News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Easter Egg hunts in the area....
It took the federal government months to properly serve attorneys for Washington in the Trump administration's litigation to force the state to turn over its voter rolls. But now the lawsuit filed in December can finally move forward. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told the Trump administration last year that he would be willing to provide public information from voter records. But he wouldn't hand over dates of birth, driver's license numbers or the last four digits of social security numbers....
Protests against war have been added to the signs people carry on Midway Avenue to express disagreement with the Trump administration, which the WayFinders group did on Saturday. - Scott Hunter photo...
Around 70 people gathered to rally against the Trump Administration Saturday afternoon in Grand Coulee as part of the larger No Kings Movement, a protest mirrored across all 50 states and parts of Europe. Grand Coulee has been persistent, as demonstrators gather most Saturdays along highway 155, the main road through all local towns, centering across from the local Safeway in approximate groups of 20-30. Saturday's event was the third countrywide protest in the last 10 months. This time it... Full story
Coulee Dam is preparing for what organizers say will be its biggest Festival of America yet, stretching to two and a half days and expected to draw between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors. Speaking to the Coulee Dam Town Council Wednesday, Chamber representative Krystal Fillis said last year’s oneday festival drew about 15,000 people. But with the Fourth of July falling on Saturday this year, the decision was made to expand after securing bigger-name entertainment and additional support. The festival will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with T...
A group of volunteers organized by Reel Recreation responded Saturday to their call to help clean up the area around Osborn Bay, where garbage has been piling up over time. The effort resulted in several trailers full of junk picked up from the area. "Thank you to everyone who showed up and helped us clean up Osborn Bay - this is what community looks like," Reel Rec posted in a video on Facebook. President Nic Alexander noted the help and equipment use of Clay Hearne, Boutain Equipment Rentals,...
A local couple says they are nearly ready to sign a lease and begin work to reopen the former theater space in Coulee Dam as a combined movie house and creative media center. Appearing before the Coulee Dam Town Council, Ben and Naomi Dupris reported that they have “got our loans kind of taken care of” and have some key people on board to help in the venture. The Dupris have been interested in the theater for a long time, and had spoken at council a few months ago about their interest, saying they some things to work out before moving ahe...
Heartfelt gratitude to the people of our communities for their gracious donations on Saturday, March 28th to the WayFinders food drive for the local food bank. - The WayFinders...
Several people were honored Thursday as the chamber of commerce threw a bash to hand out community awards and celebrate its own 90th birthday, with cake. Gathered at the Siam Palace for the annual awards dinner, kudos went out for the Nonprofit of Year, the Business of the Year, the Start-Up of the Year, and the Legacy of the Year. It was that last one that had some eyes a little wet. The Legacy of the Year award was presented posthumously to Kachane Piturachsatit via his son, Mark, who now owns...
The job of taking care of North Dam Park was awarded to Vital Essentials last week. The Coulee Area Park and Recreation District received three bids on the job. Vital Essentials got the bid for $30,000 for 2026. The work will essentially last from mid-March to mid-November and includes mowing lawns, including on two softball fields, trimming grass and weeds, spraying for weeds, emptying trash cans, general cleanup, and prepping the area for festivals, and tree maintenance. The company is owned by John Carson, a local man who grew up in the...
Lake Roosevelt Schools will lose at least six teachers, and up to eight, after this school year to a reduction in force (RIF) authorized by the school board Monday night following reports and deliberations on how the school district “got here” and what the way forward will be. Unlike the federal government, school districts must run on a balanced budget, so when revenue falls, so must expenses, most of which is in salaries and benefits mandated by the state, but not necessarily paid for by it. The deficit before adjustments are made is pro...
Char Hania, center background, talks with people arriving Saturday at the Gerkhe Windmills at North Dam Park in a Hania-led effort to start a restoration of the items with a kind of adoption program she initiated with the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District. People wanting to help can call Hania at 425-879-5835. - Scott Hunter photo...
Elmer City leaders Thursday heard their consulting engineer give a rough estimate of $8 million to build an evaporative lagoon system to treat their sewage instead of sending it to Coulee Dam's new facility. Nancy Wetch, of Gray and Osborn, estimated the overall cost at around $8 million, and the cost of all the planning involved could be as high as all the funding available to Elmer City through the state Public Works Board - $800,000, half of it in grant, half loan. A separate facility plan...
Boys’ basketball coach Ed Wolfe, left, gets a pie in his face, while Maddy Carman wipes some from hers, and Caden Portch, right, laughs at both of them. The losing team was supposed to suffer the cream in the Seniors vs Staff basketball game at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High Thursday night, but you knew it wouldn’t end there. Wolfe got his from Ezekial Broadnax despite being on the winning team. More photos and details are on page 6. — Scott Hunter photo...
Electric City officials are waiting for a formal proposal from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation after an initial discussion about a possible interlocal agreement for permitting and inspections at the tribal golf course area. Mayor Blake Martin reported to the council March 10 that he and another city representative met with tribal officials at the golf course in early March. In that meeting, the Tribes expressed interest in an arrangement that would allow them to issue their own permits and conduct their own inspections for...
An American bald eagle circles near three workers on top of Grand Coulee Dam Monday, where they are beginning to work on maintenance of the drum gates, the large, curved area behind the workers. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Solveigh Chaffee has been trying to buy the dilapidated building next to her Voltage Coffee House for 10 years. Tuesday night she asked Grand Coulee's City Council to reject a bid to tear it down that would cost much more than it's worth, likely leading to more liens against it. Instead, Chaffee said she would like to bid on the property at auction when the county puts it up for sale for overdue taxes. It was once a little museum that showed people the work of Constantine Vlachos, a local invent...
One person visited with the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board on Monday regarding district plans for handling their budget emergency. "After reading some of the letters to the editor in The Star this week, I wanted to come and just kind of get an understanding from the board as to what cuts are being made and why," Sam Halvorsen said. Halvorsen visited on a day the board had just put off a discussion on an upcoming emergency budget resolution, opting to discuss it at a "workshop" on...
The non-profit organization that puts on events to help get kids into outdoor activities is planning a cleanup of the Osborn Bay area this month. Reel Recreation is planning a push to clean up the area Friday, March 27, starting at 10 a.m. President Nic Alexander told the Electric City Council Tuesday that he took a look at the area and estimated that four 14-foot trailers could be filled. People wanting to get in on the action should show gather at the Little Osborn boat launch, just off the highway at 10 a.m. with gloves and good footwear....
by Scott Hunter Grand Coulee officials are disputing charges Electric City billed them for water-related charges. Mayor Blake Martin said he, City Clerk Peggy Nevsimal and Public Works Director Travis Irwin had met with Grand Coulee officials Feb. 25 to discuss an old balance Grand Coulee was disputing on bills for water systems maintenance items from 2024 and 2025. One item for removal of sludge from a tank for $3,126 was disputed as “not related to treatment, operation or maintenance, in the opinion of Grand Coulee, and we would need to do i...
An area-wide cleanup will be aided once again by extra effort and low or no cost dumping, the Regional Board of Mayors agreed at their last meeting March 4. April 20-May 1 will be the official Spring Cleanup days, with each local city participating in ways that best serve their own citizens. Cities will advertise those specifics with inserts in utility bills, in text alerts via Text My Gov, and an advertisement in The Star to remind people of the basics. In other business, the RBOM also: • a...
WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court aiming to force the Trump administration to admit if it plans to send armed federal law enforcement or U.S. troops to polling locations in the upcoming midterm elections. The suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charges that 11 Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests submitted to the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense by the DNC in October have gone unanswered, a violation of p...
Protesters on Midway Avenue in Grand Coulee hold signs and collect food for the food bank Saturday while showing their opposition to Trump administration policies. - Scott Hunter photo...
The geologist Nick Zentner "popped up" at Dry Falls State Park Visitor Center last Sunday, March 1 at 1 p.m. in one of his "pop up" events, where the popular prof just shows up to talk with the geologically curious. That was a curiosity he piqued by putting forth a new old idea about the formation of the Grand Coulee. An estimated 120-plus people showed up to the cliff-top venue, where Zentner lectured with his back to the 400-foot chasm and promised not to step backward. Zentner, the "Science...
Washington State Standard March 4, 2026 The votes weren't there yet late Wednesday for Democrats' income tax bill in the Washington state House. Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns. Holdouts reportedly number around a dozen and include lawmakers who've publicly opposed the bill and ones who cast themselves as... Full story