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Articles from the June 13, 2018 edition


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  • Bulls and wild horses to be challenged Friday night

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    Yippy ki yay! The 7th Annual Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Riding & Wild Horse Race is coming up this weekend, named after a rodeo legend who called the Coulee home. Friday, June 15, will see the events start at 6 p.m. at the Ridge Riders Rodeo Grounds on Alcan Road in Delano. The event is named after local cowboy legend Cleatis Lacy, who moved to the area in 1945. Raised in eastern Montana, immersed in the life of a country boy, Lacy had plenty of experience riding animals, even riding wild horses and saddle broncs as a teenager, representing...

  • Standing ovations given at graduation ceremony

    Scott Hunter|Jun 13, 2018

    It was not the usual graduation Saturday at Lake Roosevelt High School, where announcements of honors and awards earned by graduates, important as they are, were outshone by speeches that honored faculty and staff and told of the determination of the young about to overcome all obstacles. For Khani Priest, obstacles overcome have steeled her resolve to make it and to help others know that they can too. "I'm talking to you not only as salutatorian of my class, but also as a Native American...

  • For Father's Day eve: explosions in the sky

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    “Ooh! … Ah!” Those words are the universal language for “look at the fireworks!” This Saturday night at 9 p.m. the Northwest Pyrotechnics Association, of which local man Alan Cain is a member, will put on a fireworks show near North Dam on Banks Lake. “It’s going to be a good half hour of pyrotechnic fun for a happy Fathers Day,” Cain said. A good view of the show will be available from Banks Lake Park and North Dam Park, both near the dam, and Cain says the best views “are probably going to be by Coulee Playland.” Another fun option is to go...

  • Newsbriefs

    Jun 13, 2018

    Rec softball gets underway The Grand Coulee Summer Softball League is ready to play ball! The 15 teams who signed up will be playing at North Dam Park, Monday through Thursday, for 10 weeks from June to August, culminating in the league tournament on August 17-18. Games will be held at 6 and 7:15 p.m., played simultaneously on both the North Dam upper and lower fields, for four games in total each evening. Wildfire strikes near Soap Lake Homes were evacuated after a wildfire caught in the Lower Grand Coulee Tuesday about 4:30 p.m. The fire,...

  • Koulee Kids Fest this weekend

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    A wide variety of free kid-friendly activities will be offered throughout the community for Koulee Kids Fest this Saturday, June 16, including a live show from entertainer Leapin’ Louie Lichtenstein. Children will get a “passport” showing the station where each activity is located, and get their passport stamped at each station. When a child gets six or more stamps on their passport, they will be entered into a raffle to win fun prizes at the end of the day’s activities. Passports can be picked up at the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Comm...

  • Festive traveling show to visit Eastern Washington towns

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    The New Old Time Chautauqua troupe will be visiting local communities this month to provide free shows, parades, and activities. A “chatauqua” is a traveling show that includes entertainment as well as education in the tradition of the Chautauqua Institute in New York state. The traveling shows flourished from the late 19th until the early 20th century. “Lectures by author Mark Twain, suffragette Susan B. Anthony, or a production of ‘The Tale of Two Cities’ are the kinds of entertainment one could expect at a chautauqua show,” the troupe’s webs...

  • Fireworks off Grand Coulee Dam set for July 4

    Roger S. Lucas|Jun 13, 2018

    Yes, the fireworks off Grand Coulee Dam will be on July 4 this year. Doing the show will be Rocketman Pyro, out of Spokane. It is the third straight year for the Spokane firm to light up the top of Grand Coulee Dam. Speaking for Rocketman Pyro, Dan VerHuel said the firm is planning about a 20-minute display. Workers will start setting up the show, using some 40 cases of explosives, about 9 a.m. July 4. “Once we gain access to the top of the dam, we are not allowed outside the gates until the show is over,” VerHuel stated. The show starts right...

  • Center School sale still in process

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    The sale of the Center School from the Grand Coulee Dam School District to Centerline Development is still in development, but a survey is now required as a part of the process. “The parties want to get it done, and it will happen,” school board Director Butch Stanger said at a June 11 board meeting. Centerline Development, LLC is the name of the company that will be buying the school, a new company started by Nic Alexander of Coulee Construction and Ian Turner for the purpose of the Center School project. The title insurance company needs to...

  • Politics: We need it

    Lee Hamilton|Jun 13, 2018

    Every so often, I jot down a list of the things that discourage me about our country. There’s the widespread disregard for our core values of tolerance and mutual respect, for instance. Or our declining national optimism. There’s wage stagnation, income inequality, a high poverty rate, failing infrastructure, inadequate healthcare coverage, a dysfunctional Congress. … You get the idea. This is not really a list of failings. It’s a to-do list. How do we make progress on it? Well, I’ll tell you: politics. American politics can be an inefficie...

  • Sometimes something bigger happens

    Jesse Utz|Jun 13, 2018

    It happened not long after graduation started in the Lake Roosevelt 2018 ceremony. A shift occurred. One more graduate was added to the class, and there was not a dry eye in the gym. It first appeared in the class speaker’s address. A slight mention of a teacher that “roasted” students, then as the valedictorian’s speech turned from one of them to one of him; followed by a video sequence that told everyone that there was one more to be added to the program. If we did not know yet, an award f...

  • Abuse of farm safety net harms rural America

    Cora Fox, Center for Rural Affairs|Jun 13, 2018

    Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes billions of dollars in payments to farmers across the country. Farmers rely on this money as part of a safety net, which helps them mitigate risks involved with working in agriculture. Congress put in place common-sense limits on farm program payments, but left damaging loopholes. Currently, farmers are required to be actively engaged in farming to receive these payments. “Actively engaged” farmers should be on the farm or in the tractor, as well as investing in land, equipment, or pro...

  • Donna Louise Hart-Bird

    Jun 13, 2018

    A Celebration of Life for Donna Louise Hart-Bird will take place at 11 a.m., on Saturday, June 16, 2018, at Faith Community Church in Electric City, Washington. Donna passed away Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Grand Coulee, Washington. Her family requests that donations be made in her memory to: Coulee Medical Center / Long Term Care, 411 Fortuyn, Grand Coulee, WA 99133. Please sign her online register at stratefuneralhome.com. Strate Funeral Home, of Grand Coulee, Washington, is honored to be serving Donna’s family.... Full story

  • William Eugene "Gene" Fields

    Jun 13, 2018

    William Eugene "Gene" Fields, went peacefully to be with the Lord and his wife, Betty, in heaven on Friday, June 8, 2018. He resided in Wilbur, Washington; he was 87 years old. Gene was born to Joy and Herma Lucille Fields on January 20, 1931, in Sandoval, Missouri. His mother nicknamed him Billy Gene; he was the oldest of three children. Gene's family moved to Washington state when Gene was around 11 years old, so that his father could work at the Grand Coulee Dam. Gene attended school in... Full story

  • Donna May Benton

    Jun 13, 2018

    Donna May Benton, 78, of Elmer City, Washington and Lake Havasu City, Arizona, passed away in Bullhead City, Arizona on November 18, 2017. Donna was born March 4, 1939, in Polson, Montana, to Jimmy and Josephine (Keller) Cook. Her family moved to the Grand Coulee area during the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. Donna attended school in Grand Coulee and graduated from Grand Coulee High School in 1956 - Go Tigers! She then moved to Spokane, Washington, and worked for the telephone company... Full story

  • John Sylvan Dazell

    Jun 13, 2018

    It is with great sadness that the family of John Sylvan Dazell announces his passing on Friday, June 1, 2018, at the age of 71 years old. Born and raised in Ephrata, Washington, the son of Grayce and Arthur Dazell, he was a longtime resident of Grand Coulee, Washington. John spent his winters in Yuma, Arizona, with his loving wife, Cherie, but always called eastern Washington home. Throughout his life, he found ways to live life to the fullest: taking his kids on ski trips, riding motorcycles,... Full story

  • Honoring 60 years in priesthood

    Jun 13, 2018

    Parishioners at St. Henry's Catholic Church in Grand Coulee as well as church leaders of the Yakima Diocese honored the parish priest, the Rev. Robert Himes, Saturday, some 60 years after his ordination as a priest. The Most Rev. Bishop Joseph Tyson delivered a nearly 1,400-word homily in which he said Himes should "know how grateful we all are for the way you enter into our lives as a humble servant-priest." At a dinner afterward, posing for a photo are, from left, the Rev. Mike Ibach, Tyson,...

  • Meetings & Notices

    Jun 13, 2018

    Chamber This Week The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce will meet this Thursday, June 13, at noon at Sunbanks Resort Lodge Cantina, outside of Electric City. They will be playing Bird Call Bingo with Cheryl Hoffman. The public is welcome. Lions Club Meets First and Third Tuesdays The GCD Lions Club will be meeting at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, June 19, at the Melody Restaurant in Coulee Dam. Food Bank Hours; Closed June 15 The food bank at the Church of the Nazarene has normal operating hours every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. It is located at the...

  • Absent students issues at Lake Roosevelt

    Jacob Wagner|Jun 13, 2018

    A large number of absences from school is a larger factor than are poor test scores in not finishing high school. That’s one of the key points made in a presentation by Lake Roosevelt teachers Brian Daniels and Jeremiah Seekins at Monday’s Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting. “Chronically absent,” is defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school year, or 18 days or more, whether they are excused absences or not. The state average for chronic absenteeism is 17 percent, with Lake Roosevelt schools combined being at 25 percent...

  • Ross receives PEO scholarship

    Jun 13, 2018

    Lucy Ross is the 2018 recipient of the $500.00 scholarship awarded by local Chapter DG of P.E.O. International. The scholarship application process includes a review of the applicant’s academic achievement, community service, extracurricular activities, and educational goals. Lucy, a graduate of Wilbur-Creston High School plans to attend the University of Washington and earn a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Education with the hope of becoming a High School English teacher. While maintaining her perfect 4.0, Lucy has b...

  • On the Dean's List at EWU

    Jun 13, 2018

    Local students making the Dean’s List for Winter Quarter 2018 at Eastern Washington University include the following: Samantha Turner, Kayley Duclos, Brian Stanger, Ashley Lezard, Jennifer Montecucco, Rickyna Sam and Jazmine Sumner....

  • Students of the Month at LR Elementary

    Jun 13, 2018

    Here are the April and May Students of the Month at Lake Roosevelt Elementary...

  • Legals for June 13, 2018

    Jun 13, 2018

    Notice of Public Hearing Town of Elmer City The Town of Elmer City will conduct a Public Hearing to consider the Six Year Comprehensive Street Program for 2019 – 2024. The Public Hearing will be held at Elmer City Town Hall, 505 Seaton Ave., Elmer City, WA., on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 6:55 P.M. All interested persons will be given opportunity to provide written or oral comment at said meeting. Gary Benton, Clerk/Treasurer (June 6 and 13, 2018) Town of Elmer City OPEN MAYOR POSITION The Town of Elmer City has an open mayor seat. The mayor p... Full story

  • Coulee Cops

    Jun 13, 2018

    Grand Coulee Police 6/5 - An officer checked on a trailer on Jackson Avenue in Electric City with its door open. The landowner said the tenant hadn’t paid rent for nine months and he was trying to get the trailer removed. A walk-through disclosed that the inside of the trailer was a mess, but no one was inside. The trailer was secured. - A Spokane man was arrested and taken to Grant County jail after an incident at North Dam Park in which he allegedly lied about his name twice and violated a protection order for a woman who was also in the park...