News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Diane Kohout became the new mayor in Electric City just before the COVID-19 pandemic started, but that hasn’t stopped her from doing her mayoral duties. In speaking with The Star over the phone on Monday, she said her two biggest hopes for the city are for the pandemic to end, as well as to increase public input on projects and other citizen concerns, communication between the city and residents being an issue that she and new council members ran on when they were elected in 2019. Part of increasing public input, something made challenging b...
A young couple has made a fresh start with a new business, recognizing that health is more important than ever these days. Makenna Tipps grew up in Electric City and now has returned home along with fiancé Caleb Phillips. The two opened Lakeside Fitness on Coulee Boulevard in late December after the stars seemed to align to make that happen. The pair met in a gym at Central Washington University in 2015 and share an enthusiasm for fitness. Phillips said he really got into fitness during his...
All eight regions remain in phase one of the two-phase Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan signed into effect by Gov. Jay Inslee Jan. 11 as the new approach to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The two phases vary in their restrictions for various aspects of life for Washington residents, businesses and schools. In order to move from phase one to Phase Two, which has less stringent restrictions, a region must meet four criteria: • at least a 10% decreasing trend in the two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100K population, • at le...
Okanogan County’s computer and phone systems were attacked early Saturday morning and were still down Tuesday, leaving most county services open on a limited basis only. The county’s IT department was working with an outside company on restoring service, Emergency Management Director Maurice Goodall said just before noon Tuesday, while other departments were trying to catch up using the “old time way of doing things” without computers. Goodall didn’t know the nature of the attack, whether it was a “ransomware” attack or some other kind. S...
Grand Coulee Police 1/12 - Police checked on a Grand Avenue home where the security alarm was activated. An officer entered the back door and announced himself. The homeowner came and spoke with the officer and then called the alarm company. - Police checked on a Hill Avenue woman who hadn’t called her sister in a couple of weeks and is said to have health issues. The woman was home and said her cell phone ran out of minutes. She asked for an ambulance to take her to the hospital for back pain, although it wasn’t an emergency. The landlord sai...
Washington state legislative leaders on Monday, Jan. 11 took turns delivering upbeat messages that promised unity in taking swift action to relieve residents and businesses hit hard over the past 12 months by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both parties’ leaders in the House delivered messages of hope and unity in their speeches at the opening ceremonies of the House of Representatives legislative session. “Our job for every minute of the next 105 days is not just to keep hope alive for the people of our great state, but to make hope a reality,” said...
Hundreds of officers from the Washington State Patrol and the National Guard will continue to surround the Capitol Campus in Olympia through the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. WSP spokesperson Chris Loftis said the National Guard will provide up to 750 troops, and some will be armed. For security reasons, he would not specify how many would be armed. All WSP officers will be armed. "Significant" but temporary fencing will surround the restricted area of the West Campus, Loftis said....
The Colville Tribes has lifted the Covid-related curfew in Keller a week after it lifted the same restriction in Inchelium. The Keller 9 p.m. curfew was lifted as of tonight, Jan. 14. "Fortunately, the spike of COVID-19 cases seen in recent days in the Keller District has trended downward enough that the Business Council is able to lift the curfew at this time," explained tribal Chairman Rodney Cawston in a statement issued Thursday evening. "Thank you to all in the Keller community who have...
Coulee Medical Center will host a drive-through vaccination event Friday, injecting arms to inoculate the first tier of people prioritized to get the shots. Friday’s event will inoculate people in the top 1A tier, including those who work in high-risk health care settings, first responders, residents and staff of nursing homes. People in the 1B category may not be inoculated Friday, Ramona Hicks, chief executive officer at CMC clarified Wednesday afternoon. The 1Bs include people who are generally at high to moderate risk, including anyone 7...
High school sports traditionally played in the fall are scheduled to begin in February. Indoor winter sports were originally scheduled to be the first sports played this athletic school year, but the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board decided fall sports would be the new starting point according to a Jan. 6 announcement on their website. Fall sports include cross country, football, soccer, cheer, and volleyball. WIAA allows flexibility for leagues to schedule their seasons as they see fit. A tentative schedule...
A stapled packet of religious “propaganda” left in teachers’ rooms over the weekend has stirred security and other concerns at Lake Roosevelt Elementary. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner emailed a letter out to the district Tuesday to say the incident is being investigated and lamenting that the issue had hit social media, “fueling the fire.” Just over 11 pages of black and white copies feature the writings of Kim Clement in “prophetic songs,” Turner said. Clement’s prophesies are for sale in several books on Amazon...
Measuring COVID rates by region rather than counties, and using other metrics, are part of a new recovery plan in Washington state. Gov. Jay Inslee announced the "Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery" plan on Jan. 5, and signed the plan into effect on Jan. 11. The plan groups counties into regions, all starting in phase one of a two-phase (so far) approach to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The two phases vary in their restrictions for various aspects of life for Washington residents an...
A free streaming service launched by North Central Washington Libraries, which includes the Grand Coulee Library, offers 30,000 movie titles, including hit movies, documentaries, and kids’ content. And it all only requires a library card to access. The streaming service, called Kanopy, was announced on the NCW LIbraries blog page on Dec. 21, 2020. Kanopy is accessible via computers, mobile and tablet apps for iPhone and Android, as well as SmartTV apps like Roku, Apple TV, and Fire Stick. Kids’ content is unlimited for viewers, and for other co...
Grand Coulee Police 1/5 - A man on Bay Area Drive was fine when police checked on his well being at the request of his sister. The man was surprised she sent the police to check on him. - A woman on Kelso Avenue reported a van parked in her driveway. The registered owner is her sister, she explained to an officer. The officer said he couldn’t tow off of private property, but did leave a voice message for the sister. 1/8 - Police checked on a vehicle parked at the Grand Coulee office for Grant County Mental Health. The vehicle was reported as s...
This might be the most accessible legislative session in history, thanks to online tools provided by the state. McKenna Troje, 22, a graduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle, participated in a one-person experiment last weekend to see how difficult registering to testify remotely on a bill would be during this year’s state legislative session, which launched Monday and will be run mostly online in accordance with the state’s COVID-19 public health guidelines. “That was pretty easy,” Troje said. Troje hasn’t attended...
Local people are handling issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways, with many optimistic about 2021, but many not. With an online survey focused on Coulee life during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Star asked questions related to how work, raising kids, and life in general have been affected. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) said they plan to get the vaccine. Forty-eight percent (28) said they plan to get it as soon as they can. Only eight (14%) said they plan to get it after others try it first. Thirteen people (22%) said...
A little initial shock is good for the soul if it doesn't freeze, as testify the faces on eight people who took the polar plunge New Year's Day at noon at Spring Canyon on Friday. Some said the water felt much colder this year than in the past. From left are Terry Owens, Susan Duclos, Diana Parish, Gwen Hilson, Tammy Norris, and three unidentified brave hearts. - Scott Hunter photo...
High school administrators in Easter Washington have been hoping that extracurricular activities, including sports, will return as planned beginning on Feb. 1, but a Tuesday announcement of a new state plan for managing the pandemic makes that prospect unclear. A letter signed by 103 Eastern Washington School Administrators, including Lake Roosevelt Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen, was sent to Gov. Jay Inslee, the Washington State Legislature, and the Washington State Department of Health, emphasizing the importance of returning to sports and...
COVID-19 is still prominent in local counties as well as the whole of the state of Washington, which has reported over 30,000 cases in the past 14 days. As of Jan. 5, Grant County had reported 7,125 total COVID-19 cases including 83 deaths. There have been 25 cases in the Grand Coulee Dam area, one since Dec. 29, and 43 in the Coulee City area, up two since Dec. 29. The county has had 838 confirmed cases in the last 14 days for an incidence rate of 857, down from 873 Dec. 21. The incidence goal is 25 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents. Most...
A curriculum focused on students learning outdoors within the Columbia River watershed began locally and has grown to include thousands of students and teachers in the Pacific Northwest. The River Mile was awarded a $100,000 Environmental Education grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in late 2020. Janice Elvidge has worked as the education specialist for the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area since 2005. Her office is at Spring Canyon. Tasked with coming up with an education...
A Grand Coulee man faces at least five years in prison if convicted of lighting a fire in the building housing the Spokane County Democrats last month. Peter James Yeager, 45, was indicted Tuesday by U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington William D. Hyslop with “Damage by Fire to a Building Used in Interstate and Foreign Commerce,” Hyslop’s office said in a press release. Independent charges have also been filed by the Spokane County prosecuting attorney. State court documents say Yeager drove from his home in Grand Coulee Dec....
Two men escaped from Okanogan County Jail, it was discovered Tuesday morning, and the sheriff asks that people call law enforcement if they spot them. Kristofer Wittman, 28, with blond hair and blue eyes was in jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude police, obstructing, reckless driving and more. He's 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. Christian White, 53, is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 165 pounds and has gray hair and brown eyes. He was also in jail on...
Grand Coulee Police 12/17 - A car driving with an expired registration was pulled over near Yakima and Wenatchee Avenues. The driver said the car didn’t have a license, insurance, or registration. She was wanted on multiple felony warrants. She was cuffed and placed in the back of the police car, but neither Grant nor Okanogan County would confirm the warrants. The woman was cited for driving without a license, having expired tabs, lacking insurance and registration, and then released. The car was towed. 12/19 - A man rolled a blue Dodge t...
As we head into 2021, COVID-19, which stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019, when the disease originated, is still prominent in local counties as well as the whole of the state of Washington, which has reported over 33,000 cases in the past 14 days. Grant County Health District Tuesday night reported 10 additional deaths, most associated with previously reported outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Moses Lake and Soap Lake. The agency delays reporting deaths until the cause is confirmed on a death certificate and to allow family time to noti...
With 2020 coming to a close, we wanted to follow up on our April survey that asked various questions about COVID-19 pandemic life in the Coulee. Take the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DPVTW7X...