News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Okanogan County officials Tuesday debated possible paths for the county to progress into the state’s Phase 2 toward easing COVID-19 restrictions. To qualify to move to Phase 2 of the state’s “Safe Start Washington” phased recovery plan, a county won’t gain permission if it hasn’t seen three weeks since its last positive test for COVID-19. County commissioners met with Okanogan County Health officials in an open Zoom meeting, as a line of division became evident, following arguments similar to those heard across the state and nation: Mor...
Rachelle Haven took the reins as executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce in April during a strange year for a local economy that counts on tourism. Haven moved here 10 years ago, but has been coming here longer. "I grew up on the coast, but my dad is a 'Grand Coulee original,' and I still have many family members located here," she said. "I grew up spending my summers in the Coulee with my grandparents and fell in love with the area. I decided that Coulee was my home...
Spring Canyon closed for paving work Spring Canyon will be closed from May 11-21 for microsurfacing in a paving project begun in July of 2019 in which locations within the National Park Service’s Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area are being resurfaced. Music festival postponed The Sunbanks Festival that was to have taken place this weekend has been postponed until Oct. 1-4, the resort announced on its website this week. It lists some 17 blues bands lined up for the event, now put off until fall, when Sunbanks had been planning a d...
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the internet needs of rural Washington in particular. In Washington, nearly one in 10 rural residents lack access to high-speed broadband, according to Washington State University Extension. Nationally, about 15 percent of rural Americans are offline.” WSU is taking part in the Drive-In WiFi Hotspots project partnered with multiple agencies including public utility districts, Washington State Library, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and more. “Microsoft and the Avista Fou...
Grand Coulee Police 5/4 - A former Safeway employee got into an argument with a current Safeway employee, who allegedly pushed the former employee. The store asked police to inform the former employee that he was banned from the store for one year. 5/5 - A woman left her phone on the counter at Coulee Gas, then a man came in, allegedly pretended the phone was his and took it. Reviewing security footage, an officer recognized and contacted the man about the phone. The man retrieved the phone and gave it to the officer. He faces theft charges...
The ban on golf during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted by the governor, but there are plenty of restrictions on how play can resume, including how many people can golf together, ride in a cart, and more. The Banks Lake Golf Course is operating under new guidelines to comply with Gov. Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-25-2 that allowed golf courses to open, effective May 5. “Outdoor recreation activities including golfing are authorized to commence so long as participants fully comply with social distancing and coronavirus related hygiene req...
Fishing has resumed in most of the state following Gov. Jay Inslee's adjustment to his Stay Home – Stay Healthy orders. Fishing has not opened up all the way on the Colville Indian Reservation, however, as the Colville Tribes is keeping it closed to non-members until May 29. The state opened boat launches on Banks Lake Tuesday, and anglers were on the water in the early morning. On Lake Roosevelt, within Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, boat launches are open as water levels allow, t...
A charitable-giving organization that manages millions and has grown 380 times its initial size in 24 years is reaching out to smaller communities, including this one, wanting to make a bigger impact. Not that it hasn’t given to local causes in the past. Just recently, the Ephrata-based Columbia Basin Foundation has given the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce $1,000 for local business support, and it’s donating another $1,000 to the Care and Share Food Bank, both under the foundation’s “ReCOVIDery,” initiative to help during the COVID...
In the Grand Coulee Dam School District, teachers, students, and parents have been navigating the uncharted waters and new paradigm of "distance learning" for the past few weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and education leaders expect it to continue as a feature of schooling after the crisis ends. "I am really proud of the work that we've done through the past few weeks with implementing our distance learning plan," said Kirk Marshlain, principal of Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School....
Grand Coulee Dam School District’s budget is anticipated to be in good standing this coming school year, but maybe not the year after. “I think we’re going to be OK,” Superintendent Paul Turner told the school board April 26 in a meeting held via Zoom. “My bigger worry is 2021-22.” The optimism was a shift in tone from the previous board meeting in which larger cuts were anticipated in school revenues due to the strain on the state’s funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Turner said that cuts aren’t anticipated to be made by state l...
With this year's Colorama festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to take a look back at the history of the event that has been an integral part of the coulee community in one shape or another for over six decades. The festival evolved over the years. According to books on the subject compiled by the Coulee Pioneer Museum, which reference old newspaper articles, the Grand Coulee Rodeo, which was first held in 1935 or 1936, evolved into the Western Festival in 1954, a joint...
Grand Coulee Police 4/28 - A physical altercation was reported near Alcan Road and King Street. Neighbors said the people involved left in an SUV heading east on SR-174. - A man sleeping in his car at Jack’s 76 gas station said he had been driving for four hours and fell asleep while waiting for his girlfriend to text him back. The man said he would leave. 4/29 - A man spoke to police about letting a friend borrow his car, and his friend then selling it to someone in Moses Lake. An officer told him he’d probably have to go through the cou...
Nespelem School is at more of a disadvantage when it comes to distance learning, Superintendent Mary Hall told The Star, explaining that being in such a rural area limits access to the internet, as well as cell phone service. Hall said teachers do put together learning packets that are handed out when the school delivers lunches to students, and that teachers call the families or have the students call them to check in on their learning. Helpful websites are recommended to those with internet access, but many don’t have it, Hall said. “It’s jus...
A person in Electric City has tested positive for COVID-19, the Grant Health District said Tuesday night putting a bit more local emphasis on the national crisis that local governments struggle to address. That person joins at least one other in the local community, in Okanogan County, with the illness. Grant County reports a total of 161 cases so far, including three deaths and the three new cases reported Tuesday, the others in Moses Lake and Quincy. Okanogan County Public Health has recorded 26 confirmed cases, including one death. Twelve...
What would a high school graduation ceremony look like under social distancing guidelines in place during the novel coronavirus pandemic? At Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School, Dean of Students Sara Kennedy said that she and Principal Kirk Marshlain have been going through the results of a survey of parents and seniors. The results so far show that most do not want any kind of virtual graduation, but something with some more personal interaction. Kennedy said there is about a 50/50 split between preferring a drive-through graduation, or...
Boaters must “self certify” for Lake Roosevelt To prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species, the National Park Service (NPS) at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area will require that all boaters complete an aquatic invasive species (AIS) quagga/zebra mussel-free self-certification form beginning May 1. It’s the next step of an AIS prevention program introduced in early 2018. The self-certification forms are available through a park website and at each boat launch. If you only boat within Washington state, you will only need to co...
You should be able to enjoy Steamboat Rock State Park and other local recreation areas soon, as well as golfing and fishing, but don’t plan on a cross-state camping trip yet. Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that restrictions on fishing, golfing, and access to public lands such as state parks would partially lift on May 5, but the state is still not opening campgrounds and social distancing guidelines are still in force. The Banks Lake Golf Course is set to reopen May 5 but with restrictions in place to follow that social distancing. What those...
Do you have some thoughts on how to improve Spring Canyon? Would removing the swim dock be a good or bad idea, in your opinion? During the month of May, people can comment on Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area sites, including Spring Canyon, a part of the National Park Service, which sees a need to address changing visitor interests. “Your input is important and will help shape potential management strategies and improvements at these sites at Lake Roosevelt,” the NPS said in an April 27 press release. “No decisions have been made yet....
Grand Coulee 4/21 - A man on Goodfellow Avenue reported that someone attempted to kick his back door in. He believes it was a certain man. Photos were taken of the damage and the man repaired his door. - An overdose was reported on King Street. An officer assisted in getting a man to the hospital. The man calmed down while at the hospital and fell asleep, the police report noted. - A person reported animal cruelty on Continental Heights, where a dog reportedly had been locked in a van day and night. No dog was found in the van. 4/22 - A woman...
Joining somewhat of a movement to recognize this year's high school seniors in a spring that has been deformed by the coronavirus pandemic, Lake Roosevelt High School turned on the lights at Greene Field Friday night with nobody in the stands. Drivers going by honked in salute, fire engines, police cars and ambulances turned on their emergency lights, and cars shown their headlights onto the field from the parking lot. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association encouraged the...
The Colville Tribes and the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation have temporarily laid off nearly 600 employees as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a letter from the Colville Business Council to their tribal membership explained Tuesday. The letter, shared on The Tribal Tribune’s website and Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon, explains the reasoning behind the decision. “Due to unprecedented challenges our tribe is facing due to the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, we regrettably made the decision to place 178 employees on temporary lay...
“Distance learning” is getting its moment in the sun, starting this week, for Lake Roosevelt students and teachers. With students and staff “social distancing” during the coronavirus pandemic, educators, told by the state they still have to teach, have had to figure out how to teach without actually being in the same room as their students. “Sometimes good comes out of a difficult situation,” Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner wrote in his April 16 email update to parents and the community. “Although social distance is...
The coronavirus pandemic comes along with various types of stress for various types of people, including anxiety about health, the economy, and the future of the world. Throw the depression, boredom, or restlessness due to social distancing on top of it all, and it's easy to see why mental health is important during these times. We contacted Dr. Marilyn Holman, a psychiatrist at Coulee Medical Center about how such times can affect mental health. "This is a difficult time for everyone," Holman...
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Care & Share Food Bank has been open on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at its usual location at the Nazarene Church along SR-174, where food is brought out to patron’s cars. The food bank operates from 2-4 p.m. on those days. Manager Carol Nordine said that on Easter weekend 103 people came to get food; two weeks prior, 93 used the service. “For only being open every other week, it averages out,” she said. “We’ve had a few new people but not a whole bunch.” New clients should bring a driver licen...
Hotels, motels, and campgrounds in Okanogan County have been ordered to operate under restrictions following the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order from the state, until at least May 4, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An April 14 resolution by the county commissioners and the county public health officer said that the closure applies to hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, timeshares, campgrounds, RV parks and other short-term rentals. Commissioners passed a new resolution April 21 to amend that language to say those businesses were...