Sorted by date Results 3656 - 3680 of 7148
I recently asked local candidates to tell us about their candidacy. After polling local folks and hearing from more than a few folks on social media, it seems there are specific questions that we’d like to pose to the candidates. These are two of the more than 20 that I received. I will share a few as often as allowed. I have no favor towards any candidate in this election, no dog in the fight. I would just like to see an election that actually serves our community and results in a positive outcome. 1) Cole & Douglas Park, West Coulee Dam: B... Full story
I was very thankful to be asked to sit in on the LRHS Senior Oral Boards! I didn’t realize how much of a rewarding experience this was going to be. One thing I promised to address was the community service requirement. While most didn’t have a problem doing it, it was the wording that caused hard feelings. In a young person’s eyes, you see “community service” and that makes it look like it’s connected to doing something wrong. I heard, “When you’re on probation or in trouble, you get community service,” and I completely agree! I submitte... Full story
Soccer will continue to be part of the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s athletic program, the school board voted Monday night. The girl’s soccer program was highly successful, Athletic Director Levi Seekins advised the board in a written memo. The program, which started last fall, had 18 girls turn out, and coaches are already involved in summer programs. The board had approved soccer on a trial basis a year ago and were quick to vote to continue the sport. “Soccer showed a lot of improvement as the year went on and we expect to do bette... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday night approved a number of supplemental contracts for various functions at the school. Aaron Derr was issued supplemental contracts as a district website administrator and a 12th-grade advisor. Carrie Derr was approved as K-6 ASB advisor and for technical support. Christel Pitner was approved as 10th-grade advisor; Julie Friedlander was approved as 12th-grade advisor; Karrie Utz and Kim Stanger were approved as Native American advisors; Lee Largent was given a supplemental contract for clean-up... Full story
Nespelem School District has brought back Dr. Mary Hall, who was sworn in as the new superintendent at a board meeting Monday. The board also approved hiring Jeff Golding as a middle school science teacher. The Gonzaga University graduate is not a certificated teacher yet and will work on getting that certificate this year. Director Nancy Armstrong-Montes said he would also be receiving classroom management training. The board also approved hiring Marshal Stanger Adolph as a... Full story
The possibility of changing Coulee Dam from a “town” under state law to a “city” drew significant discussion at a town council meeting Wednesday, where the audience was packed following a door-to-door push last weekend by a candidate for council. Fred Netzel, who is running against David Schmidt for the council, said he wanted enough people at Wednesday’s meeting to ensure a basis of knowledge on the subject among townspeople and encourage open discussion. Mayor Greg Wilder said the question is one of importance for the town, which currently... Full story
Betsy Devos, secretary of the United States Department of Education, has proposed $10.6 billion in cuts for public education institutions, targeting, among other things, after-school programs, technical and career training, special education, and college grants. The proposal presented by the USDOE would use the savings from the cuts toward giving families the option to use vouchers of federal tax dollars for sending their children to private and religious schools, as well as charter and magnet schools, and for homeschooling. Locally, and in... Full story
Check your calendar closely. This year’s Festival of America is coming Friday and Saturday, June 30 and July 1. This year’s July 4 Independence Day holiday falls on Tuesday. Chamber of Commerce officials don’t think their annual festival would get good attendance if it were held on a Tuesday, as the work week is split in two. But there are some real treats to come on the two new dates, the Friday and Saturday just before July 4: The fireworks over the dam will fire off just after the Laser Light Show Saturday evening, about 10:30 p.m. In the pa... Full story
A Grand Coulee woman appealed to the city council Tuesday, June 20, to approve a "dog rescue" at her residence. Dorothy Harris, who resides on Young Street, offered to work with Grand Coulee in writing language for an ordinance that would be acceptable to the council. However, zoning got in the way. Councilmember Tammara Byers, who chairs the city's planning commission, told Harris that "there's no way that we are going to allow a rescue operation into an R-1 (residential) zone." Harris told... Full story
A working smoke detector is credited with avoiding a bigger fire, as it allowed for getting a blaze under control at a mobile home at 904 King Street in Grand Coulee last Thursday evening. Volunteer Fire Chief Richard Paris said it appeared the fire started in an electrical connection on the underside of the trailer. Firefighters responded to the alarm at 7:10 p.m. and were able to leave the site within 45 minutes. The trailer resident and a neighbor were able to turn off the power and use a garden hose to knock the blaze down. The trailer was... Full story
The Northwest Pyrotechnics Association put on a fireworks show from North Dam on Saturday night. "I heard a lot of 'oohs' and 'ahs' and that's what we're always looking for," said Alan Cain, a local pyrotechnician who helped organize the event and set off the fireworks. "We were seriously delayed because we were missing two keys," Cain explained of a late start to the show. One of the missing keys opened a gate where the pyrotechnician was stationed, and the other to where the equipment was... Full story
The Colville Business Council Friday expelled one of its 14 members on a split vote just before elections set for this Saturday. Following an investigative hearing, the CBC expelled Ricky Gabriel with a 9-4 vote, citing ethics violations, according to a press release from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The expulsion took effect immediately. The CBC said it found that Gabriel had violated three sections of its Code of Professional Responsibility, including: • Use of the council member’s position “to obtain financial gain... Full story
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the... Full story
Last Wednesday evening, the Coulee Dam Town Council met to consider, among other agenda items, if the Town of Coulee Dam will change its status from being a Town to that of a City. Town Hall made little effort to inform the public and give adequate opportunity for comment on this matter. The relevance of this statement is: If not for the efforts of Larry Price, candidate for Mayor, and Fred Netzel, Bob Poch, Marcia Warnecke and Tim Brooks, candidates for Council-person positions, very few people in Town would have known about the Mayor’s p... Full story
At this past week’s Coulee Dam’s Town Council meeting we observed an extremely angry outburst from Dave Schmidt (a town council member) directed towards some of Coulee Dam’s citizens when they objected to a comment made by Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt does not have the same views on a lot of issues and that is fine. It doesn’t matter who was right or wrong. What I question and dislike is Mr. Schmidt’s verbally replying in an extremely loud voice in a public meeting. I feel that as an elected official in a public meeting, he should have enough se... Full story
My husband and I were told we had to take our candidate-for-mayor sign down. By law, you can only have signs up so far ahead of the election. The week before we were told to take it down there was a letter in our Star newspaper to vote for a new mayor. That letter was written by our other candidate. So why was the letter allowed but not our sign in our yard? Carol Daily Coulee Dam Editor’s response: Laws about outside election signs do not govern letters to the editor.... Full story
The Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Riding event this Friday, June 16, will feature an added attraction this year. Through special arrangements, bull riding fans will be able to see instant replays of all the action on a huge screen. Fans at the Ridge Rider event, which begins at 7 p.m., will be able to watch all the action — twice — as a large screen will allow them to catch something they might have missed in real time. The Ridge Riders have made special arrangements with a Montana firm, Lyons Productions, to haul the giant screen on a 27-... Full story
Members of two Grand Coulee Dam School District unions responding to recent internal surveys outlined a number of complaints dealing with discipline, communication and training issues. The survey responses provide a glimpse into a district, many of whose workers are disillusioned enough that union leaders felt compelled to ask questions of the membership. While the survey respondents collectively fell short of painting a no-confidence opinion, several within the two unions stated that they... Full story
The annual Koulee Kids Fest kicks off this Saturday throughout the area. The June 17 event begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m. Kids can get their passports at one of the following places: Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce office, Coulee Hardware, Loepp Furniture or the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center. Once kids get their passports, then it’s off for fun and games. There’s free mini golf, pedal boats, face painting, ice cream, kettle corn, a barbecue, chalk art, classic cars, fishing, disc golf, photo cutouts at the Coulee Pio... Full story
There is interest again in the purchase of Center School. The sale of the old school is among the goals set by the school board for the coming year. Superintendent Paul Turner advised the board that a person from Moses Lake is pursuing the purchase of the building and adjacent acreage (8.5 acres in all) from the district. Turner told the board that the party interested had toured the site and was actively pursuing the purchase. The school was purchased for $155,000 from the Continental Land Company in October 2015, and has been on and off the... Full story
The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus rolled into town on Thursday, and held two packed shows that night during a heavy rainstorm. The circus crew raised the big-top tent in the morning, and a small crowd took the tour, getting close to a lion and two tigers, a clydesdale and ponies, a calf, dogs, goats and more. The jungle cats included Francis, a 500-pound lion; Solomon, a 450-pound male tiger; and Delila, a 375-pound female tiger. The cats eat between 10 and 15 pounds of meat each day, and... Full story
This Saturday night, consider heading to the North Dam area to see a free fireworks show put on by the Northwest Pyrotechnics Association. Local man Alan Cain, a member of the NPA, brought the event together by getting the necessary permits from the powers that be: the city of Grand Coulee, the fire department, the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “It should be absolutely awesome,” Cain said. “We’re hoping that we will surprise people, and that they’ll have a good time.” The group will likely star... Full story
In a political statement four years ago, Gayle Swagerty talked about getting public involvement. Since taking the position of council person, she has made little effort to get the public involved or even give the public adequate opportunity for comments. Now, Councilperson Swagerty wants to meet with the public she has pretty much ignored over the past years. All registered voters should go and talk with Councilperson Swagerty to become informed about her positions and views concerning our town’s problems. In addition, be an informed voter a... Full story
While I would like to hang up my phone and put down my pen and just wait for the U.S. to heal by itself, I just can’t sit idle. Participation in the direction of our nation is the basis on which our country was founded. We all recognize the phrase “No taxation without representation.” What concerns me more and more is the concept of “representation.” It used to be that we would elect representatives who represented us, their constituents. But ever since the Supreme Court upheld Citizens United, Representative Dan Newhouse and his colleagues lis... Full story
The Regional Board of Mayors has asked that needed repairs at the Delano Transfer Station go out for regular bid. The group’s insurance firm, Clear Risk Solutions, had inspected the transfer station earlier this year and came up with an estimated $20,000 to $25,000 of needed repairs. Electric City, which manages the transfer station, had asked for bids from its small works roster since repairs were estimated to be under $35,000, not meeting the threshold for having to advertise and go out for the full bidding process. One bid was received f... Full story