Newsbriefs

B Street closure could last another year

Grand Coulee City Council decided to wait another month before approving a time extension for the closure of the east end of B Street during the construction of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s fire station. Council members said it would be smart to ask the USBR to agree to repair the street after they are done using it for the construction. They said the USBR expects the station to be done in spring of 2019, but the extension would allow for the closure of the road to last until October of 2019. The road is still available to be used as a detour during the Colorama parade and for Run the Dam, as needed.

Paper to close for holiday

The Star will be closed Monday, Sept. 3, for Labor Day. The deadline for community news is Friday at 5 p.m. Classified ads can be accepted online at grandcoulee.com until Monday at 5.

Grand Coulee to shop around for insurance

Grand Coulee voted to go out to bid for the city’s insurance for 2020.

Council members reasoned the city would be wise to at least look for a better deal periodically. The city is currently insured through CIAW.

New mosquito board member named

Grand Coulee resident Hank Wiebe was approved by city council to serve on the Grant County Mosquito District 2 board. Wiebe joins fellow board members Carl Russell, Ken Anderson, Dennis Lohrman, and Scott Gerrits

.

Licensing offices, online service will close for upgrades

The Vehicle/Vessel Licensing department in the Okanogan County Auditor’s office, along with the sub-agent offices in Brewster, Oroville, Tonasket and Twisp, will be closed on Friday, Aug. 31, due to an update to the DOL licensing system.

In addition to the office closures, online services may not be available between the evening of Aug. 30 and Tuesday, Sept. 4. Online customers may also experience intermittent outages in the weeks prior, and perhaps after, the transition.

During this statewide closure, the DOL computers will be unavailable, a press release said.

Company will offer wildfire safety materials

Molina Healthcare will host a wildfire preparedness event at the Wednesday Market in the Park in North Dam Park next week. Molina will provide educational materials on fire safety, Molina bags, hand sanitizers, bandage dispensers and face masks for kids and adults, the healthcare organization for families on Medicaid, Medicare and other government-funded programs said Tuesday.