News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Colorama huge hit Despite the fact that new Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Peggy Nevsimal broke a collarbone Friday night, which kept her from seeing the fruits of most of her work on the event, reviews have been largely positive. President Jesse Utz said Tuesday that he had just been told it was “the best Colorama ever.” And other board members say they’ve gotten similar unsolicited comments. The biggest addition, and probably the largest amount of added work, had to do with the revival of The Beer Tent, a low-key, three... Full story
Candidates for upcoming elections are filing for positions on school boards, city councils, hospital boards and some junior taxing districts this week. In early filings, three have filed for positions in Hospital District 6. These include two incumbents, Kristen Hare and Jerry L. Kennedy. Betty Brueske has filed for a six-year short and full term on the local commission, which has one vacancy. John Nordine II, has filed for a four-year term on the Electric City council, a position he now holds. In Elmer City, Gail Morin, who is currently on... Full story
A request from the town of Elmer City to get out of its wastewater plant joint operating agreement with Coulee Dam was turned down by that town council last Wednesday night. In a letter to Coulee Dam officials, Elmer City Mayor Mary Jo Carey requested that the present joint agreement, some 37 years into its 50-year term, be dissolved. She has maintained that action by Coulee Dam reveals that the joint operation agreement no longer controls the relationship between the two towns. The Coulee Dam council quickly rejected the proposal. Elmer City... Full story
Two Colville Business Council incumbents lost out in their bids for another term in the primary election certified last week. Losing in the primary were Brian Nissen, in position 1 in the Nespelem District and Darlene Zacherlie in the position 1 race in the Keller District. Nissen came in third in the vote tally with 112 votes, trailing Deb Louie (155) and Ricky Gabriel (117). Louie and Gabriel will face off in the June 15 general election. Others in that race and their votes were Randy Laramie (43), Joaquin Marchand (89) and Tum-chis-li-wit... Full story
Bull rider Erik Bala of Ellensburg gets ready to dismount just as photographer Biffle French makes a big mistake at at the end of the last ride of the last event of the 57th Colorama Rodeo Saturday night. Fans got extra excitement after Bala, the eighth and last bull rider and the only one to hang on eight seconds, rode all the way across the arena — just before the bull escaped as French opened the gate to the warmup arena. The 1,600-pound bull crashed through the gate and rumbled behind the f... Full story
Lake Roosevelt High School counselor Sue Hayes is one of this year’s senior class’s biggest boosters. Hayes spent 20-30 minutes with each senior available for an exit interview and was so impressed she made a report to the school board about this year’s top class. Students emphasized over and over that when they had trouble achieving the goals set for themselves, it was their own fault. Making right choices and getting support from family, school staff and friends made all the difference, their replies noted. One important factor, seniors state... Full story
Every May over Memorial Dayweekend, the citizens of the oldest town in Grant County put on their boots and dust off their hats for an action-packed weekend with Coulee City’s “Last Stand Rodeo.” The May 24-26 event historically has drawn some of the best talent in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It starts Friday night under the lights with a Bullarama at 7, pitting cowboys against beasts that weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Also on Friday there is the added wild and woolly action of Mutton Bustin’ for children ages 3 to 8 years old... Full story
The Village Cinema in Coulee Dam is history. Its fate was settled last Wednesday night by mutual consent of the town council and the cinema operator, Lynette Zierden and her family. She asked for relief from her lease with the town and explained that she would make arrangements to pay off any debt owed the town of Coulee Dam. The town council quickly OK’d the request, recognizing that it was a sign of the times. The need to convert the theater’s present film projection equipment to digital was more than Zierden could afford. The theater was... Full story
A drive to raise $95,000 to replace Village Cinema’s projection equipment with new digital technology has failed, and the theater’s owners hope to end their lease early, unable to continue with a broken, obsolete projector. A report on Kickstarter, an online fund raising site, reported at the end of the drive, May 4, that only $2,688 had been pledged, less than 2 percent of what was needed to make a transition to digital equipment required by new industry standards next year. Owner Lynette Zierden said they just made the last payment to the... Full story
Charlie Knight leads a group of 164 walkers during “Walk for a Fight,” the fund raiser the high school senior organized to raise awareness of domestic violence issues and funds for The Support Center, a shelter in Okanogan County. A total 203 registered for the walk and donated, which raised $2,800 for the cause. — Scott Hunter photo... Full story
Three seniors at Lake Roosevelt High School have been selected as Gates Millennium Scholars, the district announced recently. Selected were Kendall Piccolo, Johnny Medina-McCraigie and Charli Knight. That makes a total of 13 Gates Scholars selected from LRHS since the program began in 1999. The three new “scholars” willl receive at least four years free tuition and fees at their universities of choice, with the possibility of continuing through a doctorate degree. School counselor Sue Hayes stat... Full story
It’s a big week in the coulee. Local residents and visitors will be treated to the 56th Annual Colorama Festival celebration, beginning Thursday with the opening of the carnival and ending Saturday evening. Events include the Ridge Rider Pro-West Rodeo Friday evening and Saturday, the Colorama Parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, the vendor fair at North Dam Park Friday and Saturday; helicopter rides Friday and Saturday, the Paradise Amusement Carnival Thursday at 3 p.m. and Friday and Saturday; the s... Full story
Thieves broke into Banks Lake Golf Course office sometime Sunday night and took the safe from the premises. It was the second time this year that the course’s safe has been taken. The first time was in January. Police said this time the safe was found along the 18th hole at the golf course. Golfers reported the smashed safe about 11:30 a.m. Monday. Police Chief Mel Hunt stated that the total money taken was just over $500. About $300 of it was in the safe at the time, and another $200 was t... Full story
A public art hunt is on for the new K-12 school project. Public buildings are required to set aside one-half of one percent of the cost of construction for art. The school board decided Monday night to seek art produced by local artists, that is artists from the counties that lie within the school district boundaries. The total money set aside for the art contribution is $120,000. Board members discussed the possibility of sculpture either inside or outside, and graphics inside. It was decided to solicit ideas from artists interested in making... Full story
Contractors doze the new school site in Coulee Dam area to grade as they get ready to begin construction of the near $23 million school complex that will place all the Grand Coulee Dam School District schools in one location. The project is due for completion around Oct. 8, 2014. A worker sprays the graded area to keep the dust down. Currently, a fence is being constructed around the worksite. — Roger S. Lucas photo... Full story
A comment from a resident of Coulee Dam who asked why something isn’t being done to get people to clean up their properties, got a quick response from the police department. This past week police went on a real campaign to notify property owners whose places are in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance that they better clean them up. Some 24 notices went out to property owners that their places were in violation. Property owners who fail to respond to cleanup notices could be subject to fines of $500 for each day of violation. The pol... Full story
The results of Saturday’s Colville Business Council primary election, minus absentee ballots, show that in two of the races, it appears incumbents are in for serious challenge. The Keller District position 1 incumbent, Darlene Zacherie got 23 votes while challenger Jack W. Ferguson received 34 votes. Others in the Keller race include Leroy Jerred (0) votes; Sylvia Tatshama Peasley (2) votes and John F. Stensgar (23) votes. Absentee ballots will decide which two advance to the general election. And in the Nespelem District position 1 race, incum... Full story
The Grand Coulee/Coulee City meals program will not be affected by any cutbacks due to the sequestering of funds by Congress, Director Myrna Schryvers said Monday. While the Meals on Wheels program might feel some effect from federal cutbacks, the local program, Grand Coulee Senior Meals, is funded separately. Schryvers said that the senior program feeds about 55 people daily, a combination of meal delivery and meals served at the senior center. She said that her program has a suggested donation per meal of $3.25. “We also get a lot of other f... Full story
The Coeur d'Alene Press reported on its website May 1 that a firm based there has recently been awarded a contract to build an administration building for the Colville Tribe. Contractors Northwest, Inc. as offices in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, Idaho. The site did not report an award amount for the building, for which the Colville Business Council recently set aside $40 million amidst considerable controversy among tribal members. http://www.cdapress.com/news/business/article_7b036302-547d-5f56-beb8-213d9d9add78.html http://www... Full story
A fire in a service bay at Jack’s Four Corners Union 76 that could have been a disaster was quickly extinguished by a combination of firefighters mid-morning Monday. A vehicle in the service bay at the station caught on fire when gas ignited and attracted a variety of fire engines and law enforcement units. The 2001 GMC extended cab was described as probably a total loss with some material at the repair shop damaged. There was no damage to the rest of the structure. Douglas County Fire D... Full story
A task that many thought would be difficult proved a piece of cake for th e school board Monday night. Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson had asked the board to allow him to name a committee to come up with three possible names for the new K-12 school complex. The board did him one better than that, as they proceeded to pick a name right then. It’s Lake Roosevelt Schools: Lake Roosevelt High School, Lake Roosevelt Junior High and Lake Roosevelt Elementary. There was little hesitation as board members expressed the f... Full story
It was an unlikely night, with community activist Greg Wilder, who has opposed just about everything about Coulee Dam’s proposed wastewater treatment plant, going to work for the town. He isn’t being hired by the town, but he volunteered to raise the money for a alternative analysis study of the town’s current treatment plant plan. Town officials argued that they hadn’t pursued an alternative analysis, a study to see if the plant would be better located elsewhere, because of the cost, estimated at $25,000 to $50,000. Wilder who has argued... Full story
Elmer City has advised the town of Coulee Dam that their agreement on the wastewater treatment plant is over. A letter dated April 22, states that a 1976, 50-year agreement no longer controls the relationship between the towns, and after Elmer City makes its final bond payment on the USDA bonds that financed its portion of the plant, on March 1, 2014, the agreement is over. The letter states: “Going forward, Elmer City is willing to engage in negotiations to enter into a new agreement based upon the proposed expansion of Coulee Dam’s was... Full story
Walk-in freezer bid accepted Coulee Dam council voted to accept a bid of $8,650.60 from Cascade Mechanical of Omak to replace the walk-in freezer at the Melody Restaurant. The Community Building The Melody is located in is owned by the town. The space is being refitted so it can be reopened. Two bids were received, just $58 apart. Tapping hotel/ motel funds The Coulee Dam council passed a $21,000 budget amendment last Wednesday night to move money from their hotel/motel fund to pay for the following: Ridge Riders, $5,000; Coulee Corridor,... Full story
The Coulee Dam branch of Bank of America will close its doors Aug. 23, corporate officials stated in notices distributed recently, Notices to business and regular customers started going out April 19, and customers have been referred to other BofA branches in Moses Lake and Omak. Local branch manager Michelle Bredstrand confirmed the closing date and referred queries to the bank’s Seattle headquarters. Media representative Britney W. Sheehan told The Star that discussions are going on now to see if the bank can help employees find placement i... Full story