The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Early deadline for Labor Day

The Star newspaper will be closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. Deadline for news and advertising for the Sept. 7 newspaper is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2.

Parent night at LR schools

tonight

Tonight (Wednesday) is parent night at Lake Roosevelt Schools from 5-7 p.m. A representative from Hoffman’s Music of Spokane will be on hand in the elementary cafeteria to talk about renting or purchasing a musical instrument. Anyone wishing to sponsor a student’s rental for the year can call Karen Pace at 633-1442 or email her at kpace@gcdsd.org.

Fire updates

The Cayuse Mountain fire near Wellpinit on the Spokane

Indian reservation was reported as 85 percent contained Tuesday. The fire had destroyed 14 houses and nine other structures, and had burned over 18,714 acres. The fire started Aug. 21, and 422 fire personnel have been assigned to the blaze that started when the Hart Fire jumped the Spokane River arm of Lake Roosevelt. That fire burned nearly 5,000 acres, 14 residences and 25 outbuildings. The Porcupine Bay Campground, day-use area, and boat launch reopened Monday morning, the National Park Service said.

Household

hazardous waste day

coming

Grand Coulee Dam area residents may dispose of household hazardous waste for free, Friday, Sept. 9, from noon to 4 pm. at the Delano Regional Transfer Station. Only hazardous waste generated by households will be accepted.

Town not

interested

in USBR bid

Coulee Dam will not offer a bid to provide police services to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Grand Coulee Dam. Mayor Greg Wilder said requirements of the latest call for bids would cause the town to lose money, a far cry from the earliest contracts that saw local police departments provided with equipment and cars, plus money for more officers.

Wilder had asked the town council a month ago if anyone thought the contract should be pursued. He said at last Wednesday’s council meeting that no one on the council seemed any more interested than he was.

Lake going down

The Bureau of Reclamation has started its annual fall drawdown of Lake Roosevelt to help fish migration downstream and boaters should be aware of the lowering lake, the agency warned on its Facebook page.

“If you are planning to go out on the Lake this weekend please be aware of the elevation of your desired boat launch,” their post says, noting that some boat launches are already dry and others that are shallow could be dry after a day on the lake, leaving boaters with no way to trailer their boats.