News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Articles from the April 15, 2020 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 21 of 21

  • Hospital applies for $2.8 million under CARES Act

    Scott Hunter|Apr 15, 2020

    The local public hospital district that governs Coulee Medical Center approved applying for a so-called “loan” Thursday under the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP) of the CARES Act passed by Congress in March to help keep workers employed during the current pandemic. The commissioners of Douglas, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan Hospital District 6 approved Resolution 1096 authorizing the issuance of a promissory note for up to $3 million to pay for eight weeks of payroll. CMC, like many other hospitals all around the nation, has stopped ele... Full story

  • Drive by LR stadium tonight to honor seniors

    Apr 15, 2020

    Everyone is encouraged to drive by the Lake Roosevelt sports field at 8:20 p.m. tonight and honk to honor the senior class! The stadium lights will be on and the drive-by celebration comes as the social distancing mandate to slow the spread of the novel Coronavirus has changed the final year for the school’s senior class. An email today from Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen announced tonight’s effort: “Join us tonight, Friday April 17th, as we will will turn on our stadium lights at 8:20 p.m. (20:20) to honor the senior class of 2020. Come... Full story

  • Family loses everything to fire

    Scott Hunter|Apr 15, 2020

    A home was lost Friday night when a fire started while no one was there. Grand Coulee Fire Chief Ryan Fish said those who lived in the house in Coulee Dam had been down the street when it started to burn. The fire at the home of Shayla and Shawn Deckwa apparently started about 8:30 p.m., Friday, April 10. At least four fire departments were on scene at 1103 Camas Street with equipment and firefighters, dousing the flames on a windy night and spraying down the siding on neighboring houses to...

  • Public meetings being held electronically

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 15, 2020

    Local boards and councils have been holding telephonic and internet-based meetings, on orders from the governor, so that business can still get done while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. But there’s a limit on what’s allowed in such meetings. A Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting was held on March 23 using Zoom, video conferencing software that allows people to attend a meeting electronically. A Coulee Area Park & Recreation District meeting is also scheduled over Zoom for today. The April 13 Regional Board of May... Full story

  • Newsbriefs

    Apr 15, 2020

    Taxes due April 30 Grant County’s treasurer said Monday that taxes on real, mobile home and personal property are due by April 30, but those laid off or businesses closed for the state of emergency will get a longer time to pay. “Like most counties in this state, there will be no blanket extension of the due date,” Treasurer Darryl Pheasant explained. “Our hospitals, fire districts and other districts are dependent on tax collections to not have a major disruption to their cash flow. “I am, though, providing a grace date or special full-year...

  • Annual Colorama festival canceled

    Scott Hunter|Apr 15, 2020

    The annual early-May Colorama festival has been called off by the organizing chamber of commerce due to the uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic and the cancelation of a major vendor, the carnival. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors met in special session last week, a time when preparations either had to move ahead or refunds made to vendors who had applied to work the event. Although starting at the end of the second week in May the event would have come after the statewide emergency is set to...

  • Area people working on projects in their spare time

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 15, 2020

    Some people have found themselves with extra time to work on projects due to the social distancing mandated during the coronavirus pandemic. Responding to a post on The Star's Facebook page, people shared pictures of projects they've been working on. The variety of projects included paintings of construction machinery for a young boy's bedroom, Easter baskets, a raised garden bed made out of a bedframe, changing an engine out of a 1970 Chevelle, a "cold frame" flower/garden bed, a fort built by... Full story

  • Port district: Banks Lake Golf Course closing was not optional

    Scott Hunter|Apr 15, 2020

    Everybody is anxious to get back to their normal lives, but with spring budding out all over, local golfers are really champing at their putters. Jim Keene, president of board of commissioners for Grant County Port District 7, which owns Banks Lake Golf Course, said Monday he sees some confusion among local golfers, some of whom believe the decision to shut down the course in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s general shutdown proclamation was optional. It was not, Keene said. He cites Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” March 23 proclam... Full story

  • North Dam Park bathrooms closed, park open

    Jacob Wagner|Apr 15, 2020

    The bathrooms at North Dam Park are closed, but the park itself is open. Commissioners for the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District voted to close the bathrooms at North Dam Park during an April 8 meeting held via Zoom, the video conferencing app frequently being used during the social distancing of the coronavirus pandemic. The park itself is still open. Other projects the group is interested in pursuing, such as bringing swimming lessons to Spring Canyon, as well as installing an electric vehicle charging station at North Dam Park, are... Full story

  • Rutabagas, turnips and parsnips

    Roger S Lucas|Apr 15, 2020

    I never saw one that I didn’t hate. I hated the taste and texture and when possible I scraped them off my plate. These so-called vegetables were frequent dishes my mother prepared while I was growing up during the “Great Depression.” I always thought we had these dishes because we were poor, only learning later it was for another reason. While it was true that we were probably poor, the family never acted like we were. Actually, the reason we had these vegetables was more practical: They would keep in the cellar during the winter. We lived...

  • You, viruses and the atmosphere

    Bob Valen|Apr 15, 2020

    Given the current threat of the Novel Coronavirus and its potential effect on humanity, I thought I’d write about viruses in general. I’ll address the fact that viruses are in our atmosphere and ride air currents, eventually dropping to the ground regularly. They are abundant. They have been on the planet for at least 300 million years. Viruses are the most abundant microbes on the planet. We are host to them as well; they are part of the body’s microbiome. Let’s start with a highly abridge... Full story

  • Senior Profile: Megan Abel

    Jess Utz|Apr 15, 2020

    By now, everyone knows that going to school is over for Washington state and many other states around the nation, but what many do not is that school is still happening for many. It just looks different. It is done from home and by contacting the teachers you need to via email, Zoom Meetings, Facebook and phones. Seniors still have some work to do, and that is not any different for Megan Abel, a senior at Lake Roosevelt. I interviewed her via Messenger and here is a little bit about the...

  • Legals for April 15, 2020

    Apr 15, 2020

    ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS City of Electric City Lift Station Replacement Project Sealed bids will be received by the City of Electric City, at the reception desk located in City Hall, 10 Stevens Ave, (PO Box 130), Electric City, Washington 99123 until 10:00:00 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020, and will then and there be opened and publicly read for the construction of the improvements. The project generally consists of demolition and replacement of the existing lift station with a new package lift station. One of the pumps in the existing lift station... Full story

  • Coulee Cops

    Apr 15, 2020

    Grand Coulee Police 4/6 - An officer spoke to two roommates on Roosevelt Avenue. A woman said her roommate threatened to smack her for leaving a basement door open. The man said he didn’t say he would smack her but that she would get smacked. He likes the door closed to prevent a draft. 4/7 - A man reported his vehicle being hit by a pellet gun while driving near E Street and the highway to Bridgeport. An officer spoke to three boys shooting a BB gun. They were shooting cans but shooting toward the highway. An officer told them of the danger o...

  • Thomas Skordas

    Apr 15, 2020

    On Thursday, April 9, 2020, Tom joined his dearly departed wife in the eternal afterlife. He spent his last days in the home of his oldest son with both his boys and their families at his side. He was 79 at the time of his passing. Tom was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming on September 3, 1940. He was the youngest of five children born to Constantine "Gus" Skordas and Flora (Carlson) Skordas. Tom met the love of his life, Kathy, in the fall of 1960. They were married in Salt Lake City on December 5... Full story

  • Michael Gene Williams

    Apr 15, 2020

    Michael Gene Williams, 67, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2020, in Spokane Valley, Washington. He was born on October 21, 1952, to Kenneth and Maxine Williams. With his parents he lived and grew up in Nebraska ,Wyoming, California and Washington. He graduated from Coulee Dam High School in 1971 and that year he married Leslie Lynch and they had a daughter Erica. He later married two times - in 1986 and had two daughters: Shala and Tawni. In 1995 he married his wife Natasha and had two... Full story

  • Joseph (Joe) Martin Mitchell

    Apr 15, 2020

    Joseph (Joe) Martin Mitchell's journey of life ended Saturday April 4, 2020 at home in Phoenix Arizona. Joe was born on December 9, 1935 in Denver, Colorado to Martin H. Mitchell and Margaret E. Mitchell. In 1944, the family moved to Boulder City, Nevada. He graduated from Boulder City High School in 1953 where he met Susan L. Dickens, they married on August 21, 1956. Upon graduating High School, Joe continued his education and matriculated from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.... Full story

  • Scholarship deadline nears

    Apr 15, 2020

    Time is running out to submit applications for Grand Coulee High School Alumni Association scholarships. The applications must be postmarked by Friday, May 1, 2020. The awards are open to high school graduating seniors and college students who are direct descendants of former students who attended any of the Grand Coulee School District 55 schools. College students must have successfully completed at least one year of college. Also eligible to apply for the scholarships are all Lake Roosevelt High School graduating seniors from the class of...

  • Towner/Whalawitsa have a girl

    Apr 15, 2020

    Tyana Towner and Christopher Whalawitsa of Nespelem, Washington, are proud to annonce the birth of their daughter Solara Kay Whalawitsa, on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 5 lbs., 10 oz., and was 19.5 inches in length at birth. Sibling includes Illithiah J. Whalawitsa. Maternal grandparents are Addie Simpson and Allen Towner. Paternal grandparents are Fauna Ferguson and Jason Whalawitsa. Great-grandparents are Lois Herman and John Herman.... Full story

  • Jackson has a girl

    Apr 15, 2020

    Monica Lenay Jackson of Coulee Dam, Washington, is proud to announce the birth of her daughter, Azalea Jackson, born Saturday, March 21, 2020, at Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee, Washington. She weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz., and was 18 inches in length at birth. Siblings include Peyton Astraeus Verd, 5, Akira Love Jackson, 3, an Zevantai LeSane Grinnell, 1. Maternal grandmother is Elisa Denee Adams.... Full story

  • Library has new online features

    Apr 15, 2020

    While its libraries are closed, North Central Regional Library has added some new online features to bring the library to more people. Some of the new and expanded services include: A new eCard for people who live in North Central Washington but can’t go to a library right now to get a physical library card. The eCard grants access to all of NCRL’s online resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming services for TV shows, movies, and music, language learning sites, and digital access to newspapers including the New Yor...