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OKANOGAN VALLEY
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A Thanksgiving dinner invite
CATCHING THAT HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Full turkey meals and potlucks offered BY GARY A. DEVON EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
OROVILLE - Free Thanksgiving dinners are being offered in Oroville and Chesaw this Thursday and everyone is invited to come in and share the holiday with family, friends and neighbors. One dinner in Oroville is put together by Eva’s Diner with help serving from several local volunteers, dinner starts at 1 p.m. at the diner located at 712 14th Avenue. The free traditional turkey Thanksgiving dinner will include all the trimmings, as well as a selection of different pies for desert, including pumpkin and apple. John Desjardin, from Hometown Pizza and Pasta will be helping prepare some of the pies. Also in Oroville, at 1 p.m., all are invited to partake of a traditional Thanksgiving meal at the Oroville Senior Center, located at
Above, Oroville students from the OHS Future Business Leaders of America, sell Christmas wreaths as a fund raiser at the Oroville Community Bazaar. This year’s event, a holiday tradition that allows people to get gift ideas for the upcoming Christmas Holidays, was held at the Oroville Elementary School Gym and was well attended by vendors and holiday shoppers alike.
1521 Golden Street. The members of the Senior Center will provide the turkeys, dressing, potatoes, gravy and refreshments. They are also asking those that can to bring the rest of the meal, so that all, even those emptyhanded, may be fed. There will be a potluck dinner for Oroville Eagles members who do not have family or can’t make it to be with their family. The organization will provide the turkey and ham and members are asked to bring a side or desert. The members of the Chesaw Community Bible Church will be cooking for the free Thanksgiving Dinner being held in the Community Building in Chesaw on Thursday, Nov. 27 starting at noon. The dinner is for everyone in the community and it is free. There will be turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, salads, and desserts. Please come and enjoy.
More snowfall by this Friday night THE GAZETTE-TRIBUNE
OKANOGAN VALLEY – While valley residents have been waking up to colder than normal November mornings, the National Weather Service was predicting rain for Thanksgiving with more snow by the weekend. Daytime temperatures were predicted in the lower to mid-40’s with lows ranging from the high 20s to mid-30s through Friday, averaging about 10 degrees higher than last week. However, by Friday night temperatures were expected to drop to as low as 11 to 21 degrees with a 20 percent chance of snow on Friday night. The NWS was predicting most-
Right, Tyler Duchow concentrates as he records weight information from the food drive conducted by Tonasket Elementary School last week. For more information on how the 4th and 5th grade ASB collected more than a ton of food, see page A3. Photos by Gary DeVon and Brent Baker
BRRRR! In addition to snow, low temps are forecast in the low to mid-twenties for the next few days
ly cloudy to start the weekend with highs in the 20s and lows in 10 to 16 degrees. On Sunday, the service predicts mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow. Highs in the lower 20s to lower 30s. Lows are forecast from 16 to 20 degrees.
Branch discusses Council of Governments Prince Family offers to lease ‘bin lot’ property to city for park use BY GARY A. DEVON EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
OROVILLE – The Oroville City Council heard discussion on several items from Chris Branch, the city’s director of Community Development, at their Tuesday, Nov. 18 council meeting. Branch reported on the coalition of governments, known as the Okanogan County Council of Governments, that has formed in order to handle a number of local issues, especially those concerning transportation. The COG was formed by the municipalities and county after they were voted out of the Regional Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n P l a n n i n g Organization (RTPO) that included Chelan, Douglas and Chris Branch
Okanogan County. The other counties and the larger municipalities decided that there wasn’t the same shared interest in regional transportation planning. “Right now we are keeping the focus
“Right now we are keeping our focus on transportation.. The RTPO used to decide what would be funded, now we have to do that” Chris Branch, Director Oroville Community Development
on transportation,” said Branch. “The RTPO used to decide what would be funded, but since we were expelled, if you will, now we have to do that.” The COG includes all the unincorporated cities of Okanogan County, as well as the county itself. Branch also talked about the North Central Washington Economic Development District, or NCWEDD, which still includes the three counties — Chelan, Douglas an Okanogan. The
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 110 No. 48
organization gets funding from the federal government and is still very supportive of regional planning, according to Branch. Branch said there was a change in leadership for the district, but there is still support for things like the partnership with Canadians along Highway 97 regarding tourism. “Some of the bigger entities which may have wanted us out of the RTPO are still on board. They are willing to finish work on the Highway 97 project,” he said. Branch also talked about the need for a Capital Facilities Plan Update, he said this would be important to the city especially for projects involving the federal government, like the proposed FFA project to move the location of the runway at the city’s Dorothy Scott International Airport. “When it comes out you’re going to go ahead and spend the dollars you have got to have a Capital Facilities Plan or the auditor beats up on JoAnne (Clerk Denney),” said Branch. His commented about the Shoreline Master Plan, which he said was heading the council’s way after being reviewed by
SEE BRANCH | PG A2
Gary DeVon/staff photo
This empty lot located along Highway 97 at the south entrance to Oroville is often full of empty apple bins which are stored there by Gold Digger Apples during the off season. Although convenient for the apple growers’ cooperative, the property often gets complaints about blowing dust from nearby homeowners. The Prince Family has proposed leasing the lot to the city for use as a park.
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