Newsbriefs

Triathlon

volunteers

to meet

A meeting of volunteers for the Grand Columbian Triathlon, scheduled for Sept. 21, has been set for Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the LaPresa Restaurant in Grand Coulee at 6:30 p.m.

Dana Barkdull, of TriFreaks, the sponsoring firm, stated that it takes a lot of volunteers to put on the triathlon and asked everyone who would like to participate to attend the meeting.

Group on bikes at meet and greet

The Coulee Dam Community Church will host a group of bicyclists next week on a Rhode Island-to-Seattle trek to raise money and awareness for affordable housing.

If you like to bike and want to support affordable housing, the church invites you to meet with the Bike & Build group for dinner at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Aug. 13, and hear stories about their experiences along their 3,914-mile and 70-day trip.

Bike & Build says it has has contributed more than $4 million to housing groups to fund projects planned and executed by young adults.

You can learn more at bikeandbuild.org or if you have any questions you can call the church office at 633-1790.

A separate bicycling group, also supporting the housing cause, stopped in the area Monday night.

Astronomy

alert

A National Park Service program will give people a chance to take in a little astronomy this week.

National and state parks offer some of the few places left where the night sky isn’t obscured by light pollution, notes NPS Education Specialist Janice Elvidge, who says the Grand Coulee Dam area offers “spectacular views of the night, and daytime, sky.”

Elvidge is planning both “solar observation” and “stargazing” events.

Thursday, Aug. 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Spring Canyon day use area, you can find out what the sun looks like using solar filtered telescopes and solar glasses for safe viewing of the nearest star.

The “Solar Observation” event is scheduled to repeat on Aug. 10 at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center from 1 to 3 p.m.

“Stargazing and Sky Tours” are set for both evenings from 8:30-11:30 p.m. at Crescent Bay.

They’ll also watch for meteors in the Perseid Meteor Showers, which should peak August 12-13 but are visible even now.

The events are free to all and will only be canceled in case of cloudy skies.

Serious

volunteers

wanted

Grant County commissioners said last week they are looking for citizens interested in serving on the county’s civil service commission or its housing authority.

The Civil Service Commission meets once a quarter to set rules, give exams, hear appeals and complaints and create eligibility lists of those seeking county employment.

Applications will be accepted until Aug. 15.

The Housing Authority owns and manages $65 million in real estate and administers the Housing Choice Voucher program and operates state and federally funded Homeless Assistance programs.

Its commissioners meet once a month for about three hours.

Applications will be accepted until Aug. 19.

Neither position is compensated except for training and travel.

Applications are available online at http://www.grantcountyweb.com. The County Commissioners’ office can be reached at 509-754-2011.