News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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There are some who have what it takes. I'm not talking about outstanding pro athletes, astronauts, or mountaineers. I am talking about weather forecasters. I recently visited the Spokane National Weather Service office and spoke with Steven Van Horn, a forecaster a that office. He has what it takes. Van Horn shared with me the requirements needed to become a weather forecaster. "I went to University of California, Davis to get my bachelor's degree in atmospheric science." He explained that...
The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District will hold a meeting at the former middle school in Grand Coulee tonight at 6:30 p.m. Commissioner Kevin Portch said previously that the financial viability of the group’s ability to continue maintaining North Dam Park would be discussed at the meeting, with the group’s budget being in precarious standing as described in recent issues of The Star. Things have been looking up for the group, however, with a GoFundMe page having raised $5,600 towards the cause, and the group needing an estimated $7,...
Lake Roosevelt's new principal, Natalie Kontos, has worked in the Grand Coulee Dam School District for several years and plans to be here for several more. Kontos had taught elementary school physical education and health at LR Elementary for the past eight years before being approved by the school board as the new junior-senior high school principal in June. "During this time, I have had the privilege of teaching and building relationships with every student in our school," she wrote to The...
Vacant positions are getting filled in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Natalie Kontos, who previously taught physical education at Lake Roosevelt Elementary, was hired as the new principal of the junior/senior high school. Taking on the athletic director and facilities coordinator positions is Nancy Kuiper, who is also the director of the SHARP Kids programs. Wade Magers, who just retired from his position as Lincoln County Sheriff, will serve as the school safety officer. “We’re excited to get him on board as our safety officer,” Turne...
Joey Kriete knows the ins and outs of Grant County law enforcement, having worked in multiple aspects of it for 29 years, and now he wants to be sheriff. "I'm very passionate about the county," Kriete told The Star, describing his history in the county dating back to his great grandparents who ran a dairy in Ephrata. "I believe I put myself on the career path to becoming the next Grant County sheriff and my track record shows for that," he said. That track record includes serving as a patrol...
With COVID-19 rates slowing down in recent months, The Star hasn’t published an update on local conditions since April 6, but the disease certainly hasn’t gone away. In Grant County, the two-week incidence rate was only 26 cases per 100,000 residents on March 31, but on July 8, that number is up to 178, and was 227 on July 7. Official case rates are widely viewed as undercounted due to home testing kits and an associated lack of reporting. Four covid deaths occurred since March, bringing the total Covid death count in the county to 261, wit...
The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon today to 8 PM PDT this evening. * Affected Area: Fire Weather Zone 703 Okanogan Valley (Zone 703), Fire Weather Zone 705 Foothills of Central Washington Cascades (Zone 705) and Fire Weather Zone 706 Waterville Plateau (Zone 706). * Winds: For the Foothills of Central Washington Cascades and Waterville Plateau, northwest 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. For the Okanogan Valley, south-southwest 10 to 20 mph...
After lab workers mysteriously got sick last Tuesday, forcing an emergency closure, Coulee Medical Center started a phased re-opening Friday morning, starting first with its emergency department at 7 a.m. Tuesday afternoon Chief Executive Officer Ramona Hicks said CMC was back to full operations and that patients had been back in the building for four days with no problems. Widely reported as a "gas leak," Hick said that was in error, noting that there is no natural gas in the hospital. The deci...
People watch the main event at the Festival of America below Grand Coulee Dam July 4 after the laser light show, despite havoc created by bad weather a little earlier in the evening. A thunderstorm drenched the park, causing most people to leave, even though many came back. And the headline entertainer's set was canceled in favor not electrocuting the band. Jesse Quandt still sang one song, accompanying himself only with an acoustic guitar: Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American." People...
A 102-acre fire began and ended on Saturday in the Peter Dan Road area. Local fire crews from the Grand Coulee Dam area, the Mt. Tolman Fire Center, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation were assisted by Department of Natural Resources aircraft in extinguishing the fire, which was first reported at about 4 p.m. and declared contained around midnight. No structures were lost in the fire. Rick Paris, of Grand Coulee’s volunteer fire and ambulance department, said the blaze was human-caused and still under investigation, with Mt. Tolman doing the i...
Several community members met with park district commissioners last week in a workshop setting to help solve a funding problem that could potentially close North Dam Park, again. The good news is that the community is responding with money and ideas. After the chamber of commerce set up a GoFundMe online donation account for the park, people immediately began donating to help raise its stated $10,000 goal. As of Tuesday night, it had raised over $5,200. Coulee Area Park and Recreation District...
A crowd of people shopped, listened to music, enjoyed frosty brews and ate food at North Dam Park in the First Friday event held there July 1. "It was a great night," said Morgan Tillman, who helped organize the event for the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. "I think everyone that came enjoyed themselves, and it was quite busy!" Republic Brewing sold beer, acoustic musician Rylei Franks provided the tunes, and Porky's Hot Dogs purveyed food for the event. Over a dozen vendors took the...
James Baker wants to be the new sheriff in Grant County, and feels that his having not worked for the sheriff's office in the past would benefit the county. "A new perspective can get the office on track," Baker, who has spent most of his life in the county, told The Star. "A new fresh set of eyes, a new perspective, can get the office on track. I have administrative and office experience that the other guys don't have as much of. They haven't started or ran their own business." Baker, a...
A mystery substance has shut down Coulee Medical Center after three employees in the lab area became ill for unknown reasons Tuesday afternoon. CMC was evacuated and employees sent home, and a hazmat team has been requested to investigate. No one knows what made the lab workers ill, other than an odor, but their conditions were apparently not serious. It started with headaches, then chest pains, shortness of breath and vomiting. They've been checked out and released. No patients were affected,...
After lab workers mysteriously got sick Tuesday, forcing an emergency closure, Coulee Medical Center will start a phased re-opening Friday morning, when it will "move forward cautiously," opening its emergency department first at 7 a.m. The decision to re-open was made mid Thursday afternoon after a meeting with state officials. It had been 20 hours with people in the building following that shut-down and subsequent investigations looking for a possible cause of the noxious odor that caused half...
A number of community members who value North Dam Park are working to keep it afloat for the remainder of 2022. The park could close for lack of funding in August of this year, a result of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District having been unable to renew a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before the end of 2021. The district is in the process of renewing their contract with the bureau for 2023, but in the meantime, is set to quit maintaining the park, including lawn care, water, power, and garbage services, in mid-August. Tha...
Results for seven elections for spots on the Colville Business Council show five incumbents keeping their positions, and two losing them. Absentee votes were certified Thursday, June 23, and added to the poll vote results that had been certified on Tuesday. In the race for Nespelem District Position #1 on the Colville Business Council, incumbent and current chairman Andy Joseph Jr won 370 to 232 votes against Corby Turner. In the race for Nespelem District Position #2, incumbent Shar Zacherle won 357-244 against former chairman Rodney Cawston....
The Bureau of Reclamation is prohibiting fireworks on North Dam for the Independence Day holiday. Reclamation is taking precautionary measures to decrease the potential for wildland fire and is reminding the public that federal regulations prohibit the use of fireworks on Reclamation lands and water bodies, a press release Tuesday stated. The agency will allow the permitted fireworks display at Grand Coulee Dam to occur at the top of the dam for the Fourth of July festivities, the release said. “There is a low risk of fireworks reaching the s...
The 2022 Nespelem Celebration powwow is set to take place July 7-10 at the Nespelem powwow grounds along SR-155, and will include traditional music, dancing and a stickgame competition. The powwow includes traditional, jingle, grass, and fancy dance categories, starting with a “warm up night” on July 7 at 7 p.m.,the contest beginning on July 8 at 7 p.m., and continuing at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. July 9, and at 1 p.m. on July 10. There is also a drum contest at the event. No drugs, alcohol, firearms, or fireworks are tolerated, a flier for the eve...
Tourists stop at the overlook just below the top of the Grand Coulee Dam to admire the giant waterfall spilling over 40,000 cubic feet of water per second on Monday about 1 p.m. That's a pretty large spill, but it's still only about 15 percent of the water flowing by. Another 221.8 kcfs (thousand cubic feet per second) was spinning generators to make electricity at that point, according to a site that generates that information. Altogether, that translates to more than 1.96 million gallons per...
The Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office would like to remind residents that not all fireworks are legal for use within Washington State. State licensed retail fireworks stands must be permitted by the local city or county jurisdiction where they are being sold. Items such as firecrackers, bottle rockets, sky rockets, and missiles are illegal to sell, possess, and/or discharge within the state. However, these items are federally legal and are available for sale or discharge on some designated tribal lands. State and federal laws prohibit item...
The Colville Confederated Tribes owns 184 acres of land in Pasco that they will develop for future business ventures, and signed an agreement related to that project earlier this month. The CCT “has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Port of Pasco regarding the Tribes’ economic development efforts in Pasco,” a June 9 press release from the tribes reads. The agreement “includes a commitment by the Port of Pasco to officially support the Tribes’ Pasco project and assures that the Port is kept informed about the progress of this effort. T...
A lot of kids enjoyed the fun and games of Koulee Kids Fest over the weekend. "Koulee Kids Fest was so much fun," Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachelle Baughman said. "The weather was beautiful and there were so many happy faces." She said that 132 "passports" had been turned in from children, with 7-year-old Myles Salverson winning the random drawing from those for a hoverboard. Kids were required to complete six out of 15 stations at Kids Fest in order to turn...
Joe Harris wants to be the sheriff of Grant County, having served for over 20 years in law enforcement following eight years in the marines. Harris started his career in law enforcement as an officer with the city of Quincy in 2001, then working for the Grant County Sheriff's Office in 2006, working for a year for the state attorney general in 2015, then as the chief of police in Mattawa until 2021. He finished his doctorate in Public Administration earlier this year, earning the degree...
Motorheads were able to share their love of cars at the Diversity Divine Auto Show over the weekend. "The show went great!" Sam Hsieh, who hosted the event on Saturday on his Main Street property called Coulee Plaza. "I am so glad that people were willing to come out and participate despite the unknown weather. It was a gathering of car lovers and enthusiasts, family and friends. We all enjoyed the company of each other and chatted up anything and everything about cars. The thing I love most...