News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Nespelem Junior Rodeo drew kid contestants for the two day event last weekend eager to compete in events ranging from a “chicken scramble” to a bull ride and more types of events than you knew existed. Here are a few photos. Nespelem puts on annual junior rodeo The Nespelem Junior Rodeo drew kid contestants for the two day event last weekend eager to compete in events ranging from a “chicken scramble” to a bull ride and more types of events than you knew existed. Here are a few photos....
The Grand Coulee Dam School District's reduced education program is colliding headon with the people who run classrooms every day. Over the last two board meetings, staff and community members have spoken up to plead for preschool, career and technical education (CTE), athletics, and key administrative positions they say are holding the system together - even as district leaders stress that the math simply no longer works. "We're shrinking, we're going away" At the March 24 meeting, CTE...
The forces shaping decisions about the Grand Coulee Dam School District are stubbornly calling for what one might reasonably conclude are exactly the wrong decisions. Last fall, when the process of laying out a “modified education plan” — the term in education for layoffs — members of the public were calling for the district to stem its financial losses by increasing the amount of money coming in, rather than cutting expenses. In public education, that means bringing in more students — through increased offerings, not fewer. The district...
By any honest measure, veterans have long been unintended pioneers in the advancement of medicine. The unique realities of war and military service have forced innovation that later benefits civilians for generations. Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved. Medevac transportation by helicopter increased survival rates in conflicts like Vietnam and later became a staple of civilian emergency medicine. Advances in trauma surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation medicine...
Survivalism and self-sufficiency are exploding across America. According to TruePrepper, a preparedness research group, nearly 23 million Americans now call themselves preppers — many fleeing big-city metros for rural areas where they can be self-reliant if calamity strikes. I offer some insight into this trend. A decade ago, I left the Washington, D.C., metro area and returned to my small ranch on the edge of the countryside just outside Pittsburgh — a place I’ll call Maybury. The people in metro Washington sure are different from the good...
At Lake Roosevelt Elementary, students start many mornings not by quietly filing into classrooms, but by moving, reading and thinking all at once in a program staff say is helping focus and literacy: LitFit. Principal Lisa Lakin said the key to LitFit's success is that the school has committed real time to it, treating it as an essential part of the day rather than an add‑on. "We put dedicated time into our schedule for it, and it's like, non‑negotiable - we do it every day that we can," Lak...
It’s no secret that this managing editor turned Army girl has found herself in a bit of an unexpected chapter – boots on the ground in Washington, D.C. And let me tell you, this concrete jungle is a far cry from the rolling wheat fields of Eastern Washington, let alone the dusty, wide-open cowboy country I call home. I like to joke that I told people I was heading to Washington and somehow boarded the wrong plane. Next thing I knew, I was living out a real-life “Home Alone 2” moment, full Kevin McCallister energy, just with less room service...
Farmers across rural America are facing an affordability crisis. As a third-generation farmer in the Yakima Valley, I know firsthand the challenges facing farm country and the importance of passing the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, otherwise known as the farm bill. This legislation is an investment in our producers, our families and the rural economy across Washington’s Fourth District. This Congress, I have worked as a member of both the House Agriculture Committee and the Agriculture Subcommittee on Appropriations to help ensu...
A lease was approved by the city council in Coulee Dam last week so that a couple who moved to town again last August can re-imagine what was the Village Cinema into something new. Ben and Naomi Dupris were set to sign the lease Wednesday. The couple envision an art-centered community space for all ages, one that will honor Ben's memory of, and hope for, the community he grew up in, meet the needs of its people today, and embody a business model emerging for such spaces. Ben is a 1992 graduate...
The Funday Friday that starts the Triple Fish Challenge is set for noon to 6 p.m. at Coulee Playland Resort and will feature more than a dozen different stations of free kids’ activities. “Outdoor fun for all ages,” as the poster promotes for Reel Recreation’s annual fishing derby on Banks Lake. This year, an animal processing demonstration will take place at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The Triple Fish Challenge is a “family-friendly fishing tournament like no other!” Reel Rec’s website says. “Anglers will compete to catch three different speci...
Washington's Department of Ecology announced a statewide drought emergency April 8, marking the fourth consecutive year that part or all of the state has been in a drought. "We declare drought when water supply drops below 75% of normal," said Casey Sixkiller, director of Ecology. "This year, every watershed in our state has met that threshold." Snowpack in the mountains is at about half of normal. The emergency declaration follows an above average wet winter where precipitation levels were...
The 40+ billion dollars already spent on the Iran war, endorsed by our own Republican US Representative Michael Baumgartner, has only made our world’s democracies much more vulnerable. Instead, that money should have been spent on Ukraine’s war effort against Russia that’s made our world’s democracies much less vulnerable. Norm Luther...
Shortly after high school I got into motorcycles. My friend Joe had a brother who was living in Spokane, so we went to the city to visit him. He was hanging out with a bunch of bikers so we heard nothing but talk of bikes. We ended up at a British-American motorcycle shop on East Sprague. Before we knew it, we both had purchased bikes. Neither of us had ever ridden a motorcycle, so we were in for some interesting times. We rode home to Palouse. In a couple of weeks, we were back in the bike shop too buy bigger bikes. We both bought BSAs. The...
It took the federal government months to properly serve attorneys for Washington in the Trump administration's litigation to force the state to turn over its voter rolls. But now the lawsuit filed in December can finally move forward. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told the Trump administration last year that he would be willing to provide public information from voter records. But he wouldn't hand over dates of birth, driver's license numbers or the last four digits of social security numbers....
There was a time when our family controlled newspapers in Palouse. My oldest brother, Richard, had the franchise for years in Palouse. There were four paper routes, and my brother hired my two older brothers and my sister to take routes. Richard took the fourth route. He said I was too young for a route. However, I had a route for the Moscow paper, five days weekly. Richard had an agreement with the Spokane paper people to fill the routes and see to it that they were delivered properly. For that he was paid pretty well, and my sis and two...
Today, people who risk their homes, savings and reputations are viewed by critics as the “evil incarnate,” the roots of all that is wrong with America---a nation celebrating its 250th birthday. Unfortunately, critics of our country ignore the fact that people historically came to America to escape oppressive regimes and for the opportunity for a better life in a free and open society. In the USA, our constitution protects our citizens’ rights of expression, to practice their faith or atheism, and freedom to create and innovate. Americans are i...
The Lake Roosevelt Lady Raiders opened at home in dominant fashion Wednesday, piling up 23 hits in a 17-2 win over Liberty Bell in Grand Coulee. Lake Roosevelt wasted no time taking control, scoring five runs in each of the first two innings to put the game out of reach early. Cambry Brown set the tone at the top of the lineup, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Ayamea Batten-Bob added a strong performance with four hits, a run driven in and three runs scored. Shae Crollard delivered one of the biggest offensive efforts of the day, finishing...
Lake Roosevelt athletes did well in Manson April 1, where they placed highly in several track and field events, including taking four championships and placing highly in many others. “The girls team showed up on the scoreboard in a big way, scoring 60 points and nearly catching third place as a team,” Coach Lori Adkins said. “They are starting to have depth in the sprints scoring plus individual scoring in distance and jumps to achieve team standings.” “Most of their results were Season Bests,” she added. Elliyana Trevino brought home the go...
A young Lake Roosevelt Raiders squad endured a challenging week on the diamond, taking on a series of more experienced opponents while continuing to gain valuable varsity experience.Lake Roosevelt opened the stretch with a 12-1 loss to Liberty Bell in Coulee Dam, where the Raiders showed some early promise before the visiting Mountain Lions pulled away in the middle innings. Bradyn Yazzie, Jayden Zaugg, Noah Marconi and Blayne Picard each recorded hits for the Raiders, while Marconi scored the team’s lone run. LR also showed patience at the p...
Around 70 people gathered to rally against the Trump Administration Saturday afternoon in Grand Coulee as part of the larger No Kings Movement, a protest mirrored across all 50 states and parts of Europe. Grand Coulee has been persistent, as demonstrators gather most Saturdays along highway 155, the main road through all local towns, centering across from the local Safeway in approximate groups of 20-30. Saturday's event was the third countrywide protest in the last 10 months. This time it... Full story
Coulee Dam is preparing for what organizers say will be its biggest Festival of America yet, stretching to two and a half days and expected to draw between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors. Speaking to the Coulee Dam Town Council Wednesday, Chamber representative Krystal Fillis said last year’s oneday festival drew about 15,000 people. But with the Fourth of July falling on Saturday this year, the decision was made to expand after securing bigger-name entertainment and additional support. The festival will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with T...
A group of volunteers organized by Reel Recreation responded Saturday to their call to help clean up the area around Osborn Bay, where garbage has been piling up over time. The effort resulted in several trailers full of junk picked up from the area. "Thank you to everyone who showed up and helped us clean up Osborn Bay - this is what community looks like," Reel Rec posted in a video on Facebook. President Nic Alexander noted the help and equipment use of Clay Hearne, Boutain Equipment Rentals,...
A local couple says they are nearly ready to sign a lease and begin work to reopen the former theater space in Coulee Dam as a combined movie house and creative media center. Appearing before the Coulee Dam Town Council, Ben and Naomi Dupris reported that they have “got our loans kind of taken care of” and have some key people on board to help in the venture. The Dupris have been interested in the theater for a long time, and had spoken at council a few months ago about their interest, saying they some things to work out before moving ahe...
From the people who are adopting the Gerkhe Windmills for restoration to those volunteers who picked up a ton of trash around Osborn Bay this weekend, or those dedicated folks working to bring about assisted living homes, it seems there is no shortage of people eager to make this a better place. That goes for those preparing to put on events, too, whether it’s fixing up the Colorama Rodeo grounds, or working to boost the next Festival of America with extra oomph for America’s 250th birthday. It just feels like we’re all leaning toward somet... Full story
When I read the Star article about the Vlachos building slated for being torn down, it brought a flood of GCHS memories. Not many people will remember the name Constantinos Vlachos, but many people will remember his Tri-Phibian automobile, though — the invention of Vlachos back in the mid 1930s that was purported to be able to driven, flown, and was boatable. His demonstration of the craft was in 1935 in Washington DC, as he was hoping to draw the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was already immersed in what was to be the secon...