News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 6643
Directors of the two school districts impacted by a recent policy change got together for a meal and sometimes spirited discussion Tuesday night. The full Nespelem School District Board of Directors and two from Grand Coulee Dam School District met at Hometown Pizza, a meeting prompted by discontent at Nespelem over a new policy at GCD that will not allow students from other districts to participate in their sports programs, beginning next school year. Its passage laid bare perceptions that came out during the discussion. Nespelem didn’t a...
People walked the sidewalk on Midway Avenue in Grand Coulee on Saturday, April 19, holding signs to protest various policies of the Trump Administration. Signs addressed a plethora of issues Trump has addressed, often with executive orders but sometimes by shrinking the employee base of the federal agencies charged with handling them, with courts sometimes ruling the administration's actions illegal. Among the signs: "Keep the Refugees, Deport the Racists", "When Injustice Becomes Law,... Full story
Kids dash to pick up eggs on the Saturday before Easter. Once they get past toddler stage, kids get increasingly adept at spotting and picking up plastic eggs with prizes inside. It happens every year in the annual Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt at the former Middle School in Grand Coulee. To see winners of the prize baskets, see page 7. - Scott Hunter photo...
Democratic state lawmakers dropped their bid Monday to repeal a voter-approved limit on property tax growth in Washington, excising one of the most controversial revenue-raising ideas they’ve pursued in this year’s legislative session. The proposal, embedded in House Bill 2049, sought to allow an increase in the growth factor from the current 1% cap to as much as 3%. It would have applied to a state levy that supports schools, and for cities and counties, as well as special purpose districts. But Rep. Steve Bergquist, D-Renton, the bil...
Flu was worse than COVID-19 this season, which the Grant County Health District said last week is pretty much over. The Grant County Health Officer, Dr. Alexander Brzezny, has officially announced the end of the epidemic phase of the 2024/2025 respiratory illness season. Since March 2025, emergency department visits in Grant County related to COVID-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have remained below thresholds set by the health officers in our region. Other indicators show that respiratory virus activity is...
Customer information is not affected by a data breach that compromised the personal data of nearly 850 Grant PUD employees and recent retirees on the payroll from March through April 2024. “Customer data has not been compromised,” Glen Pruitt, senior manager of Compliance and Risk, said Tuesday. “The source of the breach is understood and contained. This was not a cyber attack. There is no open portal to Grant PUD information.” As a security measure, Grant PUD is not releasing details about how we learned of the breach while the investi...
Seth Rose, the manager at Les Schwab in Grand Coulee, pictured with Nespelem Junior Rodeo Queen Kareese Palmer and Princess Brylee Cate, shows the saddle Les Schwab of Omak and Grand Coulee donated to the 46th annual Nespelem Jr. Rodeo, which takes place April 26-27, with Grand Entry starting at 10 a.m. - Gwen Hilson photo...
by Scott Hunter Electric City residents let the city council know in no uncertain terms that they wanted action. A property at 105 5th Street was perpetually in unacceptable condition, as they described it, and they wanted the city to do something about it. One man, who didn’t give his name, told the council April 8 that neighbors a couple doors down “have an abundance of trash that’s high as the ceiling, been there for last two and a half years, and … it’s starting to smell.” John Avey, who has lived next door to the property in question fo...
A police officer with plenty of local experience has been approved to take over as Grand Coulee’s chief of police. Matt Ponusky, who has worked for Coulee Dam’s police department for three years, will move up to the chief’s spot in Grand Coulee. He had also served as an officer at Grand Coulee for eight years before making a move to Coulee Dam. The Grand Coulee City Council voted to approve the hire Tuesday night by a unanimous vote. Ponusky, who was not present at the meeting, will likely be sworn in this week, City Clerk Lorna Pearce said....
The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department was busy Saturday, starting at 12:30 a.m. when Reclamation Fire called for mutual aid for a reported fire at the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant at the top of the dam. Crews assisted in shuttling water and with ventilation of the facility, after a trailer brought inside to use as an office caught fire. Then at 11:46 a.m. crews responded the Lakeview Terrace area for a utility pole power line problem....
Janet Christy will fill the Position 1 seat on the Grand Coulee City Council following the council's decision Tuesday night. A Roosevelt Drive resident, Christy said she retired from USBR a year-and-a-half ago after 10 years there, following a 27-year career in the U.S. Army, retiring as a master sergeant in 2015. Asked by Councilmember Tom Poplawski if she had experience with budgeting, she said she did in the army. "I don't know everything," Christy said. "I can learn."...
Parents of kids up to 10 years old can treat them to the Lions Club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday at the old middle school athletic field in Grand Coulee this Saturday, April 19. Don’t be late. The event starts at 11 a.m. The “hunt” usually ends in less than 10 minutes, even with separate starts for age categories, leaving time for visiting on the field afterward....
The city council in Grand Coulee voted to OK Axion Enterprises’ offer to supply body cameras for city police for a five-year agreement totaling $11,682.83. The deal approved Tuesday night includes storing the videos and handling of public records requests, City Clerk Lorna Pearce told the council, a point that swayed several, including her. Pearce said she had long been hesitant about body cameras for just that requirement, at which point police officer Hopper stated, “No, we need them.” The council voted to approve the purchase, altho...
Reel Recreation guys Ian Turner, left, and Brian Walters, who is netting a big fish, help young people try out angling from a dock at Coulee Playland during the organization's Fun Friday, the lead up to their Triple Fish Challenge weekend tournament. They rig up netted fishing areas, which are stocked with big trout donated by Pacific Seafood, the company that operates the aquaculture operation downstream on the Columbia River. Some 300 fish were donated to the event, including some big...
Protesters on Midway objecting to the Trump Administration's actions don't lack for subject matter for their signs. They walked for an hour on Saturday and will again this coming Saturday from noon to 1 along Grand Coulee's Midway Avenue as another large, nationwide demonstration is planned. - Scott Hunter photo...
Nearly 50 people walked along Grand Coulee's Midway Avenue Saturday with signs expressing frustration with the direction of the federal government, about twice the size of the group that has been making the gathering a weekly event for weeks. They were joining a national push to make an impression across the country as millions hit the streets in cities large and small carrying signs and conversing about a range of complaints, from President Donald Trump's rapid changes to the federal... Full story
Full story
The term “public health” takes in a lot of territory, and even in relatively less populated Grant County it takes a lot to do the job of watching out for the public’s health. This is public health week, and Grant County Health District met with local media last week to encourage some coverage and enhance understanding of just what’s involved. GCHD has a staff of 38 people in several departments, all working to keep our air and water clean, ensure our food is safe, prevent disease, and promote healthier communities. “From ensuring food safety th...
Reel Recreation will again offer their Triple Fish Challenge on Banks Lake this week, starting with Fun Friday on April 11 from 12-7 p.m., featuring a Pacific Seafood "trout pond," an Eastern Sky climbing wall, a Ninja climb, face painting, gold panning, golf and more. activities, live music and food booths. Then the challenge part starts in earnest on Saturday and Sunday, with anglers of all ages trying to catch three species of fish each day for a total of six fish and a grand prize of... Full story
Local cities and towns will help get the community cleaned up in the next couple weeks with the annual Spring Clean-up program. Local residents can take organic yard waste to the Delano Transfer Station free of charge on Tuesday through Friday, April 22-25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturday, May 3. No household waste is allowed on these days, just yard waste like grass, leaves and tree limbs and other woody waste, but no stumps. The chipper Loads must be covered for transport. ID is required to show you live in the area. The areawide...
Easter baskets stand ready at the Grand Coulee Dam Area Senior Center after volunteers put them together recently for the center's annual fund raiser. They are now on sale. - Gwen Hilson photo...
It only happens about every other year, but Community Shred Day is almost upon us. The local Rotary Club started organizing the event several years ago to bring in a paper shredding truck to get that job done right after tax-filing time means people have old records they no longer need but would like to shred, not just toss in the garbage. This year, the local Lions Club is joining in the effort, too. April 26 will be the day this year that people can head to North Dam Park by the Gerkhe Windmills to have their documents shredded, for free....
Grant County’s 2025 tax year statements on real, personal and manufactured homes, including those with delinquent taxes and assessments, were mailed March 28, county Treasurer Darryl Pheasant said in a statement. “We are also working on updated statements for those parcels that had changes that were processed after the original statements were created,” he added, explaining that new software had required making “some major changes to process tax payments. The combined statements of the past are no longer available so every parcel gets its own...
This story was updated at 10:24 a.m. EDT, April 8 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Monday said the Trump administration could continue for now to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out rapid deportations of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members — but they must be given a chance to challenge their deportations in court. The 5-4 decision, which lifted a temporary restraining order by a District of Columbia federal judge, will allow the Trump administration to deport Venezuelans 14 and older who are suspected of Tren de Ara... Full story
Three hospital leaders trekked to the other Washington last week to make the case at Congress for support of Coulee Medical Center. "During our meetings with Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, and Rep. Dan Newhouse we discussed CMC's workforce housing needs, overdose prevention efforts and recent success in increasing breast cancer screening, as well as the significance of federal Medicaid funding to maintaining accessible healthcare services in our region," Chief Executive Office Kelly...