The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Pay increase OK’d

Grand Coulee’s council approved a 2-percent wage increase for all employees at its last council meeting. The increase is for both administration and staff.

CMC considering assisted living

Coulee Medical Center is about to hire a consultant that has helped build assisted-living facilities to look into the feasibility of such a venture locally.

CEO Jonathan Owens told the hospital board Monday night that other individuals were also considering the idea locally, and he would ask the consultant to explore a possible collaboration.

Owens also reported that he had met with Grant County commissioners to show them the hospitals plan for a financial turnaround and to pay off county warrants.

CMC owed about $2.2 million to the county treasury at the end of March and expects to knock that down to $1.3 million by June as cost sharing payments from Medicare come in.

Resignations accepted

The school board approved two resignations at its Monday meeting. Nancy Johnson resigned from her position at Lake Roosevelt Junior and Senior High School as registrar. And Gary Darnold resigned his position as cross country coach after 40 years.

In his letter, Darnold stated that many of the athletes he has coached were role models for his own children and that he has enjoyed seeing them grow up and have children of their own.

Student counts up

Grand Coulee Dam School District student attendance for the month of April was an average of 716 full time equivalent students. The district had budgeted for 690 students.

Nespelem Elementary School also reported higher student numbers. The district had budgeted for 110 students. Monday night, that school board learned the district was serving 130 FTEs at the end of March.