News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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A fire across SR-174 from the Lakeview Terrace trailer park was nipped in bud before it could spread through the dry terrain July 17. The fire scorched under half an acre, burning multiple older vehicles, including an old camp trailer, tires, and garbage, according to Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire started at about 1 p.m. when fire departments of Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City responded, as well as Bureau of Reclamation...
The topic of ethnic studies being taught in public schools will be coming up in future school board meetings within the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Monday’s school board meeting continued even after it was adjourned as Superintendent Paul Turner told the board that they should be ready for the topic of “critical race theory,” to come up at future meetings. The term “ethnic studies” is used in state legislation, rather than “critical race theory.” Director of Communications Kate Payne of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instru...
Ben Hughes, running for Grand Coulee City Council, picks his battles when it comes to the issues, and among them is consolidation of Grand Coulee with Electric City. "I love the town, I want to help," Hughes told The Star on Tuesday about why he's running. "We have a really beautiful town full of great people and I want to help those people live a better quality of life if I can." Hughes, who has lived in Grand Coulee since 2015, is interested in bringing in businesses to the community, which...
Local popular target-shooting spots are technically illegal because of federal laws, but state agencies say they are unable to enforce federal laws. A Star article June 16 examined the legality of a popular shooting range at Osborn Bay where a wildfire took place last month. The fire didn’t start at the main shooting range, as “Wildfire brings scrutiny of illegal shooting range” had reported, but at a former shooting area located roughly a quarter to half a mile south of the main shooting range, according to Electric City Fire Chief Mark Payne...
The boat launch at the “Million Dollar Mile” area along SR-155 will be getting a makeover to the tune of $965,000 in grant money from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. “The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to redevelop the Million Dollar North Access Area on Banks Lake in Grant County, about 9 miles north of Coulee City,” a description of the project reads. “The department will pave the entrance road and parking lot and install a restroom, loading platform, a concrete boat launch, and large boulders...
B Street’s closure has been extended as construction on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s fire station remains at a standstill. Grand Coulee’s city council passed a motion last month to allow Mayor Paul Townsend to sign a new agreement with the USBR for the continued closure of B Street near the construction site of the bureau’s fire station. Officials of the bureau attending the June 15 meeting via Zoom included Doug Anderson, chief engineer at the Grand Coulee Dam; Colby Clifford, the contracting officer for the fire station; and Misty Gates,...
With major park improvements on the horizon, Grand Coulee wants to address the issue of vandalism at Shane Proctor Park. The park between the gas station and the Mexican restaurant on SR-174 has experienced numerous incidents of vandalism in recent months, including someone breaking the seats on the see-saws, and trashing the restroom. Since The Star reported on these incidents in May, the restroom has been trashed multiple times, leading to the city simply locking and closing the restroom. Mayor Paul Townsend said the city is looking into...
Don't even think about lighting a firework, smoking or target shooting on public lands in these conditions. The Bureau of Land Management on June 29 announced fire restrictions in the BLM's Spokane District, a temporary ban that takes effect on July 1 in 21 counties including Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Douglas locally, as well as Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima. "The fire... Full story
It’s the Fourth of July weekend, and with local towns all forbidding or severly restricting fireworks use this year, local residents will just have to enjoy the professional fireworks show that launches from the Grand Coulee Dam on Sunday, July 4, at about 10:30 p.m. following the laser show. In the wake of historically high heat over the last week, some municipalities that simply align with state fireworks laws are banning them this week. That includes Electric City, which held an emergency council meeting on June 29 to outright forbid ... Full story
“Koulee Kids Fest was such a great time!” Grand Coulee Dam Area Executive Director Rachel Haven about last Saturday’s event. “I believe it was a success. Kids were smiling from ear to ear all over town.” Three-year-old Cairo Billups won the iPad Mini and Beats headphones grand prize drawing that kids entered by participating in the event. This year’s Koulee Kids Fest featured L-Bow the Clown. “L-Bow the clown was so much fun!” Haven said. “L-Bow’s act included unicycling and juggling, making balloon animals and hats, and the grand finale of a f...
After growing up in Grand Coulee, Michael Thomas now jumps out of helicopters in Bahrain. After graduating from Lake Roosevelt High School in 2016, Thomas went to Western Washington University to pursue a computer science major. But after a semester there, Thomas headed in another direction. His father Dale Thomas had been in the Navy, and friends had joined other branches of the military, so Thomas spoke to a recruiter who showed him the path to becoming an aviation rescue swimmer, someone who...
This past week the Raiders wrestled in the North Central Region qualifier event in Omak on June 15 before the NCR main event in Tonasket June 17 where six Raiders placed to finish the season. In Tonasket, LR placed fourth as a team with 78.5 points, with Royal High School winning the event with 136.5 points. Placers for LR include Colton Jackson, who placed first wrestling in the 120-pound division; Sergio Galacia, first at 195; Arianna Waters, first at 190; Kaylee Landeros, second at 190; Rock...
With a recent wildfire started by a ricocheted bullet adding to safety and noise issues, target shooting at Osborn Bay is a concern for some, and the federal agency that owns the area says it is illegal to target shoot on their lands. In response to the June 5 fire at Osborn Bay, Electric City resident Jerry Kennedy submitted a public comment in an email that was read at Electric City’s June 8 city council meeting. The area lies within city boundaries. Kennedy lives less than a mile north of a common, unofficial shooting range there where a s...
A fire at Osborn Bay in high winds Saturday forced two people there to stay in the water for hours as flames came near enough at times that they could feel the heat. The fire near Osborn Bay, south of Electric City burned approximately 30 acres of sagebrush, dry grass, trees, and other vegetation in high winds on Saturday after a bullet ricocheted and started the fire. Electric City Fire Chief Mark Payne said the fire started at approximately 12:55 p.m. when a man shooting in the area reported...
A Lake Roosevelt student-athlete testing positive for COVID has led to students quarantining and basketball games being cancelled, but an outdoor graduation ceremony is still planned for Saturday. Basketball games on June 4, 5, 7, and 8 were canceled as a result of the situation. A June 5 notice on the Raider’s athletic website announced that a student-athlete had tested positive for Covid resulting in the basketball teams quarantining. A June 7th update on the school’s Facebook page explained that in response, the school’s “admin team has been... Full story
Get your passports ready; Koulee Kids Fest is taking place on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lots of free activities for kids to participate in around the town. The “passports” are used by the kids to go to various activities and get their passports stamped at up to 16 local businesses offering fun activities to qualify to win prizes. “My hope for Koulee Kids Fest is for it to draw families outside, support the community, and engage in some safe and fun activities,” Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Executive Directo...
Hotter and drier summers seem to be the trend in climate changes locally as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the new U.S. Climate Normals for 1991-2020. The NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce and updates the climate normals every 10 years using a 30-year range of data. Comparing the 1991-2020 data to the previous 1981-2010 data shows that the Spokane area, like much of the western U.S., is experiencing hotter and drier summers. Including here. "Vegetation drie...
The Grand Coulee Library has a new librarian, Catherine Matthews, and she's excited to meet you. Matthews moved to Electric City by way of Whidbey Island and started work at the library on May 18. Speaking with The Star by phone, Matthews explained her love of books and libraries. She said that she always went to her local public library as she was growing up and got exposed to different viewpoints and opinions. "I read a lot," she said. "I read very widely, across genres and lots of different...
Voters will decide on about 30 positions up for election in the 2021 elections for local town councils, school boards, and more. The primary elections will take place in August, while the general election will take place in November. Grand Coulee Three seats on the Grand Coulee City Council are up for reelection this year, all to four-year terms. Three candidates have filed their intentions to seek Council Position #1, currently held by Tammara Byers who is not running for reelection. The candidates who have filed are: Ben Hughes, Tracey...
Social media has become such a big part of modern life, to the point that now the Grand Coulee Dam School District has an employee policy about it. The district’s board of directors approved a social media policy during their May 24 meeting. Superintendent Paul Turner explained to The Star that the policy isn’t required by the state but rather “is preemptive” and “also initiated because of some previous issues.” Turner declined to elaborate on the nature of those previous issues. “Without a policy, there is no guidance to stay consistent wh...
The City of Grand Coulee would like a couple of questions addressed before extending their B Street closure agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. One end of B Street has been blocked off near the bureau’s fire station construction site since 2017, and numerous delays in that construction project have kept the road closed. B Street connects to SR-155 through the bureau-owned Industrial Road, with the area between B Street and SR-155 being closed off. At their May 18 council meeting, the council discussed wanting emergency access t...
The Lady Raiders basketball team won two games overwhelmingly, and another game by just one point to start their season/ In Coulee Dam May 25, the Lady Raiders led 56-12 at halftime against Oroville, kept Oroville scoreless in the third quarter to lead 73-12, then won the game with an 82-26 final score. On the road May 26 against Liberty Bell, LR won by just one point with a final of 52-51. Then the Lady Raiders annihilated Wahluke 53-6 in a May 28 road game. LR was scheduled to play Tonasket...
Lake Roosevelt High School’s Class of 2021 graduation is slated for June 12 on the football field in Coulee Dam, with more details still being developed. “Seniors voted to have graduation outdoors on the football field and so we are moving forward with developing plans,” Principal Kirk Marshlain wrote in his report to the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors for their May 24 meeting. “This will allow for graduates to have more guests present for the ceremony. More details to come as we finalize the plans.” During the meeting,...
Located along SR-174, Grand Coulee City Park, also known as Shane Proctor Park, has experienced incidents of vandalism this spring and the mayor would like citizens to keep an eye out for that type of destructive behavior and report it. This spring, someone smashed the seats of the teeter-totters in the park, and in a separate incident someone crammed the toilet full of toilet paper, a plastic jug, and other garbage. “It’s just a shame,” Mayor Paul Townsend told The Star on Tuesday. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with people. It makes me si...
Vroom vroom! You can see a variety of cars or show off your own at a car show in Grand Coulee on June 19 in a car show being held on Main Street. The Diversity Divine Auto Show, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be held by Coulee Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sam Hsieh through his organization The Divine Appeal. “The MO at The Divine Appeal has always been breaking boundaries and challenging the status quo,” a description for the show reads online. “One group that carries this loud and proud is no other than our car scene enthusi...