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 — Teachers' compensation, teacher-shortage, the educational opportunity gap and school districts' operating levies are all on Washington state legislators' agenda this session as the state Supreme Court's McCleary mandate-along with the court's $100,000 per day contempt citation- loom over the proceedings. The 2016 session began Jan. 11, in Olympia. The Washington State Supreme Court in its January 2012 McCleary v. State of Washington decision, determined the state was not fulfilling its constitutional requirement to fund basic e...
There are a number of closets in the coulee area that are missing some shoes. The Coulee Medical Center Guild reported last week that its collection of shoes, which started last July, has netted the organization some 3,375 pairs of shoes. Guild President Clea Pryor thanked the many community members who gave shoes to the local drive. The local shoe drive is part of a national drive to acquire shoes for people living in developing nations. A collection truck was at the hospital last Wednesday to... Full story
Electric City is retreating so it can move forward. The city plans a retreat for its council, mayor and staff next Saturday, Jan. 23, in Ephrata. The retreat is scheduled as a refresher, reviewing policies and procedures, and planning for the future — moving ahead. The council’s newest member, Birdie Hensley, took issue with the city’s attorney, Katherine Kenison, being moderator of the meeting. “I am not sure why you were picked as moderator; nothing personal, but I think some more neutral person should do this duty. I consider you as staff,... Full story
A proposed trail system in Electric City will get an airing from a number of organizations next Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m., in the Coulee Medical Center conference room. The proposed trail would eventually reach from the entrance to Sunbanks Lake Resort to the city of Grand Coulee, and beyond. The trail idea was hatched by Electric City Councilmember Brad Parrish, who has been working on the idea since early spring last year. Coordinating the meeting will be Deputy City Clerk Russell Powers,... Full story
School district to offer proposed levy info The Nespelem School District is hosting an informational night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the multi-purpose room. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the Maintenance and Operations Levy the district is having on Feb. 9. Superintendent Rich Stewart and board member Nancy Armstrong-Montes will be available to answer questions. Transfer station took in over $433,000 last year The Delano Regional Transfer Station’s revenue for 2015 exceeded the previous year by $9,247.82, the R... Full story
The demise of the Alcoa aluminum plant in Wenatchee has led to a change in the location of the union lodge for machinists and a Bureau of Reclamation worker is now president. Wallace "Peewee" Pleasants was appointed president Thursday night, Jan. 8, of the Grand Coulee local lodge of International Association of Machinists. "We're all nervous, but at the same time, it's exciting," said Pleasants, a hydromechanic at Grand Coulee Dam. The development could spur more participation locally on the pa... Full story
So you think you live in a normal environment? Electric City Mayor John Nordine II told members of the Regional Board of Mayors Monday that Grant County’s Solid Waste Advisory Council’s report shows otherwise. Nordine sits on the council as the Electric City representative. He recently attended the council’s meeting and, among other things, brought back a report for 2015. The Regional Board of Mayors, made up of mayors from Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and Electric City, meets once a month at city hall in Electric City, with oversigh... Full story
OLYMPIA — When wildfires ignited around Twisp last summer, Meg Donohue said her coffee-roaster business shifted from being a popular gathering spot for the community to a place for up-to-the-minute news. “We found ourselves kind of being a hub for information, and a way for people to connect with each other, and find out what’s going on,” said Donohue, a Twisp resident and co-owner of Blue Star Coffee Roasters. The coffee retailer is one of many locally-owned businesses in Twisp that felt the impact of last year’s wildfire season – Washington... Full story
A bicyclist, sporting an ice mustache grown from his frozen breath, rides in the 15-degree Fahrenheit weather the day after New Year's Day on Highway 155 along Banks Lake. – Scott Hunter photo... Full story
A Wilbur man, who was arrested by Grand Coulee police on Dec. 20, for animal cruelty in the first degree, was jailed in Grant County after appearing Dec. 31, in Superior Court. Police had been looking for James E. Goodlake, 22, since Dec. 13, when a caller to 911 and another witness reported seeing him abuse a puppy. The caller reported witnessing Goodlake kick the puppy and then slam it to the ground multiple times. Police responded, but at the time couldn’t find the suspect. About 2 a.m. Dec. 20, an officer saw Goodlake walking on Federal A... Full story
The overhead covering that has shaded rodeo fans for decades collapsed sometime Sunday night or Monday morning, presumably a victim of a heavy snow load and its age. Much of it is lying in a heap on the seating area it used to cover, or hanging tenuously just above it, and will until the snow melts. "I figured it would be there forever, but I was wrong," said George Kohout, president of the Ridge Riders Saddle Club, which owns the rodeo grounds. It was built in the late 1950s or early '60s,... Full story
Police have sent a number of items to the state crime lab in an effort to identify the person who broke into a residence on Miller Avenue in Electric City and made off with several guns. Weapons taken, according to a police report, included two Winchester model 100 .284 guns, one with a scope; a Winchester model 100 .308 with a scope; a Savage .250 3000 lever action with a scope; a 12-gauge Ruger over-under shotgun; two or more .22 caliber pump guns; a Colt revolver pistol; a .22 Derringer over-under pistol; two double-barrelled 12-gauge... Full story
Almost all of the Bureau of Reclamation’s “green” vehicles, 27 of them, are sidelined while it is determined why they only hold battery charges for about 20 miles. Only four of the battery-powered vehicles are currently in use, according to Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher. The current weather is one reason a number of the vehicles are stalled, but a greater issue is the fact that the vehicles had only been holding a charge for about 15 hours, considerably less than anticipated. Brougher said that the bureau is currently gathering data for... Full story
Feed is available for POWER game bird feeders, the president of the organization, Carl Russell, said last week. Russell said the feed is available at his barn. Those feeding game birds are advised to only take two sacks at a time and to feed only as long as there are several inches of snow on the ground. POWER (Promoters of Wildlife and Environmental Resources) also is in charge of feeding and releasing game fish into Banks Lake. Russell explained that the group does not have any fish in the... Full story
Rod Hardin, left, and Bob Hendrickson paddle in kayaks near Coulee Playland's boat launch on Banks Lake on Jan. 1, with the temperature hovering about 15 degrees, just so they could say they'd done it. Sandy Hendrickson took her turn, too. They didn't stay out very long, but Dave Steiglemeyer had hot cocoa waiting on shore to celebrate. All avoided hypothermia, but not by much. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Patients checking in at Coulee Medical Center can now verify their identities with a state-of-the-art fingerprint scanner. The "SafeChx" system not only guards against identity theft, but also instantly links all of a patient's records when at check-in. The system guards against misidentifying patients who have the same name and will find multiple accounts opened for a single patient, making check-in faster and records administration more efficient. The first patient JoAnn Ehlers checked in... Full story
A former clerk in Grant County Mosquito District 2, charged with theft and misappropriation of funds, will make a preliminary appearance in Superior Court, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m., the prosecutor’s office stated Monday. Karyn M. Byam, 40, an Electric City resident, was charged after a state auditor’s report found irregularities and an investigation by Grant County and Grand Coulee police investigations affirmed the report. The theft charge stems from the purchase of four computers, with only one turned in when Byam resigned her position March 4,... Full story
The Bureau of Reclamation’s new fire station will be built early in 2017, an official said Monday. Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher said current plans call for construction to start early in 2017, and that it would take about a year to construct the 21,500-square-foot facility. The bureau announced in mid-December that the fire facility would be built on land it already owns, near the intersection of B Street and State Route 155. The bureau made the announcement after an environmental assessment was completed recently. The purpose of t... Full story
A Grand Coulee driver was given a ticket for driving too fast for road conditions after he rolled his vehicle over where B Street meets the Bureau of Reclamation Industrial area Dec. 27. The driver, Igor Victorovich Kudas, 30, told police he was only going about 20 mph when his Toyota Tundra truck started sliding and made a slow rollover. Kudas said both side-panel air bags deployed. He was not injured. Kudas was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the mishap. Jack’s Towing helped get the vehicle back on its wheels. Police reported that t... Full story
A former mosquito district clerk is being charged with theft in the first degree and misappropriation of funds by the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office. Karyn M. Byam, 40, of Electric City, who was a clerk for Grant County Mosquito District 2, was charged Dec. 17, on the two counts and probably will be arraigned sometime in early January, county Prosecutor Garth Dano said last week. Byam allegedly wrote checks for herself for some $129,834, which were questionable, according to a state audit conducted earlier this year and a months-long investig... Full story
Members of the Coulee Dam Community Church and others gathered for its last service Sunday, offering a worship service that included bittersweet remembrances by those attending and a final fellowship afterward. The church has been a welcoming and open influence in the community that provided a great place for worship, community events, music and much more, members said. "Everyone wanted their wedding to be in this church," said Diane Babler, who married her husband Bob in the stone church at... Full story
A study of consolidating two local cities is off the books. Neither Electric City nor Grand Coulee put funding in their budgets to pay for it, and a second reason is more critical than the cost of the study, according to one councilmember. In order to consolidate the two cities, one of them would have to annex either Delano or the land between North Dam Park and Coulee Playland. There is no land where the two cities have a common boundary. Grand Coulee Councilmember Tom Poplawski pointed this out at that city’s council meeting Dec. 22, and a... Full story
Grand Coulee has a new mayor: Paul Townsend. He replaces Chris Christopherson, who chose not to run for re-election in November. Townsend ran unopposed, and has served as councilman and mayor pro tem. He, along with Councilmember Gary Carriere, who had filed for Townsend's seat, both take on new duties. Councilmembers Tom Poplawski, David Tylor and Erin Nielsen, who had won re-election, were all sworn in Dec. 22, at the regular council meeting. Carriere is a member of the Electric City... Full story
Retail pot license issued The city of Grand Coulee has issued a business license for a marijuana retail outlet. Filing with the city and receiving the license was Jean Comstock, who plans to open her retail store in a location on Burdin Boulevard sometime soon after the first of the year, in the Snyder business park. State to raise lid on pot outlets Following an analysis of the entire marijuana marketplace in the state, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board heard a recommendation Dec. 16 from staff to increase the number of retail... Full story
Grand Coulee has revised downward the amount of hotel/motel tax funds it is going to give out in 2016, after last summer’s smoky tourist season. The city had received requests from four organizations totaling $34,325, but is only going to fund $22,870. The decision was made Dec. 22 as the city council approved its $3,041,419.22 budget for 2016. Grand Coulee had given out $34,000 in 2015. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce had requested $13,325, but will receive $8,900. The Ridge Riders had requested $12,500, but will receive $... Full story