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Articles from the March 20, 2024 edition


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  • Tensions surface at Grand Coulee city hall 

    Renata Rollins|Mar 20, 2024

    It started out with an abrupt retirement announcement from the Public Works director — and didn’t get much easier from there at last night’s Grand Coulee council meeting. By the end of the evening one council member and two police officers — including an applicant for the police chief opening — were directly questioning the mayor’s decision to not hire any current candidates for that position. The unusually tense meeting happened on a night with an already packed agenda covering a road reconstruction project, in-town speed limits, several vac...

  • Community wildfire planning meeting Wednesday night

    Scott Hunter|Mar 20, 2024

    The third in a series of the "Okanogan County Community Wildfire Protection Plan" meetings will be held Wednesday evening, March 27, from 5-7 p.m., at the Lucy Covington Government Center, 21 Colville Street, Nespelem, the headquarters of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Any Okanogan County residents can attend the meeting to be able to "engage with CWPP partners and discuss community-level wildfire concerns and values at risk," an agenda for the meeting states. "We will...

  • Special Grand Coulee meeting called to confirm new chief

    Renata Rollins|Mar 20, 2024

    The Grand Coulee City Council will convene for a special meeting Tuesday, March 26 at 6 p.m., the city clerk announced Monday. The council is expected to confirm a police chief candidate, a key move in a hiring process that has garnered criticism from Grand Coulee Police Department rank and file, and at least one Grand Coulee council member. Mayor Mike Eylar had originally declined to hire any of the candidates from the pool of five applicants, after interviewing the top three selected by the city’s volunteer Civil Service Commission. Since las... Full story

  • Final bows

    Mar 20, 2024

    Children line up for their bows at the conclusion of Saturday's matinée performance of The Secret Garden, produced by the Missoula Children's Theatre at the Lake Roosevelt High School gym. They had just auditioned on Monday, with parts going to all the kids who tried out, from fireflies to a red-breasted robin. The effort was sponsored by the Grand Coulee Dam PTA. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Annual writing competition offers local teens chance for creative expression, cash Submissions due April 15

    Renata Rollins|Mar 20, 2024

    Local 9th through 12th graders with a knack for creative writing have the chance to win one of three cash prizes this spring in the 13th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition, hosted by North Central Washington Libraries and a Wenatchee-based nonprofit organization. High school students - whether in public school, private school, home school or Running Start - are invited to submit original short fiction up to 2,000 words in length, either a short story or the beginning pages of a longer piece,...

  • New rodeo queen crowned

    Mar 20, 2024

    New Colorama Rodeo Queen Faith Jensen, of Omak, addresses the crowd at the Ridge Riders Saddle Club's Banquet & Auction Saturday at Coulee Dam Town Hall, just after receiving the crown from Talliyah Timentwa, who has served as queen for the last two years. The live auction portion of the event raised well over $20,000, which does not include the silent auction and admission tickets. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Basket creators

    Mar 20, 2024

    After days of creating hundreds of Easter baskets at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center, (from left) Carlene Worsham, Diana Canady, Kerry Noggles, Evelyn Alling, Judy Behrens, Bev Bruno, Debby Clark, Edna Hauser and Debbie Nelson gather for a photo with a few of their creations in the background at right. They created 350 new baskets that are on sale now at the center. - Gwen Hilson photo...

  • WSU experts to participate in 4-H livestock health event

    Mar 20, 2024

    Washington State University Extension is hosting a 4-H Livestock Nutrition and Health Workshop in Keller Sunday to help youth raising livestock better understand animal health care and nutrition in preparation for fair season. WSU experts will be part of the event at the Keller Community Center March 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to all. "In low-income areas where the margins for agriculture are so slim, if you're raising animals for sale, the loss of just one can be...

  • The way it works, or doesn't

    Scott Hunter editor and publisher|Mar 20, 2024

    Sometimes city governments run smoothly, but as they operate with humans in a democracy, rough patches happen. Balancing human needs, egos, ambitions, desires, skills, or a lack of them, all within the confines of public perceptions, budgets, legal restrictions, and politics sounds like the kind of idea that might cause many stalwart business pros to run screaming from the room where it was suggested. But that’s exactly what it takes for a city, or any municipality that serves us, to operate. It’s natural when tensions rise, and they can be...

  • When America had to stand together to win

    Don Andrews|Mar 20, 2024

    I was just a kid during World War II but I still remember a lot about that time. I remember how America was very close to being beaten by the Axis (Germany, Japan and Italy), they did unspeakable things against the rest of the world, but they didn’t count on how America was all together on defeating them. We lost a lot of heroes to keep our freedom. Today, we are seeing the same kind of people trying to divide us with lies, lies and more lies. Maybe some people think it’s just exciting to divide us. I think lies are awful and so are the peo...

  • Listening for that whistle

    Roger Lucas|Mar 20, 2024

    Answering an advertisement started my love of the railroads. I saw the ad in our hometown newspaper, The Palouse Republic. The ad was seeking people to apply for menial labor on our section of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The section ran from Palouse to Tekoa, about 50 miles of track. I was a junior in high school, but 16, the minimum age suggested in the ad. The track foreman, Bill Fisher, did the interview. He went on to complete 50 years as track foreman, a distinctive achievement. I was hired on to work Saturdays that could lead to...

  • Still living the American Dream

    Tom Purcell|Mar 20, 2024

    A growing number of Americans think the American Dream is out of reach, but I think they are wrong. According to a recent Wall Street Journal poll, only 36% of voters said the American Dream still exists, way fewer than the 53% who believed so in 2012. Half of the poll’s respondents believed that America’s economic and political systems are “stacked against people like me.” These are troubling findings, but I think more of our native-born non-believers need to start dreaming — and acting — like American immigrants. Many immigrants still belie...

  • Harold Donald "Don" Bussell

    Mar 20, 2024

    Harold Donald "Don" Bussell peacefully departed this life on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at the age of 101. He was born to Sarah Jane (Smith) Bussell and Orrin Mack Bussell on Friday, February 23, 1923, in Webb City, Oklahoma. Don is survived by his daughter, Rebecca Grenard, and son, James Bussell, and his loyal companion, his dog, Sancho. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Muriel Bussell. At about the age of four, Don and his parents moved from Webb City, to a farm near his... Full story

  • Meetings and Notices

    Mar 20, 2024

    School Retirees to Meet Okanogan County School Retirees’ Association will hold a non-luncheon meeting at 11am, Friday, March 29, at the Community Presbyterian Church of Omak, 9 Birch St S, Omak. Information: Carol Payne: 509-322-5788 Area AA Meetings In Electric City, the New Hope group holds its meetings Monday through Friday evenings at 6pm at the Vets Center. There is also a noon meeting every Wednesday. These meetings are open and non-smoking. For more information, contact Paul 631-4551 or Phyllis 631-1187.I In Nespelem, the group Bound and...

  • Library closed into early April

    Renata Rollins|Mar 20, 2024

    The Grand Coulee Library closed this week for a lighting upgrade and is expected to re-open in early April, according to the branch’s website. It has been a long-time need, according to library staff, and several boosters of the local branch, who described the old lighting using words like “flickering,” “buzzing,” “humming” and “dim.” The upgrade is intended to make the branch a more pleasant place to visit and work, and will make it more energy efficient, according to Amanda Brack, communications and engagement manager for North Central Was...

  • Coulee Cops

    Mar 20, 2024

    Coulee Dam Police 3/11 - A Grand Avenue man was cited for failure to register a potentially dangerous dog. Back in December 2023, the dog had bitten a police officer at the residence to collect paperwork related to a separate incident. 3/12 - An Electric City woman reported her deceased ex-husband’s vehicle as stolen. The vehicle was first marked as stolen, then unmarked as she had no legal right to the vehicle. The bank that owns the vehicle has a repo company actively looking for it. - Coulee Dam and Grand Coulee police searched the Washingto...

  • Lady Raiders start strong with 2-1 week

    Mar 20, 2024

    Lake Roosevelt's softball team made a mark to start their season with a sweep of Davenport, dominating the Lady Gorillas in both games of a double-header in Grand Coulee on Friday, 14-4 and 17-2. The tables were turned Tuesday night, however, as LR played the Lady Bulldog's in Okanogan, losing 15-5 in their first Central Washington 2B League game. The Raider baseball team boys had a tougher go of it from the start, with several young players on board in what Coach Billy Nicholson says will be a...

  • Legals

    Mar 20, 2024

    CRI Annex LLC Public Notice The personal effects of Cecilia (Teena) Paul have been seized by CRI Annex for non­payment of rent and said goods shall be auctioned in a lot bid from 1 0AM to 3PM on April 5th and 6th, 2024, at storage unit #20, CRI Annex located at 102 Stevens Street, Coulee Dam, WA. 99116, in accordance with the provisions of RCW 19. 1 50.060. The auction may be cancelled only by the tenant paying the rent owed in full to CRI Annex LLC either before, or at the time of the auction. (Publish March 20 and 27, 2024... Full story