News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Grand Coulee City Council approved a $3.57 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Thursday to continue to use the Grand Coulee Police Department to provide additional security services at the Grand Coulee Dam. The contract, approved and effective as of May 22, expires on May 31, 2025. The city’s old contract with the bureau expired in November 2019, which led to a six-month extension while a new contract was negotiated. The Star was unable to obtain specific details of the new contract but reported in February t...
In the face of uncertainty during the COVID-19 restrictions, the chamber of commerce board of directors voted May20 to cancel any planning for the Festival of America over this year’s Independence Day holiday. The annual event, which normally includes vendors and performers in the park below the visitor center at Grand Coulee Dam, draws thousands each year, most to watch the fireworks off the top of the iconic dam. But all of that takes planning and a timeline that has run out. And the host federal agency, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has n... Full story
There is no known timeline yet for opening the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s visitor center at Grand Coulee Dam, or for the restart of what is normally the nightly Laser Light Show that begins Memorial Day weekend and plays all summer and most of the fall. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept the Visitor Center closed and postponed the laser show and tours of the dam, said Lynne Brougher, public affairs specialist at Grand Coulee Dam. “The impacts to the schedule resulting from COVID are unknown and still developing at this time.” “The reopeni...
A crew of workers makes progress on the new fire station under construction for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation off SR-155 Monday. Two cranes were active on the site, lifting materials to the top of the structure. - Scott Hunter photo...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) last week led a letter to congressional leadership urging the inclusion of critical water infrastructure in the upcoming COVID-19 economic and infrastructure recovery package. Signed by 24 bipartisan members of Congress, the letter outlines the importance of Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure projects in addressing water storage, conservation, and delivery to rural areas and municipalities across the country. “As we begin debate on how to restart the American eco... Full story
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
Local state parks areas such as Steamboat Rock, Osborne Bay, and Northrup Canyon are closed, while Spring Canyon remains open but without services. Steamboat Rock, Northrup Point boat launch, and Northrup Canyon are all closed to the public until at least April 30. Steamboat Rock State Park Park Ranger Jared Liening told The Star on Tuesday that the spots are closed to discourage the spread of the coronavirus. Liening said people have still been using Northrup Canyon despite a sign on the kiosk... Full story
Charlie Long has been a member of the American Legion for 60 years! Greg Behrens, vice commander at Post 157 in Electric City, presented the Coulee Dam man with a 60-year certificate March 25. Behrens said he had wanted to do a formal presentation but wasn't able to because of the coronavirus social restrictions. "It was kind of surprising," Long told The Star over the phone on Monday. "I didn't realize it had been that long." Behrens provided a description of Long's tenure in the army:...
Grand Coulee 3/16 - The driver of a truck with a badly damaged windshield was reported by multiple people, and pulled over near Jess Ford. The man was intoxicated, and was cited for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, and being in possession of a stolen Bureau of Reclamation sign. 3/17 - A woman reported that her vehicle had been prowled at her Boulder Avenue residence. She heard the faint sound of a car door closing and noticed her car door wasn’t fully closed. The registration, which expires in a month, was the o...
The Grand Coulee Dam will continue to operate as usual, but its visitor center will be closed to the public, and tours of the dam, which had been scheduled to start April 1, will be delayed until further notice. “Today, the Bureau of Reclamation temporarily closed public visitation to the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center in support of the recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, a March 19 press release from the bureau reads. "The health and safety of the public and our employees is our number one pri... Full story
The Coulee Dam Service Station at the southeast corner of what is now Roosevelt Way and River Drive had been a Standard Oil station; but after my parents, Henry and Margaret (Seaton) Taschereau bought it at the end of 1942, it became Texaco. They sold it and moved to Coulee City in 1953. Just up and across the street, where the Coulee House Inn & Suites is now located, was a Ford garage, and just east of that was a theater owned by Oliver Hartman, who had moved to the area about 1936, when his...
A potential new, big hydro-electric project for the Coulee area, could be more likely to happen sooner than later if legislation being considered by the Senate in Washington D.C. passes. The $1.4 billion Banks Lake Pump Storage Project, proposed by Columbia Basin Hydropower, would bring in an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 workers to build a gravity-fed, pumped-storage system that would drain water from Banks Lake back down to Lake Roosevelt, turning generators in the process, and later pump the...
The city of Grand Coulee is on track to sign a new contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to provide law enforcement services for the federal agency. The city is currently operating on a six-month extension on a contract that expired in November 2019, a contract in which the city’s police provide additional security at the Grand Coulee Dam. That contract adds four additional officers to the Grand Coulee Police Department, which serves Grand Coulee and Electric City, for a total of eight officers, plus a reserve officer. The bureau pays th...
Glenda "Lynn" Higgins, daughter of the late Neal and Francis Turner of Coulee Dam, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving family on Friday, February 7. Lynn was born January 4, 1946, in Mason City Hospital, Coulee Dam, Washington. The Turner family moved from Coulee Dam to Hungry Horse, Montana in 1951. Lynn joined the local rifle club in Hungry Horse and enjoyed sharp shooting with her marksman father. In 1955, the Turner family moved back to Coulee Dam. Having enjoyed Mont... Full story
Coulee Area Park and Recreation District (CAPRD) SEEKING VENDOR Coulee Area Park and Recreation District (CAPRD) is seeking a vendor for grounds maintenance at North Dam Park, Grand Coulee, WA The time frame for 2020 contract runs from mid-April through the end of October. The selected vendor will provide maintenance of the park in the areas listed below. The budget for this seasonal project will not exceed 22,000 dollars. We reserve the right to extend this contract for up to two years. • Mowing of all cultivated lawn areas -- picnic s... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 2/4 - A Dill Avenue resident reported a man on his porch, dancing, yelling, and pounding on the glass door. An officer told him to go home and that the resident didn’t want him there. The man did so without incident. - A Spokane Way homeowner said her maintenance person told her a sliding glass door was broken and wanted the incident documented. Police noted there was nothing inside to be stolen. 2/5 - Police responded to an accident on SR-174 near Crown Point Road where a semi truck and a Ford Fusion had collided. There w...
Those interested in the local airport for one reason or another, especially those representing organizations, can anticipate a meeting in April to discuss the Grand Coulee Dam Airport’s draft master plan. At their Jan. 30 meeting, Grant County Port District 7 commissioners discussed wanting to bring in people from various entities, such as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Colville Tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Army Corps of Engineers, the hospital, local cities, and more, to participate in a...
Grant County Conservation District PUBLIC NOTICE The Grant County Conservation District Board of Supervisors hereby informs the voting public that the incumbent has been re-elected to the currently open seat by reason of being the only person filing for the position by the filing deadline. Therefore, no poll site, absentee balloting or mail balloting will be performed pursuant to WAC 135-110-370. For further information, please contact the District at (509) 765-9618. (Publish February 5, 2020) PUBLIC NOTICE The Grant County roadside spray... Full story
The city of Grand Coulee wants to renegotiate a contract under which city police provide law enforcement services to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for nearly $600,000 a year. The city is currently operating on a six-month extension on a contract that expired in November of 2019, a contract in which the city’s police provide additional security at the Grand Coulee Dam. That contract adds four additional officers to the Grand Coulee Police Department, which serves Grand Coulee and Electric City, for a total of eight officers, plus a reserve o...
A year ago, much of America’s heartland was inundated by Missouri River flood waters. At least 1 million acres of U.S. farmland in nine major grain-producing states were under water. More than 14 million people were impacted. Damage exceeded $1 billion. With 11 dams on the Missouri, why was the flooding so severe? Why didn’t the dams absorb the excess waters? Its dams are above the flooded areas. The last impoundment is at Gavins Point Dams in South Dakota, and heavy rainfall and snow melts wer...
It's been a year filled with news. The Star carried more than 1,200 stories in 2019. Here's a look back at some of them that range from city council dramas to national music awards. Jan. 16 - Bob Poch named mayor in Coulee Dam Coulee Dam has a new mayor. Bob Poch was elected by the city council last week to take the place of Larry Price, who resigned Dec. 6, 2018. - New operator will re-open Grand Theatre - The Coulee will see an increase in arts and culture with the return of the Grand Theatre... Full story
Richard Thomas Borup of Wichita Falls, Texas, formally of Electric City, Washington, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, November 26, 2019, in Wichita Falls. Richard was born in Boise, Idaho, on October 20, 1931, to Henry Julius and Melta (Taylor) Borup. He attended Boise High School in Boise, Idaho. Upon graduation, Richard enlisted in the United States Air Force and served his country proudly from 1948 to 1952. Richard then worked as a driller for the United States B... Full story
An unexplained phenomenon took place 35 years ago on a farm on a plateau west of Omak Lake in which a three-ton piece of earth was lifted out of the ground, landing some 73-feet away. It's still a mystery. No signs of machinery were seen near the 10-foot by 7-foot hole, nor near the relocated piece of earth, which is said to have fit the hole like a jigsaw puzzle piece, like it was cut with a giant cookie cutter. Greg Behrens, who worked as a geologist for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the...
As temperatures begin to dip Monday night, firefighters douse a fire along the Elmer City Access Road Monday night that burned what was beleived to be a mobile home unoccupied for years. Okanogan County Fire District 2 Chief Dave Finch said he didn't want to speculate on a cause of the fire. "I do appreciate my neighbors in the fire-fighting community," Finch said. "Turnout was really great." Units and firefighters also responded from Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,...
The Grand Coulee City Council voted last week to extend their contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to keep a portion of B Street closed for up to another year during construction of the bureau’s new fire station. The council discussed some of the frustration of closing the street for another year at their Nov. 19 council meeting. Councilmember Tom Poplawski said he’d like to add a penalty clause that says the bureau has to pay a penalty if the project isn’t done before the end of 2020. Councilmember Mike Horne agreed that would be a...