News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Twenty Years Ago When the local community turns out to vote on the Grand Coulee Dam School District levy Feb. 2, Coulee Dam citizens will also decided whether they want to annex the town into the North Central Regional Library system. Miss Grand Coulee Dam Area Junior Miss Brita Montes placed in the top 10 in the state competition this past week. Shoe also won scholarships for placing in the top three in categories: Fitness, presence and composure. The GCD Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Vintners & Brewers annual wine and microbrew...
A few years ago, I found a small box in my mail from Bill Thompson, a classmate of mine from Palouse. Bill and I, along with 13 others, spent all 12 years together out of a class of 24. Needless to say, we were tight, and very close friends. I opened the box when I got home, and inside was a small agate marble, and a note. The note said, “As God is my witness, this is a marble that I got from you a long time ago when we were kids.” When we were young, we played marbles for keeps, and I had, over the years from about 1940-42, accumulated abo...
I am writing in response to the Tribal Tribune article “CBC Votes Against Wild Horse Aerial Capture Contract,” to the Colville Tribe Wild Horse Law 4-14, and to the January 8 Council meeting. I was present at this meeting when a vote on the contract was intended. Fortunately, the vote wasn’t held, let alone passed. More importantly, the half million dollars of tribal money requested for aerial capture by a non-tribal contractor can be put to better use in long-term benefit of both tribal members and horses — as well as for the land itself....
Pretty much any decision made by our state, on anything, our legislation spends a lot of time in Olympia bouncing things from the House of Representatives to meetings in the Senate, back to meetings and round and round it goes until there is a vote and then they vote again on the other side of the building. But no matter what, it either lives of dies on the Hill. I spent the weekend with Public Schools Employees, around 400, as we met with representatives and senators from every district and...
Interesting opinion by Roger Harnack. That article is much too brazen for the Tri-City Herald to print. One aspect is missing, relative to the following: Between now and July 1, let’s hope more residents, officials and businesses stand up and oppose the onerous regulations encapsulated in the text of Initiative 1639. Let’s hope more law enforcement agencies and municipalities nullify the unconstitutional measure. Let’s hope Matt’s message continues to spread. Our culture, economy and way of life here east of the Cascades depend on it. Unless...
Twenty Years Ago Nick Caramandi hears about all kinds of service projects when people come to his store looking for supplies. This spring he takes on a challenge of his own – building a skating rink at North Dam Park. Recipients of the Business of the Year award for 1998 were Tim and Michéle Arrants of Tims Four-Corner Texaco. Achiever of the Year was Susan Miller. Hired as new police chief for the Colville Tribal Police is John Shelhart. Selected as student of the week at LRHS was Scott Leadingham. Athlete of the week was Beau Brown. Thi...
I am writing this letter to help you, as part of our community, make an informed decision on the upcoming vote for a school district levy. The bottom line in this complicated issue is this: For taxpayers, approving this school district levy will mean paying a lower total property tax than was paid in 2018. Let me explain. Due to recent state legislation capping the dollar size of school district levies, it was necessary to approve two smaller levies to approach the dollar value of the previously approved four-year levy ($4.01 per thousand...
Call it a loophole if you want. But I call what Talos Tactical owner Matt Cieslar is doing in West Richland a moral win for rural residents and 2nd Amendment supporters ... albeit temporary. The owner of the gun shop at 4096 W. Van Giesen St. vowed recently to continue selling hunting rifles to adults older than 18 and younger than 21 despite the enactment of portions of Initiative 1639 effective Jan. 1. The gun-control measure restricts all sales of “assault” rifles to state residents older than 21 as of Jan. 1 and enacts a myriad of oth...
On April 4, 1968, a shot rang out in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Riots started in many cities in the aftermath and the United States went into mourning. The leader of the Civil Rights movement have been taken out and our nation was in civil unrest. As we celebrate the day named after the man who is looked at as the pivotal stepping piece in bringing equality to all people, I want to look at his immortalized “I have a dream” speech and pick out a few pie...
I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve been writing this monthly column about our weather, and climate and related issues and events. One thing I do like — and I admit I’m a bit of a facts-driven person — is gathering the weather data from the previous year and sharing it here. We’ll have to rely on data from the home weather station only, for now the “partial government shutdown” is affecting access to our local official weather station data. So, let’s take a look back and see what happened...
I don’t get to use the word “I” much in my writing here. It feels strange, almost unnatural. I have to be an objective journalist, after all — Clark Kent, sticking to quotes and facts, keeping my “I’s” out of it. Just a fly on the wall using proper grammar and other rules meant to be broken. I have been working for The Star about three years now, and the community has been quite welcoming to me. I’ve gotten to know a large number of folks: coaches, athletes, council members, city clerks, mayors. I met NBA-great Gary Payton when I first started,...
A fossilized leg bone of the Hagerman Horse will soon be on its way home. It has been in my possession for 60 years, and it will soon rest where it had been for thousands of years before I dug it up in 1958. The bone has been with me in Nampa, Boise, Othello, Lynnwood, Woodinville, Bothell and now Electric City. I am told that the Hagerman Horse (equus simplicidens) was killed off some 50,000 years ago, and I will be happy when the bone is finally returned to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, at Hagerman, Idaho. I dug the bone out of...
Every year I like to look back at the celebrities we lost the year before. As we focus on the blessings of the future, it is good to remember the ones we lost and the foundation on which we are building the next generation. These stars went out last year, but their memory is engrained our thoughts. These are the people that had some sort of impact on me, even though we never met. Penny Marshall, or Laverne as I first knew her, was an icon in comedy. I can remember as a kid watching Shirley, her,...
Last Thursday, I took an oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution as the representative of the people of the Fourth Congressional District in the 116th Congress. It is an honor to be entrusted with this office to represent the people of Central Washington, our values, and our liberties. In this period of divided government with a Republican president, Republican Senate majority, and Democratic House majority, it is our responsibility to find common ground as representatives of the people. I am proud that my first votes this Congress...
After reading the letter written by former Coulee Dam Mayor Wilder, I felt compelled to address what appears to be nothing more than a self-congratulatory essay and an attempt to criticize those who didn’t vote the same way he did. First, I want to make it very clear that I am in no way defending Larry Price. The accusations against him should be taken very seriously and subsequently investigated and dealt with by the proper authorities. I also want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Gayle Swagerty as a mayoral candidate or anything t...
The annual Trees of Sharing project began Nov. 1 and culminated with the delivery of wrapped Christmas gifts to 120 children in 54 families Saturday, Dec. 15. Thank you to every person who enthusiastically supported this project by purchasing gifts for needy children in the Coulee area. Trees of Sharing extends special appreciation to Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union, Coulee Family Medicine, Harvest Foods, North Cascades Bank, and Safeway Pharmacy for help with collecting children’s names and/or displaying the trees with gift tags. A...
It seems hard to believe that the actual year is 2019. Just under a year and we will be looking at 2020. When I was a kid I thought for sure we would have floating cars by now and kitchens that made us whatever we could think up, but we still need to cook for ourselves and we still need to dodge potholes as we drive to work. But this year as we move ahead and look to the new year, I am looking forward to the blessings that will be bestowed upon the entire area. I am praying for healing for you....
As 2018 comes to a close, so does the 115th Congress. It is an honor to represent the diverse interests of the Fourth Congressional District, and I am especially proud of the accomplishments we achieved that will improve the quality of life in Central Washington. One year after Congress passed historic tax relief for American taxpayers, we are seeing results in the form of higher paychecks, improved employee benefits, and growing small businesses. We are making it easier for Americans to save for their futures and encouraging innovation. I...
Ah, small town life. Country living. Old pickup trucks, down-home diners. You gotta love it. Sometimes it's a bit dull, but only boring people are bored, so you have to create your own excitement. If you need a little help with that, then these 10 small-town movies might give you the entertainment you so crave. Here they are, in no particular order: the top 10 movies to watch in a small town. The Last Picture Show 1971, rated R directed by Peter Bogdanovich "The Last Picture Show" epitomizes sma...
In a few days the University of Washington Huskies will be in the Rose Bowl. It will be their 15th appearance in Pasadena and the Huskies will have the opportunity to tilt the record in their favor, currently having a 7-7 record. Washington’s first appearance was in 1924, and their last in 2001. But this column is about Washington’s sixth appearance, in 1960, when they defeated the University of Wisconsin, 44-8, and how I got there. I was working for the Idaho Statesman in Boise at the time. One day the owner of the paper, Jim Brown, came and...
A young child cannot sleep the night before Christmas. Visions of the toys that will be there, the stockings overflowing with goodies, and the mouthwatering feast all keep a young mind from drifting off. Also, the thought of the little fat man in the red coat delivering something special and eating the cookies left for him, and the child’s desire of catching a glimpse of the mythical being add to the sleeping dilemma. These hopes and ideas are as pure as the freshly fallen snow when we are y...
I wish to express my concern about the proposed changes to the access at “geezer” beach. I see no reason for the proposed changes, other than paranoia over the possibility of some incident which might occur. I do not recall an incident actually occurring in that area; I can find no justification for the paranoia which apparently caused these changes to be considered. More actual incident reports (facts) are needed for any changes to be implemented. Gary Esmond retired U.S. Army, retired USBR...
I respect the electorate. Some had vetted — and others did not. And for my good reasons, I voted the minority (Gayle Swagerty) for mayor, based on my own vetting process … and she lost. After all, “it’s just an election”… and in a small community we expect changes of policy and paradigms. It’s a process — and an expected outcome. However, from that, it offers nothing until the future actions define it … and I, for one, am now redefined and very much awake! You should be too. Yes, I took the time to vet the process for both candidates: I did the...
Last week, Congress voted 369-47 to pass the 2018 Farm Bill, sending this critical legislation to President Trump for his signature into law. The agreement sets us on a better path for our country’s farmers and ranchers, for our rural communities, for small businesses, and for consumers across the country at the grocery store and at kitchen tables. In March, I traveled across Central Washington to speak with farmers from every county in the Fourth Congressional District about their goals for the Farm Bill. With passage of the bill, I am p...
12 is almost here! Are you searching for a New Year resolution but aren’t exactly sure what you should resolve to do? Do you love children and think they deserve to be cared for in a safe and nurturing home? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you should consider becoming a foster parent to one (or more) of the thousands of children who are currently in foster care in Washington state. What’s that you say? You’d love to foster but fear you would get too attached to the children in your care and it would break your heart for t...