News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 2921
It’s easy, and human, to get pulled into negative thinking about the state of world, which, after all, is never the way it used to be and therefore must be headed for nothing good, and fast. Don’t fall for it. I get reminded of this every time I have the privilege of spending time near today’s young people. They’re usually wiser, more self-aware, less selfish, and more ambitious than I expect them to be. Admittedly, that says something about my own sometimes-negative rut. But it’s also reflective of an all-too-ready, knee-jerk reaction...
To be specific, my wife let her little dog of 50 years out with a very short leash and held up a rolled-up newspaper as if to whack my backside if I didn’t behave. She put a muzzle on me until the latest GCDSD levy passed and took it off only for kibbles and bits. I’ve been a good boy so I didn’t have to sleep in the dog house. She’ll tell you my bark is much worse than my bite. As a longtime community member and taxpayer, no one has been a bigger fan and loved our local school district more than me until the upper brass and their hired hand co...
Last week, news outlets around the country had wall-to-wall coverage of a spy balloon sent by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) transiting across America. While a balloon itself does not sound very dangerous, it’s the intent behind it that’s concerning—the CCP is testing us to see how President Biden responds, which should raise alarm bells for every American. We simply cannot take this threat lightly and must respond with tough policies to protect our sovereignty from the CCP. As more information arises about this situation, it’s becomin...
Here we go again. The United States crashed through the nation’s debt ceiling on Jan. 19, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. For now, the government is relying on accounting tweaks and shifting money from one pot to another to pay the bills. But that only works for so long. Soon, Congress will have to raise or suspend the debt limit. The alternative, defaulting on America’s financial obligations and sending the world economy into a tailspin, is unthinkable. Or it should be. But we can expect a lot of brinksmanship and political pos...
The Lake Roosevelt Raider wrestling team on Saturday qualified 11 athletes for the regional tournament next weekend, including two District 6 champions. Zach Elwell took first place at the 106-pound weight division over teammate and 2022 state champion Rodger Cate. Teyten Flores, at 145, claimed that championship with a pin of Tonasket's Logan Stucker at the event, which was held at Lake Roosevelt High School. Dillan Yazzie took second place at 113, as did Dakota Green at 138, Landon Krohn at...
The Lady Raiders beat down the Liberty Bell Lady Mountain Lions Friday night in Coulee Dam 64-12 in their first post-season game, sending them on to meet Brewster last night (Tuesday) at Omak High School, where the next part of the 2023 District 6 2B Girls Basketball tournament is being held. If the LR girls, with an overall win-loss record of 14-7, beat Brewster (12-7), they’ll meet either Tonasket or Okanogan at Omak at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10. If Brewster won last night, the Lady Raiders will still play the earlier Omak game on the 10th at 6 p...
Coulee Dam will accept a $906,000 bid by a contractor for work on a sewage lift station if funding and that award is approved by a federal agency. The city council voted last week to accept a bid from Strider Construction for $906,716 to update its west side lift station, which sends wastewater from the neighborhood on the west side of the Columbia River, across the bridge to the town’s new treatment plant. But that acceptance is contingent on the federal Dept. of Agriculture’s Rural Development Fund (RD)approving extra funding for the imp...
The Grand Coulee Dam and Nespelem school districts came to agreement Friday on terms of a "tuition" agreement they've been negotiating for the current school year. A solution for the next school year is still under discussion. The districts had until Jan. 31 to file applications with the U.S. Dept. of Education for "impact aid" funds that are meant to replace tax levy money they can't get because of non-taxable federal land within their boundaries. They've had an agreement since 1995 on sharing...
My wife and I have always thought the world of Lisa Carlson (Loe). Lisa is more LR Raider than anyone I know. I used to tape her ankles before basketball games (This was the second time I worked in a hazard zone!) and then I’d sit back and marvel at her basketball prowess. Lisa came from an exceptional basketball family so her fundamentals and game time “on the fly” IQ were exceptional. She was not the most athletic — slight of build, not that tall or fast — but she was a gamer, always reliable, who never backed down from anyone. It was amazi...
This morning’s Spokesman Review tells a sad story of a fatally strangled 16-year-old girl in the Seattle area. I am quoting important information included in the article: “Strangulation deaths, which disproportionately affect women, are generally uncommon and have decreased dramatically since passage of the federal Violence Against Women Act in 1994. … State law was changed in 2007 to recognize strangulation as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence.” Our important House Representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, voted AGAINST RENEWIN...
Last year, over 100,000 people in the United States died from a drug overdose, largely driven by the rampant spread of illicit fentanyl. In Washington state, drug overdoses have been increasing at shocking rates in the past few years, and communities across Central Washington have been devastated by the fentanyl crisis, which is now the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45. The hard truth is, no corner of our communities has been left untouched by this growing crisis. We need to classify all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I...
The Raider boys get to keep this regular-season, top-of-the-league boasting rights after winning at home against Tonasket last night, securing a first-round by in the District 6 tournament that starts Saturday. The win came after they had suffered a seven-point loss in Okanogan Jan. 24, the second in league loss the whole season, but emerged the top seed into the District 6 post season last night in Coulee Dam. Coming off a 22-point win against Manson Jan. 20, the Raiders met stiffer resistance...
Two points are so inefficient. So, Aaliyah Marchand increased her scoring efficiency by 50 percent per basket, hitting all seven from beyond the three-point line to lead the Lady Raiders in scoring against Okanogan last week with 21 - to match her jersey number. One of the team's most physical players under the basket, she got nothing 'neath the net, which may have been the Bulldogs' plan, but no matter. The Lady Raiders' only senior showed her versatility, proving the point with long-range miss...
The Grand Coulee Dam School District will help fund a lawsuit against the state intended to have a far-reaching effect on funding school facilities and programs. School board members voted unanimously Monday to chip in $5,000 to to the Wahkiakum School District in the endeavor. Wahkiakum Superintendent Brent Freeman attended the meeting and filled the board in on progress on the suit, which will be heard by the state Supreme Court. The suit claims the state is not meeting its constitutional...
Bob Hendrickson “The Fix It Man” is definitely in my local Curiosity Hall of Fame. Sometimes he’ll stop by just to visit because he’s curious. He’s fixed really old appliances for me at different times and they still work! However, he fixes things way beyond appliances — he is a people whisperer! Sometimes I’ll deliberately break stuff and have him fix it so I can watch him in action and listen to his wisdom. You don’t need a quarter or a wind-up key, just shut your yapper and enjoy. He’ll clearly tell you what needs fixin’, why, and...
Like many Americans, I watched with dismay this month as the House of Representatives struggled through 15 votes over four days to select a new speaker. The sense of dysfunction was remarkable. Anyone watching might well have wondered about our ability to govern ourselves. For a week, there was no speaker to call the House to order. Elected members couldn’t take the oath of office and start conducting business. One house of the Congress was effectively AWOL. Finally, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, secured enough votes to win. But the c...
After beating Brewster by nine points at home and dominating Manson 78-12 last week, the Lady Raiders stood at second in the league Tuesday night before meeting Okanogan at the home of the Lady Bulldogs, the Central Washington 2B League leaders. The Okanogan girls, with a 7-0 win-loss record in league and 16-0 overall, may have felt secure going into that game against Lake Roosevelt (5-2, 11-6), with ample reason. Okanogan won 91 – 48. LR started out strong, scoring 34 in the first half, but couldn’t execute in the second, Coach Melissa Meza sa...
The Raider boys beat Brewster in a bruiser of a basketball game Jan. 17 in Coulee Dam, 61-60, then went to Manson to trample the Trojans 63-41 on Friday. The Raiders, with a 7-0 league win-loss record, 15-2 overall, ranked first in the Central Washington 2B league and second in the state as of Tuesday night, according to WIAA’s site. They trailed only Brewster (5-2, 13-4) statewide. The RPI rankings used by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association factor in the difficulty of a team’s schedule during the season, making it pos...
Twice last weekend people wanting to fish through the ice of Banks Lake found out it was thinner than they'd figured. On Saturday afternoon and amphibious motor vehicle designed for ice fishing headed out on the ice from Coulee Playland with three men inside. When they tried to drive the four-wheeled vehicle over the off-shore log boom, the vehicle, a Wilcraft amphibious ice fishing vehicle, high centered on the logs and it broke through the ice at both ends, leaving it unmovable. But it was bui...
Coulee Dam officials had hoped they’d get some of the funding in the form of free grants for work to replace an aging sewage lift station on the west side of the Columbia River, but learned last week the funding agency intended to only offer a loan for the near million-dollar project. Clerk Stefani Bowden said she’d gotten a call right before Wednesday’s city council meeting. “I was a little disappointed to see this news today,” she told the council about 20 minutes later. The lift station has been on the back burner for years while the city...
Elmer City utility customers will pay about $13 a month more for water and sewer service beginning in March, but garbage rates will remain the same. The town council passed a new utility rate ordinance last Thursday to set the increase in motion. The increases include a $5 jump for water and $8 for sewer, plus some increases for fees such as for being late paying the bill, or ordering a start or end to a service. Mayor Jesse Tilman said the bump puts the town more on par with other area towns. “Years ago, when I first came on council, we w...
Sporting officials and umpires are in short supply locally, and the association that schedules those workers is looking for interested people to fill the roles that keep sports going. "The shortage of umpires for high school baseball and softball in the Central Columbia Basin may cause disruptions in local games this season," stated Bruce Shields, the assigning secretary for the Central Columbia Basin Umpires Association (CCBUA). The group assigns umpires for seven high schools and five middle... Full story
I know the subject of childcare has been brought up before, and we do have a daycare center and several in home sitters available. They all seem busy showing the need is there. I believe that there is an area of great need not being met, and that is evening and weekend care. Think about how many area businesses pay minimum wage, part-time, with a lot of nights and weekends. The need is there, BUT will anyone fill it? Carol Schoning...
When I was in college I struggled to get through two graduate programs. Working on research and lab projects I’d get marked down for being too robotic and not curious enough. As a youngster I enjoyed Dorothy, Groucho, Curly Joe, Elmer Fudd, Big Bird, Bert & Ernie, Winnie the Pooh, Barney Rubble, Yogi Bear, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Alice in Wonderland, Br’er Fox, Peter Cottontail, Goldie Locks, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Goofy, Wilbur, Horton, Thing 1 & 2, Sylvester, Bullwinkle, George Jetson, Alvin, Casper, and others. They were optimisti...
The Lake Roosevelt Raiders currently top their league, facing two top competitors and five other schools in the Central Washington 2B League. After their Friday night home-court win against the Oroville Hornets, the Raiders' win-loss record in the league stands at 5-0, and overall at 13-2. The Hornets lost 88-37 Friday, putting them at the other end of the league list at 0-5. The Raiders fed the Tigers (1-4) a similar meal in Tonasket Jan. 10, winning 84-44. "We're getting better every single...