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

While wind and solar farms generate “greenhouse gas free” electricity, there are ongoing concerns over their impacts on our environment especially as a rapidly growing number of... — Updated 4/17/2024

Easter is when potted Easter Lily plants start showing up in nurseries and supermarkets like poinsettias during the Christmas season. They adorn the altars and pulpits of most... — Updated 4/3/2024

Who would have thought that a small Oregon natural grain mill owner’s death would make national news or be the subject of a lengthy feature article in the New York Times (NYT)? H... — Updated 3/27/2024

Each year, Americans throw away more than three billion batteries constituting 180,000 tons of hazardous material. The situation is likely to get worse as the world shifts to... — Updated 2/1/2024

After a brief hiatus, those pesky citizen initiatives are back, much to the chagrin of three-term Gov. Jay Inslee and Democrats who have an ironclad grip on our state Legislature.... — Updated 1/17/2024

The $33 billion secret Snake River Dam plan that President Biden and friends cooked up in the White House basement needs to be exposed to the light of day and thoroughly aired by... — Updated 1/10/2024

In the 1990s, “Things go better with Coca Cola” was the catchy slogan that dairy farmers dreaded. At the time, milk producers were in a head-to-head battle with soft drink gia... — Updated 12/27/2023

It is that time of year when people put up their outside holiday lights and displays. Judging from our neighborhood, they are decorating more than usual. In our country, 90 percent... — Updated 12/6/2023

As we prepare for the upcoming holidays, we must be grateful for what we have and focus on our needs rather than fixate on what we want and crave. Being thankful starts with an... — Updated 11/21/2023

While the last veterans who survived the “surprise” Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are dwindling rapidly, we cannot let their sacrifices and the memories of that horrific day that... — Updated 11/8/2023

In 1992, a single male sockeye salmon managed to swim 900 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River to Redfish Lake located deep in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains — the end of his mig... — Updated 11/1/2023

President Biden’s $65 billion infrastructure bill contains $8 billion for regional hubs to develop ways to produce and distribute hydrogen fuel. One is planned for the Pacific N... — Updated 10/25/2023

While media focus was on Joe Biden’s decree putting a tiny plot of land within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) off limits to oil and gas exploration, reporters ignored t... — Updated 9/20/2023

There is an axiom: Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good! That is important to remember when it comes to improving our air quality. While climate activists want to b... — Updated 9/13/2023

With students returning to college campuses, it is time to consider other ways for them to pay for tuition, books and living expenses. Too often, they resort to borrowing. Now,... — Updated 9/6/2023

Many fingers are again pointed at electric utilities because downed power lines are suspected of starting another horrific wildfire — the one that raced through Lahaina killing hund... — Updated 8/23/2023

To supporters of the four Lower Snake River Dams, the latest news that President Biden continues to pursue dam breaching is not shocking, but surprising, considering the growing... — Updated 6/21/2023

China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and stockpiles is setting off global alarms. It has American manufacturers in a bind as they ramp up domestic electric v... — Updated 6/14/2023

When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It was a cleanup, not a recycling pro... — Updated 6/7/2023

Although New Zealand and Washington are located a half a world apart, they have lots in common — beautiful seashores, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, and v... — Updated 5/24/2023

Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils... — Updated 5/10/2023

Today, employers continue to struggle finding enough workers while attempting to bring people back to the office (work sites). A key problem is there simply aren’t enough people t... — Updated 4/12/2023

My mom would be horrified by the rash of violence in our schools today. The most recent tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville, where three students and three adults were shot to... — Updated 4/5/2023

While the coronavirus clobbered many businesses, pharmacies were not among them. In fact, since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, local pharmacists... — Updated 2/22/2023

It’s past time for an energy reality check. If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear p... — Updated 2/15/2023