News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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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
A test to fill a vacated sergeant position in the Grand Coulee Police Department has been scheduled for April 11. Civil Service Commission Chair Alan Cain said the position will be filled from within the department. Four officers have applied. Cain said the oral interviews will be handled by the CSC’s chief examiner, Kris Theisen, and several law enforcement officials from around the area. The officers will be rated after the oral tests, and the top candidates will go to police Chief John Tufts for appointment. The officer selected will r... Full story
Big changes may come to the four-corners intersection of the two state highways in Grand Coulee, or not, after a petition got the attention of a state agency with 1,100 signatures. Local residents will have an opportunity to see some of the state Department of Transportation's proposed traffic control alternatives to the intersection at a meeting of the Grand Coulee City Council, April 7. The session starts at 6 p.m. DOT Traffic Engineer Terry Berends said his presentation will include a number... Full story
Center Elementary School and its surrounding property is officially for sale. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board had declared the property surplus in February, and after a public hearing to determine what to do with the property Monday night, it decided to list the building and the total 8.5 acres. The school board also authorized Superintendent Dennis Carlson to order an appraisal of the building and property. Only a single resident, Hank Wiebe, spoke to the board about the property. Wiebe resides next to the school, and commented... Full story
John Nordine is Electric City’s new mayor, sworn in last Tuesday evening by the city’s attorney, Katherine Kenison. Nordine, a serving council member, was mayor pro-tem, and had indicated that he would be willing to take over the city’s top political post after Jerry Sands resigned. The council agreed, and voted to make him mayor. He was quick to put an end to the constant interruptions the council has been experiencing lately from people attending the meetings, with exchanges between members of the audience and council members, and somet... Full story
The things people flush down their toilets is giving Grand Coulee’s wastewater treatment staff fits. And it isn’t just Grand Coulee that is having this problem. Councilmember David Tylor brought the problem up at a recent council meeting and stated that the city needs to find a way to get people to stop putting handy wipes, toys, articles of clothing and other things into their toilets and then flushing them down. City Clerk Carol Boyce explained that the handy wipes are probably the worst thing placed in toilets. Gary Abbott, of the was... Full story
Tim Lynch, Coulee Dam's wastewater treatment manager, is a remarkable fellow. He completed 40 years on the job last Wednesday, and town officials recognized him with pizza and cake at the town hall. What's so remarkable is that he has completed 40 years with the same employer, the town of Coulee Dam. In talking about it later, Lynch said it actually is about 43 years, since he also worked earlier summers as a part-time employee. What's really remarkable is a visit to his wastewater treatment... Full story
The council at Electric City voted last Tuesday night to submit changes to the city building code to the state for review, providing local residents and others a 60-day period to respond to the changes. The council amended a report from the planning commission to state that the size of accessory buildings has to conform to the International Building Code, which allows up to 3,000 square feet. But submitting the changes to state for review didn’t happen soon enough to satisfy three members of the planning commission who resigned after the c... Full story
Local citizens will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed sale of Center Elementary School and its surrounding property at a meeting before the school board, Monday, March 23, beginning at 5:30, at the secondary library in the new education complex. The district acquired the building and some 8.5 acres of land for $155,000 from the Continental Land Company earlier this year and proposes to sell the property after the school board declared it surplus at its meeting Feb. 2. Citizens can comment on the sale or why the district should reta... Full story
The future of Electric City may one day be more pedestrian-friendly, if an idea the city is pursuing ever comes to fruition. The Electric City Council is in favor of a pathway in the city proposed by one of its members. But don't look for anything to happen any day soon. Councilmember Brad Parrish, who is proposing the pathway, explained to the council that any pathway in the city would involve the cooperation of a number of agencies. "It will be difficult," but not impossible, he told fellow... Full story
A Nespelem man, Nicholas Patrick Stanger, 25, was killed last Wednesday in a one-car accident on Gold Lake Road. Stanger was a Lake Roosevelt High School graduate and was active in sports. Also in the vehicle at the time of the accident was his twin brother, Michael, who was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for treatment. He was released Monday. The deceased was born in Spokane to Robert and Lily Stanger and he worked at Mt. Tolman as a senior weed contractor. The obituary for Stanger can be found in this week’s S... Full story
A class of 21 future emergency medical technicians are currently working on their certification, and when they finish their training at least 12 of them will be available to serve in the Grand Coulee Dam area. Saturday, the whole group met together for the first time at the fire station in Grand Coulee. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Paris said the trainees are from a wide range of places, including Moses Lake, Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, Wilbur, Inchelium, and...
The members of the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center honored their "Volunteer of the Year" Tuesday night. Felix Marcolin, 78, was described as a "person who makes himself available 24/7'" to help other people. Seniors President Birdie Hensley stated that Marcolin does everything at the senior center, and more, and he was an easy selection. Marcolin was named "Volunteer of the year" in 2006 by The Star newspaper. The center held a contest to single out one volunteer for the top choice. It is the fir... Full story
The Ridge Riders kick off their annual schedule of events Saturday, March 14, with the annual banquet and auction. The event is planned for the American Legion Hall in Electric City with doors opening at 4:45 p.m. George Kohout, president of the Ridge Riders, stated that a few tickets remain for the event. The next event for the Ridge Riders is the Riding Clinic, again headed by Janet Doughty, scheduled for the arena April 4-7. That event will be followed April 9-10, with a barrel racing clinic, also at the arena. One of the highlights of the... Full story
Imagine Banks Lake without water, and a dairy and pig farm operation in its place with Steamboat Rock as a backdrop. That would take you back to the early 1900s, when George Baldwin farmed the canyon floor with a vegetable farm and orchard, adding to his animal operations. The old Baldwin farm comes up from time to time when oldtimers recall earlier days, and it came up again recently at a Grand Coulee City Council meeting. Some time ago, pictures dating back to the old farm found their way to... Full story