News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Bridge repairs originally planned to start July 6 will now start a week later, on Monday, July 13 and are scheduled to conclude Aug. 21with this "emergency" fix. Travelers will encounter slowdowns, lane closures and delays, a Washington State Department of Transportation release stated. For this "temporary" repair, contractor crews next week will start repair of the bridge's expansion joints. They will remove existing asphalt and install steel plates to hold the bridge deck panels in place and...
Electric City's new park will officially open and be named for longtime Mayor Ray Halsey June 16 at 5 p.m. That's the date set for the city's annual Electric City Community BBQ in the lawn area behind city hall, and the park committee has been aiming to get the park open by that date. Several volunteers, including Mayor Blake Martin, Councilmembers Cheryl Hoffman and Robbin Boyce and more were laying sod one week earlier on Thursday morning. The park will feature two sets of playground...
Imagine being told you have to leave your home, perhaps forever. You only have a couple of hours to pack, and you can only take what fits in your car. Calista Christiansen, a seventh-grader from the Columbia River Gorge community of Lyle, didn’t have to imagine. That’s what happened to her, her family and her neighbors last summer when the Burdoin Fire burned through the community, destroying 14 homes and threatening more than 250 others, including her own. Christiansen spoke about the experience during the 2026 National Civics Bee state com...
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
Kids and parents spent a fun and possibly exhausting, in a good way, day Saturday as local businesses rallied to provide lots to do the day before Father's Day. Led by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, they've been doling out that fun at the Koulee Kids Fest apparently since 2004. It's not all altruism. The initial thought back then was that such an event would encourage people to step into local businesses, look around a little and maybe come back. In the meantime, families would b...
Linda McKay took over as superintendent of Nespelem School District Monday night, being sworn in at the same school board meeting that was Superintendent Effie Dean's last. McKay, who grew up in Wilbur, told the community on the school's Facebook page earlier this year, "I understand that schools are the heart of the community." McKay has taught fifth-sixth grade combination classroom, but moved to administration as a principal, then superintendent, and most recently as deputy superintendent at...
Two nearby fires this week underscored the ease with which dry vegetation burns as summer begins, and two others not far enough away burned thousands of acres. Firefighters responded quickly and traffic was blocked at a fire in Belvedere north of Elmer City Sunday afternoon. Another fire blackened the dry grass and trees alongside the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Monday morning after 10 a.m., also blocking traffic as fire trucks occupied the bridge. Those smaller blazes brought home the...
Currently, I live with a view of the Muckleshoot Casino and see its fireworks displays advertising their “Boom City” and heralding their upcoming end-of-June fireworks. With Independence Day and the freedoms it celebrates just around the corner, I can’t help reflecting on the many challenges we have faced as a nation and continue to face, and the role of our newspapers in that ongoing transformation. Washington state saw its first expression of the constitutionally enshrined Freedom of the Press 37 years before the state’s creation. When th...
It lay on the ground for years after the church burned in 1948, having spent its history as the cross atop the steeple at the old Sacred Heart Mission since 1916. On Saturday, the members of the mission attended a special mass led by the bishop of Spokane, then went outside to bless the old cross where it now sits restored in its new home. After the old church burned, the cross lay in the rubble for years, forgotten in the grass that grew up around it. But its cover of tin, around a wooden box...
Several wildland fires were burning in the region last night as "Red Flag" conditions predicted by the National Weather Service proved accurate. Around 8 p.m. fires along the Columbia River Road and Omak Lake Road were spreading in the windy and low-relative-humidity conditions that prompted an "immediate evacuation" order for a large area and closed roads. The Kartar Fire was estimated to have burned 1,700 acres before 9:30 p.m. The Omak Lake Road Fire a few miles north was still listed at 50 a... Full story
Nearly $3 million in federal grants since 2008 have helped Grant County Port District 7 improve the Grand Coulee Dam Airport, adding equipment and technology that saves lives and property. Airport officials say the upgrades have made the airport increasingly important for emergency medicine, firefighting and regional transportation. A review of Federal Aviation Administration records identified at least $2.89 million in confirmed federal airport grants awarded to the district since 2008. State m...
If Electric City and Grand Coulee do not come to an agreement on the operation of the wastewater treatment facility they share, a lawsuit may follow. The Electric City Council June 9 discussed what that city views as a violation of an interlocal agreement between it and Grand Coulee. The 1984 agreement established joint ownership of a wastewater treatment facility, although operations have historically been performed by Grand Coulee employees. After a departure and a retirement of two separate...
The Grant County Board of Commissioners announced Monday that the county will be accepting applications for the Grant County Treasurer position, following the announcement of Treasurer Darryl Pheasant’s retirement. He is set to vacate the office June 30. Pheasant had stated earlier this year that he did not intend to seek re-election, but his current term would normally end at the end of this year. By state law, the county treasurer is responsible for the custody of the county’s money and is the administrator of the county’s financial trans...
During World War II, the Hanford Site played a pivotal role in propelling the United States to win the nuclear arms race, which put an end to combat in the Pacific Theater. Decades later, as a result of that work, the federal government is still working on the largest environmental cleanup site on the planet, holding up its end of the Tri-Party Agreement to remediate the land. One of my top priorities in Congress has been ensuring that Hanford has the necessary resources available to complete cleanup progress while ensuring taxpayer dollars...
If Lake Roosevelt High School's graduating class of 2026 hadn't actually thought about it, the speakers representing them at Saturday's graduation ceremony certainly did: The end of high school is a time of profound change, one the 38 seniors advanced to together. The class heard traditional speeches by the valedictorian and salutatorian, plus two elected class speakers, and a "guest speaker," who, for the second year in a row, was chosen from their own faculty. Each observed or even probed...
While fielding complaints about cuts to programs, teachers and others for the third school board meeting in a row, district leaders announced Monday night that some cuts had already been reversed because of over $800,000 in unexpected funds that came from more than one source. Superintendent Rod Broadnax said the money came, in part, from the state after its Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction determined a miscalculation in March of the amount due the Grand Coulee Dam School District for “apportionment,” that is, for the num...
by Alex Baumhardt, Washington State Standard June 4, 2026 Key points - Electric utilities in Oregon and Washington are increasingly leaning on the use of gas generators to help data centers meet their energy demands, as well as buying more gas-powered electricity from other states. - Utilities' growing use of gas to meet the new demand, and data center owners connecting facilities to on-site natural gas and diesel generators, means both states could miss 2050 targets for dramatically reducing...
A new city park next to the Electric City fire station is nearing completion, with officials eyeing a July 16 ribbon-cutting to coincide with the city's annual barbecue. Fire Chief Mark Payne told the City Council May 14 that the sidewalks in and around the fenced play area are finished and the new restroom building has passed its insulation inspection. The restroom, has been sheetrocked since that meeting, will include a baby-changing station and a storage area for some supplies. A contractor... Full story
My favorite sport is Track & Field. So, I loved watching our Raiders compete at the recent Washington State Championships. Our coaches will miss the Seniors and these kids were super excited about their Senior trip. Head Coach Lori and Assistant Coach Ashley could not coach all 18 events without the help of their 3 volunteer coaches – Christy, Chance and Alfredo. Much appreciated! Once back home, I checked the Star newspaper and wanted to truly thank Scott Hunter for kindly printing my thoughts. I apologize for a grammar mistake, but Scott know...
Five Lake Roosevelt High School track and field athletes competed with all other 2B schools in the state at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association State Championship Meet in Yakima last weekend. The lone girl from LR to make it to state, senior Madelynn Carman took fifth place in the 4-kilogram shot put event with a toss of 34 feet, 2.25 inches. It was Carman's first season in the event. Carman also competed in the long jump with a distance of 14 feet, 11.5 inches. Senior Ezekiel...
Multiple times per week, two local people drive hours away in pursuit of gaining life-saving aid for their community. Merlee Liberty and Mike Shear are undergoing extensive education in order to become paramedics. Liberty and Shear, who live in Coulee Dam and Electric City, respectively, both travel around two hours to school and work. Their graduation as paramedics will be in early June. At the same time, their community has also engaged in discussion about creating an emergency services...
by Scott Hunter Grand Coulee Dam School District teachers and staff pressed board members and administrators for clearer budget information and a different approach to staffing cuts during at Monday’s school board meeting, saying the current reductions are eroding morale and will ultimately harm students. Several elementary teachers described rising class sizes, increased responsibilities, and what they see as a lack of shared sacrifice between district office staff and those working directly with students. “I would like to see the real dat...
I’ve known the past three owners of The Star newspaper. My father was an owner of small- town newspapers. The business is extremely hard with few thank-you’s. Scott Hunter, the current owner for some time now, is also my neighbor. I have a great deal of respect for him. This will never change – he is a good dude! He publishes a quality product even though his business is understaffed. It’s rare, but occasionally he’ll squeeze in time to write an editorial. Every once in a while, others will disagree with his opinions and really lay on the wo...