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

My wife and I lived the first time in the coulee back in 1953-55. I was a lumber grader down at the mill located above the dam. A fellow by the name of Kirkpatick owned 90% of the operation, and a fellow who ran the logging part... — Updated 9/21/2022

This is a continuation of earlier comments that education in America is not properly funded. I had pointed out that we need to rethink the value of teachers and the way we fund education, teachers included. I read a distressing... — Updated 9/7/2022

With covid numbers down, people have resumed long delayed travel interest. My family is no exception. It’s a test to balance caution and adventure. It started with my grandson, William, from Portland, closing out last year with... — Updated 8/31/2022

There is a national shortage of teachers, leaving some districts short of covering all their classrooms. While current events are creating problems in education, not the least of these problems are politics and financial... — Updated 8/24/2022

I got my desire to take drives from my dad who used to take us for rides all the time. He had an old car from the mid 30’s. I remember when my dad got his first new car, it was in the early 40’s before all effort turned to... — Updated 8/17/2022

I have always been taught to give something back to society. For years I tried to do so by volunteering or running for public office. I have held office in park boards, library boards and school boards.  Most recently I served 17... — Updated 8/10/2022

I recently wrote a column on my Aunt Voe. I am writing this column on my Aunt Lorena, just to show how important family is to help younger members grow up. I was born in a farmhouse on Four Mile Creek, just out of Palouse. My paren... — Updated 8/3/2022

Jesse Owens is probably the country’s most famous Olympic athlete when you consider the setting where he won his four gold medals. Owens won the gold in the 4x100 relay, the 220-yard dash, the 220 low hurdles and the broad jump,... — Updated 7/20/2022

I have taken a lot of fishing tips over the years. Only one was successful. This was in Kodiak, Alaska. I was there to help the owner of the daily paper prepare her newspaper property for sale. It needed a lot of tweaking. I had... — Updated 7/12/2022

One of the things my wife and I loved to do was walk in the sand dunes. To do that you have to have special places where the sand bunches up. Death Valley produced one such place, the mesquite dunes. Death Valley to some is the... — Updated 7/6/2022

When my wife and I used to hike, we thought in miles, the fewer the better. We would never have thought in the hundreds of miles. Jaci Gross and her 72-year-old mother, Jeanne, are underway on a 400-mile pilgrimage to Santiago, Spa... — Updated 6/29/2022

When an area suddenly becomes popular, it ruins it for people who already lived there. There’s a lot of examples of this. I don’t think it could happen here, but you never know if we will be discovered someday. While living in... — Updated 6/22/2022

My Aunt Voe used to put me up in an upstairs feather bed when I would visit. I don’t know what kind of feathers she used, but they made an extremely soft mattress and likewise the sleep. Voe was what you could correctly say... — Updated 6/15/2022

There are always a few who know what they want to do after graduating from high school. My great granddaughter, Kaylee Landeros, has already been accepted at Eastern Washington University and soon will go to the campus to plan her... — Updated 6/8/2022

Memorial Day can be a special occasion.  It is meant to be a day of remembering family members and close friends who have passed on. It is a time when you can reflect on the good times enjoyed with those who have been closest to y... — Updated 6/1/2022

Summers in Palouse when I was a kid meant carnivals and the circus. They held the carnivals just off Main Street and next to the downtown gym. My brother Bob got kicked out of the carnival one summer. They had a monkey on a chain,... — Updated 5/18/2022

I have been tracing my Lucas family back as far as the mid 17th century in LaRochelle, France. I can’t seem to get past Jean Lucas, so for now he is the patriarch of the family. The family followed the teachings of John Calvin... — Updated 5/11/2022

Why am I so lucky? I have a new great granddaughter, at least new to me. She was born the day that President Biden took office, Jan. 20, 2021. I saw Autumn once before, in Spokane at the hospital, but last weekend she was at the... — Updated 5/4/2022

I guess these places won’t be secret now. This weekend I visited one of our secret places, Hawk Creek campground. My wife and I used to prepare a picnic lunch and drive to Hawk Creek for one of our outings. I will miss this. Ther... — Updated 4/27/2022

Why am I cold all the time? Doesn’t the weatherman know it’s supposed to be spring?  But I’ve seen much colder days. I endured 46 below when working for Potlatch Forest shortly after I got out of high school. Work area... — Updated 4/20/2022

In my column I have often mentioned what good neighbors I have. I particularly mention Dave and Dorothy Stiegelmeyer, who frequently are doing little things to make life easier for me. I received a postcard recently from an old fri... — Updated 4/13/2022

We have just celebrated Indigenous People’s Day. We have called this Columbus Day for far too long. We have been taught for centuries that Columbus discovered America. As a people, we developed a word ditty that helps us... — Updated 10/13/2021

Sometimes doing things only once is a good idea. This is particularly true for me when it involves heights.  The top rung in an eight-foot ladder is enough for me. Flying into Kodiak, Alaska was a prime example of the kind of cowa... — Updated 9/30/2020

You see, I have this dog, by accident I remind you. Ten years ago I stopped and bought a dog from someone selling pups from the trunk of their car. The plan was for the pup to go to my great granddaughter, Kaylee. That lasted... — Updated 9/23/2020

My wife and I liked the coulee so much that we moved here twice. The first time was in 1954 when I accepted a job grading lumber at the planing mill above the dam. I worked for Everett Kirkpatrick and a junior partner. Old timers... — Updated 8/21/2019