News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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OLYMPIA – Oct. 26, 2017 – Recreation and outdoor enthusiasts have two more opportunities to visit Washington’s state parks for free in 2017. On these free days, day-use visitors will not need a Discover Pass for vehicle access on Saturday, Nov. 11, and Friday, Nov. 24. Since the free days were first designated in 2011, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has set aside Nov. 11, Veterans Day, as one of its free days to honor those who served in the armed forces. This year, the agency moved one of its two spring free days to No...
A report of a “shooter” incident at Lake Roosevelt Schools was determined to be a rumor, according to investigators. Last Wednesday, a person overheard some high school students talking on the school bus about a “shooter,” thought that it might be a threat, and reported it late Thursday. “As soon as we heard about it, we started an investigation,” Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner stated this week. That investigation continued late on Thursday, and on Friday school officials called a staff meeting to report that it had...
At lunch after the "Breast Cancer Awareness Color Me Pink and Purple" fun run and walk at North Dam Park, Chelsea Shelton warms her sons, Jackson, 2, and Grayson, 1, as they finish up a bread bowl of hot chowder, along with Holly Buche (middle) and Debbie Flett. The lunch served 118 people and raised $2,990 for the Cancer Care Northwest Foundation. - Scott Hunter photo...
City’s open house tonight The city of Grand Coulee will hold an open house this evening (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. so planning commission members can discuss proposed changes to the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Visitors will be able to ask questions, make suggestions and generally get an understanding of where the city is planning to go. A survey will be available to the public attending. New coaches hired The school board completed two hires, both in basketball, at its meeting Monday night. Hired were Jeremy Crollard as head boys bask etball coa...
School officials this week are investigating who painted the words “white power” on a window at Lake Roosevelt School. Superintendent Paul Turner said that the incident occurred early last week, and was scrubbed off by school janitors. “We haven’t had any racial incidents at the school, and we are trying to find out who was responsible,” Turner said. Turner re-stated the fact that “words matter” and that students need to be made “more aware” of this. He was referring to a rumor of a “shooter” incident at the school, also last week. In that ca...
Work is scheduled to begin this week to make the Colville Tribal Museum in Coulee Dam handicapped accessible. Last week, museum workers were busy packaging everything up on the lower level to get ready for the project to begin. DWK Fowler Construction was the successful bidder on the nearly $800,000 museum remodeling. The project calls for ramps at both levels of the building to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and new concrete siding, to replace rotting wooden materials. Entrance doors at both levels will be...
All four cities and towns have approved the Delano Regional Transfer Station budget for 2018. The budget shows revenues of $503,975 and expenses of $675,850. The deficit can be tied to two big-expense items: paying off the transfer station semi-truck at $142,615, and the purchase of another trailer, at $90,000. In spite of the deficit, the budget was passed with only one time through the monthly meetings of the four town councils. It hasn’t often been that way; in the past, some councils have been reluctant to approve measures that come to them...
Elected positions for Grand Coulee Dam School District and the city of Coulee Dam are up for election. In this issue, The Star offers candidate interviews for each contested position. In Coulee Dam, the mayor’s office is sought by current Councilmember Gayle Swagerty and Larry Price. Voters will also choose between incumbent Councilmember David Schmidt or challenger Fred Netzel for Position 1 on the council. Bruce Bartoo and Marcia Warnecke both seek Position 3 on the council. Each of the contested Coulee Dam offices entail a four-year term. F...
For David Schmidt, serving on the town council is a civic duty, one he is currently fulfilling for the second time, having served an earlier term a decade ago. "It's just a sense of feeling of responsibility to the community where you live," Schmidt said in an interview last week. "Everybody has a responsibility to ... offer to society what you have the skills for." Schmidt served as president of the Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union for 35 years, taking the financial institution from $1.2...
Fred Netzel has been prodding Coulee Dam's current administration and town council for more than a year to take action on issues he finds important, so he's running for a council seat to be more effective. It started with encouraging the town to fix badly broken sidewalks, an issue he raised at a council meeting in July 2016. "As time unfolded, I realized that from the outside you can only get so much done," said Netzel, who has canvassed the town door-to-door with flyers and petitions to make...
After a year’s absence, this year’s senior class is bringing back the popular school-related fundraiser. The Penny Auction will be held Nov. 18, at both the senior and elementary cafeterias in the new school, from 11 a.m. to the drawings, scheduled for 1 p.m. A “baked potato” bar will be set up with a variety of desserts and drinks. Senior class advisors Tammy Norris and Aaron Derr were responsible for getting the Penny Auction started again. Norris stated that a number of community members said they missed the Penny Auction and were pleased...
The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and Spioenkop Nature Reserve in South Africa have signed a five-year “sister park” agreement that will allow the parks to collaborate and exchange information. The agreement signed Oct. 11 allows for intellectual exchange, international cooperation, sharing ways to enrich visitor experiences, and enhance training of park staff, said a news release from LRNRA. The relationship also encourages both parks to share first-hand information on a variety of topics, including park management, resource con...
If you see people at Crescent Bay looking up at the sky on Oct. 28, don’t be alarmed; it’s not an invasion from outer space, it’s “International Observe the Moon Night.” The event is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and partners. The National Park Service will be present to guide a 6-9 p.m. study of the moon. The “International Observe the Moon Night” is an annual worldwide event that encourages observation, appreciation and understanding of the moon and its connection to NASA planetary science and exploration. Th...
Last week The Star reported in error that Electric City Council named Ken Anderson to fill a vacant spot on the board of Grant County Mosquito District 2. Electric City is requesting that persons interested in serving on the district submit a letter of interest to city hall. It is the same procedure used to fill a vacated city council seat. The position is open until filled by vote of the city council....
Chelan, WA – October 11, 2017 – North Cascades Bank, a division of Glacier Bank, is pleased to announce the appointment of Charles ("Charlie") Guildner as President and Chief Executive Officer. Guildner joins North Cascades Bank from People's Bank in Bellingham, Washington, where he held several leadership positions, most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. Guildner began his banking career at Cascade Bank in Everett, Washington, where he became a top producing len...
OLYMPIA – Oct. 18, 2017 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced today that Sno-Park permits will be available for purchase online and through various vendors statewide beginning midnight Wednesday, Nov. 1. Sno-Park permits allow visitors to park in specially cleared, designated parking lots with access to areas for cross-country skiing, skijoring, snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing, tubing and more throughout the state. Online and in-person purchase of the Sno-Park permit is available Nov. 1 through April 30. Reven...
Coulee Dam Councilmember Gayle Swagerty says Coulee Dam is making a lot of good progress and she has the most experience to carry it forward as mayor after current Mayor Greg Wilder steps down at the end of his term in January. "I really care for this town," she said last week. "I know how to take the town forward in the future." Swagerty, who was elected to the town council and began serving in 2014 along with Wilder, points to her increased involvement with oversight of some important...
The coulee area is a long ways from Chicago, Illinois. That's where Grand Coulee Dam School District Director Richard Black was born. But there's been a lot of life in between. The bulk of his growing-up time was spent near Los Angeles, California, and most of the rest was courtesy of the U.S. Navy. Captain Richard Black (Navy retired) is seeking a four-year term for Position 5 on the school board, the seat he now holds. Black was named to the school board about 15 months ago while still a...
Larry Price thinks people in Coulee Dam aren't happy with the tone of their current government, and he wants to change that. Price is running for mayor against Gayle Swagerty, whom he considers to be a "clone" of Mayor Greg Wilder. Price notes he doesn't go to town council meetings much. "I do not like the agression; I do not like the anger," he said. "I see it from the mayor; I see it from some of the council people." He said he sees people being bullied. "That's no way to run a city. ... I...
Kelly Steffens is running for Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors Position 5. She and her husband, Mike, have two elementary age girls, 11 and 9, in the district, and have lived in both the Grand Coulee and now Smith Lake Road areas. "I am from a large school district when I lived in Portland, and had 400 students in my class. I have always wanted to live in a small city where everyone knows one another," Steffens said. "I am concerned with bullying and that discipline be...
Bruce Bartoo doesn't like the direction the town of Coulee Dam has headed the last four years. "Except for the wastewater treatment plant, it seems like everything that's been happening has involved trees in one form or another," said Bartoo, a retired powerplant operator. But the town has other problems that need to be addressed: the fire department has been downgraded, the ambulance service doesn't exist, and he'd like to see more fiscal responsibility. Although he said he's never looked at...
Carla Marconi has strong ties to the Grand Coulee Dam School District, and she is seeking her third term on the school board. "I graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1973, and all four of my children are also graduates from LRHS," Marconi stated this week. She has been on the board for nine years, having filled out a year of someone's term before she ran and won an election on her own. "I started attending school board meetings because I believed that there needed to be more...
Marcia Warnecke has lived in Coulee Dam for 45 years and now she’d like to help the town by serving on the town council. “I think I can offer some objective, new ideas and help,” she said. “It’s important to be able to listen and hear every side and make your own decisions.” Keeping the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant on track is important to her, she said. “We need to take care of our city,” she said. “If somebody doesn’t get involved and help, it can’t be done alone.” With her lengthy and in-depth local experience, Warne...
Tammy James-Pino's life is centered around education. Currently, she is director of employment and education for the Colville Confederated Tribes and is running for the Position 1 seat on the Grand Coulee Dam School District board of directors. Her roots in education can be traced back to her earlier years, when she was a student at Lake Roosevelt. A move took her to New Mexico, where she completed her high school years and got both a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of New...
Grand Coulee 10/14 - A man who resides in the King’s Court Trailer park told police that a person who also resides there threatened to beat him up. Police advised the man to get a protection order through the courts. - Police checked on a report that a woman outside a Federal Avenue apartment was acting strangely. She was just outside smoking a cigarette. 10/15 - Police checked on a report of a man reported as suicidal on Ronald Drive. He told police he just took some pills and a shot of vodka because he had some teeth pulled. A few hours l...