News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 4558 - 4582 of 6757
The American Red Cross has set up a shelter for people displaced by the raging wildfires in the area at the new school complex in Coulee Dam. Sue Wayland, Red Cross shelter manager, said that four workers from her unit set up about 35 cots in the elementary gym to accommodate those who could come to the facility as early as sometime Thursday. The gym has some 35 cots set up and another 35 are available to be set up if needed. Some residents of the Nespelem Convalescent Center will likely be...
With most of Nespelem in level 2 evacuation status, Coulee Medical Center has accepted several residents of the Colville Tribal Convelscent Center, and the hospital has set up an incident command center to be ready for more should the need arise. "As part of a mutual aid agreement we have accepted a number of residents from the Colville Tribal Convalescent Center as they have been evacuated," a CMC press release stated this afternoon. Friends and family are welcome to visit, but are asked to sign in for a visit. While "operations at CMC are...
Good people of the coulee area have already sought a way to donate clothing and other items for any evacuees from the fires, but the Red Cross shelter at the school is not the place to take them. Stepping up to fill that role is the American Legion Post 157 in Electric City, which will take such donations in clothing and other necessities, or in cash, to give to people in need because of the fire. The post doesn't have manpower to staff the center all the time, but will meet people there...
Mona Berland is in a red zone, ordered to leave, just like everyone else at Owhi Lake. She’s not going to, but she’s convincing her neighbors they must in advance of a day firefighters are saying could go badly. As I write this at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, winds in the Nespelem area is blowing from the south, holding the now 75,000-acre North Star Fire at bay. But tonight, they’ll probably turn around, experts say, and tomorrow the town of Nespelem could be in real danger as a coming northern front billows the fire from northwest toward the town...
The North Star Fire grew by only a few thousand acres today to a little over 78,000, reported lead Public Information Officer Iris Estes, just coming out of an end-of-day briefing about 9 p.m. tonight at the Nespelem Community Center. With 331 personnel now working the fire, the fight has gained priority on a national list, and the state mobilized it yesterday; it's in the pool for shared and shifting resources, coordinated through the the state's Emergency Operation's Center. Today more people...
Update: The River Road remains open but evacuation has been ordered from highway 155 at Omak city limits out to the Kartar Valley and to Camp Progress Road and highway 155. Residents in that area are instructed to go to Brewster and not wait for door-to-door notification. Update on North Star fire: The Tunk fire In the Okanogan Valley area has jumped Highway 155 near Omak, and the highway is now closed from the Colville Indian Agency to Omak. A detour is available on the river road. Fire...
[UPDATE 9:45.a.m 8/22] Initial reports indicated that the Tunk Block Fire and North Star Fire had merged, however this proved to be inconclusive. When more precise mapping is available, fire managers will able to more accurately determine the perimeters of the fires. The size of the fire is estmated at 126,522 acres, but it is "very difficult to verify where the fire edge is due to smoke and fire behavior," a management report states. [Earlier report] A community meeting on the now 108,000-acre...
Highway 155 is now open from Nespelem to Omak. The road has been closed for days due to the 147,000-acre North Star Fire and the Tunk Block Fire, which together have burned 280,000 acres. The highway was opened early Monday morning, although an earlier information release erroneously stated otherwise, officials stated. The North Star Fire experienced low to moderate growth yesterday. Helicopters dropped water near Nespelem to support ground crews strengthening fire lines there. And an anchor...
Here's the latest from the North Star Fire incident command: NORTH STAR FIRE UPDATE Tuesday 08/25/2015 –9:00AM Acres: 150,000 Start Date: August 13, 2015 Cause: Under investigation Location: Approximately 12 miles north of Nespelem, WA. Containment: 5% Fuels/Topography: Timber, grass and understory Structures Threatened: 2000 + Total personnel: 539 Community Meeting Tonight, August 25, 2015, 4:00 PM Republic Elementary School, 30306 East Hwy 20 Republic, WA 99166. Today's Actions: Red flag c...
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has delegated authority to enforce federal laws on its lands within the exterior boundary of the Colville Reservation to certified Colville Tribal Police officers, the USBR announced last Wednesday. The bureau has scheduled a meeting at the Lake Roosevelt High School library at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 19, to provide information to the public and answer questions. The delegation of authority does not include enforcement of hunting, fishing or boating regulations, a bureau press release stated. Tribal police will jo... Full story
People cool off in Tuesday's 96-degree heat off the shores of Banks Lake at Coulee Playland. Triple-digit temperatures are predicted for the next couple of days, making the scene look all the more inviting. - Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Jolena Mills has been named code enforcer for the city of Grand Coulee. The city council added the code enforcement duties to her current work with the city's park department where she is on temporary assignment. The council hopes that having a code enforcer will cut down on the number of complaints the city gets on people who violate city ordinances, mainly the nuisance ordinance. The council also decided that it will look at making Mills' position as a city worker permanent as well as the code... Full story
Local areas and local businesses can tap into a powerful, internationally recognized brand that brings to mind "camping," chamber of commerce members were told recently, and it's free. The emblem for the National Park Service brings that idea to mind because the agency has set the trend globally, said Dan Foster, superintendent of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. "People who see that emblem anywhere in the world know that you can go to that location and expect a degree of... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam School District’s effort to sell Center School hit a snag last week when it failed to get a single bid. The old school building and the total of eight acres was put on the chopping block and advertised for sale in July with an Aug. 5 opening of bids scheduled. While there were three requests for information about the building and property, no one chose to bid on it. The school district purchased the property from Continental Land Company in October, 2014, for $155,000. And since has spent about $10,000 to get the p... Full story
Seniors offering jam session this Saturday The Grand Coulee Seniors group is planning a “Jam Session” this Saturday, Aug. 15, from 1-5 p.m. at the Senior Center. If you can play an instrument and would like to take part, contact Maggie Stewart at 633-8396 or Johnny Whitecloud at 631-0428. There will be a nachos bar, an ice cream sundae bar and strawberry shortcake, plus coffee and tea. A handmade quilt made by Dorothy Geisler will be raffled off, with tickets $1 each. Plant earns award Grand Coulee’s wastewater treatment plant received an aw... Full story
The 30-day period to terminate the lease at Riverview Lanes is almost up and the town of Coulee Dam is unsure of what it will do next. The town owns the building the bowling alley is in and recently served notice to the operators that their lease would be terminated for lack of payments to the town. The lease agreement with the town called for monthly payments of $450 from May through September and $675 from October through April. The town says the tenant is four months behind on rent and utilities, totaling $2,278. The building also houses... Full story
The owner of a local quilt shop has co-authored a quilt-making book published by the American Quilter's Society (AQS). You may remember Marlene Oddie's "Rosie's BOMb" quilt, which hung in the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center last year during an exhibit featuring strong women. It won a second-place prize in the society's Des Moines, Iowa, AQS Quilt Week in 2013. That's where co-author Leila Gardunia met Oddie and the two discussed pushing the skill-builder concept, which Gardunia had originally pu... Full story
by Scott Hunter The towns of Wilbur and Creston, and every place in between, lost electric power service for a dozen hours Saturday night. A wildfire six miles west of Spokane, near Coulee-Hite Road, reportedly affected BPA electrical towers on the Grand Coulee-Bell transmission corridor. Driving across the plains from Spokane was eerie, with no lights on at farms or at the rest area on SR-2 at just after 9 p.m. Creston and Wilbur were also dark, with only vehicle lights and solar-powered garden pathway lights providing any illumination.... Full story
ATVs do not need a city permit to run on Electric City streets. ATVs are licensed by the state and do not need any additional licenses or permits. The Star in an article last week stated that ATVs needed a city permit to operate in the city under its new ordinance. Golf carts do need a city permit.... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam Lions Club celebrates its 80th birthday this week. The international service club was founded here in 1935, with P.A. Bertrand its first president. The club now has about 15 members and is led by President Rick Bako. The Lions Club was originally established in 1917, and now has over 44,000 clubs sprinkled all over the world. It is the largest service club in the world. Internationally, the Lions Club is noted for its efforts to eradicate blindness, the program starting in... Full story
Barry Peacock had a surprise visitor Friday at his retirement farewell at Coulee Dam's community room. His sister, Debbie Docherty, of Spokane, joined dozens of town folks who turned out to wish Peacock the best after he had served 29 years as superintendent of public works for the town. - Roger S. Lucas photo... Full story
Grant PUD will begin conducting a survey of potential wireless network customers in Grant County this month. Those who receive the survey, which is being mailed to about 10,000 customers in proposed wireless locations, are asked to fill out a postage-paid postcard and return it to Grant PUD. The utility said in a press release that the survey informs customers of Grant PUD’s plan to expand its wireless Internet network to rural parts of the county. The survey then asks customers how they are currently connecting to the Internet, as well as t... Full story
Several fires and a downed aircraft are reported near Oroville off Chesaw Road, and the county alert system has told residents of the Nine Mile and Circle Road areas that "immediate evacuation" is recommended. That alert was issued at 3:08 this afternoon (Aug. 13). People are asked to stay clear of the area about five miles east of Oroville. Sheriff Frank Rogers stated in an email that near one of the fires near the wreckage deputies found at least one dead person. "We have several units in the... Full story
A fire on USBR land near the Delano Transfer Station just after 4 p.m. Thursday was brought quickly under control by Bureau of Reclamation and local firefighters. The small blaze in sagebrush and grass was near a crude road that winds around a few trees. A caller reporting the fire said someone was walking in the area and started it. Firefighters left the scene by 5:05 p.m....
[UPDATED Sunday, 2:15 p.m.] The North Star fire has now grown to more than seven times the size it was Friday night, and it is threatening a regional communicaitons network with equipment atop Moses Mountain. The fire was estimated at 22,000 acres at 1 p.m. As afternoon winds increased yesterday, the fire jumped a dozer line, forcing firefighters to move their staging area in the southeast flank of the fire. They re-established the line during the night. Residents in the North Star and Gold Lake road areas are told to be alert to the danger.... Full story