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

Charlene BearCub was literally robbed through council/elections committee corrupt manipulation of the absentee votes in the Colville Confederated Tribes primary elections, thus, she is not advancing to the General Elections in June as she rightfully...

We plant our gardens, wash our windows, get our animals ready for summer. We rotate our canned goods, plan summer events, dream of sitting out with our neighbors and chatting while the warm breeze runs through and the sun calls it a day. Now imagine...

I would like to remain anonymous and hope that my letter will still be printed. The reason I don't want my name revealed is because it has to do with the safety of my family and my property. I am writing this because of the letter written about the...

The USBR does not like the livability of the area. Too bad Power Manager Mark Jenson wasn’t here before the Third Powerplant. Coulee Dam was a lot nicer town. Lost: a very nice restaurant, Green Hut Café, hotel, motel, gas station, dentist...

On behalf of the Friends of Rachel Clubs at Lake Roosevelt High School, Grand Coulee Dam Middle School and the students of Center Elementary I want to say thank you to the community members that...

Ten Years Ago The public has the chance to help determine what proposed playground changes will look like in Coulee Dam. The town council last week approved spending approximately $25,000 to purchase new playground equipment. A donation by General...

We were quite surprised and frankly disappointed that Coulee Dam residents are not permitted to speak at future council meetings. In recent months this input has been very positive and certainly reflective of the desires of most residents. We hope...

The town of Coulee Dam is facing a lot of issues with the sewer plant, huge increases in utility rates, the impacts of a new school, needed improvements to our parks, sidewalks, and roads. We need a better and growing relationship with our local...

Hello to the GC area. This was our 30th year in the Colorama Parade with our 1968 AMX. This has always been a great time of the year for us. That is -- except for this last time. When we arrived on the 9th we found our little trailer house on View...

About one year ago, I noticed something was going to happen with the Sewer Treatment Plant. I became curious. I attended meetings and began looking into Elmer City’s expenditures for sewer. I kept reading and researching and asking for further...

I was saddened to read about the Village Cinema closure. It is one less activity for residents and tourists to enjoy in the coulee. Lynette and Don, along with Lynette’s kids, deserve a big thank you for their efforts to keep the theater open....

The Queen of Hearts Pageant Float was minus “One Queen of Hearts” who has been ignored or overlooked twice now and never asked to participate after the original pageant was over. Seems like this Queen of Hearts pageant is not following the...

To all the naysayers ... one person can make a difference! Geezer Beach is no longer being patrolled or ticketed by C.C.T. Enjoy your beach! C. Williamson...

We want to extend our sincere appreciation to county commissioners Jim DeTro, Sheilah Kennedy and Ray Campbell for their forward thinking approach to improved security in our courthouse. Rather than wait for tragedy to strike, our commissioners, in...

Ten Years Ago The possibility of bringing a swimming pool back into the Grand Coulee Dam area seems to be closer to reality after several county governments are encouraged by it. Sean Hess, chair of the Coulee Area Recreation Effort (CARE), and...

Sometimes you are just so proud of someone. I was Saturday, when I saw all of a local girl’s hard work and dedication come to a conclusion. Or maybe it was just the beginning. A walk against domestic violence seems like a simple thing to throw toge...

Mr. Ward is right about living here in Coulee Dam. We have the Credit Union to save our money, the Variety Store to spend our money, Harvest Foods to purchase maple bars and the waste water treatment plant to piss the rest of our money away. Bruce...

Most voters agree that big corporations and the wealthy should start paying their fair share in taxes. But of course big corporations and the wealthy don’t want to do that. They want to pay less, and they are used to getting their way. So what do...

Somewhere along the way, most of us have had a teacher who influenced our lives in a big way. Perhaps a teacher encouraged us to pursue a particular interest or skill, challenged us to push the limits and achieve more, or saw something in us that we...

Ten Years Ago A cancer cure is on the mind of an Electric City woman as she prepares for an Alaska marathon during a time when the sun only sets for an hour or two. It’s a cause Freda Junvik been pursuing since the death of her Aunt Bonnie four and...

• Congratulations to Fern Blaylock, who was recognized by Gov. Inslee last week for her volunteer service. Often nominated for The Star Volunteer of the Year award, Blaylock’s service is something many people in the local community appreciate....

Thank you for publicly supporting Guillermo during this difficult time. I have known Guillermo for the past thirteen years. Guillermo is one of the most honest, caring, and thoughtful individuals that I have ever encountered. He is committed to...

Huge kudos to you, Charli, for your courage to address and combat an issue most won't speak about. While (I’m) so sorry about the tragic loss of your sister, please know that the awareness you are raising can, and likely will, save lives, because...

About three months ago, the Coulee Dam Town Council was presented with a petition signed by hundreds. Two of the items on that petition were a roll-back of the burdensome sewer rates and a demand for the town to look at alternative solutions for the...

Grand Coulee area and the reaches of The Star newspaper, one of our own, and my son, Major Kevin Billups USAF, has been nominated, one of four, to win the prestigious and deserving title as 2013 MILITARY FATHERHOOD OF THE YEAR AWARD! He needs all of...

In March, both the House and Senate passed budget plans. Now, President Obama has released his budget. The Congressional Budget Office and Office of Management and Budget will be scrutinizing each proposed new revenue increase, every proposed...

The first time I met Guillermo Guzman he had just done the butterfly stroke across Crescent Bay and back in September. I had taken his photograph for possible use in the paper and so introduced myself and asked his name. His thick Mexican accent was...

I have known Guillermo for many years, ever since he was a student of mine at the University of Washington. So I am very, very surprised to read this story. There must be some gigantic misunderstanding. Guillermo was not only a brilliant student in...

I am a former graduate of Coulee Dam High School and read with interest the article on lack of housing or activities for employees at the dam. In the 1950s this was a problem, too, and the USBR provided a dorm for the single employees. Many of our...

If Mark Jenson, the Bureau of Reclamation power manager sees it as a hardship living right here presently, he should have tried it before we got our Variety Store. A lot of us enjoy life in Coulee Dam because each morning, Iris, our town’s mail...

Last summer, news reports broke that the U.S. Department of Labor was effectively holding hostage the crops of blueberry farmers in Oregon until they signed documents agreeing to alleged violations to federal labor laws. Since then, similar cases hav...

Ten Years Ago Plan finalized for water sharing. Grand Coulee and Electric City will soon share another resource when a pipe joins one water supply to the other. Last night, the Electric City town council approved a contract that promises to lead to...

Graveside services for Jean Campbell will be held Saturday, April 27, 2013, at Spring Canyon Cemetery at 1 p.m. Dress is casual but the family is wearing pink in her honor. Jean passed away November 14, 2012, in Spokane....

We would like thank everyone who has helped us out since we lost our home in the fire. It was such a lonely and devastating thing to watch nearly everything we owned go up in flames. As many of you may know, my husband and I both grew up in...

I had heard rumors early in the school year that the Hoe Down was going to be eliminated this year, but I was hoping that this would not be the case. However, it appears that the decision has been made, and there will be no Hoe Down this spring. As...

So, the administrators and staff of Center Elementary school have decided to do away with the annual Colorama “Hoe Down” that has been taking place in our community for at least 25 years that I know of. This decision provides yet another example...

My first meeting with Guillermo Guzman was for my son’s parent-teacher (Spanish) conference. The second time I met with him was this Sunday past - at the Okanogan County jail. Mr. Guzman and I have exchanged emails from time-to-time regarding...

Media has a duty to distinguish fact from opinion and to report both sides of a story without bias. Because reputations and lives can be destroyed long before facts are known we rely on the media to equalize the power imbalance between the...

I find it in very poor taste and highly unprofessional to include a picture of innocent students with the article about Guillermo Guzman. It has been a very traumatic event for them and this just adds another element of hurt to what they are already...

As a long time resident in Grand Coulee I loved our Community Hospital and Clinic. Some great staff members made it a desirable place to get excellent attention. The Blood Draw as an annual event was a real positive for a small hospital and helped...

Have none of these council members ever looked for daycare in this area? Impossible! So most children are cared for by unlicensed caregivers in their homes or relatives who don’t always WANT to do it. I would think in the interest of community...

Those looking for a good place to create a daycare center should be encouraged and helped to answer this critical, unmet need in the community. To the casual observer, it may sound like a picayune cause over which to get worked up, but in this...

Well, once again the Grand Coulee City Hall’s elected officials have proven that they are EXTREMELY effective when it comes to stomping out business in the Grand Coulee area, and not as good when it comes to cultivating an atmosphere for it. Our qu...

When I have a question, I will ask. When I am not given a sensible answer, I read. After quietly listening to a public presentation of the present and clear need for a $6.2 million dollar upgrade to the local Wastewater Treatment Plant in early...

With all the talk about the health care system and its downfalls I would like to make one very big point that everyone seems to be forgetting: that the whole country doesn’t have any money, so how is this plan supposed to help anybody when there...

Only 30 years ago, crime victims had no rights, access to crime victim compensation, or services to help rebuild their lives. They were often excluded from courtrooms, treated as an afterthought by the criminal justice system, and denied an...

Political stupidity in Washington, D.C. is about to come down hard on our local area. Some economists argue that the sky will fall because of the “sequester,” a budget cut imposed by Congress and signed by the President in 2011 in a move...

The town of Coulee Dam recently held a meeting regarding the problematic sewer treatment plant project. The meeting was closed to the public and the mayor directed that “Greg Wilder was not to be admitted.” When I asked what would happen if I...

This letter is in response to the March 20 Star article about Electric City looking to get rid of its “butt ugly trees.” In the 1980s, there was a consensus of the whole Grand Coulee Dam area community to beautify our area by creating more parks...

Due to our projector bulb manufacturer no longer making the type of bulb our projector needs, and the one they sent us being a bad bulb, The Village Cinema will be down for the remainder of April, and possibly May. We are currently waiting for our...