News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Grant County Health District has detailed how to use homemade masks effectively to avoid exposure to coronavirus. An April 4 press release explains how the masks can be effective in protecting yourself from exposure to coronavirus infected droplets, as well as how to remove them and clean them. “All of us involved in the COVID-19 response know that protecting our health workers and first responders is vital for each and every one of us,” the health states. “That is why our limited supplies of commercial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have... Full story
The coronavirus has affected work life and home life in the Coulee in multiple ways, an online Star survey reveals, with lots of stress for some but some silver linings for others. Asked if they are working from home because of social restrictions, 17 out of 37 of those who responded said they are, with some loving the home office and others not. Slow internet speed is listed as an issue, as well as boredom, but several respondents said the experience was positive. Responses included: • Not as productive working from home. • Difficult to foc... Full story
Local state parks areas such as Steamboat Rock, Osborne Bay, and Northrup Canyon are closed, while Spring Canyon remains open but without services. Steamboat Rock, Northrup Point boat launch, and Northrup Canyon are all closed to the public until at least April 30. Steamboat Rock State Park Park Ranger Jared Liening told The Star on Tuesday that the spots are closed to discourage the spread of the coronavirus. Liening said people have still been using Northrup Canyon despite a sign on the kiosk... Full story
In response to the coronavirus epidemic, locals have been making washable, reusable fabric respiratory masks for the local hospital, as well as for individuals and other organizations. A Facebook group has even sprung up called the Mask Avengers, with posts related to mask making. Linda Roberts is one of those making masks, having made 71 as of Monday, and with orders for more. Roberts said those 71 masks took about a week to make, with multiple masks given to UPS drivers (Linda's husband Merle... Full story
Charlie Long has been a member of the American Legion for 60 years! Greg Behrens, vice commander at Post 157 in Electric City, presented the Coulee Dam man with a 60-year certificate March 25. Behrens said he had wanted to do a formal presentation but wasn't able to because of the coronavirus social restrictions. "It was kind of surprising," Long told The Star over the phone on Monday. "I didn't realize it had been that long." Behrens provided a description of Long's tenure in the army:...
In a convoluted process, a raise in dumping rates at the Delano Transfer Station, approved in October by the Regional Board of Mayors, was approved again in March, but still must be approved by the four area towns before it might be implemented, with Grand Coulee so far not wanting to raise the rates. The Star reported in October 2019 that the RBOM had approved a half-cent-per-pound raise in dumping fees at the transfer station, which was said by then-city administrator of Electric City Russ Powers to be on track to lose approximately $29,000...
With Coulee Medical Center officially in emergency mode, a representative updated the Grand Coulee City Council last week on what that currently means. Tyler Donn spoke on behalf of CMC March 17 in regard to the COVID-19, coronavirus epidemic. Donn explained that with a national emergency declared on March 13, it forced the hospital to put their emergency preparedness plan into action. The first goal is to protect all patients and others at the hospital, Donn said, and that entails sending home non-essential staff, ensuring staff have... Full story
Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, and utility late fees and shutoffs have been suspended for the duration of the situation. A special council meeting was held on March 19 in the Electric City Fire Station in order to observe social distancing as a precaution due to the coronavirus. Kohout told the council that she was declaring a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak creating “extreme risk of person to person transmission for people working in city” and because it “af... Full story
The cost of making changes to controversial street work being done in Electric City could be high. The city council and mayor in a special meeting last week spoke to representatives from the Gray & Osborne engineering firm over the phone. Those representatives included Mike Meskiman and Don Tulloch. The special council meeting March 19 was held at the Electric City Fire Station to allow for social distancing to guard against the coronavirus. Returning the intersection of Western and Grand Avenue to its former state — a straight shot of W...
Lake Roosevelt Schools intends to continue to pay their staff throughout the duration of the coronavirus epidemic, which has shut down the school at least through April 24. A March 23 Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting was held remotely via the Zoom telecommunication application. Board members, the superintendent, and more communicated from separate locations due to the social distancing instructions put in place to help thwart the spread of coronavirus. Superintendent Paul Turner said about the school’s budget that “there is a bit... Full story
With schools shut down due to the coronavirus epidemic, the spring sports season is in serious question, but a month of play is possible. Spring sports include: baseball, softball, golf, tennis, and track and field. The topic of athletics was briefly discussed during a March 23 Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting held remotely via the Zoom telecommunication application. Board members, the superintendent, and more used the app to conduct the meeting from separate locations due to the social distancing instructions put in place to... Full story
A Delano couple wants to formally annex their property into the city of Grand Coulee to make its consolidation with Electric City possible. Jim Keene spoke to the Grand Coulee council at their March 17 meeting. Keene pointed to a map showing that the property he and his wife bought in 1986, located between Electric City and Grand Coulee in the Delano area, would form a contiguous border between Electric City and Grand Coulee if formally annexed into Grand Coulee. A contiguous border is necessary for two or more cities to merge. The Keenes’ a...
Local institutions are rapidly adjusting on the fly after a series of cascading emergency announcements from state and national authorities mandating increasingly harsh measures to stop the spread of the new virus that has infected nearly 190,000 worldwide and killed more than 7,500 as it overwhelms some healthcare systems. Preventing that kind of quick and overwhelming spread is what the new restrictions are all about. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced March 13 that schools statewide would close. Then Monday, he said restaurants, bars, thea... Full story
You can attend tonight's school board meeting from the comfort of your own home. The Grand Coulee Dam School District's board meeting, scheduled for tonight at 5:30 p.m., will be accessible via Zoom, a website and application available on your phone or tablet that lets you "attend" a meeting remotely. The meeting is being held via Zoom, with board directors using the application themselves, in keeping with the social distancing protocol being used globally to stem the spread of the coronavirus.... Full story
Lake Roosevelt Schools will continue to feed and teach students, just not in the school. Following Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcment March 13 that schools statewide would close, the Grand Coulee Dam School District released a parent and community update Monday outlining how Lake Roosevelt Schools are being affected by the coronavirus response. Superintendent Paul Turner noted that there were seven confirmed cases in Grant County. “Our job will be to continue enhancing our position to help reduce the spread of this virus and hopefully keep it out... Full story
Electric City will seek an extension for their Ice Age Park grant through the state’s Recreation & Conservation Office. At the March 10 city council meeting, Mayor Diane Kohout told the council that the city received a letter from the RCO saying the city either needed to begin construction on the park before the end of March, or request the extension. The delay comes from trying to get the cost of the park down. The target cost for the park is a total of $515,000 to be paid in part with $257,500 in RCO grant money, and with a match from the cit...
Construction may resume soon on controversial street projects in Electric City, and city council members spoke on the topic at their March 10 meeting. A parking lot in front of city hall was built over what had been a stretch of Western Avenue, causing additional turns for those who use that route, including the local fire station. Sidewalk work on Coulee Boulevard, Electric City’s main street along SR-155, is another controversial project due to it limiting parking for businesses there. Mayor Diane Kohout told the council that she received n...
A Grant County resident has died after becoming infected with the coronavirus, but an Okanogan County resident’s test results came back negative as have some at Coulee Medical Center. And community organizations are taking precautions against COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus. Grant County Health District stated Sunday that a Quincy resident resident in his 80s, who had tested positive for COVID-19, had died. The GCHD “has and will continue to follow up with close contacts of this patient,” their press release states. “We know that... Full story
A collection of early and rare photos highlighting the history of Steamboat Rock is being published and will be available for purchase in April. The book tells a linear story of Steamboat Rock, from Native American legends, to early pioneers, to the introduction of automobiles, to the construction of the dam, the flooding of Banks Lake, becoming a state park, and more. Local man John "Jay" M. Kemble, compiled the book titled "Steamboat Rock" for Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series. "...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders took fourth in the WIAA Hardwood Classic state basketball tournament at Spokane Arena Saturday, accomplishing a preseason goal of placing better than last year's sixth place at state. Lake Roosevelt played a tight game against the Wahkiakum Mules March 4, in which the Raiders came from behind to win at the last second. The Mules led 17-10 after the first quarter, and 35-27 at the half. In the second half, the Raiders staged a comeback, taking the lead 47-44 in the thir...
Karen Pace, who has been the music teacher at Lake Roosevelt schools for the past five years, and Terry Owen, who has been driving bus for LR for the past 32 years, will be honored with excellence awards next month. Superintendent Paul Turner announced the winners to school staff Feb. 27. Turner said both Pace and Owen received multiple nominations from their fellow staff members. The awards are organized by the North Central Educational Service District, Turner said, and Pace and Owen will be among those honored at its Excellence Awards Banque...
COVID-19, or the coronavirus, has received widespread news coverage, and as cases and deaths in Washington have been confirmed, how does it affect the local community? "Please be reassured that we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community," stated an email sent to Coulee Medical Center staff Tuesday. The email said the hospital "is taking a proactive approach in preventing potential exposure to staff and patients by screening all visitors and patients prior to entrance into the... Full story
A potential new, big hydro-electric project for the Coulee area, could be more likely to happen sooner than later if legislation being considered by the Senate in Washington D.C. passes. The $1.4 billion Banks Lake Pump Storage Project, proposed by Columbia Basin Hydropower, would bring in an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 workers to build a gravity-fed, pumped-storage system that would drain water from Banks Lake back down to Lake Roosevelt, turning generators in the process, and later pump the...
Special detectors may be installed at Lake Roosevelt Schools to address “rampant” vaping at the school. Vaping, which delivers nicotine to the user without tobacco present, is said to be dangerous to the health of anyone by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and especially to the development of adolescent brains. But students can vape discreetly, even in classrooms, with the devices used to vape being particularly small and the vapor itself often odorless and dissipating quickly. Getting some tech help to address the situation is...
February proved to be a bad month for restaurant buildings. On Feb. 21, at about 4:12 p.m., a Coulee City woman drove over the curb on Main Street in Grand Coulee, hitting the outside of Siam Palace, before going into reverse and backing into an alleyway. According to a police report from Officer Dan Holland of the Grand Coulee Police Department, the vehicle, a 1995 Ford Ranger, jumped the curb and hit Siam Palace, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage when the vehicle pushed in a concrete planter, bent a window frame, caused damage to the... Full story