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 am a former resident of Grand Coulee. Three brothers were born there, the first in October 1935, coinciding with the opening of the Mason City hospital. As a pre-teen in 1950, an older Indian befriended me and spent time describing local native history. When the canal first delivered water to Banks Lake, he invited me to visit a place which would “be lost forever.” He took me to the base of Steamboat Rock as the water was rising. We entered a cave with ancient paintings on the side walls. Very unforgettable moment for this youngster. A few we...
Last week, extreme weather caused power outages for much of the central United States. Bitter cold led to increased demand for electricity while also forcing significant portions of electric generation offline, leaving millions of people across the Midwest, Great Plains, and Texas in particular without electricity. Although many were quick to point to wind energy as the main cause, numerous sources of generation were impacted by the abnormally cold weather. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, about 16 gigawatts (GW) of renew...
I started college when I was 25, and already with a family. That required that I had to work a lot to pay my way, and of course the bills. While I had several jobs, carried a full course load, I found time for personal activity. I had a 16-gauge, single-shot shotgun and at the time enjoyed hunting. I took a couple philosophy courses from a Professor Reeves, only slightly older than myself. He was one of the best professors at the school, and his classes reflected that. Since I was older, Reeves and I were close, and during our chats he...
An apparent weakness in Washington’s coronavirus response efforts bit the governor in his political behind this week, a weakness that has seemed glaring to us for many months. Perhaps it’s this newspaper’s service area at the ends of four counties that makes it more apparent to us than to some others, but we’ve been battling this state’s clumsy and inconsistent data gathering efforts for a long time. This, in the midst of a fight that depends on good data. Trying to report on the efforts of public health officials, hospitals, health care prov... Full story
My wife, who knows me well after 47 years, says I’m the most patient person she has ever met. When you combine this patience with the actions of putting others first and practicing sound human dynamics, learned from Gonzaga’s leadership program, you’ll see why I’ve finally been speaking up about our local school district. The GCDSD means so much to me, but these important qualities are not practiced at the top level of this organization. When someone talks about my opinion, they need to realize I’m speaking for me and a lot of people who have...
A few days ago, we had a new baby in the family. Actually, it was a great grandchild, the fourth for us. She joins Kaylee, Damon and Westlyn as great grand babies. I guess it is a sign of getting old. But what a joy to see them come and grow up. The mother and father are Camille and Mark Fabian. Mark is from The Philippines. Camille came into the family through adoption by our daughter, Kathy, and her husband, Will Beck. I remember clearly the day she arrived at Sea-Tac. She was accompanied by a representative from South Korea. Most of the...
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson’s $33 billion plan to remove the lower Snake River dams is unwise. However, if he pushes it, he needs to include the impact of breaching dams in his home state, which completely shuts off salmon and steelhead migration. Simpson, a Republican representing eastern Idaho, announced he wants to rupture the four lower Snake River dams — Ice Harbor, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Lower Granite — all in southeast Washington. Those impoundments have fish passage systems to allow adult anadromous fish to conti...
School finance is becoming more and more challenging. When we keep losing ground we cannot continue to make up the deficit by asking our community members to fill the funding gaps. For factual information look into all Washington state school ballot measures. Most districts are asking for $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property values. One in our region is asking for $2.50 per $1,000 but not continuing with their capital projects measure to balance the costs for their voters. If the GCDSD would have kept their levy total at $1.50 it would still...
The closing of Steamboat Rock Park’s Boat Camp and access due to erosion doesn’t make sense. The fact that there is reluctance to identify the reason more succinctly leads one to suspect there is more to the story than reported by the Bureau of Reclamation and State Parks. The lack of information from the Bureau of Reclamation, at least, gives me a chance to guess on the reason. In the early part of this century, the grave of a Native American was found in that general area. It did not appear to be a part of a burial ground, but one has to won...
When you travel, expect the unexpected. Always have money on you for the country you are visiting. My first trip to Vietnam started out as an embarrassment, and nearly was a disaster. I forgot to exchange money before leaving Hong Kong, so when I got off the plane in Saigon, I only had U. S travel checks with me. I got my bag and headed to the bus for transport to my hotel. Before I could get to the bus, a Vietnamese man grabbed my bag to carry it to the bus. It was obvious he wanted a tip. All I had with me, except for travel checks was a...
Last month we addressed the general state of air quality monitoring across the nation and more specifically here in the state of Washington and locally. To summarize, the agencies that are charged with the matters of informing their public of air quality issues are lacking. Regrettably, their bureaucratic hands are somewhat inhibited due to funding shortfalls amid other things. Regarding awareness of local air quality, up until the past few years, we simply didn't know what was happening with...
Why would any company spend $5.5 million for a 30-second Super Bowl ad that leaves viewers perplexed, as some glitzy and abstract commercials did? After production costs are tacked on, you’d think advertisers would want their messages clearly understood, especially in difficult times. Some prominent advertisers, such as Coca Cola, Budweiser and Pepsi, traditional large buyers, skipped Super Bowl LV; however, Weather Tech did not. After the game, the list of best and worst ads was released. It did not include three commercials sponsored by W...
The Star is truly a community newspaper that provides information and publishes varied opinions for its readers. I often agree with those opinions that appear on its Opinion Page, sometimes disagree but seldom have no interest in the opinions expressed. I rarely respond to those opinions with which I disagree. However, a reader’s perception of what is being stated can often become that reader’s truth if the opinions are stated without the factual background from which readers can decide for themselves if they agree or not with the writer. I h...
With the handoff of power from one president to another, we enter this new phase of our national life in deep distress. We are polarized, struggling to communicate reasonably with one another, and seemingly unable to find common ground on basic issues. Yet the path forward is neither new nor, really, difficult. We all know what needs to happen. We just need to do it. To heal as a nation, we need to return to our traditional ways of doing business. We need to rediscover our skills at negotiation and compromise. We must rekindle our...
January 3 found me calling 911. This is about the responders... Such a fabulous team effort...at a time of need. I was in dire straits and they had an obstacle course with the gurney. I am sure they had a huge part in saving my life that day. EMTs here are not heralded enough; they were as professional as Lifeline, who transported me to Spokane. Hats off to you guys, and a “heartfelt” Thank you. Connie Williamson...
Dropping in for a three-day trip to Siem Reap, and a visit to Angkor Wat, a temple complex nearby, was a change of plans, and a welcome one at that. Rediscovered by a French archeologist in the mid 1800s. Siem Reap was Cambodia’s ancient capital, now with a population of 249,000. The temple itself was built in the 12th century and is a little over 399 miles north of Phnom Penh, the current capital. Early the morning after my arrival, I hired a pedal cab for the three-mile hike to Angkor. Like the French explorer Henri Mouhot, who must have b...
Central Washington is one of the most agriculturally rich and diverse regions in the United States. Since coming to Congress, I have had the honor of representing our agricultural producers, advocating for strong trade agreements and market protection measures, and securing the tools and resources our state needs to remain at the cutting edge of agriculture innovation. I was recently appointed to serve on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration — a priority of mine since I was n...
Last week›s opinion page had two contrasting letters about President Trump›s recent impeachment. Both letters inspired a reaction from me, so I decided to pipe up. Many have said that President Trump was responsible for what happened at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. His speech from that day and his challenge to the 2020 election are being blamed for the mayhem that ensued when the mob entered the Capitol. First of all, the challenges to the election were Constitutional and not without precedent. In 2004 Senator Barbara Boxer and...
I just wanted to thank Roger Lucas for his kind article that mentioned FIUTS a couple of weeks ago. We always enjoy learning about connections and bonds that people form as a result of our work, and it’s even more meaningful when those bonds last as long as his have with his friend Khien. Please thank him. [Editor’s note: At the University of Washington, FIUTS (The Foundation for International Understanding Through Students) advances international understanding through cross-cultural experiences, student leadership, and community con...
Our small community has many exceptional people. I want to take a moment to highlight just a few that have earned my admiration over decades, years or recently. Their messages during this extremely challenging, chaotic time are wonderful and heartwarming. Roger Lucas – I’ve known Roger for decades. Like fine wine, he just gets better over time. I look forward to his articles because he knows that simple things in life are by far the most rewarding, and his sense of humor always makes me smile. Almost 70 years ago, sneaking away with his gir...
I guess if I had to name my favorite vacation spot it would be Teton National Park. We first visited the park shortly after the park added thousands of acres that were gifted from the Rockefeller family. This added space was designated as a national monument to avoid a major fight with people who had opposed national park status in the first place. We probably have returned a dozen times or so. The Rockefeller family had secretly been buying up acreage to preserve the Jackson Hole valley as an adjunct to the park. One reason why it is our...
If you are a resident or landowner concerned about how water, air, and land resources in our county will be managed for humans, wildlife, and natural occurrences such as wildfire in the coming decades, you should read the County Legal Notices with the eyes of an eagle in the next week or two. This year, the Omak Chronicle is the county’s official newspaper of record for these legal notices. According to the County Commissioners’ proceedings, your first deadline for comment on new draft Comprehensive Plan documents will be February 10th. The...
Rep. Dan Newhouse’s vote to impeach the president took guts. There’s no two ways about that. Representing a red meat Republican district, he rose to meet his obligation to defend the Constitution when he saw what clearly took place in the capitol on Jan. 6 — a mob incited by the president, angered after months of listening to him insist that that there was no way he could lose, unless the other side cheated and then direct them toward the People’s House. Newhouse, newly elected to another term, may have enough time on his side to quell the ang...
Representatives Dan Newhouse and Jamie Herrera Beutler last week voted to impeachment President Donald J. Trump in a one-day rush. Both Representatives Newhouse and Beutler gave an oath of office, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same… So help me God.” They both went against this oath and decided Conscience was an excuse to violate the United States Constitution and their oath to Go...
Trees of Sharing began Nov. 1 with a modest amount of uncertainty about what it might look like in the current COVID environment. True to form, however, the Coulee community enthusiastically supported the project, providing for delivery of wrapped Christmas gifts to 114 children in 50 families on Saturday, Dec. 19. Thank you to every person who made a cash donation or purchased a gift to brighten the Christmas season for children in our area. Based on your generosity, in addition to providing a gift for each child, Trees of Sharing was pleased...