Articles written by Roger Lucas
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Musher practice only hinted at the big race
The person who called it “the last great race on earth” was probably right. The Iditarod is run each year the first weekend in March, with the next one is kicking off March 2, 2019. It’s the sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, a...
Riding Japan's bullet train
The long, sleek train reeked of speed as it pulled into Tokyo station. I was finally going to ride Japan’s world-famous “bullet train” at speeds over 100 miles an hour. It was difficult to reference speeds on rails of such proportions. I was...
An Idaho boy who beat the Yankees
Sometimes sports heroes come from unlikely places. Take the case of Vernon Law, right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vernon came from Meridian, Idaho, a few clicks out of Boise, and midway between Boise and Nampa. Law won two games...
A golf champion gets the nod of history
In the late 1950s and well into the ’60s, a number of Idaho athletes were at the edge of dominating their respective sports. Shirley Englehorn, from Caldwell, Idaho, at the west end of the Boise Valley, was one of them. She won 11 times on the...
Ugliest town in the west can do better
I entered Electric City the other day through its southern portal, and was shocked. I don’t know why; I had entered the city through its south end a hundred times before. But this time the many eyesores along the entrance to the city stood out...
Dexter calls more than balls and strikes
Strike, ball, foul ball, you're out, you are safe - all calls you would expect from an umpire. Right? Meet one umpire that has added a whole lot more. Kenny Dexter. Ken was the public works director f...
[Updated: 8-27, 10:45 a.m.] Two districts delay school for a week
Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson announced Wednesday that both he and Nespelem School District Superintendent Rich Stewart have agreed to delay the opening of their respective schools until Sept. 8. Both schools were...
Dozens of cats taken from Electric City home
Animal control workers removed over 60 cats from a home in Electric City Monday. Representatives from Pasado’s Safe Haven, a rescue operation from Monroe, Wash., along with Grand Coulee Police Chief John Tufts, completed taking the cats from... Full story
San Poil evacuations ordered due to fires
Update As of 9 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 7, the fires had consumed nearly 8,300 acres and was threatening some 50 homes and 50 other structures. One outbuilding has burned. San Poil Valley residents were... Full story
Three swear oaths of office in Coulee Dam
A new mayor and two new council members were sworn in at Coulee Dam last Monday. Mayor-elect Greg Wilder, and council members-elect Gayle Swagerty and Duane Johnson all took their oaths of office at... Full story
Fires held back by fire fighters
Two fires separated by a couple of miles and a day scrambled local fire fighters early this week to protect property. Brisk winds pushed a fire Sunday night perilously close to Lone Pine homes and... Full story
Group to seek tourism board for whole community
A chamber of commerce-sponsored meeting of community leaders Monday selected a committee whose goal is to approach the three municipalities that collect hotel/motel tax money about the possible formation of a tourism advisory board to oversee... Full story
Movie theater stays shut after failed fund raiser
A drive to raise $95,000 to replace Village Cinema’s projection equipment with new digital technology has failed, and the theater’s owners hope to end their lease early, unable to continue with a broken, obsolete projector. A report on... Full story
Three local students get Gates full-ride scholarships
Three seniors at Lake Roosevelt High School have been selected as Gates Millennium Scholars, the district announced recently. Selected were Kendall Piccolo, Johnny Medina-McCraigie and Charli Knight.... Full story
Bureau cuts eagle roosting trees on lake
A 100-year-old cottonwood tree on Banks Lake whose branches attracted as many as 10 eagles at a time is no more, cut down by the Bureau of Reclamation a couple of weeks ago. While Bureau employees... Full story
Document request cut off after news report
A public disclosure request for information from police documents made a few weeks ago by police officer Sean Cook has been discontinued at his own request, The Star learned this week. A request the Grand Coulee officer made recently had the police... Full story
Massive document review underway at Grand Coulee police department
A leaky roof over the Grand Coulee police department’s document room is adding to the city’s cost of reviewing some eight years of documents at the request of police officer Sean Cook. When asked about the request, Mayor Chris Christopherson... Full story
City takes over cleanup
A commercial property on SR-155, near Western Avenue, was cleared by the city last week because of a nuisance problem. Jeff’s Towing of Coulee City took a pickup truck, a large truck with a boom on... Full story
Town slows plant plan ahead of petition
Development of Coulee Dam’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade is on hold for three months. The council made the decision at a hastily called meeting Monday afternoon on Martin Luther King Day.... Full story
Wilder intends to seek mayorship
Greg Wilder, 69, a Coulee Dam activist, said last week that he plans to file for the office of mayor as an “agent of change” when the filing period opens in May. Wilder has been at odds with two-term Mayor Quincy Snow, and the town... Full story
Updated new school plans presented
The new K-12 school complex is being advertised for bids this month. Design and school officials went over the project, estimated to cost $24 million, with townspeople last Wednesday night at a... Full story
Stakeholders to review laser show plans
A local group of stakeholders will get the first look at the text for the all new laser light show within the next couple of weeks. Participants include the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Coulee Area Chamber of... Full story
Tribes advised of project delay
Coulee Dam Mayor Quincy Snow, Greg Wilder and Elmer City Councilmember Larry Holford all met with the Colville Tribes Community Development Committee Tuesday to discuss the proposed wastewater treatment facility. The meeting, originally set for 9:30... Full story
Community invited to preview school plans tonight
School patrons will have an opportunity to see the final K-12 school plans tonight (Wednesday). The meeting for the plan review will follow a 6 p.m. school board meeting in the library at the Grand... Full story
Elmer City looks at parallel paths in plant dispute
Elmer City’s town council is divided about what to do in regard to Coulee Dam’s proposed wastewater treatment project. Both Mayor Mary Jo Carey and Councilmember Larry Holford indicate interest... Full story
