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 Grand Coulee Dam Lions Club celebrates its 80th birthday this week. The international service club was founded here in 1935, with P.A. Bertrand its first president. The club now has about 15 members and is led by President Rick Bako. The Lions Club was originally established in 1917, and now has over 44,000 clubs sprinkled all over the world. It is the largest service club in the world. Internationally, the Lions Club is noted for its efforts to eradicate blindness, the program starting in... Full story
Next Wednesday night people will gather in Coulee Dam to talk about chickens. Are they likely to answer once and for all the two top chicken questions that have confronted civilization for decades: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Probably not. But they will talk and probably make a decision on whether residents of Coulee Dam can keep a few chickens, legally. The town council will have its second reading Aug. 12, of its chicken ordinance, and likely face again a number of people either mouthi... Full story
There hasn't been a big rush in Electric City to get permits for all-terrain vehicles and golf carts now that they are legal on city streets. City Clerk Jackie Perman said this week that she has issued only a single permit for a golf cart and none for an ATV. Lowell and Birdie Hensley have the first and only city permit for a golf cart. Birdie was the instigator of the idea and over the years has promoted it, both while serving on the city council and after leaving office. The couple bought the... Full story
Barry Peacock is hanging it up after 29 years as superintendent of public works at the town of Coulee Dam. His final day will be Aug. 31. He plans to take it easy for awhile, and then do something that doesn't require him to be in a certain place every day. The community and friends will have an opportunity to say farewell and thank him for his service to the town this Friday from 1-3 p.m. at the community room at city hall. The public is invited. Peacock has only words of praise and thanks for... Full story
A veteran who is said to be in violation of the terms of his lease is being threatened with eviction by the Housing Authority of Grant County. Tommy Hawkins, who has a third-story HAGC apartment on Continental Heights, was notified July 27 that if he didn't take down a marijuana flag attached to his balcony, along with a willow-reed sun screen, he would be evicted. Hawkins said that Monday he asked for an informal hearing on the matter. By Tuesday afternoon, he hadn't heard back from the HAGC. T... Full story
Law enforcement agencies are asking for help from anyone having information concerning the robbery of the Creston branch of the Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union last Friday. Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers said the robbery occurred about 3:30 p.m. Friday, July 24. The lone robber was caught on the firm's security camera. Magers reported that the robber fled in what was reported to be a light tan- or gold-colored extended-cab Chevrolet. That vehicle, reportedly stolen from the Kennewick area, w... Full story
A fast-moving fire Friday burned about an acre of brush and grass across the highway from North Dam, but quick action by local firefighters prevented flames from reaching nearby houses. The fire started about 11:05 a.m. and took less than an hour to get under control, although some firefighters were on the scene for more than four hours. Firefighters from Electric City, Grand Coulee, and USBR Fire Departments responded. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Chief Rick Paris said the fire started... Full story
It’s all about rates and ownership. Elmer City has been exploring the development of its own wastewater treatment plant and is inching closer to a decision on whether to split with its longtime service provider, Coulee Dam. The town council has repeatedly indicated that it would be in its best interest to own its own plant. Their decision will partially be based on the results of an alternative analysis now being prepared by Indian Health Services. Public works director Jimmer Tillman said the town is going to protect the interests of its 4... Full story
It’s all about rates and ownership. Elmer City has been exploring the development of its own wastewater treatment plant and is inching closer to a decision on whether to split with its longtime service provider, Coulee Dam. The town council has repeatedly indicated that it would be in its best interest to own its own plant. Their decision will partially be based on the results of an alternative analysis now being prepared by Indian Health Services. Public works director Jimmer Tillman said the town is going to protect the interests of its 4... Full story
Any interested buyer has only a few more days to get a proposal in for the purchase of the Center Elementary School building and property. Deadline for submitting a bid proposal is Aug. 5. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday night scheduled a special meeting for Aug. 12, when they will open bids and presumably award the winning proposal. District Superintendent Dennis Carlson told board members that there have been three requests for bid packets, including one request from a local person. The school building and site, which... Full story
Seventeen individuals recently finished their Emergency Medical Technician training put on by the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Department. The class started Feb. 25, with 23 signed up. The 17 finished the class in early June. The class included online lectures, studying and testing for 120 hours, six one-day sessions of practical skills, hands-on and scenarios with instructors and practice patients. Individuals in the group spent at least 10 hours of internship on ambulance calls or in emergency rooms. The 17 who finished the... Full story
Grand Coulee Veterinary Clinic has added a new veterinarian. Dr. Stefani Mark is now seeing animal patients at the clinic. She joins Dr. Marlene Poe, who has practiced there since 2010. The new vet is from Nebraska, where she got a bachelor of science degree in animal science, before attending Iowa State University to earn her doctorate in veterinary medicine. Mark was raised in Exeter, Nebraska, where she grew up on a hay farm. One of six children, she had pets ranging from horses to geese.... Full story
An unknown person broke into the Melody Restaurant sometime last Monday night, July 27, and got away with only a laptop computer. Coulee Dam Police Chief Pat Collins said that the guilty person threw a rock through the window near the firm’s office to gain entry into the building. Collins said that police have collected traces of blood and are sending it to the Washington State Crime Laboratory to see if it matches any DNA on record. “We have a person of interest in mind,” Collins said, “and our investigation continues.” The value of the lapto...
Electric City’s planning group is looking at its current zoning to see where a marijuana retail store might be located. The city council instructed staff and the city’s planner last week to take a look at the city’s current zoning to determine where any possible marijuana retail store might be located within the city. The city staff, along with its professional planner, has been handed the duties of the planning commission after its members resigned over the recent flap on the size of accessory buildings. City Clerk Jackie Perman said the c... Full story
By this time next week you can drive your golf cart down to get the mail and for other things in Electric City. The city council passed an ordinance July 22, allowing a golf cart zone in the city. All you have to do to get started is buy a golf cart, get it decked out to make it street legal, then get it registered at city hall. There’s a $30 annual fee. Oh, yes, make sure that your driver’s license is up to date and that you have liability insurance. The “zone” is any public roadway within the city of Electric City having a speed limit o... Full story
A stubborn brush fire closed Interstate-90 near George for the second straight day, but it reopened Tuesday about 10 a.m. The fire was driven by wind gusts of 25 mph and had burned about 900 acres by Tuesday. Winds continue to be a problem, a Grant County sheriff spokesman stated, and will largely determine how the fire is fought. A firetruck from Electric City went to the George area Monday but returned later that night. The fire started Sunday afternoon and flared up Monday. Residents in some... Full story
Electric City and Grand Coulee have amended and extended their water supply agreement for 50 years. Both city councils have agreed to the extension, and the agreement has been signed by both mayors. Electric City provides Grand Coulee with potable water through a 16-inch inter-tie pipeline, using water from its three wells just south of city hall and by special arrangement, utilizing Grand Coulee’s water rights. The new agreement includes the Electric City’s arsenic treatment plant and its services, the plant not having been in service yet whe... Full story
Electric City’s planning group is looking at its current zoning to see where a marijuana retail store might be located. The city council instructed staff and the city’s planner last week to take a look at the city’s current zoning to determine where any possible marijuana retail store might be located within the city. The city staff, along with its professional planner, has been handed the duties of the planning commission after its members resigned over the recent flap on the size of accessory buildings. City Clerk Jackie Perman said the c... Full story
The former clerk of Grant County Mosquito District 2 is being investigated for misappropriation of funds totaling more than $129,000, a state investigative audit of the district states. The clerk is denying the allegations and has hired an attorney. Karyn Byam of Electric City, a 20-year clerk of the mosquito district, resigned her position March 4, after being interviewed by the investigative unit of the State Auditor’s Office. A “Fraud Investigation Report” released last week states that between 2010 and 2014, the clerk was compensated approx... Full story
Those attending the Laser Light Show and wondering when water will be released for a backdrop for the show will have to wait. Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher said it won't likely be this year. Brougher explained that a side seal on drum gate three is leaking and the Laser Light Show will not receive water until it is fixed. That could be next spring when the water level is low enough to work on the faulty seal. Brougher did say that the Bureau of Reclamation is using... Full story
Evacuation notices from two major fires in Douglas County have been pulled, according to the county sheriff’s office. One fire, 17 miles northeast of Waterville, and a second fire 10 miles southeast of Waterville, had together burned some 22,212 acres of brush, grass and sage, according to Tuesday’s fire report. Both fires are being managed as the Douglas County Complex. There had been no reports of structures lost or injuries by Tuesday. The Red Cross, which had opened a center for evacuees, at Ephrata High School, has since closed. The eva... Full story
Grand Coulee’s city council has asked Mayor Chris Christopherson to pursue recycling with the Regional Board of Mayors. Councilman Erin Nielsen took up the recycling banner at the council meeting a week ago and said that it would cost money, “but this is the right time to do it.” Recycling has been a thorn in the side of regional mayors for sometime, but any way they have looked at it, there is a cost associated with it. Nielsen stated that the cities and towns in the area need to look past the cost and bite the bullet. Councilmember Tom Popla... Full story
The town of Coulee Dam has started proceedings to vacate the lease of Riverview Lanes Bowling Alley. The town council voted last Wednesday night to have its attorney start legal proceedings to abate the lease. The council learned last week that the owner of Riverview Lanes, Sherry Moore, has not made lease payments for three months and that water and electric utility services have been shut off. The town owns the building the bowling alley is located in and provides utility services. The building also houses the fire station, Melody Restaurant... Full story
A Coulee Dam resident told the town council last week how well all the elements of the July 4 Festival of America celebration worked. Carol Netzel, who lives at the north end of Columbia Avenue, said that the town should write the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce a letter congratulating its officials and members on how well the celebration was planned and executed. Netzel told how polite people seemed and how the large number of visitors seemed to enjoy themselves. Netzel suggested that in future years parking areas might be... Full story
The chicken issue was a wash, but the need for a code enforcement officer gained momentum at the council session in Coulee Dam last Wednesday. The proposed “four hen” ordinance to allow keeping chickens in town made it through the first reading when Mayor Greg Wilder broke a 2-2 council tie vote. The chambers were crowded with about 30 folks attending, all anxious to see how the chicken issue would be resolved. There were the “fowl” folks and the “foul” folks, about equally divided. But as discussions expanded it became pretty clear that... Full story