News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Local residents can dispose of paints, gasoline, yard chemicals, car fluids and more for free this Friday, at Grant County’s annual Household Hazardous Waste collection event for north county. Solid Waste staff will be at the Delano Transfer Station on Alcan Road from noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 13. Other commonly accepted items include aerosols, thinners, corrosives and adhesives, rechargeable batteries, road flares and fluorescent bulbs and tubes. All waste must be residential; no business, government or contractor waste will be accepted. If y...
Citing its current "security posture," Bureau of Reclamation staff has told the Grand Coulee city clerk the agency does not intend to renew its $750,000 annual contract for law enforcement services with the city. The agreement, which has been amended and renewed since it began in 2017, is set to expire May 31 of next year. "As of now, we will not be renewing unless our security posture changes, and it is required," the Bureau's contract specialist wrote to the clerk last month. Although that...
Update A young man came down from the top of the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Thursday evening, coached down by a Nespelem Valley Electric worker with a bucket truck. Police had called for the truck earlier in the day from the Rural Electric Authority utility, which also contracts to do line repairs for the city utility in Coulee Dam and was nearby. Police were looking for a way to communicate with the man and planned to have a cell phone delivered with the bucket truck. But the man in... Full story
Owners Neshia and Jesse Billups work on adapting the soon-to-be new home of their Billups Sub Co. business Tuesday. They hope to have it up and running at 227 Main Street by early next week, pending the official OK from Grant County Health District staff. The couple opened their sandwich shop on Spokane Way last October, hoping to start slow and get a sense of baseline demand during the winter months. Instead, things took off quickly and they decided to purchase the new building with its bigger...
This story has been corrected to reflect a witnesses statement that Sen. Schoesler backed into the same vehicle twice, not into two separate vehicles. An additional sentence was added, noting the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08. RITZVILLE - The local 9th Legislative District senator was released on his own recognizance Saturday night, Aug. 31, after being arrested for allegedly driving drunk and striking another vehicle twice. Sen. Mark Schoesler, 67, of Ritzville, was arrested by citation...
This Saturday’s Swing for the Good Charity Scramble at Banks Lake Golf Course will help the cause of developing a new park in Electric City. The event, sponsored by Jess Ford and the Columbia Basin Foundation offers teams of four a fun tournament Saturday morning with an 11 a.m. shotgun start. The $400 registration fee for the foursome includes green fees, cart fees, lunch, goodie bags, and prizes — plus that chance to win a new vehicle. Run the Dam, the local non-profit that puts on the annual Run the Dam race coming up on Sept. 21, will get...
A new Alternative Learning director at Nespelem School told its board of directors Aug. 26 he was excited for the program. “I just wanted to thank you all for the opportunity of bringing an alternative program to Nespelem,” said Mark Herndon, who made the move to Nespelem this fall after heading the ALE program at Grand Coulee Dam for several years. Nespelem’s program is integral to the startup last year of its emerging high school offerings, designed to develop a Career and Technical Education component, working with the Colville Tribe...
Average gasoline prices in Washington as of Tuesday had fallen 2.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.10, according to GasBuddy's survey of 2,666 stations in Washington, nearly a dollar lower than a year ago. Prices in Washington are 8.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 94.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, GasBuddy stated in a press release. The national average price of diesel has declined 0.2 cents in the last week and stands at $3.65 per gallon, a fresh...
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OTHELLO MAN INDICTED FOR ROLLING BACK AND REPLACING ODOMETERS News Release from U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern Dist. of Wash. SPOKANE – On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury for the Eastern District of Washington returned an indictment charging Reynaldo Valdez Garza Jr., of Othello, Washington, with five counts of Odometer Tampering. Garza made his first appearance in Federal Court on September 9, 2024. The indictment alleges that beginning in May of 2023, Garza carried out a scheme to a... Full story
Students at Monday's school board meeting requested full-time counselors, citing the stress of the recent deaths of fellow students, and bullying and violence that have taken a toll in the last few months. They asked for on-site and text-based counseling and suggested a program called Only7Seconds out of Chelan, which works with schools to address youth loneliness and prevent self-harm. ASB President Riley Ayling said she had a phone conversation with the executive director of the program last...
From the starting bell in the morning to the end of the school day, Lake Roosevelt students will no longer be allowed to use their cell phones — not even at lunch — a change intended to reduce distractions, bullying and other discipline issues. In a 3-2 vote, the school board Monday night agreed with staff members who advocated for the formal change, citing statistics about student learning and cyberbullying, and personal anecdotes of the discipline challenges that can easily distract a room full of students or lead to harassment of students by...
Elmer City officials and citizens met to look over a draft of the town's park and recreation plan Aug. 22. Planning consultant Kurt Danison of Highlands Associates presented the draft as the small group discussed ideas and additions or changes to it. The town hired Danison to help put together a master plan that will serve in the ever-important process of acquiring grant money for projects to improve the quality of life in the town with better recreational amenities. That process, itself, is...
A Granite construction worker lays down a coating of crushed gravel over freshly applied hot oil to "chip seal" Ferry Avenue in Coulee Dam Monday afternoon. The $1.9 million project, funded entirely by a state grant from the Transportation Improvement Board, began on Aug. 12 and includes streets in Grand Coulee and Electric City. The cities agreed to pool projects to be able to attract a larger construction company, saving time and resources. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Larry Hernandez sat alone Tuesday in the Coulee Dam theater that hasn't been operating as one since 2013, testing speakers with the big screen blank, streaming the audio from his phone via a Bluetooth connection, the 1985 movie "Back to the Future" blaring out. That alone could be taken a hopeful sign for the theater that closed 11 years ago as technological updates mandated by the movie distribution industry collided with small-town realities in many places that still operated with projectors...
A former three-term Grant County commissioner who moved to Grand Coulee five years ago will be the city’s next council member. Tim Snead did not take his seat after the council voted him in on Tuesday night, but he will be sworn in and ready to participate for the next meeting. Snead also served as city administrator of Quincy for 13 years, including during the server farm boom years. “We went from an assessed value of $700 million to $2.4 billion before I left, but I will tell you: Growth is a pain,” Snead said, to laughter around the room....
A verbal argument over a barking dog allegedly escalated into a physical fight, with one man getting shot and injured in Delano Heights Aug. 6, according to a Grand Coulee police report. An 89-year-old man listed as a witness told police he too pointed a firearm at the suspect in order to break up the men — an action the victim’s mother credits with saving her son’s life, the police report said. Dustin Miley, 45, survived his injuries but spent multiple days in the intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center and is about to under...
A Department of Justice grant created to help small and rural law enforcement agencies combat violent crime will bring in just under $300,000 over three years for the Grand Coulee Police Department to spend on several key strategies as defined by the DOJ. The city council voted to accept the grant August 20, after hearing Officer Matt Gilbert’s presentation at a special meeting the week prior, in which he shared an updated proposal of what specific initiatives the $293,125 award would fund. Gilbert had applied for the grant in 2023, and the D...
Several boat ramps on Banks Lake will be temporarily unavailable because of an upcoming scheduled drawdown. The Bureau of Reclamation will lower the elevation of Banks Lake by 7.3 feet to support environmental and operational objectives, the agency said Aug. 16. The reservoir's level will be lowered Aug. 23 and may remain low through Sept. 5. At that time, the reservoir will return to its regular operation elevation. The drawdown will reduce the lake's elevation to 1,562.7 feet, impacting the...
A 17-year-old lost her life in a tragic crash Aug. 13 as she and her four passengers headed north on SR-155 five miles south of Nespelem. The Washington State Patrol reported that at 9:24 p.m., the 1999 GMC pickup Jaelynn F. Vallee was driving failed to negotiate a curve, drove onto the shoulder, overcorrected, came back across the northbound lane, rotated and rolled onto the southbound shoulder. The four other children in the vehicle injured and taken to hospitals: a 3-year-old girl to Coulee Medical Center, along with a 12-year-old boy; a...
A motorcycle rider suffered injuries when he lost control of his bike, slid nearly 200 feet, and hit a median light pole, allegedly fleeing police in pursuit across the town of Coulee Dam Friday night. The rider was taken by Grand Coulee Ambulance to Coulee Medical Center. Tribal police had attempted to pull him over north of Coulee Dam on SR-155, when the motorcycle reportedly sped away. He made it to the south edge of the town before losing control near the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center. A...
Lake Roosevelt schools could move to a four-day school week in the 2025-26 school year, and an informal survey of the community showed a majority of respondents support the idea so far. Superintendent Rod Broadnax presented the school board Monday with the results from the voluntary six-question survey he put out to the public on the district website and Facebook page, asking people’s thoughts on how a four-day week would impact families, student learning, attendance and other metrics. 260 people responded. To the big question – “Do you feel...
Grand Coulee will make an appearance in an independent coming-of-age/road trip movie coming out next year. At least one iconic location in town could show up on the silver screen. The filming crew for "Evergreens" stayed in town a couple of nights in late July to shoot one of the scenes, following the route the two lead characters take as they get to know the state and each other. The story starts in Spokane and continues across Washington, ending up in the Hoh Rainforest on the peninsula....
Only one person applied to be mayor when it came open this spring. But the council will have a few more choices for the open Grand Coulee City Council seat and may appoint a new member as soon as next week. Those seeking the spot were asked to write a letter explaining their interest, which was due Monday. The council will interview candidates at their regular public meeting at City Hall on Aug. 20, 6 p.m. They may take a vote to appoint the new council member at the same meeting. Four people applied, and all four will be interviewed. The candi...
Grant County Health District is asking families to “set your child up for a successful and healthy school year by keeping their vaccinations up to date.” Children in private and public schools, home and childcare centers, or other early learning programs are required to have certain vaccinations before they can start. These requirements are put into place to protect children, families, and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Parents may choose to opt out of certain vaccinations for their children, but families must have an app...