News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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“Ooh! … Ah!” Those words are the universal language for “look at the fireworks!” This Saturday night at 9 p.m. the Northwest Pyrotechnics Association, of which local man Alan Cain is a member, will put on a fireworks show near North Dam on Banks Lake. “It’s going to be a good half hour of pyrotechnic fun for a happy Fathers Day,” Cain said. A good view of the show will be available from Banks Lake Park and North Dam Park, both near the dam, and Cain says the best views “are probably going to be by Coulee Playland.” Another fun option is to go...
If you see some unidentified flying objects near the Grand Coulee Dam, don't be alarmed! It most likely isn't aliens studying hydroelectric power, but rather "drones" capturing aerial footage of the dam. The Bureau of Reclamation detailed the flights in a June 4 press release, saying the purpose is to "photograph and obtain video footage of the structure while water is spilling over the drum gates during the month of June." The new footage will show infrastructure improvements made over recent...
Grand Coulee Police 5/29 - “Scooby” is causing trouble for its owner on East Grand Coulee Avenue by barking. The white- and brown-spotted dog got the owner a citation for not being licensed and causing a disturbance by barking. It wasn’t the first time the dog has caused complaints for neighbors. - Later, “Scooby” got in trouble again, this time at Coulee Playland, where it allegedly attacked a young Labrador-husky mix, injuring it in the jowls. The owner of the injured dog, from out of town, called police from Ephrata while on the way home...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District would like to see a skill center in the area, a place where junior and senior high school students can learn practical skills that will help them land jobs after high school. Superintendent Paul Turner visited the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center in Moses Lake on May 4, observing classes for certified nursing assistants, culinary arts, advanced manufacturing, and entrepreneurship and marketing. "There's an international nursing shortage, so by starting...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District is visualizing possibilities for what they call a “skill center,” a place where students can learn skills that lead directly to jobs, particularly jobs in the local area. The district is working on the project in collaboration with the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center based in Moses Lake, where GCDSD Superintendent Paul Turner, as well as GCDSD board members, will be visiting to bring some of the same opportunities to this area. One solid program of the skill center taking shape soon will be a cer...
The Colville Tribes hosted their ninth annual Earth Day celebration on Friday, giving away T-shirts and raffle items, hosting a free barbecue, and teaching children and adults alike about Earth Day-related topics. Hosted at the powwow grounds in Nespelem, booths provided information on electricity, forestry, recycling, drainage and runoff of different soil types, how to reuse old clothes, invasive species, health and nutrition, and much more. A popular booth hosted by M3 Consulting Group had bot...
Grand Coulee Police 4/16 - Police were informed of a 16-year-old intoxicated girl at a residence in Electric City. When police arrived, they learned of a warrant for her arrest, and she was taken to juvenile authorities in Okanogan County. - A woman told police that she had asked a person she only knew by a first name to use her bank card to get her groceries, and claimed a loss of $900. She had called 911 but hung up when they asked for her name. Police learned of a warrant for the arrest of the woman who claimed the loss. She was taken to jai...
Blossoms on a wild apricot tree at Crescent Bay are backlit by sunlight over the water and the lowered shoreline background of Lake Roosevelt Tuesday. The Bureau of Reclamation said Thursday that the lake will be lowered to no higher than 1,222.7 feet above sea level by the end of April to help control flooding downstream. It was at 1,234 feet in this photo. Its full level is 1,290 feet. - Scott Hunter photo...
Workers sandblast the first drum gate on top of Grand Coulee Dam Tuesday to prepare the surface for fresh paint. The Bureau of Reclamation follows a maintenance schedule for the drum gates, which control the flow of water over the top of the dam when Lake Roosevelt is full, when river conditions and lake levels allow during spring drawdowns. - Scott Hunter photo...
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Public Works Department PUBLIC NOTICE The Colville Tribes Land Use Review Board will be holding a public hearing to make a ruling on the following shoreline development conditional use permits: Pacific Aquaculture has submitted a land use and development application for a shoreline conditional use permit to construct an 81’x177’ brood stock facility, a 40’ x 50’ office building, 100’ x 10’ exterior raceway, install a water intake and return lines, drill a new 12” well with associated pu... Full story
Electric City will consider reversing an annexation decision it made back in 2009. The city council has asked City Clerk Russell Powers to find out how to reverse its annexation decision that brought a large block of land south of the Osborn Bay into the city. Powers said Monday that he has asked the city's attorney what the process would be so he can report back to the council at one of its future meetings. "If the city eventually wants to turn back annexed land, it would take a vote of the...
There may be good reasons for Electric City to consider un-acquiring territory it gained when it annexed a considerable amount of land several years ago, but the city council should think about it more than a little before doing so. Some people probably think it would be best for one of the likeliest growth spots in the area to be devoid of local leadership or direction. If members of the council are hoping that turkeys would roam free beyond the causeway, they may be right. The area didn’t develop after the Great Recession killed all p...
SUMMARY OF ORDINANCES PASSED OF THE CITY OF ELECTRIC CITY, WASHINGTON On the 13th day of March, 2018 the City Council of Electric City passed the following ordinances. A summary of the content of said ordinances, consisting of the title, provides as follows: ORDINANCE NO. 529-2018 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ELECTRIC CITY, WASHINGTON, REPEALING THE CURRENT CHAPTER 1.25 OF THE ELECTRIC CITY MUNICIPAL CODE TITLED “ADMINISTRATIVE ENFORCEMENT” AND ADOPTING A NEW CHAPTER 1.25 TITLED “CIVIL CODE ENFORCEMENT” ORDINANCE NO. 530-2018 AN ORDINAN... Full story
A week-long school security training session at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute “will make a huge difference in how we do things here,” Superintendent Paul Turner said Tuesday. People from the Grand Coulee Dam School District and other agencies nearby traveled to Emmitsburg, Maryland, last week on a grant, with meetings designed to get people in responding agencies who might be involved in some kind of security issues talking and planning together. School security was only part of the training, Turner explained. “We went into detai...
High school junior boys could learn about government The Grand Coulee Dam American Legion is seeking applicants for Evergreen Boys State, June 17-23 in Stanwood, Washington. Initially designed to counter an American fascist movement in the 1930s, Boys State still teaches participants how government works, offering them a chance to construct local, county and state governments. Activities include running for office, court proceedings, creating and enforcing laws, pizza parties, a talent show, celebrations, and recreational programs. Applicants...
Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter; Gordon Eastman; Jacques Cousteau; Nora Jenn: these are the names of great wildlife videographers. Jenn, who lives in Coulee Dam and used to work for the National Park Service as well as the Bureau of Reclamation, films some interesting videos of animal life in our area and posts them on YouTube for all to enjoy. One video shows a coyote howling on the ice of Banks Lake, while another shows a close-up of a young bald eagle eating a fish. Eagles trying to catch...
Several school and other agency personnel are in Emmitsburg, Maryland, this week at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute taking training on school safety. In the forefront is Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner. Others in Maryland are elementary Principal Lisa Lakin; Randy Bowman, school maintenance; Stephanie Duclos, bus operations; and Tammy Norris, secretary. Other agency personnel include Randy August, Colville Tribes; Rick Paris, volunteer fire chief from Grand...
Public Service Employees union president Aaron Derr asked the school board Monday night, “Where’s the plan?” He reminded school board members that when he and about 40 PSE members complained about the level of support on discipline matters last November, they were told that they would receive a plan of improvement from the board within 60 days. “We have not seen or heard” of such a plan, Derr said with a prepared statement. He said that it appeared to union membership that the district was being more reactive than proactive in matters o...
Last week, the Trump administration released its proposal to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, a blueprint that gives hope for federal support and a positive path forward on projects across the country that are stalled due to bureaucratic red tape. America must address its aging infrastructure and streamline the process for projects that are needed to meet growing demand for water, especially in the West. President Trump’s infrastructure blueprint included a U.S. Department of Interior proposal to expedite the Bureau of Reclamation (BO...
The Grand Coulee Dam spilled water over the top last week due to anticipation of spring runoff, combine with minor maintenance being performed on a generator. "Inflows into Lake Roosevelt are up slightly," said Lynne Brougher, Public Affairs Officer for the Bureau of Reclamation. "We needed to continue to move water downstream to prepare Lake Roosevelt for the spring runoff." Brougher also said that generator 24 was undergoing some minor, unexpected maintenance, and that spillage over the dam...
A number of school employees, and personnel from other agencies, plan on spending a week-long training session at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland, beginning the first week in March, Superintendent Paul Turner advised the Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday night. The plan, Turner said Tuesday, “is to get the same training for all the emergency responders that we depend on in this area so everyone is on the same page.” Going from the school district in addition to Turner are Lisa Lakin, elementary princi...
Immediately after joining the board, a new commissioner with decades of experience in the skateboard industry said he’d like to arrange a competition for the local skatepark for this summer. The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District board had just appointed Ben Hughes and Kevin Portch to fill vacant positions on the board at the Feb. 5 meeting. CAPRD, which extends through a wide swath of the four-county area, manages North Dam Park, which is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Hughes proposed adding features to the skatepark and planni...
1 Years Ago Pleasants tops 1,000 points: Matt Pleasants has amassed some 1,021 points in his high school career, an average of 12 points per game in 85 outings. 20 Years Ago Flavors of old Mexico will grace the coulee: Eisael Hernandez opens his new restaurant, La Presa, in Grand Coulee. 30 Years Ago State senate energizes support for laser light show at Grand Coulee Dam: The likelihood of one day seeing laser lights dance across Grand Coulee Dam received a boost this week when the state senate approved a resolution asking the United States...
If you were to rate the reception you get at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the greatest, you might rate Ivan Snavely's welcome an 11. Snavely runs the tour program and the Visitor Center for the Bureau of Reclamation. "It's the best job I've ever had," Snavely said last week. His smile, and interest in meeting and serving people, is contagious. Snavely has been on the job here for eight years, and recalls when he filled out the applications for a variety...
Most of the federal government shutdown at midnight on Friday, before reopening on Monday night, raising the question of how our local-area federal agencies were affected, and how they would be affected in the event of another shutdown. Lynne Brougher, public affairs officer of the Grand Coulee Power Office for the Bureau of Reclamation, said that the Grand Coulee Dam is not affected by a shutdown. “Because the majority of our funding for Grand Coulee Dam is not congressionally appropriated, a government shutdown does not impact Grand Coulee Da...
