News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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A proposed law to require school districts to implement a comprehensive sexual education curriculum emphasizing healthy relationships and consent was passed after a 28-21 vote by the state Senate last week. If signed into law, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5395 would require every public school to offer evidence-informed, medically accurate, and age-appropriate sex education as an integral part of the curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade by Sept 1, 2021. The bill was first introduced in 2019 and drew vocal opposition from parents...
More than half the power outages in the city of Coulee Dam last year were caused by wild turkeys that roam the town freely. Last year the town, which operates its own electric utility, suffered nine power outages, the last five all because of the big birds, said Mike Steffens, the city superintendent who gets to deal with such emergencies. Each time, that takes a minimum of two employees spending a couple hours walking the lines, arranging for upstream power to be shut off, then reconnected, and...
Gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition would be outlawed under a proposed law moving through the state Senate. Supporters cite safety concerns, while opponents argue the measure, which cleared the Senate Committee on Law and Justice Jan. 23, would place new restrictions on Washington residents' right to bear arms. SB 6077, sponsored by 14 Democratic senators, would make it illegal to possess what the bill would define as a high-capacity magazine in most instances. Under the...
Grand Coulee Police 1/20 - An officer spoke to the owner of a barking dog on Dill Avenue. The owner said the dog was just a puppy and she would bring it inside. 1/21 - Coulee Gas reported a 20-something woman had stolen some sunglasses then gotten into a green truck. The truck was found at Jack’s 4-Corners gas station. The owner of Coulee Gas told police a passenger was the woman who stole the sunglasses. The sunglasses were returned and she was banned from Coulee Gas. - An officer assisted Coulee Dam police in attempting to locate a stolen w...
The Colville Tribes have banned single-use plastic bags from stores on the reservation, and the state is looking at doing the same. A resolution passed by the Colville Business Council went into effect Jan. 1 that bans single-use plastic bags from stores within the boundaries of the Colville Reservation, the Tribal Tribune reported Jan. 10. The state of Washington is considering enacting a similar ban, with the state Senate passing a bill last week. The Senate had also passed Senate Bill 5323 last year, but it died in the House of...
Jeff and Malaya Piturachsatit find enough snow left at North Dam Park for a fun outing Sunday afternoon. To check out the chance of snow in the next week, see our Weather Watcher Forecast on page 8. - Scott Hunter photo...
Change is afoot in Electric City with the last remaining councilmember from the old regime resigning and the fire chief reinstated after being fired last year. Electric City Councilmember Aaron Derr resigned from his position in a letter dated Jan. 14. “At this time in my personal life I feel that I cannot commit to the dedication necessary to fully and properly represent my constituents,” Derr wrote in the letter. “Perhaps in the future, when family health and personal business allow, I may once again represent the people of this city....
Those excited for a park in Electric City will have to wait a while longer before park details and construction details are finalized. The Electric City council chose not to accept a bid on the proposed Ice Age Park at their Jan. 14 meeting, hoping to get construction costs down. The lowest bid for the project came in at approximately $465,000 from Spokane-based Terrabella, Inc., roughly $80,000 over the city’s proposed 2020 budget for the park. The project is to be paid, in part, with some of the $257,500 in grant money from the Washington S...
Lucas Bird has been racing since he started with go-karts at age 6 and has been winning championships ever since. The 2018 Lake Roosevelt graduate won the NASCAR WHELEN All-American Series Stateline Modifieds championship at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho, Sept. 14, 2019. Throughout the season, Bird won two races, including the championship, placed second in two of the races, and didn't finish the other two. Bird and his team were surprised to be the point leaders and win the championsh...
Rupe chosen as mayor pro tempore Electric City Councilmember Bob Rupe was chosen as mayor pro tempore at the council’s Jan. 14 meeting. Rupe would serve as mayor in the absence of Mayor Diane Kohout....
The man in charge of sports in the local school district took on an extra volunteer role Monday night. Tim Rasmussen stepped into a vacant commissioner spot for the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District on Jan. 20 at a special meeting of the district commissioners. The spot had been vacant since September, when former commissioner Josh Vega joined the Air Force. "We've been looking for somebody to fill the shoes," Chairman Kevin Porch said. Rasmussen, who is the athletic director for the...
A federal court sentenced a man to two years in prison for beating his girlfriend, a U.S. Attorney’s office said last week. U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Louis Mark Clark, 28, Nespelem, to 24 months after Clark had pleaded guilty last September to “Crime on Indian Reservation - Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury,” a press release said. The sentence is to be followed by a three-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. The case was investigated by Colville Tribal Police and the F...
A 41-year-old Almira man was booked into Lincoln County Jail on several charges stemming from a fraud investigation by the county sheriff’s office, Sheriff Wade Magers stated Saturday. David W. McCoy was booked into jail Friday on charges of first- and second-degree theft, money laundering and first-degree identity theft, jail records show. McCoy was still in jail on Tuesday with a bond amount set at $15,000. His arrest followed an investigation by Deputy Jon Evans, who had received a complaint from an Almira resident that nearly $10,000 had b...
Grand Coulee Police 1/13 - A woman reported losing her ID, kept in a cigarette pack, somewhere between the Electric City Bar & Grill and her home. She told police she’d already ordered a replacement, but wanted to report losing it in case someone found it and used it for bad purposes. 1/16 - Police were told about a Facebook post threatening towards the chief of police and other city employees. 1/17 - A suspicious person with a hoodie and bag was reported on Grand Coulee Avenue. Police were unable to locate anyone matching the description. - A...
As Initiative 976, the car tabs measure approved by voters in November, is held up in the State Supreme Court, Republicans proposed laws that would guarantee the $30 car tabs Washington voters approved. “It is just a clean $30 car tab,” said Sen Phil Fortunado, R-Auburn. “That’s what people voted for, that’s what we’re doing.” Unlike I-976, which is facing a court fight over its constitutionality, Fortunado said his sponsored bill, Senate Bill 6350, is simple in nature and will likely not be challenged in court. “It removes any ambiguity about...
The sale of the Banks Lake Golf Course to Rattlesnake Ridge, Inc. has fallen through. The terms of the $1.8 million sale of the golf course and surrounding land, as well as equipment and buildings on 189.3 acres, was approved by Port District 7, which owns the course, back in June of 2019. A $10,000 check for earnest money towards the sale is now forfeited to the district since a deadline of Dec. 31, 2019 has passed. Port District 7 Commission President Jim Keene told The Star that he wants to assure members of the golf course, and visitors as...
Bill Dunlap was appointed to the Elmer City council on Jan. 9 to a seat that had been vacant for over a year. Dunlap's term lasts until the end of 2021, when he'll be up for reelection. Dunlap told the council he had grown up spending his summers in Elmer City, and after retiring in 2015 from his job as a television engineer in Lewiston, Idaho, moved back to town. Councilmember Don Bonertz said he has known Dunlap since Dunlap was a kid. Immediately after Dunlap was sworn in and took his seat...
The Senior Meals Program wants you to know they have food to eat at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center for people of all ages, and they'll deliver to seniors who qualify for delivery. The home delivery part of the program will deliver to those 60 and older and homebound in some way. There are no income restrictions for the program, which collects a suggested donation of $4 per meal for seniors and $8 per meal for everyone else, although seniors who can't afford a donation won't be turned down....
Recycling containers are now in place at the Delano Regional Transfer Station to take in plastics, paper, tin cans, aluminum cans, and even some electronics. One of the new containers placed outside the gates of the Delano Regional Transfer Station as part of Sunrise Disposals new contract with area towns accepts mixed paper, #1 and #2 plastics, rinsed out tin cans, and rinsed out aluminum cans. Another container placed outside the transfer station's gates is for "e-cycling," and accepts old TVs...
Dale Rey, along with the mayor and two other council members, took the oath of office and accepted a seat at the council table in Coulee Dam, Jan. 8. Rey was appointed by the council Dec. 11 to the seat vacated by Marcia Warnecke last fall. As of Jan. 1, the council is still short one member as long-time council member Ben Alling did not seek re-election last year, but he took a seat in the audience last week. Rey had plenty of questions during the 30-minute meeting, including about the town-own...
A new Electric City mayor, as well as four new city council members, were sworn into office on Jan. 4 during a retreat in Ephrata. City Administrator Russ Powers swore in the new mayor, Diane Kohout, and new council members Cate Slater, Bob Rupe, Brian Buche, and Cheryl Hoffman during their retreat, which was also attended by current Councilmember Aaron Derr. "It was a day full of information and everyone greatly appreciated it," Kohout said in a note to The Star. Kohout said that City Attorney...
Nespelem Community Center offering shelter from cold Those battling the cold in the Nespelem area can contact the community center there at 509-634-2370 or 509-978-9564 if they need a place to warm up. “The center is open until 8:00 p.m., but willing to open as needed!” a post on the community center’s Facebook page reads. Sgt. Gary Moore of the Grand Coulee Police Department recommends those battling the cold in the coulee area to contact local churches to see what kind of assistance they may be able to provide. Elmer City’s rates go up Elme...
It's a little easier in the Coulee now to get a Discover Pass to park at Washington State Parks. An automated pay station located at Northrup Point along SR-155, in the same area as Northrup Canyon and Steamboat Rock, accepts credit and debit cards to buy annual Discover Passes, day-use Discover Passes, as well as boat launch permits and more. The pay station is located in the parking lot at Northrup Point near the boat launch there. An annual Discover Pass cost $30 for the year; a day-use...
OLYMPIA — Residents and visitors will get a break if lawmakers approve a proposal to do away with Discover Pass fees for using state parks. Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville and Sen. Randi Becker, R-Eatonville, have co-sponsored SB 6174, which would no longer require park visitors to pay $10 for a one-time parking permit, or buy the $30 annual parking Discover Pass. Sen. Schoesler is critical of the tax proposals voted in last year’s legislative session. He said the results of the tax advisory votes on last November’s ballo...
Grand Coulee Police 1/6 - A man and his aunt separated for the night after yelling at each other at their apartment on Hill Street. The aunt was mad he was smoking marijuana in the apartment. - A man and woman on Burdin Boulevard were said to be too intoxicated to make sense of why broken things were on the floor when an officer spoke to them following a report of a possible fight in progress. The man said he was just making dinner. 1/7 - A woman who was paying rent to live in a shed on Dill Avenue agreed to move into a motorhome the next day a...