News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1209 - 1233 of 1807
Okanogan County Board of Commissioners candidates will address the public in an open forum Thursday, October 13, in Coulee Dam at Lake Roosevelt Schools. The forum, sponsored by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, will take place in the elementary side cafeteria, from 7-9 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30. Two commissioner positions are at stake in the election. Chamber Vice President Bob Valen, of Lincoln County, will moderate. Republican incumbent Sheilah Kennedy, of Okanogan, faces challenger and independent Chris Branch, Omak, for... Full story
A judge of the superior court of one of the four local counties whose corners meet in the Grand Coulee Dam community has ideas he thinks should be considered across counties to help curb local crime. But he has to get re-elected first. Grant County Superior Court Judge David Estudillo addressed Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce members Thursday. Appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee a year ago to fill out the term of retiring Judge Evan Sperline, Estudillo now must seek election by the people,... Full story
When Coulee Medical Center leaders wanted to find ways to cure the hospital's ailing relationship with members of the Colville Tribes, an idea for a good start popped into Shoshanna Jordan's mind: Hold a powwow. The idea turned out to be a catalyst for much more, but the powwow came together after three months of planning last Friday. Dancers from all over the Colville Reservation and further attended, plus participants from a Salish language school in Spokane, whose first- through... Full story
Two wildfires burned separately Sunday afternoon and threatened Elmer City, Coulee Dam and Grand Coulee, while residents watched as flames lit up the hillsides on both sides of the Columbia River. Local fire fighting agencies responded quickly during "red flag" conditions for which the National Weather Service had issued warnings, due to low humidity and high winds. Highways 174 and 155 were both closed sporadically as the fires came close over the next two days, and residents were warned they s... Full story
A woman's home in east Coulee Dam caught fire Friday evening, drawing a quick response from every local fire department. Susan Lynch's house at 611 Birch Street drew 11 fire engines, first responder vehicles and ambulances when the call went out at 6:10 p.m. "People keep telling me it can all be replaced," Lynch said, watching firefighters answer with torrents of water flames coming from inside her home, "but it can't." Lynch said photos and annuals can't be replaced, and she worried whether... Full story
Josiah Desautel runs it in for the second touchdown of the game, in the second quarter, against Manson in Coulee Dam. The Raiders were up by 26-0 at the half. The Raiders won 40-14. Watch for Jacob Wagner's sports coverage in The Star Wednesday. Find out more about all the Raider teams in our fall sports special section inside The Star this week....
Coulee Dam instructed the town’s attorney last week to file a lawsuit against Elmer City for breach of a decades-old contract between the two towns, saying Elmer City isn’t paying its bills. Following an executive session of the town council Wednesday night, the council voted unanimously to sue. Mayor Greg Wilder said Elmer City was in arrears at least $55,000 in charges Coulee Dam has billed for processing the smaller town’s sewage, more if certain capitalized costs are included. “They’ve overcharged us for labor for years,” Elmer City Mayor... Full story
A fairly upbeat report on crime statistics in Coulee Dam didn’t assuage fears among residents who expressed dire concerns at the town council meeting about increasing petty crime. Mayor Greg Wilder recited findings from USA.com, a site that compiles all kinds of statistics, but invoked the Mark Twain quote that there are “lies, damned lies and statistics.” That site noted last year that the town had the second-best record in the state. But Wilder said he’d also compiled stats from state sources on nearby towns and that Coulee Dam still looked... Full story
People at last week’s Coulee Dam Town Council meeting speaking up about local crime were stating out loud what we’re all feeling: the community is not as safe as it once was. There have been times in the last three decades when petty crimes spiked in the local area, only to recede after one or two arrests. This may be different. It feels different. In the past, the local petty crime rate would rise and fall depending on which thief just got out of jail. Police knew where to find him or her, and it was only a matter of time before the rep... Full story
Roads leading to the Bureau of Reclamation's east gate near Pole Park are closed today (Thursday) from 10 a.m. until about 3 p.m., the USBR said. Industrial Road from highway 155 and B Street are closed from Division Street. Potential contractors who may bid on building a new Reclamation Fire Station will be at the Grand Coulee facilities for an on-site visit....
An organization dedicated to "serving people facing unplanned pregnancy and related sexual issues" has opened an office in Grand Coulee. Funded by local churches, Care Net opened its fourth office Aug. 1 at 402 Burdin Boulevard in Grand Coulee. It also operates centers in Omak, Oroville and Brewster. All services are free. The effort is funded through local churches, and services are delivered in a completely non-judgmental manner, said Rachel Harris, the facility's only staffer, who works part... Full story
My oldest daughter was a new baby when she attended my high school graduation, so I can attest to the importance of a network of support for young parents barely old enough to grasp the coming meaning of adulthood. Her mother and I had plenty of support from our family members, but that’s not always the case for many young people about to be charged with the most important job on earth — raising a child — and not a clue how to even begin. So a new venture in Grand Coulee should be a welcome development to the community. Care Net opened its d... Full story
A series of wildland fires around the region the last two weeks have kept fire fighting agencies busy and yesterday prompted a burning ban in Grant County. A nearly 2,000-acre fire about 15 miles south of Inchelium has been 65 percent contained, the Northwest 9 Management team reported Tuesday. Evacuation levels have been reduced to level one throughout the fire region, fire officials reported. The Kewa blaze started Aug. 2, and has burned 1,912 acres of rangeland and timber. The NW 9 Management incident commander, Brian Goff, reported that... Full story
Coulee Dam has narrowed the field of candidates for a new chief of police to two, the mayor said Tuesday. The top candidates, from an original field of five, are Mark Farrel, a recently-retired colonel from Pinedale, Wyoming, and Paul Bowden, who has served as chief in Wilbur for two years. Farrel currently lives in the Seattle area. Bowden is the husband of the Coulee Dam town clerk, Stefani Bowden. Mayor Greg Wilder said the town’s civil service commission had forwarded three candidates for his consideration. He put together an interview c... Full story
Update: One of two suspects in a Soap Lake shooting turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, the Grant County Sheriff's Office said Monday morning. Tomas Miguel Lopez turned himself in about 7 p.m., was interviewed and booked into Grant County Jail. The sheriff's office said they still are seekng information about a second suspect and that tipsters can remain anonymous. Original story: Two people narrowly escaped serious injury after two men reportedly started shooting at them in their veh...
The artist who produced the Gehrke windmills could get some overdue attention if the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District can find funding for a few interpretive signs to tell his story. Electric City resident Kristen Heidenthal last month proposed working on four interpretive panels to explain to visitors a colorful history of the artist beyond his time in the Grand Coulee area. Emil Gehrke is recognized as a legitimate American folk artist and his work is more widely known and respected than many appreciate, district President Bob Valen... Full story
A local baseball player is on the team headed from the Pacific Northwest to the Babe Ruth World Series this month. Dalton Kentner, playing for the Columbia Basin Riverdogs in the 15-and-under bracket, will head to the big Babe Ruth League ultimate competition in Williston, North Dakota Aug. 13-20. The Riverdogs, from the North Washington region, took the championship at the 2016 Pacific Northwest 13-15 Year-Old Babe Ruth Tournament in Camas, Washington July 25-31, winning 2-1 Sunday over Hazel... Full story
The eventual degradation of an empty building is nothing new, totally expected. Which is why leadership at the Grand Coulee Dam School District and an economic development committee of the chamber of commerce began working, before the new Lake Roosevelt Schools building was completed, on a transition plan for Center School. Like many other aspects of this community, it was complicated. The building and property were not owned by the school district; it had been provisionally deeded to the district decades ago, but only so long as it remained a... Full story
A candidate running for Sen. Linda Evans Parlette's 12th District seat in the Washington State Legislature visited Grand Coulee Thursday, speaking to members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. Jon Wyss, who has been a Gebbers Farms executive for 11 years, said he visits Grand Coulee often from Brewster to get his vehicle's oil changed at Jess Ford. He's running in the primary against Brad Hawkins, who has represented the 12th District in the state House of Representatives since... Full story
The soon-to-be newest chief executive officer of Coulee Medical Center attended Monday night's public hospital district commissioner's meeting, saying he and his family are excited to be moving here. Jonathan Owens and family will be moving to the community on Friday, but Monday was the first of two votes of the commission required under state law to seat him as the man to replace current CEO Debbie Bigelow, who is retiring. "We're thrilled to death to be here," he said. "We feel like we've... Full story
The Moose Lodge in Grand Coulee Saturday hosted 10 girls for dinner who are the organization's reason for raising funds. The girls, from 8 to 12 years old, live on a 1,000-plus acre campus outside Chicago, Illinois, and benefit from the Grand Coulee lodge's fundraising efforts every month. "Mooseheart" is about a third of the national Moose organization's reason for existence. It's called "The Child City ... a home for children and teens in need, from infancy through high school." Its residents... Full story
Did you see a tornado near Grand Coulee Friday? KREM reports that one touched down here about 3 p.m. And they have video of one near the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights. If you have photos, we'd love to see them....
You probably can’t blame the heat; this is the coolest July in recent memory. So maybe some locals are taking their cues about civility, or lack of it, from national movements and leaders. They shouldn’t, but it can be hard to avoid. Reportedly, there was a lot of shouting going on in local public meetings last week. While it’s undoubtedly true that people are frustrated, they are not more so than citizens of the past. Our system of government, never easy, almost ensures some degree of frustration. But when reasoned, heated debate gives way t... Full story
Coulee Medical Center will likely meet its new chief executive officer later this month, following a Monday-night decision to offer the job to one of two candidates board directors had been considering. In special session Monday night, the board of commissioners of Public Hospital District 6 authorized current CEO Debbie Bigelow to negotiate a contract with Jonathan Owens, Bigelow said Tuesday. “He’s very excited,” she said after calling him. Bigelow sent him a proposed contract. If he accepts, it will be reviewed the first of two times at th... Full story
An environmental group has sued the Bureau of Reclamation to force compliance with the Clean Water Act, which it contends Grand Coulee Dam and other big dams are not meeting. Pollution discharges from the USBR’s operation of the dam “contribute to the pollution crisis on the Columbia River,” the suit brought Thursday by Columbia Riverkeeper says. The group wants Reclamation to switch to using so called eco-friendly oils and greases as lubricants in machinery that contacts water and file for a pollution permit under the Clean Water Act. In 20... Full story