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  • Coulee Cops

    Jul 25, 2018

    Coulee Dam 7/9 - An officer investigating a report of a .22 caliber gun being fired on River Drive instead found someone using a high-powered air rifle to shoot at gophers in the backyard. 7/11 - An officer took a form to an out-of-town victim of car theft so she would be able to report her vehicle stolen. - A driver on Lone Pine Road was told that his clocked speed of 73 miles per hour was “a little excessive” for the 35 mph zone. The driver was issued a citation for speeding. 7/12 - A burglar alarm was set off by a door not being closed all t...

  • The root of the problem

    Jul 25, 2018

    Buzz LeBret works Tuesday, at his home at 905 Central Drive, on severing tree roots from a dead city-owned tree that was cut down this spring by the city of Coulee Dam. LeBret said city officials initially said they'd be back to take out the stump, at right, with a stump grinder, but later said they couldn't do that because the city would have to rent the equipment. LeBret said he's a Native American who has had his Central Drive home for 25 years and chose to keep his property taxable because...

  • Anticipating meet with Coulee Dam, Elmer City weighs sewage issue

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    Elmer City could be up to its knees in a messy problem if leaders don’t find a solution to their waste water treatment facility issue with Coulee Dam, which was discussed by the town council last week. A meeting between council members and mayors of the two towns is planned within the next weeks or so to casually discuss viewpoints on the issue in the hopes of coming to a solution. Coulee Dam is building a new wastewater treatment plant at a higher elevation than the previous facility. The increase in elevation will require new lift pumps to g...

  • Wildfire blackens Washington Flats

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    A 385-acre wildfire burned on Washington Flats across the Columbia River from the Seaton's Grove area near Elmer City last week, and was handled by crews from the Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as local firefighters. The fire, first reported at about 2 p.m. on July 11, had helicopters scooping water from the river to dump on the fire, as well as four single-engine air tankers and one air-attack aircraft. People watched the action from the parking...

  • Rattlesnake fire 100 percent contained

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    A human-caused fire that burned 2,773 acres 45 miles southeast of Keller is 100 percent contained, a July 17 press release from the Colville Confederated Tribes Department of Natural Resources stated. The Rattlesnake Fire, which started on July 12, was within the Hellgate Game Reserve on the Colville Indian Reservation, and west of the Lincoln boat launch near Creston. Named after Rattlesnake Canyon, firefighters did have to watch out for the venomous snakes. A crew of about 100 people, down from 200, will remain with the fire to quell hot...

  • Council hears Snyder Hill frustrations

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    Snyder Hill residents raised a rousing ruckus at the July 10 Electric City council meeting on the agreement made with the city concerning their 2010 annexation to the city. During a public comment time slot on the council meeting agenda, complaints from citizens of Snyder Hill ranged from the city not treating the roads of the area to the failure of the city to plow snow to certain points of the roads, something understood by residents there to be conditions of the annexation. A solution for the snow plow issue is in the works as the city...

  • Newsbriefs

    Jul 18, 2018

    Peter Dan Road to be closed July 23, traffic delays in meantime Peter Dan Road, which connects the Elmer City area to the Keller area, will be closed between Highway 155 and Buffalo Lake Road from July 23 through August 21. “This closure is necessary to safely excavate the failed slope above Peter Dan Road,” a July 16 Okanogan County press release states. “A detour route is signed via Buffalo Lake Road.” Construction started on July 16, and traffic control delays are to be expected. Volunteer firefighter accepted Michael Adolph was approve...

  • Cawston named new tribal chairman

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    Rodney Cawston was named the new chairman of the Colville Business Council July 12 after a ceremony in which seven recently elected council members were sworn into office and positions were assigned to the 14 members of the CBC. At the Lucy Covington Government Center near Nespelem Thursday morning, the oath of office ceremony started with traditional native American songs and drumming, and a prayer from Cawston. Six out of the seven recently elected CBC members are new, with only Joseph...

  • City considers beautification committee

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 18, 2018

    Electric City Councilmember Rich McGuire addressed the issue of the city’s appearance at the July 10 council meeting, and the council may form a committee to improve its appearance at their August meeting. McGuire said he was responding to a Star newspaper opinion column by Roger Lucas, headlined “Ugliest town in the west can do better.” “The many eyesores along the entrance to the city stood out like sore thumbs,” Lucas wrote, describing the city in his column. McGuire agreed with the sentiments of the Lucas piece. “I walk and I walk and I wal...

  • Heating up

    Jul 18, 2018

    The Washington Flats area burns last week as temperatures climb and humidity drops in the summer fire season. See the story on the front page. - Jacob Wagner photo...

  • Coulee Cops

    Jul 18, 2018

    Grand Coulee Police 7/7 - An officer pulled over a car at the the overlook area just above Grand Coulee Dam because the registered owner was known to have a suspended license. The driver was the registered owner’s son, who didn’t have a license, and was issued a citation for driving without one. 7/10 - Police told a man sleeping in his car near the fish-raising net pens in Electric City to leave after a report of a suspicious vehicle. - A boy waiting for his grandmother in the passenger seat of a car was warned to turn his music down at abo...

  • New interim high school principal hire approved

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 11, 2018

    The Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday night approved the hiring of Ronanda Liberty as the new interim high school principal. Hired for a year, Liberty will serve as the principal while the search continues for the right fit for the long term. “I feel real strongly that her presence with the staff; they know her, it’s not something new. ... She’ll be a great asset for us,” said Superintendent Paul Turner. Liberty, whose home is in Ritzville, served as principal in the 2015-16 school year, the first woman to fill the position in the...

  • Update: Washington Flats fire contained

    Jul 11, 2018

    A 385 acre wildfire burning on Washington Flats across the Columbia River from the Seaton's Grove area near Elmer City is no longer spreading, and ground crews from the Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management are securing the perimeters. "Threat is pretty minimal at this point," said Jeff Dimke, fire management officer for the Bureau of Land Management. The fire, first reported at about 2 p.m. on July 11, had helicopters scooping water from the river to dump on the fire, as well as four single engine air tankers and...

  • Festive at the festival

    Jul 11, 2018

    The Washington National Guard's "Full Metal Racket" rock band gets people on their feet at the Festival of America July 4 at the park below the Visitor Center at Grand Coulee Dam. For more photos of the Fourth, see page 5. - Scott Hunter photo...

  • Decisions, decisions

    Scott Hunter|Jul 11, 2018

    There’s more to decide than just the local school levy in the upcoming primary election Aug. 7. With local voters tasked with making choices between some 70 candidates seeking nine offices in the upcoming primary, The Star has reached out to all candidates, asking them to tell readers why they deserve your vote. Voters looking for a reason to pick one candidate over another may look for their responses in our Aug. 1 issue, in which we will publish their paid advertisements submitted in response. Local voters, split up into many different d...

  • Skateboarding scene could grow in the coulee

    Jacob Wagner and Scott Hunter|Jul 11, 2018

    A guy who had brightly colored hair in his youth, but wears a tie to work now, would like to see the local skateboarding scene grow to include more features at the park, local competitions, and more, and would like all the support he can get from local skaters. Ben Hughes, a commissioner on the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District since February, has a background in skateboarding himself. "I started skating in 1985 on a bright orange banana board (now called Penny boards)," Hughes says, and...

  • Newsbriefs

    Jul 11, 2018

    Powwow starts Thursday night The 133rd Annual Fourth of July Celebration Powwow will take place at the Nespelem powwow grounds from July 12 through July 15. Tribal council oath of office Thursday morning The Colville Business Council oath of office ceremony will take place on July 12 starting at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Lucy Covington Government Center at the Colville Indian Agency. No local fires July 4 July 4 was blessedly boring for most local firefighters, who are used to responding to fireworks-related incidents on the national...

  • Transplanted pronghorn surviving, producing offspring

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 11, 2018

    Pronghorn antelope, native to the area before being wiped out, were transplanted on the Colville Indian Reservation by way of Nevada in 2016, and again in 2017, and appear to be doing well. With 51 of the animals wearing tracking collars, there are at least 89 adults and 29 fawns, according to an aerial headcount by Colville Tribal Fish & Wildlife Biologist Sam Rushing. "I know there's more out there," Rushing said. The animals have been roaming as far south as Wenatchee and Quincy, and as far...

  • Traveling in a cycle of thought

    Scott Hunter|Jul 11, 2018

    At 18, Silas Sherbourne wasn't sure what to do with the rest of his life, so he left home the day he graduated from high school and hit the road - on one wheel. Sherbourne is unicycling 4,000 miles across the country to Savannah, Georgia, for a cause and for some clarity. "I concluded that the best action for me was to spend some time after graduation meditating on what really matters to me, in order to figure out what I should do," Sherbourne wrote on his gofundme page, hoping to raise $2,000...

  • Coulee Cops

    Jul 11, 2018

    Grand Coulee Police 7/2 - An Electric City man reported his truck stolen. He had returned from fishing to his Kelso Avenue home at about 10 p.m. on July 1 and left his truck in his garage that night, and also left the keys in the garage. Items that were in the truck were found nearby, down the street from the residence, including a pair of binoculars and a weed eater, as well as bolt cutters, which didn’t belong to the victim. There are no suspects or clues as to which direction the stolen vehicle headed. - A group of campers at Sunbanks L...

  • Community center idea rises again

    Scott Hunter|Jul 11, 2018

    The idea of building a community wellness center has not died. Coulee Area Park and Recreation District commissioners talked Monday night about reviving the topic for further pursuit after a couple years of its stagnation. “We could maybe get that thing back on the table in a discussion mode,” Commissioner Bob Valen said. “I would like to see it resurrected again.” Although still enthusiastic, Valen said he was not optimistic, knowing the cost of such a project. He said when CAPRD explored the idea a few years ago, architects gave a rough e...

  • Coulee Dam may allow ATVs on streets

    Scott Hunter|Jul 3, 2018

    Coulee Dam may soon allow the driving of all-terrain vehicles on city streets, if the council adopts a law similar to those passed by Electric City and Grand Coulee recently. It’s already happening, anyway, and state law allows it on the highway that runs through town, Councilmember Keith St. Jeor said, but Coulee Dam hasn’t adopted standards for the practice. St. Jeor said at the June 27 council meeting that citizens have been bringing it up and he’d like to see the town adopt the same standards passed by the Legislature several years ago f...

  • Here's our Festival of America section

    Jul 3, 2018

    Full story

  • Craftsman's busy hands yielding solid art

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 3, 2018

    Some mothers get a card or flowers for Mother's Day, others get a customized granite walkway in the backyard. Ron Williams, who owns Guaranteed Welding, made his mother, Alice Jimeson, a deck-of-cards themed walkway for her home in Electric City, complete with a large spade, club, heart, diamond, and, for the coup de gras, a joker. Jimeson loves to play cards. The joker's face alone took about 12 hours, Williams said, and the surrounding pieces, such as the jester hat, took another 15 to make....

  • Final vote count for tribal elections announced

    Jacob Wagner|Jul 3, 2018

    The official vote counts for the June 16 general election for the Colville Business Council, including the absentee ballots that were announced June 28, with several incumbents voted out, including the current chairman of the council, which governs the Colville Tribes. In the Omak District Position 2 race, Margie Hutchinson won the election with 391-253 votes over the current council chairman, Michael E. Marchand. In the Nespelem District Position 1 race, Janet (Wak Wak) Nicholson’s won 428-390 over Jarred-Michael Erickson. In the Nespelem D...

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