News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Service looks a little different lately at the Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Coulee. COVID-19 social restrictions won't allow typical gatherings, but drive-in services are being allowed now. On Sunday, May 17, Pastor Shawn Neider gave a sermon standing on a stump on the grass at the church, while 28 people sat in 16 vehicles, comparable to the church's normal attendance numbers, parked there to hear him. Neider said that he spoke "about our balance of church and state, obeying God and how...
This year's Lake Roosevelt High School graduation ceremony will likely look a lot different than those of their older siblings, friends, parents, or grandparents. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected yet another part of our lives, with the social distancing requirements making the rite of passage of graduating from a high school all the more difficult. Graduation will be held June 13 at 7 p.m according to a plan reviewed by the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors Monday night.... Full story
Rachelle Haven took the reins as executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce in April during a strange year for a local economy that counts on tourism. Haven moved here 10 years ago, but has been coming here longer. "I grew up on the coast, but my dad is a 'Grand Coulee original,' and I still have many family members located here," she said. "I grew up spending my summers in the Coulee with my grandparents and fell in love with the area. I decided that Coulee was my home... Full story
Some have asked what we can expect this summer — weather and wildfire conditions. I’ll share what the Washington state climatologist states in the most recent monthly report: “The National Climate Prediction Center (CPC) May outlook has increased chances of above normal temperatures across the entire state. Slightly lower chances of above normal temperatures exist for a pocket in the northeast corner. The May precipitation outlook is split with equal chances of above, below or equal preci...
By now it is apparent that, barring a miracle, a cure for COVID-19 will not happen soon; however, to make it a condition of removing the economic lockdown would be a catastrophic mistake. They must coexist. The shocking news that America’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to 14.7% as employers cut 20.5 million jobs last month is demoralizing. It is approaching Great Depression numbers. The bottom line is our country needs people working in safe surroundings. The fact is the COVID-19 pandemic may f...
In the Grand Coulee Dam School District, teachers, students, and parents have been navigating the uncharted waters and new paradigm of "distance learning" for the past few weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and education leaders expect it to continue as a feature of schooling after the crisis ends. "I am really proud of the work that we've done through the past few weeks with implementing our distance learning plan," said Kirk Marshlain, principal of Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School.... Full story
Grand Coulee Dam School District’s budget is anticipated to be in good standing this coming school year, but maybe not the year after. “I think we’re going to be OK,” Superintendent Paul Turner told the school board April 26 in a meeting held via Zoom. “My bigger worry is 2021-22.” The optimism was a shift in tone from the previous board meeting in which larger cuts were anticipated in school revenues due to the strain on the state’s funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Turner said that cuts aren’t anticipated to be made by state l...
With this year's Colorama festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to take a look back at the history of the event that has been an integral part of the coulee community in one shape or another for over six decades. The festival evolved over the years. According to books on the subject compiled by the Coulee Pioneer Museum, which reference old newspaper articles, the Grand Coulee Rodeo, which was first held in 1935 or 1936, evolved into the Western Festival in 1954, a joint...
Bids to build the construction railroad were received May 17, 1934, and 22 firms competed for the work. The two low bidders were L. Coluccio of Seattle, and David H. Ryan of San Diego. Irregularities were found in the Coluccio bid, resulting in an investigation of the bids. They came in at Ryan at $235,570 and Coluccio at $236,925. The contract was awarded to Ryan on July 17, 1934, and a notice to proceed was issued August 8, 1934. Ryan claimed to be able to outbid anyone else by already being...
We are all frontline workers, a local doctor says, and we need to be creative in our lives. Dr. Sam Hsieh, a general surgeon and chief of staff at Coulee Medical Center, has given out over 100 caps with a special Chinese character on the front within an imperfect frame and the word "#Frontline" on the back. Hsieh's goal is to give the caps, made by Sunflower Graphics in Grand Coulee, out to all the health care workers at CMC. The symbol, according to a letter Hsieh gives out with the caps,... Full story
Nespelem School is at more of a disadvantage when it comes to distance learning, Superintendent Mary Hall told The Star, explaining that being in such a rural area limits access to the internet, as well as cell phone service. Hall said teachers do put together learning packets that are handed out when the school delivers lunches to students, and that teachers call the families or have the students call them to check in on their learning. Helpful websites are recommended to those with internet access, but many don’t have it, Hall said. “It’s jus... Full story
What would a high school graduation ceremony look like under social distancing guidelines in place during the novel coronavirus pandemic? At Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School, Dean of Students Sara Kennedy said that she and Principal Kirk Marshlain have been going through the results of a survey of parents and seniors. The results so far show that most do not want any kind of virtual graduation, but something with some more personal interaction. Kennedy said there is about a 50/50 split between preferring a drive-through graduation, or... Full story
You should be able to enjoy Steamboat Rock State Park and other local recreation areas soon, as well as golfing and fishing, but don’t plan on a cross-state camping trip yet. Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that restrictions on fishing, golfing, and access to public lands such as state parks would partially lift on May 5, but the state is still not opening campgrounds and social distancing guidelines are still in force. The Banks Lake Golf Course is set to reopen May 5 but with restrictions in place to follow that social distancing. What those... Full story
Do you have some thoughts on how to improve Spring Canyon? Would removing the swim dock be a good or bad idea, in your opinion? During the month of May, people can comment on Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area sites, including Spring Canyon, a part of the National Park Service, which sees a need to address changing visitor interests. “Your input is important and will help shape potential management strategies and improvements at these sites at Lake Roosevelt,” the NPS said in an April 27 press release. “No decisions have been made yet.... Full story
Since Governor Inslee issued his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Proclamation last month, Lincoln County has been scrambling trying to determine how to best balance our paramount duties to provide for Public Safety, Public Health and County Road functions. While we all want to stay safe and avoid viruses, we want to do so in a manner that is the “least restrictive” to our constitutionally protected rights. While the Governor’s Proclamation is aimed at protecting the public, I believe it does so in a way that, in most aspects, is the “most res... Full story
The Colville Tribes and the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation have temporarily laid off nearly 600 employees as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a letter from the Colville Business Council to their tribal membership explained Tuesday. The letter, shared on The Tribal Tribune’s website and Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon, explains the reasoning behind the decision. “Due to unprecedented challenges our tribe is facing due to the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, we regrettably made the decision to place 178 employees on temporary lay... Full story
“Distance learning” is getting its moment in the sun, starting this week, for Lake Roosevelt students and teachers. With students and staff “social distancing” during the coronavirus pandemic, educators, told by the state they still have to teach, have had to figure out how to teach without actually being in the same room as their students. “Sometimes good comes out of a difficult situation,” Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner wrote in his April 16 email update to parents and the community. “Although social distance is... Full story
The coronavirus pandemic comes along with various types of stress for various types of people, including anxiety about health, the economy, and the future of the world. Throw the depression, boredom, or restlessness due to social distancing on top of it all, and it's easy to see why mental health is important during these times. We contacted Dr. Marilyn Holman, a psychiatrist at Coulee Medical Center about how such times can affect mental health. "This is a difficult time for everyone," Holman... Full story
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Care & Share Food Bank has been open on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at its usual location at the Nazarene Church along SR-174, where food is brought out to patron’s cars. The food bank operates from 2-4 p.m. on those days. Manager Carol Nordine said that on Easter weekend 103 people came to get food; two weeks prior, 93 used the service. “For only being open every other week, it averages out,” she said. “We’ve had a few new people but not a whole bunch.” New clients should bring a driver licen... Full story
Hotels, motels, and campgrounds in Okanogan County have been ordered to operate under restrictions following the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order from the state, until at least May 4, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An April 14 resolution by the county commissioners and the county public health officer said that the closure applies to hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, timeshares, campgrounds, RV parks and other short-term rentals. Commissioners passed a new resolution April 21 to amend that language to say those businesses were... Full story
As we get deeper into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding more Americans to thank. Until recently, truckers have been behind the scenes just doing their jobs, but as shoppers learn how groceries and necessities reappeared on shelves, they join the list of unsung heroes. Business Insider (BI) reported truckers are the reason America’s grocery stores, online retailers, hospitals, gas stations, and even ATMs have remained stocked. They number 1.9 million. It’s estimated that grocery stores wou... Full story
With the advent of World War II, Kaiser Industries, part of the Consolidated Builders Inc. that completed the Grand Coulee Dam, began building ships. Kaiser Shipbuilding Company established seven ship-building locations on the West Coast, including one at Swan Island near Portland Oregon. Here they would build the T2-SE-A1 oil tanker. On May 16, 1944 the 62nd tanker was delivered and christened the "SS Coulee Dam." The ship sailed on May 20, 1944 and returned from service on February 10, 1945,...
Local boards and councils have been holding telephonic and internet-based meetings, on orders from the governor, so that business can still get done while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. But there’s a limit on what’s allowed in such meetings. A Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting was held on March 23 using Zoom, video conferencing software that allows people to attend a meeting electronically. A Coulee Area Park & Recreation District meeting is also scheduled over Zoom for today. The April 13 Regional Board of May... Full story
Some people have found themselves with extra time to work on projects due to the social distancing mandated during the coronavirus pandemic. Responding to a post on The Star's Facebook page, people shared pictures of projects they've been working on. The variety of projects included paintings of construction machinery for a young boy's bedroom, Easter baskets, a raised garden bed made out of a bedframe, changing an engine out of a 1970 Chevelle, a "cold frame" flower/garden bed, a fort built by... Full story
The bathrooms at North Dam Park are closed, but the park itself is open. Commissioners for the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District voted to close the bathrooms at North Dam Park during an April 8 meeting held via Zoom, the video conferencing app frequently being used during the social distancing of the coronavirus pandemic. The park itself is still open. Other projects the group is interested in pursuing, such as bringing swimming lessons to Spring Canyon, as well as installing an electric vehicle charging station at North Dam Park, are... Full story