News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1731 - 1755 of 1807
Firefighters will have to be alert against localized erratic winds today as temperatures near the Buffalo Lake Road Wildfire creep near 100 degrees. With the fire 70-percent contained, officials estimated its size so far at 10,962 acres and the cost to fight it at $450,000. Dollars well spent, if you are one of those folks whose home did not burn (none did) but came close “In my opinion, (local firefighters) did a phenomenal job of protecting … hundreds of houses,” said Type II Team Opera... Full story
The wildfire burning since Tuesday evening above Coulee Dam has scorched 7,800 acres so far, but only burned one old barn. No other structures have been lost, thanks to firefighters fending off the flames literally at the edge of their properties in some cases. Three homes were evacuated near Buffalo Lake Road. Others in parts of Coulee Dam and Elmer City have been told they should be ready to go, just in case. The Star received one unconfirmed report that an apartment complex in Coulee Dam was... Full story
A series of free concerts at North Dam Park and Events Center will kick off with a local group offering the first backbeat on Friday, then a Spokane trio coming Saturday night. Mister Meaner will offer a couple of hours of “classic rock,” they say, “stuff people actually want to hear.” That’s how rhythm guitar player and vocalist Tony Louie describes the band’s choices in music. “We’re trying to appeal to the older crowd of Grand Coulee,” added Mason Marin, lead guitarist. “Older” may apply... Full story
Park district commissioners heard concerns from a taxpayer Monday night on their hopes to collect taxes after a vote next November. Dave McClure, a rancher with a lot of property north of Nespelem, said he would have tried to disuade the commission from going for the vote had he known of their plans. In the November election, the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District will seek a levy of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, which would cost the owner of a $120,000 home $18 a year. CAPRD is a junior taxing district, but has never... Full story
After publication last week, I realized too late that reader John Overby’s thoughtful letter mistakenly attributed my editorial stance July 11 — encouraging the community to contact federal representatives in support of federal funding of local school construction — in part to a statement written in a letter by a member of Congress. Authority to act was not cited from anyone’s letter, but from the very law Overby referenced in his letter. In the third from the last paragraph, The Coulee Dam Community Act of 1957 gives the secretary of the Dep... Full story
A wildfire burning out of control in the hills above the towns of Coulee Dam and Elmer City has consumed hundreds of acres of sage and grassland and reportedly forced some homeowners to evacuate as a precaution. The fire started Tuesday evening and by midnight looked like a long string of hellish pearls at the top of the ridge above the two towns. Police were reportedly telling residents of Tilmus and Central streets, closest to the hillside in east Coulee Dam, to be ready should they need to... Full story
A study that determined the local market area could support a community wellness center — where people could swim and exercise year round, where community events, classes and meetings could be held and that could grow into much more — came as a gratifying confirmation of a long held hunch for many of us. With that independent confirmation, backed by real numbers instead of guesses, comes a new demand on this community: figure out if you really want it, then do what it takes to make it happen. Several years ago, a group tasked with thinking of... Full story
If you want it, you can have it. That’s the bottom line of a study on whether building and operating a center for the community to come together — for events and meetings, fitness pursuits, indoor swimming and more — is at all feasible. The report, delivered Monday night to a group that has been exploring the possibility, outlines a community/wellness center that could easily be sustained, while adding good jobs to the local economy. Gary Leva, of Gary Consulting Group of Spokane, was retained last winter to honestly assess whether the idea... Full story
A series of free concerts is scheduled for North Dam Park and events center this month, starting on Friday, Aug. 17. That’s when a local rock group called Mister Meaner will take to the “stage” at the bottom of the grass amphitheater. The very next evening a cool trio from Spokane, The 45s, will rock your Saturday night with a rock-a-billy sound. Think “The Stray Cats” and you’ll come to close to hearing this fun band. The next weekend starts with a Friday night concert by Thirsty Perfect, a Coeur D’Alene, Idaho Christian rock band, sponsor... Full story
In 2010 Dana Barkdull weighed 329 pounds and decided to make a change. A year and a half later she ran her first half-iron distance triathlon. By that time, she had dropped to 254 pounds. The half iron distance, though (70.3 miles of swimming, biking and running), was still a huge challenge, undertaken only after prayer. Barkdull realized she would cross the finish line after the official race ended. She expected to be alone, without support. Instead, she approached the clearing and saw a huge... Full story
One man died as three others were injured in a one-car rollover south of Nespelem Thursday just before noon. John Reynolds, 44, died in the accident on SR 155, the only occupant of the 2003 Ford Explorer not wearing a seatbelt, according to the Washington State Patrol. All five of them were from Bellingham, Wash. The driver, 52-year-old Brian S. Reynolds, was airlifted to Spokane's Sacred Heart Medical Center. Jack T. Reynolds, 82; Shari Lynn Emley, 48; and Cullen J. Emley, 26, were all taken to Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee. The... Full story
• There is a difference between decision making and leadership. Leaders of the Colville Tribes discovered that recently after they made significant, long-impact decisions on behalf of their constituents without really involving them in the process that brought the tribes a huge sum of money in a settlement, but that some say also may have compromised tribal sovereignty. Coulee Dam leaders have been involved for years in a less dramatic, but nonetheless significant process as they planned upgrades to the town’s aging wastewater treatment pla... Full story
As we hoped the roof would hold on The Star Friday afternoon, the sand and debris flying down Midway Avenue at the front of the storm looked to be achieving speeds of 50-70 mph. This community, humbled before that power, can be thankful for the small amount of damage. Energy saving mandates of the 1970s certainly did their part to hurt architecture in general and local school buildings in particular. The news that Center School needs more fresh air comes as no shock. Let’s hope that today’s policies and architecture, as we get ready to bui... Full story
People that have been around the area for a long time said last Friday afternoon’s storm was the worst they had ever seen. A National Weather Service warning at 12:54 p.m. said it was moving north through Grant County at about 30 miles per hour. The warning was issued until 1:45, but the storm hit the Grand Coulee Dam area with force about 3 p.m. In its wake, there were many reports of upended trees and roof damage, and the driving rain kept people indoors for the half hour or so of the s... Full story
The Colville Business Council today settled a contentious dispute over a $193 million settlement before swearing in new members and reorganizing in a public meeting at the Nespelem Community Center. The same group of 14 elected representatives that had earlier approved a plan to disburse 20 percent of that directly to tribal members and hold back 80 percent for investments and for repairing damaged tribal lands, passed a compromise with petitioners who demanded a 50-percent payout. In a resoluti... Full story
A trained master gardener is prepared to work for anyone who needs a hand in doing what she loves — making things bloom into beauty. Gayle Swagerty has just started Coulee Gardens and Design, a new business through which she offers to help her clients do everything from weeding that flower bed they just couldn’t get to, to designing a landscape for a new home. Swagerty, a master gardener certified through Washington State University’s extension program, also holds an associate of arts degre... Full story
• We hope the community will support the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District’s bid for tax support. Since the early 1990s, community leaders saw a park and rec district as a tool that could be used to help solve many of the problems the area faces because of its multiple municipalities. We finally voted one in the mid- 2000s. Let’s supply it early in this decade with the ability to accomplish something. • It’s a long time until the winter holidays, when we tend to think about giving to the food bank, but supplies are low now in the heat... Full story
The local park district through which North Dam Park was rescued in a joint community effort last year, will seek tax support at the ballot come November. Commissioners of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District voted Monday to seek a levy to help support the district, which recently learned it will get a matching grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation this year. CAPRD is a junior taxing district, but has never collected taxes. Local municipalities have propped up its efforts to save North Dam Park and Event Center by feeding it taxes...
This could help explain and encourage the push for new permits to explore schemes for new, smaller hydropower in the local region, including a reservoir above the coulee opposite Million Dollar Mile, or a penstock under the city from Banks Lake to Crescent Bay. A tweet from U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, 5th District, Wash: House just passed 372-0 the #hydropower bill I co-authored w/ @RepDianaDeGette. READ: bit.ly/PDcgmr #energy PIC: twitter.com/cathymcmorris/… — CathyMcMorrisRodgers (@cathymcmorris) July 9, 2012...
Six new members will join the Colville Business Council in July, according to official poll and absentee ballot results released Thursday night. In Nespelem District 1, longtime Councilmember Harvey Moses Jr. lost to William “Billy” Nicholson II 463-252. District 2’s Ricky Gabriel lost to Nancy C. Johnson 447-260. Joseph L. Somday prevailed in his challenge to Jack W. Ferguson, winning the Keller seat 164-78. Current CBC Chairman Michael O. Finley was the lone incumbent to retain his seat, fending off Lou Stone for the Inchelium District 2 seat... Full story
Here are more photos, including most not published in The Star this week. Feel free to embed this slideshow on your blog. 06-27-12 Star - Images by Scott Hunter... Full story
In a flash of progressive openness (or an attempt to control discussion, depending on your perspective) the Electric City Council adopted new rules about how that legislative body’s meetings are conducted. It’s a noble gesture, and perhaps a step in the right direction, but could be devastating to the newspaper business. If council leaders around here start following rules of discussion, they’ll probably cut back way too much on public gaffes, which would make things less interesting for reporters and their readers. But relax, in my exper... Full story
Six new members will join the Colville Business Council in July, according to official poll and absentee ballot results released Thursday night. In Nespelem District 1, longtime Councilmember Harvey Moses, Jr. lost to William “Billy” Nicholson II 463-252. District 2’s Ricky Gabriel lost to Nancy C. Johnson 447-260. Joseph L. Somday prevailed in his challenge to Jack W. Ferguson, winning the Keller seat 164-78. Current CBC Chairman Michael O. Finley was the lone incumbent to retain his seat, fending off Lou Stone for the Inchelium Distr...
Lake Roosevelt graduates honored their past and looked to the future Saturday as they accepted awards, accolades and diplomas, words of wisdom and hope. The 53 graduates garnered more than $570,000 in scholarship offers and, during what was likely one of the last graduation ceremonies to be held in the current Lake Roosevelt High School gym, received acknowledgement for contributing more than 6,400 hours of volunteer work in the community. “There is so much potential sitting behind me,” not... Full story
Tribal members rallied Friday to deliver a petition to the Colville Business Council, asking it to reconsider an earlier decision on how to split a recent court settlement with the federal government. Meeting at the Fourth of July Grounds arbor at the Colville Indian Agency, a crowd of about 200 heard speeches by those for and against changing the CBC decision to pay out just 20 percent directly to members and invest 80 percent of $193 million gained because of alleged mismanagement of tribal... Full story