News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Grand Coulee 8/17 - A person gave police a large plastic bag containing drugs and drug-smoking devices found in the roadway. The materials field-tested as methamphetamines and all materials were sent to the state crime lab for identification and possible fingerprints. - It was reported that a male who was suspected of a crime was seen. He was gone when police arrived. - A man reported that there was a vehicle at Crown Point that was flashing its lights on and off. The driver said he was there to see the Laser Light Show. - Police advised a woma... Full story
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has delegated authority to enforce federal laws on its lands within the exterior boundary of the Colville Reservation to certified Colville Tribal Police officers, the USBR announced last Wednesday. The bureau has scheduled a meeting at the Lake Roosevelt High School library at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 19, to provide information to the public and answer questions. The delegation of authority does not include enforcement of hunting, fishing or boating regulations, a bureau press release stated. Tribal police will jo... Full story
A fire on USBR land near the Delano Transfer Station just after 4 p.m. Thursday was brought quickly under control by Bureau of Reclamation and local firefighters. The small blaze in sagebrush and grass was near a crude road that winds around a few trees. A caller reporting the fire said someone was walking in the area and started it. Firefighters left the scene by 5:05 p.m....
Voters will not be asked this fall to decide on paying taxes toward the maintenance of North Dam Park, leaders of the park district decided Monday. “I’d love to see us do a levy,” said Coulee Area Park and Recreation District Commissioner Phil Hansen, “but I think we had better put it off.” That was the unanimous feeling of commissioners, who had been considering the tiny junior taxing district’s third attempt to actually collect a tax, having lost two earlier elections. The decision came following commission President Bob Valen’s rep... Full story
A committee focused on local economic development realized a goal last week with the publication of a new booklet that addresses the particulars of living in the Grand Coulee Dam Area. “Tips and Tricks to Life in the Grand Coulee Dam Area” presents practical tips for the “little quirks” of the area, including things that might not be obvious to newcomers or even longtime residents. For instance, a page headed “Slightly odd places to find things you need locally” includes tips on renting a boat, making copies, finding a laundromat, and office... Full story
That big piece of land that so many of us find useful — for walking, playing softball, picnicking, holding reunions and much more — needs to be maintained, and it’s not free. North Dam Park takes some $30,000 a year to maintain, and the community rallied to save it after the city of Grand Coulee decided it could no longer support it alone. Local cities have been drawing from hotel/motel tax funds designated for boosting tourism to help maintain the park where big events are held. That was always seen as a stop-gap measure, in place until other... Full story
A fast-moving fire Friday burned about an acre of brush and grass across the highway from North Dam, but quick action by local firefighters prevented flames from reaching nearby houses. The fire started about 11:05 a.m. and took less than an hour to get under control, although some firefighters were on the scene for more than four hours. Firefighters from Electric City, Grand Coulee, and USBR Fire Departments responded. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Chief Rick Paris said the fire started... Full story
Maybe it’s just because we so often have a front-row view of tragedy, but two items in this week’s brought home the extreme importance of highly- trained emergency responders and some relief that that training is happening. Serving as a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical technician is far from easy, and considerable training is needed to be kept up even before the actual job of responding to emergencies is tackled. So it’s been with some alarm over the years that the local availability of trained EMTs has seemed at risk. A story on th... Full story
A committee focused on local economic development realized a goal last week with the publication of a new booklet that addresses the particulars of living in the Grand Coulee Dam Area. "Tips and Tricks to Life in the Grand Coulee Dam Area" presents practical tips for the "little quirks" of the area, including things that might not be obvious to newcomers or even longtime residents. For instance, a page headed "Slightly odd places to find things you need locally" includes tips on renting a boat,...
We want to thank so much – the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Fire Department, Bryce McCleary, Bryan Kriger, Nikki Katich and Patricia Connant and the maintenance crew for rescuing our cat Whiskers from the shrubbery at Banks Lake Park. Their determination to get her out safely was outstanding. Thanks so much. Ted & Dotty Christensen,’ & Whiskers... Full story
Della E. Rice passed away on July 16, 2015 at the age of 92, of natural causes in Clarkston, Washington. She was born Aug. 27, 1922, in Sandpoint, Idaho, to Leonard and Goulda Bower. In the mid-1920's, the family moved to the remote mining community of Lakeview, Idaho, on the south shore of Lake Pend Oreille, where her father worked in the silver mines until 1930. At that time, they moved to a farm near Addy, Washington, and again in 1936 to Endicott, Washington, where she graduated from high... Full story
A wildfire is burning on the hill just above SR 155 at North Dam and heading uphill toward structures. Firefighters are responding at 11:15 a.m. and law enforcement has been asked to close down the roadway. Grand Coulee are on scene, as well as U.S. Bureau of Reclamation personnel. Electric City firefighters have been called out twice. Evacuations are called for. UPDATE 11:43 a.m. 7/24/15: The fire is contained and USBR fire has given control of the scene to Grand Coulee firefighters. Those two...
Those attending the Laser Light Show and wondering when water will be released for a backdrop for the show will have to wait. Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher said it won't likely be this year. Brougher explained that a side seal on drum gate three is leaking and the Laser Light Show will not receive water until it is fixed. That could be next spring when the water level is low enough to work on the faulty seal. Brougher did say that the Bureau of Reclamation is using... Full story
Four small fires were reported in the area this week, said Grand Coulee Fire Chief Richard Paris. Two, one at North Dam and the other at Barker Canyon, were caused by fireworks and were quickly put out. Another fire was near the canal on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation property and was quickly put out. The cause of that fire wasn’t determined. The fourth fire was near the Elmer City Access Road, the cause of which was also unknown. It also was quickly put out. “We appreciate the public’s help,” Paris said, after having made the case last week th... Full story
Commissioners of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District plan to visit Okanogan County Assessor Scott Furman this month about putting a tax levy on the ballot in November. Okanogan is the lead county for the four-county junior taxing district, which has never imposed a tax, but not for lack of trying. Commissioners have twice asked voters to commit to funding the district, in 2010 and 2012. The measures failed each time with about a 57-percent approval rating, shy of the 60 percent required for passage. President Bob Valen said the... Full story
Doris Angell Miner passed peacefully from the loving arms of her family into the arms of her Lord and Savior on Saturday, July 4, 2015. Doris came into the world on March 12, 1927 at her parent's home in Omak, Wash. She joined four older brothers: Norman, Buster, Fred and Johnny. Her parents Edward and Doris Angell, were delighted to have a little girl. She was the only daughter in the family with little brother Kenny joining her four years later. Being the only girl with five brothers was... Full story
A Nespelem man jumped off the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Friday morning, reportedly because he thought he could make it. The 28-year-old jumped from the bridge around 7 a.m. Another person was trying to keep him from doing it, said Coulee Dam Chief of Police Pat Collins. Soon, three boats were in the river searching for Jamie Williams, but by 9:30, it was more likely a recovery effort than a rescue, since the man had been in the river for hours, Collins said. The jump was not a suicide... Full story
Response to a fire in the heat of Monday afternoon in Grand Coulee underscored the nervousness of local fire fighters in the current, extreme heat conditions, with fireworks legal. As a summer thunderstorm rolled through the area at just after 5 p.m. downpours heralded thunderclaps, and lightning may have lit up a mostly empty lot on B Street, empty except for several large piles of firewood. Even with the downpour, the fire caught, and high winds fanned it. "It does show the extreme fire behavi... Full story
Yakima Valley farmers have the same problem as their California counterparts: there just isn’t enough water for crops, migrating fish and people. In California this year, an estimated 564,000 acres of prime cropland will be left unplanted because of the fourth straight year of drought. Economists at the University of California, Davis estimate the drought has caused $2.7 billion in economic losses and cost 18,000 farm workers their jobs. The water shortage is so acute in California that Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a 25 percent reduction, which has... Full story
Gordy and Gay Deppman are excited to announce the engagement of their daughter Megan Deppman, to James Van Geystel, the son of Jim and Debbie Van Geystel. James and Megan are both former graduates of Lake Roosevelt High School. James graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2012 and is currently employed with the Bureau of Reclamation. Megan is a 2013 graduate from Spokane Falls Community College and is currently employed with the Grand Coulee Dam School District. They couple set their... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 6/15 - USBR Plant Protection reported a vehicle parked at Station 5 after hours. An officer learned it was a Bureau of Reclamation employee from out of town locating where a meeting was to be held the next day. - Police found the door of the wire storage area unsecured and fixed the problem at the 230 kv switchyard. 6/16 - A man on Young Street reported that a neighbor had backed into his vehicle, causing damage. Police went to the neighbor’s door but the person wouldn’t come to the door. - A man told police that a pit bul... Full story
Though our mean temperature was a bit higher for May, the month was on the normal side. We recorded a high for the month of 89.5°F and a low of 36.5°F (all-time high was 100°F in 1986 and the all-time low was 21°F in 2002). The mean was higher than the all-time mean for May (58.4°F) at 62.5°F or 4.1°F higher. May was above normal, slightly, for precipitation. We recorded 1.3 inches for the month while the mean is 1.1 inches. A little “extra” rain is always welcomed. We are a ways into June already, and a look at what is being “predicted... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 6/1 - MPH Auto Repair reported that someone stole a stereo out of the dash of an inoperable car behind the business. Loss of the stereo was estimated at $250 and damage to the dash $500. – The manager of the Grand Coulee Manor apartments told police that he had found what he suspected was drugs while cleaning out one of the units. Police will dispose of the material. 6/2 - A woman on Dill Avenue told police that she wanted to report her daughter as missing. The woman told police that her daughter and granddaughter had l... Full story
Electric City took action last Tuesday night to extend its lease with Coulee Playland for another 10 years. The 13-acre resort provides camping and fishing activity on Banks Lake, and is leased by the city from the Bureau of Reclamation, which subleases it to Hal Rauch, manager of the resort. The agreement calls for a lease review every five years. In separate action, the council approved a list of modest increases for services by the resort. The council regularly reviews increases in fees charged by the resort. Rauch has been involved in the... Full story
1 years ago The Colville Tribes’ new $8.1 million minimum-security prison, two years in construction, will house prisoners sentenced in the tribal court system, starting in September, says administrator John Dick. The new facility, located on School Loop Road near the Colville Indian Agency, will house up to 60 prisoners with rooms for 29 adults and 31 juveniles, including rooms for females. The Grand Coulee Dam Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a new event for kids 12 years old and younger on June 10-12 throughout the local communities. C... Full story