News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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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....
I was honored this weekend to spend some time with some truly gifted men and women. I attended a training session put on by First Peoples Fund, in partnership with Northwest Native Development Fund (NNDF). The training was about how to hone your skills and market yourself in a variety of ways. This included budgeting and pricing of your art. But much more was covered, and I found some great people with greater stories. You know many of the names, but how they got to the little NNDF building on a sunny weekend in April is a novel ready to be...
Sometimes life just happens. That was the summary of my sit-down chat with this powerful young lady getting ready to walk the stage and get her diploma at Lake Roosevelt. Alyssa Hobrecht-Flores is ready, and if her life to this point has taught her anything, it is that she can conquer it all. Here is a little bit more of my emotion-filled conversation that covered many areas with Ms. Hobrecht-Flores. Senior years have a reputation of being stress filled and fast paced. So when I asked Alyssa...
The song “I Can Only Imagine,” by MercyMe, has been a family favorite since it first came out. I have vivid memories of this song and the lyrics cut me to the core every time I hear it. Such powerful words that make you put yourself inside the music and visualize yourself in the song’s summary. It causes you to imagine yourself in that very setting. This song was one of my best friend, Frank Sieker’s, favorite songs, as well. A family friend sang this song at Frank’s wedding, and there is...
I sat one day, about three years ago, with Keianna Vera. She told me her story up to that point. On that day, I knew that this young lady was going to go places. She told me about her roller coaster ride of a life. She said all this with a smile on her face and a little emotion in her eyes. Today that same smile was there while we talked about many things as her senior year has about a quarter left to go. “Not too shabby,” is how she answered my first question about how her senior year was goi...
How often does this happen, Aprils Fools and Easter on the same day? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is the state of the world today. I will let that sink in a bit. It is a thought provoking question and probably even insulting to some, but it might just reflect what is happening out there on the most holy of days. I ended up traveling across the state on Easter. That was after a great message from a great man on Easter morning at church. I was a chaperone for the Northwest Native Youth Conference, and this year we...
This past week I have gotten to hang, be in meetings and just spend time with some pretty cool dawgs and cats. So I thought I might share a bit with all of you. If anyone went to Coulee Medical Center last week, you might have noticed four fresh faced youngsters hanging around. They were interns from the University of Washington. After a week of job shadowing some of our professionals in the medical field who call Coulee Country home, they spent the day at Lake Roosevelt High School. They spoke...
Most parents realize this not long after bringing their newborn home. A lack of sleep is something that must be overcome as we pray and wait to see if our child will actually sleep through the night tonight. As those kids grow up, yes, they do start sleeping all night long, all morning long, all afternoon long and then we start praying for some awake time with them. As parents we also lose sleep when our teenagers are awake. First dates for our daughters and sons can bring us to a new place of sleeplessness, as we wait for their return or a...
Sometimes it is just fun to chat with a young man who is ready to conquer the world, and sometimes you can learn a lot about life from that same young man. A few years ago I wrote about Lucas “Lead Foot” Bird as a Gem in the Coulee. He is a senior now and his dreams have morphed a bit as he matured. Here is a little bit of our conversation. If you know Lucas at all, you know that he sometimes can appear shy, but really he is just a quiet kid who lets his actions speak for themselves. So whe...
When you’re surrounded by kids for most of the day, sometimes you reflect on parenting skills: your own and others’. I also have many friends, who are young parents themselves, who come to me on occasion for advice or to just tell me their story of the week. But some recent events have gotten me thinking even more. Whenever a bunch of fathers get together, the subject always seems to somehow, someway come back to poop. A diaper expulsion, a bath-time floater or crib full of brown artwork are...
Sometimes I take a look at this world we live in and just shake my head. It feels like we are living in a big movie script and the actors and actresses just keep stirring the plot. Government divided nations on the brink, terrorists everywhere, and school shootings make all Americans and citizens of the world just dumbfounded at what we are becoming as a nation. Not to mention those elite services we have relied on for so long in this country are not immune to society’s indiscretions. We b...
The tradition continues. Two Raider wrestlers answered the question that has been hanging over the team all year: “Who’s next?” The Raider wrestling team has put on a streak of state champs for the past few years, and two grapplers answered the challenge. One returning for the second time and the other capturing his first title; but equally important, one captured the Academic State Champ, as well, in his weight class. Tony Nichols has been raised on the mat. As long as I can remember, he has b...