Our take on the news

• Congratulations to local firm Taylor Enterprises, LLC for landing a $4.2 million contract to provide the Grand Coulee Dam with janitorial services.

• Electric City’s planning commission should think carefully if asked to alter what kinds of buildings are allowed within the city. Understanding why restrictions are in place should be the first step in either removing them or keeping them. Decisions like that affect everyone’s property values.

• In our special triathlon section this week, read about a remarkable young athlete who registered for this weekend’s Grand Columbian Triathlon, then found out she’s got a cancerous brain tumor. After her treatment ended in June, she started training again. Whether she even finishes or not, she’s an inspiration.

If you’ve never taken in any of the Grand Columbian Triathlon events, or helped as a volunteer, this may be your last chance. With the Penticton Iron Man just two weeks before, the local boutique competition is having trouble attracting athletes. And a perennial paucity of volunteer help makes it tough to put on a race of that magnitude in a small town.

Too bad, because attracting a group of remarkable, determined individuals at least once a year, and seeing what it takes to try that hard to accomplish anything, can only be good for us all, including our children.

• We’re wondering if anybody else in Grand Coulee or Electric City is still experiencing the brown water problem, like the guy who complained about the greying of his washed T-shirts last week.