News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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I have discussed in previous articles about how risk insurance in the state of Washington is out of control. But how did we get here? In the 1960s, Washington lawmakers waived something called sovereign immunity for the state, counties, cities, and other local governments. Sovereign immunity is legal protection that generally keeps government from being sued. Back then, Washington lawmakers chose to remove that protection so people harmed by government negligence could seek fair compensation. That wasn’t wrong, but the state went too far. W...
Thankfully, more Americans are saying “Thank You” again and more frequently. It is the best way to offer your sincere appreciation. A 2026 StudyFinds.com national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that the average American says “thank you” more than 2,200 times a year, equating to about six times per day. Importantly, 57% of respondents reported saying “thank you” more frequently than the year before.” The survey also determined that Americans are feeling more thankful overall, with 55% saying they have more to be grateful for this year esp...
Following Tuesday’s inspection of their school buildings by their insurance company, environmental consultant, and property restoration team, Nespelem School Superintendent Linda McKay announced the district had been informed that they “will need to delay the first day of school until Tuesday, September 8.” The school’s buildings were inundated with thick smoke during the recent wildfires, and McKay told the school board July 27 that she would have the inspection done. Air Quality Index measurements inside the school remained elevated on Tues...
With no takers for Electric City’s police services contract and a November deadline looming, the city council on Tuesday agreed to modify and reissue its request for proposals while also beginning a deeper look at the cost of creating its own police department. Mayor Blake Martin told council members the city had received no formal bids on its current police contract RFP, which closes Aug. 15. Grand Coulee and Soap Lake have both declined to submit proposals, citing staffing and short-contract concerns, while the Grant County Sheriff’s Off...
Grand Coulee Dam School District directors Tuesday accepted and countered an offer for the sale of the old middle school to a local company, but the sale is contingent on successful negotiations of specifics. “I think the biggest comment is that we are still trying to do this for what’s best for our students,” noted Director Alex Tufts in a special board meeting called mainly to approve the offer. “We’re not going to make the sale of this if it’s going to harm our students.” Superintendent Rod Broadnax agreed. “Just going to negotiate, and if i...
Sue Dickey, right, accepts an ice cream bar from Harlan Holt as Harvest Foods and Variety gave out ice cream, lemonade and hot dogs to customers to celebrate the store's 50th anniversary Friday. Ray Duclos, center, sips a lemonade instead of working. The founder is now retired but showed up for the day and visited with patrons, including Dickey. She was there when they opened five decades ago, too, and won a drawing. At left Kota and his mom, Sarah Holt help Stephanie Duclos staff the welcoming... Full story
Warning lights continue to flash red for Washington’s economy. Employers are becoming more pessimistic about the state economy and increasingly looking outside Washington to expand. At this pivotal moment, Washington needs a long-term economic development plan that gives employers the confidence to invest, grow and build their future here. In the latest statewide employer survey by the Association of Washington Business, just 10% of employers say the state economy is strong, while nearly four in 10 (38%) describe it as weak — up from 26% a yea...
August 10, 2026 Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation Monday to temporarily suspend some state laws in order to fast-track the recovery process from wildfires ravaging central and eastern Washington. The announcement comes as fires have burned over 700,000 acres in Washington this year, destroying more than 871 homes. "We're in for the long haul on this as a state," Ferguson said during a press conference in Spokane, where fires that began at the start of the month tore... Full story
Grand Coulee Dam School District Directors will meet in a special meeting, online only, at noon Tuesday, Aug. 11, to discuss the sale of the old middle school in Grand Coulee. The Zoom link to the meeting is https://gcdsd.zoom.us/j/89474772041?pwd=Zk5pNnB6MWovOUNLMEtUcTR1MEsyQT09 Or you can go to the district homepage at https://www.gcdsd.org and scroll to the bottom for the link and directions. The school board had planned last Monday to meet online in the next few days to vote on the sale,... Full story
Staff, community and school board members heard and voiced concerns during a hearing July 27 about the proposed upcoming sale of the old middle school that the Grand Coulee Dam School District seeks to sell. Most of the debate centered on longterm access to the gym and safety for student athletes. Athletic Director Casey Brewster urged the board to slow down until a clear plan is in place for replacing the facility, saying the gym and adjacent spaces are heavily used yearround by school and community programs. Brewster said losing the building...
Here is a story you may find interesting: I grew up on Roosevelt Drive in Grand Coulee. There was a nice pool in Mason City (Coulee Dam) just a little ways past the bridge. It cost a quarter to get into the pool to swim and cool off. Around 1951 or so, when I was around 10 years old, on some hot summer days, I would beg a quarter from my mother and walk all the way to the pool — about 3 miles. I walked down Martin Road, past the sewage pond, Weaver’s gas station, the Silver Dollar Tavern, and Dover’s Cafe to the main highway and then towar... Full story
A special thank you goes to Dannee St. Pierre and Cindy Parra, who prepared the food and hosted the fundraiser at Auntie Dannee’s Restaurant Friday in a fundraiser to help people affected by recent fires. Their hard work, hospitality, and generosity made the evening possible. The Coulee Dam Wrestling Club would also like to recognize the generous community members whose donations helped make the fundraiser such a success. Claudia Hevener donated the bread, Lonna Bussert donated the cookies, and Sam Halvorsen donated the meat. Their kindness a...
According to Cosmopolitan, the shag haircut of the 1970s has become all the rage in 2026. That makes me grumpy because I’m still upset about the David Cassidy shag haircut my sisters made me get in 1973, when I was 11. Mimicking a Teen Idol As I explain more fully in my book, “Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood,” Cassidy, the heartthrob star of TV’s “The Partridge Family,” was a huge star in 1973. Like millions of teenage girls, my sisters had a major crush on him. They told me I’d be the first kid at St. Germaine Catholic School to part my ha...
The National Night Out street party in Coulee Dam scheduled for Aug. 4 was postponed Monday due to smoke-related health concerns. The Coulee Dam Police Department's annual participation in the nationally promoted community get-together, always scheduled for the first Tuesday in August, was coming up at a poor time to hold a celebration, the city said in a broadcast text message and in an email to The Star. "We feel it would be unsafe to have people out in these smoky conditions," explained City...
by Shyleigh Gray and Scott Hunter Republican congressional candidate Jerrod Sessler came to Grand Coulee Saturday amid outrage regarding statements he had made in Moses Lake about the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Arriving at the Voltage Coffee House Saturday, Sessler was met with extreme disapproval from the small crowd that gathered. Sessler's opening statements were an attempt to explain himself and his comments. "Most of what I have seen has been totally misconstrued in...
The National Night Out street party in Coulee Dam scheduled for Aug. 4 has been postponed. The Coulee Dam Police Department's annual participation in the nationally promoted community get-together, always scheduled for the first Tuesday in August, was coming up at a poor time to hold a celebration, the city said in a broadcast text message and in an email to The Star. "We feel it would be unsafe to have people out in these smoky conditions," explained City Clerk Stefani Bowden in an email... Full story
More than 1,000 personnel are assigned to the fight against the Kaiser Canyon Fire on the Colville Reservation, officials said Tuesday morning, 12 days after its start from lightning July 16. Fire took out more homes in Nespelem, too, on Friday, although an information release said that fire was not considered part of the larger conflagration and was named the HUD fire. Tuesday morning the fire's size was said to be 126,402.2 acres, considered 16% contained. Then later in the day, a new flareup...
If I ever had to pick someone worthy of the title, it would be my eldest son, Paul. Paul completed 35 years as manager of the Seven Lakes Water District over a year ago. To celebrate, Paul bought a sleeping trailer and with his pickup headed for Alaska. He wanted to give himself a present. He spent three months wandering throughout Alaska, on his own. I talked to him almost daily by phone. He gave himself some sort of gift. He was alone, as he has been on most of his outings. Here are a few of his outings, not necessarily in order. Paul cut...
While my family was in South Korea recently for our youngest and quietest daughter’s senior trip, from which she brought home the country’s entire inventory of cosmetic products, I noticed several things that Korea does better than we do here in the U.S., namely toilet technology, public transportation hygiene, and professional baseball diversions (i.e., cheerleaders). But there were also a few things that I missed about America (other than chips and salsa) while I was expanding my cultural, culinary, and K-Pop horizons in South Korea. Fir...
Homes were lost in minutes, animals raced for refuge, people fled ahead of flames as the Kaiser Canyon Fire grew relentlessly this week from a few acres on the morning of July 16 to more than 68,000 Tuesday. Firefighters and volunteers managed to save Nespelem proper. Several people credited the Palmer family with working tirelessly on bulldozers to create fire breaks around outlying homes that could have burned without that protection. On Monday, a drive through the area, still closed off on th...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District board will meet in a special online meeting via Zoom Thursday, July 30, at noon for the purpose of passing the 2026-27 school year budget, discussed Monday night in a public hearing. Approval of Budget Resolution 26-27/01 is the only thing on the agenda, along with public comment after that approval. No other items can be discussed. The Zoom link can be found at the bottom of the district's homepage at gcdsd.org, or here: https://gcdsd.zoo... Full story
Electric City's new Ray Halsey Memorial Park opened this week with applause, laughter and memories of the longtime mayor who "always wanted a park for the people." The park, years in the making, was celebrated as a model of volunteerism and partnership between the city, local nonprofits and businesses. Speakers praised the committee that planned and built the project, the city's public works crew that rushed to finish details, and the late Mayor Ray Halsey, whose legacy now bears the park's name...
Neighbors frustrated by growing disorder on Dill Avenue pressed Grand Coulee City Council members Tuesday night to crack down on what they described as dangerous and unsanitary conditions on two nearby properties. Resident Mike Coffee, who lives on Dill Avenue, told the council he has dealt with repeated thefts, suspected illegal power hookups, and human waste being dumped on the ground outside a neighboring trailer. Coffee said one man living in the trailer was caught on his security cameras cutting wires from the front of his boat. Coffee...
Some of our nation’s thinkers are coming around to the conclusion that maybe our inclination to keep things fair for all individuals all the time has been accidentally making things worse in a number of ways for all of us, with some serious consequences. But one idea could suggest a way to solutions. Take our housing shortage, for instance. Any diehard capitalist will cite the principal that if you discourage supply, demand will rise, along with prices, as supply goes down. That pretty much describes the current housing market, the paucity o... Full story
Millions of people across America and Canada are choking from wildfire smoke. Unfortunately, it has become an annual occurrence. Currently, thick smoke from hundreds of active Canadian wildfires has triggered widespread air quality alerts across at least 20 northern states. Wildfires are a natural part of forests – of which Canada (and U.S.) have vast swathes. Those massive infernos have worsened in recent years. For example, in Canada in 2023 fires razed 37 million acres– an area larger than England – while the 2025 blazes burned 20.5 million...
