News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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They served pink cookies to go with their pink shirts Monday morning to help celebrate a big gift to Coulee Medical Center and the difference it will make in local detection of breast cancer. After a promotional blitz with a theme of "Now Screening" designed to look like a cinematic release, CMC officials officially cut the ribbon on a new 3D mammography machine. "Early detection is crucial in the fight against breast cancer, and this new equipment will provide higher-quality images, reduce...
As fentanyl continues to ravage communities across the United States, the Trump Administration has taken measures to ensure Canada, Mexico, and China are doing their due diligence to address this crisis. With illicit drugs flowing over the southern border from Mexican cartels, serious security gaps at our northern border, and China manufacturing fentanyl precursors, the tariffs announced by the administration serve as a reminder of the responsibility these nations have in mitigating the crisis. While the tariffs on Canada and Mexico are on...
How much do people pay to support their local schools? After a fundraising dinner cooked entirely by the school's culinary arts students, citizens in Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High's HUB Thursday took in those facts and more on the upcoming school levy election. Cory Plager, of D.A. Davidson, a bonding company involved in building schools across the state, shared information he gathered from officials in counties included in the Grand Coulee Dam School District and from the state. "This is no opinion... Full story
Problems always get talked about more than good news. That’s just a basic fact of society, one that applies to the way we view the institutions we all depend on, such as our local schools. That doesn’t mean good things aren’t happening too, or that we should stop supporting them. That’s what the current levy election is about. It seeks to replace the one that will expire this year, and it presents your opportunity to support your local schools. A change in approaches to leadership, professional development, and accountability is always likely... Full story
If you were confused by one of last week’s letters to the editor due to the obfuscation used, so was I. Are people voting on a four-day school week, or on a school levy? My yellow envelope says election, and I did not see four day week on the ballot inside. Since the writer brought it up, I am enclosing the letter I wrote to Q6news on our four day school week, and how the reporter’s conclusion was inaccurate and not well researched. The STAR can decide whether to give readers a peek at this information or not. With the writer’s request for a...
As a community member for several decades, my passion for our local school district is shown by my consistent words and actions. I have high expectations for the GCDSD. Our School Board members and Superintendent need to be consistent and do what is right. They have an ongoing pattern where their words don’t match their actions. Here are some clear and valid examples. Their mantra is “what is best for kids.” They claim they’re transforming the GCDSD culture for the better. In their strategic plan they promote dignity and improved test scores...
My name is Ethan Tatum. My wife and I live in Elmer City, where we own a small business. In mid-2020, Morgan and I moved out to the Grand Coulee area in search of a community that we could invest our time in. Because she is a local (a Tillman), we only ever considered moving here. Since that move, we opened a salon, bought a home, had a child, and I took a teaching job at the school district. Currently, I teach several subjects at Lake Roosevelt Jr./Sr. High School, including Spanish, Digital Photography, and Yearbook. In the past week, each...
A person died in an early-morning fire Monday when a home at the corner of B Street and Second Street in Grand Coulee burned. Fire Chief Ryan Fish said the single-wide mobile home was fully engulfed the first time he saw it, and he lives across the street. Citizens called it in at 5:24 a.m. They also "took actions to save two dogs from the yard," a Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department press release states. Fish was at the scene at 5:29. Fish called for response from the U.S. Bureau of...
Superintendent Rod Broadnax’s contract with the Grand Coulee Dam School District he leads was just extended by his bosses — the elected school board directors. The board met in a closed session during part of Monday night’s regular meeting to evaluate their employee, then emerged to take a vote, which was unanimous among those present. Director Buffy Nicholson was absent. Broadnax’s three-year contract was extended one year ago, when he was given a pay increase to $160,000 a year, plus cost of living increases. Monday’s action extends i...
A new team of federal personnel attended the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District meeting at the old middle school Jan. 22, to meet with district commissioners and get a sense of how to move forward during a transition. Bill Dykes, Stefani Utter, Chloe Johnson and Lauriann Mountjoy, all with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are the new resources group that will work with the district that currently oversees North Dam Park, which is owned by Reclamation. "We're here to see what are options and...
Recently the GCDSD upper brass forced a 4-day school week for the future. They act like this is new but this option has been going on for a long time nationally. The TV coverage the superintendent boasted about, that he was in, said the DOI Foundation’s research does not support this schedule. It actually leads to negative academic effects. Embarrassing! With the 4-day format there will be a significant number of school days lost. So now when students or staff are absent it will have a greater negative impact. Over 275, close to 94% of s...
A state agency has raised the question with Electric City of whether it might consider re-annexing some of the land it de-annexed last year after annexing it several years ago. Mayor Diane Kohout told the city council last week that some of the land the city had been advised could not be developed into valuable real estate actually could be. Land owned by the state's Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, can be developed with local partners. In fact, the land on which Sunbanks Lake Resort...
Local voters will be asked to decide whether to approve continuing to tax themselves to support schools next month. The election date is Feb. 11. Mail-in ballots were to be mailed yesterday, Jan. 22, but the Post Office says to allow a week for your ballot to arrive. The Grand Coulee Dam School District is seeking a levy of about $2.13 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. That would replace the current levy, which expires at the end of 2025. The new one would bring in over $967,461 in 2026 and rise yearly if property values continue...
As the Indian Education Director at Grand Coulee Dam School District, I witness every day the incredible impact our schools have on students, families, and the community as a whole. Our schools are more than just classrooms; they are centers for growth, connection, and opportunity. They are where children learn not only math and reading but also the rich cultural heritage and values that make our community unique. The levy is the backbone of so much of what we do. It supports the programs that set our schools apart—programs that empower our s...
The Raiders beat back a brutal Bulldog offense at home Friday night, lost by their lowest score this season the next day at home to Freeman, but blasted Manson last night, more than doubling their score. All of that earns the Raiders the best overall and in-league win-loss records in the Central Washington 2B League (12-2, 4-0), and lists them in the top four teams in the state as of Tuesday night. Okanogan is a better team than Raider Head Coach Ed Wolfe had expected, he admitted after the...
The Lady Raiders lost by eight points twice last week, but won last night by 20. Facing Okanogan at home Friday, the LR girls lost a rough-and-tumble game that didn't get slowed down too much by foul calls. The Lady Bulldogs (3-0, 10-7) won 50-42. The next afternoon, LR's girlss hosted Freeman (4-1, 11-3) for another loss, 44-36. Freeman is at the top of their Northeast 2B-South League. The Lady Raiders (2-2, 7-8) beat Manson last night in a league game 42-22, putting LR in the middle of the...
If you notice a few 10th-graders in the greater downtown Coulee Dam area around lunchtime next week, they're not skipping school. The Grand Coulee Dam school board Monday voted to give the class of 2027 an off-campus priveleges trial period. The decision followed a presentation by the class officers asking for relief from a decision made about some earlier sophomore class that apparently had had discipline issues off campus. "We have never had a chance to go out and prove ourselves," Jaci Clark...
Elmer City leaders will consider a method of building in minimal annual raises on utility rates to keep from falling behind costs of providing the services. City Clerk/Treasurer Kelly Ross asked the town council Thursday to consider the step and hold a public hearing on it at the scheduled February meeting. The council approved a resolution for increasing the percentage of water and sewer service sales that is sent to the city’s reserve funds from 1.5% to 2.5%. Ross suggested a $1 annual increase on each rate for garbage collection, sewer, a...
Washington state voters want legislators to cut spending but also support spending more on specific programs, according to a recent poll. “People are not anti-government,” said pollster Stuart Elway during a legislative preview session Jan. 9. “People want government to work and to provide needed services but done efficiently and effectively.” Elway established the Cascade PBS/Elway Poll in 1992. This year, 403 registered voters across Washington state were surveyed between Dec. 26 and 30, with phone calls, text messages and online survey...
The last four years of inaction at the southern border resulted in over 10 million illegal immigrant encounters nationwide and a record-high number of violent, illegal criminals encountered throughout the United States. By terminating catch-and-release policies, ending the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program and a full stop on construction of the border wall, President Biden and Vice President Harris have created a crisis that now permeates through the entire country. Last week, to address the ongoing crisis caused by an unmanaged border, the House of R...
The Raiders took down the 1-A Cascade Kodiaks by 50 points last night, highlighting a five-game winning streak away from home. Now 11-1, the Raiders left the Leavenworth team with a 2-9 record overall. The Raiders are ranked third in the Central Washington 2B League, but fourth among the 54 teams in the state at their 2B level, according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Columbia (13-1), at Burbank, and Colfax (11-1) are listed first and second, and Freeman (8-1) at...
The Lady Raider wrestlers took seven wrestlers to Connell Saturday, and they all placed. Lake Roosevelt took third place in the 31-team tournament with schools sizes ranging from 1B to 4A. LR’s 120.5 points earned their third place. Prosser took second with 132. Othello won it with 147 points. “It was a tough tournament for the girls but good prep for the state tournament,” Head Coach Victor Landeros said. “They are working hard every week, making small adjustments to fine tune their wrestling,” Landeros added. “All of us coaches like where...
With eight wrestlers, the Raider boys finished fourth among 20 teams at Northwest Christian’s Crusader Classic wrestling tourney last Saturday. “The team finished 4th overall with 8 wrestlers competing. “They finished as the second highest 2B team in the tournament,” Coach Casey Brewster noted. “They wrestled hard and continue to make progress every week, and it shows at every tournament.” Rodger Cate took first at the 113-pound bracket, earning 28 points for the Raiders. Collin Christman, at 106, took second for 16 points. Collin Chaney also...
When he approached the broken city hall front door from the inside late Saturday night, the suspect in widespread vandalism there saw the targeting dots on his chest from an officer's taser and immediately complied with an order to lie down. Coulee Dam's Officer Mathew Ponusky, driving by on patrol just before 11 p.m., had noticed the broken glass door on the front of the building and stopped to investigate. Ponusky could hear glass breaking at the southwest corner of the building, and, looking...
Accountability and words like it came up repeatedly during a special meeting of the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors Monday night as they hashed out their priorities among a list of recommendations for strengthening the district in a new report. The “Performance Audit Report” commissioned by Superintendent Rod Broadnax is barely 16 pages but intends to offer “a basis for discussion and a roadmap for the future.” The report by “Burns/ Van Fleet” of Houston, Texas, is based on a review of district policies and documents,...