Sworn in, but planning a re-do

A new mayor and three new Coulee Dam council members swore their oaths of office before Clerk Stefani Bowden Thursday afternoon, Dec. 28, but a more formal and public ceremony is planned for next week.

Mayor Larry Price had to be sworn in before the end of the year to avoid a void in city leadership as former mayor Greg Wilder’s term ended as 2017 did.

Price said a re-do is planned so anyone who wants to attend, including friends and family of the new officeholders, could do so during the first council meeting of the new year on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m., when a light agenda is planned.

Elected along with Price last November, new council members Marcia Warneke, Fred Netzel and Bob Poch will take their seats at the council table next Wednesday night.

Free screening of film offered

A free screening of the film “United By Water,” which documents local tribal communities traveling to Kettle Falls, the fishing site of their ancestors, will take place at the Lucy Covington Government Center in Nespelem Jan. 10 from 12:30-2 p.m. and is open to the public. The film is narrated by famed author Sherman Alexie and shows the building of the dugout canoes, the physical and spiritual journey up the Columbia River, and the historic landing at Kettle Falls.

Hunting rights case upheld

The British Columbia Supreme Court dismissed an appeal of the March 2017 Desautel hunting rights case which won the rights for Sinixt/Arrow Lakes tribal members to hunt in Canada on their traditional territory. Rick Desautel, who in 2010 was charged with hunting elk as a non-resident, said of the case being upheld that he is “extremely pleased to see the spiritually important decision of the Provincial Court upheld, again confirming our indigenous traditions and natural laws,” a press release from the Colville Confederated Tribes said Thursday.

Dog officer benefits from grant

A Grant County Sheriff’s Office canine deputy has received body armor, thanks to Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet- and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement.

The vest for “Edo” was sponsored by Shana Greene of Newcastle, Washington and embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love–Trained to Serve–Loyal Always.”

The vest is valued at between $1,744 and $2,283.