News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 2623
Observers sense American discontent with a rapidly changing world. A recently cited indicator is a suddenly popular song called “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Citizens seeking public office need to be wealthy or sell their allegiance to wealthy benefactors. Government has become confusing, with our national government and our state governments making an array of conflicting laws and an endless stream of court decisions and reversals that deliver uncertainty. Opinion polls indicate substantial pessimism regarding our rancid political env...
I love this Coulee…the scenery, the climate, the people. It will be my home until I leave this earth. I started running in the Coulee nearly 25 years ago. The Coulee has a way of reaching into your soul to bring peace and calm. Run The Dam (formerly The Over The Dam Run) became my baby in 2016. I wanted to share the unique course and beauty of the Coulee with the whole world. Run The Dam, now a nonprofit organization, has a mission to provide healthy outdoor activity in the Coulee. The annual event, always the third weekend of September, now b...
We are all different. If we were not, it would be impossible to recognize people we know, including our close friends and relatives. Sometimes we don’t like people who are different, whose beliefs differ from ours, or whose behavior we find objectionable. But we can tolerate people we don’t especially like, and we need to encourage tolerance. Nine countries have nuclear weapons, and additional countries are striving to acquire nuclear arsenals. We humans have the technical skills to destroy ourselves. Whether we have the political skills to...
That shaking you feel is not an earthquake. It is our country’s founders rolling in their graves. Here in Florida, on the front burner of the next presidential election, politics is all about how we use the bathroom. At Mar-A-Lago our nation’s secrets are protected by a sign, Top Secret, correction, make that “occupied.” Meanwhile, the Florida governor, who wants to be in charge of all those secrets, has signed a flood of legislation that threatens to block the plumbing. It is now a crime to use the wrong bathroom in Florida. And, accordi...
After the latest reactive management decision from our local GCDSD Board, community and staff members who are furious about the superintendent selection asked me to share their total lack of trust in these elected officials. As someone who has five Raider graduates, loved and fully supported the GCDSD for years, this selfish decision does not surprise me. I just wanted to wait until after the 2023 graduation was over before I shared thoughts that I truly feel are also supported by the majority of community and staff. As taxpayers there is obvio...
Hot, simmering, smoldering is how patrons of the "First Friday" chamber of commerce event were describing the refractive heat, bouncing off the concrete sidewalk last week. But thankfully, firefighters were present with ultimate water power, and the chamber placed cooling locations in the nearby park Upon arrival, it was dominated by dedicated business, with vendors selling goods ranging from popcorn, cheeky shirts, eccentric jewelry, and scrumptious (i.e., "nom nom") food from the Siam Palace....
Last summer — about July, I’d guess — I got a phone call from Bubba Egbert. I knew Bubba by reputation, but at that point I’d had only one conversation with him when I’d gone to pick up my daughter after a day she spent hanging out with his sons. On the phone he said, “It’s looking like I may coach the football team this year, and I need an assistant coach in the school.” I tried to think of someone quickly — someone else, another teacher. I suggested a couple people, and Bubba hemmed and hawed a little. If I’m honest, I felt a little like I wa...
It seems to be our human nature to blame someone when events take a turn that we don’t like. When deadly contagious disease struck the ancient Greeks and Romans, they thought that humans had displeased the gods, and the gods were punishing the human race. During the Middle Ages, there was a time now known as the “little ice age.” The summer weather in Europe was cold and wet for years or decades at a time. Crops failed and people suffered from hunger and starvation. People blamed minority elements of the population for the bad weather, and t...
Our Constitutional First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech is a fundamental requirement for a successful democracy. But false statements produce consequences that threaten our democracy and the well-being of our society. Fifty-nine years ago, the administration of President Lyndon Johnson falsified information about U.S. operations in the Tonkin Gulf. That falsification was used to justify the invasion of Vietnam in 1965. The Vietnam War dragged on for 10 years and caused disruptions in American society. It lasted long enough, 1965 to...
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was developed during the Great Depression that occurred in the 1930s. It was a federal government program that established electricity for a seven-state area, and it bolstered the free enterprise economy of the region. World War Two followed the depression era. The TVA was a source of the extensive amount of electricity needed by Alcoa to produce the aluminum needed for the 50,000 aircraft that authorities anticipated needing for the successful conduct of the war. Additionally, the TVA was the source of...
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...
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...
The U.S. national debt is now $30.4 trillion dollars. The government has spent that much more money than it has collected in tax revenue. Per person, it means that every U.S. citizen, including diapered infants, owes $95,000 dollars. The U.S. Congress has allowed the debt to increase every year, except four years, since 1970. The George W. Bush Administration increased the national debt by five trillion dollars in eight years. The Trump Administration increased the national debt seven trillion dollars in four years. We have two problems:...
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...
Looks like our lawmakers and Department of Ecology have decided not to raise our gas tax 46 cents per gallon at this time. Instead, they are planning to have the businesses pay a CO2 (carbon) tax. It will no doubt put some small businesses out of business, but as usual they don’t care. This all falls under the Climate Commitment Act, which was passed on April 24, 2021. It was quickly signed into law by our Governor Inslee, who wants to be like Al Gore. The fools on the other side of the mountains want to mirror California. I’ve got an idea for...
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 former Soviet Union (USSR) had an immense stockpile of nuclear weapons and radioactive material distributed in several places in Russia and the 15 countries that formed the USSR. Some of those nuclear weapons and materials were loosely controlled. With the collapse of the central government in 1991, there was concern that those weapons might be sold to or stolen by the wrong kind of people. Indiana’s U.S. Senator Richard Lugar performed a very important role in gaining control of those “loose nucs.” Humanity owes a measure of grati...
We recognize and honor physical bravery, but we seldom recognize moral courage. Both physical bravery and moral courage benefit society. We should give those who exhibit exceptional moral courage the recognition that they deserve. An appropriate annual date for Moral Courage Day in America is the first day of January when we reflect on the past and the future. The first two citizens who should be honored for moral courage are: • Michael Richard Pence Vice President of the United States • Bradford Jay Raffensperger Georgia Secretary of State Bot...
The powers that Google and Facebook have over economic and political power in society - especially over the news industry - has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington, DC. After a close election and many worries over the quality of public debate, many ask if social media have played a role in the misinformation that erodes our free press and plagues our democracy. Nowhere is this power more daunting than in the social media giants' use of news organizations' reporting, which the...
I read the recent Star news article appearing in the October 26th issue of the Star. It was reported, at the October 18th Grand Coulee City Council meeting, during the public comment period an attendee, Darryl Hackworth, spoke. Mr. Hackworth said he had been working with “Dollar General” regarding setting up a retail shop in Grand Coulee on property located on Federal Way, behind where it intersects with Midway Ave. As an area resident, I personally feel the possibility of a Dollar General locating in Grand Coulee would be deleterious to our...
Nothing says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year like a 46-cent additional gas tax, coming January 2023, as part of the Climate Commitment Act, from the people who look out for our welfare and wellbeing. We already pay 49 cents per gallon, so what’s another 46 cents per gallon? It will be a total of 95 cents per gallon just for the Washington State tax, along with the Federal tax for a total of $1.14 per gallon just in taxes. This will be the highest gas tax in the Nation, we can’t let California be number one. I hope this makes Gov Inslee and...
Legendary Raider wrestling coach Steve Hood, who retired in 2019, is being inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Hood will be inducted into the hall of fame in Yakima on Nov. 5, and a community dinner will be held at the American Legion building in Electric City on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. That free dinner will include a main dish, and attendees are encouraged to bring sides, salads, and desserts for a potluck. More information can be found by...
A Veterans Day assembly will be held at Lake Roosevelt on Nov. 10 from 9-10 a.m. in the high school gym, and veterans and their families are welcome to attend. Middle school and high school bands will be performing patriotic marches, and a slideshow will be presented showing veterans from the local area, their names, dates of service, and which branch of the military they served in. Further submissions for that will be accepted up until Nov. 8, band teacher Gabriel James said. "The more the...
I didn’t believe my wife when she told me there were 80 students at the elementary Raider cheer clinic last week. So, I went to the game and once again she was correct – darn it! It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Totally awesome! A fan by me said the mini cheerleaders were adorable. Great job Coach A. and Coach Tufts. My wife said she could not have done it without her wonderful assistant coach and hardworking high school cheerleaders. Appreciated the simple fun, enthusiasm and tremendous energy so much! John M. Adkin...
“Police spoke to a man at Safeway who was reported as acting strangely and not speaking. The man did speak to police, saying he wanted a drink. Police told him he wasn’t welcome at the store, and then found that he was wanted on a felony warrant out of Okanogan County for assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, theft, and another assault charge. Officials in Okanogan were unable to speak to the officer, who was told to call back in 30 minutes. The officer found this to be an unreasonable amount of time to detain the man outside of Safeway, so...
