News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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I was honored to be asked to go on the senior trip this year. This class is jammed full of special personalities, funny characters and future stars looking to make their mark in the world and on each other. So here is a recap of our trip to Seattle. At 5 a.m. Friday we met at the school, zombies staggering around with bags on our shoulders, sleep in our eyes and begging for coffee. We started our journey across the state; soon sleepiness turned to anticipation as we left the desert and entered the plush greenness on the other side. First stop w...
Thirty-plus years just does not feel like enough time. The Peacocks are about to pull up roots and travel the nation on a permanent road trip. We have gotten used to the snow bird effect, but this time it will be for much longer. Barry and Viv are spreading their wings and are going to soar. Barry has been helping people for years. With the city, with the church and with friends, he is a man’s man. He has helped many a person over the years and has been a staple to the area. He has helped Karrie...
Recently, two girls at Lake Roosevelt High School sat in the cafeteria during lunch. They had been having a really good discussion as they munched on their chow of choice when one of them looked up at the other eaters in the room. They were amazed and their eyes were opened to a very common phenomenon that is sweeping our country. Every other student at every table was looking at the screen of their device. No talking was taking place. All zoomed in to whatever event was happening on the screen at the moment. The two girls pointed this out to...
In a world where turmoil, drama and entertainment seem to grab the front page, top stories and flood our cyber space, I was reminded over the weekend that miracles still surround us. A blooming flower, an egg hatching, planets in orbit and other “natural” occurrences happen every second, but there are other things if we are willing to see. Karrie and I have been, most Saturdays, going to Spokane early in the morning, driving to be there by 9 and experience some great things. We became a part of Healing Rooms International and were honored to...
I have vivid memories of our local festival. The week-long wait as a child drove all the kids crazy. Watching day by day as carnival rides showed up and slowly erected themselves into something magical and astounding. Seeing trucks pulling horse trailers arriving to Coulee Country, ending their long journey in Delano, where we would all go to see the cowboys and cowgirls ride the beasts. Then there were the bands, floats and princesses from around the state that would crowd our little streets and delight us on a Saturday morning. That is when...
Every once in a while a student comes along that you wish would never leave. That’s how I feel about “Iron” Angelo Clark. Over the past few years, I have watched this young man go from the average place for students, just getting by, and propel himself to the elite status as a leader within the school. He has matured into a leader on the field, in the classroom and wherever he goes. He has an old soul, and I got to sit down with this outstanding senior at Lake Roosevelt for a chat. “This has been the best year ever.” That is how Angelo st...
First off, a lady very instrumental to my faith passed away last week. Pat Piccolo, whom I consider one of the kindest ladies I have ever had the privilege of being around, was not only instrumental in a lot of people’s lives, but was there when I first gave my life to the Lord. I was working for her husband, Vic, and on many occasions we would return home to her having a warm meal waiting for us. Homemade spaghetti, made with elk burger, will forever be engrained on my taste palate. Along with a huge heart, compassion for those struggling and...
Last weekend was Easter, and while some were searching for some bunny to get chocolate and eggs from, I was searching for the “Beauty of Christ.” I had been given an assignment and was to speak at church on Sunday morning. Three of us had really, and we all had different characteristics of our savior’s name to dive into and come out on the other side. Mine was Beautiful. Another was Powerful and the third was Wonderful. We all went about the task differently, but the end product was very moving. I cannot tell you about the journeys of the o...
I had the honor and privilege of attending two events this week that moved me in such a way that I will always remember. I attended the Northwest Indian Youth Conference as a chaperone and our son’s wedding, as, well, me. Both were very special. At the conference I got to see a side of some young people that I don’t always get to see. Leaders emerged, responsibility followed and fears were conquered. The list of speakers was astounding. Simon Moya Smith from CNN spoke. He is one of the only Native American reporters working at a major net...
Every once in a while someone surprises me — with their actions, words or change in character. This is especially encouraging when it is a young person. Sometimes we don’t give them the credit that is due to them. We lump them into a generation that we feel is disconnected, entitled or lazy overall. We judge a younger group and figure they are all playing video games all night, binging on NetFlix and drinking energy drinks until they crash into a four-day coma only to emerge with less brain tissue than they had when they started their sugar-ind...
The phrase “Life is just not fair” has been said by many of us many times over our lives or we have heard others say it. Even in my own life I have felt slighted or treated unfairly or even wronged by others or circumstances and just thought the world was against me. Things at times seem like we are sinking in the “quicksands” of life with nothing to grab hold of. We have seen it at all levels, but there are times when a little ray of success blasts through the gloom and lifts our spirts out of the joy-sucking sand. A flower in a weed garden....
Back when I was younger, (yes, that long ago), I found something on television that would change my Saturday-morning cartoon watching forever. If I got up early enough I could watch the Lone Ranger (in black and white) and Sergeant Preston before Bugs Bunny and Road Runner came on. Then one day I got up extra early. Whammo, my imagination was changed forever. Names like Hulk Hogan and Super Fly Snuka became legends in a child’s mind, leading to new games and characters to pretend you were. Sergeant Slaughter and Tommy “Wild Fire” Rich becam...
Although spring does not officially start until March 20, I feel something in the air. Along with feeling the brisk morning air, I am smelling the morning wetness, seeing the sprouting buds, hearing the early-morning song birds and feeling the itchiness that comes with pollen. Yep, spring is here. After being held captive by the ice queen of a winter and the grumpy ground hog, we’ve made it to the thawing and warming process. Gardeners will be out tilling, weeding, raking and pruning, preparing for the bountiful harvest of seeds now in their h...
I sat down with the young lady I call “Live” and learned a bit more about what makes her tick. I have known the Arnold family for a long time and have watched this senior at Lake Roosevelt bloom into an amazing adult, but I heard more than I expected in my sit down chat. When I asked how her senior year is going she answered with an enthusiastic “Great,” followed by, “It is a lot less hectic than I thought it was going to be.” She said all this with that bigger-than-life smile she gets. She went on to explain that she had to make up extra cr...
Ask any married couple who has a successful marriage and the word “communication” will come up as a key to a healthy, long partnership. Also, any successful business will use the word communication as a key to a thriving venture. In the last week I have taken two trainings on communication, each focusing on different phases and approaches. In the world we currently live in, communication should be so easy, yet we still find ourselves struggling. Communication with our spouses, kids, friends, bosses and co-workers is still a major obstacle in...
“It was a dark and stormy night.” This is considered one the worst beginnings of a suspenseful novel. But we have been living it. Cold weather, lots of snow and now the melt-off. Add very little sunshine and the winter blues hit you where it counts. Multiply in Christmas shopping recovery, political turmoil, tragedy in the area and the yuck bugs going around; we all might lock ourselves in our houses with nothing but Net-flix and Theraflu until the sun shines again. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As the mud rises and the sno...
I recently sat down with a young man I have known for a long time. Will “The Thrill” Friedlander is a man of few words, as many of you know, but I was able to extract a few things from the current senior at Lake Roosevelt High School. I asked Will how his final year of high school was going and he gave his typical one-word answer, “Memorable.” After a long pause, he explained. This year the class of 2017 has come together, they are enjoying each other’s differences and discovering their similarities. They realized they have been on this jour...
The Super Bowl was Sunday, and if you missed it you missed a little bit of NFL history. Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick solidified their spots in the annals of Best QB and Best Coach of all time. Granted, I do not care for either of them, but the results of Sunday’s game made it perfectly clear. Tom Brady must be mentioned with the likes of Montana, Manning, Favre and Elway as the greatest of all time; and, yes, I must admit, as much as it hurts to say this, he may be on top of that list. T...
Our youth can sometimes get a bad rap. A small group of rebellious teens can sometimes make an impression on an individual that defines an entire generation in that person’s eyes. The words disconnected, lazy, distracted and entitled are some of the terms used today to describe the upcoming adults who will be leading us before we know it. To be honest, if I look back at my own childhood and think about where I saw myself then, I did not see me standing where I stand now. What was important to me then is not now, and the maturity that can h...
What a confusing weekend in America. The greatest democracy in the world held its most historical and patriotic event Friday, and those who did not agree with the outcome of the process (a process that I have not agreed with at times, I might add) got ugly. Not only did they riot, destroy, slander and accuse, but they basically spat upon the honor and justice of this nation. They put a black mark on the entire history of America and did so in the name of freedom and protests. I understand the feeling of believing you were wronged and doing...
This past week I received a wake-up call. That came on the same day that I learned of Eldon Wilson’s passing and of Duane Frye’s illness. These two men have given more to our community and nation than we will probably ever know. Eldon sat beside me for many years at basketball games. While I was announcing the game, he was keeping track, running the clock and scoreboard. His heart was vested in Raider Sports; he had more passion for what was happening on the court than many of the fans and players who filled the gym. He took his job ser...
As we start the New Year I wanted to highlight some of the seniors in this year’s class at Lake Roosevelt who are succeeding and striving to make a difference in their own lives. I choose Aiyanna Picard because, well, she is “The Legend,” and we kind of have a history with each other. A long time ago, when I worked with Colville Tribal Emergency Services, we got a call about a lost girl. To make a long story short, this girl was lost for a few days in the woods, and hundreds were called in to look for her. She was found and was perfectly fine,...
The year 2016 saw many of my childhood heroes and icons pass away. As the year wound down, they seemed to come in waves and it got me thinking more and more about the celebrities who entertain us throughout the years, and in some cases become part of the family. David Bowie passed on Jan. 10, and although he was not one of my favorite musicians, he was an icon in the music industry. He influenced many of the bands we currently listen to and broke the mold on showmanship and entertainment. Alan Rickman passed four days later, and although you ma...
As 2016 is wrapping up and we prepare for what lies ahead in 2017, it is always good to glance back at the last year and remember the events that affected us most. Now, I could go global for this column, but I decided to keep it personal because I found myself over the holidays looking at the faces of family members around me and thinking about them. How have I affected them? Have I left anything undone? How can I help them in the future year and in years to come? How have they affected me in my life, good and bad? How can we all change?...
Last Sunday night was Faith Community Church’s Annual Christmas Dinner and it got me to thinking about holiday traditions. Maybe it was the Archers and their 30-plus years of service to God and church. Maybe it was watching the Hansens’, Moores’ and Lyngholms’ kids, grandkids and elders come up on stage and perform the unforgettable 12 Days of Christmas. Or maybe it was seeing all the little kids running around like their parents did years ago in a church that used to sit on the very spot the new church now sits. It could have been the smell o...