News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 1850
Elmer City’s residents already pay around $68 a month for their sewer service, not the $14 stated incorrectly in an article last week, but that amount will still go up following a court ruling last December. The $14 cited at a town council meeting is what Elmer City had been paying Coulee Dam for treating sewage at the time. Okanogan Superior Court Judge Kathryn Burke ruled on Coulee Dam’s preliminary injunction seeking payment from Elmer City at double the $80 rate Coulee Dam charges its own customers. The judge didn’t agree to that high a rat...
Elmer City must pay a lot more for the wastewater treatment service it buys from Coulee Dam, a county judge ruled recently, which may force Elmer City residents to have to pay more for their utilities. The town council endorsed a plan Thursday to increase rates to cover the bill in dispute for 2025, although the town is working on an appeal. In the meantime, residents who are used to paying $14 a month for their sewer service will have to pay considerably more. Coulee Dam's own residents pay...
A big boulder fell from the wall of the Grand Coulee during the night, blocking most of two lanes on SR-155 along Banks Lake. Drivers can still drive around it where it's coned off at a wide spot in the shoulder of the road on an area of light traffic, but drivers should expect one-lane traffic on the highway just south of the entrance to Steamboat Rock State Park. The Washington State Department of Transportation sent out an alert on its mobile app about 3 a.m. Saturday warning of a... Full story
A Grand Coulee man was arrested Jan. 18 after reportedly admitting to shooting his rifle at a boat on Rufus Woods Lake to try to “scare the occupants away,” a sheriff’s report says. Deputies of the Douglas County sheriff arrested Shawn W. Robison, 41, after an investigation, a Jan. 22 release from the sheriff’s office states. One of the five people on the boat called to report the shots, and deputies were dispatched at 8:14 p.m. to the “1000 block” of Strahl Canyon Road, which is at about its intersection with Road 32 NE in a remote sect... Full story
The city of Grand Coulee will write a letter endorsing a local effort to explore forming a regional "fire authority," the city council voted Tuesday night. A fire "authority" differs in state law from a "district" in that it is possible to include emergency medical services in it. Each of the affected areas in the currently proposed area must write a letter of its intent to move forward with such a study. The vote at Grand Coulee was unanimous, ticking off one more box on the list of things to...
Shane Proctor was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame Tuesday. The Grand Coulee cowboy went on to a winning career in professional rodeo after graduating from Lake Roosevelt High School in 2003. Naming Proctor as a 2026 inductee to the Bull Riding Hall of Fame (BRHOF), the nonprofit organization listed his many accomplishments in rodeo and bull riding. Proctor qualified for the PBR World Finals nine times from 2006 to 2017 and for the National Finals Rodeo five times from 2011 through... Full story
The question of whether to continue studying the question of whether to create a “regional fire authority” is still active, although two local departments that would be affected have not yet sent in a letter of intent to agree to pursue it. Fire chiefs from Electric City and Grand Coulee spoke with Electric City’s city council Tuesday night with an update on the topic. Ryan Fish, Grand Coulee’s chief, said he hoped Electric City was still planning on supporting that effort, following a stall in momentum since last August. Fish said he did rec...
While a lot of energy is put into celebrating the achievements of athletes in local schools, another celebration is in planning to do the same — for academic achievements. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board Monday that, although the district honors students who meet certain goals with a special event on a regular basis, it’s been suggested to do more to bring in parents to celebrate with students for successes in their studies. “As a matter of fact, I got an earful from a parent after an eight...
Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Rog Broadnax presented a certificate of thanks Monday night to teacher Ethan Tatum "in recognition of your hard work and dedication to the children of the Grand Coulee Dam School District." Tatum, who teaches Spanish and English Language Arts, told The Star later that after being told to attend the school board meeting, he had thought he might be expected to discuss curricula decisions made last year; the award was a complete surprise. "It has...
Grand Coulee is putting owners of empty buildings on notice. The city council passed Ordinance 1105 last month, after several months of discussion, to require owners of vacant buildings to register them with the city, which could at some point start leveling initially small penalties. “Once again, we’re not trying to go after anybody here,” said Councilmember Tom Poplawski. “It’s to gain some awareness that we’d like to see the city look a little nicer.” Poplawski first introduced the idea in March 2025, when he brought council members infor...
In mid-July, Tim Lynch was headed to the post office, when he saw the smoke. Fast forward to Monday night at the end of December, and Lynch was on hand at the Coulee Dam Town Council meeting to receive a proclamation signed by the mayor to honor his "Extraordinary Bravery and Selfless Service" for having rescued three people from a housefire before emergency services arrived that day. Mayor Bob Poch's proclamation, actually first issued in August but not presented in person until Monday, first...
Coulee Dam's town council welcomed in two new council members just before breaking for cake to honor the service of two who were leaving, especially Merv Schmidt, who, in his second stint on the council, has served for six years. "From the bottom of my being, thanks for all you've done," Mayor Bob Poch said. Newly elected Ronald Toulou will succeed Schmidt on the council. And Brian Quill will take the seat just vacated by Chris Bulger. Those two new council members were sworn in, along with...
Grand Coulee Mayor Ruth Dalton answered a question about the status of the agreement with Electric City on the operation of the wastewater treatment plant with a short, “It’s in a process.” Renata Rollins had inquired during a public comment period at the last council meeting Dec. 22 about the negotiations, given statements reported in The Star from the last Electric City Council meeting. They are considering taking a disagreement between the two cities to mediation or arbitration after most of a year spent trying to come together to discuss it...
Congratulations. You’ve just lived through one of the most unpredictable years in at least six decades, so you might already be primed to accept a little advice about the coming months: stay loose. The country has had enough political tension in 2025 for each of us to snap a whole box of Sharpies. That’s by design and not something any of us can control, so don’t let it control you. Instead, look for the bright side and the humor in the absurd, right after you decide to do something about it. You’ll live longer and think better when you let...
Another beautiful winter-in-coulee scene.... Full story
School directors voted to authorize an emergency budget resolution last week that allows the superintendent to issue RIFF-and-recall notices that warn of a possible reduction in force but would not implement them if it can be avoided. Instead, Superintendent Rod Broadnax is instructed to look for other savings and to "maximize revenue" for the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Preferred strategies for this include savings in supplies and operating costs, purchased services, and travel expenses,...
Lake Roosevelt wrestling dominated at their annual Powerhouse Tournament, going a perfect 6–0 in the championship finals and bringing home six individual titles - capping it off with the overall team championship for the tournament. "The Raiders wrestled with intensity, skill, and relentless focus all day long," said head Coach Casey Brewster. That started with Jack Steffler at the 106-pound weight. Steffler (9-0 record) took first place with a 17-2 technical fall over Warden's Collin Cox (...
The Lady Raiders took seventh place at Saturday's annual Powerhouse Tournament at Lake Roosevelt in a contest that has grown so much it had to be separated from the boys' tournament and held in the smaller gym on the Lake Roosevelt Elementary side of the building. The hallways there were packed with teams and their gear, while the gym itself was standing room only, with a lot standing. Leading the Lady Raiders were Addison Cannon with a second place at 190, Ayamae Batten-Bob with third place at...
The community was thrown into grief Thursday night as word spread of the death of a mother and her young son in what law enforcement authorities are calling murder. Tribal police found Laura Dick and her 17-year-old son Anthony Vieira, dead in the family home after Damien Martinez Jr. called them and confessed, reported sources, including KXLY, which reported obtaining court records Saturday. Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney Albert H. Lin issued a statement Monday saying Martinez was being held on two counts of first-degree murder, with...
Updating an interlocal agreement between Electric City and Grand Coulee on running the wastewater treatment plant they both use has been the subject of discussions for a year, but Grand Coulee has decided it won’t move ahead with changes. Under the decades old agreement it supposedly operates on says a joint board made up of representatives of both cities will govern, but just meeting on it has been a challenge, Electric City council members involved in the process said last week. Retiring Mayor Diane Kohout said at the Dec. 9 council m...
A local event has been recognized alongside several from across the country as a "champion" of economic impact. Reel Recreation's Triple Fish Challenge was named in the latest issue of Sports Destination Management as a Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism. "We're honored to be recognized alongside events across the country that helped generate over $1.4 billion in economic impact and more than 800,000 hotel room nights over the past year," Reel Recreation, a local non-profit for...
The federal government will provide $12 billion to U.S. farmers who have been hurt by "unfair market disruption," President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable event Monday. Trump said repeatedly the funding was available thanks to tariff revenues, framing his aggressive trade policy as a boon to farmers rather than a drag on their global market share as critics of the policy suggest. "I'm delighted to announce this afternoon that the United States will be taking a small portion of the...
Just eight Raider wrestlers dominated the Ocosta Tournament in Westport Washington last weekend, taking the team championship with high-placing wins and a pivotal pin for third. With four first-place wins, three second places, and a dramatic pin at the end of a match for third, LR beat out perennial powerhouse teams Warden and Forks for the team title. Taking first place: At 106 pounds, Jack Steffler. first at 113 - Collin Christman, first at 132 - Kaden Christman, first at 138 – Jacoby J...
The Raider boys have started off their basketball season with two decisive wins and an early ride on top of the league. Beating Davenport 58-49 Dec. 2 was a good start. Messing with the Mustangs Saturday in Coulee Dam looked like proving a point, at 67-50. Displaying some tactical thinking and a passing game that can provide an advantage, the team looked like a team that could become a machine. Despite plenty of assists all around, scoring was dominated by junior Kayman Jordan, who scored 26...
Lake Roosevelt girls got beat by Pateros at home last night in a non-league basketball game against 1B Pateros at home, 57-36. The 21-point loss was a humbling turnabout after Saturday's lopsided victory over the Bridgeport Fillies in Coulee Dam, 67-6. The week gives LR a 1-2 record so far after starting with a 69-39 lesson in Davenport Dec. 2 against the Lady Gorillas. Must be early season ball. LR won't play on the home floor again until they host White Swan, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at 3:30...