We're all in this together
We're all in this together
by Scott Hunter It's been 69 years since Nespelem High School graduated a class of students, but that longed-for possibility finally became a reality last week. A class of nine students graduated May 29, 2025, in a commencement ceremony before a gym full of relatives and community members. Nespelem School Board Chair Jolene Marchand, in a commencement address, related the story of the dream now come true. In 1956 the state said it was consolidating schools. Nespelem's high school was closed,...
Matt Ponusky is no stranger to the city of Grand Coulee. He served it as a police officer for about seven years, then transferred to Coulee Dam's police department at the end of 2023. Now, he's back - as the chief of police. Hiring him ends a long slog for the city, which started looking for a new chief before longtime chief John Tufts retired in March, 2024. The post has been filled either by an interim chief or not at all since then. Turns out finding a chief of police is not too easy....
Parents will be able to track their kids as if they were being delivered by UPS. That’s because school bus drivers in the Grand Coulee Dam School District will log on and off each child who rides their bus, with new devices and software to help keep track of the students. And, of course, there’s an app for that. Parents can follow their kids’ buses on their phones and know what time the child will be dropped off, said Superintendent Rod Broadnax at his last “Coffee with the Superintendent” May 27 at Voltage Coffee House. “We’ve...
The final 2025–2027 operating budget for Washington state reneges on earlier commitments made by the state in 2022. Funding to expand the Imagination Library of Washington was not included in the final budget, which could impact over 121,000 children currently enrolled in the program. Founded by Dolly Parton in 1995 in honor of her father — who could not read or write — the Imagination Library is the flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation. The program provides children from birth to age 5 with a high-quality, age- appropriate book...
Until August of 1934, German judges swore an oath that reflected the spirit of the democratic Weimar republic: “I swear loyalty to the Constitution, obedience to the law, and conscientious fulfillment of the duties of my office, so help me God.” But that fateful summer, the judicial oath was tweaked just a wee bit: “I swear loyalty to the Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, obedience to the law, and conscientious fulfillment of the duties of my office, so help me God.” Donald Trump would love to mimic what Hitler...
I moved from the Idaho Free Press in Nampa to the Idaho Statesman in Boise. It was only a 20-mile move in distance, but a mile in experience. While it nearly doubled my salary, the move was a dangerous one for me. It was in the spring, and baseball season was just starting. My early major assignment was to cover Boise’s team and the Pioneer League. The Pioneer League was a Class C League and Boise was a Milwaukee minor league team. The Pioneer League at the time was made up of Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Billings, Missoula and Great...
Although President Donald Trump and Harvard’s recent spats make headlines, key issues in question affect all higher education. Harvard, our nation’s first college (1636), is a center of current civil disruption and antisemitic behavior. The timing is bad because high school graduates are finalizing their college choices or deciding to forego college altogether. The news comes after graduates see existing student loans payments reinstated after a four-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Morgan Stanley economists estimate there are 5.6...
June 8, 1861, Citizens of Tennessee voted in favor of secession from the United States. In the Eastern mountainous part if the state, voters opposed secession by a large margin. There were few slave owners in that region. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s Vice President in his second term as president, was from Eastern Tennessee. Tennessee was a border state between the southern and northern states. Some Tennesseeians fought with the Confederate Army, while others fought with the Union Army. Notable...
Fire Dist. 14 to Meet Grant County Fire District #14 will hold its regular monthly meeting Monday, June 9th, 2025, at 6pm at the Electric City Fire Station. Area AA Meetings In Electric City, the New Hope group holds its meetings Monday through Friday evenings at 6pm at the Vets Center. There is also a noon meeting every Wednesday. These meetings are open and non-smoking. For more information, contact Paul 631-4551 or Phyllis 631-1187. In Nespelem, the group Bound and Determined holds its meetings Monday evening at 7 p.m. at the Catholic...
The GCD Care and Share Food Bank is needing help in restocking the shelves. List of needed items includes: • canned vegetables • canned fruit • pasta • peanut butter • macaroni and cheese • canned soup • Hamburger Helper meals • and canned meat. Every donation helps and monetary donations are also accepted. Make checks out to GCD Care and Share Food Bank. You can also mail donations to PO Box 671, Grand Coulee, WA...
Grand Coulee Police 5/13 - A woman heard a car hit hers from inside her Spokane Way residence. It seemed the vehicle hit her Chevy Malibu, pushing it into a man’s Chevy Impala before taking off. A broken off piece of plastic from the suspect vehicle belonged to a Jeep Cherokee between years 2014-2018. Security footage from a nearby carwash showed a white Jeep driving on Spokane Way towards SR-174 in the parking lane, hitting the first Chevy, pushing it into the other, causing damage to the vehicles. An officer found a white Jeep with...
There is a $50 charge for obituaries published in the Star. This includes a photo and up to 500 words. Reminders for Celebrations of Life and Death Notices are $25. Articles must be either e-mailed, faxed or dropped off at the Star office. They will not be accepted over the phone. The deadline to submit an article is Monday by 5 p.m. For more information, call 509.633.1350 or visit our website at... Full story
The Grand Coulee High School Alumni Association is offering scholarships in the amount of $500 to two members of the Lake Roosevelt Jr.-Sr. High School Class of 2025: Riley Ayling and Heidi White. Both students wrote of high levels of engagement in high school life, including success in academics, extracurricular activities, and community service, as well as focused goals going forward after high school. Six students from out of the area who are descendants of graduates of Grand Coulee High School prior to its consolidation with Coulee Dam...
Lake Roosevelt track and field athletes did themselves proud last week, setting personal records at the state meet and earning one big mention from the governing body of Washington state high school athletics. That would be for senior John Cooley, whom the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) named athlete of the week May 28, noting his achievements the week before: "John Cooley qualified for Districts in four events: 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, long jump, and triple jump....
2025 MRSC ROSTERS SMALL PUBLIC WORKS, CONSULTANT, and VENDOR ROSTERS FOR PARTICIPATING WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LOCATED IN EASTERN WASHINGTON The Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC) hereby advertises on behalf of the below listed government agencies in Washington State in Eastern Washington (Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Adams, Whitman, Garfield, Asotin, Spokane, Lincoln, Ferry Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties), including - but not limited to - cities (Title 35 RCW and Title 35A RCW), counties (Title...
