News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Upon reading the letters regarding issues with the Coulee Medical Center, I concur with what I’ve read. I recently was in CMC (9-12-13 to 10-28-13) recovering from a practical hip surgery being done in Spokane. I could hardly wait to get back to the coulee. The caregivers were great. Not a bad one at all. Kindness beyond what you’d think. As far as I’m concerned, my primary care provider would not be able to be replaced. When you reach 87 you do not want to have to go over your life medical history. Dr. Castrodale has seen me through cance...
We’ve often commented upon the actions of our now out-going mayor and some town council members. Their lack of concern, bullying tactics and adverse actions towards our town and its citizens have been duly noted and as a result YOU removed them from office. Not surprising but amazing is the fact that Quincy Snow has refused (through non-response) any sort of transition meeting with Mayor-Elect Greg Wilder. A facilities tour was requested and denied. A request was made for the mayor-elect to attend a meeting this month regarding the Bureau Secur...
I would like to nominate Jerry Birdwell for 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Jerry has stepped up far beyond the call of duty to help keep the Banks Lake Golf Course open for the community this past year. Day after day, as the golfers hit the course, Jerry was at the course with his own truck, his own chain saw, his own tools working on the sprinklers system. Some times you could see Jerry’s truck, and finally you would see Jerry’s head pop out of the hole he had dug to find and repair a leak in the system. Right after the several wind storms, Jer...
I would like to nominate Jerry Birdwell for Volunteer of the Year. When the call went out for volunteers needed to keep the Banks Lake Golf Course open, Jerry was one of the first in line. He has worked tirelessly repairing and maintaining the water system, the electrical problems, as well as mowing and anything else that needed attention. Jerry is the “go to” guy when things need fixing. No job is too big or too small, and he sticks to the task until the problem is solved. He doesn’t need a committee before tackling the job. Jerry Birdw...
I would like to thank David Noggles on his (letter to the editor) in the December 4 issue. I first heard about the CMC issues on the November 27 issue and the “red flags” started going up when I heard the three words: “just in time” when tied to “inventory.” I would also assume that since the CMC has adopted the Virginia Mason management style, that management is using similar measuring tools for such things as “performance or productivity” (more red flags). When I worked over on the “wet side” for a large well known aerospace firm, we...
If not for Dr. Castrodale and Dr. Chaffee, I wouldn't have a family as I do today. … Back in the mid ’90s, Castrodale found a problem with my daughter no other doctor had found. If not for him, my daughter would not be here today. Between them they have delivered six beautiful grandchildren for me, and I will go to my grave always being thankful for them. Wendy Hughes has been my personal lifesaver these last few years. Without her and her listening to me and helping me deal with issues, I doubt if I'd still be here to enjoy these kids and gra...
Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler made national news when he quickly rejected President Obama’s call for insurers to extend individual health insurance policies cancelled because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also referred to as Obamacare. While five million insurance policies have been cancelled to date, the Obama administration estimated that as many as 18 million of these policies will be cancelled because of the ACA. Here in Washington state, some 290,000 people h...
The home weather station measured a trifling 0.14 inches of precipitation for October. Looking back at past years shows we’ve had more — 1.15 inches in 2012, 0.54 inches in 2011, 1.23 inches in 2010 and 1.36 inches in 2009. The mean for October is 0.72 inches. We’ve been above the mean three of the last five years. Temperatures were generally on par with a high of 70.7°F occurring on the 6th of the month and a low of 29.1°F on Oct. 30. The all-time mean for October is 51.1°F; all-time high was...
Among the most frustrating regulations that citizens run up against when trying to fight city hall are zoning laws. But some of the most obvious problems this community faces result from a lack of them, or of their past enforcement. Zones in a city define how portions of geography are to be used: homes here, businesses there, mixed use over here. Their purpose is rooted in a great American concept — that we can do what we want with our own property, as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s. Zoning is supposed to help make that more...
Reading the Nov. 13 Star newspaper editorial prompted me to this response. Don't you find your statement about wondering what the judge will find to be ironic? One of the complaints about Mr. Picard helping his friends and neighbors came from Jack's Service. The city of Grand Coulee granted Jack a permit to gouge the public with his monopolistic fuel prices. Now they want Mr. Picard to cease helping his family and friends so they will have to travel out of town for help. Just like many locals now have to do for their fuel needs. In the same...
My sincere appreciation to those who supported me for Hospital Commissioner. I will make every effort to support YOU. Betty Bruesky...
• The Missoula Children’s Theater, which the local PTA paid to put on an impressive musical with local kids in less than a week, is a happy symptom of a depressing malady in society. We need more resources to go toward such humanities efforts, less for educational testing ad nauseam. • It will be interesting to see what a judge makes of the dispute between a local mechanic working out of his house and the city, which fined him for not having a license and practicing the trade in a residential zone. He claims his services have basically gone...
If citizen involvement is a key ingredient in the health of a community, this one should feel pretty good about itself. The upside of people complaining about what they think is going wrong is that they care and they act as caring citizens should: they complain. This week we feature stories that reflect citizen concerns: local political races for 11 contested seats because people cared enough to want to serve; and folks confronting the hospital district commission on issues that matter to them. As uncomfortable as such controversy can make...
I believe in supporting small family-owned businesses. This helps a local family earn a living, and it keeps our money in the local community. I also know that we get better service. This was strongly reinforced when it became apparent a few weeks ago that it was time to replace the 10-year-old Dodge Ram with another, more reliable truck for towing my horse trailer. Like every other hard-working, penny-pinching resident of the PNW, I went first to that mega-dealership over in Idaho that runs a constant stream of radio and TV ads proclaiming...
I read about your hunt for information on the oldest building in the coulee area and someone said the old store building in Belvedere was close to that. The store was owned by a family named Grey. They did live in the back and the front was the store. In the winter they would open the doors early so we kids could wait for the school bus inside out of the cold weather. Yes, it is vacant now but still standing as it was the marker that helped me find the old road up to the ranch, which is now owned by the Ray Green family. My dad and mom bought...
The time is near for all eligible citizens to get out and vote! Why vote? If you don’t vote you have no reason to complain as how the election turns out. Locally we have various positions open to the vote of the local people. I am writing in regards to our local community hospital. Community hospital sounds great but how does the community have any say in the operation of the local hospital? I’m referring to the decision that was made that our community hospital could not hold a yearly blood draw as it was against the law to do so. How...
In the interest of “fairness” I must confess; my family and I are lawbreakers. It’s best to be up front about it before Mr. Horne and Mr. Madsen hold us before the city council and besmirch our very character. First, our home is not located in an area zoned for business, and no one in the family has a valid business license. Yet we seem to have persevered in small enterprises requiring both. My sister will be devastated, her life in ruin, branded a tax evader after babysitting for family and friends. Perhaps, my brother will be on par with...
Our diverse region and readership have decisions to make. We hope this week’s Local Candidates Forum provides some help for voters who open their mail-in ballots to cast decisions on races they may not have even realized were occurring. Readers should know that candidates were notified that we wanted them to answer three simple questions, but only via an email and a front-page article in last week’s paper. If you don’t see a reply from them this week, there could be several reasons for that, including that they’ve been away and didn’t...
In 1992, a single male sockeye salmon managed to swim 900 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River to Redfish Lake in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, the end of his migratory journey. Biologists dubbed the sole survivor, “Lonesome Larry.” By 2010, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council happily reported record-setting runs for sockeye —nearly 387,000 had climbed the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam. The numbers, which fluctuate annually, stand at 186,000 this year. The resurgence of the soc...
The high temperatures we had up to mid-September, 80s and 90s, have dropped off measurably. As we transitioned into October we’ve had nothing above the high 70s. I think it’s fair to state we are now in autumn weather. My home weather station recorded a high temperature of 95.9°F on Sept. 13 (all-time high was 104°F in 1938) and a low of 39.5° on the September 25 (all-time low of 30°F in 1970). Precipitation was on the light side though above the mean (0.72 inches) with 0.88 inches recorde...
I was sorry to see the “Liability issue puts damper on horse-kid match-ups,” article in The Star Oct. 2. I believe that “The Nourishing Hand” program would and could be a great program for the kids in this area. Animals have a great positive effect on people of all ages. This has been proven by the use of this type of programming in prisons, nursing homes, and also for troubled teens, with huge positive results, comforting the sick, the dying, the troubled, and even those that society said there was no hope for, by simply incorporating animals...
They are a group of local community volunteers who have volunteered to pick peaches, apples, Italian plums, apricots, tomatoes and whatever else may need to be picked. Whatever is picked usually goes to the senior centers in Grand Coulee and Nespelem, and also to the Senior Manor in Grand Coulee. Also, items are delivered to homebound elderly senior citizens in the Grand Coulee Dam area. Yes, the pickers do sample the products as we would never give out a product that we would not eat ourselves! A big thank you goes out to all of the citizens w...
Remember when you were a little kid and had to learn, likely through repeated lessons, that you just can’t always get your way? That you have to learn to give a little just to get along in this world? That’s not just a childhood lesson, it’s a basic principal that undergirds the healthiest societies, keeps disagreements civil and greases the wheels of democracy. It makes civilization itself possible. But a new faction within the Republican Party rejects that premise, insisting that compromise is evil. Many in the House of Representatives got el...
So, I’m very glad I took out that MedStar membership. Took a ride last night. The good pros at Coulee Medical Center figured out why I was so weak and sent me to Sacred Heart ICU. Turns out I have multiple pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in lungs). Yes, that’s bad. A surgery or two is coming up, along with some lengthy recuperation. Life is what happens when you had other plans. So, although your submitted photos are always welcome in The Star, they will be more so in the coming weeks. You can email them to gwen@grandcoulee.com, along wit...
The American Legion Post 157 in Electric City would like to say thanks to everyone who helped us out in many ways! Yes, our Legion Club has had problems in the past, but most of the money has been recovered, our tax-free status has been reinstated and our legion post recovery has just been great. Thanks to all who donated to our weekly Saturday yard sales. This was a very good fund-raiser for us. Also a thanks goes out to all who purchased yard sale items from us! Legion meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month at the Vets’ Center i...