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  • Ruth Dalton wants to continue as mayor

    Scott Hunter|Jul 23, 2025

    by Scott Hunter Nothing like getting thrown right into the fire. Ruth Dalton was new to the city council in January of 2024 when the council chose her to fill the mayor pro tempore spot. That's normally simply who fills in if the mayor can't make the next council meeting. But then-mayor Mike Eylar ended up having to resign for health reasons, leaving Dalton at the helm of the city whose police chief was retiring and whose longtime city foreman was too. "It's been a huge challenge, but I have to...

  • Chantel Crowe seeks G.C. mayor's office

    Scott Hunter|Jul 23, 2025

    Chantel Crowe thinks her knowledge of the workings of the city of Grand Coulee, along with her past experiences, would let her help the city to "move forward and upward" at the same time. Crowe has been the deputy city clerk since November of 2023. Even if she's not elected, she said in an interview, she has a goal of finding a way to help people who need it. "We have an elderly community that I would love to see supported even more - or a veteran community, a disabled community ... anybody who...

  • Gandy dancing in Palouse

    Roger S. Lucas|Jul 23, 2025

    Working on the Northern Pacific Railroad was my first experience outside of Palouse. It was from Palouse to Tekoa, the rail line of some 50 miles. I had already run milk for the local Darigold dealer. We delivered milk on one side of town one day and on the other side the next. You got every other day delivery of milk, cream, cottage cheese and eggs. We still had glass bottles when I started and switched to cartons later . Early on, we had a lot of carton leakers. I worked at my dad’s butcher shop, at the local Piggly Wigley, and as a fry c...

  • Family's home burns in Coulee Dam

    Scott Hunter|Jul 16, 2025

    Fire took away a family's home Monday morning in Coulee Dam. Randy Adolph's home at 1004 Camas Street, where he lived with his two grandchildren and a great grandchild, went up in flames about 10 a.m. when, a neighbor the next street over said, a very loud boom was heard. Casey Brewster was behind Lake Roosevelt Schools just down the street, taking a photo of his daughter, he said. He got in his truck and drove to the house on fire. Brewster couldn't open the front door but went around to the...

  • City will ask others to join in "fire authority" talks

    Scott Hunter|Jul 16, 2025

    Grand Coulee’s city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to direct the city government to write to others who might wish to be part of a new “fire authority” that could combine the efforts of local volunteer fire departments. The idea was the subject of a community meeting in November 2024, when the Regional Board of Mayors sponsored a community town hall meeting to talk about options for either an emergency medical services district or a broader regional fire protection authority, which could start out initially as an EMS provider, proba...

  • Federal cuts make deficits worse for schools

    Scott Hunter|Jul 16, 2025

    When they wrestled with how to allocate a pay boost not all covered by extra state money last month, school directors didn’t know the federal government had just announced it would not pay far more money Congress had already promised, money that would typically be paid the next day. That was June 30 as the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors learned the $136,000 the state would pay for a 2.5% cost-of-living increase next year wouldn’t cover the $679,000 of actual cost involved, leaving a $543,000 hole in the coming year’s distri...

  • Trump administration tells states it's freezing $6.8 billion for K-12 school programs

    Shauneen Miranda|Jul 16, 2025

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has put on hold $6.8 billion in federal funds for K-12 schools, according to an Education Department notice obtained by States Newsroom. The agency informed states on Monday that it would be withholding funding for several programs, including before- and after-school programs, migrant education and English-language learning, among other initiatives. But the agency notified states just a day ahead of July 1 — the date these funds are typically sent out as educators plan for the coming school year. “The Depar...

  • Whadaya bet they do it again

    Scott Hunter editor and publisher|Jul 16, 2025

    If they’re up to their frequently used tactics, the Trump Administration will likely drag out the drama they’re causing by “freezing” nearly $7 billion in already budgeted education funds for K-12 education across 50 states, then just drop the whole thing. The chaos is often the real goal for this bunch. Make depending on the federal government for anything pure hell and people will tend to not rely on it. Local school districts are just a recent entry into that long list of people and institutions learning there is no long honor at the top...

  • Shoot them up at Tombstone

    Roger S. Lucas|Jul 16, 2025

    The sign said “Tombstone 50 miles.” We were in Arizona and I am always game for a history lesson. When we arrived in town, we Iooked across the valley and could see how the paved road curved and twisted its way to where I stood. It was easy to imagine a few riders making their way to history many years before. One of the first places we went into had a machine that challenged you to a quickdraw. I was only a few quarters away from the challenge. I activated the machine and made my draw. Surprisingly, I beat the machine, and for a split sec...

  • Festival of Americal comes off despite a hitch (literally) or two

    Scott Hunter|Jul 9, 2025

    The biggest local festival of the year drew thousands to Grand Coulee Dam to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, live music and even the original laser show on the dam. What they couldn't see were the unusual challenges that started the week for Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce officials. With the festival looming on Friday, Krystal and Jillian Fillis, executive directors in training, knew they had a lot of organizational boxes to tick off by Thursday. But Monday morning they...

  • Small fires didn't turn into bigger ones

    Scott Hunter|Jul 9, 2025

    Firefighters kept at least two smaller blazes from turning into bigger ones this week as wildland fuels turned tinder dry. One blaze took off quickly about 11 p.m. July 5, right after a loud bang at the south edge of the town of Coulee Dam, setting the hillside near the Visitor Center ablaze. Several agencies responded quickly, including the Bureau of Reclamation whose land was burning near the Columbia River Inn. Coulee Dam Volunteer Fire Department requested mutual aid, bringing in Grand...

  • How a 60s church kid sees today

    Susan Ruthhart Kennedy|Jul 9, 2025

    I was a church kid in the 1960s and 70s. Many of our “kid” songs were upbeat and contemporary. There were many stories and lessons in those songs, some of which many of us have seemingly forgotten over the years. One of my favorites comes to mind: “They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love.” If you were a church kid in the 60s and 70s, you’ll probably remember some of the words: “We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord,” and “we will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,” and “we will work with each other, we will work s...

  • As they see it

    Robert and Pat Piekarski|Jul 9, 2025

    Over the years I’ve been amazed at some people that read the paper. Maybe I’ll just state it as is: some extreme right wings don’t like your reporting both sides of the news and threatened to cancel the paper. Over the years I personally think you’ve reported both sides fairly. Plus, you report some news that nobody is covering. Good job. On a personal note, I really didn’t care for the draft and was drafted, but with the draft in place more citizens were watching what the government was doing. Now with the all-volunteer military nobody cares....

  • Why our 20-year reunion matters more than ever

    Larry Hernandez|Jul 9, 2025

    It’s been 20 years since the Lake Roosevelt High School Class of 2005 crossed that stage. Many of us moved away, started families, and built new chapters. But one thing hasn’t changed: the bonds we formed here. That’s why we’re inviting all LRHS alumni to join us on July 19 at Village Cinema for a relaxed evening with trivia, arcade games, free popcorn and soda, and a classic movie that takes us back to those carefree days. For those who want to catch up beforehand, Rio Grande is offering dinner specials for reunion attendees. BOGO 1/2 price i...

  • Those favorite places

    Roger Lucas|Jul 9, 2025

    I had written earlier that the Grand Tetons in Wyoming was my favorite place. They are, as far as scenery goes. However, as far as my personal experiences go, my best place would be the Snake River from one end to where it empties into the Columbia River. My wife’s family had a 350-acre irrigated farm near Buhl, Idaho overlooking the Snake River canyon. At about 4 p.m. each day, hundreds of pheasants would fly up onto their farm area from the canyon below. You could stand on the rocky ledges and see the canyon below come alive with pheasant. W...

  • Beer tent stolen right before festival

    Scott Hunter|Jul 2, 2025

    by Scott Hunter Festival organizers getting everything ready for the chamber of commerce's big Festival of America below the dam Friday discovered a key asset had gone missing Monday morning - the beer tent. Apparently, a thief had backed up to the trailer holding the chamber's assortment of festival tents, tables and chairs, and temporary fencing, hitched it up, and drove off. The big tent has been used for several years at festivals where libations are served as a fund raiser. It was also...

  • Board discusses policy changes you'll notice for school

    Scott Hunter|Jul 2, 2025

    GCD School District policies around managing students, athletics and money shifted Monday, as board directors voted approval of changes in the junior/senior high handbook, athletics policies on participation in sports, paying to enter events and in some instances park, and even on the kind of bag you can bring into school events — clear only. Some changes address safety issues and society’s changing ways of handling them. “You can’t go into any major sporting event without a clear bag,” Director Shannon Nicholson told Director Rich Black aft...

  • Democrats are so Corrupt and hypocrites'

    Carl Russell|Jul 2, 2025

    Democrat Senators and Congressmen are pushing to Impeach Trump again. For his bombing Iran Nuclear sites, that every President from President Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, and Trump again has said Iran can’t have nuclear bombs. However, Obama used 26,000 bombs to bomb Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, & Yemen in 2016 alone. Never did obtain an act from congress to conduct Military Operations. President Biden bombed Syria, Yemen, Iran with 3,246 bombs No complaints from Democrats. & not congress approval either. Obama s...

  • Special showing planned for older light show

    Scott Hunter|Jul 2, 2025

    The Bureau of Reclamation will put on a special showing of the original Laser Light Show on Grand Coulee Dam on this Independence Day. The original light show was commissioned to launch in 1989 in celebration of the centennial anniversary of Washington's statehood. At that time, a laser show was relatively unusual and a sophisticated technology for this rural community, even though the guts of the original show's computer was basically an Atari video game board. That show ran nightly through sum...

  • CMC's tiny homes get into 2026 federal budget

    Scott Hunter|Jun 25, 2025

    Rep. Dan Newhouse announced Sunday that he’d secured over $3 million in federal funds to build “safe, dependable living space for health professionals working at … Coulee Medical Center,” a goal hospital officials have been pursuing for a couple years. CMC relies on traveling professionals to staff various positions, and housing them is a challenge locally. The hospital actually owns several houses for this reason, which also makes the local housing market even tighter. But the professionals, who, hospital leaders point out, pass several other...

  • Non-profit wants a community center

    Scott Hunter|Jun 25, 2025

    A non-profit organization that is all about getting kids involved in active recreation pitched Grand Coulee's city council June 17 on a vision for a "community center" on city land with a great view. Nic Alexander, president of Reel Rec, is a local builder and developer who looks at the city's vacant land overlooking Crescent Bay Lake and Lake Roosevelt as a great place for a center with a view. The vision is still a little vague. Would it include a pool, batting cage, archery range, golf simula...

  • Leadership training is now available

    Scott Hunter|Jun 25, 2025

    A group working to inject the skills and abilities of thoughtful leadership into communities is offering training to do that in Grant County, and north county residents can even get some pay to offset mileage. The Leadership Institute of NCW is all about "Educating and Empowering Community Members for Civic Leadership in NCW." It was a hit in Chelan County last year; this year it's concentrating on Grant County, with plans to do it again in Okanogan County in the next year or so. Nancy Boord is...

  • New year will see council pay upgrade

    Scott Hunter|Jun 25, 2025

    The next town council members in Coulee Dam will get paid on a different scale than council currently does, following a vote of the council earlier this month. Council members are currently paid $50 a month. The new scale changes that to $50 per regular council meeting attended. Two council meetings are normally scheduled per month, but the town often cancels one for lack of agenda items, which is the case this week. Tonight’s regular council meeting was canceled. Council could have changed the pay to add in compensation for extra meetings s...

  • Congress must act now to pull the US Postal Service back from the brink

    Martha Diaz Aszkenaz|Jun 25, 2025

    The United States Postal Service is on the brink of a self-induced collapse. The failed policies of the Delivering for America Plan have driven away customers through a combination of sky-high rate increases and degraded service. David Steiner, who will take over as Postmaster General on July 14, 2025, has a tough job to do and little time to do it, with some estimates indicating the USPS could be insolvent as soon as 2028. Congress has a key role to play in helping him right the ship but must get off the sidelines and act. A useful step...

  • What happened to car show?

    Kurt Steinke|Jun 25, 2025

    In regard to the most pathetic car show in history, last weekend (June 14). Seriously? What happened to the big North Dam car shows from the past or a car show lining both sides of Main Street? There was no advertising, no word of mouth, no one knew anything. Six cars attended, ha ha, that has to be the world record. How embarrassing. Why did someone decide that it would be a good idea to combine a kid’s fest and 40 sign protesters together with a non-advertised car show? Why not go back to days of a stand-alone advertised car show with v...

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