News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Christmas is an especially difficult time for anyone grieving for lost loved ones. Try adding a crippling killer virus into that mix. That is the tragic reality of 2020. Even though the traditional ceremonies attended by thousands went virtual this year, more than 1.7 million holiday wreaths were placed against grave markers of fallen service men and women. Normally, the fallen are remembered on Memorial Day, but thanks to a Maine family and over hundreds of thousand donors and volunteers, on Dec. 19 those wreaths were laid on the tombstones...
If you pay attention to global affairs, you know that increasing numbers of people believe US leadership in the world is coming to an end and the West more broadly is being eclipsed. I think these predictions are exaggerated, but they are not without some basis. Our challenges have grown. It is time for us to re-establish ourselves by showing our capacity for change and adaptation. The biggest external challenge we face, of course, is the rise of China and the competition it offers to the democratic model. It is not just that its wealth,...
If your family member or loved one is employed by Okanogan County, I would be seriously concerned due to: The attitude of County Commissioner DeTro, chairman of the Board of Commissioners and Board of Health. Recent positive Covid tests of 11 inmates and four staff, along with 23 exposures at the county jail (not to mention 16 recently confirmed Covid-related deaths at North Valley Extended Care.) On Dec. 7, 2:21 p.m., the County Planning Department supervisor expressed her employees’ distress due to a recent unidentified positive test in t...
On Feb. 29, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. With this being an unknown and highly contagious virus, most folks agreed with his precautionary measures. His reasoning was to protect and not overwhelm the health care system and keep our people alive and healthy. He shut down most of our economy, allowing only “essential” businesses to operate and told everyone to stay home and protect themselves. Unfortunately, we are once again dealing with shutdowns and restrictions as our businesses and many of...
Ever think of the influence others have had in your life? When I went to college, I had no idea or hope that I would become a journalist. I took a college course in journalism, mainly so I could learn to write. Things went well, and my journalism professor, Helen Wilson, encouraged me to take a follow-up course. Late in my sophomore year I got a call from Jack Scudder, editor of the local daily paper to drop by for a visit. Wilson had encouraged Scudder to hire me to write for the paper. I had become editor of the college paper and had written...
Back in 2019, I partnered with Douglas County PUD to sponsor and pass a bill authorizing Public Utility Districts to produce and sell renewable hydrogen. Hydrogen is a gas that can be created from a process that uses electricity to separate hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water. I worked closely that year with Douglas County PUD because of their interest in using surplus hydropower to produce hydrogen. The bill’s passage allows for the production and sale of “renewable hydrogen,” which is defined as hydrogen created from an emissions-free elec...
I think that opening our school district to face-to-face learning is one of the biggest mistakes we could have made to start with. We start out allowing 25 per 100,000, then 75 and now 200. Who are they trying to kid? What is this actually doing aside from adding more risk to all of our lives. How many weeks — well, more like days — has it been since our state governor was begging people not to gather for Thanksgiving, so what has changed from then till now? My understanding is that cases are increasing not dropping, so the district is now wil...
Roger, I enjoyed reading your (column). For one thing, I’ve always enjoyed your readable style, but also, in this case your pointing out once again how difficult it is to deal with the agencies of the Federal Government. Having grown up in Grand Coulee, then returning for 13 years, I have been struck by the lack of humanity and/or transparency of the Bureau. I swear that I could list a litany of ‘grievances’ which they have shrugged off in the last 20 years. In my early years, the Bureau was a strong supporter of the community in a myriad of wa...
Once upon a time there was this rock along the Snake River just out of Melba, Idaho. It was an Indian map rock where ancient natives had etched the route of the Snake River along with other helpful information. While a reporter for the Idaho Free Press, I did a story on the rock map that later was picked up by the Salt Lake Tribune magazine. When living in the Boise Valley, I had visited the rock many times. Friends of mine, Myron and Gwen Finkbeiner, reported to me recently that they went out to see the rock and it was gone. Myron has been...
By mid-September, there was no one left to call. The West, with its thousands of federal, state, and local fire engines and crews, had been tapped out. Wildfires across the West had consumed the labor of all available wildland firefighters, and though there were fewer fires burning, those fires were larger and more difficult to contain. They consumed 13 million acres -— an area almost the size of West Virginia. In the midst of the 2020 wildfire season, John Phipps, the Forest Service’s deputy chief, told Congress that this “was an extra...
The final days of the 2020 legislative session last March presented some real challenges. The Legislature worked diligently to wrap up its session as some of the first cases of COVID-19 in the United States were confirmed in our state. Lawmakers approved all three state budgets (operating, transportation, and capital) along with a $200 million COVID-19 response bill. In those final session days and in the days that would soon follow, the governor began issuing his statewide executive orders. One of the earliest included a statewide closure of...
I just can’t shake it! I have a suggestion for Bureau officials concerning the stalled fire station. It would be incredible if someone from the Bureau would step up to the plate and tell the story of what went wrong at the fire station, what this is costing us taxpayers and what will be done about it. Dream on! Transparency ...
Native American history is engrained in the culture of the Pacific Northwest. Throughout our region, we are reminded of Tribal culture and heritage which greatly influence our way of life. November is Native American Heritage Month, and in Central Washington, we have a rich, storied Tribal history that should be recognized. The federal government has a unique relationship with Native American tribes as we work in tandem to respect their culture, traditions, and treaty rights. The Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation (Yakama...
Like every person who attended high school in France, I studied philosophy in my senior year. I learned about Spinoza, Rousseau, Descartes, Voltaire, and many others. One quote from Voltaire has always impressed me, especially considering the context of his time where freedom of expression was not the norm: “I may not agree with your opinion, but I will fight to my death so you have the right to express it.” Learning about the principles of freedom and testing them in my own life, I naturally concluded that France had to be the country tha...
I appreciate the opinion and feedback that was shared in the Nov. 18 newspaper regarding my public comments at the Nov. 9 school board meeting. Sharing our opinions on various subjects, knowing that we don’t have to agree on everything, and being willing to hear various perspectives as we shape our own understanding is part of the beauty of our country. Part of our responsibility in sharing those opinions is being sure that our facts are correct. Regarding the school board policies on public comment, please see the district website and read P...
Thanks, Donna DeWinkler, for the thoughts you shared in The Star Newspaper recently. Tolerance of a diversity of viewpoints is always healthy. Everyone needs to have a growth mindset and be open to learning from each other. We get better together when different perspectives are valued. Often times we listen to others but we don’t validate that they have been heard. It is time in our local school district, that we love, for a new progressive direction to be taken that has true collaboration from all stakeholders involved. Donna went old s...
Steptoe Butte lies 12 miles north of Colfax, the Whitman County seat. Its elevation is 3,612 feet, hovering over the Palouse wheat fields. It is said that on the horizon you can see the high mountains in Montana. For me, the view affords me a visit to many of the places that made my Palouse childhood so pleasant. To the southeast are the hills in Idaho where my family spent many a fall day picking huckleberries. The picking was always good, and my dad would scout the area so we would have success. I spent many a day probing huckleberry bush....
Just a comment on Scott Hunter’s thoughts on starting in-person learning again: In my 70s and raising a now teenager who says I am an (old fashioned, crazy, crabby old lady), I often wonder if she is right. I have answered the questionnaires, polls and spoken to school administration a few times. I keep up with the Covid stats for WA, and so far I am for keeping distance learning for, who knows how much longer. Thank you, Scott, for your like opinion. I just heard tonight (Nov. 15) that Gov. Inslee is on the brink of closing the state down a...
The other day I made a public information request for documents concerning the GCD School District Board meeting on Nov. 9th, 2020. One item I asked for was a copy of Form 1430F, Request to be Placed on the Board Agenda. This form is to be filled out by the public if they wish to be placed on the agenda to make a presentation during the “public comments” portion of a school board meeting. The Superintendent is to read and approve the request, confirming it doesn’t have anything construed as “singling out” or of a discriminatory nature. I...
I cried today — Friends and family of John Coykendall will understand. A more genuine and dear soul you would not find. I enjoyed conversation with him over the great little things and the little big things. (To clarify: he recognized the daily little things were the really important stuff life was made of, more so than the bigger world stuff). He was interesting and spoke with a twinkle in his eye. He was both lighthearted and deep —eager to share his experiences, but never pushy. I cried today, realizing I would no more hear his stories of...
It’s no secret that the Coronavirus pandemic has made a huge impact on how Washington retailers and restaurants operate. With additional restrictions implemented at the start of the holiday season as cases surge, it’s another challenge for local small businesses. But that’s where we as a community can step in. Small retailers and restaurants are relying on us to send a message with our dollars that says, “We’ve got your back.” And in 2020, this support is needed more than ever. Approximately 62% of small businesses have reported they need t...
Colleen Leskinen has had her eye on Nespelem for a very long time, essentially since her birth year, 67 years ago. Some people know her as the lady who runs the daycare, within the shadow of the town limits. Others know her as the town mayor and councilwoman and town administrator. Everyone knows Colleen. Currently, she runs a daycare on an 80-acre ranch, just a stone’s throw from town center; maybe a hefty toss. Colleen welcomes some 28 kids on weekdays. Her daycare acts as an extension of the public school system, with 15 students and a...
We have to get back to normal sometime, it’s true. But when? The Grand Coulee Dam School District directors voted last night (Monday) to implement a plan for a phased-in restart even for the seventh- through 12th-graders. They’ll be back in physical classrooms just one day a week starting in early December. The phase in is planned out as far as April, when they will be back in classrooms four days a week, according to the plan. The district is beginning this path just as the nation and this state are posting record infection numbers rates for... Full story
This week I would like to recognize and honor service personnel, past and present. I came from a military family. My father was in the army in World War I. I still have his papers from when he was called up, and his discharge. My three brothers served in World War II, one in Navy, one in the Air Corps and the other in the Army. All were in the fighting, two in the Pacific and the other in the African and German theaters. I remember how proud my father was when my oldest brother was home on furlough midway in his Army career. He had just...
Through his entire life, Donald Trump has been a SLAPP master. What is SLAPP, you ask? Good question. It stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation.” For our purposes, it means frivolous legal action, usually by someone with deep pockets, designed to use the court system to intimidate someone else who doesn’t have deep pockets. SLAPPs are against the law in 30 states and D.C. But how does one prove that the litigation crosses the line? The misuse of the legal system is one of the sleaziest tactics available to lawyers and their...