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 Colville Tribes will soon have a new chairman, as current Chairman Rodney Cawston has been voted out in the recent election for seven Colville Business Council positions. Absentee vote tallies were added to poll votes and certified Thursday for a final vote count in the general election for seven of the 14 positions on the CBC, which governs the Colville Confederated Tribes. Alison Boyd-Ball defeated Cawston 418 votes to 322 in the race for Nespelem District Position #1. Cawston was first elected to the council in 2017, becoming chairman...
This is an “Open Letter to the Tribal Council.” I have to address it to them and to you because you members are the ones that will ultimately pay for this if it ever comes to pass. It has to do with the removal of Enloe Dam and what you should know about it. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Tribal Council, please accept this letter as a “last ditch effort” to persuade you to have no further discussions regarding Enloe Dam. I have sent each of you my video explaining our position exactly as it was stated those many years ago. Now, it seems like the ...
Eric Charles Smiskin, 50, Loving Son, Brother, Uncle and Faithful Friend, left us all much too soon, Saturday afternoon, June 19, 2021 from Nespelem, Washington. Born Monday, April 26, 1971 in Roswell, New Mexico to William "Bill" George and Sandra Mae Clark, Eric attended Lake Roosevelt School in Coulee Dam, Washington and went on to earn his GED from Washington State University. A proud member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville and the Catholic Church, Eric enjoyed spending time... Full story
Vincent Vargas Sr., 69, proud member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, loving dad, grandpa and faithful friend passed away surrounded by his family early Wednesday morning, June 9, 2021, in Grand Coulee, Washington. Vincent was born Sunday, July 15, 1951 in Nespelem, Washington, to Julian A. Sr. and Clara E. Edmonds-Vargas. He worked as a laborer for the Tribal Government in various capacities. Always active, Vincent enjoyed going to Pow-Wows "they have the best food", Native Rodeo &... Full story
Hotter and drier summers seem to be the trend in climate changes locally as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the new U.S. Climate Normals for 1991-2020. The NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce and updates the climate normals every 10 years using a 30-year range of data. Comparing the 1991-2020 data to the previous 1981-2010 data shows that the Spokane area, like much of the western U.S., is experiencing hotter and drier summers. Including here. "Vegetation drie...
Grant County health officials are asking people to still wear a mask, even if you’re vaccinated, because too few have gotten vaccinations. The recommendations came Tuesday evening with a list of reasons for the decision. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed its recommended safety measures, most notably not requiring masks when outdoors unless in very crowded areas and requiring no masks for fully vaccinated persons, even indoors. But Grant County is lagging the nation in vaccine uptake, with only 35.8% of i... Full story
(Nespelem, WA) — The Colville Tribes announced today that it is immediately lifting all public safety measures previously instituted to protect the community from COVID-19. A Resolution first passed on March 25, 2020, which imposed multiple public safety measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of the Colville Reservation and limits on gathering sizes. These safety measures have been extended on multiple occasions as the pandemic continued to remain a threat, but they are all now lifted, effective immediately. The C... Full story
This year will be the 20th Anniversary of the First Nations People crossing the border on Osoyoos Lake, paddling cottonwood dugout canoes from Osoyoos to Oroville. The crossing is to let all our People and the local communities to know and remind them that the border between the two countries has never and will never separate our People. The ceremony is held sacred in our hearts. Many Bands and Tribes are joining the Okanogan People helping us celebrate unity of the People of the First Nations. Herman and Joanne Edward are the ones that have...
With poll and absentee votes both now certified, twenty-six candidates have been narrowed down to 14 in the primary for seven seats on the Colville Business Council, with only one incumbent knocked out of the running. There are seven out of 14 total positions up for election to the Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Colville Tribes. Primary polls opened May 8, with poll votes certified on May 10, and absentee votes were certified May 13. The top two candidates in each race will move on to the general election June 19 with...
The Colville Tribes are interested in purchasing the community building in Coulee Dam that houses the old movie theater, bowling alley, restaurant, fire station, and more. At Coulee Dam’s April 14 city council meeting, the Colville Tribes Natural Resources Director Cody Desautel, who also oversees the tribes’ Real Estate Services program, asked the city council if they were interested in selling the building. Asked by Councilmember Merv Schmidt how the tribes might use the building, Desautel replied that it would be used similarly to its curren...
Mona Berland. September 2, 1951 to April 14, 2021; Passed away at home surrounded by family, after battling an extended liver disease. Mona graduated from Coulee Dam High School, Class of 1969. A member of Colville Confederated Tribes, she worked for many departments: Forestry, EMS and Police Department as a Volunteer Dispatcher and Reserve Officer. Her last position was with the Roads Department as Office Manager. Preceded in death by her father, Albert Weed; sisters: Valorie Weed and Cheryl Dick (Darrell); her first husband, Squires Agipith,... Full story
Grant County Health District confirmed cases of B.1.429 variants of COVID-19 in three Grant County residents Monday, and lists 103 new Covid cases in the last week, including from the Grand Coulee area. The district’s health officer is advocating masking up with the highest quality mask you can afford, not just to protect others but also to protect yourself against new variants. The variants, often referred to as “California variants,” were identified in the first and second week of April through genomic sequencing at the Washington State Depar... Full story
Nez Perce descendents who are currently in fourth through eighth grades have until April 27 to apply for a free rafting trip down the Snake River in their ancestral Nez Perce homelands. The rafting trip program seeks to have 15 youth from three different areas with Nez Perce residents to go on a 32-river-mile trip along the Snake River July 25-29, which includes two nights camping along the river. The program, paid for with grant money from the Gray Family Foundation, is being conducted in a partnership between the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Pr...
Richard Rooney, 73, passed away on Friday March 23, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Richard was born and grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, graduated from East High School, enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam era and later received a BS in Industrial Arts and another in Natural Resource Management / Geography from the University of Wyoming. Over the years he lived and worked in various places that included Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Somalia (East Africa), Arizona, Nevada and Washington. His... Full story
Twenty-six candidates will vie for six seats in the primary runoff for the Colville Business Council coming in May. There are seven out of 14 total positions up for election to the Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Colville Tribes. The Keller District will not need a primary runoff because it has just two candidates, and they will face off in the general election in June. The primaries to narrow these races down to two candidates are set for May, with polls open on May 8, poll votes certified on May 10, and absentee votes...
A Nespelem man was sentenced in federal court earlier this month to two years in prison for threatening his already-battered ex-girlfriend over social media, US Attorney Joseph H. Harrington said. Davis Henderson Tatshama Sr., age 36, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, was sentenced March 17 after pleading guilty on December 17, 2020 to “Threats in Interstate Commerce.” In January 2020, over the course of approximately 11 hours, Tatshama sent a series of Facebook messages to his ex-girlfriend, who is als...
The Colville Tribes have been diligent in vaccinating their members against COVID-19 and members 18 years and older qualify to make an appointment for theirs. More than 4,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been delivered on the Colville Reservation, representing more than a third of tribal members who have received at least the first shot of the required two shots of the Moderna vaccine, and many who have received both doses, according to a March 18 press release from the Tribes. In the coming days, the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine...
Colville Business Council Vice-Chairman Joel Boyd of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation was placed on administrative leave on March 24 by action of the Executive Committee of the Colville Tribes, a press release from the Colville Tribes says. The leave is effective immediately and will continue until further action is taken by the full Colville Business Council in the next available Special Session, which is currently scheduled for April 8, 2021. Vice-Chairman Boyd will not conduct business of the Colville Business Council...
Whether they continue to share a wastewater treatment facility with Coulee Dam, or build their own, Elmer City ratepayers are looking at higher sewer rates, but how much higher remains to be determined. The Elmer City council watched a presentation from Project Engineer Nancy Wetch of Gray and Osbourne last Thursday night. Wetch’s report compared the estimated cost of building Elmer City’s own wastewater treatment facility to the costs of renegotiating their current agreement with Coulee Dam, which expires at the end of 2024. The report loo...
The town of Coulee Dam still plans on its traditional, spring cleanup help with yard waste despite the fact that the areawide spring cleanup was altered this year. Grant County officials told the Regional Board of Mayors recently that the traditional waving of fees at the transfer station for spring cleanup is not legal, so the mayors agreed on a reduced fee for dumping yard waste, not free. Coulee Dam has its own spot for dumping yard waste, so will continue with that service for its citizens April 3-10. “Since we do not use the landfill to d...
A museum in Colorado will offer a program this week showing historical photographs of the Nespelem area, streaming it live online so you can attend. The Clyfford Still Museum, located in Denver, Colorado, will be live streaming a free program titled "Into the Archives: Photographs from the Colville Reservation." "In 1937, Clyfford Still co-founded an artists' colony in Nespelem, the Indian Agency on the Colville Reservation in Washington state," the museum website explains. "During his time ther...
Larry Dean Boyd, 84, the loving Husband, Dad, Papa and Tupa, passed away on Sunday,March 7, 2021, in Grand Coulee, Washington, with his family by his side. While gone was the agony of the cancer Larry fought for two decades, also gone were Larry's ice fishing on Owhi Lake, picking huckleberries at Gold Mountain, hunting in Hellsgate, chipping-in at Banks Lake, prowling the stands at State B and cheering for his daughters and grandchildren. Larry was borne to Norman Alonzo and Catherine... Full story
All eight of Washington's regions are in Phase Two of the state's phased plan for reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic and will be there for "at least several weeks," according to the office of Gov. Jay Inslee. Phase Two of the plan has less stringent restrictions on individuals, schools, and businesses. Regions were required to meet data metrics related to COVID in order to move to Phase Two, and warned that if those stats got worse, a region could move back to Phase One. However, Inslee announ... Full story
A new book by Colville Tribal member Arnie Marchand titled "What Is Your Name?" describes the way of life of the Okanogan Native Americans, examining the lives of individuals and the history of the people. The book, Marchand's second, is published by Heritage Productions out of Oroville where Marchand lives, and is available on Amazon as well as through the North Central Washington library system, which includes the Grand Coulee Library. "In this work I want to let you know some things about...
The chairman of the Colville Business Council expressed support Thursday for finding a regional solution to restore salmon in the Columbia River and expressed appreciation for the willingness of Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) to offer a regionwide proposal. Simpson released his “Northwest in Transition” proposal earlier this month, drawing immediate fire from critics of its central tenet of breaching dams on the Snake River, including from Simpson’s colleague in the House, Rep. Dan Newhouse, who represents Washington’s 4th District in Congres...
