News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 3621 - 3645 of 6735
There will soon be a lighted crosswalk on Highway 174, where employees at Coulee Medical Center cross the highway from where they park. A meeting was held recently with representatives from the Department of Transportation, Coulee Medical Center, Grant County PUD and Grand Coulee Mayor Paul Townsend. Townsend said it’s a “go,” and “the papers have all been signed.” Grant County PUD will install a streetlight near where the crosswalk will be located, the DOT will paint the crosswalk, and Grand Coulee will pick up the monthly energy cost. Tow... Full story
Several positions and some programs will be cut back as officials of the Grand Coulee Dam School District try to erase a potential $745,000 budget deficit they are facing for the 2017-18 school year. Superintendent Paul Turner shared his concerns over the potential deficit with members of the school board Monday night. Cuts include one assistant principal, the high school registrar position, one librarian, an alternative school teacher and a paraprofessional from that program, a change in the way the athletic director position was handled,... Full story
Pay increase OK’d Grand Coulee’s council approved a 2-percent wage increase for all employees at its last council meeting. The increase is for both administration and staff. CMC considering assisted living Coulee Medical Center is about to hire a consultant that has helped build assisted-living facilities to look into the feasibility of such a venture locally. CEO Jonathan Owens told the hospital board Monday night that other individuals were also considering the idea locally, and he would ask the consultant to explore a possible col... Full story
The Colville Confederated Tribes held their eighth annual Earth Day celebration on Friday at the Nespelem Pow Wow grounds. Those attending learned about the environment and what we can do to help it. Many people of all ages attended on the sunny day and enjoyed the roughly 40 booths, free stuff, large amount of raffle prizes, free hot dogs, dancing, drumming, and more. There were many interactive and educational booths at the event which taught people about recycling, fire safety, clean energy,... Full story
There were plenty of highlights and firsts in the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Triple Fish Challenge last weekend. The fishing tournament attracted a record number of boats and participants to the fifth annual two-day event held on Banks Lake, starting and ending at Coulee Playland. Chamber Executive Director Peggy Nevsimal said 18 boats with 46 participants entered the Triple Fish event, with a record number of young anglers (14). Topping off the big fish that "didn't" get away... Full story
A high-speed chase Saturday ended on Peter Dan Road when two vehicles, a police car and the pursued truck, both crashed into the landslide that spans the road. The two suspects then took off on foot, one of whom was later jailed. The chase started around 7:25 a.m. when officer Dan Holland of Grand Coulee Police responded to a report of a disturbance with a knife at the Hill Street Apartments. While en route, the officer heard that the subjects had left in a silver truck. Seeing the truck, the... Full story
Things are getting serious about allowing ATV travel in city streets in Grand Coulee. And a new twist was added at Grand Coulee’s council meeting a week ago. An idea surfaced to allow all-terrain vehicles to travel between Grand Coulee and Electric City. Part of the idea would be to slow traffic from 45 mph down to 35 mph, the speed that ATVs can travel. It all started several weeks ago when Grand Coulee resident Bill Moore attended the council meeting and brought up the idea of ATV travel in the city. Moore and several others appeared at t... Full story
The idea of creating a “Transportation Benefit District” in Grand Coulee is still alive, but not certain. Cities form TBDs usually add a license plate tab charge to those within their jurisdiction to develop special monies for roads. Electric City and Elmer City both have TBDs, and Coulee Dam’s council has discussed it but has not moved forward with the formation. Grand Coulee’s council is discussing forming such a district, but is lukewarm on the license tab fee. If previous discussions are a clue, Grand Coulee is more interested in the sal... Full story
The driver of a pickup that crashed through a fence and damaged the high school baseball field last week was in the throws of a serious heart problem, the Star learned later. Driver Phil Grunlose, 82, told an officer who pulled him over that he thought he was having a heart attack. Grunlose’s surgically implanted defibrillator was shocking him throughout the incident, according to the police report, which caused Grunlose to jerk the wheel to the right and drive through the fence as he was driving through the parking lot. While the policeman s... Full story
The Merchants League sign-up and ice breaker scramble is set for 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26th at Banks Lake Golf Course. Merchants entry fee is $100 per 4 person team. League play will start May 3, 2017. Tee Off at 5:00 p.m. Wednesdays.... Full story
Michael Somday passed away Wednesday, April 26, 2017, in Grand Coulee. A complete obituary will be in next week's Star. Visitation will be held at Strate Funeral Home, Grand Coulee, on Saturday, April 29, from 3 - 7 p.m. No other services will be held at this time. Please sign his online register book at stratefuneralhome.com... Full story
What would you have done? James A. Fox, from Grand Coulee, turned in to put some gas into his car last Tuesday at Coulee Gas and found a wad of cash totaling $1,000. Fox promptly went to the Grand Coulee Police Department across the street and gave the money to officer Tom Johnson, who promptly put it into found property. Later, police sgt. Gary Moore went to Coulee Gas to review the firm’s security tape and saw that Everett Leishman (Mr. E) had dropped the money while gassing up his vehicle. Leishman went to the police station to describe h... Full story
A high speed chase ended on Peter Dan Road when two vehicles, a car and a truck, both crashed into the landslide that spans the road. A woman, apparently a nearby resident, told The Star that two suspects then took off on foot, and that police were going to houses looking for them. The resident also said that a SWAT team was on the scene in full uniform with guns drawn. No further info is yet available. A witness in Coulee Dam said a car speeding down the hill at Grand Coulee Dam hit the bottom... Full story
Update: The driver of the vehicle, Phil Grunlose, was having a heart attack at the time of the incident, and as of Thursday was still hospitalized, his wife confirmed. Turf flies behind a pickup on the Lake Roosevelt Junior/Senior High School baseball field Tuesday as the driver spins brodies after crashing through the fence. People at a high school tennis game nearby heard the crash and witnessed the event at about 5:30 p.m., including the photographer, there to photograph the athletics. The... Full story
Coulee Dam’s new wastewater treatment facility got big push ahead last week as the town council approved interim financing to get the project started, then approved the bid to build it for more than expected, but with more cost-saving features. The council awarded the construction bid Wednesday to McClure and Sons Construction of Spokane, which bid $5,609,399.07. That award was contingent on the approval of supplemental funding from the US Dept. of Agriculture for extra work engineers deemed prudent to lower long-term operating costs. The t... Full story
Electric City’s park plan got a boost April 11, when the city council looked favorably on recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Committee (PARC). The council agreed to move forward on hiring an engineering or landscape firm to draw final plans for both the McNett Avenue Park and the Grand Avenue Park, both new to the city. Council members specified that the city should use funds other than hotel/motel money to pay for the completed plans. The council had voted a year ago to set aside $40,000 from its hotel/motel fund to pay for e... Full story
Jeremy Miller was unanimously selected last Tuesday night to fill the vacancy on the Electric City council. He was one of three candidates that submitted a letter of interest in serving on the council to replace Brad Parrish who resigned about six weeks ago. Others who submitted letters were Ken Anderson and Lisa Lyngar, who attended Tuesday night’s meeting. After council members selected Miller, Mayor John Nordine II thanked Anderson and Lyngar for their interest and said that the city often seeks local residents to serve on committees. He s... Full story
The Bureau of Reclamation is asking for comments from interested parties on a planned overhaul of 18 generators in the left and right powherhouses of Grand Coulee Dam. The generators have been in service for some 70 years and need repair, the bureau has said. Doing the work would keep them making electricity for another 30 years. In a draft environmental analysis, the bureau lays out its preferred of three alternatives: Do the upgrades on two generators at a time and complete the work between 2018 and 2029. Another alternative would extend the... Full story
Parish on parks The Electric City Council selected former city councilman Brad Parrish to serve on the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Parrish had been active as a council member in getting the city’s Revitalization plan started and is a promoter of the city’s two new proposed parks. Elmer City hiring building inspector firm Elmer City Mayor Gail Morin was authorized by the council to sign an agreement with Northwest Code Professionals to provide building inspector services for a year. The NCP group, out of Eugene, Oregon, bought out t... Full story
Firefighters cut holes in the side and roof of a house at 111 Washington Place in Electric City Thursday, but saved it from burning down. A bathroom light-ceiling fan combination unit caused the fire. Firefighters from Electric City, Grand Coulee and the Bureau of Reclamation were on scene at the mid-morning fire. Grant County lists Amelia Stanger as the owner. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Elmer City residents will see a 2-percent increase in their power bills as a result of an increase in electric costs from Nespelem Valley Electric, town council members learned last Thursday. The town was advised by NVE that its power rates would go from $0.07 per kilowatt hour to $0.0714 per kilowatt hour, the result of an increase from its supplier, Bonneville Power Administration. It was estimated that the increase to Elmer City residents would be about $22 a year. Dan Simpson, general manager of Nespelem Valley Electric, said in a letter... Full story
The Colville Confederated Tribes is hosting their 8th Annual Celebration of Earth Day on Friday, April 21st, the day before Earth Day, at the Colville Agency powwow grounds near Nespelem. The event is scheduled to last from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., and is free to the public. The event is expecting 57 interactive and informative booths, with people travelling from as far as Seattle to participate. One booth, presented by the Colville Tribes Fish & Wildlife department, includes what is called a “Swoosh Machine,” a vacuum-based fish tra... Full story
SOAP LAKE, Wash. (19APR2017) – Two people are in jail today after a home burglary just north of Soap Lake. For two nights in a row, a home in the 22000 block of State Route 17 North had been burglarized. That prompted a Grant County sheriff’s deputy to stake out the house this morning. Around 6 a.m. the deputy saw a car pull up, open a secured gate and drive up to the home. A short time later the deputy stopped the car as it was leaving the home. The car’s driver, Brenda Starcher, 44 of Soap Lake, was arrested. The passenger, 26-year-old Danie... Full story
Okanogan County commissioners declared a state of emergency Monday, due to threat of flooding and debris problems on county roads. Commissioners passed the resolution after county roads suffered damage from heavy precipitation recently. They acknowledged the continued threat of heavy rain has created a danger to public health and the safety of those using county roads. The Charlton Complex and other wildfires stripped vegetation from hills in the county, resulting in flash floods with mud and debris being swept over roadways. Commissioners... Full story
Fire destroyed a home at 323 Roosevelt Drive in Grand Coulee late Saturday evening. A family of four were away at the time of the fire; however, two dogs died in the blaze. The Jesus Llamas family rented the mobile home that was owned by the Loretta Bingham family. Firefighters from Grand Coulee and Electric City volunteer fire departments and the Bureau of Reclamation responded. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Chief Rick Paris stated that fire and smoke was coming from the mobile home when... Full story