News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1699 - 1723 of 1807
Two people were injured in a one-car collision just west of Grand Coulee early Monday, the Washington State Patrol reported. Richard Field, 70, of Bridgeport was driving the 1999 Dodge Caravan east on SR 174 when it left the road on the right, stuck a rock wall, crossed both lanes and came to rest against the guardrail on the other side of the road about 5:18 a.m. He and passenger Linda Field, 65, were both taken to Coulee Medical Center by a third party, the report said. Both of them were wearing seat belts, and no alcohol was involved. The... Full story
High school students will find a radically altered science and math curriculum offered next year at Lake Roosevelt High School, and the school has launched a “STEM Family Night” program to introduce the concepts and get family involved. Monday at 6 p.m. at the the Village Cinema, 18 people gathered to hear the concepts. STEM is the education profession’s acronym for “Science Technology Engineering and Math,” which, as a combined subject area, is being emphasized nationwide. Lake Roosevelt... Full story
Kyle Desautel has resigned as head boys’ basketball coach at Lake Roosevelt High School. Desautel said Tuesday that personal legal issues were pending, which could get in the way of doing the job he was hired last spring to do. “We didn’t feel we wanted to leave the kids hanging, leadership-wise,” he said. Athletic Director Rich Black said Desautel had made the decision last week, and formal acceptance of his resignation would go before the school board. Desautel has filled the assistant coach position under Brad Wilson for the last six yea... Full story
Elmer City had stated that it wanted a seat at the table. Last Wednesday night, its town council met with Coulee Dam’s council, and it got a seat at the table, but significant questions remain. At issue is a $4.92 million wastewater treatment plant upgrade now under design. Foremost in Elmer City’s mind was whether it was a partner in Coulee Dam’s wastewater treatment plant, or merely a customer. While that wasn’t answered directly, Elmer City was advised that anytime in the future that Coulee... Full story
In a special section this week, we honor the area’s veterans by listing them and printing as many photos as we could come up with. We hope the 16-page section will not only be enjoyable to peruse, but will also encourage us all to stop and think about the enourmous committment it takes on the part of so many to keep this country free. Many new photos and names have been added since we published a similar section a year ago. As in last year’s section, in addition to the photos there are pages of names, most of which we pulled from a 1996 iss... Full story
The new Keller Ferry “Sanpoil” will be christened July 19, 2013, an official from Foss Maritime Company said Monday. However, there’s a whole lot of work that has to be completed before then. Some of that work is occurring this week near the National Park Service boat launch at Crescent Bay, where a 145-foot by 45-foot concrete slab will be poured, on which Foss workers will assemble the new ferry, which will be trucked in to the area in parts. Access to the boat launch will not be affected by the construction, said National Park Servi... Full story
For the pennies the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District is seeking in their levy on this election’s ballot, the area stands to gain back much more than the maintenance the money is for — a real beginning. A beginning to an era of unified, pick-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps political will. The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District was formed as a tool to allow the area’s people to give their blessings to efforts that will make life better for everyone in the area, such as a swimming pool. Still seen as their primary goal, commission... Full story
Construction is starting today on new concrete pad and underground electrical installation at the Crescent Bay boat launch on Lake Roosevelt. The 145-foot by 84-foot pad will serve as a site for the later assembly of a new ferry boat for the Keller Ferry. The boat, currently being built in three pieces by Foss Maritime of Oregon, will be delivered for final assembly to the Crescent Bay site operated by the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. National Park Service spokesman John Edwards said the schedule for that assembly has changed. The...
The Bureau of Reclamation will be adding jobs at Grand Coulee Dam over the next several years, boosting employment at the project by about 40 permanent jobs, plus adding a similar number that will fluctuate as special maintenance projects start and finish, Power Manager Mark Jenson announced Thursday. “We’ve got a good future for Grand Coulee. We’ve got an opportunity to get staff back up to where it needs to be,” Jenson said, speaking to members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce at a weekly luncheon meeting at La Presa. Beginni... Full story
The park and recreation district formed in 2003 has accomplished much, and with minimal tax support could provide much more to the community in the future, its chairman said last week. Coulee Area Park and Recreation District Chairman Phil Hansen spoke to chamber of commerce members at their weekly luncheon last Thursday. The district, formed in 2003 with no funding, now seeks a levy of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The measure, on ballots mailed to voters last week, would cost the owner of a $150,000 home $22.50 a year. That... Full story
by Scott Hunter On Nov. 6 voters will be asked to support a tax levy for the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District, and comissioners spent time last week discussing that upcoming vote and ways to get the word out about the issue. The district, with boundaries that encompass the local school and hospital districts combined, will seek taxpayer support for its facilities. At this point, that means North Dam Park and Event Center, but commissioners also spoke of other opportunities to support around the larger community. The district organized... Full story
Kati Goodall and Marisha Hobrecht stop for a photo with Goodall's dog, Addy, after winning first place in the Coulee Fall Festival pet show at the North Dam Park skatepark Saturday. A total of 15 dogs and their owners entered the fairly informal, fun competition, with some 50 onlookers cheering them on. All the pets were dogs, and they all seemed to enjoy it....
In the wake of our recent wildfires, the community likely needs to think about details the now-gone hillside vegetation used to take care of for us. We take for granted the roles played by the everyday, the mundane. A couple of examples may serve to pique our senses into anticipation: • My cat has been getting fat. That’s because (and I admit this is an assumption) because the fire over Coulee Dam devastated the habitat of perhaps thousands of mice, who now show up nightly in our backyard like souls to the pearly gates. Multiple rodent car... Full story
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Tuesday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the local area, expecting sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph. That’s the kind of event that can make driving difficult, especially if you’re in a camper, big truck or other “high profile” vehicle. It can also knock down tree limbs, take out power and blow big objects off your back porch. Batten down the hatches. Here’s the whole wind warning: “Wind Advisory URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 219 AM PDT...
Are you in any of our most recent photos? Here's a slideshow of activity in the last week. Click through to see a gallery of 199 photos. 10-10-12 Star - Images by Scott Hunter... Full story
• The $20 car tab charge proposed in Electric City is just the latest swing of a very large pendulum. We love services, we hate taxes. Government tries to meet our needs, then gets shot down for spending too much. That’s how initiative king Tim Eyman makes a living, as he was doing when he convinced voters to hack off the huge excise fees we used to pay for our car tabs. Yes, they could be excessive, but they did pay for stuff, including some of Electric City’s (and others’) road work. By the way, at a newspaper conference in Yakima last we... Full story
The St. Mary’s Mission Road Fire had consumed 9,655 acres by 2 p.m. Friday, but was 15 percent contained, an update from fire authorities said Friday. Saturday at 10 a.m. those evacuated from homes near Paschal Sherman Indian School will be able to return, but advised to be ready to leave again, their evacuation levels officially reduced a level for Level 3 to 2. The same goes for the school, around which fire fighters were mopping up Friday. “Be aware,” an information update said, “there may be possible road blocks due to temporary flare u...
From 150 to 200 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire around Omak Lake that has closed a school and evacuated homes. Two homes and eight other structures have been lost in the St. Mary’s Mission Road Fire that started Tuesday night east of Omak. Fire officilas said Thursday night they have no containment on the fire, which has consumed some 4,900 acres in the rocky grass and timber area south of highway 155 and mostly bordered by the Columbia River Road, which is closed from Cameron Lake Cut Off Road to Kartar Valley Road. Only r... Full story
A wildfire has forced evacuation of Paschal Sherman Indian School and nearby homes and had burned approximately 1,000 acres of grass and trees and several structures, as of late Tuesday night. A press release issued from Mt. Tolman Fire Center at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday stated structures had been lost, and that it was not known whether any homes were among them. The fire started at approximately 4:40 p.m. near highway 155 and St. Mary’s Mission Road, about two miles northeast of Omak in high winds. SR 155 remained open, but the Columbia River R... Full story
North Central Washington is about to get what local Rotary Club members believe will be the first handicapped-accessible fishing pier in the region. The club’s board of directors voted last Wednesday to add $4,197 from the club’s general funds to finish the project, which a successful fund raiser and a grant put within reach Sept. 15. That’s when community members and triathletes ate their fill at the club’s spaghetti feed, contributing over $2,000 to the cause, and when club members learned... Full story
A series of wildland fires started by lightning Sept. 8 burned nearly 127 square miles of land, threatened two towns and consumed some $1.65 million of state and federal money to fight it. The Barker Canyon Complex fire was finally declared 100 percent contained Tuesday, but not before prompting evacuation warnings and orders for parts of Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam and families living in rural Douglas County. The fire tested the resources of local and surrounding fire fighting agencies, while... Full story
A fire in a single-family residence destroyed that home Tuesday night. The house at 611 Holly Street in Coulee Dam was fully engulfed in flame by the time the fire was reported at 5:45 p.m., said Coulee Dam Volunteer Fire Dept. Chief Robert Jackson. The house is a total loss. The cause of the fire is unkown but under investigation. “It’s suspicious for the fact that there was no electricity in the house,” Jackson said. He was unsure how many people were living in the house at the time. Repor...
Six fires broke out in the area Saturday night following an electrical storm that swept the state, igniting about 100 blazes and stretching firefighters thin across the region. Two of the local fires threatened local residences in Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and in Douglas County, driven and aimed by high winds. A third burned the Columbia River Breaks north of Leahy Junction on SR 174 and jumped the river near the Tim Brothers Ranch, and two more caught near Keller. The Barker Canyon Complex... Full story
A young motorcycle rider from Nespelem died Saturday when he failed to make a curve on SR 155 in Coulee Dam. Jason Chuckulnaskit, 28, hit the guardrail as he headed south just past the high school at Aspen Street at 11:45 Saturday morning. He was driving a blue 2004 Yamaha YZFR6/S. The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.... Full story
A young motorcycle rider from Nespelem died today when he failed to make a curve on SR 155 in Coulee Dam. Jason Chuckulnaskit, 28, hit the guardrail as he headed south just past the high school at Aspen Street at 11:45 Saturday morning. He was driving a blue 2004 Yamaha YZFR6/S. The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident....