Sorted by date Results 2371 - 2395 of 6625
On a narrow-looking scissor lift, workers with Colvico, Inc. work on replacing the lighting system on the bridge across the Columbia River in Coulee Dam Tuesday. The work includes replacing the old-fashioned looking globes with new, but identical, globes and LED lighting. Most of the wiring also has to be replaced under the $242,086 project. The Washington State Dept. of Transportation says there are no full-road closures scheduled for the work, but drivers can expect one-lane,...
Put off by bids all higher than expected, Electric City leaders May 14 tabled awarding a construction contract for a new entrance sign to the city until asking for the public’s opinion. The city is now taking a poll to gauge public opinion. Votes, by Electric City residents only, can be registered at city hall or online at the city’s website at www.electriccity.us. Expecting a bid for about $35,000, council members were hesitant to accept bids that started nearly $10,000 higher and climbed to more than $100,000. “Seems like a lot of money...
With the filing period now closed, we can see which Coulee citizens have thrown their hats into the ring for positions on local councils and commissions, and which incumbents either filed to keep their spot, or chose not to file. In Electric City, Birdie Hensley and Bob Rupe have filed to be candidates for a two-year term in council position 2, for which incumbent Rich McGuire hasn’t filed. Brian Buche has filed for the four-year term for council position 3, currently held by Hensley. Cate Slater is running against incumbent Carol Nordine f...
County-wide burn ban reminder Grant County commissioners and the fire marshal on Monday reminded residents that an ordinance passed in September 2018 bans outdoor burning anywhere in the county from June 1 to September 30. “Agricultural and orchard burning are allowed when permitted by the Department of Ecology,” a Monday press release states. “Recreational campfires are still allowed in approved devices at public campgrounds when allowed by the campground authority. Recreational campfires at residences in private fire pits as long as there...
The Grand Coulee Dam was built during the Great Depression and is now entering the future via interactive, 360-degree virtual reality tours becoming available this weekend. Seattle-based virtual reality company Pixvana partnered with Big Power Project, a content production studio in Seattle, to create the five-minute experience that becomes available at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitors Center this weekend, May 25. Up to four users at one time will wear Oculus Go headsets that will allow them to exp... Full story
The Isle of Flags Memorial Day ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at Spring Canyon Cemetery, when a dozen new flags will be dedicated to fallen veterans. Those will join more than 500 that have been dedicated over the years and make for a rousing display each Memorial Day. That happens with a lot of volunteer help, and community members are encouraged to join in. Anyone who would like to help set up the flags can do so on Saturday, May 25, at 1 p.m. Local veterans will also be serving up their Veterans’ Center Memorial Day Breakfast a...
A few months ago, we decided to revive a decade old entrance sign idea. Our fabulous citizens, council and planning team held a contest for a motto/slogan to be placed on our entrance sign. The winning slogan was “Re-Energize Your Recreation”. We put our heads together & had this professional design created as our prospective entrance sign, to help welcome family, friends and visitors to our city!! We went out for bids… the bids are in and we’d like to know which way your heart is leaning…. Voting opens May 19th and runs until June 4th at 5:...
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...
Grand Coulee Police 5/13 - A woman drove her car into the ditch near the carwash at Jack’s 4-Corners Gas Station, and couldn’t back out because of the sandy conditions of the ditch. The woman said she misjudged the turn into the gas station. A man came and towed the car out of the ditch. 5/14 - A caller reported a child wasn’t in their seat on a school bus. An officer was unable to respond due to being occupied with a higher priority situation. - A woman reported that her children were playing near the former middle school on Federal Avenu...
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...
Faced with critics who question discipline policies at Lake Roosevelt Schools, officials Monday presented data and studies behind a direction they said is not only working better locally, but also mandated statewide. Ready with a raft of statistics for Grand Coulee Dam School District directors at a special meeting, Elementary Principal Lisa Lakin, Mark Herndon and Elementary Dean of Students Shamra Steffler told the school board that incidents of undesirable student behavior are way down from last year, thanks to programs put in place to...
The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a flood watch for areas in North Central Washington and Eastern Washington, including around Grand Coulee Dam. NWS is warning of showers and thunderstorms that might be capable of flash flooding from 2 p.m. today through late tonight, Thursday, May 16. NWS warns: "* Flood Watch for portions of North Central Washington and Northeast Washington, including the following counties, in North Central Washington, Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan. In... Full story
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...
High voltage power lines cross North Dam Park and a section of the Colorama carnival, as seen from a helicopter Saturday. The placement of one of the taller rides offered by the carnival became an issue on Thursday that nearly shut down the whole carnival when Bonneville Power Administration officials flew in to object to the carnival operating within its right of way. Chamber leaders negotiated for some time before BPA allowed the rest of the carnival to continue after taking down one ride....
Four of the five Electric City Council seats are up for election this year, as is the mayor’s office, and interest is running higher than usual. It’s filing week in Washington, and people interested in running for elected office have until Friday to file their intentions. In Electric City, council positions held by Rich McGuire (position 2), Birdie Hensley (3), Carol Nordine (4), and Lonna Bussert (5) are up for election. The seat held by McGuire, who on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy, is up for a two-year stint, according to the Grant Cou...
As Sheriff Wade Magers, several of his staff, two county commissioners and computer personnel held their collective breath on the morning of April 23, the Lincoln County Sheriff's dispatching center's new technology "went live" and the system that was first installed in 2004 was shut down. Everything worked as expected, giving communications deputies who work inside the dispatching center the benefit of the latest equipment as they take calls from the public requesting law enforcement, fire and...
Cody Leonard was referred to with the wrong gender pronoun in a story about Geezer Beach last week. She is a woman.... Full story
From left, Vernon George, Aaron Andrews, Zane Bjorson, Macy Paslay, Tanner Lauseng, Jamie Dobson, Harper Wahpat, Tony Cantrell, Javon Lewis-Torres, Roamen Picard, Dy Mnd Friedlander, and Eva Connor take off from the starting line during Mini Bloomsday at Lake Roosevelt Elementary on Friday. - Scott Hunter photo...
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...
A peaceful, but angry, group of about 40-50 people gathered outside of city hall in Electric City Wednesday afternoon in support of Mark Payne, the city's fire chief, who is facing disciplinary action regarding holding wildland fire-training exercises without a permit or the mayor's permission. "I am convinced that it is more likely than not that you violated state law in conducting an unauthorized fire training on April 19, 2019, on the Banks Lake Golf Course," says a letter Payne received...
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...
They came to listen and understand what has some Grand Coulee and Electric City customers upset enough to start a petition. Grant County PUD officials held a listening session and dialogue with people at last Thursday’s Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce meeting at Siam Palace. They heard plenty of opinions on less access at the local PUD office, which is open twice a week, including from Lonna Bussert, who had put out petitions for better customer service after spending lots of time on the phone not getting help. Public Affairs O...
Commissioners from the Coulee Area Park & Recreation District met at North Dam Park April 30 to walk around the park and discuss aspects of it, future plans, and talking points for an upcoming meeting with the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the land, and for which CAPRD manages the park. Chairman Kevin Portch and Commissioners Bob Valen, Josh Vega, and Ben Hughes attended the meeting. Absent was Commissioner Carla Marconi. The group toured the concession stand at the upper ballfield and...
Grand Coulee Police 4/12 - An employee at the Hi-Co station on SR-174 reported a counterfeit $20 bill, checked with a special pen. The customers were an identified man and unknown woman. The woman was said to have tried to get the bill back, which the clerk denied. The man later said he got the bill when he sold a bluetooth speaker. The police report states the fraudulent bill is consistent with what is sold online at a particular website. 4/26 - A German man vacationing in the United States when he learned his bank account had been...