News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 376 - 400 of 986
Seventy-nine years to the day after the original Ceremony of Tears, about 80 paddlers will leave Crescent Bay in canoes June 14 for an eight-day journey to Kettle Falls, the site of the original ceremony that mourned the loss of salmon from the traditional fishing spot for Native Americans. The Inchelium Language and Culture Association, in association with River Warriors and the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), have organized the event for the third year in a row. In addition to the 80 paddlers leaving from Crescent Bay for Kettle Falls,...
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...
The Colville Tribes have filed a lawsuit against major manufacturers of opioids, alleging devastating health effects on tribal communities resulting from the drugs. A May 10 press release from the tribes detailed the lawsuit, saying that “the Tribes has sued over 25 opioid-industry defendants in the action, which seeks both compensation for costs associated with the epidemic and injunctive relief.” “The Tribes’ complaint,” the press release says, “asserts claims against the defendants for allegedly marketing prescription opioids in a manner th...
Police will be on the lookout for people not wearing their seatbelt so they can ticket them as part of an effort to increase safety on the roads. Colville Tribal Traffic Safety is taking part in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Click It or Ticket” high-visibility enforcement effort that runs from May 20 to June 2. “Aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe, the national seat belt campaign runs concurrent with the busy travel season,” a May 21 press release from the tr...
The votes are in for the primary election for seven of the 14 positions on the Colville Business Council, the main governing body of the Colville Tribes, with 13 candidates seeking office in the Nespelem District alone. All the incumbents survived the primary. The primary narrows the number of candidates for each position down to two who will face off in the general election June 22. The Nespelem District Position 1 race was led by incumbent and current CBC chair Rodney Cawston (324) and Charlene Bearcub (157). Eliminated from that race are...
Tribal, state and local governments have joined forces at Lake Roosevelt to combat the spread of northern pike, recently recorded just two dams away from critical Columbia River salmon habitat. The lake’s co-managers at the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Spokane Tribe of Indians and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife worked alongside the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and public utility districts in Chelan and Grant Counties May 6-10 to catch northern pike in the largest coordinated suppression event of its kind. “We are...
Electric City quietly changed the rules Tuesday night that govern the process by which it could fire its fire chief. The vote happened moments after Electric City’s fire chief told people waiting outside city hall during a closed session of the city council that a problem he’d had with the mayor had been ameliorated with a letter of reprimand instead of a dismissal. The city council passed an ordinance that takes out a reference to state law that imposes an appeals process giving a fired civil service employee 10 days to demand an appeal bef...
The Colville Tribes have formed a horse management team to help manage the feral horses on the reservation. The tribes have, in recent years, paid money to remove portions of the feral horse population via controversial roundups using helicopters to herd the animals, which were eventually shipped to Canada for slaughter. The most recent effort “failed miserably,” according to the tribes’ Natural Resource Director Cody Desautel. Sun J Ranch, which had removed horses from the reservation in the past, was paid $50,000 for this year’s removal...
Locals overwhelmingly oppose a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposal to ban cars from driving on “Geezer Beach,” a beach named after the elderly who frequent the spot because of its easy accessibility. The issue is a hot topic among locals passionate about the popular fishing spot behind the Third Powerhouse of the Grand Coulee Dam. The bureau released its “Draft Environmental Assessment” in April, outlining options of leaving the situation alone, blocking vehicles from the shore, or simply banning recreation in the area altogether. “The pu...
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SPOKANE In Re the Interest of: LUKE MICHAEL CANO AKA INFANT STRASBURG, (DOB: 04/24/2019) A Person under the age of 18. NO. 19-5-00216-32 SUMMONS AND NOTICE BY PUBLICATION OF PETITION/HEARING RE: TERMINATION OF CHILD/TERMINATION OF PARENT/CHILD RELATIONSHIP The State of Washington to the said: Chris Andrew Espersen, alleged birthfather of Luke Michael Cano aka Infant Strasburg, (DOB: 04/24/2019) or anyone with a paternal interest: 1. You have been named as the alleged... Full story
The classic toy LEGO has evolved over the years to incorporate robotics, and students at Nespelem Elementary are using LEGO robots to learn coding and robotics, skills that will be more and more valued in the future. For Inspiration of Science and Technology, or FIRST, is a global program in which students get hands-on experience with things like LEGO robots. FIRST Washington partnered with Nespelem Elementary for an after-school program that averages about six to seven kids, four days a week,...
Those living on the Colville Indian Reservation can now sign up to receive alerts regarding severe weather, road conditions, evacuation notices and more. The Colville Business Council announced that the tribes will be using the Colville Reservation Emergency Alert System by CodeRED. “This system enhances public safety as it expands the number of people who will have access to Reservation Emergency Alerts such as: building closures, evacuation notices, road conditions, missing persons and severe weather. These notifications can be sent d...
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 Colville Tribes will hold their 10th annual Earth Day celebration at the Nespelem powwow grounds on April 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event will include over 50 interactive and informational booths concerning things like recycling, natural energy, forestry, plant life, health and nutrition, and more. A raffle at the event has “more prizes than ever,” according to Joaquin Bustamante, who heads the tribes’ recycling program. “Loepps donated a stove, a microwave, and a twin bed,” Bustamante said. “Coulee Hardware donated a Traeger [gr...
The Colville Tribes have entered into an agreement with the state of Washington to sell marijuana, according to an April 8 press release from the tribes. “We are pleased to sign this agreement and look forward to the economic development opportunities it provides,” Colville Business Council Chairman Rodney Cawston is quoted as saying in the press release. “The [agreement] includes appropriate regulation of tribal businesses which sell marijuana, as well as effective enforcement procedures to assure all applicable laws are followed.” A new tri...
CITY OF ELECTRIC CITY Mosquito District POSITION #4 VACANCY Electric City is requesting letters of interest to fill position #4 on the Grant County Mosquito District No. 2 Board. The Mosquito District meets monthly on the second Thursday of every month and is a volunteer position. Please mail or hand deliver a letter of interest addressed to Mayor John T. Nordine II, PO Box 130, Electric City, WA 99123. This position is open until filled. If you have any questions please contact the city clerk at 633-1510. Russ Powers City Clerk/Treasurer... Full story
Anyone who has had problems with dangerous dogs in their neighborhoods may have a new reason to hope for improvement. Although it may not be financially practical for local cities to set up their own animal control facility, it’s possible the cities could contract with the Colville Tribes for those services. “The Regional Board of Mayors talked about having the cities basically get together and possibly contract [for animal control],” Grand Coulee Mayor Paul Townsend said at the March 19 city council meeting. “They were proposing to find so...
Darnell Sam has been appointed to the Nespelem District Position #2 on the Colville Business Council, following the expulsion of Andrea George, who had filled that position. The CBC named Sam to the council seat following a 94-53 vote by tribal members held at a March 5 Nespelem District meeting, according to a March 6 press release from the Colville Tribes. The council had expelled George Feb. 21 on ethics charges including improper influence, gross misconduct and malfeasance. George’s supporters insisted she was being expelled for calling int...
Twenty Years Ago Hospital Park is a park no more – Grand Coulee’s city council approved the sale of the park Tuesday night to Grant County. Grand Coulee Dam is the first dam chosen in a worldwide study of the environmental effects caused by established older dams. Four months after work began on the expansion of the Safeway store in Grand Coulee, it is complete. As a very conspicuous balloon on top of the store attested to, they held a grand opening last Wednesday to celebrate. Selected as the Employee of the Year at the Colville Con...
The Natural Helpers program at Lake Roosevelt High School has been a success, staff members and students say, and they want to keep it going. The program, which used a student survey to identify 21 students to whom other students feel comfortable turning in a time of need, took those students on a multi-day retreat to K Diamond K Ranch outside of Republic last fall. There, the Natural Helpers learned how to help peers deal with issues such as depression, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and physical and emotional abuse. The program was discussed at a...
The Colville Business Council, meeting in special session Thursday with all tribal representatives present, expelled fellow council member Andrea George from their ranks on ethics charges, which she denied in a detailed statement. George, elected last summer to represent the Nespelem District on the Colville Tribes’ governing body that serves as both the tribes’ legislature and head of its executive branch, is a lawyer whom her supporters insist was being expelled for calling into question procedures and actions the council takes, not for act...
Local media were notified (Feb. 21) that “By a 8-6 vote, the Colville Business Council (CBC) today approved the expulsion of CBC Andrea George.” CBC expulsions are authorized by the CBC Ethics Code and the Colville Tribal Constitution. Is the Ethics Code implemented ethically under the Law and Order Code? For instance, can a council member be expelled for promoting the passage of the Ethics Code itself? A few years ago, a tribal trial judge had already drunk the kool aid of consent-complicity by ruling to violate the Colville Tribal Law and...
I feel compelled to express my concerns to our four Nespelem District Representatives. I would like to remind our district representatives you are seated on council by a vote of the eligible Nespelem District voters; therefore, ANY decisions you make at the council table should be what the majority of our people want, not by your own personal opinions or feelings. I grew up at the old longhouse, which was very strict, “unwritten laws.” I appreciate our sacred teachings from our cherished elders of the longhouse. Our elders held our tra...
I have been bombarded with a litany of Facebook posts, copies of letters to the editor from the Tribal Tribune and the Star newspaper, and telephone calls/texts regarding a handful of supporters of a self-proclaimed “victim” currently serving on the Colville Business Council. I have heard many concerns regarding the misinformation, untruths, and failed logic presented by these supporters, and also concerns about the authoritative tone which these untruths have been presented and the effect that may have on the average person reading these “fa...
A tribal council member facing ethics charges amid controversy and backlash from tribal members was placed on administrative leave last week under an “Emergency Action Order.” Andrea George, elected to represent the Nespelem District of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation last summer, was placed on paid leave by the Executive Committee of the Colville Business Council, of which she is one of 14 representatives voted in by members. The Executive Committee issued the Emergency Action Order “for a situation that poses an immed...