News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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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...
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...
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...
Easter Lilies are now appearing in churches just as poinsettias do at Christmas. Both adorn the altars and pulpits during Christianity’s two most important holidays. Over the years, both continue to be the centerpieces of seasonal decorations. They are unique potted plants which aren’t suited for cut-flower arrangements and disappear when churches move back to ordinary times. While both are the icons, poinsettias have a longer shelf-life — Thanksgiving to Christmas. Easter Lilies have a three-week window — late Lent and Easter Week. Each ye...
Math doesn’t care about politics, good intentions, or how badly we want something to work. It doesn’t adjust itself to feelings or make exceptions when the numbers stop adding up. Over the years, I’ve used this column to talk a lot about the growing financial challenges facing counties across Washington, including here in Lincoln County. Those challenges haven’t gone away—they’ve only gotten worse. The Washington State Association of Counties’ recent Fiscal Health Survey confirmed what many of us already knew: counties are under increasing pres...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders dropped both games of a doubleheader to Okanogan on Saturday, falling 13-0 in the opener and 14-4 in the second game. In Game 1, Okanogan took control early and never let up, scoring four runs in the first inning and pulling away for a 13-0 victory. The Bulldogs added a run in the second and broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning. Lake Roosevelt was limited to just two hits in the contest, with Hoss Lauseng and catcher J. Zaugg each recording a hit....
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders wasted no time getting the bats going Monday, erupting for 14 runs in the first inning and cruising to a 23-4 win over Liberty Bell in a fastpitch matchup. Lake Roosevelt sent 18 batters to the plate in the opening frame, capitalizing on patience at the plate and timely hitting to build a lead it never relinquished. The Raiders added nine more runs over the next two innings to end the game early. “We capitalized on our base running and stole base after base,” Coach Khani Priest said. Cambry Brown sparked the off...
Several people were honored Thursday as the chamber of commerce threw a bash to hand out community awards and celebrate its own 90th birthday, with cake. Gathered at the Siam Palace for the annual awards dinner, kudos went out for the Nonprofit of Year, the Business of the Year, the Start-Up of the Year, and the Legacy of the Year. It was that last one that had some eyes a little wet. The Legacy of the Year award was presented posthumously to Kachane Piturachsatit via his son, Mark, who now owns...
The job of taking care of North Dam Park was awarded to Vital Essentials last week. The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District received three bids on the job. Vital Essentials got the bid for $30,000 for 2026. The work will essentially last from mid-March to mid-November and includes mowing lawns, including on two softball fields, trimming grass and weeds, spraying for weeds, emptying trash cans, general cleanup, and prepping the area for festivals, and tree maintenance. The company is owned by John Carson, a local man who grew up in the...
Lake Roosevelt Schools will lose at least six teachers, and up to eight, after this school year to a reduction in force (RIF) authorized by the school board Monday night following reports and deliberations on how the school district “got here” and what the way forward will be. Unlike the federal government, school districts must run on a balanced budget, so when revenue falls, so must expenses, most of which is in salaries and benefits mandated by the state, but not necessarily paid for by it. The deficit before adjustments are made is pro...
If there was one positive thing that came out of this year’s legislative session in Olympia, it was the passage of House Bill 1960. As most of you are aware, several industrial wind and solar projects are currently being proposed here in Lincoln County. Regardless of where someone stands on the philosophy of “green” energy, there is one huge problem that should concern everyone. While these developments can significantly increase the tax base, under Washington’s current tax structure, they end up shifting a large portion of the tax burden...
The term “March Madness” was coined in 1939 by an Illinois high school official named Henry Porter, but it didn’t relate to the annual NCAA basketball tournament until 1982, when broadcaster Brent Musburger put it in play. Musburger was referring to the drama that comes with 68 teams competing in the single-elimination event, now underway. But here’s the real madness: Americans will legally wager an estimated $3.3 billion on the men’s and women’s tournaments. According to the American Gaming Association, it’s an increase of 54% in just the p...
Elmer City leaders Thursday heard their consulting engineer give a rough estimate of $8 million to build an evaporative lagoon system to treat their sewage instead of sending it to Coulee Dam's new facility. Nancy Wetch, of Gray and Osborn, estimated the overall cost at around $8 million, and the cost of all the planning involved could be as high as all the funding available to Elmer City through the state Public Works Board - $800,000, half of it in grant, half loan. A separate facility plan...
Electric City officials are waiting for a formal proposal from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation after an initial discussion about a possible interlocal agreement for permitting and inspections at the tribal golf course area. Mayor Blake Martin reported to the council March 10 that he and another city representative met with tribal officials at the golf course in early March. In that meeting, the Tribes expressed interest in an arrangement that would allow them to issue their own permits and conduct their own inspections for...
Solveigh Chaffee has been trying to buy the dilapidated building next to her Voltage Coffee House for 10 years. Tuesday night she asked Grand Coulee's City Council to reject a bid to tear it down that would cost much more than it's worth, likely leading to more liens against it. Instead, Chaffee said she would like to bid on the property at auction when the county puts it up for sale for overdue taxes. It was once a little museum that showed people the work of Constantine Vlachos, a local invent...
When I was a kid growing up in Palouse, someone built a gym on Main Street. I was more interested then in what was scheduled in the gym than who built it. Lately have wondered who built the gym. My interest was in the events that were scheduled there. We had a town basketball team. All the towns had one, and they traveled around playing each other. I always thought that the members of our Palouse team financed the building of the gym so they could control how it was used. And most of them were farmers, so they could secure a loan for the...
Protecting the people’s right to know in Washington state is a constant battle that is getting even harder. That’s a tough message to deliver, especially during Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is recognized nationwide from March 15-21 this year. It’s meant to educate, recommit and celebrate the fight for openness in government, believing it is the best way to ensure accountability and preserve public trust. It coincides with the birthday of James Madison, March 16, 1751. Madison was a driving force behind the constitutional convention in 1787...
The height differential was obvious from the start, but it didn't matter. Thursday night's Seniors vs Staff Basketball Game at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High gym was more about having fun while beating the other team than just beating them. The fundraiser for the senior class drew lots of community support and winded their teachers and coaches several times, although staff coach Brad Oliver kept his team rotated and fairly fresh for a bunch of old folks. The first quarter turned out to indicate the...
One person visited with the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board on Monday regarding district plans for handling their budget emergency. "After reading some of the letters to the editor in The Star this week, I wanted to come and just kind of get an understanding from the board as to what cuts are being made and why," Sam Halvorsen said. Halvorsen visited on a day the board had just put off a discussion on an upcoming emergency budget resolution, opting to discuss it at a "workshop" on...
WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court aiming to force the Trump administration to admit if it plans to send armed federal law enforcement or U.S. troops to polling locations in the upcoming midterm elections. The suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charges that 11 Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests submitted to the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense by the DNC in October have gone unanswered, a violation of p...
All four local towns are suing each other. You could be forgiven if you didn’t know this; the biggest beef between them involves the spectacularly uninteresting subjects of their shared sewage treatment plants, which are spectacularly expensive by your and my standards. Which is sad, because that’s who has to pay for them. That seems obviously unavoidable, as sewer plants are one thing we don’t want to do without. But making them even more expensive than they already are by deciding to sue each other over disagreements regarding them just rubs...
Just as many November 2024 general election President Trump voters express that Trump’s cruel, lawless, racist tyranny is “not what I voted for,” the same is likely true of many voting for Michael Baumgartner as our 5th Congressional District Representative. Watching Baumgartner suck up to Trump lapdog Attorney General Pam Bondi during her histrionic, unhinged performance at Congressional hearings on opening the Jeffrey Epstein files was nauseating (Spokesman-Review 2/12/26). Then Baumgartner, always lapdog to House Speaker Mike Johnson, in tu...