News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Fourth of July fast approaching, but don’t plan on setting off fireworks from North Dam again this year; it’s still unavailable as a launching location. The chamber of commerce’s Festival of America event, typically held below the Grand Coulee Dam, with fireworks launched from it, also will not be held this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lighting of personal fireworks from North Dam, a popular spot for years, will not be available, as it was not last year. “Last year on July 4, fireworks were not allowed on top of North Dam bec... Full story
Anyone in the market for a Jeep? The Electric City council voted on June 9 to put the city’s 2018 Jeep Renegade Sports edition, which has only around 5,000 miles on it, up for bid. The city bought the Jeep just last year when the city had a completely different council, mayor, and city clerk. The minimum bid for the Jeep is $17,000. The council was in agreement that although the trade-in value for the vehicle was around $13,000, trade-in values are lower than the actual value, and that the vehicle’s low mileage made it worth more. The cou...
In early June, the financial website WalletHub released its rankings of “Best and Worse State Economies” and Washington led the field of 51 as best by a healthy margin. WalletHub economists viewed the states from three key dimensions---economic activity, economic health and innovation potential. Then the analysts from Dartmouth and Carthage colleges and the University of Texas-Austin looked at 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength when comparing all 50 states and the Dis...
In 1946, a state park at Crown Point was proposed to attract tourists to the Northwest and Grand Coulee Dam. That initial park design showed a 320- by 220-foot state relief model and exhibition building, along with a 500-foot aluminum tower equipped with an elevator and topped with a rotating searchlight; estimated to cost $2 million. Work to build a road to Crown Point began in 1950 and the park property obtained from the government shortly thereafter. That initial design would subsequently be...
The institution of public school will look a lot different in the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 health precautions that will still be in place, and schools are now beginning to grapple with freshly issued state guidelines that bring the challenges into focus. Last week, the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction released guidelines for how to resume school in the 2020-21 school year in keeping with Department of Health safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines anticipate a return to the... Full story
If you own a business in Electric City that was hurt financially by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you should soon be able to apply for a grant with the city to receive relief funds for which the city is eligible. City Clerk Peggy Nevsimal addressed the city council on the topic at their June 9 meeting. Nevsimal said she has spoken with the Washington State Department of Commerce about setting up a grant program to distribute some of the $30,900 the city is eligible for as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act p... Full story
Koulee Kids Fest will take place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and one lucky child will win an iPad Mini and a pair of Beats headphones. Children of any age participating in Koulee Kids Fest will pick up a “passport,” then take it to area businesses where they will pick up kits, a treat, or take part in an activity that follows social distance guidelines. Each location will stamp their passport, and six stamps qualify a child to win the iPad Mini and Beats headphones grand prize by dropping their passport off at the Grand Coulee Dam...
Coulee Medical Center has been going through masks like hotcakes during the COVID-19 pandemic and would be grateful to receive more from local mask makers. “Our mask utilization has increased significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” CMC Chief Nursing Officer Marlene Elliott told The Star in an email Monday. “We are currently requiring universal masking for all staff, as well as any patient or visitor who enters our facility. … Average mask utilization for staff is approximately 30 to 50 per day using conservation methods... Full story
People are evidently cleaning up, and so is the local dump. Increased business at the Delano Transfer Station has brought in enough extra money this spring to offset much of a projected loss, so rates will rise only slightly. Dump rates will be raised $2 a ton, a negligible amount for casual dumpers, while spring cleaning has led to an increase in dumping and extra cash for the transfer station. Originally, in October of 2019, the Regional Board of Mayors had voted to raise dump rates at the Delano Regional Transfer Station half a cent a pound,...
What do you think of the fact that the USBR has closed the parking area on the top of the dam? It is a wonderful place to park and look out at the lake and surrounding country. It is a great place to watch the moon rise and visit with friends and family or make new friends. I contacted them today (June 11) and asked why it needed to be closed 24/7. They use the area for checking temperatures of employees for maybe up to 60 minutes a day, four to five days a week. I asked why they couldn’t open it up for the community and tourists and was t...
While the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest are front page news, China’s unrelenting push to leap over our country in critical technology and hoarding of strategic metals should alarm us. Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, there has been an unprecedented worldwide demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). Tensions between our countries fueled the widespread fear that Chinese imports would disappear. China provided 48 percent of our PPE imports in 2018, but Chinese exports of e...
Schools are looking at how to successfully implement changes that will be put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a new Star survey seeks the opinions of local parents, students, and staff members. Last week The Star reported on changes schools are facing for the 2020-21 school year after guidelines were released by the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Those guidelines include rules such as those requiring all students and staff to wear face coverings and maintain a distance from one another. Those rules ha... Full story
The people have spoken! Results are in from a Star poll on the topic of wearing masks in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, a controversial topic nationally. Last week The Star posted an online poll asking readers if they wore masks in public, and why or why not. The poll received 214 responses as of Tuesday, the most of any poll conducted by The Star in recent years. The majority, 118 (55.14%) said they do wear a mask when out in public near people; 74 (34.58%) responded that they don't; and... Full story
People who spend recreational time at Spring Canyon told the National Park Service their concerns over potential changes for the park. The NPS collected 83 comments on their Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Draft Visitor Use Site Management Plan and Environmental Assessment before the comment period ended on May 30. The draft plan lists potential changes to nine sites along Lake Roosevelt, including Spring Canyon. A list of potential actions relevant to all sites along Lake Roosevelt,...
CORRECTION: This article has been amended to show the correct graduation date for Lake Roosevelt, which is June 13. Okanogan County enters Phase 2, meaning locally, among other things, that Lake Roosevelt’s modified graduation ceremony can go on as scheduled; however, reservation restrictions vary from the county’s. On June 5, Okanogan County entered Phase 2 of Washington State’s Safe Start plan for reopening businesses and activities in Washington. “While moving to Phase 2 is an important step, we still have work ahead of us to stay in Phas... Full story
From a respectable distance, we all enjoy watching an active thunderstorm and the lightning show. When it’s close, hopefully we’re practicing common sense and sheltering ourselves from what could be a deadly lightning strike. It’s spectacular stuff; lightning flashes, then we hear the crackling and boom sound that accompanies lightning. I’m sure we have all seen some really awesome storms with lightning displays that are spell binding. Most folks generally know what lightning is, I think....
Public meetings, including those of city councils, school boards, and various districts, will need to continue to be held telephonically, a requirement that might lead to an expanded means of public participation in at least one local city. Gov. Jay Inslee extended proclamations related to COVID-19 restrictions Friday, including proclamations related to public meetings forbidding them from being held in person. "The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and its progression in Washington State continues... Full story
The Grand Coulee City Council approved a $3.57 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Thursday to continue to use the Grand Coulee Police Department to provide additional security services at the Grand Coulee Dam. The contract, approved and effective as of May 22, expires on May 31, 2025. The city’s old contract with the bureau expired in November 2019, which led to a six-month extension while a new contract was negotiated. The Star was unable to obtain specific details of the new contract but reported in February t...
Even before the order went statewide Friday directing widespread wearing of masks in public and requiring business to mandate it for employees not working alone, Grant County health authorities had already decided that protection was necessary. It is now mandatory to wear face masks in many public situations in Grant County, which recently entered Phase 2 of the Washington’s Safe Start Recovery Plan. “After much consideration, research, and consultation, Grant County Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny is issuing a Health Officer Dir... Full story
As “distance learning” continues at Lake Roosevelt Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic that has kept students out of classrooms, principals weigh in on students’ participation in online classes. During the May 26 school board meeting, held electronically via Zoom, the topic of student participation came up. LR Elementary School Principal Lisa Lakin said teachers are getting participation from about 65% of their students. “Every week that students ‘check in’ with their teacher they are counted as attending,” Lakin’s report to the board, incl... Full story
A statewide health care campaign is urging people not to delay getting treated for any other health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that hospitals can still treat non-COVID issues. Dr. Sam Hsieh, Coulee Medical Center’s chief medical officer, told The Star in an email on Monday that “there is a national drop of 60% of normal visits for primary and specialty care visits.” The Spokesman Review recently reported on the issue of people delaying their healthcare, reporting that Washington state doctors have cited instances of pe... Full story
Lake Roosevelt’s COVID-19 era graduation should go on as planned despite Okanogan County currently being in Phase 1 of Washington State’s Safe Start Recovery Plan. Graduation is scheduled to be held June 13 at 7 p.m. at the Lake Roosevelt football field where social distancing guidelines will mean limited interaction, attendees staying in their cars, graduates walking on and off the field one at a time to collect their diplomas, and slideshows and speeches being projected onto large screens on the field. Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High Sch... Full story
Camping is still closed in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, including at Spring Canyon, and boat launch fees can only be paid by credit card now. The National Park Service said Monday that the closure of campgrounds is continuing until further notice to help quell the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Four of the five counties that border the lake, Lincoln, Stevens, Ferry, and Grant are in Phase 2 of Washington state's Safe Start recovery plan, with Okanogan still being in Phase 1.... Full story
Grand Coulee Dam and the Spokane's Golden Jubilee of 1939 The “Great Spokane Fire” occurred on August 4, 1889, destroying 32 downtown city blocks. Exactly 50 years later, Spokane would host the “Golden Jubilee” statehood celebration. For this celebration “Wooden Money” or scrip was produced with a value of 5 cents. Scrip was given to Spokane residents, tribal members, and workers building the Grand Coulee Dam. Three script versions were made and included pictures of the Dam, James Glover (Father of Spokane), and Curly Jim (Spokane Tribe). The c...
With time running out, people with ideas about plans emerging for Spring Canyon, the popular beach and park on Lake Roosevelt just east of Grand Coulee, should make them known to the National Park Service. You have until the end of the day on May 30 to comment on potential changes at Spring Canyon, including the removal of the swim dock, removal of the concession building, and more. The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Draft Visitor Use Site Management Plan and Environmental Assessment is available to view online and available for...