News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Regional Board of Mayors’ limited recycling project never made it out of the chutes before it was shot down by Elmer City’s town council. The RBOM had proposed the purchase of a 30 cubic yard, $13,000 recycling bin. The four mayors were to take the proposal to their councils. The first to try to do so was Mayor Gail Morin, who explained to her council that Elmer City’s prorated share of the bin’s cost was $780. The council said “no.” The proposal had Sunrise Disposal hauling recyclables to Okanogan’s recycling place for a charge of $74 an h... Full story
Center School zone on agenda Grand Coulee’s Planning Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) at city hall. Among items to be discussed is a zoning change for Center School, which the Grand Coulee Dam School District is trying to sell. Anyone wanting to use the building for something other than a school is reluctant to bid on it under its current zoning. The public is welcome to attend. Bridges near Nespelem closed or restricted In a press release sent about 5 p.m. Monday, Okanogan County Public Works said one bridge near Nespelem w... Full story
A marijuana retail store in Grand Coulee is now possible. The city council removed any roadblocks by a 3-2 vote last week. The Oct. 6 vote took the words “federal law” out of the city ordinance and declared that if a business license application met state law restrictions, a license “must” be issued. Prior to this vote, a decision on such an application had rested with the city clerk. Although federal law does not allow marijuana sales, the U.S. attorney general has made it clear the Justice Department will not pursue prosecutions in states... Full story
A house fire Sunday at 228 B Continental Heights that did major damage to the interior is still under investigation, according to Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Chief Richard Paris. The alarm sounded at 9:12 p.m. and fire units from Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and the Bureau of Reclamation responded. The house is owned by J & G NW Enterprises of Stanwood, Washington. It was rented to Crystal Adolph and family. No one was home at the time of the fire. Paris said the cause of the fire is... Full story
Grand Coulee’s ambulance rates are going up. But it isn’t as bad as it sounds, volunteer Fire Chief Richard Paris told the Grand Coulee city council last Tuesday night. He explained that, while the rates are going up, the new rates will include some services that had been charged separately before. Paris said a third-party billing company that handles some 150 ambulance accounts said Grand Coulee is the only one that breaks out supplies and charges separately for them. “We are folding the break-out charges into the basic charge, which will... Full story
A 26-year-old Nespelem man was arrested and jailed in Grant County after a high-speed chase through parts of four counties on Saturday night. Arrested was Jory L. Vallee, who was driving a car police said was stolen. He was able to avoid multiple police cars at speeds up to 80 mph, police reported. Police say it was the second such occurrence for Vallee, who on Aug. 12, was able to outrun police while driving a vehicle and ending up somewhere above Keller on a logging road. Police said they are recommending that the prosecutor’s office c... Full story
EPHRATA, Wash. —Three employees remain at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle following an accident last week at Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Dam, which hospitalized six power-plant electricians and operators. Over the past weekend, two employees were discharged, one remains in satisfactory condition, one remains in critical condition, and one has improved to serious condition, the utility said in a press release. “I can think of nothing worse than one of our employees not returning home to see their family at the end of a workday,” said Grant P... Full story
A 43-year-old Grand Coulee man is set to appear in Grant County Superior Court this month, accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl. Charges were filed against Charles E. Johnson, who was seen entering a field April 20 with the girl. He was followed by a neighbor who reported hearing her scream. He confronted Johnson and held him while he called 911 for police. The incident had been under investigation until charges were filed by the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office last week. Prosecutors filed a charge of child molestation in the first d... Full story
An effort to keep an American flag flying in an unlikely spot saw success last week as the stars and strips were hoisted proudly above Delano Friday. Anyone traveling between Delano and Electric City can see it to the south of the highway. It's easily the highest flag in the area. Jay Kemble and Mike Rounds made the trek to the top of the large rocky hill that separates the Delano neighborhood from Electric City and raised the flag on a pole fashioned long ago by long-dead patriot Wade... Full story
Early next year, many businesses and some homeowners can expect a modest decrease in the cost of their fire insurance. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Paris said this week that the city has improved its fire protection classification from a seven to a six, effective Feb. 1, 2016. Monday, insurance broker Jerry Kennedy stated that the new rating will definitely save local businesses money on their next fire insurance policy. “Many homeowners may also see modest decreases in their fire policies,” he said. “Policyholders shoul... Full story
One of the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s trucks was stolen last Tuesday and recovered a few hours later at Crescent Bay. A school employee, Dean McPherson, was working on the roof at Center School and looked down to see his truck being driven away by an unidentified man. McPherson immediately called police, who combed the area but were unable to locate the truck. McPherson said when he looked down, the suspect appeared to be changing his shirt and then took off, heading east on SR-174. The truck had recently been filled with gas, so o... Full story
The Eagles Club was broken into sometime early Sunday morning. A burglar entered by breaking through the back door. Security cameras showed that a male intruder ransacked the place and stayed inside the lodge for about half an hour. Dispatch notified police that the Eagles’ security alarm was going off, and officers Adam Florenzen and Sgt. Gary Moore both responded. The officers searched the building and photographed potential evidence, which was then turned over to the Washington State Crime Lab. Several interior doors had been forced open, a... Full story
Coulee Dam police are investigating a break-in at the Riverview Bowling Alley that occurred Sept. 15. Owner Pat Zlateff told police that he had arrived to do some work and found a number of items lined up at the back door. The burglar had gone through the business area and taken small change from vending machines and then stacked up items to take when exiting the building. Zlateff said a Craftsman three-drawer tool box was missing. Officers found cigarette butts scattered throughout the building, suggesting the intruder had been in the place... Full story
Blood drive set The Inland Northwest Blood Center, along with Grand Coulee Community Blood Drive Volunteers, will hold a blood drive Monday, Oct. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the community room at Coulee Medical Center. INBC needs an average of 200 blood donors every day to meet the needs of more than 35 hospitals in the Inland Northwest. Haunted house planned A haunted house is being planned at the Grand Theatre on Grand Coulee’s Main Street for Oct. 26-30. Workers will be busy in the next few weeks coming up with scary ideas for the H... Full story
The Grand Coulee Library will host Mike VanQuickenborne for a public presentation at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8, as part of a Speakers Bureau program. VanQuickenborne is a philosophy instructor at Everett Community College and organizer of the world's first philosophical film festival "Philosophy in the Dark." He will speak about philosophy through comedic films. The public is invited.... Full story
EPHRATA, Wash. — (Updated with new information at 7:10 p.m.) At approximately 4:15 p.m. today an explosion was reported at Priest Rapids Dam along the Columbia River. At this point there are six confirmed employees with various levels of injury that have been taken to regional medical facilities via airlift or ground ambulance. All six employee families have been notified. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time. The cause of the explosion is attributed electrical equipment and the hydroelectric facility remains stable. A... Full story
In a press release sent about 5 p.m. Monday, Okanogan County Public Works said one bridge near Nespelem will be closed and another restricted on Tuesday. The agency said it is closing Bridge B-3 at milepost 5.08 on Park City Loop Rd, and will post a 5-ton weight restriction on Bridge B-15 at milepost 2.15 on Joe Moses Road. “Your patience during these short delays is greatly appreciated," the press release said. “We apologize for any inconvenience you may encounter during the construction.” It did not specify the purpose of the bridge restr...
A town council meeting at Coulee Dam that was designed to discuss consolidation of services such as police, ambulance and fire departments with other cities and towns was essentially postponed until Oct. 7, because only three of five council members were present last Wednesday. Mayor Greg Wilder said he didn’t want to get into serious discussion on consolidation until all members of the council were present. Wilder has indicated on numerous occasions that he favored some type of consolidation of services in the area for greater efficiency and s... Full story
Kids at Nespelem Elementary know what a spleem is. It's what you're not supposed to do. A pax, on the other hand, is what you are supposed to do. Those two concepts, and those labels, are part of a new game at the school that is changing not just classrooms, but migrating into the larger community, too, some say. And it's giving students a new tool to help with school and life. The PAX Good Behavior Game is making a difference in the school, helping kids learn how to behave appropriately and... Full story
Elmer City has a new clerk. Garrett Benton, an Elmer City resident, takes on his new position at the town hall this Thursday. Garrett said Tuesday that he is looking forward to his new role as the chief number cruncher for the town. The new town clerk grew up in the Seattle area, and has a degree in agronomy from Washington State University. “I wanted a background in agriculture because I wanted to go into the Peace Corps,” he said. Benton spent two years in the Peace Corps in Nepal, where he helped local farmers in a remote area to dev... Full story
Coulee Dam is looking for grant money to hire a school resource officer (SRO). Should the U.S. Department of Justice grant come through, at least the police officer in the schools would have wheels. The town council approved a budget amendment last Wednesday night for $35,000 to purchase a squad car. Mayor Greg Wilder, early on as the town’s chief executive officer, said one of his goals was to get a grant to support hiring of a school resource officer. The grant would provide $238,970 to cover the cost of an SRO for the first three years. T... Full story
At a popular station at last Thursday's "Cultural Awareness Gathering" at Lake Roosevelt Schools' Greene Field, Austin "Bubba" Garcia pulls back on an arrow aimed at an elk replica target. The event, which is organized every other year by Kim Stanger, integrates various aspects of native American culture, creating several learning experiences for students. This year, the event took up the whole field with some 22 stations ranging from traditional medicine and plants to smoking salmon. - Scott... Full story
Grant County Port District 7 commissioners passed a resolution last Thursday adopting any future rules developed by the Federal Aviation Administration concerning drones flying near the airport. The rule being considered may allow unmanned aerial vehicle flights within up to three miles of an airport when they have permission, but no flights higher than 500 feet. A commercial operator who wants to fly a UAV near the airport to take pictures would first have to get permission from airport officials. Recently a commercial drone operation was... Full story
The town of Coulee Dam hopes to have the position of superintendent of public works filled by the first of the year, Mayor Greg Wilder informed the council last Wednesday night. Wilder said the town continues to get applicants for the position, both from western Washington and eastern Washington. He said that the town will review applicants Oct. 6, and begin the process of selecting a new superintendent. The former superintendent, Barry Peacock, retired at the end of August after serving 29 years with the town. Wilder was asked if any of the... Full story
Hendrickson joins fire department Matt Hendrickson is a new member of Coulee Dam’s volunteer fire department. Hendrickson is a certified EMT and has passed all tests. He was voted into the department by the town council at last Wednesday’s council meeting. City fireworks law needs more work Grand Coulee’s city council sent a proposed ordinance on fireworks back to the drawing board in an effort to define where, or if, fireworks could be set off at a designated area. In past years, residents in the area have set off fireworks at North Dam,... Full story