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 Dam schools are scrambling this week to get almost 40 of their students who live in Nespelem to formally “choice in” to GCDSD — or else risk losing $9,100 per student in so-called “full time equivalent” funding from the state. As of Monday night, Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board they had not received paperwork from any of the Nespelem students yet, putting around $350,000 at risk. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has given GCDSD the ultimatum this year: Get it done or else lose out on th...
An all-community meeting next week will explore the idea of forming an Emergency Medical Services District for the area. Local ambulance service depends on a few paid volunteers who must respond too often. The meeting will take place Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Coulee Dam Town Hall in the ballroom. The topic affects all local municipalities, and will offer information about the medical transportation needs of the community....
A thick fog obscures the towns and lakes below SR-174 in Douglas County Tuesday morning as the mist rises with the sun and the temperature. Check out our local weather forecast on page 3. - Scott Hunter photo...
A popular program that provided after-school and summer educational activities for students may return to Lake Roosevelt Schools next year. School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the district board of directors Monday that several people have volunteered to help get the funding back that is lacking this year from the 21st Century grant program that once funded the District’s SHARP Kids program. Broadnax said Gene Sharrett, former NCW Education Services District superintendent, and one other person met with him Friday. “I’m very excit...
The Colville Confederated Tribes signed a formal agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce last week, committing the state agency to remove administrative barriers, improve communications and ensure data sovereignty in its work with CCT. Tribal Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson and Commerce Director Mike Fong signed the agreement on Oct. 23 at a ceremony at the Government Center, according to a news release. "The Colville Tribes welcomes a chance to work collaboratively with...
The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department responded to a power pole fire Sunday in East Heights along the highway to Wilbur about 8 a.m. And electric power pole and a transformer were burning. A transformer exploded about 9 a.m., the department reported. Volunteers also attended a search and rescue training on Thursday at the former middle school in Grand Coulee. The department appreciated the ability to use the school for the training. "Great training and sharing of ideas between new and old...
The Economic Alliance of Okanogan County is inviting business owners to a couple educational events in November. “Pricing Power: Maximize Profit” will be offered Nov. 6, 9-11 a.m. at 238 E. Oak in Okanogan to “learn about the factors to consider when setting a price and how to avoid being overwhelmed by all the options.” Business owners, chambers of commerce, and other interested can attend a presentation by the Washington State Main Street Program on Nov. 12 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. at the Community Foundation of NCW, 715A Okoma Drive, in Omak. Par...
Congressman Dan Newhouse visited Coulee Medical Center last week as part of a tour through the north part of the 4th District to hear from leadership about the hospital's successes, challenges, and their hope to have their tiny home project included in the federal budget. The hospital district, which includes parts of four counties, brings in only about $200,000 annually from property taxes–not even enough to cover the salary and benefits for one doctor–since a large portion of the land is gov...
A letter from the city’s attorney to the Bureau of Reclamation official, which the city council ratified last week, confirms that the city of Grand Coulee and the federal agency “have mutually agreed to ‘pause’ or significantly reduce service under the Contract due to the lack of City personnel to fulfill the Contract service requirements.” Along with the city’s current police staffing shortage, the Oct. 2 letter from City Attorney Julie K. Norton to Sandra Snediker at Reclamation’s Pacific Northwest Regional Office in Boise, Idaho, unders...
Village Cinema may not be licensed to screen copyrighted films yet, but owner Larry Hernandez isn’t letting that stop him from bringing movies to the Coulee Dam theater. This weekend he’ll screen two films that are in the public domain, meaning, the copyright has expired and therefore no licenses are required to show public screenings. Saturday night, those looking to celebrate spooky season can come watch Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero’s classic 1968 horror film often credited with popularizing the modern image of flesh...
Electric City resident Eric Bronson takes the top of the winners' podium after fighting for first place gold at the Revolution 53 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament, which drew over 3,000 competitors Oct.12-13 in Puyallup. Bronson owns Grand Coulee BJJ, where he instructs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai to students as young as 4 years, as well as offering classes for adults. Both forms of martial art emphasize different styles of combat and self-defense. Bronson says interested people can learn...
Residents of Grand Coulee should start preparing for a nearly $30 fee increase per month on sewer bills once the upcoming $12 million sewage treatment plant upgrades are complete and the loan comes due, city leaders discussed at the council meeting last week. There were signs and unhappy expressions all around the council table as members deliberated on two possible loans to fund the upgrade. A 20-year loan would have meant an increase of $36.59 per month. The 30-year loan increase comes to $28.89. “I don’t like either one,” said Counc...
Like many volunteer-driven efforts, fire and ambulance services that depend on donated labor have seen participation drop in recent years. Local leaders are considering an alternative model: creating a special taxing district to fund ambulance and emergency medical services, subject to approval by voters. The discussion is not yet a formal proposal, but the Regional Board of Mayors invites interested residents to learn more at a public town hall meeting Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the ballroom at Coulee Dam Town Hall. Grand Coulee Fire...
A fairy gives a Star Wars character a prize during the River Artist Celebration in Coulee Dam Friday when the first night included a costume contest. The closed Mead Avenue saw a lot of costumes, hosted many vendors and heard good music bands during both days of the event. It was organized by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce working with the Northwest Native Development Fund. - Scott Hunter photo...
Grand Coulee has decided to re-advertise its police chief position, signaling an intent to rebuild its own department rather than contracting out with another jurisdiction. “I am recommending here that we go ahead and set out to hire our own chief of police at this point,” Mayor Ruth Dalton told the council at its Oct. 15 meeting. “We need to kind of take care of this as soon as possible here, to get our police department back where it needs to be.” The council approved an annual salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 for the police chief j...
Last month, two people were shot while walking along Spokane Boulevard in the Delano area, who then drove themselves to Coulee Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police reports from the Sept. 16 shooting. Though police did name a suspect, no arrest was made and an “attempt to locate” dispatch was ultimately canceled the next morning due to lack of probable cause. The case has been forwarded to the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office. According to Grand Coulee Police Department reports, one victim, a 35-year-old, refus...
For the first time, Grand Coulee’s own Colorama Pro Rodeo has won formal recognition amongst small rodeos in the northwest. The Mother’s Day weekend rodeo was named second runner up in the PRCA Columbia River Circuit, which includes Washington, Oregon, and north Idaho. “Not #1, but we will take it,” said Cindy Edwards, a longtime volunteer with the Ridge Riders, who put on the annual pro rodeo in Grand Coulee. “It’s a huge honor to be even runner up out of 56 events.” Edwards said she hopes the award will bring more attention to the north end o...
What started as a classic social media venting session turned into something positive: a spruce-up day for Crown Point Vista, the Washington State Parks property overlooking the Grand Coulee Dam area. A handful of volunteers and parks staff gathered Saturday morning with the goal of painting the guardrail posts and adding a fresh coat to what some folks call the "sundial" – the concrete open air building at the edge of the overlook. "My administrative assistant said she saw on Facebook a g...
Fixing the heating and cooling system in Coulee Dam’s “Community Building,” where the Rio Grande Restaurant, the bowling alley and soon a reopened theater operate, just got a higher priority. The city council OK’d a plan to tap funds, if needed to patch the roof, as Larry Hernandez digs into his project to get a new HVAC system in the building. He’s been consulting with companies to get the place heated over the winter. Hernandez plans to re-open the Village Cinema, which close 11 years ago when the industry changed to require all digital p...
Live music, good food, and local and Indigenous artists will take center stage at Coulee Dam's saʔtítkʷ (River) Artist Celebration this weekend, at what organizers hope will become an annual event on the reservation side of Coulee Dam. And that's not even mentioning trick-or-treating and a costume contest with cash prizes happening Friday. Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Native Development Fund (NNDF), the celebration is centered on Mead Way, where most of the surrounding bus...
An Electric City woman who allegedly kept dozens of dogs in her one-bedroom basement apartment failed to comply with code enforcement citations for over a year, and now faces the criminal charge of second-degree animal cruelty, according to police reports. One animal rescue professional described the situation as a case of “hoarding.” Kari Doughty wasn’t at her Coulee Boulevard home when Coulee Dam Police Chief Paul Bowden and two officers arrived to execute a search warrant Oct. 4, but she got there while police and Spokanimal staff were...
The switchyards that direct the power from Grand Coulee Dam have been owned by that Bureau of Reclamation project since it was all built, but that just changed. On Tuesday, the Reclamation formally handed over ownership of those assets to the Bonneville Power Administration at a signing ceremony in front of the dam, much of which was used to recognize those in each agency who worked to make it happen, many of them for years. Grand Coulee Power Manager Coleman Smith said he has been working on th...
Two separate incidents involving gunfire three days apart in Delano resulted in police response to the neighborhood. On Sept. 16, two people were shot and transported themselves to Coulee Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Police named a suspect, but lacking probable cause, canceled an “attempt to locate” dispatch the following day. On Sept. 19, multiple neighbors reported hearing rounds of gunfire but police found no victim and that case is inactive. Due to reporter error, The Star’s Sept. 25 article, “Shooting investi...
The Colville Tribes will receive over $400,000 for their inmate reentry program from a Department of Justice grant created to support public safety in tribal communities. Coming from the federal agency’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation funding, the award came as part of a package of federal grants totaling $6.9 million for state, municipal and tribal law enforcement programs, as well as medical examiner offices in Washington state. Specifically, the $424,623 for the Colville Tribes will go toward hiring a new reentry coordinator ...
Many people around the region saw this very odd cloud formation Friday. So did Shad Moore, who took this photo with his phone on top of Grand Coulee Dam and sent it to us later. Meteorologists call it a Fallstreak Hole. "Such holes are formed when the water temperature in the clouds is below freezing, but the water, in a supercooled state, has not frozen yet due to the lack of ice nucleation," states the entry in Wikipedia. "When ice crystals do form, a domino effect is set off ... causing the...