News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 5989 - 6013 of 6735
Tax revenue from tourists who stay in hotels is a critical resource for Washington state’s cities and towns, which often rely on that income to promote and expand events that attract visitors, according to those who testified on bills introduced this legislative session in Olympia. The proposals relate to the state’s hotel and motel tax, also known as the lodging tax. Individual counties and cities may choose to levy a fee of up to 2 percent on charges to customers by hotels and motels. Lodging-tax proceeds are used in most cases for tou... Full story
If residents on the farm acreage in Electric City pushed the dog allowance to the maximum, some could have 22 dogs, Mayor Jerry Sands told members of the council at their last meeting. Councilmember Brad Parrish had asked if the “chicken rule” of six chickens per resident applied to them; Sands said no. Because the farm area is zoned differently, those residents are allowed up to 15 chickens per 5,000 square feet. When he answered a council question on dogs being on the roadway challenging people as they walked by, Sands explained that the sam... Full story
A family shocked by the loss of their home to fire Thursday night is also amazed at the instant support pouring in from the community. Fifteen years ago, Warner Whybark built their home on a hillside overlooking Banks Lake in the North Shores development. Last week, they escaped after a neighbor called to tell them to get out of the house. In under 45 minutes, everything was gone. Shortly after 10 p.m., local fire departments got the call, but there was little they could do by the time they arrived. Both the house and the garage were “fully i... Full story
So you always wanted to hold public office. Here’s your opportunity, as a host of city council, school board, hospital and port district offices will be up for grabs this year. Four mayor positions are up for election this year. Those mayorships currently held by mayors Jerry Sands of Electric City, Quincy Snow of Coulee Dam, Mary Jo Carey of Elmer City and Michael Blake of Nespelem are all up this year, all four-year terms. Council openings in Electric City and their terms include seats currently held by Bob Rupe (4 years), John Nordine (... Full story
Jet crashes near Harrington Coulee residents are used to frequent low flights of military jets through the area, but not to the tragedy that occurred Monday morning when one of them crashed, killing all three on board. On a training mission, the crew out of the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station died instantly as their EA-6B Prowler cratered a field near Harrington. “This was a very difficult day for our local volunteers, my office and more importantly, our military families,” Lincoln County She... Full story
An explosion at Grand Coulee Dam Saturday morning damaged the right powerhouse when a line and equipment connecting a generator and transformer exploded. No one was injured. A “buss,” essentially a pipe and related equipment housing a large electrical line, exploded, reportedly causing considerable damage even to the building’s concrete. Acrid smoke was so thick that firefighters responding could not initially enter the building, and the Bureau of Reclamation will not likely allow perso... Full story
Special military funeral honors will be held at North Dam Park March 20 at 1 p.m. for Grant County veterans not previously given proper military rites, reports Sgt. Ryan D. Homer, Pasco team leader of the Central Washington Honor Guard. “The rendering of Military Funeral Honors is one way our nation shows its deep gratitude to those who, in times of war and peace, have faithfully defended our country,” Homer said in his announcement. “But it wasn’t until the year 2000 that Congress made this ceremonial paying of respects a statutory benefit... Full story
Two general contractors, both from Spokane, were the only firms to submit bids on the K-12 new school facility here. Bids were opened at 4 p.m. Tuesday by Cameron Golightly, architect with Design West of Pullman. Walker Construction’s base bid was $22,942,000. The second bidder was Graham Construction, which submitted a bid of $23,185,000. Both construction firms submitted a host of alternate bids, 11 in all. Golightly said that his architectural firm, along with other officials, will study the bids and alternative bids to determine who will ge... Full story
Senior center volunteers display some of 420 Easter Baskets they assembled last Friday, Saturday and Sunday that are now for sale at the Senior Center, if there are any left. Priced from $3 to $12, some $600 worth had sold by Monday night. Pictured from left are Eloise Bowman, Connie Babler, Helen Reddick, Kerry Noggles, Felix Marcolin, Diane Canady, Dorothy Dennis, and Judy Behrens. Project workers not pictured are Fawn Brashears, Janet Doughty, Dave Novelli, Ken Bowman and Constance Wilson.... Full story
You will soon be able to slaughter chickens in Electric City, legally, as a result of action taken by the city council Tuesday night. It takes five days for the ordinance amendment to take effect. The action amends the city’s “chicken” ordinance that passed last month and stated that you couldn’t legally slaughter chickens within the city limits. So residents who already have chickens, or move forward on having up to six hens, can, if they so desire, slaughter a chicken for Sunday dinner. The chicken ordinance stirred up a few folks in the cit... Full story
The Regional Board of Mayors quickly reversed themselves Monday and went back to monthly meetings when it was pointed out that they had acted illegally the month before. In February, the mayors had voted to change their meetings from once a month to once every two months. This week they voted to return to monthly meetings until they get the change right. Coulee Dam Town Clerk Carol Visker pointed out that before the mayors can change their meeting dates, they must go to their councils for approval and then amend their agreement on meetings. So... Full story
A “stakeholder” group met Tuesday to try to put the finishing touches on the script for the all- new laser light show. The schedule for the inaugural show now has slipped to mid-summer, Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher said Monday. She stated that most of the programming for the laser portion of the show can’t be done until the final script is settled. Originally it had been hoped that the showing of the new laser show could start during the Memorial Day holiday at the end of May. And area promoters had hoped that... Full story
Greg Wilder was not among those who left before the adjournment of a Feb. 27 Coulee Dam Town Council meeting at which the town’s engineers were discussing the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project.... Full story
A payroll clerk at Coulee Medical Center ran into a problem when the bank associated with the hospital’s payroll account would not let her into the account. The bank, according to a written Grand Coulee Police report, told the payroll clerk that the account had been entered illegally and $4,980 had been removed. The money went to an account at another bank and routing numbers and the person with the account had given his name. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident and the payroll bank stated that it would make the f... Full story
The 56-foot center section of the new Keller ferry will arrive in Grand Coulee sometime Wednesday or early Thursday morning this week, workers at the Crescent Bay assembly site said Tuesday. The 20,000-pound section of the all-aluminum boat was placed on a truck trailer late last week for the long and arduous trip from the Foss Maritime boat yard in Rainier, Ore., to the newly constructed assembly location. Foss workers have been assembling a cocoon-like building where the three pieces of the... Full story
Gray & Osborne engineers outlined ways for Coulee Dam and Elmer City to get their monthly sewer rates down in a letter to Coulee Dam Mayor Quincy Snow that was distributed after the last city council meeting. Coulee Dam residents currently pay $59 a month for sewer service and Elmer City pays $35 a month. Both towns will need to up their rates to pay a $4.92 million loan for the wastewater treatment plant. Engineer Jeff Stevens, in his letter, outlined a plan in which the town of Coulee Dam would change its current funding source from the... Full story
A request by Grand Coulee’s police department for a part-time clerk was turned down by the city council at its last meeting. The council decided that if the police department needed clerical help, it could get it from staff from the city clerk’s office.... Full story
Spring Ahead Set your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night. Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10. City joins EDC The city council in Electric City voted last week to support Grant County’s Economic Development program with a donation of $497.50. The city is continuing its policy of supporting the work the group does to bring business and industry to the county. Hours racked up Lake Roosevelt seniors have completed 7,745 hours of community service during their four-year time at the school, Principal Brad Wilson reported in the... Full story
The explosion at Grand Coulee Dam this morning was not a transformer or a generator, but a line and equipment connecting the two. Conflicitng reports this morning suggested that one or the other had exploded, but in the smoke-filled building it was hard to tell initially just what had happened. Exactly what happened is still unkown, but a "bus," basically a large pipe that goes through the wall of the right powerhouse is destroyed. An engineer who had been inside the damage is much worse inside...
In this community, whose economy is based overwhelmingly on a federal payroll and outsourced contracts, not a lot is yet certain about how the latest fiscal political drama emanating from the other Washington will play out. “Sequestration” became the law of the land on March 1. An act passed by Congress in 2011 was designed to give time for Democrats and Republicans to agree on a path toward reducing the nation’s deficit spending. It imposes across-the-board budget cuts on everybody’s favorite federal programs. At the time, it was assumed... Full story
Workers at Crescent Bay fasten the tarp-like covering over high steel frames of a covering under which to assemble the new Keller ferry. Soon workers from Foss Maritime will be assembling the new “Sanpoil” ferry inside this protective space. They expect the first piece of the new ferry to arrive the middle of next week. The enclosure will allow workers to keep the space at least 60 degrees, the temperature necessary to weld the aluminum frame. The new ferry replaces the Martha S, the ferry tha... Full story
A rehash of Coulee Dam’s wastewater treatment plant project dominated the town’s regular council meeting last Wednesday night. Gray & Osborne engineers Jeff Stevens and John Wilson took the council and about 15 people who attended the meeting down memory lane, explaining the time frame and processes used to get the project where it is today. Just where it is, is a question that’s not easily answered. Gray & Osborne has been called off the design phase for three months while the town attempts to go through a “value engineering” process to help d... Full story
Gray & Osborne engineers outlined ways for Coulee Dam and Elmer City to get their monthly sewer rates down in a letter to Coulee Dam mayor Quincy Snow that was distributed after last Wednesday’s city council meeting. Coulee Dam residents currently pay $59 a month for sewer service and Elmer City pays $35 a month. Both towns will need to up their rates to pay a $4.92 million wastewater treatment plant loan. Engineer Jeff Stevens, in his letter, outlined a plan where the town of Coulee Dam would change its current funding source from the Departme... Full story
The local airport’s runways will be kept open in winter with a new snowplow. Port District 7 commissioners learned Thursday that they will get a new replacement truck with snow plow equipment, plus a building to house it. A $265,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will pay for 90 percent of the cost of both projects. An additional 2.5 percent of the cost could come from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s airport division, and the port district will pick up the final 7.5 percent. Lisa Corcoran of the port’s engin... Full story
Car owners wait in line for a free car wash Friday at the end of a two-day free car wash event at Jack’s Four Corners. The giveaway followed a rebuild of the car wash and was a complete success, owner Jack Madsen said this week. The business handled 300 free car washes last Thursday and Friday, and raised some $700 for Lake Roosevelt High School’s athletic program. Madsen had advertised that there would be LRHS personnel on hand to accept donations. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story