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  • Shane Proctor returns to area for ninth annual bull riding school

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 4, 2018

    Local rodeo legend Shane Proctor is teaching his annual bull riding school at the Nespelem rodeo arena yesterday and today, April 3-4, imparting some wisdom to up-and-coming cowboys and cowgirls. "We're teaching them a lot about the basics," Proctor said. "We're teaching them about being square on the back of a bull, keeping your free arm close to you, getting up over the front of them as the bull comes up, and getting off your butt. Just really concentrating on the basics." Proctor was joined...

  • Softball wins two, loses one

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 4, 2018

    The Lady Raiders defeated the Lady Hornets in Oroville before splitting a doubleheader with Liberty Bell last week. In Oroville March 27, the Lady Raiders won 22-13. “Both teams fought all throughout in this game,” said Lady Raider Head Coach Alissa Mansker. “It was a fun game where we defensively had to play strong and keep their heads up on errors,” Mansker said. “Kyona Edmo had an amazing double play, catching a line drive at shortstop and throwing to first to beat the runner back. Cassidy Reyes did an excellent job defending in the infie...

  • Tennis girls upset A-school Omak

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 4, 2018

    Last week in Raider tennis, the boys' team lost and girls' team won against Omak opponents, and the Raiders won aplenty in their individual matchups against Davenport/Harrington. Competing on the Raider home courts against Omak March 27, the Raider girls' team won 3-2. "This was an excellent outing against an A school," said Head Coach Steve Archer. "Our girls really shined. It's something special when a 2-B school like ours, with only four girls, can pull off a win against an A school like...

  • Raider golfers consume a three-course week

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 4, 2018

    The Lake Roosevelt golf team had a busy week, playing on a windy day at Banks Lake Golf Course, then playing in better weather at Sage Hills Golf Course in Warden, followed by the Okanogan Valley course in Omak. The Raiders were joined at home by golfers from Warden and Oroville March 26 to play nine holes. The LR team finished with a score of 204, ahead of Warden's 229. Oroville did not have a team score. "The wind was a huge factor, definitely," said Head Coach Steve Files. "Steady 18 mph....

  • Raiders win one before losing both of doubleheader

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 4, 2018

    The Raider baseball team notched a solid win in Oroville against the Hornets, but lost both games of a doubleheader in Liberty Bell against the Mountain Lions last week. The Raiders won 17-1 against the Hornets March 27 in Oroville. “We made easy plays behind our pitchers,” Head Coach Billy Nicholson said. “Our offense was able to string together hits in multiple innings.” Things didn’t fare so well for the Raiders at Liberty Bell March 31, where the Raiders lost the first game 13-0, and the second game 4-1. “We couldn't get our offense goi...

  • Levy proposed to restore school funding

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    Local area voters may be faced with deciding on approval of a school levy that would restore $480,000 of property taxes per year to the school district for the next four years, but not raise taxes higher than they were last year. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board voted Monday night to put the resolution for a “capital levy” on the agenda for discussion at next month’s board meeting April 23. Local area voters would approve or deny the proposed levy in the upcoming August 7 election. In 2017, the state Legislature passed Engro...

  • School District to bring back alternative program next year

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    A program to educate students who “don’t fit” the regular high school or who are at risk of not graduating high school will come back to the Grand Coulee Dam School District next year. The school board voted Monday to bring back the alternative learning environment (ALE) to the district. The ALE was removed from the district last year as a way to cut costs. The school board had removed the ALE in the current year’s budget, anticipating that students in that program would return to “regular” school, thus keeping money in the district, i...

  • Head of Interior meets with Colville leaders

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Colville Confederated Tribes received a visit Thursday from the federal official who is second only to the president, overseeing most of the federal agencies in the greater Grand Coulee Dam area. Secretary Ryan Zinke, of the United States Dept. of Interior, traveled to several Indian reservations to discuss the opioid crisis, among other topics. Zinke visited the Colville Tribes Government Center on Mar. 22, speaking with the Colville Business Council in a private meeting. A March 23 press r...

  • Tennis teams win and lose

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Raider tennis squad competed in Oroville on March 20. The girls’ team won 4-0, all singles matches won by Raiders Alexia Ryan, Tarissa Clark, Shay Schilling, and Raven Clark. The boys’ team lost 3-2. Despite Raider Bradley Wilder winning the third singles game, the game was counted as a forfeit because it was Wilder’s second match, meaning there weren’t enough players who qualified to compete. Aiden Derr won his singles match, Malcolm Carson lost his. Wilder and Morgan George won their doubles match, and Terry Yazzie and Tucker Keeley...

  • Golfers compete among top teams from around the state

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Raiders golfed on a nice spring day on Saturday at the Jack Barnes 52nd Memorial Wenatchee Invitational. The Raiders finished with a team score of 414, 15th out of 20 teams. Kamiakin won the event with a team score of 311. Darin Whiteman and Conner Emerson did the best out of the LR golfers, each finishing with 97 strokes. Derek Whiteman finished with a 107, and Daxton Whiteman with 113. “It was a great experience for our players,” said LR Head Coach Steve Files. “A very well-run event and a chance to compete against top players and teams...

  • Raiders stretch PRs at Ephrata invitational

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Lake Roosevelt Raider track & field team competed at the Ray Cross Invitational in Ephrata on Saturday. “It was a day of Personal Records,” said Head Coach Lori Adkins. “The athletes continued to better their times and distances, setting PR’s or SR’s (season records) in nearly every entry we had.” In the javelin event, Addison Hansen placed first and set a personal record with a distance of 104 feet, 10 inches. Keianna Vera placed third in the same event with a distance of 91 feet, one inch. Steven Flowers placed first in the shot put ev...

  • Lady Raiders dominate Hornets and Fillies

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Lady Raiders started their softball season with a string of solid wins, defeating Oroville before winning both games of a doubleheader with Bridgeport. Against the Lady Hornets of Oroville on March 20, the Lady Raiders played to a large home crowd and didn't disappoint the fans, winning 20-3. "Defensively, Maddie Toulou made three excellent plays," remarked Head Coach Alissa Mansker. "Kelsie Olbricht hit a triple to the fence and Khani Priest hit a walk-off home run to end the game. Our...

  • Raider baseball chalks up three more wins

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 28, 2018

    The Raider baseball team notched a string of wins last week, defeating Oroville March 20, then defeating Bridgeport in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. Against the Oroville Hornets, tied 4-4 at the end of three innings, the Raiders began to pull away, scoring three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, and six in the sixth, while shutting the Hornets down for a final score of 14-4. "Our defense needs to get better behind our pitchers," Head Coach Billy Nicholson noted. "Our offense...

  • Short- term rentals off the table in Electric City

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    People who own houses in Electric City and who don’t live in those houses will not be able to rent them for any timeframe shorter than a month, following a city council vote last week. In contrast to short-term rentals, when the owner of a home occupies it, they are allowed to charge people to stay for short terms as a “bed and breakfast.” The Electric City Council voted 3-1 March 13 not to continue with the idea of including such “short-term rentals” in the city’s comprehensive plan. Prior to the vote, two couples spoke against the idea. Mark...

  • Volunteers save horse from icy pond

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    Eight local volunteers, in the middle of the night, helped save a horse that had fallen through the ice in a Douglas County pond recently. Ron and Virginia Keller live outside of the Crown Point area on Pendell Road. After coming home from dining out March 10, they realized they didn’t know where their two horses were, thinking it unusual the horses weren’t waiting for their late-night snack of apples and carrots. Ron searched his property far and wide, wearing a headlamp and carrying a flashlight, eventually hearing a faint whinnying noise. Th...

  • Possible transportation solutions discussed

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    About a dozen people gathered at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center on March 15 to discuss possible solutions to local public transportation issues. The Mobility Summit Meeting included employees from Grant Transit Authority, People For People, and Special Mobility Services, all transportation providers who have services in the area, as well as people from the senior center, Coulee Medical Center, and Support Services for Veteran Families. The meeting was a follow-up to a January meeting in which those in attendance discussed problems with...

  • Raiders find strengths at Oroville meet

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    The Lake Roosevelt track & field team had their first meet of the season at the Oroville Invite on Saturday, with a couple of Raiders placing first in their events. "It was a great first outing. Our athletes' strength areas are emerging," remarked Head Coach Lori Adkins. Raider Steven Flowers placed first in the shot put event with a distance of 42, feet 3 inches. Flowers also excelled in the long jump, where he placed third with a distance of 17 feet, 10.5 inches. Addison Hansen placed first...

  • Raiders start with wins in tennis

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    The Raider tennis squad had a busy opening week to their 2018 season, competing at home against Pateros, Entiat, and Wilbur/Creston. In Coulee Dam on March 15, the Raiders competed against Entiat with the boys winning 4-0, and the girls going 2-1 in their matchups. "There were a lot of good things about how we played," Raider Head Coach Steve Archer said. "The overall skill is a notch above last year. Malcolm Carson is playing at a very high level and should give every opponent he faces this...

  • Raider baseball team splits doubleheader

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    The Lake Roosevelt Raiders’ baseball team, playing against the Manson Trojans, split the games of a doubleheader, losing the first and winning the second. The Trojans beat the Raiders by a score of 8-5 in the first game Saturday in Manson. “Tony Nichols pitched well, but our defense made too many mistakes on the defensive side of the ball,” remarked Raider Head Coach Billy Nicholson. In batting, Nichols went 3-4 at the plate and scored two runs. Hunter Whitelaw walked twice and scored two runs. In the second game, the Raiders emerged the victo...

  • Whitemans excel on the golf course

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 21, 2018

    Three cousins led the Raider golf team Monday in competing at home on the Banks Lake Golf Course, playing nine holes in sunny weather with fellow golfers from Omak and Okanogan. "The weather was amazing, and even though the course has yet to open, they cut the greens for us and allowed us to use the clubhouse," noted Raider Head Coach Steve Files. "I want to thank Jim Keene and all his crew for accommodating us." Darin Whiteman had the best score from either team on nine holes, with just 40 stro... Full story

  • Couples voice objections to short-term rentals

    Roger S. Lucas and Jacob Wagner|Mar 14, 2018

    How do you effectively stop a “short-term rental” operation from getting roots in your neighborhood? Two couples on Lakeview Avenue in Electric City are trying to come up with answers. David and Nancy Brown and Mark and Debbie Jenson have been actively trying to convince the city council that partying, noise and drinking have no place in their quiet setting along with their unobstructed views of Banks Lake. Last summer, groups started appearing at a house in their neighborhood through a “short-term rental” operation. The Browns had noticed...

  • Nora the explorer puts local wildlife on YouTube

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 14, 2018

    Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter; Gordon Eastman; Jacques Cousteau; Nora Jenn: these are the names of great wildlife videographers. Jenn, who lives in Coulee Dam and used to work for the National Park Service as well as the Bureau of Reclamation, films some interesting videos of animal life in our area and posts them on YouTube for all to enjoy. One video shows a coyote howling on the ice of Banks Lake, while another shows a close-up of a young bald eagle eating a fish. Eagles trying to catch...

  • Housing project breaks ground near Nespelem

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 14, 2018

    The Colville Confederated Tribes held a groundbreaking ceremony in Nespelem on Monday for their nine new triplex housing units that are anticipated to be fully constructed in December. Between seven and eight million dollars is going toward building the triplexes, an outdoor basketball court at the location, and toward the renovations of 31 HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) houses located in Keller and Inchelium. Douglas Marconi Sr., executive director of the Colville Indian...

  • Locals add their sasquatch stories to presentation

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 14, 2018

    Author and naturalist David George Gordon gave a presentation on the mythical Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, to a crowd at the Grand Coulee Library Thursday night. The event was attended by about 40 people, some of whom shared their thoughts on Sasquatch and their experiences of hearing or seeing unexplainable things that may, or may not, have been a Sasquatch. Gordon himself is on the fence about believing in Sasquatch, but would love to find out, encouraging a citizen science approach to the...

  • Group plans to open wine bar on Main Street

    Jacob Wagner|Mar 7, 2018

    A new vibe may find its way to Main Street in Grand Coulee in the form of The Wine Bar. The aptly named establishment will feature wines and food pairings, and the owners are hoping it will become a spot where people come to talk and break bread. The owners are Brad Oliver, Levi and Rachel Seekins, and Jeff Henry. Oliver and Levi Seekins have been friends since 1990, growing up in the area. Seekins and Henry played basketball together for Vanguard University. Henry resides in Paso Robles,...

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