News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Easter Sunday is the holiest day for observant Christians worldwide. It is the day followers of Jesus Christ celebrate his resurrection, and many believers choose to be baptized or receive their first communion on the special day. It is the day on which Christians celebrate the central tenets of our faith, which is why the coordinated suicide bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka that targeted minority Christians at four churches as well as foreigners at four hotels shocked that island nation and the world. The terrorists targeted Christian pl...
A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to a group of students and decided to start with a point-blank question: Is Congress doing a good job? There were perhaps 100 people in the room, and not a single one raised his or her hand. So I asked the question a different way: Is Congress nearly or completely dysfunctional? Most hands went up. These were not experts, of course. But they weren’t wrong, either. Things aren’t working well on Capitol Hill. I can tick off the problems, and so can you. Congress doesn’t follow good process. It’s too polarized...
Last weekend the wind blew. It did not seem like an extraordinary wind. It was powerful, for sure, but it did not seem anything like storms we have seen here in the past. The wind howled, the trees shook, the roof rattled, and dust filled every open crevice. Sometimes it all depends on location and wind direction. Sometimes it happens when we least expect it. No one expected the phone to ring Saturday morning saying the words that were said. Let’s rewind a bit first. Karrie and I got up early Sa...
Those in political office have the job of interpreting the feedback they get from constituents, but that means that first, it’s their constituents’ job to give it to them. We’re glad to be a part of that loop. In small towns like ours, leaders often complain of a lack of feedback over the minutiae of governing to which they must pay so much attention. Not so, however, concerning matters of basic or lasting community direction, such as that covered in recent articles, including one on sports in school, and another on a planned street chang...
I am a concerned Electric City resident. The proposed cutoff of Western in town is a dangerous and irresponsible action of the city council and mayor. Emergency services do everything they can to expedite response time. The Electric City mayor and city council are slowing down response time by this foolish project. From my information, fire, EMS and police are adamantly opposed to this plan. ECVFD to respond from their station, mutual aid fire, EMS and police responding to fires or medical emergencies or police protection and serving area...
Eminent Domain I don’t feel is in the best interest of our Tribal members. You say the sovereign and fundamental rights of the Tribe will be protected. Ancestral lands are not being protected. Look at how it has been treated. We have probed, excavated it, buried things in it. Chopped down our forests, leveled the hills, muddied and dirtied the water and air. Based on this, we have not been good caretakers. We have not taken care to ensure that our seventh generation will maintain. But back to Eminent Domain, who exactly will benefit from our l...
No one should have to choose between safety and democracy. Your county shouldn’t have to prioritize one over the other. But that’s what happens every other year. And that’s exactly what will happen again in 2020 if the Washington State Legislature continues refusing to pay its fair share of election costs. Counties conduct elections on behalf of every level of government – from federal presidential elections all the way to local mosquito-control districts. Washington State residents should be confident and proud that they have one of the most t...
Few things are more important to people than good health. Healthy citizens are a vital foundation for a prosperous society. The need for healthcare is universal. The need starts even before we are born. Prenatal care is vital because the developing embryo-fetus is extremely sensitive to its environment. Very young children are also vulnerable because they are still developing and because their immune systems are immature. Healthcare for dental, hearing, eyesight needs, injury, disease, and the deterioration caused by advancing age is...
Surprise! The Electric City Council has decided to change the y-shaped intersection in front of city hall in Electric City. Am I the only one who heard of this for the first time after reading it in The Star newspaper? It’s the first time the Electric City fire chief knew of this project. Is this even a done deal? Varying responses from council members at the last council meeting indicate that it is not set in stone, but City Clerk Russ Powers seems to think it is. Mr. Powers is quoted in The Star as saying, “The point is to slow down tra...
Electric City has to be the luckiest city by a Dam site, maybe even the whole state of Washington! Why, you ask? Because Electric City was awarded a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) Grant to close part of Western Avenue in the name of “public safety” without checking with anyone in public safety. Not the fire department, the police department or the ambulance that service the city. In my opinion, that’s Dam lucky. The residents who live on Stevens Street are even luckier than the rest of us, as you’ll get to see a lot more of your ne...
Lyft recently announced that it would be going public. Uber isn’t far behind. In little more than a decade, the two companies have upended the transportation sector — and transformed how we think about both transportation and work. If only we could bring that sort of innovation to our nation’s education sector. American schools have scarcely evolved since the days of the horse and buggy. Our educational system incentivizes memorization and rote learning in the age of Google. It prizes passivity at a time when entrepreneurial zeal is cruci...
When I was growing up, I called it Easter, but as time has gone by and I have matured and educated myself I have come to realize that it is Resurrection Sunday. We celebrate the day that Christ left the tomb and claimed his seat next to his Father three days after being crucified. This week is the pivotal week in the earliest beginnings of the church, and I would like to walk you through that week briefly. The triumphant entry. Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, fulfilling the...
This is a tale about Idaho’s famous “Bigfoot,” who was responsible for a number of stagecoach and wagon train robberies and killings. He roamed the desolate hills of Owyhee County and met his demise there. The name “Bigfoot” came from Shoshoni words “Namp,” meaning foot, and “puh,” meaning big. He was not the Sasquatch-type of Bigfoot, but an actual desperado who came out of Idaho folklore. His foot measured 17.5 inches long, so he’d received his name honestly. He was born into the Cherokee nation and was named Starr Wilkerson, son of a white m...
Before lawmakers wrap up their work in Olympia, they should re-examine their hefty new state spending plan. The budget may not be sustainable, even with a substantial increase in taxes. It may force legislators to return to the State Capitol to cut workers, programs and services; or, even hike taxes yet again. It has happened in the past. For example, in the early 1980s, Gov. John Spellman (R) and a Republican legislature were forced to meet in special session continuously to deal with rapidly d...
Cathy LaPlace’s criticism of having half days of school for the state tourney was a bit miscalculated. I find it hard to believe that she or anyone else would think that a sport affects only the participants. Lake Roosevelt’s teams represent the identity of the schools and are a source of pride for both students and the Grand Coulee Dam Area community. On top of that, it’s a pleasure to read about the school’s success even if one doesn’t live there. I say congratulations to the schools and community and I hope to be there with you next year...
We just witnessed an event that is part of the Water Cycle on our home planet — snow melt. Though the quick disappearance of snow is not fully attributed to melt-off. There are other events going on as the snow gradually disappears. Yes, there were waterfalls on the Grand Coulee walls, lots of runoff water dumped into Banks Lake. Those waterfalls were a part, albeit a good part, of the snow disappearance. Let’s also take a look at evapotranspiration (e·vap·o·tran·spi·ra·tion), generally...
I love cats! There, I said it and I am not ashamed. If I am being honest, I did not always feel that way. I used to have a negative spot in my heart for cats. Why, I am not sure. It could be the cat box smells. I still dislike that part, but our cats have won me over. My heart has changed; I love our cats. I also used to dislike brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli. I would avoid these at all costs. But then something happened. I tried some that had been cooked differently. My heart...
According to the Yakima Herald Republic’s special series, “The Vanished:” A report from the National Institute of Justice found that more than four out of five Native American women have experienced violence in their lives. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control reported that homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native American women between the ages of 10 and 24. The Department of Justice has reported Native American women are 10 times more likely to be murdered than other Americans. The murder and abduction of indig...
I am putting together the history of the Colorama/Western Festival/Festival of Lights since the beginning. I have a rodeo picture as far back as 1952. The rodeo had been held in Pleasant Valley, down by the now-Credit Union, and maybe a couple other places before moving to the present location in Delano. During the Western Festival, most of the events were held in the Coulee Dam area, and in later years expanded to Grand Coulee. I need any history you might have in your garage or closet, etc. I would most like pictures of the early queens,...
The Major League Baseball season is upon us. The game is looking less like the “National Pastime” each year. I remember when every little town or city had its own baseball team. There was no talk then of major changes to the game’s rules. The truth is that the sport has lost a lot of its fan base. Rule changes proposed and made won’t bring them back. Sports fans have changed, and I fear they have left baseball behind. Fans now like tougher sport action, the kind that leaves a targeted quarterback or receiver on the field and hauled off on a st...
Spring break will be half over by the time you read this. The kids are running loose in neighborhoods everywhere, and staff from every school is resting up for the final leg of this school year. Usually during the break, Karrie and I are chaperoning kids somewhere in the state. But this year we stayed home and were blessed by our hometown and others. I had a plan for Monday: Be at Les Schwab when it opens to get the tires changed. That was my plan and my timing. It did not turn out the way I...
Twenty Years Ago The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Y2K forum Tuesday night to address local concerns about the millennium bug that could infect computers January 1, 2000. Wright Elementary students Brieanna Clark, Courtney Kennedy, Andrea Schumaker, Leah Philmon, Amanda VanGeystel and Emily Rehn raised over $110 for their school in their crusade for new playground equipment. Thirty Years Ago Grand Coulee’s pilot well near Crescent Lake hit an aquifer 61 feet below the ground Feb. 7, giving rise to hopes that engineers p...
Medicare faces numerous threats in 2019. It’s time for lawmakers and healthcare advocates to attack these challenges head-on. One threat stems from the Trump administration, which has suggested weakening the so-called protected classes provision in Medicare “Part D.” Medicare’s Part D drug benefit has enabled seniors to purchase subsidized prescription coverage from private insurers. Part D regulations require every plan to cover all medications in six protected classes of therapies, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antineo...
After nearly two years, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and 500 witness interviews, we now know that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation “did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” The Department of Justice made clear that the special counsel’s report includes no new indictments or sealed indictments. After this thorough investigation, President Trump has been cleared of a charge that has divided the nat...
Every second of every day we make choices. Do I get up at 5 a.m. or hit snooze? Do I eat Lucky Charms for breakfast or oatmeal? Do I wear a blue shirt or a red shirt today? Every choice we make determines a direction. Some are less serious than others, but there are decisions that have much bigger consequences. Bigger still, some have life consequences that can set you down rough roads in life. The choices we make not only determine things in our lives, but others are affected as well....