News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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In the face of uncertainty during the COVID-19 restrictions, the chamber of commerce board of directors voted May20 to cancel any planning for the Festival of America over this year’s Independence Day holiday. The annual event, which normally includes vendors and performers in the park below the visitor center at Grand Coulee Dam, draws thousands each year, most to watch the fireworks off the top of the iconic dam. But all of that takes planning and a timeline that has run out. And the host federal agency, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has n...
People visit over and spruce up the graves of loved ones on the afternoon of Memorial Day at Spring Canyon Cemetery. The Isle of Flags organization had earlier put up American flags to honor fallen veterans, which they do annually, along with offering a ceremony in the morning. The ceremony didn't happen this year due to social distancing requirements, but people still spruced up the graves and visited at gravesites. - Scott Hunter photo...
There is no known timeline yet for opening the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s visitor center at Grand Coulee Dam, or for the restart of what is normally the nightly Laser Light Show that begins Memorial Day weekend and plays all summer and most of the fall. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept the Visitor Center closed and postponed the laser show and tours of the dam, said Lynne Brougher, public affairs specialist at Grand Coulee Dam. “The impacts to the schedule resulting from COVID are unknown and still developing at this time.” “The reopeni...
Lincoln County Fire District 9 issued an immediate burning ban Monday and Grant County’s annual ban will start June 1. That’s when District 9 also usually starts the no-burning season, but this year’s “just a little bit dryer,” said the district’s Ron Rosenberg. Grant County passed an ordinance in 2017 on instituting its annual ban on fires within the unincorporated areas of the county. Agricultural and orchard burning are allowed when permitted by the Department of Ecology. Recreational campfires are still allowed in approved devices at...
The volume of police activity for the Grand Coulee Police Department seems to have gone down during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April of 2018, the GCPD had 99 incidents, in April of 2019 116, and in April of 2020 only 67. Data from the Multi Agency Communication Center in Moses Lake, who relays 911 calls to the appropriate agency, shows that the number of calls they received for the GCPD were lower in 2020 than 2019, but higher than 2018. That data does not include calls that the GCPD receives directly. In 2018, from April 1 to May 15, MACC...
Grant County was approved Saturday to move to “Phase 2” of the Washington State COVID-19 Safe Start Recovery Plan, opening many businesses and activities, with some restrictions. Grant County commissioners had voted Friday to move to phase 2 as soon as state authorities approved the application. Phase 2 includes the opening of hair and nail salons, restaurants opening their dining rooms to 50% capacity, retail with restrictions, and more. Grant County Health District was notified May 23 that their application to move to phase two was app...
Coulee Dam firefighter Ben Alling points to where Grand Coulee Chief Ryan Fish examines the empty spot on a wall, missing the siding that now lies left of Alling. Firefighter Nic Alexander was working a construction job a couple blocks away when the call came Wednesday afternoon for the problem at the Spruce Street home, responded quickly and averted more damage. - Scott Hunter photo...
Grand Coulee Police 5/13 - A man is being charged with theft, malicious mischief, and vehicle prowling. A woman parked on Midway Avenue had called police and said her vehicle had been prowled, and the ignition had been damaged. She called police again shortly after the initial call and said that she had confronted a man sitting in her car, who admitted to being the one who’d been in her car earlier. Police spoke to him at Safeway. He led an officer to a garbage can where he had placed stolen items from a car he’d prowled on Van Tyne Ave...
An unemployment benefits scam has been happening in multiple states the past couple of weeks, costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have even been incidents in the Coulee. In the state of Washington, an additional 369,016 people filed claims for unemployment benefits from May 10-16, bringing the total number of claims to 1,670,580, an increase of about 28% from the previous week. The Employment Security Department “believes some portion of the high numbers from the past week are due to an increase in fraudulent c...
The Star reported last week that the city of Grand Coulee was turning down Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds due to restrictions on how to spend it. Subsequently, the city said it still may be able to use some of that $31,650. “The money the City had to turn back was strictly for the ambulance,” City Clerk Lorna Pearce clarified later. “The money you referred to is for the City and we will have to play that one by ear....
Lake Roosevelt High School staffers Friday hang up 42 banners depicting this year's graduating seniors. Extra efforts are being made to find ways to honor the class of 2020, who will not experience the long tradition of walking across the stage to get a handshake and a diploma in front of a gym full of friends and family. The big vinyl banners are hanging on the fence around the tennis courts, in front of where the graduates and families will park in cars for the ceremony planned for June 13. -...
You have until the end of the day on May 30 to comment on potential changes at Spring Canyon, including the potential removal of the swim dock, removal of the concession building, and more. The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Draft Visitor Use Site Management Plan and Environmental Assessment is available to view online and available for public comment The plan lists potential changes to nine sights along Lake Roosevelt, including Spring Canyon. Chapter two, page four (2-4), in a list of potential actions relevant to all sites along...
A man from Grand Coulee has died of complications from COVID-19, Grant County Health District said Monday night. The district was notified Monday that the man in his 50s, who was hospitalized, had died. The health district did not report where he had been hospitalized. “Our hearts are with his family and friends. On behalf of Unified Command, our staff, Health Officer, and Board of Health, we are so sorry for your loss,” a statement on the district’s website said. The death brings Grant County’s total to four, with 192 confirmed cases and ano...
Local cities and towns could soon receive money as part of a COVID-19 federal relief package, but city officials are leery of requirements they may not meet. “Local governments will soon receive their portion of nearly $300 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds awarded to the state to address COVID-19-related costs,” a press release from the Washington State Department of Commerce announced May 8. “The funds are flexible, allowing cities and counties to use their allocation for everything from p...
Having been open for two weeks now, people have been out enjoying the Banks Lake Golf Course. On May 5 the state of Washington allowed golf courses to resume play with certain restrictions following a shutdown of courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manager Jim Keene said that "the good news is the golfers are respecting the social distancing guidelines and appreciating being able to get out." "It's mostly local golfers that are golfing," he said. "The fact that the state parks and national...
Final results are in for the Colville Business Council primary elections in which seven of the 14 positions for the governing body of the Colville Tribes are up for election. On Thursday, absentee votes were added to the total vote counts, and the top two winners in each race will move onto the general election. They are listed first in the following: In the Nespelem District Position #1 race, Andrew C. Joseph Jr received 328 votes; incumbent Janet Wak Wak Nicholson received 159; Justin Boyd received 141; and Lily “Teen” Stanger received 125...
A crew of workers makes progress on the new fire station under construction for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation off SR-155 Monday. Two cranes were active on the site, lifting materials to the top of the structure. - Scott Hunter photo...
"Achiever of the Year" and "Business of the Year" for 2019 were chosen last week by members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. Kerry Higgins, who co-owns Coulee Hardware, was named achiever of the year. Coulee Wall Variety Store was picked for business of the year. Coulee Wall Variety Store was named business of the year, an honor given to a business that "is active in the area, demonstrates growth, has innovative products or services for the community, provides excellent...
Electric City accepted a bid to build a new sewage lift station on the southern end of Grand Avenue, replacing one that dates back to the 1960s. The lift station pumps sewage to the wastewater treatment facility in Grand Coulee. The city council voted at their May 12 meeting, held via Zoom, to accept a $382,463.20 bid from TEK Industries, the lowest out of four bidders, to build the lift station. Steve Nelson from Century West Engineering, the city’s engineering firm, attended the Zoom council meeting as well. Nelson answered questions from C...
Grant Transit Authority (GTA) awarded People For People, a non-profit organization, a contract to continue providing demand response transportation for individuals who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). People For People is a local transportation service organization that has provided these services for GTA for the past 24 years. “We are thrilled to continue providing transportation for GTA’s ADA riders. This service is vital to many individuals who have disabilities in Grant County by providing them transportation to med...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) last week led a letter to congressional leadership urging the inclusion of critical water infrastructure in the upcoming COVID-19 economic and infrastructure recovery package. Signed by 24 bipartisan members of Congress, the letter outlines the importance of Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure projects in addressing water storage, conservation, and delivery to rural areas and municipalities across the country. “As we begin debate on how to restart the American eco...
Grand Coulee Police 5/12 - Police spoke to a woman on A Street regarding an argument between neighbors. - A deceased person’s garage was reported open on Boulder Avenue. Police found the house secure, but the garage open and a light on, and so secured the garage. 5/15 - A woman on E Street said that her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend broke the windshield of her car with a skateboard, then locked her out of the house. The man said she broke the windshield. He was arrested for malicious mischief and taken to jail. - A man on Main Street said his a...
This year's Lake Roosevelt High School graduation ceremony will likely look a lot different than those of their older siblings, friends, parents, or grandparents. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected yet another part of our lives, with the social distancing requirements making the rite of passage of graduating from a high school all the more difficult. Graduation will be held June 13 at 7 p.m according to a plan reviewed by the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors Monday night....
A man from Grand Coulee has died of complications from COVID-19, Grant County Health District said Monday night. The district was notified Monday that the man in his 50s, who was hospitalized, had died. “Our hearts are with his family and friends. On behalf of Unified Command, our staff, Health Officer, and Board of Health, we are so sorry for your loss,” a statement on the district’s website said. The death brings Grant County’s total to four, with 192 confirmed cases and another 35 “probable,” the district’s demographics on the disease say....
Final results are in for the Colville Business Council primary elections in which seven of the 14 positions for the governing body of the Colville Tribes are up for election. On Thursday, absentee votes were added to the total vote counts, and the top two winners in each race will move onto the general election. In the Keller District Position #1 race, incumbent Joseph Somday received 119 votes; Randolph Tonasket received 54 votes; and Terri Covington received 19 votes. In the Nespelem District Position #1 race, Andrew C. Joseph Jr received 328...