News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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It's gotta make a guy feel pretty appreciated when a send-off-to-state rally is held just for him, as it was for Caden Portch Friday. The Raider junior alone among his cross-country teammates qualified for the state meet at Pasco's Sun Willows golf course held Saturday. So Lake Roosevelt saw him off Friday in the school's traditional style with an assembly, the "tunnel," and sirens and lights supplied by police and emergency services folks escorting him through town on the way out. Portch ran...
Republican Congressman Dan Newhouse has secured a sixth term representing central Washington, fending off Trump-backed challenger Jerrod Sessler. Newhouse has been leading since Election Day and declared victory in the race on Monday. The Associated Press called the 4th Congressional District race for Newhouse on Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday, Newhouse had 52.1% of the vote while Sessler had 46.2%. "The results from this election show the people want a results-driven leader who understands th... Full story
Though questions remain, the Grand Coulee Dam school board at their Oct. 28 meeting indicated openness to switching to a four-day school week in the 2025-26 school year. Board members will likely make their official decision at the Nov. 25 meeting after hearing more direct comments and concerns from staff, faculty and students — as well as a more complete proposal including the start time and end time for each school’s daily schedule. Superintendent Rod Broadnax presented survey results that tended to show staff in support of making the cha...
As most of the country’s election map turned red last night, so did most of Washington states but with different results overall. With only 64 % of votes counted in the state as of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, with 51% of the vote nationally had received 58% in Washington, giving the state’s 12 electoral college votes to her. Results are unofficial until they are certified Nov. 26 by county officials, then by the secretary of state on Dec. 5. That blue leaning in the most heavily populated areas of the state carried thr...
The Grand Coulee Dam district will propose a four-year school funding levy to voters on the February ballot, the board indicated at its Oct. 28 meeting. If approved, the new levy would replace the current one, which expires next year, and bring in nearly $4.2 million for educational programs and operations between 2026-29. The current year’s budget for educational programs and operations is just under $14 million. Though the final resolution language still needs formal approval by the board in November, members unanimously agreed with the r...
My son Paul is finally returned from Alaska. I had written about his “once in a lifetime” camping and exploring trip to Alaska. He left his home just north of Everett on May 15 and got back Oct. 4. He described it as his retirement dream. Paul drove 16,996 miles, went through a new set of tires, and cooked a lot of meals. His goal was to see a lot of Alaska. He did! Paul said he was on all major roads and a host of minor ones. He retired last year and spent the better part of six months planning the trip. A return trip is being discussed. Pau...
Washington’s agriculture is a $12.8 billion business with 33,000 farms — and it runs on gasoline, diesel, and natural gas. The hundreds of big rigs hauling crops and food products are not electric. Even though new trucks have reduced CO2 and other pollutants, some politicians are hastily charging ahead to replace fossil-fueled trucks with unproven technology. According to 2021 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, transportation was responsible for 30 percent of greenhouse gases of which 80 percent comes from cars and trucks. A qua...
When you've had one win all season and your last league game will be against one of the top 2B football teams in the state with 22 straight wins, you might not think it could be fun. But don't tell that to Lake Roosevelt's Raiders, at least not those who made the trip to the home of Bulldogs Friday night to endure a 78-8 drubbing. "We took 16 players to Okanogan, five of them freshmen," said Raider Head Coach Geary Oliver. "At the end of the game we had 13 able to play. Our guys played hard...
Grand Coulee Dam schools are scrambling this week to get almost 40 of their students who live in Nespelem to formally “choice in” to GCDSD — or else risk losing $9,100 per student in so-called “full time equivalent” funding from the state. As of Monday night, Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board they had not received paperwork from any of the Nespelem students yet, putting around $350,000 at risk. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has given GCDSD the ultimatum this year: Get it done or else lose out on th...
A popular program that provided after-school and summer educational activities for students may return to Lake Roosevelt Schools next year. School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the district board of directors Monday that several people have volunteered to help get the funding back that is lacking this year from the 21st Century grant program that once funded the District’s SHARP Kids program. Broadnax said Gene Sharrett, former NCW Education Services District superintendent, and one other person met with him Friday. “I’m very excit...
I want to share how much I enjoy seeing the progress of the reopening of the Village Cinema. My sister, Cecilia, and I subscribe to The Star and enjoy sharing what is happening. My parents, Rod and Anne Hartman, ran the Coulee Dam Theatre when I was growing up. I have such memories of having my parents own the theatre. Some good, some great, and some embarrassing. We’ll start with the embarrassing. My mom would cruise the aisles with her flashlight, watching for those that were not watching the movie but were choosing to make out with their d...
Over the past two years, as a member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, we have uncovered the malign influence the CCP has in American institutions. With these revelations, we have committed to finding real, actionable solutions to prevent the CCP from tightening their grip on our nation’s security and way of life. The Select Committee has exposed numerous CCP schemes aimed at undermining our national security. From increased land purchases near sensitive sites to di...
I have been in the writing business almost 70 years. It started under difficult circumstances and almost ended the same way. I took a couple of journalism classes early on and my prof, Helen Wilson, took a liking to my work. When an opening came up on the staff of the small daily paper in Nampa, Idaho, she arranged for me to go in for an interview. I talked with the editor, Jack Scudder, who sensed my hesitation. He explained that as sports editor I would be following and writing about sports events in the area. After I said I didn’t think I wa...
With their season about to wrap up, the Raiders grabbed a football win on the Lake Roosevelt field for their homecoming game Friday. They beat the Tonasket Tigers 40-35, boosting the Raider win-loss to 1-6. "I'm always proud of our players, but this week our team built on the value of personal sacrifice," said Head Coach Geary Oliver. "Our defensive line was asked to play a technique which would result in no personal accolades. However, it would give us our best chance to win the game. It was a...
Congressman Dan Newhouse visited Coulee Medical Center last week as part of a tour through the north part of the 4th District to hear from leadership about the hospital's successes, challenges, and their hope to have their tiny home project included in the federal budget. The hospital district, which includes parts of four counties, brings in only about $200,000 annually from property taxes–not even enough to cover the salary and benefits for one doctor–since a large portion of the land is gov...
A letter from the city’s attorney to the Bureau of Reclamation official, which the city council ratified last week, confirms that the city of Grand Coulee and the federal agency “have mutually agreed to ‘pause’ or significantly reduce service under the Contract due to the lack of City personnel to fulfill the Contract service requirements.” Along with the city’s current police staffing shortage, the Oct. 2 letter from City Attorney Julie K. Norton to Sandra Snediker at Reclamation’s Pacific Northwest Regional Office in Boise, Idaho, unders...
Village Cinema may not be licensed to screen copyrighted films yet, but owner Larry Hernandez isn’t letting that stop him from bringing movies to the Coulee Dam theater. This weekend he’ll screen two films that are in the public domain, meaning, the copyright has expired and therefore no licenses are required to show public screenings. Saturday night, those looking to celebrate spooky season can come watch Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero’s classic 1968 horror film often credited with popularizing the modern image of flesh...
Residents of Grand Coulee should start preparing for a nearly $30 fee increase per month on sewer bills once the upcoming $12 million sewage treatment plant upgrades are complete and the loan comes due, city leaders discussed at the council meeting last week. There were signs and unhappy expressions all around the council table as members deliberated on two possible loans to fund the upgrade. A 20-year loan would have meant an increase of $36.59 per month. The 30-year loan increase comes to $28.89. “I don’t like either one,” said Counc...
When I was a kid, I was taught lying was very bad. Up until the last few years I wasn’t aware of hardly any outright lies. Then in 2015 Donald Trump lied to the whole world that he didn’t know anything about Russia. He had never been there. Since then, the lies are unending. People don’t care anymore. Don Andrews...
At 94, I am still not old enough to answer what I think I owe my present age to. I suppose I could say that I drank sparingly and quit smoking when I was 20 years old, or more accurately when I met my wife. I was born on a farm and lived there until I was 6. My parents often told me that we moved to town so I could start school. That was in 1936, in Palouse. I never was comfortable on the farm. My siblings and I always were wondering what was going on in town. We lived four miles out. So we moved to town, and I started what some might call my...
Throughout my time in Congress, I have been fortunate to be part of numerous committees and caucuses that allow me to directly impact the constituents of Central Washington. One of these caucuses, the Western Caucus, has allowed me to advocate for issues that all of rural America struggles with, and as Chairman, I have been able to ensure the priorities of Central Washington are not forgotten. The Western Caucus is a bipartisan caucus with over a hundred members from across the United States, which advocates for rural policy issues throughout...
When President Biden warned FEMA does not have enough money to finish the hurricane season let alone the entire year, it was surprising. Suddenly, we discovered federal disaster relief money may be insufficient for future hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes relief. The frequency of major hurricanes and massive wildfires is draining federal accounts, and replacement funds only add to our soaring national debt. That debt is weighing on our ability to operate our national government. For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, which stretches...
Like many volunteer-driven efforts, fire and ambulance services that depend on donated labor have seen participation drop in recent years. Local leaders are considering an alternative model: creating a special taxing district to fund ambulance and emergency medical services, subject to approval by voters. The discussion is not yet a formal proposal, but the Regional Board of Mayors invites interested residents to learn more at a public town hall meeting Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the ballroom at Coulee Dam Town Hall. Grand Coulee Fire...
Grand Coulee has decided to re-advertise its police chief position, signaling an intent to rebuild its own department rather than contracting out with another jurisdiction. “I am recommending here that we go ahead and set out to hire our own chief of police at this point,” Mayor Ruth Dalton told the council at its Oct. 15 meeting. “We need to kind of take care of this as soon as possible here, to get our police department back where it needs to be.” The council approved an annual salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 for the police chief j...
Last month, two people were shot while walking along Spokane Boulevard in the Delano area, who then drove themselves to Coulee Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police reports from the Sept. 16 shooting. Though police did name a suspect, no arrest was made and an “attempt to locate” dispatch was ultimately canceled the next morning due to lack of probable cause. The case has been forwarded to the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office. According to Grand Coulee Police Department reports, one victim, a 35-year-old, refus...