News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Kids and their parents in the region will have plenty to do this weekend, with the local chamber of commerce’s Koulee Kids Fest offering activities all over town and Nespelem’s Millpond Days offering activities there. The chamber event for kids starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and offers 14 different activities around the community, from touring a fire truck to mini-golf, planting a flower, painting a piggy bank to free ice cream to building a dam. Those locations and more are detailed on a map on page 8 in an advertisement. Parents can pick and cho...
One of the least threatening places you can go is a beach in late afternoon where a couple of old anglers are quietly staring at the water, waiting for a line to move. If anybody understands the unwritten rule, the need for common courtesy, the paramount importance of everyone doing his or her part to maintain the norm, it’s people who like to sit quietly and fish. That could have something to do with why no instances of unsafe or uncivil behavior come to mind, over the last several decades, at the place that has come to be known as Geezer B...
On a day for celebrating their accomplishments, the Lake Roosevelt High School class of 2019 seemed to take as much joy in giving awards as getting them Saturday, as they took part in the annual graduation rituals at the school's Gailord Nelson Gym. An undercurrent of emotion carried through the formalities. Principal Ronanda Liberty's understated description of the class as "resilient" hinted at a year more challenging than most for the class. She didn't elaborate. Before accolades were given...
At 40, he thought he'd left his cross-country bicycling days in his 20s. Then his 6-year-old shared a dream. James Colver and his son Shepherd, now 7, are bicycling across the country, from Anacortes, Washington, to New York City. If they make it, says James, Shepherd will be the youngest person ever to cross the United States by bicycle. Last weekend they visited the Grand Coulee Dam area. James, now a mechanical contractor from Kenmore, Washington, had toured professionally in his 20s,...
The Ridge Riders Saddle Club and their annual rodeos got a boost Monday as Jess Ford principal Garrett Jess handed a check to Ridge Rider President George Kohout to cover the cost of a new piece of equipment. The $2,400 will pay for a new chute for the team-roping event at the Colorama Rodeo. "I kind of have a soft spot for rodeo in my heart," said Jess, who also competes in team roping on the rodeo circuit. That's something he "can't remember not doing," he said, but he only recognized as an...
An 81-year-old man from the Grand Coulee Dam area was the subject of a search and rescue operation on Lake Rufus Woods, and the Douglas County Sheriff is now asking for information from anyone who might have seen him launching his boat. Charles Baker's boat, a 14-foot Alumacraft, was seen floating unoccupied five miles above Chief Joseph Dam May 29, and the next day was beached, authorities said. Baker's 1990 blue Dodge Pickup and boat trailer was found at the Army Corp of Engineers boat launch... Full story
Coulee Dam’s sidewalks on Ferry Avenue are heaving, with some uplifted by tree roots by several inches. Councilmember Fred Netzel said he recently walked the street with an engineer, who said the whole 1,200-feet of sidewalks on the street should be replaced. That could be a $100,000 project, Netzel told the city council Wednesday, and an application for an 86.5-percent grant needs to be turned in to the granting agency by June 7. The city should have about $32,000 in it by the end of the year to meet the matching requirement. He slipped in a...
The town of Coulee Dam doesn’t have a functional fire department currently, relying heavily on mutual aid agreements with other local departments. Mayor Bob Poch said Wednesday that several people are interested in stepping up to fill that void, and talks are ongoing with other towns’ more experienced firefighters to offer training. “We have some people that have stepped up and started to volunteer again,” Poch told the city council, and six or eight younger people in town are willing to join the volunteer fire department. “It’s a slower proc...
Coulee Dam’s “Community Building,” the one that houses The Melody Restaurant, Riverview Bowl and the currently unused theater space, has a bigger problem than the city’s budget can currently fix: it needs a new roof. Not a patch job on the leaky roof that customers at the businesses below having been putting up with for years, dodging buckets when it rains, but a completely new covering for which at least one contractor doesn’t even want to offer a cost estimate until he sees an engineer’s specifications. It’s a project that City Superintenden...
Considering the fact that the lowering of the speed limit from 40 to 30 mph on a short strip of three-lane from Grand Coulee to the Grand Coulee Project offices had nothing to do with construction safety concerns, the Bureau of Reclamation’s suggestion that it should own a portion of B Street should be considered, with conditions. The real reason the bureau lowered that speed limit on the portion of State Route 155 that it owns was to make legal what it has been doing since it took delivery of a couple dozen all-electric utility vehicles t...
Put off by bids all higher than expected, Electric City leaders May 14 tabled awarding a construction contract for a new entrance sign to the city until asking for the public’s opinion. The city is now taking a poll to gauge public opinion. Votes, by Electric City residents only, can be registered at city hall or online at the city’s website at www.electriccity.us. Expecting a bid for about $35,000, council members were hesitant to accept bids that started nearly $10,000 higher and climbed to more than $100,000. “Seems like a lot of money...
The Isle of Flags Memorial Day ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at Spring Canyon Cemetery, when a dozen new flags will be dedicated to fallen veterans. Those will join more than 500 that have been dedicated over the years and make for a rousing display each Memorial Day. That happens with a lot of volunteer help, and community members are encouraged to join in. Anyone who would like to help set up the flags can do so on Saturday, May 25, at 1 p.m. Local veterans will also be serving up their Veterans’ Center Memorial Day Breakfast a...
Coming into Electric City from the south, there is a big sign that says, “Welcome to Grand Coulee Dam Area.” It was put up decades ago by the local Rotary Club. Another one just like it welcomes travelers coming into the area on the highway to Wilbur. It says the exact same thing. One doesn’t say, “Welcome to Electric City,” and the other doesn’t say, “Welcome to Grand Coulee.” That choice reflected the deep-seated desire of community leaders at the time to unite the community to strengthen it. It was almost an ethic at the time that recog...
Faced with critics who question discipline policies at Lake Roosevelt Schools, officials Monday presented data and studies behind a direction they said is not only working better locally, but also mandated statewide. Ready with a raft of statistics for Grand Coulee Dam School District directors at a special meeting, Elementary Principal Lisa Lakin, Mark Herndon and Elementary Dean of Students Shamra Steffler told the school board that incidents of undesirable student behavior are way down from last year, thanks to programs put in place to...
The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a flood watch for areas in North Central Washington and Eastern Washington, including around Grand Coulee Dam. NWS is warning of showers and thunderstorms that might be capable of flash flooding from 2 p.m. today through late tonight, Thursday, May 16. NWS warns: "* Flood Watch for portions of North Central Washington and Northeast Washington, including the following counties, in North Central Washington, Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan. In... Full story
Electric City quietly changed the rules Tuesday night that govern the process by which it could fire its fire chief. The vote happened moments after Electric City’s fire chief told people waiting outside city hall during a closed session of the city council that a problem he’d had with the mayor had been ameliorated with a letter of reprimand instead of a dismissal. The city council passed an ordinance that takes out a reference to state law that imposes an appeals process giving a fired civil service employee 10 days to demand an appeal bef...
Four of the five Electric City Council seats are up for election this year, as is the mayor’s office, and interest is running higher than usual. It’s filing week in Washington, and people interested in running for elected office have until Friday to file their intentions. In Electric City, council positions held by Rich McGuire (position 2), Birdie Hensley (3), Carol Nordine (4), and Lonna Bussert (5) are up for election. The seat held by McGuire, who on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy, is up for a two-year stint, according to the Grant Cou...
The Raider track and field athletes competed at the District 5-6 2b subdistricts meet in Manson May 8, where nine Raiders qualified for the district tournament on Friday in Quincy. “Our throwers really shined,” Head Coach Lori Adkins said. “They have worked for this!” Steven Flowers placed first in the shot put, heaving the 12 pounder 47 feet, 0.5 inches. Josh Flowers took second with a throw of 44-2.5, a personal record. Steven Flowers also placed second in the discus with a throw of 121 feet, 2 inches, and took second in the 100-met...
Darin Whiteman qualified for the state golf tournament Monday in Pasco at the District 5-6 tourney at Sun Willows Golf Course, taking sixth place in the tournament. Whiteman shot an 88 for the day, rallying after a struggle on the front nine of the par-72 course. Top honors went to Tri-Cities Prep’s Teddy Moore, who shot an 82. That rally qualified Whiteman for the third consecutive year to represent Lake Roosevelt at the state tournament. He’ll head to Tumwater Valley for that tourney next Tue... Full story
They came to listen and understand what has some Grand Coulee and Electric City customers upset enough to start a petition. Grant County PUD officials held a listening session and dialogue with people at last Thursday’s Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce meeting at Siam Palace. They heard plenty of opinions on less access at the local PUD office, which is open twice a week, including from Lonna Bussert, who had put out petitions for better customer service after spending lots of time on the phone not getting help. Public Affairs O...
Those who assert that action on climate change should only happen if it’s fair, just don’t understand the problem. It may be true that other countries are egregious polluters, adding as much carbon and other warming agents to the atmosphere, or even more, than the United States. But the situation is too urgent to wait to even set our goals just because somebody else is worse. The minimal requirements of the Paris agreement from which President Trump withdrew the U.S. are truly minimal, and we’re nowhere near meeting even those, as a natio...
The city of Coulee Dam has OK’d a lease for the Melody Restaurant space in its community building, the city council Wednesday voting unanimously to approve it and promising cooperation on certain maintenance issues for the new operators. Jon Anderson and Stephanie Guin negotiated a deal with the business’ previous owner over a period of several months, he told The Star in March. They’ve been negotiating the lease with the city since, mostly while operating under the previous lease held by Juan Moreno, who has since been deported to Mexic...
It’s Colorama time next week, when the carnival comes to town, runners lace up those shoes, cowboys ride into town and people line the streets of Grand Coulee for the parade. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect. We’ll get into more detail with a special section in next week’s Star. Rainier Amusements will again bring in the carnival, as they did last year, beginning Thursday, May 9, at 4 p.m. Presale tickets are still available for less money than you’ll pay at the carnival. The Colorama Color Run is set for 9-11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, a...
Those in political office have the job of interpreting the feedback they get from constituents, but that means that first, it’s their constituents’ job to give it to them. We’re glad to be a part of that loop. In small towns like ours, leaders often complain of a lack of feedback over the minutiae of governing to which they must pay so much attention. Not so, however, concerning matters of basic or lasting community direction, such as that covered in recent articles, including one on sports in school, and another on a planned street chang...
An 80-year-old woman died Monday afternoon when the car she was riding in rolled off the highway just east of Leahy Junction on SR-174. Ramona J. Anderson, of Omak, died at the scene 19 miles west of Grand Coulee, the Washington State Patrol reported. The eastbound 2012 Toyota Sienna in which she was a passenger was driven by Frank Anderson, also 80. The WSP investigation found the minivan had left the road off the right shoulder, then was overcorrected, leaving the road to the left, rolling and coming to rest about 40 feet off the highway....