News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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There are an estimated 1,000 wild horses roaming free on the Colville Indian Reservation that have caused significant damage to certain areas they occupy, the tribal Fish and Wildlife Dept. says. The areas that have become overgrazed contribute to the spread of invasive species, compaction, and erosion. The horses also compete with big game animals for forage, the department stated in a press release. “The forage resource is being harmed because the horse is re-grazing the new growth as soon as... Full story
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 12. We are still dry -- way too dry, frankly -- and we are all reminded of that fact with the recent wildfires that have occurred around our region. Excluding the 0.01 inch of rain on Sept. 8 here at the home weather station, we haven’t seen any rain since July 20 -- that’s 80 days as of this writi... Full story
by Michelle Campobasso - Colville Tribal Fish and Wildlife A temporary picket-style salmon weir has recently been constructed in the Okanogan River by Chief Joseph Hatchery (CJH) staff. A mile below Malott Bridge (approximately 15 miles upstream from the Okanogan River/Wells Reservoir confluence) near Brewster, the temporary weir took three weeks to construct and install in the river. Now that installation is complete, CJH staff will evaluate how summer/fall Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and st... Full story
The American Legion Post 157 in Electric City would like to say thanks to everyone who helped us out in many ways! Yes, our Legion Club has had problems in the past, but most of the money has been recovered, our tax-free status has been reinstated and our legion post recovery has just been great. Thanks to all who donated to our weekly Saturday yard sales. This was a very good fund-raiser for us. Also a thanks goes out to all who purchased yard sale items from us! Legion meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month at the Vets’ Center i... Full story
A small critter is causing big problems in the South Puget Sound. It’s called the Mazama pocket gopher. Some 100,000 pocket gophers inhabit prairie lands throughout northern California, Oregon and Washington. Our state is the northernmost part of its range, where separate populations are scattered in pockets throughout the area, including Thurston and Pierce counties. Last December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed to list several subspecies of the Mazama pocket gopher in W... Full story
This week, our letter is to thank all the firefighters that worked so hard to save our home. They responded fast, worked hard, and did an awesome job. We wish that we knew each and every one of your names so we could thank you personally, but you all know who you are. We thank you so much that words can’t even express how we feel. All you firefighters and the person driving the cat are wonderful. Special thanks to Bob Morin and his partner, they were the first ones to respond with their fearless expertise in knocking down the flames before t... Full story
Recently, Matthew Rose, CEO of BNSF Railway, visited editorial boards in Vancouver, Spokane, Seattle and Bellingham to talk about a variety of issues related to increased train traffic. However, the 800 pound gorilla in the room was not train traffic, but the commodity those trains would carry: coal. In Washington, coal has been shipped by train for decades. Currently, about three to four coal trains a day pass through Clark County. Rose said it’s hard to predict specifics at this point, but i... Full story
Granted, splitting the principal duties between several individuals doesn’t seem ideal, I find it more concerning that some of the school board seem to be ignoring an upcoming problem. With the new school being constructed I question how administration of the new school will be conducted. Will the new two winged school be in need of three principals? It seems like overkill in the administration department, and with the going pay rate of principals, a little expensive too. In light of Hinton’s dismissal, the school board should be taking the... Full story
Help the food bank The Eagles is sponsoring a chicken dinner for a donation of food and $5 to help stock the shelves of the Care & Share Food Bank. Half of the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the food bank, along with all of the food collected during dinner. We have been taking food donations the month of August at the Club. And I am hoping we can get a truckload of donated food to help stock the food bank’s shelves. The buffet style dinner will be fried, baked, or BBQ chicken, potato salad, baked beans and a dessert. This event is... Full story
It seems our council is for the mayor instead of for the citizens. Are they not there to represent the citizens? Why did they feel they needed the police at the last meeting? Were they afraid they would have problems with the public because of their actions? (The officer even said he was there in case of a conflict at that meeting). The more they go along with the mayor -- voting in the rezoning, annexing in property and now the vehicle license tab, it seems to me they don’t care what the citizens think, they just do whatever they want to d... Full story
I am in favor of marriage equality. Where did God say that this group of human beings or that was not created in his image? What criteria do we use to say God given rights do not apply to all human beings? Thousands of civil laws concerning child custody and welfare, inheritance, taxes, healthcare, property contracts, etc, use the word marriage. Reality check: single parents, unmarried couples, couples without children, abusive parents, divorce, and death exist in our society. Who does not “deserve” to have a legal structure to help them nav... Full story
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 storms were impressive as were the speeds they travelled. Here at the home weather station we ended up with a half inch of rain and a 40 mph wind gust in just over an hour. Extensive damage occurred here in our communities and many of you heard that North Central Washington was hit hard by those... Full story
In the July 11 issue of The Star, Roger Lucas’ article on Linda Evans Parlette’s advocacy for an additional $15 million to upgrade the school district’s existing fields, track and gym, the following quote was cited: “This belief is supported by the Coulee Community Act of 1957 which states, ‘It is of prime importance to the government that these communities continue to function as wholesome and attractive communities suitable as residences of personnel essential to the care and operation.’” Sen. Parlette cited this statement in letters to Re... Full story
The few improvements that were made on Burdin Blvd. have all but disappeared. The truck loads of junk and debris are finding their way back into the neighborhood. The park that was created, obviously for appearances only, are again becoming a parking lot for used automobiles, trailers and parts. The park was a good idea to start off with, and looked very nice for a short period of time and the kids spent much time there. But it was just for show because it’s returning to its original state of junk. The kids are still playing there, but at t... Full story
People fall in love with their hometown stocks. I see it all the time both as the host of a financial talk radio show and a wealth manager. Which is OK, as long as you live in the right hometown. Seattle is not one of those towns. Investors who choose their stocks like a favorite sports team also like to make late night calls wondering if it is “time to sell everything.” The answer: It depends on what you own. Why would you sell your winners and your losers all at the same time? Not every stock behaves the same during times of market vol... Full story
It is very discouraging to consistently read of the editorial position of this paper and the local school district’s position of calling on the federal government for funds to build the local school. The district already has $25 million from the state to build a K-12 educational wing and to demolish the grade school. The district also has $5.5 million to build a new gym complex. If my math is correct, this is covered by the amount the state has set aside. Asking for an additional $15 million from Uncle Sam for essentially athletic uses is a m... Full story
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 65.6°F and we recorded only 61.8°F. Precipitation provides us with another story. We had 3.4 inches of rain here at the home weather station, highest amount in past four years. A gully washer occurred on the 26th. Mean precipitation for June is 0.99 inches, so we were well over that but we did... Full story
Any realtor will tell you people looking to buy a home want good schools and safe neighborhoods. They also look for decent roads for when they head to the mountains or the beach during holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day or July 4. They want to know that if they are in an accident, someone will respond quickly to help them. While Washington needs more money to build new highways and repair existing roads, streets and interstates, one area in which our state excels is emergency response. In... Full story
This past May brought us our third consecutive year with a below mean temperature for our region of Washington state. The mean for May is 58.5°F. Here is what I’ve recorded at the home weather station over that past four years. 59.4°F (2009), 54.3°F (2010), 54.5°F (2011) and 57.3°F (2012). We almost cracked the 90-degree mark on May 15th with an 89.3°F. That was only one of three days at 80 degrees or above. Precipitation has been all over the chart. This year I ended the month with only 0.... Full story
Just when I thought Burdin Blvd., and hopefully the streets surrounding it, was developing a sense of pride, it appears to be starting to return to its original state. After watching truck load after truck load of junk (aka recyclable trash imported from other environmentally distressed areas) leaving our neighborhood, I thought AT LAST, our little section of town is getting cleaned up. WRONG! “Tall” wooden fences are being erected with bright NO TRESPASSING signs clearly posted, for my behalf. And although I haven’t seen signs posted in other... Full story
I've given each of the Omak District Tribal Council, and the new candidates running for Council copies of the petition with names of tribal members’ signatures. The petition is requesting 50 percent of the 193 money. I went to all three HUD sites in Omak, the HUD sites in Malott, Homested Trailer Court, covered the East Omak area and all along Hwy 155 to Disautel Pass. I knocked on each and every door, and was able to get over 300 petition signatures. All the tribal members were eager, and willing to sign the petition. All the tribal members a... Full story
It is with gratitude and appreciation that I see people step up and offer their time and often unfaltering support at endurance events all over the world, including our events. I took over this company going on three years ago now because I have personally witnessed what the power of believing in people can do and I wanted to have a vehicle to do the same for others that has been done for me. At the age of 28, I lost the feeling in my legs due to an injury and after waking up from the surgery was told that while I would probably walk again I... Full story
Activists waging a national war on coal have turned their sights on the Pacific Northwest, targeting proposed shipping terminals in Washington and Oregon that would export coal to China. They’re aggressively lobbying federal officials to change how these projects are evaluated. If they succeed, our economy could become a casualty of the war on coal. Currently, such projects undergo a rigorous environmental review known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) involving months or even years o... Full story
After nearly 80 years of state control, the voters of Washington have decided to privatize liquor sales. As the implementation of I-1183 begins, questions start to arise. Will liquor be cheaper? Doubtful, as the current 10 different taxes remain and 1183 adds two new ones. In addition to that, distributor and retailer margins will more than replace the current state markup. Will selection increase? Again doubtful as most retailers will focus on the fastest moving sellers. Will cities and counties be financially impacted? The city of Kent is... Full story
In 1942, the completion of Grand Coulee Dam was hailed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Seventy years later, most of us aren’t aware of what that dam or the others on the Columbia River continue to do for us. To commemorate Grand Coulee’s completion, the Bonneville Power Administration commissioned legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie to write songs praising the dam that harnessed the mighty Columbia River. Guthrie toured the region from the Bonneville Dam to Grand Coulee, and within a month... Full story