News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 4215 - 4239 of 6588
Carrie Derr’s sixth grade class let the school board know how they felt about school uniforms Monday night. The school board has discussed pursuing school uniforms for next fall to begin the 2016-17 school year. A special committee will be formed to work on the project. Earlier this year, administrators reported to the board that an unofficial poll of teachers indicated the majority were in favor of the idea. The school uniform plan, if initiated, would involve all grades and even the staff, according to preliminary comments made at board m... Full story
The Star is accepting nominations for the annual Volunteer of the Year award. Each year, the community selects between several worthy people nominated for the honor. One person is honored. Groups are not eligible. Nominations can be made until Jan. 4, 2016. Letters of nomination should be as specific as possible about why the candidate should be honored, including contact information for the nominator and for anyone who could speak about the nomination. Send nominations by e-mail, through the U.S. Postal Service, or in person as follows: • b... Full story
Riverview Lanes has set Tuesday, Dec. 8, as its opening date. New owner Scott Elmore said Monday that he still had some minor mechanical problems to iron out before the lanes would be ready. He had earlier scheduled the opening date for Dec. 1. Elmore, along with former lanes owner Pat Zlateff, has been reconditioning the mechanics of the eight-lane operation for several weeks. A couple of mechanical problems cropped up over the weekend, forcing Elmore to delay the opening. He has been working with the town to finalize a new lease on the... Full story
A state official will give a public talk in Coulee Dam next week, where he will also speak with town officials about the possibility of designating parts of town as a historical site. Michael Houser, from the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, will speak at a Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the town hall Dec. 10. The event is open to the public. The price for the catered lunch will be $10; and those wishing to attend the Thursday lunch must call the... Full story
Ending strokes presentation planned Janet Mano, RN, will give a presentation of “Together We Can End Strokes” at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center from 4-4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The presentation is sponsored by Aging & Adult Care of Central Washington. School count lower Grand Coulee Dam School District had an average attendance of 687.47 students during the month of November, a report to the school board Monday night indicated. Last year for November the average was 720. The budget for this year is for a monthly average of 680... Full story
The Christmas wishes of 138 children from 52 local families are on the Trees of Sharing this year. The Trees of Sharing is a well-established, community-wide program sponsored by local churches whose purpose, they say, is to "bless Grand Coulee Dam Area children at Christmastime." Area residents are encouraged to purchase a gift based on the information given on the ornaments (suggested value approximately $20 per gift.) Trees are located in Safeway Pharmacy, North Cascades Bank, Coulee Dam... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s Vintners & Brewers Tasting and Auction event this Saturday night has 13 tickets left at press time. The chamber has been holding the event for nearly 20 years. It is always held the first Saturday of December. The event will be in the community room at Coulee Dam Town Hall, where doors will open at 6 p.m. It features dinner, wine and beer tasting, and an auction. Auction items have been donated by both local and outside the area businesses and individuals. Tucker Cool from Dayton will be the a... Full story
Coulee Dam could have a new police chief sometime in December. Town officials were busy Monday, interviewing the top three candidates provided by the Civil Service Commission, which narrowed the list of candidates down from 10 who applied for the position. Civil Service Commission member Herb Sherburne stated last week that all applicants were from Eastern Washington. Town Mayor Greg Wilder said he had planned to complete the interviews of the three on Monday and then would wait until all the background checks were made before making a... Full story
A concert, complete with a visit from Santa is in the planning stage for the Grand Theatre on Grand Coulee's Main Street, the operator says. Theater operator Cody Wilson, who took over the venue this year and has been offering a variety of events, said the "A Very Merry Christmas Concert" is offered a "donation preferred" basis, but they also want anyone who can't pay to "come in and enjoy everything. ... It is a great way to share the Christmas spirit too." The concert is set for two nights,... Full story
Coulee Medical Center officials were hoping to break even for 2015, but probably won’t make it, Chief Financial Officer Paul Babcock told Hospital District 6 commissioners Monday night. CMC and its clinics lost nearly $125,000 in October, about 7 percent of its net operating revenue of almost $1.8 million. The low month brings CMC’s year-to-date losses to about $418,975, which compares favorably to a loss of more than $2.5 million for the same time frame a year ago. Even a good November and December are unlikely to be good enough for a bre... Full story
KELLER FERRY – The Keller Ferry on SR 21 across the Columbia River is out of service. One of the two engines on the vessel has some issues that require immediate repairs. Under US Coast Guard regulations the boat cannot be operated in passenger service with only one engine. Parts have been ordered and have been shipped and should arrive early tomorrow morning (Saturday, Dec. 5) and repairs will get underway, the Washington Department of Transportation said. It is unknown exactly when the vessel can return to service. Until then, motorists a...
The idea of joining two or more local towns into one involves a lot of factors, not to mention public opinion, which might soon be addressed if two cities are willing to fund a consultant’s help. A proposed agreement between the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce and SCJ Alliance to consider issues pertaining to consolidating Grand Coulee and Electric City is moving forward and awaits details of Grand Coulee’s 2016 budget decisions. The chamber hopes to enter into an agreement with the SCJ group from Wenatchee to provide planning service... Full story
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees begin a Tuesday morning exercise that might have alarmed police scanner listeners not paying close attention. The hazardous material/explosives drill involved USBR security and emergency response, Grand Coulee's ambulance and Coulee Medical Center in a scenario that started with a security officer approaching two suspicious subjects claiming to enjoy the view and some coffee. Within minutes, a bomb exploded (on paper only) and the two subjects and the... Full story
The first of December is still the target date for the reopening of the bowling alley in Coulee Dam, the new owner said Tuesday. Scott Elmore said the Riverview Lanes and working areas are ready for business. “We have the lanes up and working and I’ve just a few more things to do before we can welcome customers,” Elmore stated. Most of the equipment has been refurbished, the lanes treated, and, Elmore said, the lanes will be ready for play. He plans to be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, continuing the same hours as the lanes were open befor... Full story
Former Star owner, editor and publisher Jack Hilson, a man whose political expertise helped to build the local airport, Steamboat Rock State Park and more, has died. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Jack and his wife, Dolores, became involved in the newspaper in 1947, and began buying it from family members in 1958. Hilson served on the Grant County Port District 7 Commission for 10 years and also sat on the state Parks and Recreation Commission. His friendships with powerful United States senators and the speaker of the House of... Full story
After more than a year of on-and-off negotiations, and an interlude with a third town, Grand Coulee and Electric City are set to wrap up an extension of their current police contract in December, ensuring police protection for Electric City in 2016. The new agreement proposed by Grand Coulee is for a two-year period at a basic annual cost of $125,000. The agreement calls for Grand Coulee police to answer all police calls, provide traffic control (including radar), check on business buildings during the night, do regular car patrols, do... Full story
A stream of shoppers place their penny bets in cups to bid on prizes at the annual Penny Auction Saturday in the Lake Roosevelt High School gym. The fund-raiser for the class of 2016 drew people for the lunch and to buy bags of small pieces of numbered paper, one for each penny they spent to buy the bag. Winning numbers were drawn randomly for each prize. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Nissen named for national honor Nespelem’s Brian Nissen has been named as a 2015 Native American “40 under 40” award recipient. Nissen was among the winners of the prestigious award from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development during the 40th Annual Indian Progress in Business Awards (INPRO) Gala last week at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The award is given to individuals under the age of 40, nominated by members of their communities, who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and d... Full story
Three representatives of area organizations went mining for a slice of Grand Coulee’s lodging tax funds for 2016, and they came out winners. Now it all depends on the city council passing its new budget, a task that will likely happen in December. Peggy Nevsimal, executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, attended the city council last Tuesday to ask for $13,325, for advertising and promoting the area. She got it. George Kohout, president of the Ridge Riders Saddle Club, asked for $12,500. He got his amount. And Bob V... Full story
There could be an announcement soon on who is going to be Coulee Dam’s new police chief. The town’s Civil Service Commission, made up of Herb Sherburne, Joe Tynan and Councilmember Shawn Derrick, has received 10 applications of interest in the position. The commission has pared this down to six final candidates. A four-member interview team, made up of Sherburne, Tynan, town Councilmember Ken Miles and Nate Piturachsatit finished interviewing six of the 10 candidates who made it to the interview process last Saturday. Sherburne said the six... Full story
Maggie Stewart presents a handmade drum to Launi Ritter, representing the Chamber of Commerce, at the group's weekly meeting Thursday at the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center. Stewart gave a presentation on her many crafts, from beadwork to dolls in buckskin, and her longtime career of selling them to clients as far away as Germany. She made the drum just for the occasion. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Some streets in Electric City will be receiving new names and numbers as a result of an ordinance passed last week by the Electric City council. The new names and numbering are being assigned to those properties that were taken in at the city’s latest annexation. The city has been working with the property owners affected in an effort to make the changeover without a hitch. A few of the property owners attended the last council meeting and seemed satisfied with the explanations given by Deputy Clerk Russell Powers. The numbering changes will m... Full story
There could be an announcement soon on who is going to be Coulee Dam’s new police chief. The town’s Civil Service Commission, made up of Herb Sherburne, Joe Tynan and Councilmember Shawn Derrick, has received 10 applications of interest in the position. The commission has pared this down to six final candidates. A four-member interview team, made up of Sherburne, Tynan, town Councilmember Ken Miles and Nate Piturachsatit finished interviewing six of the 10 candidates who made it to the interview process last Saturday. Sherburne said the six... Full story
The Electric City Council has agreed in principle to a proposal by Grand Coulee to provide police services to the city. The particulars were scratched out over an earlier agreement between the two parties and the council asked that it be finished up and prepared for adoption at its Dec. 8 meeting. The agreement for 2016 and 2017 would have Electric City pay $125,000 for Grand Coulee’s police services the first year. For 2017, the amount would increase according to the Consumer Price Index, not to be less than 2 percent or more than 5 p... Full story
The Bureau of Reclamation is going green. You will soon see the all new electric-powered vehicles the bureau has added to its vehicle fleet. They are so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. That is a fair description of the Bureau of Reclamation's new electric utility vehicle (EUV) fleet of 27 passenger and maintenance vehicles. The vehicles will be seen throughout the Grand Coulee Dam Project area soon and will save the government an estimated 10 to 15 percent a year in just gasoline...