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 time to take those cowboy duds out of the closet and get ready for the 59th running of the Colorama Rodeo. There’s a little bit of everything for young and old at this year’s Pro-West Rodeo. There’s excitement, some laughs and memorable events. There’s the laughable mutton busting event (picture time); the McMillan Family Trick Riders are back (don’t try this unless you are a seasoned horseman); the Skagit Rein Riders Drill Team, the Whiskey Run, and all the traditional rodeo events. The mutton busters who ride those wooly sheep are u... Full story
Some 15 volunteers showed up recently to help golf course officials at Banks Lake punch and sand the greens. Golf officials praised the steady number of volunteers that have showed up this spring to help get the course in shape. Those helping with the greens work were: Rich Gerard, Kevin Tipps, Gary Haag, Jerry Birdwell, Dick Brockway, Darrel Dick, Herb Sherburne, Mike Higgins, Tom Ball, Gary Carden, Tag Grier, Pat Zlateff, Billy Desautel, Lowell Bowman, and Kent Hoffmeyer. Course Manager Mike Parisien said special thanks went out to Birdwell,... Full story
You may soon be able to “putter” around in Electric City. No, they aren’t turning the city into a putt-putt golf course, although some might argue it’s a good idea; but last Tuesday night the city council voted in favor of allowing golf carts and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) to be used on city streets. Don’t head out to purchase your golf cart just yet. The devil is always in the details. One councilman, Brad Parrish said that the city’s ordinance on the matter should reflect the state law on the use of such vehicles on city streets. Si... Full story
A turkey hen, that was getting tamer by the day, was hit by a vehicle a week ago and taken by Tribal officers in an effort to heal the bird. Jessica Redmon, at 1029 River Drive in Coulee Dam, had the turkey in her yard most of the time, and she said, “It would come right up to you.” “I never tried to touch it because it was a wild bird, but it attracted a lot of attention in the neighborhood,” Redmon said. It had a habit of stopping traffic on main road through town, which is State Route 155, but was lucky for a time. She had been “really... Full story
An extension of the current police contract between Grand Coulee and Electric City is getting closer, both city council committees agree. Currently, Grand Coulee provides police services to Electric City for $115,000 annually. That likely will change when the new package is finalized. Council members Erin Nielsen and David Tylor have been negotiators for Grand Coulee, with former councilmember John Nordine and Councilmember Aaron Derr for Electric City. With Nordine’s recent move to mayor, his assignment falls to council newcomer Rich M... Full story
Electric City has received about 20 letters from residents giving public comment on a number of zoning changes proposed by the city’s planning commission. The main item of controversy is the size of accessory buildings. The planners had recommended 1,728 square feet as the maximum size, and the city council bypassed the work of the commission and lifted the square footage restriction completely. That prompted three of the four members of the planning commission to resign in protest. Citizens still have until May 26 to submit comments to city h... Full story
You can save some big bucks this year by purchasing Colorama Carnival tickets early. Chamber of Commerce officials, the sponsoring agency for the event, said advance daily tickets are now on sale at seven locations: The Credit Union, Chamber of Commerce office, Coulee Hardware, Coulee Medical Center, H & H Grocery, Loepp Furniture and The Star newspaper. Advance session tickets are $25. If you wait until the event, the session ticket costs go to $30. But the value of purchasing early is even greater. With your $25 advance purchase you get five... Full story
You can still be part of the big Colorama Parade, May 9. All you need to do is stop by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce office or go online to grandcouleedam.org for your parade entry form if you want be part of the parade and dazzle your family and friends along the parade route. The chamber of commerce is still accepting entries in eight different categories: Community entry, Organization/club, Business, School band, Classic car, Hot Rod, Equestrian, and Junior. Pick a category... Full story
A Spokane man was rescued Saturday through the efforts of a number of agencies after injuring his leg while climbing high on the rocks behind Osborne Bay. Nicholas Vange, 21, who had been camping in the area, along with another man, Nicholas Largent, also of Spokane, had been hiking high in the rocky ledges on the coulee hillside above Banks Lake when he ran into trouble. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call at 11:15 a.m. but was unable to immediately respond. Grand Coulee police officer Chris McClanahan was on the scene u... Full story
About a dozen people turned out to hear Washington State Department of Transportation engineers talk about Four Corners traffic last Tuesday night at Grand Coulee’s city council meeting. One of these was Ray Wells, the man who started it all with a petition signed by nearly 1,200 local people. “I thought they were pretty thorough,” Wells said later. “They offered up some suggestions, and I think they learned some new things about the intersection.” Wells has taken it personally because he is one of the victims at the intersection of highways... Full story
Richard McGuire was elected to the Electric City Council Tuesday night. He will fill the number-two position on the council, held previously by John Nordine who recently took over as mayor. McGuire was nominated by Brad Parrish and garnered two of the three votes of council members present. Aaron Derr and Parrish voted for McGuire and Lonna Bussert voted no. Marie Chuinard was absent from the meeting. McGuire is a 36-year resident of Electric City and is a retired federal employee and a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was employed by the Bureau... Full story
Those little chicks, ducklings and other baby poultry, though cute, may carry harmful bacteria called salmonella. Each spring, people in Washington state become sick with salmonella after handling chicks and ducklings. Last year Grant County had 12 confirmed salmonella cases, Grant County Health District said in a release this week. People may be exposed to salmonella bacteria by simply holding, cuddling or kissing the birds. Birds infected with salmonella do not usually appear sick. Children... Full story
So you think you know where the walleye, rainbow trout and smallmouth bass hang out in Banks Lake! Then you better enter the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Triple Fish Challenge, April 25-26, at Coulee Playland. Bring in the highest total weight for the three fish species over the two-day challenge and you could win the grand prize, an Achilles four-person inflatable boat with outboard motor with a value of $3,400. The action kicks off at 9 a.m. each of the two days and the weigh in each day will be at 3 p.m. Additional... Full story
Nespelem Valley Electric and Inland Power & Light Company have started discussions and a study for a possible merger, Ralph Rise, president of NVE’s board of trustees announced in a press release last week. If discussions and the study are positive, the issue would have to go to members of both cooperatives for a vote. Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative serves about 1,500 accounts, primarily on the Colville Indian Reservation. Inland Power & Light, based in Spokane, serves some 39,000 customers scattered from the Clarkston-Pomeroy area to W... Full story
Grand Coulee police had a very short conversation last week with the suspect in a case of missing gold coins. Police Chief John Tufts said he went to Ephrata last Thursday to talk with Steven Kiona, 37, who is being held in Grant County Jail on other charges, about 200 one-ounce Krugerrands taken from Dorothy Harris last May. When asked if he would talk with Tufts, Kiona said “no” and refused to talk further. Tufts then went to the prosecutor’s office to talk about the case. Kiona was arrested in Portland recently after allegedly steal... Full story
Sometime in the next couple weeks Grand Coulee will have a new police sergeant. Oral examinations for the sergeant position are scheduled for this Saturday at city hall for three prospective candidates for the job, all current Grand Coulee police officers. Taking part in the administration of oral tests Saturday are officers from the Okanogan and Grant county sheriffs’ departments and an officer from the Okanogan Police Department. The names of the three Grand Coulee officers taking the oral exams will not be released, according to the Civil S... Full story
Design West, the architectural firm that designed the new schools here, has been hired to do the school district’s “study and survey.” The school study and survey is done every six years and is financed out of a grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The cost of the study and survey the last two times it’s been done in the Grand Coulee Dam School District has been $7,441. The grant to pay for the report is based on square footage and other factors, and the exact amount of the grant hasn’t been determined, according... Full story
A lot of footwork, phone calls and letter writing is paying off for Ray Wells, who obtained some 1,100 names in a petition encouraging the Department of Transportation to take a look at traffic control at the Four Corners intersection highways 174 and 155. “I’ll be there,” Wells said last week, when he learned that the DOT would present possible solutions at the beginning of the Grand Coulee City Council meeting April 7. Wells said he didn’t know of the upcoming meeting until he saw it in last week’s newspaper. Wells was injured and spent a wee... Full story
Grand Coulee police may have a break in a case involving the theft of a quarter million dollars worth of South African gold coins May 30, 2014. A Grand Coulee man, Steven Kiona, 37, was arrested and is in Grant County on a stolen vehicle charge and local police are anxious to talk to him about some 200 Krugerrands and other coins stolen from Dorothy Harris. Kiona had lived in Harris' basement in Grand Coulee. He did yard work for her and was the one who called her at her work last May to report... Full story
The clock is ticking for the public comment period on changes to Electric City’s zoning changes. The city has submitted its zoning changes to the state and this triggers a 60-day public comment period when the citizens can let their wishes known. The biggest issue in the change is the size of accessory buildings. The changes were submitted by the planning commission and when the city council failed to act on the entire package, three planning commission members resigned. The planning commission had proposed that the maximum size of accessory b... Full story
A reported $5,300 was taken during a burglary early Thursday morning last week at the Eagles Lodge in Grand Coulee. Police stated that neither doors were broken into but apparently either had been left unlocked or the burglar had a key to the lodge. Manager Iva Graves said the security camera showed a man entering the building and then leaving. She said she couldn’t identify the man. A copy of the security recording was being prepared for police. Graves said the place was locked sometime after midnight and the intruder entered at about 2:45 a... Full story
Volunteers are the backbone of maintenance at Banks Lake Golf Course. A team of volunteers cut down and cleared debris from a number of trees last week. Cutting down a number of trees were Jimmy Van Geystel, James Van Geystel, John Whitelaw, Doug Boll, Bob Boll, John Gorman and Bobby Carlson. The cleanup crew included Kevin Tipps, Frank Shattuck, Rich Gerard and A. J. Gerard. Other volunteers and the part they play in keeping the course in good shape are Jerry Birdwell, who has managed the irrigation; and Gary Haag, who has been working on the... Full story
Geary Oliver has been named Lake Roosevelt's new high school head football coach. Oliver was selected and approved for the position by school board action at its March meeting. Oliver has been involved in a variety of football positions in the district for a number of years, starting in 1994, helping out the team as an assistant. He has been active since in one way or another, including three years filming the games. He has been assistant football coach at Lake Roosevelt High School for the... Full story
A fire early Monday morning destroyed the office and storage area of the DWK Fowler Construction Company in Delano. The fire broke out about 6:15, and when firefighters responded they found smoke coming out of the eaves of the building. Firefighters had trouble accessing the fire through the roof because of metal roofing, building owner Wayne Fowler said. Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the blaze with help from the Fowler crew and a backhoe that tore the end of the building out... Full story
Emily Robinson is celebrating 25 years at the helm of Flo's Cafe. She describes herself as "sarcastic," but in reality, she is friendly and her customers, for the most part, love the insults she casts at them. The cafe has gained some fame from far and near. A New York Times columnist had dropped in at Flo's some years ago while in the area hunting. The reporter was captured by the rows of hunting caps and coffee mugs. This was all shared with Times readers. "I had a reporter from the Portland... Full story