News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Give President Joe Biden some credit for mid-term election Democratic successes when most everyone, including the media, predicted otherwise. Instead of focusing on himself, he quietly avoided states where he’s unpopular and helped Democrats win Pennsylvania where he grew up and is still popular. He presented us with our country’s greatest challenge: to save our democracy from autocratic ambitions of the MAGA faction that dominates the Republican party. He inherited a mess and time spent cleaning it up detracted from time for positive acc...
For decades, Central Washingtonians have had to fight to make our voices heard over the noise of outside interest groups and government bureaucrats who think they know what is best for our communities. Unfortunately, last week’s decision by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reopen discussions on introducing grizzly bears, an apex predator, into the North Cascades Ecosystem proves that, once again, our voices are being ignored. The debate over grizzly bear introduction in Washington state is nothing new. In 1995, W...
The school levy was barely passing Tuesday night by a margin of just 1.38% of the 866 votes counted so far. The measure, which asked to replace the Grand Coulee Dam School District's current levies with one at half the combined rate of expiring levies, had slipped into the fail bracket by the slimmest of margins, two to five votes, in each of the four counties involved except Douglas, where it held a 23-vote favorable margin. Ballots could be postmarked by Tuesday, or inserted in a ballot drop...
Utility line crews in Okanogan County were still fixing outages from Monday's storm late Monday afternoon. In the immediate Grand Coulee Dam area, only a few flakes fluttered here and there, but a bit north it was a different story. Okanogan County reported at 10:38 a.m. Monday that electric utilities were experiencing small outages around the county, including Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative. "It was the heavy, wet snow that was the culprit," NVEC General Manager Kevin Black said Tuesday as his linemen were finishing repairs near Bridgepo...
An Electric City couple pressed the city council Tuesday to start a discussion on the in-town deer population, which they said is now increasing and becoming a problem. Robbin and Carol Boyce said they’ve lived in the area since 1989 but never had problems with deer before 2010, and now it’s getting worse. Carol Boyce described problems with deer now ranging from her apparently tasty forsytvuhia bushes that are “just about toast” to an overly familiar buck who spooked her visiting adult granddaughter by coming too close behind her in the yar...
Central Washington is lucky to be home to over 33,000 veterans. As our nation observes this upcoming Veterans Day, we reaffirm a solemn promise to remember and honor the men and women of the United States Armed Forces — past and present. Although Veterans Day was established to remember and revere the sacrifices of so many, our veterans deserve to know their country is looking after them and their families each and every day. I have spent much of my time in Congress meeting with veterans across Central Washington and learning about the i...
Lake Roosevelt High School postseason sports came to an end Friday night when the Raiders lost to Liberty High School's Lancers at Spangle, 15-6. That loss came a day after the Lady Raider volleyball team lost in Omak in their bid to advance past the District 6 semifinals in three sets to Manson on Thursday and in three sets to Okanogan on Saturday afternoon. They finished the season with a 10-8 record overall, 8-6 in league. Raider Coach Bubba Egbert was disappointed not to get to advance this...
A federal funding problem that could have cost the Grand Coulee Dam School District millions in future years, and several just past, has apparently been averted, Nespelem School District Superintendent Effie Dean said Monday. Federal authorities reviewing a practice the two districts have used for decades to share federal Impact Aid took exception to it last spring. The two districts, since 1995, have operated under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that some of the money from the federal Impact Aid program coming into Nespelem would be...
I didn’t believe my wife when she told me there were 80 students at the elementary Raider cheer clinic last week. So, I went to the game and once again she was correct – darn it! It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Totally awesome! A fan by me said the mini cheerleaders were adorable. Great job Coach A. and Coach Tufts. My wife said she could not have done it without her wonderful assistant coach and hardworking high school cheerleaders. Appreciated the simple fun, enthusiasm and tremendous energy so much! John M. Adkin...
“Police spoke to a man at Safeway who was reported as acting strangely and not speaking. The man did speak to police, saying he wanted a drink. Police told him he wasn’t welcome at the store, and then found that he was wanted on a felony warrant out of Okanogan County for assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, theft, and another assault charge. Officials in Okanogan were unable to speak to the officer, who was told to call back in 30 minutes. The officer found this to be an unreasonable amount of time to detain the man outside of Safeway, so...
I have worked in some form of law enforcement in Okanogan County for 31 years having started in Winthrop. The last 3 years have been a rollercoaster ride with COVID and the negative changes in the laws that were passed in WA State. Sheriff Hawley has made his way through unprecedented times and has succeeded, with more hard work to come. His education and experience have all been in the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and living in Okanogan County which makes him the best choice. He has gone from Corrections Officer to Deputy then Sergeant a...
A tragedy that unfolded in Keller Thursday quickly spread to Nespelem as police searched through the night for suspects in the killing of two people and the shooting of a police officer in Keller. As police from agencies far and near answered a call not heard by residents listening to scanners for clues about what was happening, Colville Tribal Emergency Services posted a warning on Facebook about 7 p.m. asking Nespelem residents to stay in their homes. The mayor also issued that plea and added...
The Colville Tribes and top federal officials of the Environmental Protection Agency met Tuesday to discuss and announce proposed changes to air quality regulations that affect some Indian reservations, including the Colville Reservation. The Federal Air Rules for Reservations (FARR) apply to all residents and businesses on or within 39 reservations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation hosted the EPA's deputy administrator, Janet McCabe, and...
Police were not giving out any information tonight as officers from various agencies arrived from far away to diverge on Nespelem, where tribal police were searching for an active shooter. Colville Tribal Emergency Services posted a warning on Facebook about 7 p.m., asking Nespelem residents to stay in their homes. The mayor also issued that plea and added that a car chase was happening with someone shooting at police. Many commenters on Facebook made statements on social media giving other... Full story
Maybe she thought she could trust me, or maybe she just really needed to tell someone right then. We were both about 10, and our conversation then sheds light for me on a minor item in today’s report from the Elmer City Council meeting last week. She’d come over to our house with her parents, who were friends with my parents. Sally and I didn’t know each other well, but got along OK. She was with me when I fell off the cliff, but that will come a little later on in this story. This is about her, and all of us. We lived at the foot of Marshal Gr...
I have known Melissa Chlarson for over 30 years, and I am proud to support her as our county’s next Superior Court Judge. Melissa and I both grew up in the Columbia Basin and attended Moses Lake High School together. Years later, we graduated from Gonzaga Law School and started our legal careers as young associate attorneys in the same law firm in Moses Lake. I argued countless motions in front of Melissa when she served as the Grant County Superior Court Commissioner. She was always well prepared, respectful, temperate, and conscientious of t...
Discussion and debate has always been a part of rural America. From coffee shops to the local co-op, rural residents aren't afraid to show their loyalty for one candidate or another, share their thoughts on the issues of the day, and voice their distrust of the government. Sometimes opinions can spur disagreement and raise tensions. But, in the end, most of us will agree to disagree, shake hands, and go about our day. Lately, this seems to have changed. The divisive politics of Washington have...
The reduced amount elected school board directors at the Grand Coulee Dam School District are seeking in the upcoming levy should be an easy yes for voters. Sensitive to the times we’re in and emerging from, the board changed course in July after getting feedback on an earlier proposal. In essence, they cut their ask in half. That doesn’t mean the needs are fewer, but it does show there’s flexibility in meeting long-term needs for maintenance and upgrades. Unless your property was assessed this year at more than twice what it was before (high...
My name is Mark Nash. I don’t have children at Lake Roosevelt Schools. But I do have Grandchildren and a Great Grandchild who attend school there. I have some questions for the voters. Who paid for your elementary and high school education? I know the answer to that question and so do you: your parents, grandparents, and the communities where you lived as a child. Just like their parents, grandparents and the people in the communities where they lived paid for theirs. The cost of your education may not have been as expensive then as the cost o...
Over the past few years, there has been an uptick in crime across the nation. Unfortunately, Central Washington has been no exception to this trend. Indeed, the total number of homicides in Tri-Cities for 2022 is already at a record high compared to recent years, according to the Coroner's Office. In Yakima, drive-by shootings are becoming a regular occurrence. And that's on top of the exponential increase in carjackings and fentanyl overdoses. Much of this uptick is a direct result of "defund...
As a community, we are facing a significant decision between now and November 8th, Election Day this year. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, the outcome of this decision will affect everyone in our extended community — young and old alike. The result of this community-wide decision will clearly have an impact on the quality of education received by our school-aged children. As voters we must decide whether we will continue to financially support the public schools in the GCDSD area by approving a school levy…or not. The successful edu...
After a nice break for a couple weeks, the infection control nurse at Coulee Medical Center had to get back in the saddle the third week in September with three employees out with Covid-19. And as of Monday night, reported CEO Ramona Hicks to the hospital district board, five more employees were isolating due to exposure and 10 more were testing for it. The hospital has lost 710 working days among staff, due to the covid pandemic. Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere, officials say, but there are still precautions to take to prevent yourself, and o...
The wastewater treatment plant that takes care of all the sewage from Grand Coulee and Electric City has been in operation continually since 1985, treating 127 gallons a minute on average. The two cities have not grown out of it capacity-wise, but it’s “aging out” and needs an update, according to consulting engineering firm Gray and Osborne, which is working on a plan to update for the next 20 years. “What the guys are largely running up against is that … some of the equipment is just no longer made,” Gray and Osborne Engineer Nancy Wetch...
I’ve read a few of the recent letters to the editor and there seems to be some confusion on how newspapers function. Yes, one of their roles is to disseminate news and keep their readers apprised of events that may concern the public. These articles typically deliver facts and quotes from the principal players concerning the public matters. The Star seems to thoroughly cover the area in this regard. However, newspapers have an editorial responsibility, as well. Election season, newspapers all over the country come out for or against p...
In the spring of 2022, LR teachers and principal Natalie Kontos sat down and discussed the state of the school, behaviors, and teaching. Major changes were decided upon, and now that there has been several weeks of implementation, the payoffs are becoming evident. Instantly noticeable is the lack of phones in students’ hands. This zero-tolerance policy helps students to be more attentive to teachers, keeps the possibility of cyber bullying or planning violence/vandalism minimized during school hours, and fosters real-life conversations at l...