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  • If voters approve levy, state will chip in extra $700k a year

    Jacob Wagner|Feb 2, 2022

    Local voters are casting their ballots on two school district levies that would replace three levies expiring at the end of this year, with passage of the educational levy coming with a bonus of $700,000 in "assistance funds" from the state annually for the four-year duration of that levy. On Feb. 8, election day, ballots will be counted for the two levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. If passed, the two levies will bring in an estimated $1.4 to $1.7 million to the school district...

  • Trip shows a different path through Covid

    Scott Hunter|Feb 2, 2022

    With almost four times the population of Washington state in an area a quarter of its size, Taiwan has suffered comparatively little of the economic devastation that has taken hold in this state and nation in general. They never even shut down the bars. Why? They all wear masks, contact tracing is fast, and they follow strict protocols with visitors. Aside from that, life is normal in the island nation off the coast of the People’s Republic of China. Coulee Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sam Hsieh just got back from visiting family t...

  • Anti-cancer fundraiser Saturday at basketball games

    Feb 2, 2022

    The Raiders' and Lady Raiders' Saturday night games in Coulee Dam this weekend will also host an anti-cancer fundraiser. The Raiders vs. Manson Trojans games will, in addition to senior night, be "Pink Out Night" for the Raiders' Fight Against Cancer. "The parents of the boys' and girls' basketball teams have raised $1,000 so far, which will be donated to a local cancer organization," Camille Pleasants, wife of Lady Raiders Head Coach Peewee Pleasants said in an email to The Star. "During the...

  • Emergency work on Main Street sewer line

    Jacob Wagner|Feb 2, 2022

    Approximately $31,000 in work is being done on a sewer line along Main Street in Grand Coulee and is expected to be done by the end of the week. Public Works Director Dennis Francis told the city council Jan. 18 that about 500 feet of sewer line on Main Street from around Loepp Furniture to around Teepee Burger was collapsing, although not completely blocked, and requires an emergency fix. "Our best bet is to dig it up and replace it," he said. "We need to get it done, real quick." Francis said...

  • Volunteers needed at jr. high

    Jacob Wagner|Feb 2, 2022

    If anyone in the Coulee area has a few hours a week to volunteer at Lake Roosevelt’s junior high school for a good cause, now is your chance. “We are looking for some dependable volunteers who are willing to commit anywhere from two to six hours per week to help in the junior high school,” Principal Sara Kennedy told The Star in a Jan. 28 email. “We need help with lunchtime and hallway supervision, hall monitors, and support in classrooms.” “Support in classrooms would entail being an extra set of hands during activities such as science exp...

  • Grand Coulee comes out against local income tax

    Jacob Wagner|Feb 2, 2022

    The city of Grand Coulee adopted a resolution stating they are against having a local income tax. The council discussed wanting to come out against a local income tax back in November, and at their Jan. 18 meeting, approved a resolution saying as much. The resolution reads: “The City Council hereby declares its position that the imposition of a local income tax on the residents of the City of Grand Coulee is prohibited and respectfully requests that the Governor and our State Representatives consider the will of the people in deciding on s...

  • Coulee Cops

    Feb 2, 2022

    Grand Coulee Police 1/24 - A woman agreed to leave her residence on Spokane Boulevard to avoid further conflict following an argument with the man who lives there. The man also asked police about the process of evicting someone. - A Pearl Avenue woman reported two pairs of binoculars valued at about $100 and a $200 sleeping bag taken from her vehicle, which she said she must have left unlocked since there was no forced entry detected. 1/25 - A Dill Avenue man reported a man had banged on his son’s car when they both arrived at the area at t...

  • Two more Grant County COVID-19 deaths announced

    Feb 2, 2022

    Two more deaths and almost 2,000 more COVID-19 cases have been reported in the past week in Grant County, with 68 more cases being reported in local towns, likely the largest case count for a single week since the pandemic began. Coulee Medical Center reports that from Jan. 25-31, out of 105 total tests performed at the Grand Coulee hospital, 30 (29%) came back positive for covid. According to Grant County Health District, two Moses Lake residents in their 70s have been added to the county’s COVID-19 death tally for a total of 233 since the s...

  • Up for a challenge

    Jan 26, 2022

    Ice climber Erik Coch nears the top of an ice formation near Devil's Punchbowl above Banks Lake along SR 155 Sunday. Randy Bracht belays him below at right, taking his turn after having ascended the ice a couple times already. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Capital levy, if approved, could continue upgrades at schools

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 26, 2022

    Capital levy dollars, with some assistance from grants, have helped upgrade the heating and air conditioning (HVAC), roofing and electrical systems at the gym, as well as to replace asbestos-based wall panels, and could upgrade school facilities further if renewed by voters next month. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner took The Star and The Tribal Tribune on a tour of the Career Technical Education building, also known as what remains of the old high school, to show...

  • School levies would replace those expiring

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 26, 2022

    Three school district levies are expiring at the end of 2022, and two proposed levies totaling the same tax rate are on the ballot for the February 8 election to replace them. The levies have collected up to $4.20 per $1,000 of assessed value from property taxes. Two educational “enrichment” levies expiring at the end of 2022 are being combined into one proposed levy, the Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which would collect an estimated $2.50 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. The capital levy would remain at the sam...

  • Anita Eylar to serve on Grand Coulee council

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 26, 2022

    Anita Eylar has been selected to fill Council Position #1 on Grand Coulee's city council. The seat was left vacant with former mayor and longtime Councilmember Tamara Byers choosing not to run for reelection in 2021, then the winner of that election, Ben Hughes, moving out of the city. The city received letters of interest from three applicants for the open seat, including Eylar, Kim Christensen, and Ruth Dalton. At their Jan. 18 city council meeting, the council asked Eylar and Dalton...

  • Five more Grant County COVID-19 deaths announced

    Jan 26, 2022

    Five more COVID-19 deaths have been announced in Grant County during the current case surge, which hdas seen 33 additional cases in local towns in the past week, with a 25.5% positivity rate in tests performed at Coulee Medical Center. Grant County Health District announced the five additional deaths on Jan. 20 on their website. The deaths, which occurred in January, were all women from Ephrata and Moses Lake, ranging in age from their 40s to their 90s. Three were not vaccinated and two had an unknown vaccination status. All five had...

  • High number of ambulance calls in 2021

    Jan 26, 2022

    The year 2021 saw a higher-than-normal amount of ambulance and fire calls in the local area. Chief Ryan Fish of the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department shared the year’s numbers at Grand Coulee’s Jan. 18 city council meeting. In 2021, there were 555 ambulance calls, and 72 fire calls. This compares to 2019, when there were 485 ambulance calls and 42 fire calls, and to 2020, when there were 459 ambulance calls and 67 fire calls....

  • Coulee Cops

    Jan 26, 2022

    Grand Coulee Police 1/18 - Police responded to King Street and Dill Avenue where a man and woman reportedly were arguing loudly in a vehicle. Both said the argument was verbal only; no physical violence had occurred. They were going to separate places and police left. - Police responded to Kelso Avenue, where a woman had called 911 saying she would have a heart attack if her husband didn’t leave. She told police she was upset he was getting a car repaired, and would trust “some half-Indian guys.” Police asked how they could help before she clos...

  • Poll shows lack of support for school levies

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 19, 2022

    Upcoming school levies in the Grand Coulee Dam School District don't have a lot of support among those who took a Star poll. The online survey, found in last week's issue of The Star and shared online, received 59 responses, with 15 (25%) saying they support the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, 39 (66%) saying they don't, and five (9%) saying they aren't sure. Those who support or do not support that levy tended to feel the same about the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and...

  • Local men chasing film careers

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 19, 2022

    Colville Tribes member Tony Louie is among a group of local tribal members working at carving out a niche in the California film scene. Louie had his film, "HIStory," screened at the 15th Annual LA Skins Fest film festival at the famous TCL (The Creative Life) Chinese Theatres in Hollywood in November. Louie's five-minute short "led the opening night screenings and set the tone for the entire festival," a press release from Louie's team reads. The film "is a spoken word piece poetically...

  • Sheriff gets grant to offset new state law impacts

    Scott Hunter|Jan 19, 2022

    The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office tapped into a grant opportunity through a state agency to get money intended to help offset impacts on local law enforcement from the passage of state laws last year that put restrictions on how police use force. Sheriff Wade Magers said that one such law, ESSHB 1310 addressed use of physical force, deadly force and less lethal alternatives such as de-escalation tactics. In response, the Washington State Department of Commerce asked for proposals from law enforcement agencies to procure “l...

  • 14 more Grant County COVID-19 deaths announced

    Jan 19, 2022

    Fourteen more COVID-19 deaths have been announced in Grant County as cases surge. Grant County Health District announced the 14 additional deaths on Jan. 13 on their website. The deaths, which occured in November and December of 2021, include 12 males and two females who were residents of Moses Lake, the Quincy area, the Wilson Creek area and Soap Lake and were in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Of those who died, 11 were unvaccinated, two fully vaccinated, and one partially vaccinated. Twelve of the 14 had underlying health conditions. GCHD...

  • Colville Tribes to address Covid-19 surge

    Jan 19, 2022

    The Colville Business Council said it will meet this week to discuss the surge in COVID 19 cases and determine the necessary steps to address the surge. The CBC urged the community to be responsible and proactive to avoid contracting or spreading COVID 19 by getting vaccinated and wearing masks in public places, washing hands, and maintaining distance regardless of vaccination status. “This is a critical situation, and the Council and Tribes are working to ensure that everyone is aware of the most updated policies and procedures, as well as the...

  • Coulee Cops

    Jan 19, 2022

    Grand Coulee 1/11 - A man was allowed to push a Chevy Astro out of the roadway at King Street and Dill Avenue rather than police having the vehicle towed, while another man was said to be walking to get a gas can to fuel up the car which had run out of gas. - Police spoke to a man who has frequent run-ins with police about him looking in vehicles parked at the Mexican restaurant on Grand Coulee Avenue. The man said he was looking for a cigarette. The next day police told him not to knock on Hill Avenue doors at 3:30 a.m. to try to score drugs....

  • House fire smokes home out

    Jan 12, 2022

    After firefighters took care of hot spots inside Sunday night, some pull at siding material on the eaves outside as they work at venting smoke from a house at 705 Birch in Coulee Dam. A firefighter said it was described as a chimney fire. Much of the smoke in the photo actually may be steam in the frigid temperatures in the teens about 11:30 p.m. A young couple standing outside said they had help for the night. Firefighters were seen from the Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and...

  • School levies on February ballot

    Jacob Wagner|Jan 12, 2022

    With two school levies on the ballot for the Feb. 8 election, one teacher/parent/taxpayer weighs in, and you can too in an online survey. The two levies — the Educational Programs and Operations Levy and the Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and Facilities Improvement — would bring in an estimated combined total of $1.4 million and $1.7 million annually from 2023 through 2026. The Star reached out to a handful of teachers at Lake Roosevelt via email for comment. Pam Johnson, who teaches language arts at the high school and has been a tea...

  • Community leader Colleen Manley passes

    Jan 12, 2022

    Colleen Manley, who started her career as a teller and rose to CEO of the largest credit union headquartered in north-central Washington, died unexpectedly Monday from natural causes. Manley worked at CDFCU for 43 years, starting in 1979. She became president and CEO in 2008, and saw the credit union triple in size before last year’s merger with Spokane-based STCU. After the merger, STCU retained Manley as regional president, leaning heavily on her knowledge to continue meeting the needs of the communities in Okanogan, Ferry, Douglas and L...

  • Omicron COVID variant present locally

    Jan 12, 2022

    There have been 13 new cases of COVID-19 reported in local towns since Dec. 30. Grant County Health District updates case counts on Thursdays, rather than every weekday. explained Public Information Officer Misty Aguilar. But cases seem to be up again, with at least 13 new cases in local towns reported in the past week. In their Jan. 6 update, GCHD reported 502 additional cases since Dec. 30. The Grand Coulee and Electric City area of the county shows 173 covid total cases since the pandemic...

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