We're all in this together
We're all in this together
As the nation celebrates 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Grand Coulee Dam area is celebrating too, and at the Festival of America that means three days with kids' games, fun, a beer garden, and vendors, and two afternoons and evenings with live music, then the culmination of the festival with fireworks off the top of Grand Coulee Dam on July 4th. See our guide to the festival in this issue's second section. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, which...
The SR-155 bridge over the Columbia River in Coulee Dam will be getting some "emergency repairs" starting next Monday. The Washington State Department of Transportation issued a maintenance alert Monday. Expect alternating one-lane and two-lane traffic, reduced speed limits, and flaggers at milepost 28 until Aug. 17 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. while crews perform emergency repairs on the bridge deck. Above, a look at the type of problems that have been developing and local drivers have been concerned...
Town council members last week turned down a request from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to amend their fiber optics franchise with Coulee Dam, with the mayor arguing the change would interfere with a longplanned power line replacement project. At the June 24 council meeting, Mayor Bob Poch said the proposed fiber easement would run in the same narrow corridor where the town and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have been working for 15 to 17 years to replace electrical feeders 1 and 3 coming down the hill into town. The...
Federal grants will help four communities expand broadband access in underserved and unserved areas of the state, including the Colville Tribes, Communities in Island, Kitsap and Okanogan counties will receive a combined $5.1 million for four broadband projects to enhance online education, telehealth, public safety and local economic development opportunities, while extending reliable, high-speed broadband access to unserved or underserved households and businesses, a release from the state Department of Commerce stated this week. The funding...
A man walks on the sidewalk along highway 155 approaching Grand Coulee Dam, where the Bureau of Reclamation adorned fences and walls with patriotic buntings and American flags on light poles amidst a community contest those planned inspired. - Scott Hunter...
After a commissioner work session at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, the Board of County Commissioners chose not to ban the sales or discharge of fireworks for unincorporated Grant County (outside city limits). The open public meeting included a statement from the fire marshal, discussion with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and public comments, a press release from the commissioners stated. They urge the public to use fireworks safely during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The fire marshal has determined that extreme fire danger exists...
C. S. Lewis wrote and gave a sermon titled, Learning in Wartime. He presented his sermon at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Oxford, England, in the fall of 1939. World War 2 was underway. Here’s a little piece from that sermon. “…we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and we need something to set against the present …” Our nation has reached its 250th year of our common history. Congratulations my...
Spreading spurious gossip is never appropriate in a civilized society, but it’s especially egregious when attempting to make a moral point or dispute an opinion. I have never met Hunter Biden, and I likely never will, but I admire that he has done the hard work of getting and staying clean and sober, especially while in the harsh political spotlight. Part of his process has been acknowledging the hurt he caused his family and friends, asking for their forgiveness, and making amends. To question his motives is the sort of gutter mentality...
July 3, 1988, Iran Air flight 655 was destroyed while flying over the Persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz. The Airbus A300 was shot down by surface to air missiles fired from the US Navy USS Vincennes. The airliner was identified as an enemy jet fighter. The aircraft was an International Flight heading to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, having departed Bandar Abbas, Iran. Iran and Iraq were at war and had been attacking each other’s oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Several nations had war ships in the region to safeguard the safe transit of...
If you have traveled a lot, or are just beginning to take a trip. Most things may seem odd, particularly if it’s a foreign trip. Language may be a problem. I usually purchased a foreign dictionary so I could look up key words. In Japan, I discovered that my guide knew very little English, but he also had a dictionary, so we got by okay. I had been invited to have dinner with a Japanese family who gave me instructions to take while on the subway. I was worried that I would miss my stop. A Japanese man sitting next to me assured me that he...
1:60 hydraulic model of Grand Coulee Dam. This view, taken immediately downstream from the left powerhouse, shows the spillway section with the equivalent of 250,000 second feet of water passing over the drum gates. – Aug. 24,...
Area AA Meetings In Electric City, the New Hope group now holds its meetings Monday thru Friday @ 6 pm every night, at the Vets Center in Electric cCty. Wa. Need more info? Call Betty at 509-429-7817 . In Nespelem, the group Bound and Detemined holds its meetings Monday evening at 7 p.m. at the Catholic Church. Contact Myrna at 634-4921. Food Bank Hours The food bank regular hours are Fridays from, 1-3 p.m. Questions call Pastor Shawn at 633-2566. Attention Vets A Veterans Service Officer will be at the Electric City Post every 2nd Tuesday of...
If you've frequented Spring Canyon over the years, you may have witnessed scouts training for canoe trekking and safety. Six of them put that training to use last week. Grand Coulee Troop 6024 scouts and three adult leaders set out from Orroville, Washington, Wednesday, on a 50-mile trip, the scout leaders reported this week. The voyage's adventures included encountering level-2 rapids, small waterfalls, sleeping on islands, and the most dangerous of all - smooth grass where a scout lost his...
A Celebration of Life for Joan Carlson Gardner will be held 3pm Thursday July 9, at the Coulee Dam City Hall. Come celebrate her life with her family and...
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...
Notice of Public Hearing Town of Coulee Dam NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held to consider the Six-Year Comprehensive Street Program (TIP) for 2027 – 2032. The Public Hearing will be held in the Coulee Dam Town Hall Council Chambers, 300 Lincoln Ave, Coulee Dam Washington, at the regular council meeting of Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at which time the public may give written or oral testimony. Stefani Bowden Clerk/Treasurer (Publish June 24, 2026 and July 1, 2026) Colville Confederated Tribes Department of...
