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 community was thrown into grief Thursday night as word spread of the death of a mother and her young son in what law enforcement authorities are calling murder. Tribal police found Laura Dick and her 17-year-old son Anthony Vieira, dead in the family home after Damien Martinez Jr. called them and confessed, reported sources, including KXLY, which reported obtaining court records Saturday. Okanogan County Prosecuting Attorney Albert H. Lin issued a statement Monday saying Martinez was being held on two counts of first-degree murder, with...
In a boost for wildlife, recreationists and public lands last month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) received from a conservation group the Big Bend Ranch, a 2,135-acre property featuring 1.5 miles of Columbia River frontage, for permanent inclusion with the Big Bend Wildlife Area. Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) conveyed the project it said conserves excellent habitat for one of Washington's most imperiled species - Columbian sharp-tailed grouse - while opening new...
by Scott Hunter The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Colville Tribes) and Open Access Technology International, Inc. (OATI) announced a landmark collaboration last week to “advance tribal energy sovereignty and resilience through the design and deployment of multiple microgrids across the reservation.” The Tribes’ 1.4 million acre reservation, which includes parts of two counties is served by five different electric utilities, and power outages are getting worse, said the Tribes’ Business Council chair, Jarred-Michael Erickso...
Nespelem, WA) Inchelium Red Garlic Revitalization Coalition (IRGRC) hosted their second annual garlic planting event at the Colville Tribes Forestry Greenhouse site in Nespelem, WA. Community members from across the reservation and from neighboring communities joined in to learn about the Inchelium Red Garlic project. Terri Williams, representing Colville Reservation Conservation District, demonstrated how to prepare garden beds for planting and how to plant garlic. She also demonstrated some...
Myra Phyllis Clark passed away suddenly early Sunday morning November 9, at her home in Coulee Dam, Wash. She was born to Christine Covington and Jack Clark June 11, 1947, the oldest of nine siblings, Pauline (born sleeping) Jacqueline Tynan, her sons Joe and Greg. John Christopher (deceased) his children John Jr, Brian, Sarah, & Ashley. Margaret Ann and her Children Dani and Ray. David Alexander his wife Hannah and children David Jr, Daphne, Benjamin,(deceased) and Olivia. Michael Edwin... Full story
(10/8/2025) WSU Colville Reservation Extension collaborated with Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) Headstart program and CCT Diabetes program to celebrate National 4-H Week and Taste Washington Day. This group collaboratively hosted Story Walks to provide educational and fun hands-on activities for Nespelem & Inchelium Headstart students and families. A Story Walk combines reading with physical movement so that students can have fun and learn in an outdoor setting, The books used were Planting...
by Scott Hunter Nespelem School District ceremonially broke ground on construction of their new CTE building Monday morning as the whole school looked on. Nespelem's high school closed in 1956 as the state consolidated schools, sending local students to high school in Coulee Dam. The district's board of directors has long expressed their current dissatisfaction with the arrangement, thinking some of their students were not thriving in the neighboring system. Board President Jolene Marchand said...
United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Lance Scott Michel, age 31, of Nespelem, to 216 months in federal prison after Michel pleaded guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, a US Attorney’s Office release said. Dimke also ordered that, following his sentence, Michel be placed on a lifetime term of supervised release. According to court documents, in early 2023, Michel began communicating with various minor females on the Colville Reservation over social media. Michel, then 29, provide...
The Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation have been planning on launching fast fiber-optic internet access, including for Elmer City and Coulee Dam. Elmer City’s town council at its last meeting didn’t have objections to a plan for the buildout, including adding some utility poles in town. The town took plans for review and will likely be ready to sign a franchise agreement with the tribes at the October council meeting. That likelihood is a turnaround from a few months ago, when council and staff took exception to a plan presented wit...
Rod Broadnax has goals for Lake Roosevelt Schools. He wants Lake Roosevelt students safe and learning, in a school that is recognized for its academic rigor, as well as its athletics programs, and is fiscally solid, while increasing student enrollment and parental engagement. That's a lot. And big changes have been made to address the challenges ahead. The Grand Coulee Dam School District superintendent took time to speak with the Rotary Club Thursday, the same day he was explaining new...
Nespelem School District Tuesday awarded the job of constructing its new CTE building to Lakes General for $1.38 million. The project may look more like a shop than a typical school builading, and the budget currently allows for not much more than an outer shell and a few rooms, including a bathroom. Add-ons could include specialized rooms for special purposes to fit the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The district exceeded its $1 million budget for the CTE building project, a part of the district’s expansion plan that has result...
He was at work, and Randy Adolph's grandchildren were all asleep as fire began consuming their home last month. "Could have been worse if Tim didn't knock on the door," Adolph said Monday, referring to neighbor Tim Lynch who lives a couple blocks down Camas Street in Coulee Dam. About 10 a.m. that Monday, July 14, Lynch, retired, had been headed to the post office and intended to next drive to the Downriver Trail for a walk along the Columbia River. Then he saw the smoke. It was "thick, black...
As salmon restoration ramps up on the Columbia River above Chief Joseph Dam, it is important to establish balances between those fish already in reservoirs behind dams and salmon being introduced. Completed in 1942, Grand Coulee Dam became the largest U.S. hydropower plant. It generates enough power to supply about 2 million households with electricity for one year. Water stored in Lake Roosevelt, which is 150 miles long and as deep as 375 feet, reduced downstream flooding. Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams blocked salmon from migrating...
The Inchelium Red Garlic Revitalization Coalition (IRGRC) hosted a garlic harvest event on Friday, as over 30 reservation residents gathered to learn how to harvest, dry and cure "Inchelium Red Garlic." Named after the community where it was "discovered," Inchelium Red is purportedly the oldest strain grown in North America. Little is known about its history. Garlic not being native to North America, Inchelium Red garlic signifies early exploration and trade networks, organizers of the event...
GCD School District policies around managing students, athletics and money shifted Monday, as board directors voted approval of changes in the junior/senior high handbook, athletics policies on participation in sports, paying to enter events and in some instances park, and even on the kind of bag you can bring into school events — clear only. Some changes address safety issues and society’s changing ways of handling them. “You can’t go into any major sporting event without a clear bag,” Director Shannon Nicholson told Director Rich Black aft...
The Bureau of Reclamation will put on a special showing of the original Laser Light Show on Grand Coulee Dam on this Independence Day. The original light show was commissioned to launch in 1989 in celebration of the centennial anniversary of Washington's statehood. At that time, a laser show was relatively unusual and a sophisticated technology for this rural community, even though the guts of the original show's computer was basically an Atari video game board. That show ran nightly through sum...
Coulee Dam is mulling an inquiry as to whether the city would allow a Level 3 electric vehicle charging station on its electric grid. Such a 180-kilowatt station would be capable of adding 100-250 miles of range in 30-45 minutes. That capability could be an added attraction for customers of the 12 Tribes Casino. Mayor Bob Poch told the city council last month that the Colville Tribes had approached the city on the question. The city owns its own electric utility, but Poch wants to be careful to not add something that would jeopardize a...
(Nespelem, WA) The Colville Tribes Natural Resources Field Day was held Friday, June 5, 2025, in a rural field near Nespelem, WA. Two hundred twenty-eight Kindergarten - third grade students from Lake Roosevelt and Nespelem schools traveled to participate in hands-on learning out in the environment. Youth learned about a variety of natural resource topics, and of course, the day would not have been complete without a visit from Mt Tolman and Smokey Bear! This year's line-up boasted fifteen...
by Scott Hunter It's been 69 years since Nespelem High School graduated a class of students, but that longed-for possibility finally became a reality last week. A class of nine students graduated May 29, 2025, in a commencement ceremony before a gym full of relatives and community members. Nespelem School Board Chair Jolene Marchand, in a commencement address, related the story of the dream now come true. In 1956 the state said it was consolidating schools. Nespelem's high school was closed,...
After a threat against the school was reported, Lake Roosevelt Schools canceled Tuesday classes Monday night before reconvening after the holiday weekend. The school posted a notice on its Facebook page about 9:45 Monday night. A Snapchat between students had been reported in which one student had made threats against the school, officials said. Superintendent Rod Broadnax said Tuesday morning the Snapchat had occurred with up to 30 students on it. He said the chat text had not been recovered yet, so police had not been able to get a warrant...
A teacher at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School thought he was just attending a pep assembly Friday when his name was called to receive a statewide award as educator of the year. Derek Atkins, who graduated from Lake Roosevelt, teaches science there now and revived a club that was important to his own development and direction. The pep assembly turned out to be a well-kept secret to surprise him. Shawn Brehm, a Wellpinit teacher who serves as the chair of the Washington Education Association's Cau...
(Nespelem) We have partnered with Colville Confederated Tribes Libraries to make it easier for people to access Research-based information for safe food preservation, healthy gardening and for preparing quick freezer meals. Three books have been placed in each reservation library - Nespelem, Keller, and Inchelium – for people to check out and borrow. The So Easy to Preserve book is the Research-based book that is recommended to use when canning or preserving foods. It contains research-based r...
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs Sign Memorandum of Agreement OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) formalized a partnership Monday aimed at enhancing services for Native American veterans and their families. The collaboration is made possible by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which allows WDVA to provide in-kind support and resources to the Tribe’s veteran service officers. This MOA under...
As the Indian Education Director at Grand Coulee Dam School District, I witness every day the incredible impact our schools have on students, families, and the community as a whole. Our schools are more than just classrooms; they are centers for growth, connection, and opportunity. They are where children learn not only math and reading but also the rich cultural heritage and values that make our community unique. The levy is the backbone of so much of what we do. It supports the programs that set our schools apart—programs that empower our s...
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jeanne “Punkin” Marie (Toulou) Pachosa, a devoted wife, loving mother, cherished grandmother, beloved sister, and treasured friend to many. Jeanne passed away December 25, 2024, surrounded by the love of her family. Born on October 21, 1953, Jeanne was a proud member of the Colville Confederated Tribes Arrow Lakes Band. She married the love of her life, Jack Anthony Pachosa, on December 26, 1970, and together they built a beautiful life filled with love, laughter, and steadfast faith over... Full story
