News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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An author who has written extensively about Okanogan County history, will offer a reading at the Grand Coulee public library. Bruce Holbert will read from his recent book "The Hour of Lead" a epic family novel and coming of age story that is once again imbibed with the mythology of the west at 6 p.m., Aug. 19. The public is invited, and this book along with his previous novel "Lonesome Animals" will be on sale that evening. Holbert, the son of Pat Holbert of Electric City, graduated from Lake... Full story
Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands’ attempt to influence how Grand Coulee police pursue noise complaints has fallen on deaf ears, at least for the short term. He went to the Grand Coulee police department office recently and told officers there to back off responding to noise complaints from local taverns who have live music. Grand Coulee Police Chief Mel Hunt said he and his officers take an oath to uphold the laws and nothing has changed. “If Electric City’s legislative body (the council) wants to amend its noise ordinance, then that might... Full story
Grand Coulee’s Civil Service Commission will begin work soon to hire a new police chief. That task was handed to them as the result of a memo from Mayor Chris Christopherson on advice from the city’s attorney. The commission took quick action Monday evening and scheduled a special meeting of the commission for Monday, Aug. 11, at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers. “The public is invited,” Chairman Alan Cain stated. At that meeting, the commission will come up with the qualifications they will seek in a new chief so advertisements on the... Full story
Coulee Dam’s Civil Service Commission is up and running. Mayor Greg Wilder named the third member of the commission a week ago and the first task of the three-member group is to hire a third police officer. “In order to remove nepotistic hiring practices, inappropriate selection of friends or other practices that may not serve us well, I have adopted a new policy relating to the selection process,” Wilder stated. Then the mayor went on to detail his hands-off policy. “All applications for openings for sworn officers in our police departm... Full story
A Western Washington woman has agreed to gift a piece of property on Coulee Dam’s north entrance to the town, Mayor Greg Wilder stated last week. Diane Hartzell, whose parents lived here during construction of Grand Coulee Dam, will be in Coulee Dam Aug. 21, when the property gift clears legal hurdles. A public ceremony is planned, with details to come later. Hartzell has advised that she will also be donating a heavy box of tools her father used while working on the dam site, as well as photographs and copies of scrapbooks. Wilder stated t...
Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands has advised the Grand Coulee Police Department to back off enforcing the city’s noise ordinance as it relates to music at the Electric City Bar and Grille and other places in the city. Sands told three members at the department office, including police Chief Mel Hunt, last Friday that he was going to allow the bar’s music to continue with greater-than-normal noise until 11 p.m. The city’s ordinance reads: “No person, whether or not that person is in actual possession of the noise source, shall create, continu... Full story
The ribbon cutting at the new K-12 school facility will be Sept. 12, the Grand Coulee Dam School District board was advised Monday night. The $30 million-plus project is right on schedule and a number of important dates were noted by Superintendent Dennis Carlson. The driveway into the new school is paved, and workers are focusing on a number of "finish-up" projects throughout the building. The K-6 wing will be turned over to the district by general contractor Walker Construction this Friday.... Full story
A resident on Holly Street complained to the Coulee Dam council last week about a burned out house next to her property and the fact that no one is doing anything to clean it up. Heidi Bradeen, of 609 Holly, lives next door to a structure that burned in September, 2012. "On warm days the smell is so bad we have to stay inside our house," Bradeen said Thursday. Mayor Greg Wilder responded to Bradeen's problem and stated that the property could come up in a tax sale sometime soon, and that the... Full story
A Maryland man was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident Sunday three miles west of Grand Coulee on SR-174. Newton C. Pereira, 57, of Brookeville, Md., was dead at the scene, after striking a 2003 Chevrolet Venture van. Three of the occupants of the van had unknown injuries and were taken to Coulee Medical Center for observation and treatment. Injured were the driver of the van, James Rikeo, 38, from Spokane, and two passengers, Samuel Longmour, 57, of Enid, Oklahoma, and Nish H. Livai, 18, Spokane. Grand Coulee police officer Sean Cook was... Full story
Electric City’s council, in a special meeting Tuesday night, voted to place a levy on the November general election ballot for police services. The total levy amount that the city could ask for is $3.10 per thousand of assessed valuation; that’s an increase to residents of 90 cents. The city had hoped to double its levy amount, asking for $2.21 more, but was told by the county auditor’s office that $3.10 is all the city could ask for. The city’s current levy is $2.1957 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The increase of 90 cents w... Full story
Coulee Dam’s Civil Service Commission is up and running. Mayor Greg Wilder made the third appointment to the three-member commission last week, naming Joe Tynan. The commission will be involved in the hiring of police. The three members are Councilmember Shawn Derrick, Tynan and Herb Sherburne. Kandy Merriman was named secretary. The commission’s first order of business will be the selection of the town’s third police officer. The town started advertising for its third officer last week.... Full story
Grand Coulee’s Civil Service Commission chair said this week that there has been no explanation of why Mayor Chris Christopherson asked that the hiring of a police chief be placed on the agenda for the commission’s Aug. 6 meeting. Alan Cain, who chairs the three-member board, said that it is his position that the process of hiring a new police chief should go through the commission. The past two police chiefs have gone through the Civil Service Commission before being hired. The issue came up during Grand Coulee’s last council meeting and c... Full story
The chairman of Grand Coulees Civil Service Commission said last week that his agency and Grand Coulee’s city council should play a role in selecting a new police chief. It’s a bad idea for one person to have that kind of power, said Alan Cain, the commission chair, responding to a news report that the mayor intends to not include the commission in the process. We don’t select an imperial mayor, Cain added. The selection of a new police chief should be transparent. Traditionally, the Civil Service Commission has been the lead agency in the s... Full story
The selection of Grand Coulee’s police chief will be on the Civil Service Commission agenda when it meets Aug. 4. The request that it be placed on the agenda was made by Mayor Chris Christopherson Monday. The Civil Service Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of the month in the city council chamber. At least two council members, David Tylor and Paul Townsend, had asked if the council was going to be involved in the selection of a new police chief to replace Chief Mel Hunt, who is retiring Oct. 1, of this year. In a telephone i... Full story
Electric City residents had their opportunity to share their feelings about police protection in the city last night during a community meeting in the fire hall. The city and Grand Coulee came together recently and agreed to a one-year extension of their law enforcement contract. The two cities agreed on a $115,000 contract for 2015. That would give the two municipalities about 18 months to come up with a plan of how they would jointly develop a police department. The whole thing got off to a rocky start when Grand Coulee Mayor Chris... Full story
A local registered nurse worked with the Red Cross shelter at Omak over the weekend. Nurse Alan Cain, of Grand Coulee, who went to Omak Thursday, returned home Monday night when the shelter was closed, but expects to return where needed later. “The shelter housed about 100 people the first night and it was down to about 60 the next night,” Cain reported. “By the second night many of those who had been displaced had found other places to stay.” As a nurse, Cain ran what turned out to be a clinic for those with a wide variety of ailments. The she... Full story
The hallways are polished and colorful. The elementary gym is ready for play, and all marked out for basketball and volleyball. Hoops are up. Racks are in the library and both libraries are ready for books and other materials. The kitchen is fully equipped with walk-in coolers and freezers, and soup will soon be on for students. You can almost hear the laughter from the various playground areas. Just 27 months after the state Legislature approved funding to build it, a tour of the Grand Coulee... Full story
Mt. Tolman Fire Center personnel are concerned about weather reports of a storm and possible lightning strikes that is going to pass through the area this Thursday. Kathy Moses said Tuesday that firefighters have welcomed the change in the weather Tuesday and are bracing themselves for whatever might happen Thursday. The Colville Indian Reservation had a hit of 700 lightning strikes just over a week ago and had some 11 small fires contained or extinguished from that storm. While a number of very large fires are occurring in North Central... Full story
Differences regarding wastewater treatment billings between Coulee Dam and Elmer City are slowly getting resolved. The two council committees met July 17, and agreed to two adjustments between the two towns. Representing Coulee Dam were council members Shawn Derrick and Ken Miles, meeting with Donna DeWinkler and Don Bonertz for Elmer City. Two issues were resolved. Coulee Dam has agreed to credit Elmer City $1,069.14, for electrical overcharges for the years of 2007 through 2012. Additionally, Coulee Dam is crediting Elmer City $1,656.51, for... Full story
Grand Coulees six-year street plan was derailed last Tuesday night when Fire Chief Richard Paris took issue with it. The council sent the plan back to committee to digest what Paris had to say. Paris asked the council why the six-year plan focused on streets south of SR 155 (Midway) but nothing was targeted on the north side of the highway. Paris noted that the council members all lived on the south side. Paris lives on the north side. He proposed that the council include the street approaching the hospital in the plan. Paris often is with the... Full story
It was Grand Coulee’s turn last night to address where its police contract with Electric City is going. Two council members were instrumental in working out an arrangement that would extend Grand Coulee’s police contract with Electric City for one year, allowing time to study how or if the two cities could develop a joint police department. Councilmembers Erin Neilson and David Tylor met with their Electric City counterparts, Aaron Derr and John Nordine, July 3 to hammer out the plan. The current contract between the two cities ends Dec. 31, 20... Full story
You can capture the fun this weekend when the Ridge Riders feature their Junior Rodeo, beginning at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Bring your cameras and capture some of the most exciting type of rodeo activity you will ever see. Watch youngsters show their mettle, and who knows, you may be watching a future rodeo star. It’s all happening at the Ridge Rider Rodeo Grounds in Delano. Features include, but are not limited to, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, and steer wrestling, all junior style. Then there are t... Full story
One Central Washington fire has been put out and firefighters are making progress on two others, officials reported Friday. Crews mopped up the Highland Fire, just east of Bridgeport early Friday. Two strike teams that were preparing to leave assisted Douglas County firemen. This fire started last Wednesday and didn’t damage any structures. The fire was managed by the Spokane County Management team. A 240-acre fire near 25-mile Creek on the south shore of Lake Chelan was reported 90% contained Sunday. Kari Grover-Wier, Chelan District R... Full story
A 28-year-old man who was arrested by Spokane police after an incident at Deaconess Hospital is a person of interest in an ongoing investigation by Grand Coulee police. Cameron A. Trevino, listed from Nespelem, was involved in an incident in Electric City, June 30, and has been sought by police after he allegedly pointed a gun at another person while committing an armed robbery of a cell phone and laptop computer. Trevino was initially arrested Friday by Spokane police for first-degree assault with a firearm and unlawful possession of a... Full story
A veteran who "was surrendered" by Bataan military authorities to the Japanese in World War II, was a visitor to Grand Coulee Monday. Dan Crowley, who enlisted in Hartford, Connecticut, in early January, 1941, reported to Ft. Slocum, N.Y., and shortly after found himself on a troop ship to the Philippines. After being surrendered on Bataan, a small group of a couple hundred, decided to swim after dark the half mile to Corregidor, where they continued to fight for another month before "being... Full story