News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1967 - 1991 of 6448
A proposed $1.4 billion hydropower project is looking more likely to happen in the area, its promoters say, and would bring in 1,000-1,500 workers during construction and create 100-150 permanent jobs. The Banks Lake Pumped Storage Project would be a gravity-fed, pumped-storage system, draining water from Banks Lake, back down to Lake Roosevelt, turning generators in the process, and later pumping the water back up to Banks Lake. One or two penstock pipes, up to 35 feet in diameter, would run...
Tribes buy Pasco land The Colville Tribes have bought 184 acres of land in Pasco and plan on developing it, the Tri-City Herald reported Friday. The land is east of U.S. 395 and north of the King City Truck Stop. The tribes are considering a casino there, or perhaps a water park, but may initially build a convenience store and gas station. A public signing of a cooperative agreement with the city was set for today, the paper reported. I-976 being challenged Multiple agencies including counties, cities, and transit authorities are challenging...
If you felt a little shaking Monday morning, that wasn't just a big truck passing by. The region felt an earthquake at about 10:49 a.m. Monday, centered about 15.5 miles southwest of Coulee Dam. The U.S. Geological Survey website indicates the shaking was reported by nine "citizen scientists" from Tonasket to Davenport. The magnitude 3.5 quake was likely centered about a mile underground, west of Banks Lake in Douglas County, roughly halfway down the length of the lake, according to data on the...
Justin Miller has been selected as the new fire chief for the Electric City Volunteer Fire Department. Miller’s appointment to chief was approved by the Electric City Council at their Nov. 12 meeting. Miller has served on the department for 16 years and was a lieutenant prior to being appointed chief. Mark Payne, who was recently fired as chief, was present at the meeting and said that Miller would be a good selection, and that he feels Miller will do a good job. The council also approved a stipend to the fire chief of $25 per fire training o...
A favorite childhood memory led to the opening of the newest venture on Midway Avenue, where the latest iteration of a local business has planted roots. The Popcorn Shoppe opened earlier this month at a new location, Midway and Main in Grand Coulee to sell gourmet popcorn, candy and more. Owner Kim Christensen said last week that the shop is step toward fulfilling her vision of a destination shop that will become a tradition that provides good memories like she has of a place from her...
Imagine opening an old envelope and catching a glimpse of history. Grand Coulee man Fred Long received a few items that belonged to his brother, Robert "Bobby" Long, after he passed away recently, including an unsigned letter titled "This is Persia, The Way a G.I. Soldier See's It," dated November 13, 1943 from "Iran Persia." Fred Long knew right away it wasn't his brother's handwriting, but since Robert Long, along with his other brother Harry, had served in Persia at that time, Fred Long...
Grand Coulee Police 11/12 - Kent street residents were told to stop burning yard debris within city limits. They extinguished their fire. - Several juveniles were reported to have broken into the former Center School on Spokane Way. Three of them said they were told the school was a good place to play hide and seek. They said they did not break in, but had walked in through an unlocked door. Their parent/guardians were contacted. The owners didn’t wish to press charges. 11/14 - A woman who was reportedly harassing customers at Jack’s 4-C...
A garage fire in Grand Coulee was extinguished before it spread on Monday afternoon, causing mostly smoke damage, with no one suffering any injuries. “It could have been way worse,” Marjie Gallagher said about the fire that she said was caused by a wood stove. Her husband, Don, has power tools in the garage at their home on Roosevelt Drive, she said, among lots of other stuff, but she wasn’t sure of the extent of the damage yet. “It’s just a big mess, really,” she said, adding that they are still able to stay in their house and aren’t in n...
Two local towns will directly lose transportation funds because of the passage of a state initiative. Electric City and Elmer City will lose a bit of revenue from the recent passage of a statewide initiative that, among other things, limits how cities can collect money for their transportation benefit districts. Electric City and Elmer City each have charged a $20 fee per vehicle registered to their residents, which brought in about $17,000 for Electric City’s TBD and $6,000 for Elmer City’s, according to their city clerks. Grand Cou...
The little local rodeo that almost stopped happening nearly a decade ago is poised to join the ranks of the larger professional rodeo world. The Ridge Riders Saddle Club’s annual Colorama Rodeo each May will likely join the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association, following a vote of the Ridge Riders board of directors Nov. 6. President George Kohout announced the coming change at the chamber of commerce luncheon the next day. “This is by far the biggest chance we’ve ever taken,” Kohout said. The move was instigated by the group’s stock con...
Elmer Rinard gets a standing ovation at a ceremony to recognize veterans at the Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School gym Friday. The World War II veteran also got a smile from a pleased compatriot seated in background, also a WWII vet, Fred Long. The annual event recognizes veterans, young and old, who registered for it with the school. — Scott Hunter photo...
Three Colville tribal members won a Native American Music Award for Best Rap Hip Hop Music Video at the awards ceremony Nov. 2 in Niagara Falls, New York. James Pakootas, Daniel Nanamkin, and Tony Louie won the "Nammy" award for the video for the song "Break These Chains," which is available to view on Youtube and will be linked to in the online edition of this article at grandcoulee.com. Louie performs under his own name, while Pakootas performs under the name Just Jamez, and Daniel Nanamkin...
As seen from the south on Western Avenue, construction crews work Monday on Electric City's street project, involving Western, Grand Avenue, Stevens Avenue and West Coulee Boulevard. - Scott Hunter photo...
Grand Coulee Police 11/2 - A man on a bicycle ignored signs saying the top of the Grand Coulee Dam was closed. A guard said the bicyclist went around concrete barriers and the guard house before being stopped by the guard. The man said he thought the signs meant only the road across the dam was closed. He was released after an ID check. 11/4 - A woman on Burdin Boulevard requested that police check on the welfare of a neighbor whose car was there, but she was not. An officer found everything in good order at the neighbors’ house. 11/6 - A daugh...
Locals support idea of “ditching the switch” and adopting “permanent Daylight Savings Time” State legislation passed earlier this year would put a stop to changing clocks. Locals do not like switching their clocks twice a year between Daylight Savings and Standard Time, if an online Star poll is an indication. Daylight Savings ended on Nov. 3 when we rolled our clocks back an hour for what could be the last time we “fall back.” Daylight Savings Time moves an hour of daylight in the sunnier seasons, spring and summer, when the sun is out long...
In a strong show of disapproval for current government, Electric City voters have chosen a new city council and mayor, casting about four or five times as many votes for the challengers as for incumbents. They selected Diane Kohout as the new mayor over incubent Aaron Derr, 238-33; Bob Rupe for city council position 2 over Birdie Hensley, 217-53; Cate Slater over Carol Nordine for council position 4, 221-49; and Cheryl Hoffman over Lonna Bussert 210-55. The challengers have been campaigning on a platform of changing the direction, and the...
Daylight Savings Time ended on Nov. 3 when we rolled our clocks back an hour. Could this be the last time we “fall behind?” Legislation signed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year to permanently adopt Daylight Savings Time, in other words to “spring forward” but not “fall back” an hour, still requires the OK from Congress on the federal level, with President Trump saying he supports the idea. According to a recent KING5 news article “thirty-six other states have either had bills passed or proposed to make daylight saving time p... Full story
A new class at the high school could certify students to be home caretakers. Lake Roosevelt High School is working on crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s of implementing a home caretaker class into offered curriculum. The move would be the first program implemented in a drive to add CTE (Career Technical Education) instruction at the school. A previous attempt by the district to include a Certified Nursing Assistant class in the curriculum fell short when an instructor couldn’t be found. The one-semester class would prepare students to take...
Bridge girders heading toward the West Fork area of the San Poil river along highway 21 between Keller and Republic crossed the bridge at Coulee Dam recently. The girders, six in total, each measure 114 feet long. The former bridge at West Fork washed away in the spring of 2017, at which point a single-lane "Bailey Bridge," a type of bridge constructed for World War II, was put there to allow traffic to drive through. This week the girders will be put up for the new, two-lane bridge, according t...
James Duranceau attended an event last month hosted by the Special Forces Association where he was honored for his 16 years as a Green Beret in the United States Army. Duranceau joined the army in 1962, starting his first tour of Vietnam on Christmas Day of 1965. He became a part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a Ranger and an Airborne Ranger in the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Regiment, starting his second tour of Vietnam with the Korean Rock Ranger Battalion in 1968 when he became a Green...
It took a lot of thought and prayer last February before Doug and Mary Lou Lockard and daughter Launi Ritter took a leap into a retail business with no experience. Five months after opening their new Coulee Wall Variety Store, Ritter recalled for chamber of commerce members the story of starting up a complex store with nearly 12,000 individual items on its shelves - before there were any shelves, or anything, in the cavernous 4,400 square feet of open space in the building. The family had...
Writers pose for a group photo for Writers Day in the Coulee at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center Saturday. From left, Sheri Edwards, Bob Manion, Gerry McClure, Don McClure, Birdie Hensley, Darlene Morava (in front), Peter Dunlap-Shohl, Connie Schultz, Dave McClure, J. Kemble, Carmen Peone and Amanda Covey. Several brought their published works, others brought works in progress or just a willingness to share with fellow writers. The event was sponsored by Them Dam Writers Online, Coulee... Full story
Grand Coulee 10/29 - A woman reported that rims and tires on a pickup truck on Coulee Boulevard were ones stolen from her in September. The owner of the truck said he had bought them for $50 from someone, and agreed to give them to the woman. The man he said he bought them from denied any involvement. - A woman was arrested and taken to Grant County Jail following an incident in which she allegedly threw a vacuum cleaner at a man, and a toy at his car. 10/29 - A Grand Coulee woman reported that another Grand Coulee woman, who was watching her...
Readers responding to an online poll are split on the idea of changing to a four-day week at Lake Roosevelt Schools, with most being against it. An article in last week’s Star described a nuanced discussion that took place among Grand Coulee Dam School District board members and the superintendent on the topic of going to a four-day school week. The discussion touched on some of the ramifications of making such a change, including how it would affect childcare and how long it would extend the school day. Although clear answers on these q...
Braelyn Jordan loads up on the last day to get pumpkins at the Full Circle Pumpkin Patch, the Pinar family's project near Almira Saturday as a rain storm in the background heads her way. Our weather hobbyist is back on the beat after a hiatus, and his forecast is on page 8. - Scott Hunter photo...