News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Okanogan County Public Health released on Sept. 21 the first video in a series they are calling “Covid in the County.” The series will be “highlighting the people and organizations in Okanogan County who collaborate to provide healthcare to our community,” according to a notice from OCPH. The first video, titled “The Nurse,” shows Omak’s Mid-Valley Hospital’s acute care wing on a night during September, and shows staff and a patient during the current pandemic. The video is available to view on the Okanogan County Public Health YouTube page at...
Current Councilmember Donald Redfield, who brings with him experience in law enforcement and on various clubs and committees, wants to keep his seat on the Electric City council. After being appointed to a vacant seat in June, Donald Redfield wants to stay in Council Position #1, which is up for election in November. Redfield first lived in Electric City in 2002, then after some time in Grand Coulee, moved back to Electric City in 2013. His wife Lynette Redfield owns Changes Salon in Electric...
Birdie Hensley would like to be back on the Electric City council after just a couple of years being off it. Hensley has served six years total on the council, most recently finishing a four-year term in 2019, which she lost to Bob Rupe in that year's election. Having lived in Electric City for 22 years, Hensley said in an email to The Star that she believes, "If you do not take an active part in city council you do not have any idea what is going on in the community." She said she would like to...
Being that she is unopposed in the election for Grand Coulee Dam School District's Director #1 position, it looks like Shannon Claire Nicholson of Coulee Dam will fill the seat. Carla Marconi, who currently holds it, did not file for reelection. "As a school board member," Nicholson wrote in a candidate statement, "I intend to serve as an open and honest channel of communication between the school district and the community, ensuring that the decisions of the board reflect the diversity of our...
Crows might be afraid to fly through the Coulee - with a scarecrow contest coming to decorate local towns. The 2021 Scarecrow Trail is being held by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce and will place scarecrows made by locals at local businesses for people to see and choose their favorite. Those wanting to build a scarecrow have just until Oct. 11 to register with the chamber, and the scarecrows will be displayed from Oct. 16 until Nov. 7 at businesses in Electric City, Grand Coulee, a...
Vaccinations may have helped prevent roughly 3,400 new COVID-19 infections and 500 deaths among seniors in Washington state during the first five months of 2021, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency said in a release Tuesday that the study, conducted by researchers with HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), also found that nationally vaccinations were linked to a reduction of approximately 265,000 COVID-19 infections, 107,000 hospitalizations, a... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 9/27 - Someone reported hearing gunfire near Osborn Bay. Police didn’t see anyone there or hear any shots. - Police observed an elderly man lying on the steps outside a Golf Avenue residence. He said he fell as he went outside to check the mail. Medics came and took him to the hospital. 9/28 - Police told a woman they would not force her husband to go to the hospital against his will. - Three subjects were said to have taken down a no-trespassing sign from a residence on Roosevelt Drive and thrown rocks at the r...
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation said Tuesday that it must postpone its annual general membership meeting that had been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 1. The decision was made to keep families and employees safe during the Covid-19 emergency, a press release said. The tribes will seek to reschedule the annual meeting on a future date. The tribes reported Monday afternoon that there were 36 active cases of Covid-19 on the reservation, including 15 in Nespelem, five in Keller, three in Inchelium and 13 in Omak, all in quarantine....
Okanogan County Public Health on Tuesday reported nine COVID-19 related deaths in the county since just mid-September, bringing the total to 53. The deaths are of a woman in her 40s, two men in their 60s, three women in their 70s, and three men in their 70s. “Okanogan County Public Health would like to remind everyone of the importance of all public health precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic,” a Sept. 27 news release states. “Anyone can have COVID-19 and not know they are contagious. COVID-19 is easily spread to close contacts, frien... Full story
Housing developments in Elmer City and Keller are being built in the hopes of attracting health care professionals to the areas. On June 8, the Colville Business Council "voted to move forward with a commercial general contractor for the construction of two professional housing developments," Chairman Andrew Joseph Jr. said in an email. "Both sites will be completely developed, however we will only build seven houses on each site at this time," Joseph explained. Out of the seven houses on each...
Grand Coulee will be spending federal money towards a new waterline, a new ambulance, and more. The Grand Coulee City Council on Sept. 21 approved how they would spend about $292,500 in American Rescue Plan Act funds received from the federal government. The city has already received half of the funds, and will receive the other half in May of 2022. Included in the agenda packet for the meeting was an outline of how the money could be spent, which the council approved without much discussion. Trees at the wastewater treatment facility have...
Lake Roosevelt students have been spending Fridays focusing on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) projects. Junior/Senior High Principal Sara Kennedy shared several photos of students working on STEAM projects in her report to the Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors on Monday. "Teachers have been doing lots of fun, creative lessons," she wrote in her report. "Students and teachers seem to be enjoying STEAM Fridays," she told The Star on Tuesday. "It...
Coulee Medical Center expects to make 15-20 “accommodations” for employees who have requested to not be vaccinated against the coronavirus for medical or religious reasons, the top executive said Monday, but will likely deny two such requests. Chief Executive Officer Ramona Hicks reported to the hospital district board of directors at their meeting via Zoom on Monday night. Rural hospitals across the country have been familiar with staffing shortages for years, but with the latest delta variant-fueled wave of COVID-19, even larger hos... Full story
Grand Coulee Police 9/13 - A Pearl Avenue man reported his son’s blue Redline bicycle was stolen from his yard. Police told him to report suspicious individuals he might see. There has been a string of thefts on his street. 9/14 - Police went to Coulee Playland to tell a couple of campers they had to leave because they were past their checkout time. The couple was in the process of leaving. Police spoke to them. The couple paid for additional nights to camp. The man was cited for assault for a previous incident in August at Osborn Bay. 9/16 -...
Following a year of work, the friendly merger of Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union and STCU will culminate this weekend. All five CDFCU branches will be closed Friday, then reopen Monday as STCU, though it will take a while longer to change exterior signage, a credit union press release said Tuesday. Nearly all CDFCU employees have chosen to make the move to STCU, meaning credit union members will continue to see the same familiar faces at their favorite branch. The employees are maintaining...
The city of Coulee Dam ran out of patience with its wastewater treatment plant builder last week, instructing the city attorney to send McClure and Sons, Inc., a letter with an October 1 deadline. The Mill Creek, Washington-based company was awarded a $5.6 million contract to build the plant in 2017, finishing most of the work — but not all. The city’s engineers have expressed frustration but counseled patience, even though they said delays could not be attributed to shutdowns during the Covid pandemic, delays which mostly took place bef...
Elmer City has been awarded a grant to study a critical piece of its wastewater infrastructure, which, if it needs replacing, could tip the decision on building its own treatment plant and splitting from Coulee Dam’s service. Elmer City received a $30,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state Department of Commerce for an assessment and feasibility study of their “force main,” a pipe that carries sewage from Elmer City to the wastewater treatment plant in Coulee Dam, to see if it needs to be replaced. Town Public Works Direc...
Tanner Whitelaw takes off on the second horse in this Indian Relay Race at the Okanogan County Fair Sept. 11. He'd just ridden in to switch horses as brother Hunter took his mount while Tanner switched to the horse his dad, Jonah Whitelaw, had ready for him. Team Whitelaw won the day at the race. - Joshua Corsa photo...
A young Grand Coulee woman died Saturday after a one-car rollover crash about five miles south of Grand Coulee around 1 p.m. Tavian Beasley, 27, had been driving a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer south on SR-155 when the SUV drove onto the shoulder. She overcorrected, drove into the northbound lane, and overcorrected again, according to the Washington State Patrol. The car rolled at milepost 20 and Beasley was ejected. She had not been wearing a seatbelt, the WSP report indicated. Beasley was taken to Coulee Medical Center where she was later pronounced... Full story
Anyone needing answers about Covid vaccines can take advantage of an online meeting being arranged with a local doctor whose been taking note of people’s questions and is still listening. Dr. Jennifer Knox, a family practice and obstetrics physician at Coulee Medical Center, will appear in a live Zoom meeting next Tuesday evening to answer questions. The “AskVax Facts” meeting will be offered Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. In the meantime, anyone with a question may ask it through a simple online question site at cmccares.org/questions. The link to th... Full story
Games could be forfeited at high school sports events if fans don’t comply with mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Raider fans need to wear masks and wear them correctly at Raider indoor events, the school district superintendent says. A Sept. 15 notice from Superintendent Paul Turner addressed to “Raider Boosters” seeks to get everyone “on the same page” and asks them to adhere to the masks mandate. “During these unprecedented times, there are many inconveniences that we need to adhere to in order to keep school staff and student...
Coulee Dam Police 9/15 - A Central Drive man told police that security footage showed a man taking a bike from his front lawn. The man in the footage was thought to live in the 12th Street apartments, and police confirmed that the footage matched that man’s driver license. Police found that to be probable cause to arrest him for criminal trespass and theft. Police were unable to locate the bike at the apartments at that time. The next day, the same suspect was seen in a private yard looking at a truck and garage doors, leading someone to t...
Since last week, 15 additional cases total have been reported from Grand Coulee, Electric City, Coulee Dam, Elmer City, and Nespelem. The Grand Coulee and Electric City area of Grant County have seen a total of 128 cases, up by eight since last week. In Okanogan County, Coulee Dam has had a total of 96 cases, up two since last week. Elmer City has had a total of 33 cases, up by three, and Nespelem is up two cases for a total of 109. As of Sept. 21, Okanogan County has reported 503 cases in the past 14 days for an incidence rate of 1,166 cases... Full story
Local voters will decide whether to support at least one school levy in the spring of 2022 that would take effect in 2023. The Grand Coulee Dam School District currently has three levies, all expiring before 2023. Superintendent Paul Turner described them to the district board as an “original” levy which charges $1.50 per $100,000 of assessed property value for a person’s property taxes; a “supplemental” levy of $1 that supports it; and a “capital” levy of $1.70 that goes toward facility expenses. Turner said the school district board of dire...
Although transmission isn’t happening at Lake Roosevelt Schools, there are about 70 students quarantined because of either testing positive for COVID-19 or being exposed to it. Superintendent Paul Turner said Tuesday that roughly 15 students have tested positive for COVID-19, which has led to about 70 students being quarantined. He said the transmission isn’t happening at the school and that the schools’ screening process prior to entering the building has been successful. But that means students are still being exposed to Covid outside of th...