News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Although they passed a $9.6 million budget unanimously, the mayor had to break two ties to get to that point at a Coulee Dam council meeting Monday night. The sticking points were around changes to rates for utilities that Councilmember Keith St. Jeor said he didn’t recall coming up in budget workshops. It wasn’t about a lot of money — up to $200 in total, the mayor said, for a handful of people eligible to receive lower rates due to low income. But because rates hadn’t been raised or lowered evenly for all, across the board, St. Jeor didn’t fe...
Michael Marchand, chairman for the Colville Confederated Tribes, referred to President Donald Trump’s recent “Pocahontas” comment as “racist and insensitive.” In a Nov. 28 press release, Marchand expressed disappointment in Trump’s remarks at a Nov. 27 event honoring World War II Navajo Code Talkers. Trump used the occasion to attack his political opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, by referring to her as “Pocahontas.” “Unfortunately we have become accustomed to the president’s divisive and disrespectful speech,” Marchand said. “But Mr. Trump...
Coulee Dam cuts back on tourism funding The town of Coulee Dam will likely put less money into funding tourism promotion next year following a town council OK on a first reading of the proposed budget Monday. City Clerk Stefani Bowden said less money has come into the fund than expected, and the city will fund its own parks work first, before using the money for advertising for tourism. The city budget presented Monday shows the city spending $14,000 on “advertising,” which it has designated to go to the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerc...
Grand Coulee Police 11/21 - A man who resides on F Street told police that someone had gotten into his unlocked vehicle and taken his laptop. - A woman on Kelso Avenue told police that a stray dog had been in her yard for a few days. The officer found a chow-wow type dog that was shivering. The dog did not have a license tab and was taken to the veterinary clinic. - A disconnected radiator hose stalled a vehicle on Roosevelt Drive. The driver told police that he was waiting for the radiator to cool and that everything was OK. 11/22 - Two unlock...
An Electric City woman was ordered by Grant County Superior Court Monday to repay nearly $139,000, for unauthorized personal payments to herself while a clerk for Grant County Mosquito Control District 2. The repayment is to be made to Enduris Insurance, which had already repaid the Mosquito District for its losses. Karyn M. Byam, 42, entered an Alford plea to theft in the first degree in March 2017, with a restitution hearing scheduled within six months. That hearing was held Monday, and the court ordered full restitution of $138,810,...
Grant County detectives are looking for two Coulee Dam people named as suspects in an early morning stabbing near Moses Lake. Investigators are looking for 28-year-old Rebecca N. Norton and 24-year-old Aaron Pfaltzgraff-Miller, both of Coulee Dam. Responders were called about 4 a.m. today (Saturday, Nov. 25) to the 11000 block of Road 14 Northeast for an adult male who had been stabbed. Investigators said everyone involved had been at the home for a party. The victim, whom authorities did not...
Electric City has received word that it was awarded a $735,000 grant for major street repair. The grant requires a 5-percent match of nearly $37,000. City Clerk Russell Powers said the state Transportation Improvement Board grant will enable the city to put in new streets, curbs and sidewalks that will connect the city’s two new proposed park sites. The work “is planned for 2018,” Powers stated, as soon as bid specifications and engineering can be finished. The grant will provide funds for curbs, sidewalks and new streets on Grand Avenu...
Larry Price, in the process of planning his term as mayor of Coulee Dam, emphasizes the need to bring people together. “People in the town have been battling each other, and we need to come together,” Price stated in an interview last week. Not only that, but people see two separate towns: one, the engineers town, and the other, the part that is on the reservation. “After all, it’s just a bridge,” Price said. Instead of the bridge separating the two distinct parts of town, he says, “the bridge also brings us together.” He sees shorter counc...
Shoppers place their penny bids in cups at the Penny Auction Saturday, a fund raiser for the class of 2018 at Lake Roosevelt High School. With 170 donated items, the class of 45 seniors profited about $3,100 at the event, taking in $3,500 from community supporters in the cafeteria. "It would not have been possible without all the donations from the local businesses," said class advisor Tammy Norris. "The community supported us greatly and we are very thankful." - Scott Hunter...
Newspaper office closes for holiday The Star office will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, plus Friday. Garbage more costly Garbage rates are going up in Electric City on Jan. 1, 2018. The good news is, not very much. If you use a 65-gallon container, your rates will go from $27.35 per month to $28.17. It’s all in keeping up with costs. Garbage collector Sunrise Disposal received a cost-of-living adjustment and the city is passing this cost on to its customers. The last time Electric City had a garbage rate increase was in 2012. F...
The spirit of giving can be found in different areas of our community. Just a few examples include giving presents to children in poverty, food to the hungry, coats and winter clothes to children in need, and backpacks and winter clothes to the homeless. The Trees of Sharing program, which helps low-income children receive Christmas presents, has been spreading joy in the community for over 30 years. Started in 1983 by five ladies from St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, the program has grown over...
Classes will be held soon to develop badly needed emergency medical responders to bolster ambulance services. The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department has scheduled an informational meeting for 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 4, at the fire station on Spokane Way. Fire Chief Rick Paris stated, "We are looking for individuals from the area to become Washington State-certified Emergency Medical Responders by completing 60 hours of special training." Interested parties should attend the Dec. 4 meeting to...
There is a facility in Moses Lake that receives dogs, cats and other animals, as well as non-game birds, when people don’t know what to do with them. Camron Derting, administrator for Grant County Animal Outreach, appeared before the Grand Coulee City Council last month to let people on this end of Grant County know of their services and willingness to help people who have animal problems. If you have an animal (pretty much any animal) that you want to get help for, the Moses Lake facility is there to help, Derting pointed out. “We would lik...
The Regional Board of Mayors will purchase its new transfer trailer next year through BuyBoard, a national purchasing cooperative, officials stated Nov. 13. The 2018 budget, that has been approved by all four towns and cities in consortium headed by the RBOM, had set aside $90,000 for the purchase of the new transfer trailer, making the trailer the third at the transfer site. Electric City Clerk Russell Powers, who does the financial reports for the four mayors, said Monday afternoon that the difference between the $90,000 budget projection...
OLYMPIA – The Washington Service Corps and the Washington Reading Corps need people who can commit six months to making a difference. The Washington Service Corps offers a chance to help children, adults and veterans prepare for careers and increase their computer, financial and basic skills. Find a list of open six-month positions at https://washingtonservicecorps.org. Members of the Reading Corps tutor struggling students, and plan school and family literacy events. See a list of open six-month positions at https://washing...
Joel DeWinkler helps build a protective wall on the outside of the Colville Tribal Museum with Tyvek and plywood before taking down the doors and more from the front of the building as part of an upgrade project. The wall will help keep out the elements, as well as any curious animals. - Jacob Wagner photo...
Grand Coulee Police 11/14 - Police had to kill a deer that had been struck near milepost 24 on SR-155. The deer didn’t have use of its back legs due to being struck by a vehicle. 11/16 - A local man reported receiving serious threats from an Oregon man, and the information was turned over to the FBI. 11/17 - A woman on West Grand Avenue reported that someone had broken into her home and taken her wallet and some pills. - A resident on Goodfellow Avenue in Electric City told police that he had two phone calls threatening that the federal g...
There has been a rash of car prowls in the Grand Coulee area. In a three-day period, Nov. 7-10, nine prowls were reported and investigated by police. In every incident, owners of the vehicles had left them unlocked; one had even left the keys in the ignition. All reported that someone had ransacked their vehicles, going through whatever was inside and leaving things in a mess. On Nov. 7, two prowls were reported on Banks Avenue. In each case the guilty party got some loose change and a few odds and ends. Also on Nov. 7, prowls were reported on...
Better get your rakes out, pick up your leaves and other garden waste, and bag them; you only have through Saturday to take advantage of free dumping privileges at the Delano Regional Transfer Station. You must reside within areas served by Sunrise Disposal to get the free dumping privilege. Remember to bag your garden materials (nothing else) and tie your loads down. Limbs must the cut to under six feet to be accepted. The Transfer Station will be open this week during the following hours: Thursday and Friday, 10-2, and Saturday,...
Politics in Coulee Dam have changed dramatically as a result of the Nov. 7 election. Town residents elected a newcomer in politics as its mayor, and also two newcomers to the council. According to results updated since the election, Larry Price garnered 73.56 percent of the votes in his bid for mayor, defeating Gayle Swagerty, who received 26.44 percent, 192-69. Swagerty gave up her council seat to run for the mayor’s seat being vacated by Greg Wilder, who chose not to run again. In council races, incumbent David Schmidt lost his Position 1 sea...
Veterans young and old shared some of their thoughts about serving in the military with a gym packed with students as Lake Roosevelt Schools held their annual veterans' assembly last Thursday. Elementary and junior-senior high school choirs and bands performed patriotic songs, such as "The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," and the service songs for each branch of the military, as veterans from each branch stood for their song. Ava and Ashlyn Sam, elementary-aged girls, sang a...
Army Specialist Jonathan Hughes had been back from Iraq since September when he spoke at the local chamber of commerce meeting last week. He spent nine months in the northern part of the country, including in Mosul, the city that was taken from ISIS last summer and was basically leveled in the process as Iraqi forces moved forward. "Our job was just to advise and assist," Hughes said. "Every movement that they made, we were one step behind them." A "combat engineer," Hughes said American forces...
Local emergency responders rushed to the scene of a one-car rollover Monday morning after a federal security officer found a man crawling from his overturned car along the highway to Bridgeport. James Hernandez, 21, of Spokane had been heading east on SR-174 when his 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis swerved to the right before Hernandez overcorrected, then drove off the highway to the left, a Washington State Patrol report concludes. A highway sign was broken and lying on the ground, and the Grand...
Electric rates to rise in Coulee Dam Coulee Dam residents can count on paying a little more for electric power next year, following a discussion at the city council last Wednesday. Council members agreed to plan on writing in a 5-percent increase to electric rates to cover a 5-percent increase in wholesale electric costs from the Bonneville Power Administration, a 1.6-percent increase for city employees, and other rising expenses. Stefani Bowden, the city clerk, said overall expenses would rise by $40,000 next year and the 5 percent would just...
In a joint effort between the Colville Tribes and the Nevada Department of Wildlife, 98 more pronghorn antelope have been released on the Colville Indian Reservation, the second time the animal was released there since January 2016. "We captured 12 males and 87 females from Nevada," said Eric Krausz, wildlife biologist for the Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife program in a Nov. 3 press release. "The total composition included 26 fawns, 20 yearlings, and 53 female adults. We lost one female...