News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Here is my second profile of a senior at Lake Roosevelt High School this year. If I was to look at this year’s seniors and pick one that has grown up the most over the years I have known him, I would pick today’s subject. Jonathan Cante is one of those kids that is just plain likable on all levels. So here’s Jonny… We sat in my office at Lake Roosevelt, and it was a quick conversation that was packed full of focus and confidence. I started by asking about the senior year and the answer came qu...
George and Caty Northrup weren't the only family in the canyon at the turn of the 20th century. Scheibner brothers Charles and Fred had moved into the canyon a couple years earlier and were already known for their produce, in particular, luscious strawberries. In 1901, with the backing of the farming community around Steamboat Rock, the brothers petitioned the county for a bond to create a road up the south talus slope wall. The main purpose for the new road was to move fresh produce up to the...
John Christopher (J.C.) Keller was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 16, 1858, and came west in 1882. He conducted the post office and a general store at Hesseltine, northwest of Wilbur and when the railroad was built to Davenport, Keller moved to Almira and opened a mercantile store. In 1897, anticipation of the opening of the Colville Reservation south half to mineral entry, prompted him to buy the cable ferry across the Columbia to the San Poil, which then became known as the Keller Ferry....
With food drives coming up for the holidays, I thought it might be a good time to let all of our generous citizens know what we are in need of. We use a lot of canned green beans, canned fruit, and mac and cheese. Anything you would like for your dinner, your neighbors would probably also like; please use your good judgment. Please send us regular-sized foods, not oversized; it serves more people. Please watch the best-by date on things you take out of your cupboard; we threw away some things last year that were five years old and older, and we...
Thank you, Sheriff Tom Jones, Prosecutor Garth Dano, Grant County commissioners and the various city councils for proposing and supporting Proposition 1. The 3/10 of 1% is the fairest method to fund badly needed additional law enforcement and justice throughout Grant County. Everyone who utilizes law and justice services has the opportunity and responsibility to contribute to its funding. Not only do all residents of the county contribute, but more importantly so will all tourists, concert goers and visitors who utilize and tax our already...
On Sunday, September 22, 2019, a friend was at a birthday party at a bar about 8 to 9 p.m. Two cars were playing bumper tag. One car pulled off; the other slammed its brakes on, and my friend had to go around him. He therefore followed her home and called the police. She got in trouble, but the person who had caused two of these incidents never got a ticket or slap on the hand. Beware! The person waits until late night and targets a person. Our mayor [should] look in on the way his officers do stuff. Margie Townsend Electric...
As I was growing up in the 1980s and 90s, if you read a newspaper you could take it as fact. The same could be said about the local and national news on television. No matter what paper you read or what channel you preferred your news, it was literally the same news, just different reporters reporting it. Fast forward to today’s sources. It is different on every channel and in every paper. Everyone has a different view of what happened, or it does not appear at all. What happened? We used to s...
Every once in awhile a person should visit his or her roots. I did so a couple of weeks ago, returning to Palouse, Idaho, where I was born and raised. It was the annual Palouse Days celebration, which occurs on the second weekend of September. It provides an opportunity to see old friends, and to visit familiar surroundings. What is it with Palouse you ask? Well, I still consider it home. It doesn’t provide me the opportunity to see old classmates. Most of them are gone now. We graduated a class of 24 back in 1948. I only know of three, i...
The Oregonian characterized the 2019 wildfire season as the “season that wasn’t!” That’s good news for West Coast states; however, it doesn’t mean we are permanently “out of the woods!” Worldwide, wildfires are down, as well. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there were 6,000 fewer wildfires this year compared with 2018, and about 4.4 million acres were burned compared with roughly 10 million acres in 2017. The previous two years featured bad fire seasons in Washington, O...
Not a day goes by that we don’t see them — if we’re looking. In the trees, on the ground and, of course, in the sky. They are at their most majestic when in flight. Soaring through the lower atmosphere with a blue sky as background, a wonderful sight. The bigger ones catch our attention most it seems. We try to identify them — hawk, vulture, falcon or the bald eagle. Some of us feed them at our feeding stations. Some of us hunt certain types of birds and look forward to the bounty of our hun...
There has been a lot of buzz around the Snake River dams. In the decades-old argument, anti-dam advocates consistently point out that if the people of the Northwest love salmon, the dams have got to go. The communities I represent have grave concerns over the removal of the Snake River dams, which provide reliable and affordable energy that is vital to our region. These communities are also concerned about salmon survival, which is why I am proud to support our dams while also supporting research to improve fish passage. In light of what seems...
Recently, we have heard a lot about different people taking a stand. These people from different backgrounds, different educations, different financial statuses and different beliefs have drawn a line in the sand and are fighting for freedom, political views, multiple causes and basic human rights. How they do this has been different and socially inspiring to some but also irritating and offensive to others. When you take a stand for whatever you choose to fight for, it is important to be...
Too often, elected officials overlook the cumulative costs of regulations, taxes and fees on taxpayers; however, it comes back to bite them hard when people move or take matters into their own hands by initiative. Consider what is happening in high-tax and -cost-of-living states, such as California, New York and Connecticut. Florida recorded the highest level of net domestic migration in 2018 and added 1.2 million people from other states since 2010. “Many Florida transplants are retirees and t...
Seaton's Grove, seven miles downstream from Grand Coulee Dam, was named for my grandfather, Sam Seaton, who had a small farm here after construction of the dam forced him to move from his homestead at the dam site. There were several ferries on the upper Columbia, including the Keller ferry; Tom (later Elmer) Seaton's ferry near Plum; the Grant County ferry, better known as Sam Seaton's ferry, at what would be the site of the big dam; after construction began the Tuttle or Government ferry...
They have done it again! The Colville Business Council, in their infinite wisdom, have once again tried to help by passing resolution # 2019-569 and disrupting the lives of the employees. The four-day work week and ten-hour day has been tried once last century and again in 2009. They failed. There is a reason they failed. Because of the undue hardship on employees. TERO should have been the first to speak out against it, but their silence is deafening. They are supposed to protect the employees against unethical and unlawful acts by employers....
Try taking a three-week vacation to Houston with four of your children in your car. Actually, I can’t say enough what a positive experience it was. I had determined where we would be each night and made reservations so the overnight stay wouldn’t be a problem. I made sure that there was something to do at the end of each day’s trip and made sure that every motel had a swimming pool. A variety of tourist attractions included, in part, the Morman Temple in Salt Lake City; Bryce National Park; the Grand Canyon; Tombstone, Arizona; Carlsbad Caver...
It is that time of year again, and I recently sat down with one of the stars at Lake Roosevelt to give you a sneak peek into a wonderful young lady’s life and future. I met LorRinda Richardson a long time ago at a PTA event, where she volunteered and kept me laughing the whole time. She has become a confident woman now, but her sense of humor is still there. We started our conversation with me asking about her senior year so far. “Um, not too bad, considering I have already been accepted to two...
September 2, 1938 was the day that the Grand Coulee Dam car skip was completed for use. The $30,000 incline allowed fully loaded railroad cars to be lowered from the regular government railroad, at the west end of the dam, down to the trestle deck spanning the top of the dam construction area. The skip connected the two levels that were 130 feet apart in height with a 200-foot-long incline. Measured another way, the grade was a shockingly steep 80%. Railroad cars would be rolled on a platform...
A wave of protests is roiling Moscow. Millions of people, young and old, have been crowding the streets in Hong Kong. If democracy is on the ropes worldwide, as many voices currently insist, you’d have a hard time making the case from these headlines. In fact, at a time of concern and, in many quarters, cynicism about democracy and its prospects, they remind us of a basic truth: people want a say in how they’re governed. They prefer living in democracies. And when they don’t feel the popular will can find expression, at some point condi...
With over 300 different commodities, Washington state has one of the most diverse agriculture industries in the country, and we are recognized around the world as a top producer of specialty crops. From apples and tree fruit to hops and wine grapes, Washington has cultivated a unique community of growers and producers who are leading the country in agriculture research and innovation. Promoting specialty crop research should be a no brainer. The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) supports critical research being done on everything from...
Many years ago, a reporter asked George Weyerhaeuser, then CEO of Weyerhaeuser Co., why his company spent so much time and money informing its workers, public officials and people about its business of growing trees and converting those trees into lumber and paper products. His answer was simple: “People need to know what we do and why what we do is important to them.” He believed if people and elected officials understood Weyerhaeuser, they would make thoughtful decisions based on facts. To Weyerhaeuser, there was no other option. Log...
There is a historical marker in Northrup Canyon that talks briefly about the murder that took place in 1903. The story is a bit deeper. In the mid-1890s John W. and Caty Northrup moved into the canyon. Together through hard work they created a wonderful orchard and irrigation system. With John W.'s health failing, the couple moved into Coulee City and leased the land including the orchard to another gentleman by the name of Isreal Sanford. After John W. died, Caty set up a homestead in Barker...
Whether you’re lamenting the end of summer or so glad it’s finally fall (which officially starts Sept. 23), events this week offer great seasonal transitioners. The Harvest Festival and Run the Dam now mark a place on the calendar for many that signals us to take a deep breath, appreciate the weekend, then dive into what’s ahead through December. The beer garden has become a great place to meet friends and feels great to those finishing the only race that takes you across the Grand Coulee Dam. (Many like to get a beer at 11 a.m. on Satur...
Everyone should come to the Electric City Puppet Show before it’s over. You’ll have a chance to watch the Puppet Master work the Head Puppet and the other five. So far, the Puppet Master has gotten all the puppets to close a road, buy a car, remodel city hall, put up speed signs, put in a park and sidewalks! But have the citizens of Electric City asked for this? At the last puppet show, the Head Puppet did something totally out of character. He made a decision and the other five fell in line with that decision. Once again, it was orc...
It is great to see people interested in city government and who want to run for a city position. In too many elections in the past, it has been a one-candidate selection. But remember, change is not always the solution to a problem. Electric City citizens voted blindly five years ago for change, and now it was causing lots of tension within the town. There are a couple of “meet and greet” days scheduled in October; go and listen and hear what changes are coming in the future. City government and state government and national government hav...