News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Grand Coulee Police 7/2 - An officer arrived at a Goodfellow Avenue residence following up on a report of a fight. A woman answered wrapped in a towel, and said she had been arguing with a friend who had since left, and that the fight was verbal only. 7/3 - An officer stood by at Spring Canyon while a National Park Service officer took pictures of graffiti on a building there. - A woman reported that a man had been with her when she cashed her Social Security check worth $1,294 at the Coulee Dam Casino. The man then handed her the cash in the...
Three weeks into her latest foray and seven years after starting this adventure, the self-proclaimed most-decorated National Park Service junior ranger made it to Coulee Dam on Monday. Aida Frey, 17, has, along with proud and devoted parents, been to more than 300 national parks since she was 9 years old. That's when they met a couple dedicated park rangers who brushed aside quitting time at 5 p.m. to sign her up for the junior ranger program. She completed a workbook about the park at Effigy...
The National Park Service will be offering free astronomy tours both at night and during the day throughout the summer. Nighttime stargazing tours will be held on July 5 from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Crescent Bay Area, July 6, from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Spring Canyon Day Use Area, Aug. 2 from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Crescent Bay Area, and Aug. 3 from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Spring Canyon Day Use Area. “Our nation’s national and state parks are some of the few places left where the night sky isn’t obscured by light pollu...
This Fourth of July, America will celebrate its 243rdbirthday. Our country has come a long way since 1776, and there is still more progress to be made. Our independence and our patriotism are what set the United States apart from the rest of the world, and we have a lot to be thankful for. As we gather with our family and friends to celebrate our freedom, we should also celebrate some of our nation’s finest treasures: our national parks and public lands. Washington state is fortunate to be home to 15 National Park Service (NPS) parks, which g...
Citing a dry landscape, federal officials this week put a halt to what has become something of a tradition in recent years at North Dam, where local families have set off fireworks on Independence Day. The Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation issued a fire restrictions order on public lands where BLM fights wildfires, which includes North Dam, according to a June 19 press release from BLM. A release from Reclamation Monday afternoon clarified that that includes the top of North Dam. “Dry, fire-prone vegetative conditions i...
Despite overwhelming public opinion against the idea, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has chosen to ban vehicles from parking on Geezer Beach, located behind the Third Powerhouse of the Grand Coulee Dam. A press release Monday from the bureau announced the decision, emphasizing "safety" as their reason for banning vehicles from the beach popularly fished by elderly anglers who have heretofore appreciated the easy access to the beach. "The Bureau of Reclamation will continue to allow fishing,...
One of the least threatening places you can go is a beach in late afternoon where a couple of old anglers are quietly staring at the water, waiting for a line to move. If anybody understands the unwritten rule, the need for common courtesy, the paramount importance of everyone doing his or her part to maintain the norm, it’s people who like to sit quietly and fish. That could have something to do with why no instances of unsafe or uncivil behavior come to mind, over the last several decades, at the place that has come to be known as Geezer B...
An effort to remove a problematic, invasive fish from local waters has united multiple groups towards the common cause. The predatory northern pike are said by biologist to be a threat to native fish populations. Together, the Colville Tribes, Spokane Tribe, Kalispel Tribe, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service, and Grant and Chelan PUDs were able to remove 433 northern pike in a one-week period, according to a May 31 press release from the Colville Tribes...
Coulee Dam looking for planning members Coulee Dam is looking for three people to form the town’s planning commission. The city is putting together a state-required updated comprehensive plan, and Clerk Stefani Bowden said the city must either find volunteers to head that effort or pass a new ordinance establishing a one-person commission. Such solo commissioners are usually city employees. Mayor Bob Poch said finding volunteers is challenging. Grand Coulee last week revised its planning commission requirements to make non-resident Grand C...
Jerry Michael (Mike) Sharr, 65, of Grand Coulee, Washington, passed away Thursday, April 25, 2019, from an aggressive cancer. Mike was born Sunday, December 6, 1953, in Eugene, Oregon to Harry Blaine and Amanda Joan Sharr. At age 17, Mike joined the US Army and served his country with pride. "SP-4 Sharr" was stationed in Germany, earning the "Sharpshooter" ranking and receiving the "National Defense Service Medal" prior to his honorable discharge in December 1972. On Saturday, August 24, 1974,... Full story
Earth Day celebration Friday The Colville Tribes are hosting an Earth Day celebration at the Nespelem Powwow grounds Friday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will have informational and interactive booths, a free hot dog lunch, a raffle, and more. Easter egg hunt on Saturday The Lions Club’s 82nd annual Easter egg hunt will be held at the former middle school’s athletic field in Grand Coulee at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. The event is free for children 0-10 years of age. School board accepts donations The board for the Grand Coulee...
The Major League Baseball season is upon us. The game is looking less like the “National Pastime” each year. I remember when every little town or city had its own baseball team. There was no talk then of major changes to the game’s rules. The truth is that the sport has lost a lot of its fan base. Rule changes proposed and made won’t bring them back. Sports fans have changed, and I fear they have left baseball behind. Fans now like tougher sport action, the kind that leaves a targeted quarterback or receiver on the field and hauled off on a st...
OLYMPIA – April 2, 2019 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites the public to celebrate the spring season and Earth Day with two free days at state parks in April. On free days, visitors do not need a Discover Pass for day-use parking. The first free day is Saturday, April 20 — a springtime free day. The next free day is Monday, April 22, in honor of Earth Day. The free days are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass. The pass costs $30 for an annual pass or $10 for a one-day permit. It is requi...
There could be complications this summer if you’re planning to use a paved parking lot at Spring Canyon or any other Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area facility, including campgrounds with pavement and boat launches with paved parking lots. The National Park Service will stop taking reservations for this summer for its facilities in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and will offer refunds to those who’ve already reserved their campsites, the NPS announced Tuesday. A project to repave every bit of asphalt in the park this yea...
Grand Coulee 3/4 - A man said he had been kicked out of his grandmother’s Dill Avenue house, and that his girlfriend was still there, felt unsafe, and wasn’t allowed to leave. The man also said he was told his uncles would kill him on the grandmother’s order if he returned to the place. An officer spoke to the girlfriend, who said she did feel unsafe and wanted to leave. The grandmother told the officer that the man had threatened to burn the house down, and that the girlfriend was under her foster care, for which she had no paperwork. The g...
Kettle Falls Marina gets 10-year contract Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents Washington’s 5th District in Congress, including Lake Roosevelt, recently announced a decision by the National Park Service to award a 10-year concessionaire contract for the Kettle Falls Marina. “Outdoor recreation is part of life in Eastern Washington, and the Kettle Falls Marina has served our community for decades,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I was proud to advocate directly to the National Park Service in support of a new contract and appreciate them fo...
NPS re-opens recreation area after shutdown Following an agreement between Congress and the President last Friday, the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area has “resumed regular winter operations,” a press release from LRNRA stated Monday. “Staff will be out inspecting facilities and making necessary repairs throughout the park,” the release stated. “With reduced winter staffing, this will take time. Please visit www.nps.gov/laro for updated information about the park. “Lake Roosevelt’s employees thank you for your patience and are happy to b...
Federal and tribal officials said last week that the question of whether fishermen should continue to be able to drive on the sand along Geezer Beach behind the Grand Coulee Dam stemmed from tribal concerns. The Bureau of Reclamation has been collecting comments on the issue as they do an environmental assessment on whether to continue allowing people to drive on the beach. USBR Public Affairs Specialist Lynne Brougher said the idea of banning cars from the beach started when the bureau received a request to address the issue from the Colville...
The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area will remain accessible to the public, but with no visitor services, during the current shutdown of the federal government. That’s according to a statement issued by the National Park Service unit on Saturday, after Congress and the president failed to compromise on a bill to keep the government fully open. “During the shutdown of the federal government due to the lapse of appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and pro...
Port district approves levy increase Grant County Port District 7 commissioners Monday approved an increase of $698.01 to their tax levy to be collected in 2019. The 1.5-percent annual increase brings the total amount of taxes the district collects to $47,376.63. The port district runs the Grand Coulee Dam Airport and operates the Banks Lake Golf Club on district land. Winter access more limited at recreation area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is inviting people to “come and enjoy the great outdoors,” but notes in a recent press rel...
University of Washington students, working for the Grant County Health District, interacted with the community members last week, asking what they think about health in relation to the area. The students, about 15 in total, are in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program, earning their masters degrees at the University of Washington School of Public Health. The students attended a school board and a hospital board meeting, spoke to small business owners and people at the senior center, and held a public meeting at Grand Coulee...
When the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced proposed possible changes to the way it manages a local fishing beach, it used in an official document the popular name given it by the folks who use it, a name first made popular in the writings of a Star columnist. Reg Morgan wrote about all kinds of things in decades of writing Morgan’s Musings, frequently about local hunting and fishing, which he loved. During the course of those writings, Reg applied the moniker “Geezer Beach” to the shoreline on Lake Roosevelt behind the Third Power...
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will again offer 12 free days next year, in which day-use visitors won’t need a Discover Pass to visit state parks by vehicle. The first free day of 2019 is New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. State Parks free days are in keeping with 2011 legislation that created the Discover Pass, which costs $30 annually or $10 for a one-day visit. The pass is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Dep...
Grand Coulee Police 11/6 - A man got a speeding ticket for going 60 miles per hour in the 35 mph zone on SR-155 near Western Ave. - A Roosevelt Drive woman reported unknown people pounding on the side of her house. She didn’t see them, but heard them running away. She said this has happened in the past. 11/7 - A driver, pulled over near North Dam for having a defective license plate light, was cited for that and for driving without insurance. - A red Kia was reported to have a loud exhaust while driving slowly down Dill Ave. The officer found t...
OLYMPIA – Oct. 17, 2018 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will again offer 12 free days next year, in which day-use visitors won’t need a Discover Pass to visit state parks by vehicle. The first free day of 2019 is New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. State Parks free days are in keeping with 2011 legislation that created the Discover Pass, which costs $30 annually or $10 for a one-day visit. The pass is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wil...