The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Here is a recap of how the weekend went for this homegrown Colorama combative. For me, like many of the chamber members, it started months ago, but I will spare you the boring setup and jump to the steak and potatoes....

[Editor’s note: Frankie will be reporting weekly on findings at local sales and culture right here. Let us know what you think, and don’t believe everything you read.] Detective Frankie D. here with what some shoppers might consider extremely...

This week's photos from The Star are now online, including hundreds not used in the photo or in online stories. Click through to view larger images and to order photos. http://coul...

As with most breakup letters, this one may come as a shock, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Small towns being what they are, I began to get worried that you would hear it from someone else...

The mean precipitation for March was 0.82 inches, though here at the home weather station we only received 0.36 inch, a huge variance from last year’s March total of 2.64 inches. What a difference...

Many people have come up to me over the last two weeks telling me they agree with consolidation [that the four towns should be joined]. I suspect there are many more of you out there. So let’s rally the troops and talk more about this. As a matter...

I recently heard a term in passing that immediately piqued my interest. At first I thought it was a made-up psychological disorder or simply a catchy term to describe a growing problem. But after...

Dry indeed, February brought a parching 0.09 inch of precipitation that included 0.6 inch of fresh snow. The mean precipitation is 0.92 inch while we had a high of 3.58 inches back in 1940. Mean...

Someone recently asked me, “Why should I volunteer?” After I answered the question and had more time to let the question really soak in, I wondered why some people give their time openly and easily while others drag their feet to help out. So I r...

This Christmas, with some trepidation, I received my first smartphone. I was very excited about the larger screen size (so I could more easily view pictures) and the ability to connect to the...

I have always been aware of good service. Like in restaurants and with good business owners that put this quality first. My family and I always return again and again to those places that provide a “customer first” rule. Also, with most of my...

Reviewing data from the past four Januarys shows we didn’t have any changes from the normal. We had good, measurable snowfall this year (2013, 7.3 inches) and last (2012, 9.9 inches). Here’s how...

Growing up in Los Angeles, Academy Award night was a citywide celebration. By the time my brother and I would tumble inside, ready for our afternoon snack, the glamorous stars were already pulling up...

Imagine this. You come home from work late at night; you go out to the garage to feed the cats like you always do. Cats are acting kind of skittish as you move to the garage. Then you find out why, a juvenile cougar with a mouthful of porcupine quill...

One day about a year ago, my daughter and I were in a pool at a hotel. While swimming, I overheard a mother tell her son not to put his head under the hot tub. “It’s bad for you, sweetie,” she t...

With the holidays in the past, it seems that the darkest, coldest days of the year are upon us. But any student will tell you that with the advent of the second semester of school, it is just a quick...

Sports has been a major part of my life as long as I can remember. My first memory of sports is playing Little League Baseball. My first team was Birds’ Auto Body. Back then, instead of a tee, your coach pitched underhand to you. Bob Riley was our...

Reviewing data sets for December 2011 and 2012 shows we were a bit warmer and wetter. Our low for December 2012 was 21.9°F compared to 2011, which was 16.4°F. That’s a 5.5 degree difference. The a...

Someone once told me that the first five years of a child’s life are remarkable in their ability for rapid change. Every few months bring about a new life stage that changes how a child sees his or...

It’s a typical practice around the new year to examine the year we are leaving behind. Sometimes it’s worthwhile to examine any personal gains or losses, or to assess a resolution made at this...

Last week in Connecticut, our country had another major tragedy. This time a sick young man walked into an elementary school and killed kindergartners and some staff. Pure, unblemished faces of the young meeting the violence of our new society head...

Our snowfall certainly wasn’t anything to get too thrilled about. Over a two-day period, the Dec. 10-11, we got 1.9 inches of snowfall here at the home weather station. That’s slightly more than...

This year, in the midst of a typically festive holiday season, is what many have considered to be a very auspicious date. December 21, 2012 does not simply signify the winter solstice, but also a...

Saturday morning Karrie, Nicollette and I got up and went to the Christmas Bazaar at Center School. It was a great time. We visited with friends we had not seen in months. We also purchased a few goodies and treasures we found there. I was also remin...

After having been in Grand Coulee for almost two years now, one of the biggest changes that I am still trying to adapt to is an unexpected one. It’s not the distance to the nearest big box store or...

In 1621 the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians celebrated a successful first harvest. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meats. They played games, sang and danced. In 1846 a columnist campaigned for a national holiday; she...

If the presence of snow indicates winter’s arrival along with less daylight, I’d say winter is here. So far, here at the home weather station, we’ve had 1.9 inches of snow with rapid melt-off....

As we’ve settled into the school year, our house, like houses across America, has settled into a routine. Certain days call for certain activities, and many hours of each day fall into expected...

OK, I know some of you don’t want to hear this but Christmas is right around the corner. So time to start on the Christmas Lists and pull out the decorations. Start checking the lights now, replace the bulbs early this year. Make your holiday plans...

My 3-year-old daughter recently declared that she had a favorite song. The use of the term “favorite” made me sit up and listen. Although she had been displaying preferences since birth, this was...

Well, yesterday our boy became a man. His 18th birthday and an adult by society standards. Although he has acted and been pretty responsible during the last few years, I can remember when I came into his life. He wasn’t quite a year old yet, and...

Like many children who grew up in the suburbs of America, I had a typical, and rather uninvolved, relationship with the food I ate. I was an athlete and had healthy parents, so tried to be thoughtful,...

The start of October has been really pleasant fall weather. It really is a nice treat. Our first recorded low back in the 30°F range occurred on Oct. 4. The last 30°F range low was way back on May...

Homecoming week for LRHS was fun to be a part of and it showed me spirit is alive and well. The halls of LR were decorated with different genres of music. Rap, country, techno and rock boomed in the...

A couple of weeks ago, a rather notorious mother in New York, Lenore Skenazy, started an after-school program for children. This is the same mother who, a few years ago, let her then 9-year-old son...

There is, perhaps, nothing so steady, predictable, and at times frightening in life as the continuity of the calendar. No matter what is happening in your life or the world, tomorrow will bring a new...

Back in the early 1990s, I was sent to the Chelan area for a large fire that was burning. Deano McPherson, Flint Bjorson and I took a structure truck over there as part of a “structure protection...

Every year as the calendar flips over into September, I feel a little thrill of anticipation. As an adult, I attribute this to the approaching autumn, my favorite season. But deep down I know that thi...

Two years ago, we hosted an exchange student from China. His name was Charles and we loved him dearly as did many of you that got to know him. How we got him into our home was a very quick and life changing moment. It was in the middle of my...

The closing ceremonies of the London Olympics were Sunday night, and I can hardly imagine that we have to wait four more years to watch again. I love the Olympics, both winter and summer. First off, I like just about all sports. Second, there is...

We were visited by quite a nice line of thunderstorms on July 20. I watched these storms approach from the south that afternoon on the Spokane National Weather Service radar on their website. The...

When the Olympics came to Atlanta, I was an impressionable 15-year-old involved in two different high school sports. The day after Muhammad Ali famously lit the torch, my family and I were sweltering...

The family and I headed out for camping last week near Republic. It was an awesome example of nature’s power as we drove through the Keller and Republic areas. I can just not do justice in words to...

I was watching cartoons the other morning with my nephew, Terrill, and man have things changed. It seemed that all the cartoons he was watching had killing, fighting and weapons of some sort. Violence...

June came and went, squeezing out a high temperature of only 84.9°F that was the lowest high temperature for June in the past four years (1938 saw a record 105°F). The mean temperature for June is...

One of the things I’ve always loved about American homes is the prominence of the kitchen. Far more than other cultures, where kitchens are small and tucked away out of sight, American architects...

Well, summer might just be making an appearance in the Coulee, and it got me thinking. When I was a kid we spent just about all day outside. We just had to be home before dark. All day outside. I...

Next week marks one of my favorite holidays of the calendar year -- Independence Day. I love this holiday because it is typically a day filled with simple good cheer. I find it an easy holiday to celebrate. The weather is usually warm and pleasant....

There is a man in Seaton's Grove that has wisdom beyond a lot of us. I can first remember meeting this Wizard of Wisdom when I was a small child. I would go to his shop and look at all the fish. Tank...

Next week is the summer solstice, denoting the longest day of the year and the official start of summer. For some cultures this is a day of marked celebration. In our own country it seems that many...