News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Continuing on with profiling a senior in Lake Roosevelt High School, this month I chose a senior who follows a family tradition of being profiled right here in these pages. Quincy “The Kid” Williams and the superstar Chasity Williams are ones I have written about in the past two years, so it is a time-honored tradition that this time I write about Gloria “Roo” Michel, little sister to the other two. “Pretty good” is how she answered my first of many questions as we sat down for an impromptu o...
It happened for me on Thursday night at the K Diamond K Ranch. As I sat in this big circle with 21 students from Lake Roosevelt and nine adults, I realized that a dream had come true. Natural Helpers had indeed rebooted itself and was happening. Not only was it happening, but I was one of the leaders, leading it back into the halls of Lake Roosevelt. As all 30 guests and the ranch owner shared their stories with the rest of us, it became abundantly clear that this retreat needed to happen and...
The holiday season is upon us and, as we start our list of chores to do for the festivities, we must remember that this first holiday is all about giving thanks. So amidst the second course of turkey, the third course of stuffing and the fourth piece of pie we should give thanks to what we are all thankful for this year. Then we can go into a coma on the couch watching football. Family. That is the first thing to come to mind this year, and I am truly thankful for them all. Even though we...
If you live in the Grand Coulee Dam area, you know that the large volcano-looking structure beside the high school is called “the sand hill.” It is one of the markers of our little area that has become part of the town. Very much like our dam, North Dam Park, Banks Lake, Siam Palace, Loepps and the TeePee, it has become a part of our community. But the history it holds tells a story that only a large sand hill can tell. Most of us know it is the leftover sand from the construction of our Gra...
There are some students who fly by under the radar, and they are moving to the college of their choice when you realize you missed out on knowing a senior who is pretty special. That is not the case with Rainy Dawn. I met her a few years ago and have been addicted to her personality ever since. So when I sat down with her this past week to talk about all things “her,” I was really looking forward to what she had to say. She did not disappoint. Rainy is one of those rare students. Good grades, go...
If we take a peek into our past and look at options available in it for kids in the Coulee area, we see many things to keep them busy. At one time there were two theaters showing current flicks of the time. There were dances every weekend in different locations. School functions, church functions, community events and traveling enterprises kept our kids constantly entertained, and the great outdoors held many other adventures. Fast forward to when I was a youngster. The Village Cinema in Coulee...
Sometimes a subject, a number or an object comes up over and over again in a person’s life. This object or phrase seems to keep showing itself in conversation, dreams, stories or testimonies, and it makes one think to themselves, “God, what are you trying to tell me?” I have a good friend who is always seeing the numbers 18 or 19. On the clock, in scripture or in normal conversation, when she hears or sees these numbers, she takes notice because God seems to be telling her something and she h...
As you all know by now, I like to profile some seniors at Lake Roosevelt so you can get to know them a little better before they go out and conquer the world. This year there are some outstanding students that I am excited to tell you more about, but I decided to start with the man in the class who has accomplished so much already. I will start with a name you know well already: Kaleb Horn, the youngest of Jason and Erica Horn, brother of Kody Horn, and a man on a mission for his final year as...
Over the weekend, our God showed me he is still present and listening, but more than that, he is moving among his children in awesome and powerful ways. I know some of you read the title and turned to Coulee Cops, but those of you whose attention was caught by the title of this column and are still reading, well, let me explain my weekend the best I can. It starts in 1992. Yep, that long ago. Right after I gave my life to Christ, a couple of ladies took me to a youth camp for the weekend. I slept most of the way and really had no idea where thi...
Someone I know recently came home from a trip to Spokane and declared, “You have to watch this movie.” He was pumped and said that the flick had even moved him to tears. Well that got me thinking: What inspirational movies would I recommend to others? So, I decided to only go with movies that moved me in a dramatic way. This is not a list of action-packed thrillers but of soul-searching, sometimes tear-jerking movies. The first movie that comes to mind is “The Lion King.” It is a good movie,...
We have all taken a different path to get to right where we are today. For some, it has been a long and windy road of ups and downs, mountains and valleys. For others it has been a quick hop, skip and jump, and before you know it you have arrived. Some have been on this path for many years while others are just getting started. So how did we all end up right here, right now? Most of us, when we started this journey, had grander visions and ideas of where we would be five years, 10 years or 20...
It is that time of year again. It seems to come earlier and earlier every year, and our summers get shorter and shorter. It is time for the awesome employees of school districts across the nation to go back to their classrooms, buses, custodial carts and offices. Summer has come and summer has gone (it may be hidden behind the smoke), but nonetheless the school bell has rung. The floors are shiny, the buses are running with a purr, everything is organized, and curriculum is ready to be taught. O...
All of us have stories of this past weekend. I also know that the fire is far from out as I write this, but many of us are taking a breath of not-so-fresh air and relaxing for the first time in days. In the midst of disaster and facing possible loss, heroes emerged for many of us. Some in the form of neighbors and community members; some in firefighters, both local and from across the state. Strangers became a comforting face in the smoke-filled unknown that stared many of us down. Sometimes...
At a recent conference in Kennewick, Wash., two local stars from our school district were honored with high awards. I had the honor and privilege of being on hand when these two powerful superstars in education received their hardware from the elite in the Public School Employees Annual Conference. Our school was definitely well represented, and our school has been put on the map by these two outstanding classified employees. Aaron Derr received the President’s Award for his hard work and d...
In this day and age, the word “relationships” can have a skewed meaning. The younger generation may immediately think of the number of friends they have on Facebook or their followers on Instagram. Others may think of something more intimate, like boyfriends and girlfriends or spouses. But there is more, and I was reminded of that over the weekend at a yard sale, a funeral and a family reunion. The yard sale: Sometimes we can misread a person when first meeting them. This became very app...
Let’s start with the cat. We have a very cuddly and cute kitty named Camaro. She has the sweetest temperament and has stayed pretty small for her age. We adopted her many years ago into our family and she joined Nova and Chevelle in our feline garage. In the beginning, I was not a cat guy. But they grew on me. With every cuddle and purr, I grew fonder and fonder of them. About a month ago, when I was neck deep in graduation and everything that erupts at the end of a school year, we came home lat...
This last weekend was our annual family campout and this year we welcomed Cairo on his first visit to the “plantation,” our huckleberry heaven. The crop was in good standing this year; an abundance of purple gold was everywhere and everyone ended the weekend with a permanent stain on their picking fingers that you could flavor your coffee with. Karrie and I went up first to grab our coveted spot along the plantation and we went back to our younger days, sleeping on the ground in a tent. It was...
Sometimes you never know where your road trip will take you. The plan was to head to Conconully, Washington, to see their annual Independence Day Celebration. We had a plan when we went to bed on Friday, but Saturday morning had its own time schedule. It started with a loud boom that shook the house at about 5:30 a.m. In that half-asleep, half-awake state, I assumed it was a firework, but soon realized I was awake and something was not right. As I got up to investigate, I soon realized that ever...
A lot can happen in a week or two. From Father’s Day to the 4th of July is a busy time in most families. Camping, vacations, fishing trips and camps can take up a lot of this timeframe, but sometimes things can change, and things can look a little different. Also, depending on who you are, things can change. I could write about a little blue truck or a union gathering. But I am not today. I could talk about the “Best Father’s Day Ever” or on running into a Proctor in Pasco, but I will wait on...
First off, a disclaimer: I know many of you will disagree with me on this topic, but please bear in mind that if we want change, we have to be the change. For years, Lake Roosevelt schools have gotten a bad rap. I am not saying it is not deserved, and I am not saying that everything is perfect now or that everything is fixed, but we are making progress and trying. The main issue, in my opinion, is the way we speak of our own schools. The way we portray things is just as important as the history.... Full story
It happened not long after graduation started in the Lake Roosevelt 2018 ceremony. A shift occurred. One more graduate was added to the class, and there was not a dry eye in the gym. It first appeared in the class speaker’s address. A slight mention of a teacher that “roasted” students, then as the valedictorian’s speech turned from one of them to one of him; followed by a video sequence that told everyone that there was one more to be added to the program. If we did not know yet, an award f...
“This is bittersweet.” “I was not prepared.” “No one told me about this.” “Every time you think something will be easy, it is not.” These were all phrases that scooted through my head as the date of June 9 approached. June 9, graduation day for the 2018 seniors at Lake Roosevelt. I am excited for them, but also there is a pain deep within my heart. This is a special class. Beyond special. I took the position of Pathways Coordinator this year, knowing full well I was going to get the chance to w...
Sometimes you just have a good weekend. When things build upon each other and you know you are supposed to be right here, right now. That is the way last weekend unfolded for me and for others in our area. It started with an assembly at Lake Roosevelt. I was assigned to help the guest speakers and artists set up and get anything they needed. James Pakootas, Miah Bearcub, Lew Era, Darrin Cawston and TS the Solution all showed up, excited and ready to perform for the students of Lake Roosevelt....
We have all had that one person who has spoken so directly into our heart that it changed us forever. It might have been a parent, a grandparent, an uncle or an aunt. It may have been a boss, a pastor, a friend or a boss. Or it could have been a complete stranger, a guest speaker at school, at a conference or just someone you saw on television or online. The fact of the matter is that the words they spoke so impacted you that a change occurred right there in the moment. Tears may have flowed,...
This past weekend I found myself in many different situations as we packed in a lot of things over the few days we had off. On most Saturdays we go into Spokane and pray for those in need at the Healing Rooms, but this weekend we found those in need right here at home. Let me explain a bit more. A lot of us go to church on Sunday and then on Monday we go back to our normal lives. We have all heard the message that we need to be the same person at church as we are the other six days of the week....