News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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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... Full story
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,... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
The Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District, which manages North Dam Park, is meeting tonight, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the former middle school in Grand Coulee in the former teachers’ lounge. The group is in a tough position as they haven’t secured funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the land at North Dam, for 2022, which means they can’t fund maintenance at the park such as watering the grass, garbage service, powering the lights, and general yard work. Commissioner Kevin Portch told The Star last week that the group...
Children on the Colville Indian Reservation have been dispersing "seed bombs" in areas affected by wildfires in recent years to help restore native species to the areas. The "Healing the Earth" program is conducted by the Washington State University Colville Reservation Extension 4-H program, which partners and collaborates with the Colville Confederated Tribes and Bureau of Indian Affairs natural resource programs, including Environmental Trust, Range, Fish & Wildlife, and Mt. Tolman Fire...
Girls and boys who will be in 3rd-8th grade in the 2022-2023 school year can sign up tomorrow, June 23, for a basketball camp that takes place in July. Signups will take place June 23 at the Lake Roosevelt gym from 6-7 p.m. for a $75 signup fee. All proceeds will benefit local basketball teams, according to organizers. The camp itself will take place July 11-13, with 3rd-5th grade participating from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 6th-8th grade from 3-6 p.m. Local coaches will be joined by Jeff Niemi of Grays Harbor College. The fundamental games and...
North Dam Park, which hosts numerous events in the area, including Colorama, markets, softball tournaments, and more, is in danger of no longer being maintained, but funding could still be secured for 2023. A special meeting is scheduled for the local park district in charge on June 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the former middle school in Grand Coulee in the former teachers’ lounge there, which the public is welcome to attend. Years ago, the city of Grand Coulee had responsibility for the park, but relinquished control to the US Bureau of Reclamation, w...
The class of 2022 follows the lead of class President Audrey Hansen in moving their mortar board tassels over to the graduated side at Saturday's ceremony at Lake Roosevelt High School. More photos of the annual event, held inside the gym for the first time since 2019, are available on page 7. - Scott Hunter photo...
