News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1989 - 2013 of 6653
The coronavirus has affected work life and home life in the Coulee in multiple ways, an online Star survey reveals, with lots of stress for some but some silver linings for others. Asked if they are working from home because of social restrictions, 17 out of 37 of those who responded said they are, with some loving the home office and others not. Slow internet speed is listed as an issue, as well as boredom, but several respondents said the experience was positive. Responses included: • Not as productive working from home. • Difficult to foc... Full story
Local state parks areas such as Steamboat Rock, Osborne Bay, and Northrup Canyon are closed, while Spring Canyon remains open but without services. Steamboat Rock, Northrup Point boat launch, and Northrup Canyon are all closed to the public until at least April 30. Steamboat Rock State Park Park Ranger Jared Liening told The Star on Tuesday that the spots are closed to discourage the spread of the coronavirus. Liening said people have still been using Northrup Canyon despite a sign on the kiosk... Full story
Kids up to 18 years of age have been getting meals from the Grand Coulee Dam School District at their bus route pickup spots while school is out for the virus-related shutdown. That plan changed on Monday. Meal deliveries will now be made at eight specified places from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. just three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Academic packets for students in grades 7-12 will also be available then. Nespelem School District will still provide Grab and Go meals to students in that area at the locations below. Here’s the d... Full story
You can get a college level geology education specific to our area for free on Youtube! Geologist Professor Nick Zentner, who teaches at Central Washington University, has been holding lectures from his Ellensburg home on his YouTube page in a series he calls "Nick From Home." Zentner, who spoke about local geology last year at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, is "live streaming" his lectures from his yard, and the videos remain available beyond the initial live stream. Topics include...
The spring cleanup ad that ran in this week's Star was a mistake, a sort of unintentional April Fools mishap. The community spring cleanup is delayed until further notice.... Full story
In response to the coronavirus epidemic, locals have been making washable, reusable fabric respiratory masks for the local hospital, as well as for individuals and other organizations. A Facebook group has even sprung up called the Mask Avengers, with posts related to mask making. Linda Roberts is one of those making masks, having made 71 as of Monday, and with orders for more. Roberts said those 71 masks took about a week to make, with multiple masks given to UPS drivers (Linda's husband Merle... Full story
Although simple made-at-home masks lack the sophisticated filters that catch 95% of items as small as a virus, there’s heavy debate on whether official recommendations that people who are not sick should not wear them make sense. Current articles in Wired magazine and the Washington Post argue that society-wide wearing of simpler masks could significantly cut down on the spread of the novel coronavirus. All agree that the actual personal protective gear made for medical use should be dedicated to those health care workers on the front lines, b... Full story
Charlie Long has been a member of the American Legion for 60 years! Greg Behrens, vice commander at Post 157 in Electric City, presented the Coulee Dam man with a 60-year certificate March 25. Behrens said he had wanted to do a formal presentation but wasn't able to because of the coronavirus social restrictions. "It was kind of surprising," Long told The Star over the phone on Monday. "I didn't realize it had been that long." Behrens provided a description of Long's tenure in the army:...
Local parents in the medical and emergency field have not yet taken advantage of daycare offered for their children by the Grand Coulee Dam School District, Superintendent Paul Turner told The Star in an email on March 27. “Currently we have no takers,” he said. “If we do in the coming weeks we will do what we need to accommodate their needs.” Schools are required to provide daycare to those students, per the directive of Gov. Jay Inslee, if daycare is needed so that the parents can do their jobs.... Full story
Millions of N-95 masks and other types of personal protective equipment are being delivered to Washington State as public health and emergency response officials scramble to obtain the equipment needed to respond to the growing COVID-19 outbreak. Jerrod Davis, assistant secretary for disease control and health statistics at the Department of Health, said there is significant global demand for these kinds of items and right now the state does not have enough to satisfy the needs of its communities. Davis explained that the state’s joint operatio...
In a convoluted process, a raise in dumping rates at the Delano Transfer Station, approved in October by the Regional Board of Mayors, was approved again in March, but still must be approved by the four area towns before it might be implemented, with Grand Coulee so far not wanting to raise the rates. The Star reported in October 2019 that the RBOM had approved a half-cent-per-pound raise in dumping fees at the transfer station, which was said by then-city administrator of Electric City Russ Powers to be on track to lose approximately $29,000...
Grand Coulee 3/21 - A man got his foot caught in the foot brace of his motorcycle while at a stop sign along SR-155, and possibly broke his ankle when the bike rolled back. He was taken to the hospital. His friends took care of the motorcycle. - An officer was called to assist with loud occupants at the Sky Deck Motel who refused to quiet down, but they weren’t in their room by the time the officer arrived. 3/22 - A man on King Street told an officer that another man had punched him in the face for no reason while he was sleeping. The o...
3 Tribes Colville Casinos, including the Coulee Dam Casino, have extended their closure through April 30. An April 1 press release from 12 Tribes Colville Casinos details the closure. "Following guidance from the Colville Business Council, 12 Tribes Casinos has extended closures for all three casino properties- 12 Tribes Resort Casino in Omak, 12, Tribes Mill Bay Casino in Manson, and 12 Tribes Coulee Dam Casino in Coulee Dam," the press release says. "The closure has been in effect since March 17, 2020 and will last through April 30, 2020,... Full story
After days of reports of droves of people not complying with his pleas to stay home, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a mandatory order Monday to shut many public places and non-essential businesses in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Inslee emphasized that the though the orders are legally enforceable, officials would still emphasize voluntary compliance. And sheriffs in Lincoln and Grant counties issued similar statements assuring people that law enforcement's role in the shutdown... Full story
Kids up to 18 years of age have been getting meals from the Grand Coulee Dam School District at their bus route pickup spots while school is out for the virus-related shutdown. That plan will change on Monday, the school district said Thursday. Meal deliveries will now be made at eight specified places from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. just three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Academic packets for students in grades 7-12 will also be available then. Nespelem School District will still provide Grab and Go meals to students in that area... Full story
With Coulee Medical Center officially in emergency mode, a representative updated the Grand Coulee City Council last week on what that currently means. Tyler Donn spoke on behalf of CMC March 17 in regard to the COVID-19, coronavirus epidemic. Donn explained that with a national emergency declared on March 13, it forced the hospital to put their emergency preparedness plan into action. The first goal is to protect all patients and others at the hospital, Donn said, and that entails sending home non-essential staff, ensuring staff have... Full story
The Star is interested in knowing how the coronavirus pandemic has affected your life at home in the Coulee. Please take our survey and let us know how it has changed your home life or work life, and what you've been doing to pass the time spent "social distancing." Take the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q8ZX7SZ... Full story
Electric City Mayor Diane Kohout declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, and utility late fees and shutoffs have been suspended for the duration of the situation. A special council meeting was held on March 19 in the Electric City Fire Station in order to observe social distancing as a precaution due to the coronavirus. Kohout told the council that she was declaring a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak creating “extreme risk of person to person transmission for people working in city” and because it “af... Full story
CMC’s Outpatient Lab will move across the parking lot to the tan “Professional Building B as of March 30, the hospital said, to cut down on the number of people entering the facility and lowering the possible entrance of the new coronavirus.... Full story
The cost of making changes to controversial street work being done in Electric City could be high. The city council and mayor in a special meeting last week spoke to representatives from the Gray & Osborne engineering firm over the phone. Those representatives included Mike Meskiman and Don Tulloch. The special council meeting March 19 was held at the Electric City Fire Station to allow for social distancing to guard against the coronavirus. Returning the intersection of Western and Grand Avenue to its former state — a straight shot of W...
Lake Roosevelt Schools intends to continue to pay their staff throughout the duration of the coronavirus epidemic, which has shut down the school at least through April 24. A March 23 Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting was held remotely via the Zoom telecommunication application. Board members, the superintendent, and more communicated from separate locations due to the social distancing instructions put in place to help thwart the spread of coronavirus. Superintendent Paul Turner said about the school’s budget that “there is a bit... Full story
With schools shut down due to the coronavirus epidemic, the spring sports season is in serious question, but a month of play is possible. Spring sports include: baseball, softball, golf, tennis, and track and field. The topic of athletics was briefly discussed during a March 23 Grand Coulee Dam School District board meeting held remotely via the Zoom telecommunication application. Board members, the superintendent, and more used the app to conduct the meeting from separate locations due to the social distancing instructions put in place to... Full story
The city halls in Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Elmer City are closed to the public due to the coronavirus epidemic, but are still staffed to answer the phone to answer questions, and can still take payments for utility bills. Electric City, Grand Coulee, and Coulee Dam have drop boxes where people can place their utility bill payments. A staff member at Elmer City can come outside to take a payment during normal business hours. All four towns also take online payments through debit or credit cards. Some can take online payments... Full story
Workers on Grand Coulee Dam perform maintenance scheduled in conjunction with drawdowns of Lake Roosevelt Friday. Even if the federal facility were owned by the state or even a private entity, they would still be working in the wake of Gov. Jay Inslee's statewide shutdown, deemed essential workers in the electricity sector. - Scott Hunter photo...
A Delano couple wants to formally annex their property into the city of Grand Coulee to make its consolidation with Electric City possible. Jim Keene spoke to the Grand Coulee council at their March 17 meeting. Keene pointed to a map showing that the property he and his wife bought in 1986, located between Electric City and Grand Coulee in the Delano area, would form a contiguous border between Electric City and Grand Coulee if formally annexed into Grand Coulee. A contiguous border is necessary for two or more cities to merge. The Keenes’ a...