified injuries after the 2007 Ford Freestyle she was driving slid off the highway 155 about 11 miles north of Nespelem, close to Disautel Pass. As Best was southbound at 7:15 a.m., her car hit black ice and slid off the road to the right and into a boulder, then came to rest blocking the northbound lane at about milepost 56, according to a Washington State...
A new mayor and two new council members were sworn in at Coulee Dam last Monday. Mayor-elect Greg Wilder, and council members-elect Gayle Swagerty and Duane Johnson all took their oaths of office at a ceremony at town hall with U. S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney from the Eastern Division of Washington, and Dana Cleveland of the Office of the Reservation Attorney at the Colville Indian Agency, officiating. Over 60 persons showed up for the official swearing in process....
Four individuals with records of service to the community have been nominated for the annual volunteer of the year honor, and the community will now choose. It could be a difficult choice, but the one chosen will ultimately serve as an example, as do all nominees, of how individuals can follow an ideal, a philosophy of helping others. Jerry Birdwell, Heather Downs, Fern Blaylock and Jan Erickson each have passionate supporters who appreciate their good work in the community. Their letters nominating these individuals have all been published in...
January: • The Nez Perce Longhouse burned in a fire in Nespelem the day after Christmas. An electrical malfunction was the initial cause reported. The longhouse had been a part of the community since 1975 when it was built as part of a bicentennial project. • Grand Coulee’s Council settled pay issues with Police Chief Mel Hunt by buying his 787 compensatory hours for $42,922.50. • The public was invited to view the final plans for the new K-12 school complex. • Elmer City was divided about what to do regarding Coulee Dam’s proposed wastewater...
The problems an Elmer City couple are having meeting the medical care needs of their 2-year-old girl continue to pile up. The couple, Daniel and Stephanie Detwiler's daughter, Victoria, was born with brain damage and eyesight problems. In addition to the task of taking Victoria to Omak twice a week for treatment and to Spokane four times a month for treatment and testing, they found out the limited insurance they have doesn't pay for eyeglasses. Stephanie said this week that they need to get gla...
Now it’s time to put some meat on the bones. A golf crowd met Dec. 12, to come up with what they would like to see happen at Banks Lake Golf Course so a grant could be pursued. Frank Andrews Jr., a planner and grant writer for the Colville Tribes, had met with Port District commissioners earlier and volunteered his services to write a grant. Andrews explained his interest: “I’m a golfer,” he told the commissioners. At the public meeting, attended by some 40 people, officials developed a priority list of improvements they thought should be made...
Ten firemen and EMT personnel turned out to assist in the extinguishing of a grease fire at the Goodlance residence at 213 2nd Street in Grand Coulee during the early morning hours Sunday. Fire Chief Richard Paris stated that the homeowner had put a pan of grease on the stove to cook some french fries and then briefly left the room. The report stated that when the homeowner returned, the grease had caught fire. The man put the lid on the pan and then spread baking soda on the surrounding area to put the fire out, a smart move Paris said the...
Several people have taken the time to write out some great explanations as to why they believe their particular nominee deserves to be recognized as the 2013 volunteer of the year. We hope readers will take time to review those nominations and help select the honoree by writing us a note on their choice or going to the online poll at grandcoulee.com So much needs to be done in any community to keep it moving in a good direction. Volunteers who work for the good of all simply because it’s the right thing to do make progress possible. Honoring o...
We are nominating Fern Blaylock as a belated acknowledgement of the countless hours she serves our communities with her support of the local food bank, the needy, and the students in our schools. Fern is the inveterate volunteer, helping people of all ages in our area. Fern has managed the Grand Coulee Dam Area Food Bank for the past 12 years. During that time she has overseen a large growth in families served each week. When she started, the Food Bank served about 10 families with a few items, and now serves up to 160 with several bags. That...
You have heard of New Years Resolutions. Well, I have never believed in making these statements when I know in my mind I am going to break them. So I am going to look into the future. Yes, I am putting on my red wizard’s hat and holding the envelope up to my head and looking into the 2014 tunnels of a new year. Oh, here come the first images from 2014. I see a local fisherman, on a rickety old boat. Fog has packed in the lake and it is bitter cold. Wait a second, I see something else, too. But i...
The New Year is traditionally a time for reflection and renewal. A shiny new year lies ahead, full of promise. The New Year is a time when people pledge to change their lives: lose weight, stop smoking, be a better parent, work harder, work less. Regardless of your situation, the New Year holds the opportunity for a fresh start. Our nation needs a fresh start. We are now entering the fifth year of the economic "recovery," the slowest on record since the Great Depression. While there have been...
Ten Years Ago An electrical fire destroyed Carol Clark’s home in Elmer City last Sunday. Lady Raiders were perfect this week with wins against Omak and Wilbur Creston. Tiffany Barry was the Player of the Game against Omak with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Jessica Loe was the Player of the Game against the Wildcats with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Twenty Years Ago Slick roads this week caused five accidents. Highway 155 between Belvedere and Nespelem was so slippery with ice from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. it was almost impossible to drive. Senior Kevin H...
Maxine A. Crawford, 99, (MAC) went to be with her Lord last weekend at The Renaissance Assisted Living Facility in west Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She was born the eldest of four children to Elliott V. Heater and Bernice Wilson on the family homestead, a wheat ranch south of Ritzville, Wash. The family moved when she was small to Colfax for two years and on to Grandview, Wash. She enjoyed cooking for crews on the 40-acre farm in the Yakima Valley, as well as" practicing" teaching on her siblings and...
James (Pete) Arbaugh passed away Saturday, Dec. 15, 2013, at the Crescent Bay boat launch. He was doing what he loved; fishing, but his heart failed him. He was born in Arkansas in 1945. His family moved often. He leaves behind Christie, his beloved wife of 30 years. Pete is also survived by one of his 6 brothers, Bill and his wife Bobbi as well as a sister-in-law, Esther. Plus too many younger relatives to list. Pete was in the Navy during the Vietnam War but was fortunate to be based in...
Mildred "Micki" Smith, 72, passed away in her Delano, Wash., home the morning of Thursday, December 19, 2013, following a courageous battle with cancer. Micki was born May 16, 1941, in Yakima, Wash., to Richard and Carol Sipe. She was the oldest of four siblings. Having first met in George, Wash., a 20-year-old Micki married Lloyd W. Smith (Smitty) on November 22, 1961. Micki worked alongside her husband as business owners for many years. They lived in various cities and states before settling...
The joy of working with computer recording software unsurprisingly leads to a bit of frustration. Here at the home weather station we have a gap of eight days lost – the last eight days of November. For November reporting purposes, I’ll be using data from another local recorded weather station. Temperature ranges were as follows: the low for the month was 14°F (Nov. 21) and the high was 56 (Nov. 1). The all-time low for November was -10°F in 1985, while the all-time high was 69°F in 1989....
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will not be meeting this Thursday, Jan. 2 due to the holiday. The next meeting is set for Jan. 9 at noon at La Presa in Grand Coulee. Happy New Year!...
Against tough competition, Raider wrestlers took fifth place at a Cashmere tournament Dec. 21. Lake Roosevelt placed higher than Reardan, Cascade (Leavenworth), and Omak. It was sweet revenge for the Raiders, who had lost a dual meet with Omak four days earlier. That dual at home ended with the final score of Omak 54-LR 24. The Raiders had to forfeit to the Pioneers at six weights, giving them many easy points. Of the 11 matches wrestled against the Pioneers, the Raiders won five. Alexia Hanway, at 112 pounds, won both her matches against Shyan...
Grand Coulee Police 12/19 - Plant Protection advised police of a number of thefts from an office building in the industrial yard. One person reported a pair of “Brunton” binoculars valued at $500 taken from his office along with a pair of scissors, some blue pens and a stopwatch. A person across the hall reported that a digital camera was taken from his desk valued at $954. A third person reported a $110 flashlight was taken from his office and a fourth person reported a pair of scissors taken from his office. The timeline stretched from ear...
TOWN OF ELMER CITY SUMMARY OF ORDINANCES PASSED ORDINANCE 341 An Ordinance of the Town of Elmer City, Washington, amending Ordinance 337 to change water rates. ORDINANCE 342 An Ordinance for the Town of Elmer City, Washington adopting estimated Revenues and Expenditures and setting wages for employees for the 2014 Budget year. Full and complete copies of the above ordinances are available at Elmer City Town Hall during regular business hours. Renee Tillman Clerk/Treasurer (Publish December 30, 2013)...
TUESDAY HI LO’S TEAM W L Sunflower Graphics 39.5 24.5 KEYG 1490 33 31 Pepsi 33 31 Fullers 32 32 Riverview Lanes 29 35 Karl’s Site Dev. 25.5 38.5 High Game: Sunflower Graphics 454; Clarkette 171 High Series: Sunflower Graphics 1178; Betty 462 Splits: Sara 4-5-7; Merle 8-9; Rose 2-7 Previous - High Game: Sunflower Graphics 446; Rose 177 High Series: Sunflower Graphics 1180; Betty 425 Splits: Karen 2-7; Betty 3-10/5-6 THURSDAY MIXUPS TEAM W L Fry Bread Power 35.5 16.5 Fighting Chipmunks 34 22 Ed’s Meat Market 30 26 Roadhouse 29 27 Flyin W 28 29...